By Kian Sharifi and Omid Marzban Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 16, 2025 The Taliban’s four-year quest for legitimacy received a major boost last month when Russia became the first country to formally recognize the group’s rule in Afghanistan. While the Kremlin’s decision is largely symbolic, it could still yield strategic benefits for Moscow. Recognition
Afghanistan International: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered the removal of the “acting” designation from all positions in the group’s administration, marking the fourth anniversary of its return to power. In a statement released Friday, Akhundzada directed ministers and officials to stop using the term when referring to the Taliban government. Since the cabinet was
Ariana: Fasihuddin Fitrat, Afghanistan’s Chief of Army Staff, has stated that the Islamic Emirate will not engage in any form of negotiation regarding Bagram Airfield – with any country, including the United States. In an interview with a local media outlet, Fitrat emphasized that the presence of even a single foreign soldier anywhere on Afghan
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 14, 2025 Four years after the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan, the United Nations says the ultra-conservative group “is closer than ever to achieving its vision of a society that completely erases women from public life.” Since returning to power on August 15, 2021, Taliban officials have imposed a series
8am: Reports indicate that al-Qaeda is rebuilding its operational capacity inside Afghanistan. While the Taliban and even many global powers deliberately downplay the network’s presence, the reality is that al-Qaeda, working in close coordination with the Taliban, is establishing new bases in strategic and mountainous regions, particularly in Panjshir Province. These developments point to covert
Amu: The US State Department, in its annual Country Report on Human Rights Practices, says Afghanistan under Taliban rule saw “widespread disregard for the rule of law and official impunity” for those responsible for abuses, as well as a “significant deterioration” in women’s rights due to restrictive edicts. The department says the Taliban have further
8am: Sources in Taloqan say that for over 40 days, several pharmacies have been closed under the pretext of inspections. According to these sources, some pharmacies have reopened through mediation or connections with local Taliban authorities, while others have been forced to clear out their stock, contributing to rising unemployment in the province. Sources further
Afghanistan International: Residents of eastern Nangarhar province who were displaced by Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) fighting under the former Afghan republic say the Taliban have failed to deliver on promises to rebuild their destroyed homes, and infrastructure. Civilians from Haska Mina, Achin, Spin Ghar, Kot, Naziyan and Dur Baba districts told Afghanistan International that clashes during
Afghanistan International: Ismail Khan, an Afghan leader, has said in a message marking the fourth anniversary of the fall of Herat to the Taliban that the group’s actions over the past four years demonstrate the “legitimacy of the resistance” by its opponents. Ismail Khan described the fall of Herat as the result of “complex conspiracies
Amu: Former Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar said the United States and the Taliban deliberately ignored binding obligations in the 2020 Doha Agreement, arguing that the collapse of Afghanistan’s republic was a preventable disaster. Speaking at an online Global Refugees Organization event ahead of the Taliban’s fourth anniversary in power, Atmar said only one of