By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal, Wasim Sajjad, Muhammad Zawar and Will Tizard April 19, 2025 When the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, they quickly banned music, declaring it un-Islamic. Musicians faced threats, raids, and the destruction of their instruments. “Our homes were searched for what we had there,” says Faiz Muhammad Sakhki, an Afghan musician
Amu: Afghanistan’s under-19 cricket team officially qualified for the 2026 ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup after their final qualifying match against Nepal was washed out by heavy rain on Saturday, the Afghanistan Cricket Board announced. The match, scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m. Kabul time at Mulpani Cricket Stadium in Kathmandu, was expected to
Ariana: Russia’s foreign spy service chief, Sergei Naryshkin, has claimed that Western intelligence agencies are looking for ways to help anti-government forces in Afghanistan in hopes of keeping the country in a state of disarray. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: The Taliban’s Prime Minister, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, has called on Pakistan to immediately halt the mass deportation of Afghan migrants and instead work with Kabul on a coordinated and dignified repatriation process. During a meeting on Saturday, 20 April, with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Kabul, Akhund criticised Islamabad’s unilateral approach,
Khaama: Sabera, a young mother, was brutally deported from Pakistan with her 13-day-old baby, now stranded helplessly at Torkham border. Sabera recounted how Pakistani authorities forced her family out without warning. “Because of these heartless people, I had to leave Pakistan with my newborn,” she said, referring to the police who evicted them from their
Afghanistan International: Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, announced that the suspension of the Taliban’s designation as a terrorist organisation eliminates legal barriers to establishing formal relations between Moscow and the Taliban. He stated that this move would facilitate enhanced political and economic cooperation between the two sides. Speaking to Russia’s TASS news agency
Amu: Afghanistan’s Under-19 cricket team took to the nets early Friday morning, fine-tuning preparations for a decisive match against Nepal that will determine a place in the 2026 ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The much-anticipated game, set for Saturday, April 19, is a pivotal contest in the regional qualifying tournament. Both Afghanistan and Nepal
Afghanistan International: According to sources speaking to Afghanistan International, the teenager, identified as Mahdi, was shot dead by Taliban forces last Wednesday near the Jaghori district centre. His body was later handed over to his family with instructions to bury him quietly and without funeral prayers. Contrary to these claims, several local sources maintain that