TOPIC
 / location

Afghanistan after the US withdrawal

(From left) Bread & Roses producers Malala Yousafzai, Jennifer Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi, and director Sahra Mani, attend the Los Angeles premiere of the documentary at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles on November 14, 2024. Photo: AFP
American cinema

Jennifer Lawrence-produced film shows women’s torment in Afghanistan

Apple TV+ documentary Bread & Roses, co-produced by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, was shot entirely on smartphones.

videocam
Taliban

Taliban seeks international aid for Afghanistan’s reconstruction

videocam
India

India seeks to boost ties with Afghanistan – is it a move to sideline Pakistan?

videocam
Taliban

Afghan Taliban vow to implement media ban on images of living things

The law, which will be gradually enforced, is aimed at persuading people that images of living things are against Islamic law.

videocam
8
Taliban security patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August. The group has enforced several new laws recently, including mandating that women must cover their bodies and faces in public and restrictions on women’s voices in public. Photo: EPA-EFE
US presidential election 2024

Republicans accuse Biden team of lying about 2021 Afghanistan pull-out

House Republican report cites US Vice-President Kamala Harris as she seeks the presidency against Donald Trump.

US presidential election 2024

Harris says Trump ‘disrespected sacred ground’ at US military cemetery

The US Army says a cemetery employee was pushed after asking Trump’s team to stop filming in a burial section where photography is banned.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Germany

Germany deports 28 Afghan nationals, the first since 2021 Taliban takeover

Germany does not have diplomatic relations with the Taliban, requiring the government to work through other channels. It is unlikely that Friday’s actions will lead to a wider thawing of relations between Germany and the Taliban.

It is unlikely that the deportations will lead to a wider thawing of relations between Germany and the Taliban. Photo: dpa
Afghanistan

Taliban reject UN concerns over laws banning women’s voices and faces in public

The Taliban urge ‘thorough understanding’ of Islamic sharia law after UN criticism about the rights of women and girls.

Afghanistan

Taliban codify morality laws requiring Afghan women to cover faces

The Taliban suspended Afghanistan’s previous constitution when they took over in 2021 as foreign forces withdrew, and said they would rule the country according to sharia law.

The Philippines

Philippines to host Afghans awaiting resettlement in US

Manila’s Department of Foreign Affairs did not provide details of how many Afghans would be allowed to stay in the Philippines.

9
Afghan girls in Ghazni province earlier this month. The Philippine president has expressed concern that Afghan nationals could become stranded in his country while awaiting relocation. Photo: AFP
Afghanistan

Former Afghan president Karzai calls for girls and women to be educated

Karzai emphasised importance of women’s education. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has banned girls from studying beyond primary school.

4
Hamid Karzai, former Afghan president. Photo: EPA-EFE
Diplomacy

Afghan copper mine holds promise for Taliban, tempered expectations for China

As work begins on a long-delayed, multibillion-dollar project, Chinese officials remain cautious, while economic hopes rise in war-torn country.

Pakistan

Pakistan vows ‘no cake and pastries’ for TTP militants, heeding China’s warning

China’s warning that further investment hinges on an improved security situation likely acted as a catalyst, analysts say.

videocam
Taliban

Taliban told to ‘include women’ in public life during UN talks in Qatar

The Taliban has imposed a strict interpretation of Islam in Afghanistan, with women subjected to laws characterised by the UN as ‘gender apartheid’.

videocam
The Taliban’s government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. Mujahid is attending UN-convened talks in Doha, Qatar. Photo: EPA-EFE
Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Afghanistan to take gender-balanced team for first summer Games since Taliban

Taliban government has imposed curbs on women and girls condemned by the United Nations as ‘gender apartheid’ and has not been recognised by any country since its 2021 takeover.

Afghanistan will take an equal number of male and female athletes to compete at the Paris Olympics. Photo: DPA
Afghanistan

Afghan Taliban government says to attend next round of UN talks in Doha

A delegation will attend as the talks’ agenda appears ‘beneficial to Afghanistan’, but civil society groups criticise lack of focus on women’s rights.

videocam
Diplomacy

Opinion | China and South Asia must solve regional tensions to fight terrorism

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s efforts against terrorism will not work unless diverging security interests among member states are addressed. India and Afghanistan’s alleged support of attacks in Pakistan and border clashes are holding back economic integration and security cooperation.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Russia

Russia invites Taliban to economic forum, as ties with West worsen over Ukraine

The St Petersburg forum, which once hosted Western CEOs and investment bankers, has changed significantly amid the Ukraine war, which has triggered a crisis in Russia’s relations with the West.

videocam
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the plenary session of The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/Handout/RIA
Books and literature

Male poets praise Afghan leaders as female poets silenced, women sidelined

A poetry reading in Afghanistan featured a male-only line-up, reading pro-Taliban verses; the government-organised event excluded female poets and banned women from attending.

Climate change

Opinion | Why China should step up aid to Afghanistan

The Taliban has been accused of being slow to act on deadly flash floods that have killed more than 300 and left 40,000 children homeless. Also vulnerable to climate change, China can share its experience in mitigating floods with Afghanistan and increase aid to help the country rebuild

videocam
16
Islamic State

Islamic State claims deadly Afghanistan attack on tourists

Friday’s attack was among the most serious targeting foreign citizens since foreign forces left and the Taliban took over in 2021.

videocam
The entrance to a road leading to the ruins of a Buddha statue in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Three Spanish tourists were killed in an attack in Bamiyan on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Afghanistan

‘I lost everything’: over 300 dead in Afghanistan flash floods, says UN

Authorities and non-governmental groups have deployed rescuers and aid, warning that some areas have been cut off.

videocam
An Afghan boy shovels mud from the courtyard of a house in the Baghlan-e-Markazi district of Baghlan province. Hundreds of people are thought to have died in the nation after flash floods on Friday. Photo: AFP
Afghanistan

Holiday in Afghanistan? The Taliban are working to woo tourists

In 2021, there were 691 foreign tourists. In 2022, that figure rose to 2,300. Last year, there were 7,000. The numbers aren’t huge – but there’s a buzz around Afghan tourism.

Afghanistan

‘Empowered generation’: to bypass Taliban work bans, Afghan women turn to YouTube

YouTube channels not only provide income, but also serve as a means for women to communicate their messages, experiences and aspirations, one analyst said.

videocam
Terrorism

Asia’s terrorism surge: Isis-K awakens sleeper cells in deadly strategy shift

Using Afghanistan as a homebase, Isis cells have hit targets in Russia, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey this year. Baloch separatists have also stepped up their attacks on Chinese interests in South Asia.

videocam
47
A Russian soldier secures the area as a massive blaze burns in the Crocus City Hall concert venue on March 22 following a deadly attack claimed by Isis. Photo: AP
Joe Biden

Top former US generals blame Biden administration for chaotic Kabul exit

The top two US generals who oversaw the evacuation of Afghanistan as it fell in 2021 told lawmakers that the Biden administration inadequately planned for the evacuation and did not order it in time.

The last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021 was General Chris Donahue. File photo: TNS
Pakistan

‘Grave threat’: Pakistan justifies air strikes on Taliban rebels in Afghanistan

Monday’s operation targeted the Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant faction, which claimed responsibility for the attack on a military outpost that left seven soldiers dead.

Afghanistan

UN ‘appalled’ by public executions in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Taliban government publicly executed three convicted murderers in the past week at sports stadiums as thousands watched.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Afghanistan after the US withdrawal
US President Joe Biden committed to withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan by August 31, 2021. The deadline was set after the Taliban took control of the country, seizing the capital city of Kabul as the Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani dissolved on August 15. The Biden administration had initially announced a full withdrawal of troops by 11 September 2021 – 20 years after the 9/11 terror attacks.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement