8am: Over the past five years, the United States has repeatedly stated that it does not recognize the Taliban regime in its current form and structure, and that establishing ties with the group, even on a limited scale, is not on its agenda. The Taliban, on the other hand, are eager for friendship with the United States and try to seize every opportunity to pave the way for the renewed presence in Afghanistan of a country they fought for twenty years to expel. Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, recently called for a US return to Afghanistan in interviews with Britain’s Financial Times and Japan’s Kyodo News, a return that would entail recognition of the Taliban regime, the reopening of the US embassy in Kabul, and Washington’s investment in various sectors, particularly mining. Senior Taliban officials have repeatedly called for relations with the United States before, but have so far been rebuffed. It appears that after seizing power, the Taliban have come to better appreciate American leverage, leverage that has prevented recognition of their regime. Taliban officials have repeatedly acknowledged that the key to recognition of their regime lies in Washington’s hands, and that efforts to secure recognition from other countries would not offer much of a way forward. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: These days, debate over whether “the war in Afghanistan is an ethnic war” has intensified. On social media, this debate is sometimes accompanied by strong emotions and sharp reactions, to the point that a political or military event is quickly attributed to a single ethnic group, and responsibility for the behavior of individuals or armed groups is generalized to all members of that ethnic group. If we do not speak about this issue responsibly and rationally, such debates can go beyond a political or military dispute and fuel ethnic hatred and social enmity. Given Afghanistan’s fragile conditions, this process could lead to a catastrophe whose consequences would not be limited to one group, but would harm the entire society. 
Afghanistan International: The Canadian government has issued a strong warning urging its citizens not to travel to Afghanistan, saying the security situation remains highly volatile and dangerous. In its latest travel advisory, Canada said people already in Afghanistan should exercise caution if they need to move to a safer location and should review their personal security plans. The Canadian government also warned that foreign nationals and people with links to Western countries face risks of kidnapping and violence by terrorist groups, as well as a heightened risk of arbitrary detention by Taliban authorities. 
Khaama: Turkish authorities detained 25,314 Afghan migrants during the first eight months of 2026, making Afghans the largest group of undocumented foreigners apprehended across the country, according to new figures released by Turkey’s Directorate General of Migration Management. The official statistics show that Turkish police and migration authorities detained nearly 95,000 undocumented migrants from multiple nationalities between January and August as Ankara continued nationwide operations targeting irregular migration and human smuggling networks. Afghans accounted for the highest number of detentions, followed by migrants from Syria, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Morocco, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen. 
Amu: Germany deported 22 Afghan nationals to Kabul on a charter flight Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said, as the government moves to increase deportations to Afghanistan. Germany’s policy of deporting Afghans has also drawn criticism from human rights organizations, some members of the European Parliament and Afghans living in Germany, who have raised concerns about the risks facing people returned to Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Sharif Watandost, an Afghan refugee in Germany, told Amu TV that there were no guarantees that deportees would be safe after returning.