8am: Why is drawing closer to Pakistan a poor idea for Taliban opponents at this moment, and why could trusting this process trap them in a game of double standards? Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) said its fighters killed two Taliban members in an attack on the group’s base in Taleqan, the capital of Takhar province, on Saturday evening. Local residents told Afghanistan International that an explosion was heard in Taleqan around the same time. Click here to read more (external link).

Khaama: Swiss officials confirmed four Taliban diplomats visited Geneva to identify Afghan convicts, calling the move “sensitive but necessary” to issue valid Kabul-approved travel documents. Swiss state television has reported that four Taliban diplomats recently traveled to Geneva on a discreet mission to identify Afghan nationals convicted of crimes in Switzerland. Officials described the visitRead More...

Ariana: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced that the arrest of Afghan refugees in Pakistan increased during August this year. The agency added that from the beginning of April until August 21, a total of 53,200 Afghan migrants were arrested and imprisoned in Pakistan. Click here to read more (external link).

Khaama: Amnesty International UK says asylum approvals for Afghans fell from 98% to 44%. The group warns new immigration laws are unfair, harmful, and undermine refugee protections. Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, described the new policies as “flawed and unfair.” He cautioned that the approach leaves thousands of asylum seekers without protectionRead More...

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Iran’s deepening water crisis is primarily driven by prolonged drought, chronic mismanagement, and the impacts of climate change. The crisis is so bad that officials say Tehran is becoming uninhabitable and Israel is hoping it will get people to revolt against the Islamic republic. Making an already bad situation worse isRead More...

Amu: Taliban morality enforcers detained several women late Thursday near the Parwan Hotel in Kabul’s 11th district, local sources said. The women were taken to a Taliban security facility, where families were told to pay 20,000 afghanis (about $280) and informed that the women would spend one night in jail, according to the sources. ClickRead More...

Amu: Pakistan’s envoy to the United Nations warned the Security Council that terrorism originating from Afghanistan poses the most serious threat to regional and global security, pointing to the presence of thousands of fighters from multiple groups operating there. “The situation in Afghanistan remains precarious, with some 2,000 fighters. ISIL-K poses the most serious threat,”Read More...

8am: Many citizens of the country complain about various methods of extortion, bribery, and blackmail by the Taliban. They say that the Taliban, by employing new methods of bribery and extortion, have not only challenged administrative and social security, but have also created the groundwork for a natural crisis in Kabul. Sources say that TalibanRead More...

Amu: Residents of the Rashk area in Punjab district of Bamiyan province say the Taliban have seized their homes and handed them over to nomadic Kochis, leaving many families displaced and living in temporary tents. Locals told Amu that the Taliban pressured residents to sign forced land transfer documents. Those who refused have faced arrestRead More...

Afghanistan International: At least 71 people, including 17 children, were killed when a passenger bus carrying Afghan migrants deported from Iran collided with a truck and a motorcycle on a highway in western Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday. Taliban police blamed the accident on the bus driver’s “high speed and recklessness.” Mohammad Yousuf Saeedi, spokesman forRead More...

By Reid Standish Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 20, 2025 Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities are hosting a trilateral meeting with China and Pakistan on August 20, as Beijing looks to de-escalate tensions between the two countries by incentivizing cooperation through new trade and investment opportunities amid a flurry of diplomatic outreach. The daylong meeting is expected toRead More...

8am: Septic systems in Kabul city are among the issues that have received less attention and have recently raised concerns among a large number of residents of this city. At the same time, several environmental experts also consider the existence of these systems as a serious threat to public health and a factor in increasingRead More...

Afghanistan International: Pakistan Today has reported that the Afghan Taliban are providing regular financial support to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including monthly payments of about three million Afghanis (USD 43,000) to the family of the group’s leader, Noor Wali Mehsud. According to the report, the funds are used to purchase weapons, develop military infrastructure, and organiseRead More...

Afghanistan International: A former Afghan army commander has accused the Taliban of driving Afghanistan toward collapse through forced displacement, land seizures and the resettlement of outsiders in the country’s north and west. General Farid Ahmadi, who once led Afghanistan’s special forces, said the Taliban’s policies have inflamed ethnic hostilities and placed national unity at risk.Read More...

By Ray Furlong and Omid Marzban Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 18, 2025 Kabul residents have told RFE/RL that they are begging for rice and “ready to accept death,” as the World Food Program (WFP) said it was “turning hundreds of thousands of people away” from nutrition centers. WFP Country Director John Aylieff said drought, dramatic aidRead More...

Afghanistan International: Retirees in Kabul staged another protest on Saturday, demanding payment of pensions they say have been withheld for four years. The group gathered outside the General Directorate of the Pension Fund, accusing the Taliban of ignoring their repeated demonstrations and failing to address their claims. Click here to read more (external link).



8am: The Taliban act with rigid ideology in many areas, blending their tribal and ethnic preferences with selective Quranic verses and prophetic traditions, making life increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens. Yet, when Western interests are at stake, they proceed with far greater caution and restraint. The Taliban know full well that for Donald Trump, theRead More...

Afghanistan International: Nearly 25,000 security incidents have been recorded in Afghanistan during the four years since the Taliban returned to power, according to United Nations figures, with hundreds claimed by the Daesh’s local affiliate. The Taliban have repeatedly claimed they have established nationwide security, but independent sources and local observers say the violence persists. ClickRead More...

Afghanistan International: In a statement released to mark the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, the group said its operations targeted Taliban bases, checkpoints and gatherings across Kabul, Parwan, Balkh, Badghis, Herat, Kunduz, Takhar, Baghlan, Kapisa, Faryab, Panjshir, Sar-e Pul and Laghman provinces. The front also said Taliban “morality police” from the MinistryRead More...

Khaama: Pakistan is preparing to host a two-day meeting of Afghan opposition figures, including young leaders, political activists, party representatives, and women, in Islamabad on August 25–26. According to reports, this is the first open gathering of Afghanistan’s diverse political groups since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Click here to read more (externalRead More...

Khaama: Around 400 Afghans awaiting relocation to Germany have been arrested in Pakistan, with several deported to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, sparking urgent calls from rights groups to halt removals and resume transfers. Click here to read more (external link). Related Rights Groups Sue German Ministers for Failing to Stop Deportation of Afghans from Pakistan



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...