According to Afghan media reports, a series of recent statements from Iran indicate that it is rapidly moving to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban) government. If Iran does so, it will be the second country after Russia to have recognized the Taliban government in Kabul. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian: “Iran Looks At Neighboring Countries […]

On February 17, 2026, over a week before Pakistan again launched a new wave of airstrikes on Afghan cities, Afghan Taliban media outlet Al-Mirsaad published an article warning that Pakistan is on the brink of collapse, with Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (which now includes the Federally Administered Tribal Areas) already outside its sovereign control. The article, titled “Pakistan On The […]

Speaking at a recent graduation ceremony, Afghan Taliban Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat told cadets of the Taliban’s 313 Central Army Corps that military preparedness to confront unbelievers is obligatory on Muslims. According to a Dari-language statement issued by the Afghan Defense Ministry on February 17, 2026, Fitrat said: “Preparedness is necessary in confronting those […]

Geopolitical factors unfortunately make this proposal a pipedream. One of the greatest consequences of the Third Gulf War is the de facto suspension of the North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC). This megaproject connects Russia and India via Iran (through branch corridors across Azerbaijan, the Caspian, and Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan) as well as India with Afghanistan and Central Asia via Iran too. This kaleidoscope […]

As the U.S.–Israeli bombardment of Iran continues with no end in sight, the economic shockwaves are already hitting American farmers, with some struggling to buy fertilizer and gasoline prices rising. The war zone sits at the crossroads of the world’s fertilizer supply. Since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran a week ago, maritime traffic through the Strait […]

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Persistent Peril On March 7, 2026, three Policemen were killed while 31 people, including five Policemen and 26 civilians, were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Rustam Bazaar area of Wana tehsil (revenue unit) in the South Waziristan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). According to the Police, the explosion occurred when Policemen on routine […]

Letting this unilateral escort mission continue unimpeded could lead to Pakistan forming the core of a multilateral mission for neutralizing Iran’s ace of closing the Strait of Hormuz, but stopping it risks expanding the war, so it’s unclear exactly what the IRGC will decide to do since neither option is ideal. Pakistan announced the launch of Operation Muhafiz-ul-Bahr (“Protector of […]

The Taliban’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has said their administration is facing an “imposed war” with Pakistan as clashes between the two sides continue. Addressing an iftar meeting with foreign diplomats at the Foreign Ministry in Kabul, Muttaqi blamed Pakistan for violating the ceasefire the two sides agreed on last year in Doha. “We are facing an imposed war,” […]

The Taliban’s defense ministry has claimed that 109 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 148 others were wounded in a series of overnight attacks along the border, as fighting between the two sides entered its ninth day. Enayatullah Khwarazmi, spokesman for the Taliban’s Defense Ministry, said Taliban forces carried out what he described as “offensive attacks” in 28 locations across six […]

A Taliban official in eastern Afghanistan said Pakistani forces shelled residential areas in Khost province overnight, as border fighting between the two sides entered its tenth day. Mustaghfar Gurbaz, spokesman for the Taliban governor in Khost, said Pakistani border troops fired toward the Brekhilo village in Gurez district, striking what he described as civilian homes. He did not provide details […]