Tolo News: Pakistani drones once again carried out airstrikes on parts of Nangarhar and Khost provinces last night (Wednesday). According to reports, in the Pakistani airstrike on the Spera district of Khost, three children lost their lives and five others were wounded. In a similar attack on the Ghanikhel district of Nangarhar, six people were also injured. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
Karzai
Afghanistan International: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has urged former Afghan President Hamid Karzai to leave the country, according to sources familiar with the matter. The demand followed a secretly recorded conversation in which Karzai allegedly described himself as Akhundzada’s greatest political threat, saying his presence could mark the end of the Taliban chief’s rule. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and UAE begin a tri-nation cricket series in Sharjah from August 29 to September 7, serving as vital preparation for the Asia Cup 2025. A three-nation cricket series featuring Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates will begin tomorrow, August 29, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Afghanistan will face Pakistan in the opening match. The tournament will run until September 7 in a round-robin format, with each team playing the others twice. The top two sides will qualify for the final on September 7. Click here to read more (external link).
More
Khalilzad
Ariana: In an exclusive interview with Ariana News, Khalilzad said: “Pakistan tries to solve Afghanistan’s internal problems by first creating those problems, and then presenting itself to the world as a power capable of resolving them. This approach, which has been practiced over the past several decades, still continues. The root of Pakistan’s policy is the issue of the Durand Line.” Click here to read more (external link).
8am: Relations between Afghanistan’s Taliban and Pakistan, once described as those of “longstanding friends,” have entered a turbulent phase since the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in August 2021. Pakistan, once a key sponsor of the Taliban, now faces a growing threat from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This militant group uses Afghan soil to stage deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces. Despite diplomatic efforts from repeated visits by Pakistani officials to Kabul to Islamabad’s formal complaints at the United Nations, no progress has been made in curbing the TTP. Yet in August 2025, a sudden spike in TTP casualties coincided with the postponement of an anti-Taliban opposition gathering in Islamabad, raising a pressing question: Has a covert arrangement emerged between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)? Click here to read more (external link).
The Diplomat: What might feel like an adventurous trip to an underexplored country can turn out to be an unintentional investment in the oppression of the Afghan people. A growing number of social media influencers are visiting Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and showcasing the country as a hidden travel gem. Their videos highlight scenic mountains, busy markets, and “authentic cultural experiences.” Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Taliban have shut down shops in parts of Khost province that sell items for women, including beauty products and other personal necessities, local sources said. The closures were carried out Tuesday by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Gurbaz district and other areas, according to shopkeepers and residents who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. Taliban morality enforcers reportedly told shop owners that selling such items to or for women is now prohibited. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: A passenger bus overturned on the Kabul–Kandahar highway late Tuesday, killing at least 25 people and injuring 27 others, Taliban officials said. The accident comes just over a week after another deadly crash in Herat, where a bus carrying Afghan migrants deported from Iran overturned, killing 79 people. Click here to read more (external link).