8am: Local sources say the Taliban abducted a young man from Panjshir province in Kabul and killed him after subjecting him to torture. Sources told Hasht-e Subh Daily on Monday, January 19, that the 25-year-old, identified as Sayed Jalal, was abducted on Saturday from Lycee Maryam by the Taliban’s intelligence service. The sources said Sayed Jalal had been deported from Iran two years ago and, after returning, was working as a street vendor in Kabul. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – January 20, 2026
Afghanistan defeats West Indies by 38 runs, take early lead in T20I series
Ariana: Afghanistan, also known as AfghanAtalan, delivered a commanding all-round performance to defeat the West Indies by 38 runs in the opening match of the T20I series in Dubai, taking a 1–0 lead on Monday. With the victory, Afghanistan take a 1–0 lead in the series. The two sides will meet again in the second T20I on Wednesday, January 21. Click here to read more (external link).
ISIS-K Claims Kabul Bombing That Killed Seven, Including Chinese Citizen
ISIS Militants
Afghanistan International: In a statement published by ISIS’s Amaq News Agency, the group said a suicide bomber entered a Chinese restaurant in Shahr-e Naw and detonated explosives among Chinese nationals and their guards. The statement said Chinese nationals were targeted over what the group described as China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims. Taliban officials said the Chinese national killed in the blast was a Muslim from China’s Xinjiang region, identified as Abdul Rahman. Click here to read more (external link).
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Deadly blast hits Kabul hotel in Shahr-e-Naw
Khaama: A powerful explosion struck a hotel in Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw district, killing several people and injuring others, officials said. An explosion struck a hotel area in central Kabul on Monday, causing casualties, as witnesses said Chinese nationals were the main target. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – January 19, 2026
Pakistan Cuts Electricity, Water to Afghan Refugees in Camps
Tolo News: Allah Mir Miyakhil, an activist for refugee rights in Pakistan, said: “Afghan refugees in Pakistan are being treated worse than criminals elsewhere. Schools and religious institutions for Afghan children have been shut down. Their electricity was cut off, and even clean water facilities have been taken away.” Click here to read more (external link).
Tajikistan forces kill four militants at Afghanistan border
Khaama: Tajik media reported that four members of what authorities described as a “terrorist group” were killed after crossing from Afghanistan into Tajikistan’s Badakhshan region, officials said on Sunday. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, Tajikistan has repeatedly voiced alarm over militant movements near its frontier, increasing patrols and coordination with regional security partners. Click here to read more (external link).
No American Funds Should Reach Taliban, Says US Senator
Afghanistan International: Jim Risch, a Republican US senator, said the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will review legislation later this month to prevent US taxpayer money from reaching terrorist groups, stressing that no American funds should go to the Taliban. “We must do all we can to ensure no US money is going to the Taliban,” Risch said in a post on X. Click here to read more (external link).