8am: Several families of former Afghan government military personnel report that, despite the Taliban’s announcement of a general amnesty, they face surveillance, interrogation, and threats from the group due to their familial ties to former security forces. They state that Taliban members have repeatedly visited their homes, demanding information about the whereabouts of their military
Amu: Rashid Khan, one of Afghanistan’s most prominent cricketers, and Omarzai, the national team’s all rounder, will miss the 2025 edition of Major League Cricket (MLC), opting out of the tournament to take a break from professional play, according to ESPNcricinfo. Their absence comes amid broader uncertainty around the participation of Afghan players in U.S.-based
Khaama: The U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at the “Investing in America” summit at the White House on Monday, sharply criticized past American military strategies in Afghanistan. He claimed that U.S. forces fought in a manner that suggested they had no intention of winning the war, describing the approach as “deeply upsetting.” In his remarks,
Amu: Taliban spokesman on Tuesday confirmed an overnight clash with fighters affiliated with the ISIS Khorasan branch in northeastern Kabul, though he continued to insist that the group has no significant presence in Afghanistan. Zabihullah Mujahid told Amu that the confrontation occurred near the Marjan residential complex and an area locally known as the “narcotics
Khaama: Shawn VanDiver, president of the refugee advocacy group AfghanEvac, has sharply criticized former U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for endorsing an Eid message by Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund. While Khalilzad remains a vocal commentator on Afghan affairs, his perceived closeness to the Taliban continues to raise alarms among Afghan diaspora communities and human
Afghanistan International: Fawzia Koofi, a former member of Afghanistan’s parliament, has rejected the Taliban’s recent invitation for former officials to return to the country, saying it is not an effort at reconciliation but a calculated move to silence dissenting voices. In a report published in May 2024, UNAMA stated that despite the Taliban’s announcement of
The Guardian (UK): When the rules were announced, it was unclear how a relatively small number of “morality police” employed by the Taliban would enforce and implement these rules. Yet, in the months since the rules were announced, it has been fathers, brothers and husbands who have become, in effect, unpaid foot soldiers imposing the
Khaama: Mohammad Narimani, Director General of the International Relations Office of Iran’s Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, has stated that drug trafficking from Afghanistan warehouses to Iran and other countries continues unabated. According to Narimani, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Russia remain on the frontline in combating narcotics trafficking originating from Afghanistan. Afghanistan continues to be the world’s largest