Afghanistan

Pakistan threatens to ‘obliterate’ Taliban after peace talks fail

Pakistan's defence minister threatened to "obliterate" the ruling Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan, a dramatic escalation of rhetoric after the collapse of talks towards a lasting peace between the South Asian…

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Internet blackout hits Afghanistan as Taliban enforce morality crackdown

Afghanistan's Islamist Taliban authorities have ordered a nationwide shutdown of the country's fiber optic internet "until further notice," according to a government source who spoke with French news agency AFP…

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The Muslim world has been strong on rhetoric, short on action over Gaza and Afghanistan

By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University; and Vice Chancellor's Strategic Fellow, Victoria University When it comes to dealing with two of…

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Trump bans nationals from 12 countries, citing security concerns

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday banning the nationals of 12 countries from entering the United States, saying the move was needed to protect against "foreign terrorists"…

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Taliban laws ban women’s voices and bare faces in public

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have issued a ban on women’s voices and bare faces in public under new laws to combat immoral behaviour and promote virtue. The laws were approved by…

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UPDATED: AfD politician injured in second attack in less than a week in Mannheim

A suspect was arrested after a local council candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was attacked with a knife, police and prosecutors said on Wednesday. The attack on Tuesday…

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Afghanistan floods devastate villages, killing 315

Flash floods caused by heavy rains have devastated villages in northern Afghanistan, killing 315 people and injuring more than 1,600, authorities said on Sunday, as villagers buried their dead and…

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UPDATED: Russia says four survive charter jet crash in Afghanistan, condition of two others unclear

KABUL/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's aviation watchdog said on Sunday four people survived the crash of a charter plane bound for Moscow in northern Afghanistan, citing the Russian embassy there, and…

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Pakistan official: 104,000 undocumented Afghans returned to Afghanistan through Torkham border

PESHAWAR, Pakistan Nov 1 (Reuters) - More than 100,000 undocumented Afghan nationals have returned voluntary to Afghanistan through the northwestern Torkham border crossing in the last two weeks, a Pakistani…

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Afghans return to Taliban rule as Pakistan moves to expel 1.7 million

As the clock ticked down to the Nov. 1 deadline Pakistan set for undocumented migrants to leave the country, Muhammad Rahim boarded a bus from Karachi to the Afghan border."We'd…

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US encourages Afghanistan’s neighbours, including Pakistan, to accept refugees

By Simon Lewis and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States "strongly" encouraged Afghanistan's neighbors, including Pakistan, to allow entry for Afghans seeking protection and urged them to uphold…

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Taliban says plans to formally join China’s Belt and Road Initiative

By Joe Cash BEIJING, (Reuters) - The Taliban administration wants to formally join Chinese President Xi Jinping's huge 'Belt and Road' infrastructure initiative and will send a technical team to…

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Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes western Afghanistan

Oct 15 (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck western Afghanistan on Sunday, killing one and injuring 35, the Herat governor's office said. Multiple earthquakes have struck in the…

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Afghanistan earthquakes a ‘disaster on top of a disaster’, World Food Programme says

By Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam KARACHI, Pakistan, (Reuters) - The World Food Programme called the recent Afghanistan earthquakes a 'disaster on top of a disaster,' urging the international community to provide…

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Rescuers search for survivors days after deadly quakes hit northwest Afghanistan

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Syed Hassib HERAT, Afghanistan, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Rescue workers on Monday scrambled to pull out survivors, and the dead, from beneath the rubble two…

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Afghanistan earthquakes kill 2,053, Taliban says, as death toll spikes

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar KABUL, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Powerful earthquakes in Afghanistan have killed more than 2,000 people and injured more than 9,000, the Taliban administration said on Sunday, in the deadliest tremors…

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UPDATED: Powerful earthquakes strike Papua New Guinea and Afghanistan;

KABUL, Oct 7 (Reuters) - At least 15 people were killed and 40 injured after multiple earthquakes struck western Afghanistan on Saturday, a disaster management official told Reuters. The quake…

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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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Biden Afghanistan report mostly blames Trump for chaotic US withdrawal

By Nandita Bose and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday released a summary of classified reports that mostly blamed the chaotic August 2021 U.S. pullout…

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Sept. 11 victims cannot seize Afghan central bank assets -U.S. judge

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge decided on Tuesday that victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are not entitled to seize $3.5 billion of assets…

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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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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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UK to hold inquiry into allegations special forces killed Afghan civilians

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's defence ministry announced on Thursday an inquiry into allegations that its special forces carried out dozens of extrajudicial killings during night raids in Afghanistan. The announcement…

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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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Reports Russia is recruiting Afghan commandos to fight in Ukraine

Russia is purportedly recruiting members of Afghanistan’s national army commando corps to fight in Ukraine, Foreign Policy is reporting. These are the commandos that were trained by US navy seals…

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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: 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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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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Afghanistan a year after the Taliban occupation: An ongoing war on human rights

The word “anniversary” usually brings about happy and memorable moments. But Aug. 15 marks one year since the Taliban takeover and occupation of Afghanistan, and it’s not a happy occasion…

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UPDATE – U.S. kills al Qaeda leader Zawahiri in Kabul drone missile strike

KABUL/WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri with a drone missile while he stood on a balcony at his home in Kabul, U.S. officials said,…

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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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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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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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A photo which gave life – The story of Mustafa al-Nazzal

A picture can say a thousand words, but can also drive to action, action that saves lives. Mr. Munzir al-Nazzal and his son Mustafa, the Syrian refugees portrayed in the photo…

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