14:58

Afghanistan Pakistan

China urges Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve border dispute through dialogue as clashes enter seventh day

China has called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their growing border dispute through dialogue and diplomatic channels, as clashes between their security forces entered a seventh day and left more than 160 people dead or injured, according to the United Nations.

19:47

Conflict

Pakistan, Afghanistan trade strikes; ‘open war’ warning issued

Afghan and Pakistani forces traded airstrikes and artillery fire along the Durand Line on Thursday night, killing dozens on both sides, as Pakistan’s defence minister warned the two countries were now in “open war” after months of escalating clashes.

15:46

View from Afghanistan

Drought, floods and forced returns leave 11 million Afghans uprooted

More than 11 million Afghans have been displaced or have returned to the country between 2021 and 2025, as drought, floods and mass returns from neighbouring states deepen an already fragile humanitarian crisis, according to a new report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

14:36

View from Afghanistan

Taliban official tells UN Pakistan airstrikes on Afghanistan targeted civilians

The Taliban's Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has accused Pakistan of deliberately targeting civilians in recent airstrikes on Afghanistan, telling a senior United Nations official the attacks did not hit armed groups, as the UN confirmed more than a dozen members of one family were killed.

16:42

View from Afghanistan

Taliban rejects Russian claim of 20 international terror groups operating in Afghanistan

The Taliban in Kabul has rejected Russian claims that more than 23,000 militants from around 20 international terror groups are currently operating within Afghanistan.

16:54

International trade

Afghan and Uzbek firms sign $300m in deals at trade conference

Afghan and Uzbek traders have signed 25 agreements worth more than $300 million at a business conference, as officials from both sides said trade ties are expanding rapidly and could grow further in the coming years.

15:33

Rescue mission

More than 300 Afghan migrants rescued from cold near Iran border

Iranian officials say more than 300 undocumented Afghan migrants have been rescued after being stranded in cold and rain near the border district of Taybad, in the northeastern Razavi Khorasan province.

08:25

Afghanistan Sanctions

UN extends mandate for Monitoring Team in Afghanistan as Kabul urges West to rethink policy

The United Nations Security Council has renewed the Monitoring Team's mandate for another year. The Team supports the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee, keeping in place restrictions that target individuals and entities linked to the Taliban.

14:40

View from Afghanistan

Kabul seeks urgent boost to polio testing and health services for returnees

Afghanistan’s Health Minister has urged urgent action to strengthen domestic polio diagnostics and expand healthcare for returnees and vulnerable communities, pressing international partners in Kabul for faster, fully funded support as the country faces mounting strain on its health system.

15:42

Humanitarian crisis

ICRC: ‘Millions continue to struggle’ as more than 1.2 million Afghans seek care in 2025

Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation remained severe throughout 2025, with millions still struggling to meet basic needs, according to a new report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

20:14

Pakistan Afghan relations

Pakistan's Zardari accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban of creating pre-9/11-style conditions amid rising attacks

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has accused Afghanistan’s authorities of fostering conditions “similar to or worse than pre-9/11”, as tensions between the two neighbours intensify amid a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan.

15:15

Counter-narcotics

'Near zero' poppy farming in Afghanistan, officials tell international counter-narcotics meeting

Afghan officials and international partners met in Kabul on Wednesday (4 February) for the fourth meeting of the Doha Process Working Group on Counter-Narcotics, with officials citing a reduction in poppy cultivation to “nearly zero” as efforts to curb drug production and trafficking were reviewed.

21:51

Afghanistan's vaccination

Afghanistan’s first polio vaccination campaign of 2026 launches

Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health has launched the country’s first polio vaccination campaign of 2026, saying around 7.3 million children under the age of five are expected to receive oral drops during the round.

14:58

AZERBAIJAN-AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan seeks Azerbaijan’s support for COP31 participation

Afghanistan is seeking Azerbaijan’s support to help secure its official participation in the upcoming United Nations COP31 global climate change conference, scheduled to be held in Türkiye, as Kabul looks to strengthen its engagement on climate diplomacy and technical cooperation.

16:05

U.S.–Taliban talks

Taliban-U-S. prisoner negotiations stall over fate of last Afghan at Guantánamo, The New York Times reports

Secret negotiations between U.S. officials and the Taliban over remaining American detainees have stalled, after the Taliban publicly tied any further releases to the fate of the last Afghan held at Guantánamo Bay, according to a report by The New York Times published on 26 January 2026.

16:15

Women's Rights

UN says restoring Afghan women’s rights is 'essential' after Kabul visit

The United Nations has renewed calls for the immediate lifting of restrictions on Afghan women’s access to education, work and public life, after a three-day visit to Kabul by its senior political affairs official.

16:46

Economic diplomacy

Afghanistan and Qatar explore investment ties during Doha talks

Afghanistan and Qatar have signalled interest in expanding cooperation in investment and agriculture during talks in Doha, as Afghanistan’s defence chief attended a major regional defence exhibition.

15:59

Russia - Afghanistan ties

Russia signals long-term engagement with Kabul as Putin receives Afghan envoy

President Vladimir Putin received the credentials of Afghanistan’s ambassador to Russia, Gul Hassan Hassan, during a ceremony at the Kremlin on Thursday.

20:30

Afghanistan health

Save the Children commits to new maternal and child health centres in Afghanistan

Save the Children has pledged to expand maternal and child health services across Afghanistan after its new country director met the country’s public health minister in Kabul on Wednesday.

16:45

Afghan-India-Pakistan

Growing ties with India do not mean strained relations with Pakistan - Afghanistan

The Afghan embassy in New Delhi says Afghanistan and India have agreed to strengthen political and economic cooperation as Pakistan expresses concern over both countries' growing ties.

20:01

Afghanistan returnees

IOM warns most Afghan returnees struggle to find stability after return

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that for many Afghans returning from Iran and Pakistan, the first plan made at the border rarely becomes reality.

17:49

Afghanistan-Pakistan

Türkiye withdraws from Afghanistan-Pakistan mediation as border trade remains shut

Türkiye has stepped back from mediating between Pakistan and Afghanistan after repeated efforts failed to narrow deep differences between Islamabad and Kabul.

18:27

Afghanistan

What drives Afghanistan’s Central Asian turn

Since the United States and other Western countries remain hesitant to formally recognise and engage with the Taliban-led government, Afghanistan has been left with little choice but to look closer to home.

16:40

Climate risks mount

Afghanistan faces drier winter as snowpack hits 25-year low, FAO warns

Afghanistan is entering winter with a high risk of continued dryness and unusually warm conditions, with mountain snowpack at its lowest level in at least 25 years, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has warned.