Afghanistan International: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered the removal of the “acting” designation from all positions in the group’s administration, marking the fourth anniversary of its return to power. In a statement released Friday, Akhundzada directed ministers and officials to stop using the term when referring to the Taliban government. Since the cabinet wasRead More...

Afghanistan International: The report alleges that the Taliban block and redirect aid to ensure it reaches Pashtun communities rather than Tajik and Hazara populations. It says only 30 to 40 percent of all aid sent to Afghanistan has reached those truly in need. The United States has provided nearly $4 billion in humanitarian assistance toRead More...

By Farangis Najibullah Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 15, 2025 Just before the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban in August 2021, RFE/RL spoke with several young professionals in Kabul who voiced their fears and anxieties about the future. We reconnected with them again this week to see how their lives have unfolded. KABUL — Ahmad Dawood jugglesRead More...

Khaama: Afghan migrants in Pakistan allege police are demanding bribes for release after arrests, with detainees reporting payments of large sums despite holding valid or pending immigration documents. Witnesses claim police often operate in plain clothes on motorcycles, demanding passports and visas. If documents are not produced, uniformed officers reportedly arrive in vehicles to makeRead More...

Afghanistan International: Residents of eastern Nangarhar province who were displaced by Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) fighting under the former Afghan republic say the Taliban have failed to deliver on promises to rebuild their destroyed homes, and infrastructure. Civilians from Haska Mina, Achin, Spin Ghar, Kot, Naziyan and Dur Baba districts told Afghanistan International that clashes duringRead More...

8am: Sources in Taloqan say that for over 40 days, several pharmacies have been closed under the pretext of inspections. According to these sources, some pharmacies have reopened through mediation or connections with local Taliban authorities, while others have been forced to clear out their stock, contributing to rising unemployment in the province. Sources furtherRead More...

Khaama: The FBI in Washington has released a missing-person poster for Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan–American citizen and former head of Afghanistan’s Civil Aviation Authority. In a statement issued Sunday, August 10, the FBI announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the location and safe return of Habibi. The agencyRead More...

Amu: Haqqani told Radio Hurriyat that one day before the fall of Nimroz province in August 2021, Akhundzada met with Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Taliban Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid to discuss the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s provinces. According to Haqqani, Taliban leaders wanted to take Kabul through negotiations to preserve the government’sRead More...

Amu: Taliban security forces killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 40 others during crackdowns on protests against poppy eradication in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province in May and June, the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said in its latest quarterly report. Click here to read more (external link).

Amu: The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan says in a quarterly report that it has documented three explosions in Afghanistan, all of which happened in the northern province of Balkh, in which one civilian was killed and 17 others were wounded. UNAMA says that two of the blasts were claimed by the Afghanistan Freedom Front,Read More...

Afghanistan International: Following the Taliban’s official ban on opium cultivation and trafficking, some Taliban officials and drug smugglers have turned to producing methamphetamine, locally known as shisha, derived from the ephedra plant, known in Afghanistan simply as ephedra. An investigation by Afghanistan International indicates that certain Taliban figures are directly involved in the ephedra trade.Read More...

Ariana: Afghanistan’s senior all-rounder Gulbadin Naib has expressed optimism about the future of cricket in the country, revealing that Afghanistan is hopeful of hosting an ICC tournament in the near future. In an interview with CricTracker, Naib highlighted the positive developments in Afghan cricket and the growing interest from international teams to tour the country.Read More...

Afghanistan International: Abdul Latif Mansoor, the Taliban’s Minister of Energy and Water, accused Pakistan of opposing any form of stable central authority in Afghanistan, whether under the Taliban, Mujahideen, or even Communists. Speaking in an interview with Shamshad TV on Thursday, Mansoor said: “Some of our neighbours, especially Pakistan, do not want a government inRead More...

Amu: According to the sources, Taliban morality enforcers have established multiple checkpoints throughout Panjshir to monitor women’s clothing. At these posts, women are required to wear a full-body burqa to pass. The sources added that even girls under the age of 15 have been questioned and warned that they are not allowed to travel unlessRead More...

Afghanistan International: The Taliban have weaponised Afghanistan’s justice system to suppress women and girls, amounting to possible crimes against humanity, according to Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan. Speaking before the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Bennett said that since seizing power, the Taliban have suspended the Afghan constitutionRead More...

Khaama: Bagram Airfield, once the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan, has reemerged in global debate. Its strategic location near China and Central Asia fuels speculation about potential U.S.–China competition over influence and control. Afghan observers suggest that if the Taliban were to permit foreign use of Bagram, they might prefer U.S. involvement over China’s,Read More...

8am: Sources state that the Taliban, to suppress opposition, restrict access to information, and create an atmosphere of fear among citizens, have expanded their espionage activities in Kabul. According to these sources, the group has exploited the dire economic situation to establish a network of spies aimed at detaining, tracking, and psychologically tormenting citizens, particularlyRead More...

CNN: Imperfect though these religious institutions are, they are the only option for most Afghan girls over the age of 12 who want any education. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world that prohibits girls and women from getting general education at secondary and higher levels. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan International: According to sources in Kunar, the transfers began approximately a month ago and were coordinated by a special Taliban committee in cooperation with TTP. The families were reportedly moved using military vehicles from the districts of Khas Kunar, Marawara, Dara-i-Pech (Mano Gai area), Sirkanay, and Dangam. In Ghazni, a local source said thatRead More...

Afghanistan International: The first round of talks between the Bajaur Peace Jirga and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) concluded on Friday, 2 August, with tribal elders urging militants to withdraw from civilian areas or return to Afghanistan. Pakistani officials estimate that approximately 4,000 TTP fighters are operating from within Afghanistan. Click here to read more (externalRead More...

Afghanistan International: The new tariff structure was published just hours before the 1 August deadline for trade negotiations and agreements with foreign governments. Under the updated policy, countries with a trade deficit with the United States, including Afghanistan, will now face a base tariff rate of 15 percent. The previous 10 percent rate will remainRead More...

Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has claimed responsibility for an armed attack on a Taliban checkpoint in Kabul, where members of the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice were reportedly stationed. In a statement released late Thursday, 31 July, the AFF said the assault took place in the Chilston areaRead More...

By Ray Furlong Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 2, 2025 A US body set up in 2008 to assess efforts to support Afghanistan has made its 68th and final quarterly report to Congress — with damning details of waste and “pervasive corruption” over the course of the nearly 20-year Western intervention as well as concerns about Trump administrationRead More...

Khaama: The future of the Wakhan Corridor will shape far more than trade routes; it will determine whether Afghanistan becomes a bridge for cooperation or a battleground for rivalry. China’s push to extend CPEC through Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor promises economic gain but ignites tensions, with India, Western powers, and regional rivals alarmed over shifting geopoliticalRead More...

Amu: More than 240 humanitarian projects in Afghanistan were suspended in the first half of this year because of Taliban interference, gender restrictions and administrative obstacles, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report, warning that relief efforts for millions of Afghans risk collapsing altogether. OCHA said 245 aidRead More...

New Lines Institute: Since the Taliban takeover, Shia-Hazaras have faced escalating violence affecting places of worship, schools, workplaces, and daily life. They are excluded from the Taliban’s government and are subjected to systemic economic marginalization and widespread religious discrimination. Terrorist attacks and mass killings targeting the community have become more commonplace. In the three yearsRead More...

8am: Local sources in western Kabul report that Taliban members have detained several girls and women in the Dasht-e Barchi area for not being accompanied by a male guardian. The detentions began around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in the areas known as Qala-e Naw and 20-meter road, according to the sources. TheRead More...

Afghanistan International: The Taliban have forcibly evicted residents of a village in Bamiyan province following a legal ruling in favour of Kuchi nomads, according to local sources. Residents of Rashk village in Punjab district were ordered to leave their homes after a Taliban court decision awarded land rights to the nomadic group. Local sources toldRead More...

By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi July 28, 2025 The circumstances of Naveed Ahmad’s life have imposed many restrictions on the impoverished Afghan teenager. He can’t travel abroad, pursue his dream of getting a university degree, or even afford to eat out with friends. But the one thing the 19-year-old never lost access to was his favorite sportRead More...

By Firuza Azizi and Farangis Najibullah Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 29, 2025 Rakhshana stopped going to school as a young girl in Kabul when the Taliban-led government banned education for girls beyond primary school. Then she enrolled at a private center that offered English language classes. But that too was taken away when theRead More...