Afghanistan

Will Donald Trump's Hamas disarmament endgame make Israel safer? - analysis

The great game has begun for Israel, Hamas, the US, Qatar, Turkey, and others to try to reframe the future of Gaza conflict and the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a reception with business leaders, at the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026.
Ambulances rush along a road towards the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, on October 15, 2025; illustrative.

Blast kills seven at Chinese-run restaurant in Afghan capital, Islamic State claims responsibility

Pakistani soldiers in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan September 2, 2025.

Seven Pakistani police officers killed in targeted bomb attack, no group claims responsibility

An illustration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in front of a backdrop of Iranian flags flying amid fire from an Israeli strike on Sharan Oil depot, Tehran.

Iranians 'have fallen in love with Netanyahu,' Tehran resident tells KAN - report


A million more Afghans could be sent back from Iran, Red Cross warns

"(We) are anticipating that an additional one million people, possibly more, may return from Iran to Afghanistan by the end of this year," said Sami Fakhouri.

 Afghan nationals with their belongings gather as they head back to Afghanistan, after Pakistan intensified its deportation campaign, forcing undocumented Afghans to leave the country, at the Torkham border crossing, Pakistan April 7, 2025.

ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over persecution of women

"The have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms," the ICC said.

 Taliban soldiers celebrate on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul on a street near the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2023

Surge in Afghans driven from Iran in spy hunt after Israel attacks

The United Nations refugee agency estimates Iran deported home an average of more than 30,000 Afghans each day during the war, up 15-fold from about 2,000 earlier.

 View of tents at the Omari refugee camp for the Afghan nationals, who were expelled from Pakistan, in Mohmand Dara, Torkham border, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, April 15, 2025.

Millions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan set to be deported

The latest round of deportations follows an earlier phase launched after March 31, which focused on Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards and those without documentation.

 An Afghan refugee man loads a truck with his belongings, as he along with others returns home, after Pakistan gave the last warning to undocumented immigrants to leave, in Jamrud, Pakistan, April 14, 2025.

Two Pakistani soldiers, 11 guerrillas killed in South Waziristan border clash

The Pakistan Army's media wing claimed the group targeted in the operation had connections to what it called “Indian-sponsored” networks.

A paramilitary trooper mans a gun atop a vehicle as he keeps guard during a media tour of the Karachi Port, Pakistan, May 9, 2025.

Afghan women’s org. push back after US scholar says Afghan refugees ‘should not fear repatriation’

Analyst Cheryl Benard defended her controversial essay, which women’s rights activists say whitewashes the Taliban’s gender apartheid policies

 A woman wearing a burqa sits on the side of a road in Kabul, Afghanistan October 21, 2021.

Kazan Forum 2025: Russia courts Islamic world as Taliban sends its first delegation

While President Trump signed deals with Gulf partners, Putin courted partnerships among the world’s Muslim nations in an attempt to reshape global trade dynamics.

 The Taliban's delegation preparing to depart for the 16th International Kazan Forum, May 17, 2025.

Iran eyes peace, trade, and drone deals in growing partnerships with Central Asia

Iran wants to see peace in the southern Caucasus so it can continue to work on a north-south economic corridor.

 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi against backdrop of Tajikistan, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan. (illustration)

Taliban bans chess over fear of gambling, whether it is permitted in Islamic law

The suspension was announced by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which followed the dissolution of the Afghanistan Chess Federation.

 Members of the Taliban carrying flags participate in a rally to mark the third anniversary of the fall of Kabul, in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 14, 2024.

Afghans in US feel betrayed as Trump ends deportation protection

After fleeing the Taliban, public prosecutor Roya now fears deportation as the Trump administration ends TPS for Afghans. Advocates warn the move endangers thousands who supported the US.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a question as he speaks to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., March 29, 2019