Amu: Internet services provided by Afghan Telecom, the state-owned operator, were cut in Kandahar province on Tuesday afternoon, local sources told Amu TV. The disruption comes days after Afghan Telecom’s fiber-optic services were shut down in Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. Taliban officials there confirmed the blackout, saying it was ordered by the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, to prevent “immoral activities.” Click here to read more (external link).
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Ariana: The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) has unveiled its 15-member squad for the upcoming AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers, set to be held in Indonesia later this month. Afghanistan has been drawn in Group H, alongside Myanmar and the Maldives, in one of the tighter groups of the qualifiers. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: The National Resistance Front (NRF) said its forces killed three Taliban fighters in an operation in Herat province on Saturday night. In a statement, the group said the attack took place around 8:30 p.m. in Guzara district, along the Herat–Pashtun Zarghun road, near a police training centre. Click here to read more (external link).
Massoud
Asia Plus – Tajikistan: Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) and son of the legendary Ahmad Shah Massoud, says Tajikistan has never been a supporter of war or violence in Afghanistan. In a recent interview with Iran’s Iraf television network, Ahmad Massoud spoke candidly about his current activities, the Taliban’s failures in governance, and the shifting regional approach toward the group, including Tajikistan’s evolving position. Click here to read more (external link).
Mullah Shirin
Amu: Mullah Shirin, the Taliban governor of Kandahar, has become one of the most powerful figures within the Taliban, wielding influence that in some cases surpasses the authority of their chief minister, multiple sources told Amu TV. Six sources familiar with the matter said Shirin plays a central role in major decisions, often recommending ministerial appointments before they are formally considered by the Taliban chief minister Hassan Akhund’s office. They added that he manages much of the day-to-day affairs of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada’s office, making him the closest aide to the reclusive supreme leader. According to the sources, Taliban ministers must first coordinate with Shirin before seeking an audience with Akhundzada. All six confirmed that Shirin is brother-in-law of the late Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar. Click here to read more (external link).
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Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada
Afghanistan International: Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered the collection of mentally ill patients across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan, the group announced. The announcement has raised concerns, given the Taliban’s previous treatment of vulnerable people. Last October, Taliban members shot dead a 22-year-old mentally ill man who had blocked them from entering his home. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has been ruled out of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 due to a shoulder injury, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced Monday. Naveen, regarded as one of the team’s most experienced pacers, has not been cleared by the ACB medical team to play in the remaining matches. He will continue undergoing treatment and rehabilitation until he regains full fitness, the board said in a statement. Afghanistan are competing in the Asia Cup 2025 alongside cricket powerhouses India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Click here to read more (external link).
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Muttaqi
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
September 14, 2025
Afghanistan’s de-facto Taliban rulers said they have reached an agreement with visiting US officials on an exchange of prisoners, although no details were given and Washington has not yet confirmed that a deal has been struck.
Following the September 13 meeting, the Taliban released photos of the meeting in Kabul involving US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
“Adam Boehler, referring to the issue of detained citizens between Afghanistan and the United States, said both countries will exchange prisoners,” Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar’s office said after the meeting.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not confirm that an exchange was imminent, saying only that Boehler had gone to Kabul to “explore what’s possible.”
“Our special envoy for people unlawfully detained has been having conversations for a while,” Rubio told reporters as he departed Washington for a trip to the Middle East.
“Obviously, it will be the president’s decision in terms of any trades or any exchanges, but we most certainly want any Americans or anyone who’s being unlawfully detained to be released. And so he went there to explore what that would look like,” Rubio said.
Taliban government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat wrote on X that “both sides emphasized that they will continue to discuss various existing and future issues in bilateral relations, especially those citizens who are imprisoned in both countries.”
The Taliban Foreign Ministry said in a statement that discussions centered on bilateral relations with the United States and the need to continue talks, particularly related to the issue of prisoner exchanges.
The statement did not lay out how many people are being held in each country, their identities, or the reasons for their detention.
US citizen Mahmood Habibi, 37, who led the Afghan Aviation Authority under the previous US-allied Afghan government, is one of the most prominent Americans believed to be detained in Afghanistan.
His status is uncertain since his arrest in August 2022, with the Taliban denying he is being held. Habibi’s family says the Taliban handed him over to the Al-Qaeda terror group, while the United States has offered a $5 million reward for his return.
Another American, airline mechanic George Glezmann, 66, was freed in March during a visit to Kabul by Boehler after more than two years in detention. He was the third American freed by the Taliban since Trump returned to the presidency in January.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the previous US special envoy to Afghanistan, accompanied Boehler to the Kabul meeting. He did not immediately comment.
Since the Taliban overthrew the US-backed government in August 2021, dozens of foreign nationals have been arrested by the de-facto authorities.
The Taliban rulers, beset by unrest, natural disasters, and rampant poverty, are seeking to improve relations with the global community, especially the United States, to solidify their rule.
Russia is the only country to officially recognize the Taliban government, which has widely been accused of human rights violations, particularly against women.
Afghanistan was hit by a major earthquake that struck the remote mountainous province of Kunar on August 31, killing more than 2,200 people. More than 3,600 were also injured in the tremor, which wiped out entire villages in the region.
With reporting by AP and AFP
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