Deccan Herald: In an interview with DH’s Anirban Bhaumik from an undisclosed location, Saleh says that Pakistan overestimated its relevance and value in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. He also says India can balance principle and pragmatism in its engagement with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).  

Amu: Tuesday marked the fifth anniversary of a deadly assault on a Sikh temple in Kabul that killed 26 people and injured eight others. Daesh claimed responsibility for the 2020 attack, one of the deadliest in recent memory against Afghanistan’s Sikh minority. Five years on, rights activists and analysts say that religious extremism has onlyRead More...

Fazelminallah Qazizai via News Line Mag: The caption identified him as Afghan national Mohammad Sharifullah (also known as Jafar), arrested in Pakistan and handed over to the U.S. as a “top terrorist” mastermind behind the August 2021 Kabul airport bombing that killed more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops. But here, in the alleysRead More...

Afghanistan International: Michael Kugelman, South Asia Director at the Wilson Center, says the United States is signalling a shift in its approach to the Taliban. He believes the US is now looking to work more closely with Taliban leaders based in Kabul, sidelining the group’s leadership in Kandahar. According to Kugelman, the US has limitedRead More...

AFP: Tired of burkas that cover the face, urban women under the Taliban’s ‘gender apartheid’ have adopted the abaya robe favoured in Gulf nations. Click here to read more (external link).



8am: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned on World Water Day that climate change threatens Afghanistan’s glaciers.  Reports from United Nations agencies indicate that Afghanistan is facing severe climate change challenges. Click here to read more (external link).



Khaama: Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting Interior Minister under the Taliban-led administration in Afghanistan, continues to draw international attention as signs of evolving U.S. policy emerge. Sources close to the Haqqani network have told Afghan outlet Tolo News that the reward designations on key figures of the group have been lifted by the U.S. government. AccordingRead More...

Amu: Afghanistan’s national football team suffered a 2-0 defeat against Thailand in an international friendly on Friday evening, as part of its preparations for the upcoming qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The friendly was seen as a key warm-up fixture ahead of Afghanistan’s first official qualifier match, scheduled for March 25 (5 HamalRead More...

Afghanistan International: Several Afghan opposition leaders used Nowruz to urge unity and resistance against the Taliban. They called for an end to “tyranny and oppression” and pledged to work towards a democratic and inclusive government. Abdul Rashid Dostum, former vice president and leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, said in his Nowruz messageRead More...

Afghanistan International: Rawadari, a human rights organisation, has exposed widespread violations against ethnic and religious minorities in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. In its latest report, the group accuses the Taliban of deliberately denying minorities access to government services, infrastructure projects, and humanitarian aid. In Badakhshan, no infrastructure projects have been carried out in Ismaili-majority areas,Read More...

Ariana: Afghanistan has ranked last out of 147 countries in the 2025 edition of the World Happiness Report released Thursday. Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for the eighth consecutive year. Denmark, Iceland and Sweden followed Finland in the ranking. According to the new World Happiness Report, Afghanistan lost approximately 2.7Read More...

By Abubakar Siddique and RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi March 21, 2025 Millions of Afghans in Iran face an uncertain future as Tehran prepares to implement sweeping restrictions that will cut off access to health care, education, housing, and other essential services for undocumented immigrants. The new policy, set to take effect on March 21, has leftRead More...

By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi March 19, 2025 Under the Taliban, Afghan women can’t study at universities or work in most jobs. But 22-year-old Zahra Ali has created a small business that brings in an income and provides a much-needed resource to her neighbors. At her home workshop in Kabul, she builds rechargeable battery packs that helpRead More...

8am: The Taliban, despite their claims of combating administrative corruption and ethnic discrimination, have engaged in widespread corruption within government institutions and have significantly fueled ethnic bias. Findings from a report by the Hasht-e Subh Daily regarding the Education Directorate of Baghlan Province reveal that the principal of a school in Central Baghlan has labeledRead More...

Khaama: The way Nowruz is celebrated varies across Afghanistan. In Mazar-e-Sharif, the “Jahenda Bala” ceremony and the Gul Surkh festival are popular, while in Herat, people often visit nature reserves and gardens. In Kabul, making ‘Samanak’ and preparing ‘Haft Mewa’ are notable traditions. Despite these regional differences, visiting friends, exchanging new year greetings, and wishingRead More...

8am: The United Nations has reported in a recent assessment that the price of one kilogram of opium in Afghanistan has increased tenfold compared to previous years. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) stated in its report that following the Taliban’s ban on opium cultivation, the price of this substance has sharply risen,Read More...

Afghanistan International: Former Taliban detainee Nadia Sadat told Afghanistan International that she was stripped naked and subjected to abuse in prison. She claimed that Taliban officials took photos and videos of her during interrogations. Sadat was detained for protesting in Mazar-i-Sharif and for speaking to the media about the closure of schools and universities forRead More...

Khaama: Iran is deporting over 300 Afghan migrants daily from Khorasan Razavi, as the government intensifies efforts to manage undocumented migration. In both Iran and Pakistan, pressure on Afghan refugees has been increasing, even as migration from Afghanistan continues. Click here to read more (external link).



Tolo News: Former Afghan national taekwondo athlete Farzad Mansouri has won a silver medal at the Belgium Open taekwondo championship. The Belgium Open featured taekwondo athletes from around the world. Mansouri competed as part of the World Taekwondo Federation’s Refugee Team. Click here to read more (external link). More Sports News Afghanistan to Host InternationalRead More...

Tolo News: US President Donald Trump, speaking at the Department of Justice, once again referred to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as the “most embarrassing” day in American history. According to Trump, the US was interested in keeping Bagram Airbase due to its strategic proximity to China, but now, he claims, China controls the base.Read More...



Farangis Najibullah, Mustafa Sarwar and Abdul Hamid Hakimi Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty March 15, 2025 Every two hours. That’s how often a woman dies during childbirth in Afghanistan. The staggering maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the world. And under the repressive rule of the Taliban, the situation is only getting worse.Read More...

Michael Hughes: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif admitted Pakistan’s ties to the Afghan Taliban have come back to haunt Islamabad. Although, for many, this is like saying the sky is blue, it is quite a development when such a statement emanates from a Pakistani official. The timing of the admission, of course, is too little, tooRead More...

Roshan Noorzai Noshaba Ashna VOA News March 14, 2025 WASHINGTON — When Naveeda Khoshbo published her book of political analysis in 2019, she received widespread praise and recognition. For many, “it was the first time that they were reading a book written by a young woman,” she said. So, when she received a text message fromRead More...

Nikkei: The alternative policy of shunning Afghanistan’s rulers would virtually ensure less Taliban concern about anti-India terrorism and allow Chinese and Pakistani influence to grow unchecked. A pivot completely in the other direction, whereby India might become the first state to diplomatically recognize the Taliban, would also be a mistake since it would compromise NewRead More...

Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has blamed the country’s ongoing security challenges on past alignment and support by some Pakistani officials for the Afghan Taliban. He made these remarks three days after the hostage crisis on the Jaffar Express train, during a meeting with officials in Balochistan. Click here to read more (externalRead More...

Afghanistan International: The Pakistan Army has claimed that the mastermind behind the Jaffar Express train attack in Balochistan was operating from Afghanistan. On Wednesday, army spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry announced that the hostage rescue operation had been completed, with all Baloch separatist militants killed. Chaudhry stated that the attack was planned and directed by BalochRead More...