Afghanistan

China has pledged 200 million yuan ($31m, £22m) worth of aid to Afghanistan, including food supplies and coronavirus vaccines. The aid comes as Beijing said it was ready to maintain communication with the Taliban government.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, acting PM Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund reiterates Taliban promise of amnesty for anyone who worked alongside the US and the gov’t it backed.

The European Union voiced disapproval on Wednesday of the Taliban's provisional government in Afghanistan after the Islamist militants named several leaders, saying they had not kept a promise to include women and other religious groups.

The Taliban on Monday claimed total control over Afghanistan, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last remaining holdout of resistance against their rule.

[…] The initial question isn’t “should the UN deploy peacekeepers?” but “what are the risks posed by the situation in Afghanistan?” Rather than start with the supply side (what the UN can offer) it should start with the demand side (what does Afghanistan need).

From ethical dilemmas on data security to worst-case scenarios unfolding in real time – the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan is spurring urgent concern about the safety of data that aid groups have collected over 20 years.

Taliban say Mullah Hebatullah will be the leader under whom a prime minister or president will run the country.

The Taliban’s increasing stranglehold over Afghanistan and the prospect of the United States (US) military forces leaving generated calls for the United Nations (UN) to deploy a peacekeeping operation to the country. Although no official UN discussions about a potential peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan have occurred, desperate civilians and several experts have proposed different types of missions and mandates.

The flights evacuating civilians from Afghanistan may have come to an end, but a deepening humanitarian crisis remains, UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared on Tuesday, as several senior UN officials restated their commitment to stay and deliver urgently needed supplies to the millions in the country who need humanitarian aid to survive.