The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed concern that the Afghan people’s need for humanitarian assistance has increased by 30 percent. The committee wrote on its Twitter page on Tuesday that currently 24.4 million people across Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance. According to the United Nations, more than half of Afghanistan’s population is facing a […]

During a meeting with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that his neighbors should help form an inclusive government in Afghanistan, otherwise the country will become insecure. Raisi who was on a visit to Qatar, said at a joint press conference with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani that in […]

The World Bank’s management has signed off on a proposal that would repurpose $600 million of the just over $1 billion left in a frozen trust fund to benefit Afghan education, families and communities, a source familiar with the plan told Reuters. The board of the World Bank is due to discuss the proposal on March 1, with a final […]

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday emphasized the need to continue providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan but also stressed the need for an all-inclusive government in the country. Amirabdollahian and Guterres met on the sidelines of Munich Security Conference (MSC) on Saturday and discussed a number of issues including the situation in Afghanistan. […]

Speaking during a joint news conference with Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev following the talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, on February 10, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters that the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan “uphold the principles of the supremacy of international law, sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states”. It sounds good. […]

“Most countries have an army, but Pakistan’s army has a country.” Pakistan has had a near continuous military dominance of both serving and retired General officers being co-opted into its bureaucracy by lateral induction. General Musharraf brought in officers at every level. Imran Khan Government appears to have beaten all earlier records in filling civilian posts with military officers into […]

Islamic fundamentalism and violence is on the rise in Bangladesh. Anti-France protests, violent protests during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit and communal violence in Comilla all demonstrate the influence Islamist radicals have, particularly Hefazat-e-Islam. The rise of hardline Islamic forces poses a challenge to the Bangladeshi government on whether it will protect its secular principles or continue its patronage […]

The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program has offered a new $10 million bounty for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the leader of the Islamic State Khorasan Province. Sanaullah Ghafar, the emir of the Islamic State Khorasan Province who is also known as Shahab al-Muhajir, is described by Rewards for Justice as “an experienced military leader […]

Afghanistan has undergone a dramatic transformation in half a year of Taliban rule. The country feels safer, less violent than it has in decades, but the once aid-fueled economy is barreling toward collapse. Tens of thousands of Afghans have fled or have been evacuated, including large numbers of educated elites. They either fear for their economic future or lack of […]

Despite lingering concerns among some officials in Washington that Afghanistan is on its way to once again becoming a terrorist haven, recent U.S. defense and intelligence assessments seem to indicate that at least for now, groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida are not ready to use the country as a launch pad for attacks against the West.