Afghanistan International: Afghanistan International has obtained a collection of official documents and internal reports from Taliban authorities that reveal the direct involvement of members of the group in extrajudicial killings in several Afghan provinces. The documents show that these killings were not isolated incidents but part of a systematic pattern of violence carried out on
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi January 11, 2026 A deadly confrontation at a gold mine in northern Afghanistan has cast new light on the Taliban’s push to expand gold extraction, raising questions about the largely unregulated operations and their foreign — mostly Chinese — backing. The latest incident comes as the Interior Ministry of the Taliban
8am: For more than four years, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls. Alongside these measures, they have also closed criminal and sexual assault cases in ways that favor the accused and harm the victims, often by forcing women into marriage. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: Pakistan has emerged as the country most affected by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s return to power in 2021, according to a new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG), as cited by Pakistani daily Dawn. The Brussels-based independent think tank warns that relations between Kabul and Islamabad have sharply deteriorated, raising the risk
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: New photos from Afghanistan show a Taliban law banning images of people and animals is now being enforced across most of the country, resulting in seafood censored from menus, blacked-out museum displays, and covered mannequins. Click here to view photos (external link).
Small Wars Journal: Four years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan’s regime faces deepening economic collapse, ethnic alienation, and persistent internal and external pressures. The United States now possesses an ideal opportunity to subvert Taliban rule and deny Afghanistan’s further usage as a terrorist safe haven. While the past quarter-century has seen overt investment
8am: Many citizens speak openly about the growing spread of unemployment and the Taliban’s failure to address it. They say the lack of job opportunities has made daily life harder than at any other time they can remember. According to them, anyone with a broker or personal ties to Taliban members can quickly secure a
Afghanistan International: A local commander affiliated with the National Islamic Movement Party of Afghanistan was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in northern Afghanistan after being deported from Iran, the party’s spokesperson said. Ehsan Niro told Afghanistan International that the Taliban were responsible for the killing of a commander known as Yousuf in Khwaja Du Koh
The Diplomat: Last week, as the Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid triumphantly declared 2025 “a year of diplomatic success,” the claim was received with predictable laud from the movement’s echo chambers. But to anyone observing Afghanistan with even minimal distance from the Taliban’s propaganda, the opposite is true. Far from consolidating power or gaining legitimacy, the
Amu: Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Taliban-run interior ministry, said three local residents and one employee of a mining company were killed in fighting in Chah Ab district. Five others were wounded, he said. Qani said the Taliban deputy governor for Takhar had travelled to the area to investigate the incident. Mining operations at