Amu: Taliban have burned around 600 musical instruments in Parwan and Laghman provinces in the latest enforcement of their sweeping ban on music. The Taliban directorate vice and virtue in Parwan said it had set fire to about 500 instruments that had been collected over the past year from the provincial capital and surrounding districts. At the same time, the Taliban directorate in Laghman province in the east said more than 100 instruments had also been burned there. Click here to read more (external link).
Unidentified drones seen over Panjshir, residents say
Amu: Residents of Panjshir said unidentified drones were flying over parts of the province on Tuesday night, particularly during late-night and pre-dawn hours, raising concern among local communities. Several residents said the drones were observed over the districts of Rokha, Khonj, Anaba, Bazarak and Dara, sometimes flying at low altitude and producing a loud sound. It is not the first time residents of Panjshir have reported unexplained drone activity. The origin and purpose of the aircraft remain unclear, and Taliban authorities have not issued a formal statement addressing the claims. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – February 18, 2026
Saudi Arabia confirms first day of Ramadan
Gulf News: Saudi Arabia announced the sighting of the crescent moon. Thus, tomorrow [Wednesday, February 18, 2026] will be the first day of Ramadan. Click here to read more (external link).
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Anti-Taliban Group Claims Deadly Attack In Kunduz
Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) said its forces attacked a Taliban checkpoint in Bala Hesar Square in Kunduz on Monday evening, claiming two Taliban members were killed and two others wounded. Local sources in Kunduz told Afghanistan International that an explosion was reported in Bala Hesar Square around the same time. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – February 17, 2026
Afghanistan faces acute shortage of specialist doctors, officials urge ethics and expansion of health services
Ariana: Noor Jalal Jalali, the Minister of Public Health, said the ministry is making sustained and intensive efforts to address the gap and expand access to healthcare services in remote and underserved areas of the country. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ramadan Likely to Begin Thursday in Arab Countries
Khaama: Ramadan is expected to begin Thursday across several Arab states, pending crescent moon sighting that determines start of Islamic fasting month globally. In Saudi Arabia and many Muslim-majority countries, the start of Ramadan is officially determined through verified sightings of the new moon after sunset. Click here to read more (external link).
Iran’s Possible Recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: a Strategic Outlook
Special Eurasia: Tehran’s potential recognition of the Taliban is a strategic security hedge designed to stabilise its eastern frontier and prevent Afghanistan from being used as a platform for hostile intelligence or militant activity. Deepening trade interdependence, energy exports, and border free-trade zones are embedding Afghanistan structurally into Iran’s economy, transforming geopolitical risk into geo-economic leverage. Recognition could integrate Afghanistan into a Russia–Iran–Eurasia connectivity framework, linking Chabahar and the Caspian to the International North–South Transport Corridor and accelerating a regional, non-Western stabilisation model. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan has just legalised domestic violence
Tyla: A new penal code has been published by Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, which will legalise acts of physical punishment against women. The alarming news comes in light of Hibatullah Akhundzada – the Supreme Leader of the Islamist extreme group – signing a 90-page criminal code which outlines different degrees of legal penalisation depending on whether or not the recipient is ‘free’, or a ‘slave’. Click here to read more (external link).