Taliban

Taliban officials and supporters marked five years since their return to power with gatherings and street celebrations in Kabul. These events took place following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Taliban officials and supporters held gatherings and street celebrations in Kabul to mark five years since their return to power. These commemorations took place following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Taliban leaders marked their fifth anniversary in power by touting stability during a gathering at Loya Jirga assembly hall. Conversely, UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett warned that Afghanistan is undergoing a deep human rights crisis, noting that the system amounts to a crime against humanity of gender persecution. The report also highlighted arbitrary arrests, torture, and discrimination across the country.

Taliban leaders marked five years in power at a Loya Jirga assembly hall, claiming they had brought stability after the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops. However, a UN special rapporteur warned that the country is undergoing a deep human rights crisis, citing the denial of education for girls and numerous restrictions on women's public life.

As the Taliban marks five years in power in Afghanistan, residents report feeling safer but stress that the government must focus on creating jobs and expanding educational access. Despite improvements in stability cited by international groups, women remain under severe restrictions, including bans on education beyond the sixth grade. The UN warns that lasting recovery and integration depend on lifting these restrictions and protecting basic rights.

As the Taliban marks five years in power in Afghanistan, some residents report feeling safer but emphasize pressing needs for job creation and expanded education access. International bodies noted that while stability has improved, significant restrictions imposed by the ruling group on women severely impede the nation’s recovery and development. The group, which initially pledged to protect women’s rights, has since banned girls from secondary education and restricted employment and travel for women.

Afghanistan is marking five years since the Taliban rulers regained power in the country. While conditions include reports of safer streets, the situation also highlights pleas for greater opportunities in jobs and education.

Residents note feeling safer under the Taliban's rule after five years but emphasize the need for job creation and expanded education opportunities. The article highlights that despite some noted stabilization, the group has imposed severe restrictions on women, banning girls above 12 from school and limiting employment and travel. Organizations warn that these rights violations significantly impede Afghanistan’s overall recovery.

As Afghanistan marks five years under the Taliban, residents report feeling safer after conflict but stress that job creation and expanding education are urgently needed. International bodies warn that while some stability has been achieved, restrictions imposed on women and girls severely undermine national recovery efforts. The U.N.'s agency on women’s rights stated that these measures constitute the world's most severe women’s rights crisis.

The United States withdrew military forces from Afghanistan in 2021, leading to Taliban control, which placed many Afghan allies in grave danger. While organizations such as World Relief and AfghanEvac have supported resettlements, most of the roughly 70,000 Afghans brought to the U.S. were admitted on temporary legal statuses like humanitarian parole, rather than through promised pathways to permanent residency via Special Immigrant Visas or the Refugee Admissions Program.

The title reports that a second Taliban official has been killed in an attack within Afghanistan. Furthermore, officials stated that the mayor of Badakhshan province, located in northeastern Afghanistan, was killed in an explosion.

Pakistan raised concerns at the UN Security Council about ongoing terrorist group operations in Afghanistan, including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State's Khorasan chapter, which it claims use Afghan safe havens to threaten regional security. The remarks coincided with discussions on Kashmir, where Pakistan accused India of 'state terrorism' following the 2019 revocation of the region’s special status.

The Taliban's five-year regime in Afghanistan has imposed severe restrictions on women and girls, including bans on education, public office, and freedom of movement. A campaign calling for 'gender apartheid' recognition faces mixed public response, with research showing legal framing as 'illegal' generates stronger policy support than labels like 'gender apartheid'.

The article compares Donald Trump's escalating conflict with Iran to the US's failed Afghanistan campaign, which ended in 2021 after causing significant casualties and enabling the Taliban's return to power. It criticizes the lack of clear objectives and exit strategies in both conflicts, labeling them as 'forever wars.'

President Donald Trump held a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, calling it 'unique' and highlighting it as the first televised session at the retreat in his second term. The meeting followed a previous attempt canceled due to weather and included discussions about streamlining the event's length. Camp David, established in 1942, has historically hosted high-stakes diplomatic talks, including the 1978 Camp David Accords.

The Taliban's ban on Afghan girls' education beyond sixth grade has led to severe emotional distress, exemplified by 16-year-old Fariba's suicide, while also causing broader economic and health crises. Restrictions on women's education and medical training, coupled with rising child marriages and maternal mortality, have drawn international concern despite the Taliban's pledges to uphold women's rights.

President Donald Trump is holding a Cabinet meeting at Camp David, a presidential retreat in Maryland, marking the first such meeting in his second term. The retreat, established in 1942, has historically hosted high-stakes diplomatic talks. Trump’s meetings at Camp David have included extended discussions with media present, though he recently urged shorter sessions.

President Donald Trump is holding his Cabinet meeting at Camp David for the first time in his second term after a previous attempt was canceled due to weather. The meetings are known for being lengthy with praise for Trump, and he has begun urging shorter comments. Camp David, established in 1942, has been used historically for diplomatic talks.

The Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) claimed responsibility for killing Taliban official Zabihullah Amiri in Badakhshan, Afghanistan. Amiri, head of the information and culture department in Badakhshan, was shot dead while traveling to Faizabad. The Taliban stated one attacker was killed and another arrested, vowing to maintain resolve against such attacks.

Gunmen killed Zabihullah Amiri, Badakhshan’s director of information and culture, in a targeted attack in Afghanistan. Security forces killed one attacker and captured the other. The article notes prior rare attacks on Taliban officials, including a 2024 suicide bombing that killed refugee minister Khalil Haqqani and a 2023 car bomb in Faizabad.

Germany has deported an Afghan national without a criminal record for the first time since the Taliban returned to power. The man was deported after exhausting his asylum claim and attempting to live illegally in another European country.

Gunmen killed Zabihullah Amiri, a high-ranking local Taliban official in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, in a targeted attack. Two attackers were involved, one killed and one captured by security forces. The article notes prior rare attacks on Taliban officials, including a 2024 suicide bombing in Kabul and a 2023 car bomb in Faizabad claimed by the Islamic State in Khorasan Province.

Gunmen killed Zabihullah Amiri, a high-ranking Taliban official in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, in a rare targeted attack. Security forces killed one attacker and captured the other, with investigations ongoing. Similar incidents have been rare since the Taliban took power in 2021, though past attacks include a 2024 suicide bombing of a refugee minister and a 2023 car bomb that killed a deputy governor.

A former Navy SEAL was sentenced to 16 months in prison for planning to use fireworks against police during the 'No Kings Day' protest in San Diego. The individual purchased explosives with intent to injure officers and displayed extremist and antisemitic materials.

A former Navy SEAL was sentenced to 16 months in prison for transporting fireworks with plans to attack police during a protest in San Diego. The individual, Gregory Vandenberg, purchased explosive fireworks in New Mexico, expressed intent to harm officers, and possessed antisemitic and extremist materials.

A former Navy SEAL was sentenced to 16 months in prison for plotting to throw fireworks at police during the 'No Kings Day' protest. He purchased explosives with intent to harm law enforcement and possessed items linked to al-Qaida and Taliban.

A former U.S. Navy SEAL was convicted of transporting explosives with intent to harm law enforcement officers during a 'No Kings' protest in California. A store clerk's tip led to his arrest after he discussed using fireworks to injure officers and possessed extremist materials in his vehicle.

The Taliban regime in Kabul faces internal fragmentation between the Kandahar and Kabul factions, economic reliance on illicit trade, and growing opposition from groups like the National Resistance Front led by Ahmad Massoud. Decentralized resistance movements and regional tensions further threaten the administration's stability.

Afghanistan-Pakistan transit trade fell to 11,592 containers worth $367 million in FY26, a historic low driven by Afghanistan's shift to Iranian and Central Asian trade routes and Pakistan's border closures. Reverse transit via Pakistan collapsed from $454 million in FY25 to $7 million, indicating a broader decline pre-dating Pakistan's 2025 border shutdown.

Afghanistan remains in a severe humanitarian crisis five years after the Taliban took control, with acute food insecurity affecting nearly half the population. Despite reduced armed conflict, economic stagnation, declining foreign aid, and widespread unemployment persist, while women's rights and girls' education have been curtailed.

The article discusses how the United States' military superiority in conflicts like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran has not translated into strategic success due to a lack of coherent political strategies. Tactical victories often lead to long-term instability, as seen in the Taliban's return to Afghanistan and regional tensions in the Arabian Gulf.

The Taliban's demotion of Haji Jumma Khan Fateh, a Tajik commander, from deputy governor of Zabul province highlights a pattern of sidelining non-Pashtun leaders when their influence threatens the group's dominance. The article warns this ethnic chauvinism risks deepening divisions within Taliban governance.

Farkhunda Muhtaj, an Afghan-Canadian soccer player, has led efforts to sustain the Afghanistan women's national soccer team in exile after the Taliban banned women's sports in 2021. FIFA recently agreed to establish an official team, and Muhtaj has evacuated players, lobbied international bodies, and played for Calgary Wild in Canada.

A British military figure admitted to killing the wrong people in Afghanistan in 2009 and faced accusations of being a Taliban apologist. The article references British troops' operations in Afghanistan and a photo credit to AP.

Pakistan customs authorities issued gate passes to 26 World Food Programme (WFP) containers carrying humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan via the Torkham border, which has been closed since October 2025 due to security concerns. The containers were cleared for entry after awaiting approval from higher authorities, following a previous incident where a similar WFP convoy was rejected by Afghan Taliban authorities.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of threatening American sovereignty and 'waging a war' against the US through international law. The Trump administration is exploring sanctions and diplomatic pressure to counter the ICC, which the US has never joined, following its investigation into US military actions in Afghanistan and recent arrest warrants for allies like Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Taliban has banned smartphones for government workers, police, and military personnel, with the restriction extending to healthcare and educational facilities. Ordinary citizens fear they may also be affected.

The Taliban has banned smartphones for government workers, police, and military personnel, with the ban extending to healthcare and educational facilities. Ordinary citizens are concerned they may also be affected.

The article explores the potential for a strategic compact between Pakistan and the US through the lens of offshore balancing, a theory advocating a light US military presence in South Asia to counter China without direct confrontation. It highlights Pakistan's role in balancing ties with both China and the US amid India's rising influence and Afghanistan's instability under the Taliban, which poses regional security risks.

UN officials Barham Salih and Alexander De Croo urge Western nations to engage with Afghanistan to prevent instability exacerbated by crises like refugee returns, poverty, and a Taliban government restricting women's rights. The country faces compounding challenges including climate change, aid cuts, and international isolation.