Amrullah Saleh
Afghanistan International: Afghanistan Green Trend says it attacked a Taliban military recruitment centre in Firozkoh, the capital of Ghor Province, on Monday, May 18, using explosives planted inside the facility. The group released a video claiming responsibility for the attack. This is the second time Afghanistan Green Trend, led by Amrullah Saleh, former vice president of Afghanistan, has independently claimed responsibility for an attack against the Taliban through its official channels, separate from the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan led by Ahmad Massoud. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama: A report by BBC says worsening poverty and unemployment in Afghanistan’s Ghor Province are forcing some families to sell children while malnutrition is driving rising infant deaths. The report described severe hunger in the provincial capital Firozkoh, where crowds gather daily for leftover bread and rare labor opportunities, while many residents return home without food or work. One father interviewed by BBC said he was considering selling one of his seven-year-old twin daughters because he could no longer feed the rest of his children. 
Amu: Amo Region secured a commanding eight-wicket victory over Bost Region on Monday in the e& Regional List A Tournament after restricting Bost to 159 runs and comfortably chasing down the target in Nangarhar. After winning the toss at the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Cricket Ground, Amo elected to field first and quickly took control of the match through a balanced bowling performance. The victory gives Amo Region its first win of the 2026 tournament, which is being held in Nangarhar and features Afghanistan’s leading regional one-day teams. 
Afghanistan International: Local sources in Badakhshan tell Afghanistan International that the Taliban have detained several individuals, including relatives of a number of the group’s ethnic Tajik commanders, amid an ongoing dispute over gold. According to these sources, those detained include Khaled, a nephew of Mawlawi Amanuddin Mansoor, the Taliban’s governor in Helmand; Musa Kaka, a commander close to Juma Khan Fateh, the Taliban’s deputy governor in Zabul; and the brother-in-law of Mawlawi Hafiz, the Taliban’s governor in Farah. The sources also reported that the Taliban have destroyed gold-processing workshops belonging to Amanuddin Mansoor. 
8am: Following the release of a video showing the severe beating of two elderly men by Taliban fighters, the Human Rights Activists Union (HRAU) says the footage once again reveals the deeply rooted and systematic nature of Taliban violence. In a statement issued on Monday, May 18, the HRAU said that scenes of attacks on civilians with “sticks, fists, and kicks” by a group of armed men demonstrate a level of brutality that crosses all moral, legal, and human boundaries. According to the statement, reports and visible evidence suggest that the attack may be linked to land grabbing, forced displacement, or intimidation of civilians. It added that similar incidents have previously been reported, including videos of men and women being beaten and tortured by Taliban fighters. 
8am: The Taliban have announced the arrest of a member of the former government’s Public Uprising Forces in Faryab province on charges of possessing weapons and military equipment. This comes amid numerous media reports of arrests, torture, and killings of former security forces and members of the Public Uprising Forces by the Taliban. 
