8am: In other words, the Taliban have serious weaknesses, but their opponents lack the capacity to exploit them. The Taliban fear every internal uprising, yet their opponents cannot transform these uprisings into a coordinated national movement. The Taliban are unpopular in the north, yet their opponents have failed to convert that discontent into lasting popular
Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says the Afghan Taliban could be considered an Indian proxy if it does not act in its own interests and instead serves what Islamabad describes as India’s efforts to destabilise Pakistan. Tahir Andrabi, spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing on Thursday, 27 August, that if
Amu: Aisha Wahab, an Afghan American member-elect of Congress, says the United States should pursue diplomacy and maintain a relationship with Afghanistan “regardless of which group is in power,” while criticizing restrictions on women and girls under Taliban rule. She also said Afghanistan needs other allies and criticized what she described as “warlord groups” seeking
By Amos Chapple Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 24, 2026 The authorities in Belarus appear to be suppressing images that emerged from a Taliban delegation’s visit that included a tour of a cheese-making plant. The visit by Taliban officials to the Slutz Cheese-Making Plant in central Belarus was reported on by a local news outlet on August
Khaama: Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ronald Neumann says he can envision the United States reopening its embassy in Kabul under Taliban rule, but only if the Taliban make concrete policy changes; particularly on women’s rights, as part of a gradual, reciprocal engagement process. Neumann, who served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2005 to
Afghanistan International: As the Taliban complete five years in power this August, two confident predictions made in the autumn of 2021 have both aged badly. The first was that the movement, unable to govern, would fracture within a season. The second, its mirror image, was that whoever governed Afghanistan would eventually be disciplined by the
RFE/RL: A visit by officials from Afghanistan’s unrecognized Taliban government to Moldova has triggered a political storm in the small Eastern European country. Three officials from the Taliban’s Agriculture Ministry arrived in Chisinau on August 3 for a dayslong visit after they were granted visas. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: The overthrow of Afghanistan’s monarchy in 1973 ushered in the country’s first republic and reshaped its political trajectory, a legacy that remains contested more than five decades later. Afghanistan on Friday marked the 53rd anniversary of the July 17, 1973, coup that ended the country’s centuries-old monarchy and established its first republic under Mohammad
Khaama: Abdul Zahir Qadeer, a former Afghan general and first deputy speaker of the country’s lower house of parliament, has been extradited from Kenya to the United States to face federal charges over an alleged scheme to traffic large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine and supply military-grade weapons, U.S. prosecutors said. He is the son
Afghanistan International: Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has welcomed the finalisation of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the conflict and resolving disputes through negotiations. He said the agreement would benefit both sides, the region and the wider world. In a message posted on X, Karzai also expressed