Afghanistan

Taliban burn musical instruments

Taliban authorities have destroyed dozens of musical instruments, just days after closing beauty salons across Afghanistan. The nation's vice ministry department said it deemed music immoral, destroying hundreds of dollars worth of…

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US officials to meet Taliban in Doha to discuss economy, rights

U.S. officials will meet Taliban representatives and "technocratic professionals" from Afghan ministries in Doha this week, the State Department said on Wednesday, adding they will discuss economic issues, security and…

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Over 1,000 Afghan civilians killed in blasts, violence since August 2021, UN says

By Charlotte Greenfield (Reuters) - Over a thousand Afghan civilians were killed in bombings and other violence since foreign forces left and the Taliban took over in 2021, according to…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Kabul, Afghanistan

A view of a snow-covered area in Kabul, Afghanistan. Via EPA-EFE/STRINGER

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Afghan journalists partially win case against UK government over relocation

Eight Afghan journalists who worked for the BBC and other British media organisations partially won a legal challenge on Monday against the British government's refusal to relocate them from Afghanistan.…

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Afghan female students not allowed to sit university entrance exam – Taliban ministry

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education ordered private universities in Afghanistan not to allow female students to sit university entrance exams next month, underscoring its policy to…

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Azerbaijan strongly protests to Iran after fatal embassy shooting

A gunman shot dead a security guard and wounded two other people at Azerbaijan's embassy in Iran on Friday, in an attack Baku branded an "act of terrorism" that it…

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Explosion outside Afghan foreign ministry in Kabul causes casualties

An explosion outside the foreign ministry in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Wednesday caused a number of casualties, police said. A photo of the area, confirmed by official sources, showed at…

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Taliban criticises Prince Harry over Afghan killings comment

The Taliban administration has criticised Prince Harry after the British royal said in his memoir that he had killed 25 people in Afghanistan when serving as a military helicopter pilot,…

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Taliban seeks economic self-sufficiency and foreign investment for Afghanistan, minister says

The Taliban administration will encourage self-sufficiency and wants international trade and investment, the acting commerce minister said, as Afghanistan faces isolation and suspension of some humanitarian operations over restrictions on women. "We…

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Save the Children, others suspend Afghanistan effort as Taliban bans female NGO staff

KABUL (Reuters) -Four international aid agencies including Save the Children said on Sunday they were suspending their humanitarian programmes in Afghanistan in response to the Taliban-run administration's order to stop female employees…

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Taliban-led Afghan administration says female students suspended from universities

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban-run Afghan higher education ministry said on Tuesday that access to Afghanistan's universities would be suspended to female students until further notice. A letter, confirmed by…

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Kabul hotel attack ends as three gunmen killed; two foreigners injured

KABUL (Reuters) -Armed men opened fire on Monday inside a hotel in central Kabul popular with Chinese nationals in an attack that ended when at least three gunmen were killed…

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Seven killed in north Afghanistan as blast hits vehicle with oil workers

At least seven people were killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday when a blast hit a vehicle carrying oil workers in the northern province of Balkh, while another blast in the…

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Photo Story: Painting exhibition by Afghan girls in Kabul

Afghan girls show their art during the first painting exhibition organized by the artistic and literary group 'Hashiya' under the name 'violence' in protest of the closure of schools, in…

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At least 19 dead after blast hits Kabul education centre

Police in Kabul say an explosion at an education centre in the Afghan capital has killed at least 19 people and injured many others. The blast took place at the…

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UPDATED: Two Russian embassy staff killed in Kabul bombing – Russian foreign ministry

MOSCOW, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Two Russian embassy staff were killed on Monday in a blast near the country's diplomatic mission in Kabul, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Earlier, state-owned…

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UPDATED: Earthquake in China’s Sichuan kills 21; Fatal earthquake in Afghanistan

BEIJING, Sept 5 (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck China's Sichuan on Monday, the strongest to hit the region since 2017, killing at least 21 persons and shaking the…

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UPDATED: Afghan Taliban, a year after U.S. pullout, seek world’s approval

KABUL, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban marked the first anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces on Wednesday by calling on the international community to "learn" from the experience…

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Taliban say they’ve not found body of al Qaeda leader

KABUL, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The Taliban have not found the body of Ayman al-Zawahiri and are continuing investigations, group spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday, after the United States…

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Taliban must change course, uphold rights of girls, women, EU says

The European Union urged the Taliban to change tack and uphold the rights of women, girls and minorities on Monday, one year after the Islamist group took power in Afghanistan. In…

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A year of Taliban rule gives Afghanistan security but little hope

KABUL, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The Taliban marked a year in power on Monday, but celebrations were muted as Afghanistan struggles with rising poverty, drought, malnutrition and fading hope among…

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UPDATE – Blast hits Afghan capital Kabul, at least 22 injured

KABUL (Reuters) -A bomb exploded in a busy shopping street in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Saturday and at least 22 people were injured, hospital officials and witnesses said. The blast…

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UPDATED: Taliban says was not aware al Qaeda leader in Kabul, warns U.S.

ISLAMABAD/KABUL, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The Taliban on Thursday said the government had no information about al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri "entering and living" in capital city Kabul and warned the United…

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How the CIA identified and killed Al-Qaeda leader Zawahiri

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a U.S. strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama…

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US and Taliban make progress on Afghan reserves, but big gaps remain

U.S. and Taliban officials have exchanged proposals for the release of billions of dollars from Afghan central bank reserves held abroad into a trust fund, three sources familiar with the talks said,…

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Afghan health official warns of disease outbreak among earthquake survivors

KABUL/WOR KALI, Afghanistan, June 26 (Reuters) - Thousands affected by a deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan are in need of clean water and food and are at risk of disease,…

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Afghan authorities end search for survivors in earthquake that killed 1,000

KABUL, June 24 (Reuters) - Authorities in Afghanistan have ended the search for survivors after an earthquake that killed over 1,000 people, a senior official said on Friday. Around 10,000 houses were…

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Aid trickles in to Afghan earthquake zone, toll at 1,000 dead

Aid began arriving on Thursday in a remote part of Afghanistan where an earthquake killed 1,000 people but poor communications and a lack of proper roads are hampering relief efforts in a…

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Updated: Afghanistan earthquake death toll hits 1,000; toll seen likely to rise

KABUL, June 22 (Reuters) - The death toll from the earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has hit 1,000, according to a local official in province of Paktika, one of the hardest-hit areas. "1,000…

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Taliban to sign pact with UAE on running Afghan airports

The Taliban will sign an agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on operating airports in Afghanistan, the group's acting deputy prime minister said on Tuesday, after months of talks with the…

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Taliban say female Afghan TV presenters must cover face on air

KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have asked television broadcasters to ensure that female presenters on local stations cover their faces when on air, an official said on Thursday.…

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Taliban order Afghan women to cover faces again

KABUL (Reuters) -Afghanistan's Taliban government ordered women on Saturday to cover their faces in public, a return to a signature policy of their past hardline rule and an escalation of…

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Blasts hit Kabul high school, killing at least 6

Three explosions rocked a high school in western Kabul on Tuesday, killing at least six people and injuring children, according to Afghan security and health officials. Many residents in the…

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Taliban bans drug cultivation, including lucrative opium

KABUL/PESHAWAR, April 3 (Reuters) - The Taliban announced on Sunday a ban on the cultivation of narcotics in Afghanistan, the world's biggest opium producer. "As per the decree of the…

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UN raises $2.44 bln for Afghan aid amid concerns on girls’ education

A total of 41 donor countries pledged more than $2.44 billion towards the United Nations $4.4 billion appeal for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, the world body said, as international concerns…

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Russia concerned at Islamic State’s plans to destabilise Central Asia

March 31 (Reuters) - Russia is concerned about the plans of militant group Islamic State to destabilise central Asia and spread instability to the country as well, the RIA news agency said.…

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Taliban orders girl high schools remain closed

KABUL, March 23 (Reuters) - The Taliban on Wednesday backtracked on its announcement that high schools would open for girls, saying they would remain closed until a plan was drawn…

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Taliban restrict Afghans going abroad, raises concern from U.S. and UK

The Taliban administration's announcement that it would restrict Afghans from leaving the country under certain circumstances drew concern from the United States and the United Kingdom this week amidst fears…

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U.S. advice to banks: OK to transfer aid money to Afghanistan

International banks can transfer money to Afghanistan for humanitarian purposes, and aid groups are allowed to pay teachers and healthcare workers at state-run institutions without fear of breaching sanctions on…

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Magnitude 5.6 earthquake strikes Western Afghanistan – EMSC

Jan 17 (Reuters) - An earthquake of 5.6 magnitude struck Western Afghanistan on Monday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was at a depth of 30 km…

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Taliban rule marked by killings, denial of women’s rights – U.N.

More than 100 former Afghan national security forces and others have been killed since the Taliban takeover in August, most at the hands of the hardline Islamist group which is recruiting boy…

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UK Afghan evacuation chaotic and dysfunctional -whistleblower

Britain's handling of the evacuation of vulnerable Afghans from Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August was dysfunctional and chaotic, a Foreign Office whistleblower said in evidence disputed by former…

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France, Europeans working to open joint mission in Afghanistan – Macron

DOHA, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Several European countries are working on opening up a joint diplomatic mission in Afghanistan that would enable their ambassadors to return to the country, French…

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Taliban release decree saying women must consent to marriage

ISLAMABAD, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban government on Friday released a decree on women's rights which said women should not be considered "property" and must consent to marriage but…

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World Bank works to redirect frozen funds to Afghanistan for humanitarian aid only

The World Bank is finalizing a proposal to deliver up to $500 million from a frozen Afghanistan aid fund to humanitarian agencies, people familiar with the plans told Reuters, but it leaves out…

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Facebook says hackers in Pakistan targeted Afghan users amid government collapse

Hackers from Pakistan used Facebook to target people in Afghanistan with connections to the previous government during the Taliban's takeover of the country, the company's threat investigators said in an…

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Detained Afghan pilots preparing to fly out of Tajikistan on U.S.-brokered flight

More than 150 U.S.-trained Afghan pilots and other personnel, held in neighboring Tajikistan for nearly three months since escaping with their planes as the Taliban seized their country, were preparing to depart…

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At least 15 killed as blasts, gunfire hit Kabul hospital, official says

At least 15 people were killed and 34 wounded when two explosions followed by gunfire hit Afghanistan's biggest military hospital in Kabul, a Taliban security official said on Tuesday. The explosions…

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Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader appears, belying rumours of his death

KABUL, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Taliban's reclusive supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, made a rare public appearance in the southern city of Kandahar, Taliban sources said on Sunday, belying widespread rumours…

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Blast at Shi’ite mosque in Afghan city of Kandahar kills dozens

KABUL (Reuters) -Suicide bombers attacked a Shi'ite mosque in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, killing at least 35 people, the second week in a row that militants bombed Friday…

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At least 30 killed in Afghanistan mosque blast

A bomb blast hit a Shia mosque in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province during Friday prayers, killing at least 30 people, an official confirmed. Murtaza Zarifi, a security officer at the mosque, claimed…

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Unicef warns 3.2 million children at risk of malnutrition in Afghanistan

Afghan children who were displaced from other parts of the country live in temporary shelters at a camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, 09 October 2021. Some 3.2 million children under the…

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Taliban say forces destroy Islamic State cell hours after Kabul blast

Taliban government forces destroyed an Islamic State cell in the north of Kabul late on Sunday in a prolonged assault that broke the calm of a normally quiet area of the…

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Afghan army collapse ‘took us all by surprise,’ U.S. defense secretary

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress on Tuesday that the Afghan army's sudden collapse caught the Pentagon off-guard as he acknowledged miscalculations in America's longest war including corruption and damaged morale…

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Russia’s Lavrov says Taliban recognition ‘not on the table’

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that international recognition of the Taliban was not currently under consideration. Lavrov was speaking on the sidelines of…

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Taliban hang up bodies of alleged kidnappers in Afghan city

Taliban authorities in the western Afghan city of Herat killed four alleged kidnappers and hung their bodies up in public to deter others, a local government official said on Saturday.…

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