Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission Roza Otunbayeva met with Collective Security Treaty Organization Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov in CSTO Secretariat on Monday. The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative informed the CSTO Secretary General about main areas of international assistance under UN aegis in the interests of ensuring peace and stability […]

The United Nations said on Monday that discussions over the appointment of a special envoy for Afghanistan were ongoing. “The process is ongoing. As soon as there is a public update, I hope to be able to share with you,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson of UN Secretary-General, said in a press conference. The Security Council adopted the resolution requesting the Secretary-General […]

It started well before the fall of Kabul in mid-2021. According to an expert with a global counter-narcotics agency, the Taliban had by then long been including what he called “starter packs” with shipments of heroin. The packs were a way to introduce clients to a drug that would soon define the Taliban’s trade: methamphetamine. The fundamentalist group had decided […]

The Islamic Emirate has blasted the United States for violating and “occupying” Afghanistan’s airspace through the use of drones. In an interview with Afghanistan National Radio and Television (RTA), Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, asked the US and other countries to immediately stop flying drones in Afghanistan’s airspace. He also called on regional countries to not allow […]

Terror organization: Leader of Haqqani Network (HQN) and senior Taliban Status: Chief of security of the Taliban government. Acting minister for refugees of the Taliban government Roll: Involved in financing the terror organizations and planning operations for attacks that killed hundreds of people. Also, dealing with the connections with Al Qaeda Location: Afghanistan; Date of Birth: January 1, 1966 Place […]

Amid growing concerns about the threat posed by Daesh’s Khorasan branch, or ISIS-K, Rahmatullah Nabil, the former intelligence chief of Afghanistan, said that the group has fragmented into three distinct factions within the country, each harboring different perspectives and objectives. In a conversation with Amu, Nabil characterized ISIS-K as the foremost challenge to regional stability, noting the group’s adoption of […]

The devastating March 22 terrorist attack on a packed concert hall in the Moscow suburbs brought Afghanistan abruptly back into the spotlight, as suspicions quickly fell on the ISIS branch in the country. While ISIS attributed the carnage to a never-before-mentioned Russian wing, the U.S. had warned about two weeks earlier of intelligence suggesting the Afghan affiliate, ISIS-Khorasan or ISIS-K, […]

Khawaja Mohammad Asif, the Minister of Defense of Pakistan, has once again said that terrorism in Pakistan originates from Afghanistan and that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have training camps and shelter in the country. He said however that Islamabad should have a comprehensive dialogue with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). However, the IEA has repeatedly denied these allegations and says […]

Iran’s ambassador and special representative for Afghanistan, Hasan Kazemi Qomi, has said that Tehran is seeking to make Afghanistan a strategic partner. Speaking at an event on water diplomacy between Iran and Afghanistan, Qomi said that Iran is seeking to step up its engagement with Afghanistan. He emphasized that creating gap between Iran and the current government in Afghanistan is […]

Two and a half years into their reign, the Afghan Taliban have cemented their ultra-conservative rule across the war-torn country but have yet to turn their fighting force into a traditional military. VOA spoke to analysts who say the former insurgent force does not need to pattern itself after a standard military to effectively counter a mounting security threat from […]