Afghanistan

The top UN envoy for Afghanistan on Monday underscored the need for realistic engagement with the country as humanitarian and human rights crises deepen amid growing international isolation.

The conflict erupted on the first working day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when food imports from Pakistan usually peak in Afghanistan. The fighting stranded about 5,000 trucks filled with essential goods on both sides of the border in harsh winter conditions. 

In a statement issued Saturday night, the Taliban's Information and Culture Ministry said Radio Begum had "repeatedly requested" to restart operations and that the suspension was lifted after the station made commitments to authorities. 

Afghanistan's radical Taliban leaders on Thursday rejected the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over their country, declaring as ‘unlawful’ the decision in 2003 by their predecessors to join the Hague-based court’s founding treaty.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor on Thursday said he had filed for the arrest warrants of Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, including Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada. The charges are of crimes against humanity for widespread discrimination against women and girls.

[…] In the meeting between Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri and acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, held in Dubai last week, India agreed to consider engaging in development projects in Afghanistan “in the near future” and provide more support to the health sector and refugee rehabilitation. Both sides also discussed boosting trade ties.

In the latest crackdown on women’s rights in Afghanistan, the Taliban have announced they will no longer allow any national or foreign NGOs that employ women to operate in the country. 

[…] His long-awaited testimony comes months after House Republicans issued a scathing report on their investigation into the withdrawal, blaming the disastrous end on Biden's administration. 

[…] From the Taliban takeover on August 15, 2021, to September 30 of this year, the Taliban have detained journalists 256 times and 130 cases of torture and poor treatment have been documented, according to the report published Tuesday by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA.

Opium cultivation in Afghanistan spiked by 19 per cent in 2024, covering an estimated 12,800 hectares despite a ban imposed by the Taliban, a report released on Wednesday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed.