Afghanistan's Taliban marks five years in power on Saturday, 15 August, five years after taking Kabul as U.S.-led foreign forces withdrew following two decades of war.
Afghan transit trade through Pakistan fell to 11,592 containers worth $367 million in fiscal year 2025-26 as Kabul redirected more commerce through Iran and Central Asia, while Pakistan tightened restrictions at key border crossings, according to Dawn.
Afghan authorities in Kabul and Herat have sought wider investment, trade and environmental cooperation with Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran and an international aid organisation.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Sunday that 3.7 million children under five in Afghanistan face an increased risk of malnutrition as the peak wasting season from July to September approaches.
Two senior United Nations officials arrived in Kabul on Sunday to assess the needs of Afghan returnees, as Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said nearly six million people had returned since 2023.
At least 22 people have been killed - including children - and 35 others injured after a truck carrying Afghan returnees overturned in eastern Afghanistan, local officials say.
Türkiye has issued 20,000 work visas to Afghan citizens for jobs in the livestock sector, the Turkish Embassy’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul said during talks with Afghanistan’s refugee minister on Wednesday.
Three Afghan journalists have been detained by Afghan intelligence officials in Kabul, according to media support groups, raising fresh concerns about press freedom in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has signed a five-year gold mining contract with Afghan and Azerbaijani companies in a deal worth more than $20m, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has said.
Representatives from the diplomatic community, the United Nations and international organisations gathered in Kabul on Wednesday ahead of the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13), set to take place in Baku from 17 to 22 May.
Afghanistan’s disaster authority says it is working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to boost emergency response, shelter support and volunteer networks following talks in Kabul on Sunday.
The European Union says its envoy Gilles Bertrand raised concerns over women’s rights, regional security and cross-border tensions during a visit to Kabul, while Afghan officials urged more development aid, trade access and continued dialogue.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry says the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged continued cooperation after talks in Kabul on aid coordination, bilateral ties and job creation.
Pakistan is holding talks with Afghanistan to end the worst conflict between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have traded heavy fire, both sides said, days after they announced a temporary pause in fighting, escalating tensions in the volatile region as Islamabad prepares to host talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Afghan authorities say Pakistani jets entered northern Afghanistan, while Pakistan insists its actions target terrorism, highlighting continued strain after a temporary Eid ceasefire ended.
More than 400 people were reportedly killed after a Pakistani airstrike hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul on Monday evening, prompting concern from the United Nations, the European Union and international aid organisations.
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.
Afghanistan said it had fired at Pakistani aircraft over Kabul after explosions and gunfire rocked the capital early on Sunday, marking a sharp escalation in fighting between the two neighbours.
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers said on Friday (27 February) they were ready to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in several Afghan cities, including Kabul and Kandahar, and Islamabad declared the neighbours were now in "open war".
Pakistani air strikes hit a weapons depot on the western outskirts of Kabul overnight, triggering hours of secondary explosions that rattled homes across the Afghan capital and left residents fearing further violence.
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.
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.
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.
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