Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis urgently demands solutions to a ‘liquidity trap,’ stifled trade and blocked bank transfers. The U.S. government needs to urgently prioritize saving Afghan lives, meeting basic human needs and stemming the free-fall of the Afghan economy. The unprecedented evacuation of some 100,000 people from Kabul airport in August demonstrated what clear objectives and a whole-hearted, government-wide focus can […]

The Taliban foreign minister Wednesday penned an “open letter” to the U.S. Congress, warning of a mass refugee exodus from Afghanistan unless the United States unblocks more than $9 billion in Afghan central bank assets and ends other financial sanctions against the country. Amir Khan Muttaqi wrote that the sanctions “have not only played havoc” with trade and business but […]

Islamic State claimed responsibility for two explosions that hit a heavily Shi’ite Muslim area of the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, killing at least one person and wounding at least six others including three women. The blasts were the latest in a series of attacks in Kabul claimed by the militant Sunni group in recent days, with Shi’ite areas in […]

The U.N. envoy to Afghanistan on Wednesday delivered a bleak assessment of the situation following the Taliban takeover, saying that an affiliate of the Islamic State group has grown and now appears present in nearly all 34 provinces. U.N. Special Representative Deborah Lyons told the U.N. Security Council that the Taliban’s response to Islamic State-Khorasan Province’s (ISKP) expansion “appears to […]

Control Risks said there was a ‘very high’ chance Afghanistan could become a safe haven for terrorists Afghanistan’s fall to Taliban control has created the conditions for terrorist groups to use the country to launch attacks abroad, while Africa’s Sahel region has seen the rise of the fastest growing Islamist insurgency in the world, according to a report by a […]

The Taliban have launched a crackdown on suspected Islamic State hideouts in southern Afghanistan, officials said Monday, following an increase in bloody attacks by the group in recent weeks. The operation against Islamic State-Khorasan — the local chapter of the jihadist group — started around midnight in at least four districts of Kandahar province and continued through Monday morning, Taliban […]

Deputy Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Alexander Venediktov held a meeting with Thomas West, US State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan, council spokesman Yevgeny Anoshin said on Monday. “Venediktov held a meeting with US State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West,” he said. On Monday, during his trip to Moscow, West also met with Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan […]

Afghanistan’s Central Bank (Da Afghanistan Bank) announced Monday that it would auction off around $10 million this week, in a bid to help bring some stability to the Afghan currency. Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) called on commercial banks, money exchangers, and companies that provide money services to attend the auction on Tuesday. The development comes a day after the Afghani […]

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials said on Tuesday that efforts are underway to establish a strong, disciplined, and educated army to defend the country. Qari Fasihuddin, chief of staff of the IEA, said during a visit to a military camp in Kabul, that the IEA is committed to establishing an army. “Mujahidin of Islamic Emirate are not simple people, […]

In fact, if the Heartland were to succeed in joining the Rimland, the maritime superiority of the United States and more generally of the thalassocratic powers would be over. At that point, the U.S. would only have to shift all its military weight to the Indo-Pacific region and unleash a war directly against China, perhaps under the pretext of Taiwan […]