Afghanistan International: The team will now be eligible to compete in FIFA-sanctioned competitions. The Afghanistan Women’s Refugee Team (AWRT) will initially operate on a one-year pilot basis, designed to assess the long-term viability of the initiative and lay the groundwork for the potential formation of similar teams representing refugees of other nationalities in future. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban remove Stanekzai after his rare criticism of their leader
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai
Amu: Taliban leader has dismissed Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs, following rare public criticism of Hibatullah Akhundzada, according to multiple sources in Kabul and Kandahar. The removal was reportedly ordered directly by Akhundzada with sources citing “incompetence” and waning popularity as the reasons behind the decision. Stanikzai came under internal scrutiny after a speech at a religious school in Khost, where he sharply criticized the Taliban’s leadership — a rare and unusually public rebuke within the tightly controlled ranks of the group. He has since traveled to the United Arab Emirates and has not appeared at official Taliban events in recent months. Click here to read more (external link).
The Pakistan-Taliban divorce gets messy
Taliban leader Mullah Baradar with Pakistan’s ISI Chief Faiz Hameed
Japan Times: Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan has become strategic quicksand. So deep is the quagmire that, under growing public pressure, segments of Pakistan’s government have suggested turning to the United States for assistance and even offering drone bases to the US to target militants in Afghanistan. The idea that sophisticated US drones and other weapons might help Pakistan confront an insurgency born from its own anti-American policies in Afghanistan is absurd. And yet, it is no longer unthinkable. Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, embodies his country’s strategic confusion. An Islamist ideologue himself, he has urged the Afghan regime not to prioritize the TTP over their “long-standing and benevolent brother Islamic country.” But he also once stated, “When it comes to the safety and security of every single Pakistani, the whole of Afghanistan can be damned.” Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan faces food crisis amid 40% rainfall drop and rising heat: Report
Khaama: A recent report from a U.S.-based agency warns that Afghanistan is on the brink of a widespread food security crisis due to unprecedented declines in rainfall, rising temperatures, and severe agricultural conditions. More than half of the country’s population now requires humanitarian aid. The findings from the “Famine Early Warning Network,” supported by U.S. government funding and in collaboration with organizations such as the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, indicate that Afghanistan will experience 40% lower-than-average rainfall between October 2024 and April 2025. This marks a significant departure from the 40-year historical averages. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – May 9, 2025
Taliban Confirms Removal & Ban Of Hundreds Of Books Across Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: The Taliban have confirmed that hundreds of books have been banned and removed from libraries and bookstores across Afghanistan over the past three years. In addition to suppressing independent publications, the Taliban have also banned several university textbooks, further restricting academic freedom and access to diverse sources of knowledge within higher education institutions. Click here to read more (external link).
Why Are the Taliban Opposed to “Intra-Afghan” Talks?
8am: Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, recently voiced his opposition to “intra-Afghan” negotiations, stating that the group has no desire to repeat what he called a “bitter experience.” Yet, in the same breath, he affirmed that “Afghanistan is the shared home of all Afghans.” If that is true, why can Afghans not engage in dialogue about the future of their collective home? The answer, it seems, lies in the Taliban’s rigid and insular ideological framework, which leaves little room for concepts like mutual understanding or peaceful resolution—unless the opposing party possesses superior military and political power. The Afghan opposition groups abroad, who continue to call for intra-Afghan dialogue, have thus far failed to even reach political consensus among themselves, let alone take meaningful action or pose a serious political-military challenge to the regime in Kabul. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – May 8, 2025
Zahir Qadeer faces extradition hearing in Kenya
Zahir Qadir
Amu: Zahir Qadeer, a former deputy speaker of Afghanistan’s parliament, would appear before a court in Nairobi on Thursday as Kenyan authorities weigh a request from the United States for his extradition on charges related to drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession. Qadeer has alleged that the charges are part of a broader plan by his political adversaries to remove him from Afghanistan and silence him abroad. In documents submitted to the court, he claimed to have led a civil movement known as the “Peace Caravan” in Nangarhar Province and to have consistently opposed foreign interference in Afghan affairs. He also referred to his family’s political legacy, noting that he is the son of Abdul Qadeer, a key figure in the United Islamic Front and a former vice president in Afghanistan’s transitional government, who was assassinated in 2002. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan Not Priority But Key To Moscow’s Geopolitical Strategy, Says Russian Envoy
Kabulov
Afghanistan International: In an interview with the Russian radio station Komsomolskaya Pravda, Kabulov described Afghanistan as a strategic transit corridor connecting northern Eurasia, including Russia, to southern Asia, enhancing its value as a geopolitical bridge. Kabulov stressed that normalising relations with the Taliban was essential for promoting Russia’s regional interests. However, he noted that formal engagement remains constrained by legal barriers, particularly the Taliban’s continued designation as a terrorist organisation in Russia. That designation was officially suspended on 17 April, when Russia’s Supreme Court approved a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office to lift the ban on the Taliban’s activities. Supreme Court Judge Oleg Nefedov confirmed the ruling would take effect immediately. Click here to read more (external link).