Khaama: The FBI in Washington has released a missing-person poster for Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan–American citizen and former head of Afghanistan’s Civil Aviation Authority. In a statement issued Sunday, August 10, the FBI announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the location and safe return of Habibi. The agency
Khaama: World Chess Day celebrates chess’s global benefits in education, peace, and inclusion, while the game remains banned in Afghanistan, risking its cultural loss. On July 20, the United Nations celebrated World Chess Day, highlighting chess as a powerful tool for education, sustainable development, peace, and social inclusion globally. Click here to read more (external
By Firuza Azizi and Farangis Najibullah Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 13, 2025 A popular Afghan singer has been missing for more than a month in Kabul, where she shot to fame with her performance on a popular television talent show nearly a decade ago. Zulala Hashimi’s husband says she left home on June 4
Afghanistan International: Habibi’s family has long claimed that he is being held in Taliban custody. However, in a statement issued Thursday, 3 July, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said that an internal investigation, conducted at the request of the family, found no evidence that Habibi had been arrested by any Taliban-affiliated agency. Click here to read
AP: This centuries-old blood sport, once a common winter pastime, now takes place year-round in the Afghan capital, driven not just by tradition but by poverty, unemployment and desperation. The Taliban has outlawed cockfighting since seizing power in 2021. Yet the fights continue. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Zolala Hashemi, a well-known artist, has been missing for more than two weeks after being abducted in the capital, Kabul, according to local sources and her family. Taliban security agencies have yet to locate Hashemi, despite reportedly opening an investigation, sources said. Local sources added there is still no confirmation as to whether she
Amu: An explosion in a coal mine in the northern province of Samangan killed seven workers and injured two others, Taliban said on Wednesday. Afghanistan’s mining sector has long been plagued by hazardous working conditions, with poorly regulated operations and a lack of basic safety equipment often cited as key factors behind fatal incidents. Click
8am: Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, millions have fled the country due to fear of retribution, systematic discrimination, widespread repression, poverty, and unemployment. This mass migration has triggered a profound crisis of individual and collective identity among the displaced. Those remaining in Afghanistan, struggling under the brutal oppression of the Taliban, hoped that
Afghanistan International: Abdul Zahir Qadir, former Deputy Speaker of Afghanistan’s parliament, has been arrested in Kenya and is facing extradition to the United States on charges related to drug trafficking and possession of heavy weaponry. According to The Nairobi Times, Qadir was apprehended at a hotel in Nairobi shortly after arriving in the country on
Afghanistan International: Abdul Zahir Qadir, a former member of the Afghan Parliament, has reportedly been arrested at Dubai International Airport, according to his nephew, Jalal Qadir, who spoke to Afghanistan International. “A few days ago, Abdul Zahir Qadir left for a foreign trip. Unfortunately, during our last call, he told us he had been detained