Pakistani investigators on Monday pointed the finger at the extremist Islamic State group as the death toll from a suicide bombing at a political rally climbed to 46, officials said. A suicide bomber blew himself up among the crowd at…
Afghan interpreter who fled the Taliban killed in US gun violence
Nasrat Ahmad Yar, like thousands of other Afghans, came to the United States in the wake of the 2021 Taliban takeover, using a special visa for those who worked for the US military. The 31-year-old interpreter envisioned a new life…
Taliban order Afghanistan’s hair and beauty salons to shut
The Taliban have ordered hair and beauty salons in Afghanistan to shut in the latest restriction faced by women. A Vice and Virtue Ministry spokesman told the BBC businesses had one month to comply, starting from 2 July when they…
Afghanistan’s Taliban publicly executes man convicted of murder
Afghanistan’s Taliban has publicly executed a man convicted of the murders of five people, the Supreme Court says of the second confirmed official execution since the group returned to power in 2021. The execution took place on Tuesday in the…
Ex-provincial police chief among victims of bomb blast in northern Afghanistan
A former police chief of Afghanistan’s Baghlan province was among victims of a bomb blast that rocked Faizabad, the capital of northern Badakhshan province, on Thursday. The provincial director for Information and Culture Qari, Maazudin Ahamdi said Safiullah Samim, the…
Nearly 80 primary schoolgirls believed poisoned in Afghanistan
Nearly 80 girls were poisoned and hospitalised in two separate attacks at their primary schools in northern Afghanistan, a local education official said on Sunday. He said the person who orchestrated the poisoning had a personal grudge but did not…
UK slashes aid to Afghanistan by more than half
The UK government has been accused of turning its back on the people of Afghanistan after an official watchdog said UK aid to the nation has more than halved. The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) said the UK was…
Ex-governor of Afghanistan’s Bamyan province surrenders to caretaker govt
Former governor of Afghanistan’s central Bamyan province during the then Afghan government Mohammad Tahir Zuhair has surrendered to authorities in the northern Samangan province. Provincial Director for Information and Culture Firuzudin Munib said on Friday. Munib said Zuhair surrendered to…
Taliban seek proximity to Russia
Afghanistan’s de facto authorities are seeking political proximity to Russia amid international isolation. At a meeting with Russian Islamic scholars in the capital Kabul, a senior Taliban leader called on Moscow to officially recognise their government. The delegation was received…
UN tells Afghan staff to stay home after Taliban ban on female workers
The United Nations has launched a review of its operations in Afghanistan and asked all Afghan staff not to come to work at least until May after the Taliban barred its female staff from working. The UN said last week…