The school that won’t stay closed
When Kabul fell, a headmistress burned her own student records rather than let the Taliban find them. Four years on, the school she saved has finally found a permanent address…
Former president Karzai refuses to endorse Afghan govt while girls’ education ban persists
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has disclosed that he has repeatedly rejected requests from interim administration officials in Kabul to publicly praise their governance, making it clear that no endorsement…
Canada warns citizens against all travel to Afghanistan amid volatile security & arbitrary detention risks
The Canadian government has issued an unequivocal warning advising its citizens against all travel to Afghanistan, pointing to an extremely volatile security environment characterized by persistent terrorism, high kidnapping threats,…
AFGHAN REFUGEE CRISIS: the world handed Pakistan a crisis in 1979; it never really took it back
By Dr Muhammad Shahid Every few months, a familiar story resurfaces in the international press: Pakistan, accused once again of pushing vulnerable Afghans back across a border they fled in…
Beyond the Hindukush: the transnational shadow of ISKP and the realities of regional security
By Dr Muhammad Shahid As the geopolitical architecture of South and Central Asia continues to shift in the wake of the 2021 Western exit from Kabul, international security discourse remains…
The price of impunity: parsing the UN’s revelations on Afghanistan’s cycle of conflict
The release of comprehensive findings by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documenting over 40,000 civilian deaths and more than 77,000 injuries between 2009 and the Taliban’s return…
NRF claims control of Bano in Baghlan’s Andarab Valley
BAGHLAN — The National Resistance Front (NRF) has announced that its fighters have successfully ended Taliban control over the strategic Bano area within the Andarab district of Baghlan province following…
Defending the frontier: why Pakistan’s security-first approach to Afghanistan is a regional necessity
By Dr Muhammad Shahid The evolving realities along our western border demand an unvarnished assessment of Pakistan’s security posture. For years, Islamabad has shouldered the immense human, economic, and geopolitical…
Taliban ban protests in Afghanistan
The interim Taliban administration has imposed a total, nationwide ban on all forms of protests, demonstrations, and public gatherings across Afghanistan. Defending this draconian measure, Kabul authorities asserted that the…
Taliban seizes and confiscates Pakistani pharmaceuticals in Helmand
The Afghanistan administration’s tightening restrictions on cross-border trade have extended to the medical sector, with local authorities in Helmand province launching operations to collect, seize, and destroy restricted pharmaceutical products.…