Afghanistan International: Mahmood Khan Achakzai, leader of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, has blamed Pakistan’s policies for regional insecurity, accusing the state of recruiting, training and supporting militants during the Soviet-Afghan war. He said Pakistan authorities, rather than the Pashtun population, were responsible for spreading terrorism in the country. Achakzai alleged that during the Soviet
8am: The Parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales has passed a motion recognising the genocide of Hazaras in the state’s official records and designating September 25 as “Hazara Black Day.” The motion was introduced by Anthony D’Adam, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, and was passed with broad support
CBS News: Twenty-five years ago, a Soviet-designed helicopter crossed the mountains of Afghanistan carrying the first CIA officers sent into the country after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, marking the opening move in the U.S. response that would soon become America’s longest war. Click here to read more (external link).
By Amos Chapple Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 20, 2026 Restoration work under way on Afghanistan’s most famous minaret is the latest indication that the country’s Taliban rulers are taking a calculated approach to cultural heritage, in contrast to their statue-smashing predecessors of the 1990s, experts say. Images of work to safeguard the UNESCO-listed Minaret
Khaama: Former Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib has accused former U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad of a “great betrayal” in a new book examining the collapse of Afghanistan’s republic, arguing that Washington’s direct negotiations with the Taliban sidelined Kabul’s elected government and accelerated its fall in 2021. The book, Shadows Over Kabul: An Insider’s Account
Afghanistan International: Former US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has described the complete withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s return to power as a terrible mistake, saying Washington betrayed those it had fought for. Panetta, who served as defence secretary under former President Barack Obama, said the United States had made significant efforts
Amu: Wednesday marks 25 years since the assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud, a prominent commander who fought Soviet forces and later the Taliban and was declared a national hero by the former government. Massoud was assassinated on Sept. 9, 2001, in Khwaja Bahauddin district of Takhar province in northern Afghanistan when two attackers posing as
By Ray Furlong and Daud Khattak Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 8, 2026 Twenty-five years after serving as the global launchpad for the 9/11 attacks, Afghanistan has come “full circle” — with the Taliban retaking power after a 20-year US-led military presence and Al-Qaeda operatives again finding safe haven in the country. So far, this
Ariana: Five years after the deadly Abbey Gate attack in Kabul, US President Donald Trump has criticized the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan in a proclamation marking the fifth anniversary of the bombing. Trump declared August 26, 2026, a day of commemoration for the 13 US service members killed in the attack. According to the
Khaama: A former Bamyan governor and commander has told the BBC that he personally took part in the destruction of the historic Bamiyan Buddha statues and says he has no regrets over the act. The BBC reported on Monday that Abdullah Sarhadi, a former Taliban military commander in Bamiyan during the group’s first rule, said