Amu: During a live broadcast of the Taliban Foreign Ministry’s annual press briefing on Wednesday, the voices of at least two female journalists who asked questions were muted by the state-run national television broadcaster. The event, led by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, was aired live on state television. When two women
Afghanistan International: Rangin Dadfar Spanta, former Afghan national security advisor, has sharply criticised Germany’s decision to accept Taliban diplomats, warning that the move amounts to de facto recognition of the group and reduces Berlin’s Afghan policy to the level of Russia’s. Berlin recently approved the presence of two Taliban-appointed consular officers in Berlin and Bonn.
Amu: The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Monday called on the Taliban to reverse policies that restrict the fundamental rights and freedoms of women and girls, following a wave of arrests in Kabul linked to what the Taliban call violations of their dress code. UNAMA said it is deeply concerned by recent detentions
Amu: At least five people were killed in separate attacks by unidentified gunmen in the northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, local sources told Amu TV on Sunday. Mysterious killings by so-called “unidentified armed men” have become increasingly frequent in several provinces since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Victims often include former government
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
Amu: Taliban on Saturday detained several women in central and western Kabul, witnesses and local sources told Amu. This happens just days after dozens of women were detained by the Taliban in Shahr-e-Naw neighborhood in downtown Kabul. Saturday’s arrests occurred in Qala-e-Fathullah, an area near downtown Kabul, and Dasht-e-Barchi in the western part of the
Afghanistan International: Mohebullah Mirzad Bandari, a former commander aligned with Abdul Rashid Dostum and a former member of the Faryab Provincial Council, was killed in an armed attack by unidentified gunmen in the city of Maimana, sources told Afghanistan International. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: UN human rights experts, including special rapporteur Richard Bennett, on Friday condemned the mass forced returns of Afghan nationals from Iran and Pakistan, calling the scale of deportations “staggering” and warning that Afghanistan remains unsafe for returnees, nearly four years after the Taliban seized power. “Returns must be halted immediately,” the experts said. “Afghanistan
Niloar Sakhi via FP: Recognizing Afghanistan’s extremist leaders will fuel radicalism. Nearly four years after the Taliban’s reconquest of Afghanistan, Moscow has formally recognized the Taliban regime as the legitimate government of Afghanistan—a move that has been welcomed by China. Moscow’s decision is an invitation for other states in the region, from China to India
Amu: Taliban say that Robert Dickson, Britain’s chargé d’affaires for Afghanistan, met on Friday in Kabul with Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s acting minister for refugees, and reaffirmed London’s commitment to continue humanitarian support to Afghanistan and maintain contacts with them. According to a statement from the Taliban, Dickson told Taliban officials that the United Kingdom