Afghanistan International: Following the Taliban’s official ban on opium cultivation and trafficking, some Taliban officials and drug smugglers have turned to producing methamphetamine, locally known as shisha, derived from the ephedra plant, known in Afghanistan simply as ephedra. An investigation by Afghanistan International indicates that certain Taliban figures are directly involved in the ephedra trade.
By Ray Furlong Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 2, 2025 A US body set up in 2008 to assess efforts to support Afghanistan has made its 68th and final quarterly report to Congress — with damning details of waste and “pervasive corruption” over the course of the nearly 20-year Western intervention as well as concerns about Trump administration
Afghanistan International: The Taliban’s Directorate of Emirati Companies announced that leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has issued a decree allocating more than one million acres of land to Taliban-linked companies. Many citizens have accused the Taliban of forcibly seizing private property and reclassifying it as state or “Emirati” land. Critics argue that the absence of a legitimate
8am: Some residents of Taloqan, the center of Takhar province, have voiced complaints about the lack of effective oversight by the Taliban’s public health directorate over the province’s public hospital. They claim that certain doctors at the Takhar provincial hospital refer patients to private clinics and hospitals for examinations based on personal financial interests, with
8am: Sayed (pseudonym), another investor in construction projects in Taloqan, stated that despite having legal documents and completing official procedures with government offices in Kabul and Takhar, the Taliban have stopped the construction of his residential high-rise. According to him, the Taliban-appointed mayor demanded three four-room apartments, each 180 square meters, and efforts to resolve
Amu: The imams, according to the accounts, have been provided housing near the mosques they oversee. Despite this, they chose to spend the holiday abroad — a move that has frustrated community members who say they are unable to file complaints because the clerics are appointed by Taliban authorities. Local residents expressed concern over what
BBC: A UK Special Forces officer personally rejected 1,585 resettlement applications from Afghans with credible links to special forces, newly released documents say. The admission comes after the BBC revealed last week that the UKSF officer – who previously served in Afghanistan – rejected applications from Afghans who may have witnessed the alleged crimes. Click
8am: Beauty parlours that are forced to operate covertly say they are worn down by the Taliban’s systematic extortion and blackmail. They explain that they work out of sheer necessity—to earn a piece of bread for themselves and their children—yet Taliban security sectors continually threaten them and demand pay-offs. Click here to read more (external link).
The Guardian (UK): Against a backdrop of Taliban rule and corruption claims against FA president, Zohib Islam Amiri sees demoralisation setting in. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: The Taliban, despite their claims of combating administrative corruption and ethnic discrimination, have engaged in widespread corruption within government institutions and have significantly fueled ethnic bias. Findings from a report by the Hasht-e Subh Daily regarding the Education Directorate of Baghlan Province reveal that the principal of a school in Central Baghlan has labeled