The Taliban has for years presented a united front to the outside world and kept a tight lid on dissent within its ranks. But unprecedented displays of discord have laid bare the rifts in the secretive militant group and exposed an intensifying power struggle. The internal divisions could spill over into violence, experts warn, and trigger a new civil war […]

Russia’s grand geo-economic plans in this part of Eurasia are dependent on the resolution of these tensions, while China’s will continue being advanced regardless of whatever happens with them. Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert Khorev told TASS over the weekend that his country supports Pakistan and Afghanistan’s respective counter-terrorism efforts. He then added that it encourages both of them to […]

Pakistan reported Thursday that one soldier and 12 insurgents were killed in intense predawn clashes in a volatile northwestern district bordering Afghanistan. A military statement said the deadly shootout in North Waziristan occurred after security forces conducted an “intelligence-based” raid against a “khawarij” hideout, a term officially used to describe militants affiliated with the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. Insurgent […]

According to a report published by Tolo News, Suhail Shaheen, the ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban) in Doha, has praised Qatar’s “significant role” in expanding the Taliban’s relations with different countries. “The Islamic Emirate’s Embassy in Qatar is active, and the interim government of Afghanistan has been able to establish connections with various […]

Since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban jihadi organization) took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, India, which did not support the Taliban against the U.S. and NATO, has been seeking ways to engage with the Taliban and gain influence in Afghanistan, where its rivals China and Pakistan already have an advantage. Over the course of 2024, Indian diplomats […]

Iran hosts millions of Afghan refugees that came following the US invasion of the country in 2001 as well as the Taliban takeover in 2021 Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Kabul Sunday on the highest-level visit by an Iranian official to the Afghan capital since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. The one-day visit is part of an effort […]

In the first week of January 2025, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban) welcomed a delegation from the Republic of Chechnya. The delegation was led by Jambulat Umarov, head of the Academy of Sciences of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation. Zelimkhan Abdulmuslimovich Yandarbiyev, a Chechen writer and politician who served as second president of […]

The year just ended was a tumultuous one for Afghanistan, marked by many significant events that will continue to challenge the country in 2025. ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) carried out at least 19 terrorist attacks, targeting Hazara and Shia civilians, Sufi adherents, foreign nationals and Taliban officials. One notable incident was the assassination of Khalil Rahman Haqqani, a senior Taliban leader and […]

Afghanistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi on Wednesday met with Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs for the UAE, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for talks on various issues including the Islamic Emirate’s aspirations for stability, development and prosperity in the country. The two diplomats also discussed progress made […]

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan to take action against militants harboring in the neighboring country, days after Kabul said at least 46 people had been killed in Pakistani airstrikes in the eastern border province of Paktika. The Pakistan army and government have not yet officially confirmed Tuesday’s airstrikes, which the Afghan Taliban said […]