‘No dialogue’: Pakistan says open to attacks on Afghan-based armed groups | Conflict News

‘No dialogue’: Pakistan says open to attacks on Afghan-based armed groups | Conflict News

Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that the country would not hesitate to launch attacks on the territory of Afghanistan, its neighbour, amid rising tensions between the two over security concerns. When asked whether Pakistan would consider cross-border attacks to control perpetrators, the Asif replied to…

Gunmen kill four, including three Spanish tourists, in central Afghanistan | Taliban News

Gunmen kill four, including three Spanish tourists, in central Afghanistan | Taliban News

No group claims responsibility for attack in Bamyan, which official says also injures seven people. Gunmen have killed an Afghan citizen and three foreign tourists in central Afghanistan’s Bamyan province, the Ministry of Interior Affairs says. Four foreign nationals and three Afghans were also injured in the attack on Friday…

Tourist numbers up in post-war Afghanistan | Tourism News

Tourist numbers up in post-war Afghanistan | Tourism News

His soldier son toured Afghanistan with fighters in his crosshairs, but US traveller Oscar Wells has a different objective – sightseeing promoted by the Taliban’s fledgling tourism sector. Marvelling at the 15th century Blue Mosque in northern Mazar-i-Sharif, 65-year-old Wells is among a small but rising number of travellers visiting…

Taliban ban on girls’ education defies both worldly and religious logic | Education

Taliban ban on girls’ education defies both worldly and religious logic | Education

Spring has arrived in Afghanistan, and Afghan children have returned to their schools to begin a new academic year. Girls beyond the 6th grade across much of the country, however, are still unable to pursue an education and remain unsure what the future holds for them. Two years ago, on…

Elite Afghan soldiers turn barbers, gym trainers in India to escape Taliban | Taliban

Elite Afghan soldiers turn barbers, gym trainers in India to escape Taliban | Taliban

New Delhi, India – It is almost 5:40 in the evening. A hair salon in New Delhi’s bustling New Friends Colony neighbourhood is alive with the sound of buzzing clippers and chattering customers. The air is thick with the scent of hair spray and aftershave. Zaki Marzai, 29, stands behind…

Advocates fear special US visas for Afghans could run out despite dangers | Taliban News

Advocates fear special US visas for Afghans could run out despite dangers | Taliban News

Washington, DC – As the United States withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in 2021, millions of Afghans faced the prospect of life once more under Taliban rule. For thousands among them, the danger was particularly acute: They had worked with the departing Americans and could be subject to Taliban reprisals…

Afghan women stage rare protests, braving Taliban reprisals | Women’s Rights News

Afghan women stage rare protests, braving Taliban reprisals | Women’s Rights News

As handfuls gather on International Women’s Day, UN rights rapporteur calls for release of detained rights activists. Small groups of Afghan women have gathered in private spaces to demand that harsh restrictions on their freedoms be lifted, despite recent Taliban crackdowns on protests that have seen activists detained. The demonstrations…

Taliban’s conditions to attend UN meeting ‘unacceptable’, Guterres says | United Nations News

Taliban’s conditions to attend UN meeting ‘unacceptable’, Guterres says | United Nations News

The Taliban has set unacceptable conditions for attending a United Nations-sponsored meeting about Afghanistan in the Qatari capital, Doha, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says. “I received a letter [from the Taliban] with a set of conditions to be present in this meeting that were not acceptable,” Guterres said at a…

Why has China recognised Taliban’s envoy to Beijing? | Taliban News

Why has China recognised Taliban’s envoy to Beijing? | Taliban News

At an official ceremony held by the Chinese government in Beijing on January 30, a queue of foreign diplomats lined up to present their credentials to President Xi Jinping. Among the 309 diplomats was an unlikely participant. After over two years of negotiations, China recognised Bilal Karimi, a former Taliban…

UN ‘concerned’ Taliban detaining Afghan women for dress code violations | Women’s Rights News

UN ‘concerned’ Taliban detaining Afghan women for dress code violations | Women’s Rights News

Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says the UN preoccupation with Afghan women is unwarranted. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan is “deeply concerned” about Taliban authorities arbitrarily arresting and detaining women and girls it accuses of violating dress codes regarding the Islamic headscarf, or hijab. In a statement on Thursday,…