In international relations, there are no permanent enemies and no permanent friends, only “permanent interests.” Every country changes its policy time to time according to its own interest with other countries. No country can deny the importance of Afghanistan for the region. Afghanistan is termed the ‘heart of Asia’, connecting different regions, especially Central Asia, via Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, […]

The United States says no foreign government is contemplating legitimacy for Taliban rule in Afghanistan, even as the insurgent-turned-Islamist group next month will mark the first year of its return to power in Kabul. “I think there’s actually a global consensus to include Moscow and Beijing and Iran, that it’s too early to look at recognition,” Donald Lu, U.S. assistant […]

Taliban supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada said Wednesday that Afghan soil will not be used to launch attacks against other countries, and he asked the international community to not interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. The Taliban say they are adhering to an agreement they signed with the United States in 2020 — before retaking power — in which they promised […]

Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Wednesday on the phone and discussed the need for continuous coordination with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to deal with the ongoing humanitarian crisis. “Blinken and Zardari discussed coordination to mitigate the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, regional stability, commercial and people-to-people ties, and the devastating […]

US President Joe Biden has notified Congress of his intent to rescind the designation of Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally, according to a statement published by the press service of the White House on Wednesday. “In accordance with section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (22 U.S.C. 2321k), I am providing notice of my intent […]

In April, the Taliban announced a blanket ban on drug production and use in Afghanistan. There are a number of potential reasons for the move, which would cause considerable financial pain to many of the group’s core constituencies, as well as to the Taliban itself. But the timing of the announcement suggests that the ban will not go into effect […]

The UN secretary-general’s new deputy special representative (political) for Afghanistan has arrived in Kabul. On 17 June 2022, António Guterres, the UN chief, appointed Markus Potzel of Germany as his new DSR for Afghanistan. A statement from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAM) said Potzel arrived in Kabul on July 3. Potzel brings to the position more than […]

Afghan religious leader Khwaja Sayyad Chishti, also known as Sufi Baba, has been shot dead in India’s Maharashtra state, a media report said on Wednesday. The 35-year-old Muslim community leader from Afghanistan was shot dead by a group of four unidentified attackers in the Yeola town of Nashik district on Tuesday, NDTV quoted police as saying. Motive behind the murder […]

Mawlavi Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, Afghanistan’s acting minister of defense, arrived in Qatar on Tuesday for a two day visit. Mujahid is expected to discuss a number of issues with Qatari authorities. This is his first trip abroad after being appointed to the post following the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) takeover in August last year. Mohammad Naeem Wardak, the spokesman […]

Mawlavi Abdulsalam Hanafi, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) acting deputy prime minister, on Wednesday met with Markus Potzel, the new head of the United Nations Assistance Mission (UNAMA) in Kabul. At the meeting, Hanafi wished Potzel well in his new position and said: “Since you have enough experience in Afghanistan, you can be a good partner for the Afghan […]