8am: Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, the group’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has signed more than 205 mining contracts with domestic and foreign companies. These agreements cover the extraction of copper, gold, coal, chromite, oil, and gas across various provinces. A review of documents and reports reveals that many ofRead More...
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi September 4, 2025 The death toll from a massive earthquake in Afghanistan last week has nearly doubled to 2,205 as rescue workers manage to access the remote mountainous area devastated by the disaster. Hamdullah Fitrat, a spokesman for the Taliban-led government who gave the updated casualty figures on September 4, said deliveries of firstRead More...
Ariana: Afghanistan’s national cricket team secured a remarkable victory over Pakistan by 18 runs in their third match of the Sharjah Tri-Nation Series. This win marks Afghanistan’s first triumph over Pakistan in this tournament, following a previous defeat where Pakistan won by 39 runs. Looking ahead, Afghanistan is scheduled to face the United Arab EmiratesRead More...
Afghanistan International: The fighting broke out around 9 p.m. in the Kahgdai area of Nahrin district and lasted for nearly an hour, the sources said. No casualty figures have been confirmed. Kahgdai is known as a stronghold of the Resistance Front, which has previously battled Taliban forces in the area. Click here to read moreRead More...
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi and Frud Bezhan September 3, 2025 MAZAR DARA, Afghanistan — Wazir Khan was asleep when a devastating earthquake struck his remote village in eastern Afghanistan. The midnight tremor flattened his home in the village of Mazar Dara in the eastern province of Kunar, trapping his family under rubble. Khan survived. ButRead More...
Amu: Separate traffic accidents in the northern provinces of Samangan and Jawzjan, as well as the central province of Bamiyan, left eight people dead and nine others injured, including a child, Taliban officials said Tuesday. Road accidents have recently surged across Afghanistan, killing dozens and injuring many more. Residents cite poor road conditions, lack ofRead More...
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi September 2, 2025 GHAZI ABAD VILLAGE, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan — More than 1,400 people are reported dead and thousands of others injured as aid workers continue to battle to get to a remote mountainous region of Afghanistan following a devastating earthquake that flattened villages. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, said on SeptemberRead More...
Khaama: A powerful magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing over 500 people, injuring thousands, and flattening villages in Kunar and Nangarhar, as rescue operations face difficult conditions. On the night of August 31, 2025, a powerful magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, shaking the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar at around 11:47 p.m. local time. TheRead More...
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi and Ray Furlong September 1, 2025 Aid workers are racing to a remote area of Afghanistan with emergency, food, and medical supplies following an earthquake that flattened villages and killed hundreds of people. Taliban authorities have reported at least 800 people were killed and 2,500 injured after a 6.0-magnitude earthquakeRead More...
Amu: Following their takeover in August 2021, the Taliban swiftly dissolved Afghanistan’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs and replaced it with the PVPV ministry. While the Taliban have described the change as a return to Islamic governance, rights advocates and Afghan citizens have criticized it as a move to institutionalize repression, particularly against women and girls.Read More...
Ariana: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has commemorated 31 August as the anniversary of the withdrawal of the last American soldier from the country, describing it as a “proud and historic” milestone for the Afghan nation. In a statement issued on this occasion, Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, said: “31 August symbolizesRead More...
8am: The findings of this report indicate that widespread corruption in the traffic department under Taliban control has significantly increased. Based on these findings, applicants receive driving licenses and vehicle permits without taking exams and by paying money. Meanwhile, citizens say this process has endangered the lives of thousands and turned roads into deadly scenes.Read More...
Ariana: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, has claimed that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has integrated hundreds of supporters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) into its government structure. He called on IEA to either distance these members from the Durand Line or hand them over to Islamabad. Click hereRead More...
Amu: Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said in a newly published article that Moscow estimates more than 23,000 fighters from about 20 international militant groups are currently operating in Afghanistan, posing a serious threat to regional and global security. Writing in the government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Shoigu identified ISIS-K as the most concerning group,Read More...
Ariana: Former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, has raised concerns over the growing presence of Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) leaders operating from Pakistan. In a post on X on Friday, Khalilzad said that Abdul Malik, a senior ISKP figure and key planner of attacks, was killed on August 8 in KhyberRead More...
Afghanistan International: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has urged former Afghan President Hamid Karzai to leave the country, according to sources familiar with the matter. The demand followed a secretly recorded conversation in which Karzai allegedly described himself as Akhundzada’s greatest political threat, saying his presence could mark the end of the Taliban chief’s rule. ClickRead More...
Tolo News: Pakistani drones once again carried out airstrikes on parts of Nangarhar and Khost provinces last night (Wednesday). According to reports, in the Pakistani airstrike on the Spera district of Khost, three children lost their lives and five others were wounded. In a similar attack on the Ghanikhel district of Nangarhar, six people wereRead More...
8am: Relations between Afghanistan’s Taliban and Pakistan, once described as those of “longstanding friends,” have entered a turbulent phase since the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in August 2021. Pakistan, once a key sponsor of the Taliban, now faces a growing threat from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This militant group uses Afghan soil to stageRead More...
Ariana: In an exclusive interview with Ariana News, Khalilzad said: “Pakistan tries to solve Afghanistan’s internal problems by first creating those problems, and then presenting itself to the world as a power capable of resolving them. This approach, which has been practiced over the past several decades, still continues. The root of Pakistan’s policy isRead More...
8am: Khalilzad, an Afghan-born American diplomat, has undoubtedly been influenced by this prevailing anti-Pakistan spirit in Afghan politics—especially since his formal involvement in Afghanistan’s conflict on behalf of the United States, where he closely followed Islamabad’s role. For Khalilzad, deploying anti-Pakistan rhetoric becomes particularly convenient when he confronts the depth of Afghan public discontent withRead More...
8am: Sources in Kabul report an increase in financial corruption in the Taliban municipality’s procurement projects and say that the transparency process in awarding these projects to companies is practically being violated. These sources also emphasize that the conditions stated in the tender documents have been illegally changed, and arbitrary modifications have been applied toRead More...
Afghanistan International: A planned gathering of Afghan anti-Taliban figures in Islamabad has been postponed following strong objections from the group, according to a report by the Pakistani daily The Nation. The newspaper said Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi raised concerns with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, during a meeting in Kabul on 20 August.Read More...
Afghanistan International: The Taliban say they have confiscated more than 1,400 acres of land in Logar province, classifying it as state property. No independent body exists in Afghanistan to hear complaints from citizens who allege the Taliban are forcibly seizing private property under the guise of land reclamation. Click here to read more (external link).
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).