Afghanistan

Local residents said that Pakistani fighter jets had bombed four houses. Two security officials, however, denied this, saying there had been explosions in a munitions dump in a militant hideout.

Taliban rejects Trump’s demand to return Bagram Air Base, citing Afghanistan’s sovereignty under the Doha Agreement. Trump warns “bad things” could follow if the US doesn’t regain control.

"If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN," US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post.

Trump has cited Bagram’s proximity to China as one of the main motivations behind this proposed move, stating that the location is “about an hour away from where China is developing nuclear weapons."

Barbie and Peter Reynolds, whose family had voiced serious concerns over their health and their ability to survive Taliban custody, were detained by the group's interior ministry on February 1.

The emerging policy threatens to disrupt government services that had moved online in recent years and to stall humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.

Taliban representatives met with US Officials to discuss normalization efforts, diplomatic relations, and freeing detained US citizens.

“After Afghanistan fell in 2021, al-Qaeda quietly began rebuilding its networks while working closely with the Taliban," said Azim Shinwari, a former Afghan senior counterterrorism expert.

WHO urged the Taliban to lift restrictions on Afghan women aid workers after a deadly quake, warning the shortage of female staff is leaving women without vital medical and mental health care.

Trump's new order order is intended to deter offending nations from engaging in ‘hostage diplomacy'.