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
8am: Several residents from the southern provinces are expressing serious concern over the rise in thefts and criminal offenses in these provinces. They say that despite the Taliban’s claims of ensuring security, they have failed to protect the lives and property of the people. According to them, widespread poverty and severe unemployment have contributed to
Afghanistan International: Hasib’s killing shows that the Taliban is not simply trying to defeat the resistance on the battlefield. It is using counterintelligence to penetrate it from within. The GDI is exploiting real divisions inside the Taliban, creating false ones when necessary, and using supposed defectors and trusted intermediaries to gain access to resistance networks.
8am: Local sources in Badakhshan report the continued detention of individuals close to Juma Khan Fateh, house-to-house searches, and the confiscation of hundreds of weapons and ammunition boxes by Taliban special forces. According to the sources, restrictions on mining activities have simultaneously increased in some districts, and local Taliban members are set to be replaced
8am: The Taliban have publicly executed a large number of people over the past five years, shooting them in front of crowds with their hands tied. In the latest case, the Hasht-e Subh Daily has obtained a video showing a 30-year-old man in Herat shot dead by the Taliban after being tortured and beaten, his
8am: Several citizens across the country are complaining about worsening insecurity. They say that although security was never good, conditions have deteriorated further in recent times. People, they add, have grown weary of Taliban oppression, poverty, and ongoing crime. By restricting the media, these citizens argue, the Taliban believe no one will find out about
Afghanistan International: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hezb-e Islami, has urged members and supporters of his party to cut ties with those who support the Taliban. He said anyone who has joined the Taliban administration or other groups should sever links with Hezb-e Islami. In a message addressed to all sincere and committed members of Hezb-e
Khaama: Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Wednesday that demonstrations are associated with democratic and republican systems and have no place under Islamic law, defending the group’s recently enacted ban on protests across Afghanistan. Mujahid made the remarks at a press conference in Kabul in response to a question about the prohibition on demonstrations under the
Khaama: More than 40,000 people were killed and over 77,000 injured during Afghanistan’s armed conflict between 2009 and 2021, according to a new report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which documents the long-term human cost of two decades of war. The period between 2009 and 2021 was the deadliest phase of
Afghanistan International: As Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada appoints a new governor and police chief to contain the unrest, evidence suggests the list of dissatisfied local Taliban figures in Badakhshan is growing. The Taliban leadership’s “monopolistic” policies, the marginalisation of Tajik and Badakhshani figures, and what critics describe as the unchecked looting of gold mines by