Ibrahim Zadran
Amu: Ibrahim Zadran has replaced Rashid Khan as captain of Afghanistan’s Twenty20 international team, the Afghanistan Cricket Board announced on Thursday as it named squads for an upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka. Zadran, a top-order batter who previously served as vice-captain in T20 internationals, will take over leadership of the format after Rashid’s tenure, which included Afghanistan’s run to the semifinals of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The board’s chief selector, Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil, said the decision was part of a broader effort to reshape the team’s leadership as it prepares for upcoming global tournaments. Click here to read more (external link).
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Khaama: The Government of the United Kingdom said it has suspended the issuance of student visas for citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, as well as work visas for Afghan nationals. Shabana Mahmood said in a statement on Tuesday, March 3, that Britain will continue to offer refuge to those fleeing war and persecution, but the visa system must not be exploited. The Home Office said asylum applications from students of those countries rose by more than 470% between 2021 and 2025. It added that a significant portion of individuals seeking asylum legally had initially entered Britain on student visas. 
The Guardian (UK): For the millions of Afghans living in Pakistan – many of them journalists, activists or former government officials who fled Taliban rule – the rising tension is translating into fear at their doorsteps. Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, says returning to their country will put them at “real risk of violent retaliatory attacks”. 
Amu: At least 110 civilians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Pakistani air and missile strikes since cross-border clashes began six days ago, a Taliban spokesman claimed Tuesday, offering a sharply higher toll than previously reported by the United Nations. Hamdullah Fitrat, Taliban deputy spokesman, told a news conference that 65 of the dead were women and children and that 123 other civilians had been wounded. He said the casualties resulted from airstrikes and mortar fire. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has reported 42 civilian deaths during the same period, a figure far lower than the Taliban’s claim. 
Ariana: Local officials in Afghanistan’s Kunar province have reported that an airstrike conducted by Pakistani forces in Khas Kunar district resulted in the death of three children. The attack, which struck a return refugee camp in the Hajratabad area, also left another two children injured.