Afghanistan

Taliban Vice and Virtue Minister Khalid Hanafi say the group will not retreat from enforcing Sharia because of negative publicity and claims human rights in Afghanistan are protected under “Islamic principles”.

Taliban Justice Minister Abdul Hakim Sharaei has said some cabinet ministers would quickly start wearing ties if Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada were no longer in power, informed sources said.

Taliban, Iranian and Tajik representatives have signed an agreement in Mashhad to activate a joint road transit route, with the first trial cargo shipment expected within a month.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed senior Bangladeshi diplomat Rabab Fatima as his new special representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Russia says Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation remains dire, with high infant mortality and the spread of polio among Moscow’s main concerns, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Three days after the death of Qatar’s former emir, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi travelled to Doha with a delegation to offer condolences.

The World Health Organization has confirmed four new polio cases in three Afghan provinces over the past week, bringing the country’s total since the start of 2026 to 11.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahid Jalalzadeh met Taliban governor Mohammad Naeem Akhund in Nangarhar province to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture and education.

Sources told Afghanistan International that Taliban intelligence has detained 13 young men in Ghor province over the past two days. The group accused them of links to Afghanistan Green Trend, the political movement led by former Afghan vice-president Amrullah Saleh.

A new survey found that 75 percent of aid organisations in Afghanistan have accepted Taliban conditions for employing women, including requiring a male guardian and gender-segregated workplaces, to continue their operations.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees said on Wednesday it had reviewed a draft asylum law. Deputy Minister Abdul Rahman Rashid said the legislation should define the right to asylum in line with Islamic and Sharia principles.

European Parliament member Hannah Neumann criticised the EU’s recent meeting with Taliban representatives in Brussels, saying it was not merely “technical engagement” but a step towards politically normalising relations without holding the group accountable.

A Taliban Interior Ministry official says Pakistan does not want prosperity, peace or security in Afghanistan, accusing the neighbouring country of opposing a united and stable Afghanistan.

Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani visited Paktia province to meet families of those killed in recent Pakistani airstrikes in Samkani district and express his condolences, the Taliban’s Interior Ministry said.

Two witnesses told the UK’s independent Afghanistan Inquiry that British special forces threw Afghan detainees from forklifts for fun. The inquiry also heard claims that three Afghan farmers were unlawfully killed and that attempts were made to cover up the incidents.

Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat said Pakistani attacks on Afghan territory were unacceptable and insisted that none had gone unanswered. He accused Pakistan of bombing civilian homes under the pretext of targeting militants.

Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat said Pakistani attacks on Afghan territory were unacceptable and insisted that none had gone unanswered. He accused Pakistan of bombing civilian homes under the pretext of targeting militants.

Taliban Minister Khalid Hanafi said during a visit to Herat that the group had detained people accused of promoting improper hijab, creating unrest and spreading negative propaganda against the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.