Asif says Pakistan ready to confront Taliban and India simultaneously

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Khawaja Muhammad Asif

Amu: Pakistan’s defense minister warned that Islamabad is fully prepared to confront both the Taliban and India at the same time, saying the Taliban were no longer trustworthy due to their ties with India and militant groups. Khawaja Asif said in an interview that his earlier optimism about the Taliban after they returned to power in Kabul in 2021 had proven misplaced. “I made a mistake when the Taliban took power in Kabul and I pinned my hopes on them,” Asif said. “All those hopes were shattered. I think the Taliban are not trustworthy. Their friends — whether Afghan, Pakistani, the TTP or India — none of them are reliable. The Taliban have now moved closer to India.” Click here to read more (external link).

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Ariana Airlines Buys Two Aircraft Engines Worth Over $4 Million

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Khaama: Ariana Airlines has purchased two aircraft engines from Turkey and Serbia worth $4.7 million, aiming to strengthen operations and install them on Boeing 737 and Airbus 310. The acquisition signals an effort by Ariana to stabilise operations and maintain regular services amid broader economic and regulatory challenges. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan joins international kickboxing federation

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Amu: Afghanistan has been admitted as a member of the International Kickboxing Federation, the National Olympic Committee said, a move it said could allow athletes to compete more regularly in international events. The committee said Afghanistan’s kickboxing federation had not been affiliated with a global body for more than two decades, a gap that prevented some athletes from taking part in international competitions due to the lack of formal recognition, facilities and financial support. Click here to read more (external link).

Other Afghan Sports News

Afghanistan Became Region’s Main Terrorism Hub in 2025, Says Pak Army

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Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s military spokesperson said Afghanistan became the region’s primary hub for terrorism in 2025, accusing militant groups based there of driving a sharp rise in violence. He added that Pakistan’s concerns have gained international acceptance. The military spokesperson said Afghanistan has become a safe haven for smugglers as well as regional and international terrorist groups that, he alleged, operate from Afghan soil against neighbouring countries. Click here to read more (external link).

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Systematic and Extrajudicial Killings: A Confession That Exposes the Taliban’s Targeted Crimes

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8am: For more than four years, the Taliban have carried out widespread arrests, assassinations, and extrajudicial killings, while forcibly disappearing former military personnel. Despite mounting evidence, the group has consistently dismissed investigative reporting by the media, human rights organizations, and field and visual documentation, labeling them as baseless accusations. Recently, the Hasht-e Subh Daily documented a video recording of a covert member of the Taliban intelligence. In the footage, the intelligence operative openly discusses the killing of a person believed to be a student and describes, in disturbing detail, the exchange of clothes, the method of murder, and the payment of cash to the attacker. Click here to read more (external link).

Plundered Mines and Cut Water Supplies: Takhar Residents Stand with Sticks Against Guns

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8am: Residents of the Samti area in Chah Ab District of Takhar Province rose in protest, armed with stones and sticks, against Taliban-affiliated companies they accused of plundering gold mines and destroying their water wells. Sources identify the companies as belonging to Haji Mohib and Haji Ruhullah Ruhani from Kandahar Province. They are described as commission agents for Chinese companies who seize people’s land and sell the areas to Chinese firms. Sources say that a few days ago, workers from these companies began digging on private land without informing residents or local Taliban institutions, triggering a strong backlash from the community. Click here to read more (external link).

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Protesters Burn Taliban-Linked Gold Mining Equipment In Northern Afghanistan

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Afghanistan International: Protesters in northern Afghanistan set fire to gold mining equipment linked to the Taliban after clashes with security forces and company personnel escalated in Takhar province, local sources said. The violence followed confrontations in the Samti area of Chah Ab district, where residents have opposed what they describe as unregulated gold mining by companies linked to the Taliban. Sources told Afghanistan International that at least three local residents and one Taliban member have been killed so far, while the number of injured has risen to 16. Click here to read more (external link).

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