Afghanistan International: John Kirby, the White House National Security Spokesperson, said that the people of Pakistan continue to be victims of terrorist attacks from the Afghan border. Kirby said that the United States will continue to work with Pakistan on counterterrorism. Kirby said at a news conference on Wednesday that Islamabad has never been a
Amu: Retirees voiced growing concerns over the Taliban’s failure to pay pensions, leaving many unable to afford basic necessities such as food or heating during a harsh winter. Rabia, a former teacher from Farah province, is among thousands of pensioners who have gone unpaid for more than three years. After dedicating nearly 35 years to
Amu: KABUL, Afghanistan — An explosion occurred near the Hanzala Mosque in Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw neighborhood moments ago, according to local sources. The National Resistance Front has claimed responsibility for the explosion in Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw neighborhood, alleging that the attack killed two Taliban members, including a commander. In a statement, the group described the attack as
Amu: Internal divisions within the Taliban have resurfaced, as sources report that the Haqqani faction sought to appoint Ahmad Haqqani, the eldest son of Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, as the new minister of refugees. However, the Taliban’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, rejected the request by naming Abdul Kabir, the former deputy chief minister for political affairs, to lead
Afghanistan International: Mortaza Behboudi, an Afghan-French journalist who was imprisoned by the Taliban for seven months, told France 2 that the Taliban “pulled out his teeth and tortured him with electric shocks and injected fluids into his body”. He said that he was tortured every day during the first three months of his imprisonment. In
Afghanistan International: Before returning to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban signed an agreement with the Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaeda and other foreign fighters. According to the agreement, the Taliban pledged to support foreign fighters in “jihad” and the establishment of a Sharia system in Pakistan after their victory. A source close to the Pakistani Taliban told
Al Jazeera: From the 1980s when it backed the mujahideen against the Soviet Union through the first two decades of the 21st century, Pakistan was a primary backer of the Taliban, many of whose leaders found shelter on Pakistani soil. India, by contrast, viewed the group as a Pakistani proxy, shuttering its embassy in Kabul
The Guardian (UK): It was a normal summer morning in July last year when 19-year-old Samira* made her way to the carpet-weaving shop where she worked in Kabul to pick up her wages. She had no way of knowing that in just a few hours, her life as she knew it would be over. She
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 12, 2025 ISLAMABAD — Nobel Peace Prize laurate Malala Yousafzai urged Muslim leaders Sunday not to “legitimize” Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, accusing them of being the “perpetrators of gender apartheid” and calling for accountability. Yousafzai spoke at the closing session of a Pakistan-hosted international summit on girls’ education in Muslim communities around
Amu: The Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has announced plans to award bachelor’s degrees to 11,000 madrasa students and master’s degrees to 15,000 clerics. The ministry stated that examinations for granting these degrees will be held across 31 provinces. However, many citizens and experts have criticized the move as an injustice to Afghanistan’s educational system,