NRF Leader Urges World Not To Abandon Afghans As Taliban Rule Deepens Repression

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Massoud

Afghanistan International: Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, told an annual forum in France that Afghanistan has once again become a global centre for militant training under Taliban rule. He delivered the remarks on Saturday in Saint-Raphaël, in France’s Var region, at the “Meetings for the Future” conference, where he addressed challenges to democracy. Massoud said his movement had not pursued armed resistance as a goal but as a last resort after attempts at dialogue were rejected by the Taliban. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan Set to Launch 13th National Rostami Wrestling Championship

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Tolo News: According to officials from Afghanistan’s Sambo and Kurash Federation, the tournament will begin this Thursday and Friday in Herat Province and will host dozens of prominent wrestlers from ten provinces across the country. Athletes will compete in ten weight categories: 60kg, 65kg, 70kg, 75kg, 80kg, 85kg, 90kg, 95kg, 100kg, and open weight (100+ kg).  Rostami wrestling is one of Afghanistan’s traditional and beloved sports, which in recent years has gained widespread popularity among fans. Click here to read more (external link).

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The Cycle of Elites and the Persistence of Tribal Power

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Abdur Rahman Khan

8am: For more than a century, since the reign of Abdur Rahman Khan, Afghan politics has revolved around a recurring pattern: to preserve stability, the center of power co-opts part of the ethnic elite while sidelining the rest. I call this the “Abdur Rahman Scenario”: concentration at the center, concession at the margins, and the exclusion of justice from the core. This system of co-optation and control may have prevented short-term uprisings, but it eroded institutions and replaced merit-based competition with a culture of patronage. From the Durrani and Barakzai rulers to the republic’s presidents, the same logic endured: loyalty is rewarded, not competence, and power depends on ethnic and personal networks rather than law. Click here to read more (external link).

Mohammad Rafi, former Afghan defense minister, dies at 79

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Amu: Mohammad Rafi, a former Afghan defense minister and senior official in the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, died on Sunday in Germany at the age of 79 after a long illness, family members confirmed. Rafi played a role in the 1973 coup led by Mohammad Daoud Khan, which ended the monarchy and established Afghanistan’s first republic. He later rose to command the country’s Fourth Armored Division. Click here to read more (external link).

Taliban foreign minister blames ‘unrealistic’ demands by Pakistan for collapse of Istanbul talks

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Muttaqi

Amu: Speaking at a meeting in Kabul, Muttaqi said their delegation returned from Istanbul following the third round of negotiations with Pakistani counterparts, which failed to yield any concrete results. According to him, the central sticking point was Pakistan’s insistence that the Taliban guarantee no attacks would be launched from Afghan soil by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group responsible for numerous deadly assaults in Pakistan. “Expecting one country to ensure the total security of another is an illogical demand,” Muttaqi said. “Preventing TTP attacks is the responsibility of Pakistani forces, not ours.” Click here to read more (external link).

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Hundreds of riders compete in Buzkashi tournaments across five provinces

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Buzkashi (file photo)

Amu: Buzkashi, Afghanistan’s traditional and fiercely contested national sport, returned to the spotlight this week as more than 450 riders — known as chapandazan — competed in tournaments across five northern and western provinces, including Badakhshan, Herat, Kunduz, Jawzjan, and Baghlan. Click here to read more (external link).

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Taliban Says Peace Talks With Pakistan Collapse But Cease-Fire Will Hold

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By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
November 8, 2025

Peace talks in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers have ended with no deal, but a cease-fire between the neighboring countries will continue.

The Taliban’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, blamed the collapse of the talks on the Pakistani delegation’s “irresponsible attitude and lack of cooperation.”

Writing on X, Mujahid accused Islamabad of “showing no readiness to assume any responsibility for Afghanistan’s security, or even for its own.”

He added that the cease-fire “has not been violated by us so far, and it will continue to be observed.”

Multiple rounds of talks brokered by Turkey and Qatar have been held in Istanbul since last month. The latest talks were held on November 6-7 and were led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, the Taliban intelligence chief, and Lieutenant General Asim Malik, head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.

Earlier, Pakistani officials — including Defense Minister Khawaja Asif — also said the Istanbul talks failed, adding, “There are no plans for further negotiations.”

Asif warned that if Afghanistan’s territory is used to attack Pakistan, the cease-fire will end.

He had previously warned that failure to reach a deal could lead to “open war.”

The latest round of Taliban-Pakistan talks in Istanbul faced problems from the outset; for example, an exchange of fire on November 6 in Spin Boldak between Taliban soldiers and Pakistani forces.

Although both sides accuse the other of starting the shooting, local reports say civilians in Spin Boldak suffered heavy losses.

At least five civilians, including four women, were killed there, and six others were wounded.

October’s bloody clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban, in which at least 50 Afghan civilians were killed and about 450 wounded, were halted through Qatari and Turkish mediation, and the two sides announced a cease-fire.

Pakistan also confirmed the deaths of at least 23 soldiers and injuries to 29 others.

The violence erupted following explosions in Kabul on October 9 that the Taliban authorities blamed on Pakistan.

Once close allies with a 2,600‑kilometer shared border, the two sides have fallen out amid Islamabad’s claims that Afghanistan shelters militant groups, including the Tehrik‑e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan alleges that the Taliban authorities are allowing the TTP to use Afghan territory as a training and logistics hub for attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban government denies the allegation.

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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