Muttaqi
Afghanistan International: Speaking at the Tehran Dialogue Forum on Sunday, 18 May, Muttaqi stated, “Our effort is to prevent water from being wasted and to ensure it reaches the Iranian side properly.” His remarks came amid ongoing discussions between Afghanistan and Iran regarding water rights and the management of shared resources. Click here to read more (external link).
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Khawaja Muhammad Asif
Khaama: Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, has claimed that the Taliban and Israel were the only two regimes that supported India’s recent military strikes against Pakistan. His remarks came amid rising tensions following India’s cross-border operation codenamed “Sindoor.” So far, the Taliban have not officially responded to these claims. However, reports indicate that ties between the Taliban government and India have recently grown stronger, especially in the realm of informal diplomacy and strategic dialogue. Click here to read more (external link).
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Afghanistan International: General Qadam Shah Shahim, Chief of Staff of the National Resistance Front (NRF), has confirmed that the group’s military forces are present in various regions across Afghanistan. Speaking to Afghanistan International, Shahim referred to recently circulated images of Khalid Amiri and Hasib Panjshiri, two prominent NRF commanders, in a mountainous area dressed in military uniforms and carrying combat gear. Click here to read more (external link).
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8am: Women and girls in Afghanistan report a dramatic and unprecedented rise in domestic violence since the Taliban imposed sweeping restrictions and dismantled legal protections and support institutions. Many now say they have no access to the judicial or legal systems and believe this legal vacuum has emboldened perpetrators of violence within families. They argue that the absence of legal safeguards has created an atmosphere of fear and repression, enabling many men to act with impunity in the home. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama: The incident occurred on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the Angur Ada area of Barmal district, near the Durand Line..Local sources identified the slain commander as Sibghatullah Matin, who served as the logistics chief of the Taliban’s 4th Brigade of the Mansouri Corps. The clash resulted in the deaths of two Taliban fighters and five Pakistani soldiers, with four additional Taliban members sustaining injuries. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has continued reshuffling Taliban’s senior police commanders in a move that further sidelines Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s acting interior minister..In the latest changes, Akhundzada reassigned the Taliban’s police chiefs of Bamiyan and Samangan provinces, transferring each to the other’s post. These appointments, although officially under Haqqani’s purview, were made directly by the reclusive supreme leader in Kandahar, bypassing Haqqani’s authority. Click here to read more (external link).
Ben Roberts-Smith
Amu: Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living war veteran, on Friday lost his appeal in a high-profile defamation case stemming from allegations that he unlawfully killed four unarmed Afghans during his military service. A full bench of the Federal Court upheld a 2023 ruling that found the former Special Air Service Regiment corporal was not defamed by a series of 2018 newspaper articles detailing the alleged killings and other war crimes. The articles, published by Nine Entertainment, had accused Roberts-Smith of being involved in six unlawful deaths during his deployments in Afghanistan. Justice Anthony Besanko, who presided over the original case, concluded that the majority of the allegations were “substantially true” to the civil standard of proof, finding Roberts-Smith responsible for four of the deaths. Click here to read more (external link).
Kabulov
Tolo News: Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan stated that the Islamic Emirate has appointed its ambassador to Moscow. Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special representative for Afghanistan, said that the Islamic Emirate has nominated a diplomat to serve as ambassador of the interim government in Moscow. Kabulov said: “This nominee is currently undergoing the necessary approval procedures within Russian institutions. I hope that once the process is complete, an agreement will be signed.” Click here to read more (external link).
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