Pakistan says it will recognise the Taliban government when a regional consensus emerges on the issue. Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram said this after the Security Council voted to establish formal ties with Afghanistan without recognising the Islamic Emirate. The resolution drew overwhelming support from the powerful UN council, with 14 members voted for the resolution and Russia abstaining. Seeking […]

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for a year till March 17, 2023, according to a media report on Friday. Resolution 2626 decides that UNAMA and the UN Secretary-General’s special representative will continue to carry out their mandate in support of the people of Afghanistan, in […]

The interim government in Afghanistan formed a commission Wednesday to encourage Afghans living outside the country to return home. Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said the commission will be headed by Interim Minister of Minerals and Petroleum Shahabuddin Delawar. The Repatriation and Relationship of Afghan Personalities’ commission “will liaise with Afghans who have left […]

The Biden administration will grant temporary deportation relief and work permits to Afghans without permanent legal status but who are currently in the US, a move that could aid those evacuated after last year’s US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The grant of so-called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be available to 72,500 Afghans who entered on what is known as “humanitarian […]

House lawmakers on Thursday pressed Pentagon officials on the impact of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, raising doubt over efforts to combat terrorism from afar and whether the U.S. is compensating civilian casualties of the 20-year war.

Iran has set the official selling price (OSP) of its Iranian Light grade for its Asian buyers at $4.70 a barrel above the Oman/Dubai average for April, up $2.05 from the previous month, two industry sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The table below shows April crude prices to Asia, as differentials to the […]

A senior United Nations official said Wednesday people in Afghanistan are today facing a food insecurity and malnutrition crisis of unparalleled proportions and that the rapid increase in those experiencing acute hunger – from 14 million in July 2021 to 23 million in March 2022 – has forced households to resort to desperate measures such as skipping meals or taking […]

Afghanistan should not become a location for rivalry among the world’s great powers, acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said this week during a visit to the Afghan embassy in Turkey. Muttaqi said: “The policy is that henceforth Afghanistan should not become a center or ground for rivalry among the great powers.” “Henceforth, it should not be like Afghanistan be […]

More than six months after the U.S. pulled its last troops from Afghanistan, the threat from the Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate is growing, though new intelligence assessments suggest that earlier warnings the group might be able to strike at America and its allies as early as next month appear to have been overblown. Various intelligence estimates from the U.S. and […]

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday raised concerns about China’s alignment with Russia in a seven-hour meeting with Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi as Washington warned of the isolation and penalties Beijing will face if it helps Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine. The meeting took place in Rome as the United States told allies in NATO and several […]