Muttaqi
Afghanistan International: A planned gathering of Afghan anti-Taliban figures in Islamabad has been postponed following strong objections from the group, according to a report by the Pakistani daily The Nation. The newspaper said Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi raised concerns with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, during a meeting in Kabul on 20 August. Sources cited by the paper suggested the Taliban regime was displeased that Afghan opposition members had been invited by the Islamabad-based South Asian Strategic Stability Institute, leading to the delay. Click here to read more (external link).
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Khaama: The Afghanistan national football team recorded a morale-boosting 1–0 victory over Tajikistan’s U-23 side in a friendly match held in Dushanbe. The match was part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming Central Asia Championship. The team’s first official test in the Central Asia Championship is scheduled against Iran on Friday. Facing one of the region’s strongest footballing nations will serve as a key measure of Afghanistan’s progress. 
Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) said its fighters killed two Taliban members in an attack on the group’s base in Taleqan, the capital of Takhar province, on Saturday evening. Local residents told Afghanistan International that an explosion was heard in Taleqan around the same time. 
8am: Why is drawing closer to Pakistan a poor idea for Taliban opponents at this moment, and why could trusting this process trap them in a game of double standards? 
Afghanistan International: The Taliban have transferred the bodies of 50 Afghan fighters affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to a hospital in eastern Afghanistan after they were killed in clashes with the Pakistani military, security sources said. The bodies were taken on Saturday to the central hospital of Paktika province in the city of Sharan, escorted by Taliban fighters in military vehicles. Images obtained by Afghanistan International showed ambulances carrying the bodies. 
Afghanistan International: The Taliban say they have begun paying pensions to retired workers for the first time since returning to power in 2021. Retirees have repeatedly staged protests in recent years over the Taliban’s failure to pay pensions, which were suspended after the group seized power. Under the former Afghan government, more than 160,000 retired workers received regular pensions. 