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Afghanistan

Latest news and updates on Afghanistan, China relations and the Taliban's return to power after the 20-year war with the US and allies.

Capital

Kabul

Head of state

Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada

Head of government

Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada

last updated:

6 January, 2025

Taliban security personnel in Kabul. File photo: AFP

Joe Biden

Biden spoke to families of Americans detained in Afghanistan

The US has been negotiating with the Taliban to exchange three Americans for a high-profile prisoner held in Guantanamo Bay.

13 Jan 2025 - 2:28PMvideocam

Pakistan

Malala goes home while Taliban avoids Muslim girls’ education conference

11 Jan 2025 - 4:40PM

The Philippines

Manila hosts US immigrant visa centre for Afghans to resettle after Taliban rule

6 Jan 2025 - 7:10PM

Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | China-Pakistan friendship will hold fast against all weather

Through fatal attacks on China interests in Pakistan and Islamabad’s debt crisis, both countries clung fast to their strategic partnership.

5 Jan 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

Chinese Premier Li Qiang with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad, Pakistan, on October 14. Photo: Xinhua

Global South

Opinion | As West cuts global aid, emerging powers must step up and contribute

Emerging donors from developing nations with significant economic growth should play a bigger role. Kazakhstan is doing so in Central Asia.

5 Jan 2025 - 5:30AM

Pakistan

At least 6 killed in Pakistan suicide bombing

Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for attack. Group is behind a surge in recent attacks targeting soldiers and Chinese workers.

5 Jan 2025 - 2:21AMvideocam

Pakistan

Gunmen ambush Pakistan aid convoy despite sectarian truce

The convoy was travelling to the Kurram region in the northwest, following decades of infighting, with around 200 killed since November.

4 Jan 2025 - 7:00PM

Shiite Muslims hold photographs of those killed in recent sectarian clashes in Kurram, that borders Afghanistan, during a protest in Islamabad on December 24, 2024. Photo: AFP

Terrorism

FBI says New Orleans truck attacker acted alone, was ‘100% inspired’ by Isis

Investigators seek clues to Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s path to radicalisation following deadly New Orleans rampage.

3 Jan 2025 - 2:42PMvideocam

Music

‘Happiness has been taken from this nation’: Afghans keep the music alive

Musicians play behind closed doors despite a ban on music in Afghanistan and a maker of stringed instrument the rubab refuses to down tools.

2 Jan 2025 - 11:15AMvideocam

Food and Drinks

In a country where bread is life, bakers take pride in their work

Round or curved, plain or sprinkled with sesame seeds or sugar, flatbreads are turned out in their thousands every day at a bakery in Kabul.

30 Dec 2024 - 11:15AM

A bread stall at a roadside market in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo: AFP

Pakistan

Pakistan warns Taliban of air strikes over future attacks as Kabul vows revenge

Islamabad has affirmed more retribution against TTP if cross-border assaults continue, further inflaming Kabul ties despite ongoing talks.

28 Dec 2024 - 6:00PMvideocam

Taliban security personnel stand guard near the site of a Pakistani strike in Afghanistan’s Barmal district, eastern Paktika province. Photo: AFP

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

My Take | South Asia needs to get its political house in order to turn around its economy

Political violence and social unrest have dented support for South Asian countries from investors and multilateral institutions.

27 Dec 2024 - 10:30AM

Pakistan

Pakistan stunned by US fears over its missiles, assesses impact on South Asia

Washington’s assessment comes as Pakistan aims to balance its relations with the US and China amid fears of collateral damage.

25 Dec 2024 - 6:00PM

War and conflict

Opinion | Taliban’s promise of security through strength in Afghanistan rings hollow

While the Taliban claims to have improved security in Afghanistan, terror attacks have only continued since the group seized power.

23 Dec 2024 - 9:44PMvideocam

Taliban vehicles are seen parked during the funeral ceremony of Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, the minister for refugees and repatriation who was killed in a terrorist attack, in Sarana, Paktia province, on December 12. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Opinion | How Syria’s new chapter changes the game for the entire region

After Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow, uncertainties remain about the agenda of Syria’s new government and the interests of foreign powers.

15 Dec 2024 - 9:20AMvideocam

Smoke billows in the distance as people arrive to celebrate the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, on December 8. Photo: AP

Islamic militancy

Isis says behind suicide blast that killed Afghan minister

Suicide blast in Afghanistan’s capital marks the highest-profile casualty since the Taliban retook power three years ago.

12 Dec 2024 - 10:17AM

Middle East

Afghanistan’s refugees minister killed by suicide blast

Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani was killed in an explosion at the ministry’s offices in the capital Kabul.

11 Dec 2024 - 10:24PMvideocam

Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Why China’s outreach to Central Asia will only grow

Amid increasing investments and a greater emphasis on security, China’s presence in Central Asia differs from its outreach to other regions.

11 Dec 2024 - 5:44PMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev shake hands after signing a joint statement following bilateral talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 3. Photo: Xinhua

Pakistan

Pakistan strikes 7-day ceasefire deal between warring sectarian groups

Deal comes after days of bitter sectarian gunfights in the country’s northwest Kurram district that have killed dozens.

25 Nov 2024 - 10:55AM

Australia

‘War is messed up’: why young Australians don’t want to join the military

Observers blame a ‘culture of self-loathing’ for destroying the self-esteem of Australia’s youth and undermining faith in its institutions.

24 Nov 2024 - 10:00AM

Pakistan

Pakistan sectarian violence kills 32, injures 47

Retaliating for the killing of Shiite Muslims on Thursday, Shiite Muslims on Friday attacked businesses and homes owned by Sunni Muslims.

24 Nov 2024 - 4:01PM

Shiite Muslims during a protest march against the sectarian attacks in Kurram district in Parachinar, the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Lahore on Friday. 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.

19 Nov 2024 - 4:45PMvideocam

(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

Taliban

Taliban seeks international aid for Afghanistan’s reconstruction

Emphasising destruction caused by decades of conflict, Taliban called for technical help and economic development initiatives.

18 Nov 2024 - 1:09AMvideocam

India

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

Officials from both sides recently met to discuss issues, including enhancing trade via an Afghan port run by an Indian company.

14 Nov 2024 - 3:13PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

Recap | ‘Witch flies’ above China on broomstick, Taliban tourism boom and more latest videos

From social media sensations to latest news stories and the downright quirky, check out some of the latest videos from the South China Morning Post.

12 Nov 2024 - 2:49PMvideocam

A woman went paragliding in central China’s Henan province dressed as a witch, complete with broomstick. Photo: Newsflare

How the Taliban is attracting Chinese tourists

9 Nov 2024 - 10:00AM

06:51

Diplomacy

Opinion | As Chinese citizens in Pakistan face terror threats, Beijing can do more to help

As terror attacks persist, Pakistan and China must work together with other countries in the region on a holistic solution to the violence.

6 Nov 2024 - 5:37PMvideocam

Middle East

Opinion | How the Middle East quagmire muddies Biden’s legacy

The Biden administration’s repeated missteps have dealt a big blow to US standing in the region and given Beijing an opportunity to exercise its global influence.

31 Oct 2024 - 7:16AMvideocam

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