By Malali Bashir and Freshta Negah Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 12, 2026 Mahmood Shah Habibi’s parents don’t get much sleep, and his daughter hasn’t seen her father since she was 11 months old. That was in 2022, when Habibi was abducted in Kabul and detained by the ruling Taliban’s intelligence agency, US officials say.
Afghanistan International: A report says the United States has accepted only three Afghan refugees since October 2025, highlighting a sharp shift in US refugee admission policies. Last year, Donald Trump introduced sweeping changes to immigration policy, significantly restricting or halting refugee admissions, including applicants from conflict zones such as Afghanistan. However, he prioritised white South
8am: Donald Trump, the President of the United States, referring to the deadline he had given to Iran, has stated that “an entire civilization will be destroyed tonight and will never return,” and warned that tonight’s developments will mark one of the most significant moments in world history. Trump has given Iran until 8:00 p.m.
Ariana: The US Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday it is easing asylum restrictions for vetted migrants from low-risk countries, while maintaining bans on “high-risk” nations, including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia. The move comes after last November’s attack near Washington’s Farragut Square, in which an Afghan asylee killed one National Guardsman and injured another,
Amu: At least 10 people, including six members of an Afghan migrant family, were killed in a missile strike on a residential area in southern Tehran, according to Iranian media reports. The strike hit the Ray district, south of the capital, Iranian outlets reported. The Fars news agency attributed the attack to missile strikes by
NBC News: Trump administration is presenting them with a stark choice: move to an unspecified third country or return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, where they potentially face persecution, imprisonment or death. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Welcoming the release of US citizen Dennis Coyle from Taliban custody, the family of Mahmood Habibi renewed calls for his immediate release, urging the Taliban to acknowledge his detention and allow him to return home. In a statement issued by the nonprofit Global Reach, which is working with the family, relatives of Mahmood Habibi
BBC: For 18 months, Alia has been waiting in a transit camp in Qatar for her promised resettlement to the US. But now that route appears to have closed for good. Where she and hundreds of other Afghan evacuees will end up next is unknown. Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it would close
Ariana: The Council on American-Islamic Relations – Texas (CAIR-Texas) has called for a full and transparent investigation following the death of Afghan refugee Nazeer Paktiawal, who died on March 14 after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to information shared with family members and community representatives, Paktiawal was detained by ICE
Khaama: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says Afghan refugee families living in Iran have been affected by recent attacks linked to the United States and Israel, leaving many already vulnerable households in a more difficult situation. The agency also reported that between 600,000 and one million Iranians have been displaced due to the