The Afghan government is imposing punishments that have no comparison elsewhere in the Islamic world. Late last month, the Taliban killed four men and hung their dead bodies in public squares in the northwestern Afghan city of Herat. One lifeless corpse dangled off a crane above throngs of commuters who were stunned at the exhibition and grasping the significance of […]

The U.S. and its Western allies have repeatedly said the militant group, which swept to power in August, will be judged by actions rather than words. Leaders of the world’s top economies failed to agree on how to deal with the Taliban at an extraordinary summit, pledging only to channel aid through the United Nations as a humanitarian crisis looms. […]

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Tuesday hinted that he would visit the Afghan capital Kabul with a group of counterparts from friendly countries. “We follow the situation in Afghanistan closely. We are planning to go to Kabul with some other foreign ministers in the upcoming period,” said Çavuşoğlu at a joint news conference with his visiting Indonesian counterpart Retno […]

There is no clear path for unfreezing Afghan government funds, Qatar’s foreign minister told a conference on Wednesday, highlighting the economic challenges Afghanistan faces under its new Islamic Emirate (IEA) rulers. Qatar is hosting talks between the IEA and Western officials and is seen as having influence over the new Afghan government. Much of the Afghan central bank’s $10 billion […]

An Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) official confirmed in a statement that a meeting was held in Doha between high ranking IEA officials and ambassadors and representatives of the United States, the European Union and other Western countries on Tuesday. According to IEA foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi also discussed the […]

The Group of 20 (G20) should leverage its characteristics and strengths to contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of Afghanistan and the region, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special representative Wang Yi, also Chinese state councilor and foreign minister, said on Tuesday. Wang made a four-point proposal on tackling issues including the humanitarian crisis and terrorism in Afghanistan while attending […]

Germany is not yet prepared to recognise the Islamic Emirate as Afghanistan’s government since it has not met the inclusiveness standards demanded of it, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, but she reaffirmed Berlin’s promise of 600 million euros’ aid. Speaking after a video conference of leaders from the G20 group of large economies and other international officials, Merkel also said […]

The Taliban will hold face-to-face talks with European Union officials, the acting foreign minister said on Monday, in a diplomatic push by the hardline Islamists groping for international support. The Taliban are seeking recognition, as well as assistance to avoid a humanitarian disaster, after they returned to power in August following the withdrawal of US troops after 20 years of […]

U.S. President Joe Biden discussed the situation in Afghanistan with G20 leaders on Tuesday, including efforts to counter threats from extremist group Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), the White House said. The leaders also reaffirmed the commitment to provide humanitarian assistance directly to the Afghan people through independent international organizations, the White House added.

Europe and America are offering stopgap humanitarian aid for a country on the brink of collapse, but larger decisions about the new Taliban government remain on hold. World leaders met virtually on Tuesday to discuss ways of preventing an economic and humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, but the Biden administration maintained a cautious stance toward providing more support to the Taliban-ruled […]