Khalilzad
Afghanistan International: The Taliban’s decision to receive Khalilzad at the level of foreign minister suggested the group views him as a potential intermediary, relying on his experience and contacts to help improve relations between the Taliban and Washington. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: In 2025, Afghanistan experienced notable sporting developments and achievements alongside political, economic, social, and cultural events. During the year, Afghanistan’s under‑17 futsal team competed in the third Asian Youth Games in Bahrain and, after defeating Uzbekistan, Bahrain, China, Thailand, and Iran, won a historic gold medal. Click here to read more (external link).
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Khaama: Herat traffic authorities announced a citywide ban on three-wheeled vehicles from major and secondary roads, citing severe congestion, safety concerns, and rising traffic accidents. Taliban traffic authorities in Herat said three-wheeled vehicles will be banned from all main and secondary roads in the city starting Saturday, January 3, following a decision by the provincial Urban Order Commission. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ariana: Mehmood Khan Achakzai, chairman of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), has said that Afghanistan currently enjoys greater security and justice than Pakistan, asserting that Islamabad cannot impose its demands on the Afghan people. Achakzai also criticized Pakistan’s policy toward Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), calling it misguided. He said Pakistan militarized religious seminaries in the past and later shifted blame onto the Islamic Emirate. Click here to read more (external link).
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Dostum
Amu: Former vice president Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum has said that the Taliban are “taking their last breaths” and only understand force, as criticism intensified over the killing of a former police chief in Iran. Speaking during an online memorial gathering for Gen. Ikramuddin Saree on Sunday, Dostum said the Taliban do not understand diplomacy or dialogue and respond only to pressure, describing the group as a “terrorist regime” whose rule he said would not endure. Click here to read more (external link).
Qanuni
Afghanistan International: Yunus Qanuni, a former Afghan vice president, said Taliban intelligence was responsible for the assassination of Ikramuddin Sari, a former Afghan security commander, in Tehran. He added that there is no doubt the group’s intelligence bodies conduct cross-border operations. Click here to read more (external link).
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8am: Sources from the Afghanistan Analysts Network say that important subjects such as human rights, democracy, electoral systems, constitutional law, sociology, and ethics philosophy are no longer being taught, and many books written by women or Iranian authors are also on the banned list. Additionally, books about Afghanistan’s contemporary history, the Taliban, Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, and anti-Taliban figures such as Ahmad Shah Massoud have been removed from access. Click here to read more (external link).