All articles tagged with #afghanistan
On Face the Nation, retired Lt. Col. William Swenson and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Williams, both Medal of Honor recipients, discuss the meaning of the award, their Afghanistan-era service, Memorial Day, and the ongoing responsibility to tell veterans’ stories and encourage a new generation to serve, while offering a hopeful perspective on America’s future.
The Taliban published a 31-article decree, approved by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and issued in the regime’s gazette, that formalizes child marriages in Afghanistan. It sets rules around “virgin girls,” grants fathers and grandfathers power to arrange or dissolve marriages under strict conditions, and allows marriages for girls younger than 18 with Taliban court oversight. Critics describe the move as gender apartheid and a grave threat to girls’ safety, with poverty-driven arrangements already occurring and Western observers warning it contradicts basic rights and protections for women and children.
Iran and the Taliban have built a pragmatic, cautious partnership since 2021, driven by shared security concerns and economic needs. Tehran kept ties with the Taliban as Afghanistan faced economic collapse, using a multi-track approach to influence under any future arrangement. Mutual threats—US presence, ISIS-K, border stability—and commercial ties in fuel, electricity, and goods have kept engagement alive, even as ideological differences persist and formal recognition remains elusive. The relationship is guided by practicality over trust, shaped by regional rivalries and the imperative to avoid isolating both sides.
Afghan Taliban officials say Pakistan’s strikes hit Asadabad in Kunar, killing at least seven and wounding over 80, including students and staff at Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University; Pakistan denies targeting the university. With both sides reporting cross-border fire, the fragile ceasefire appears at risk even as China-hosted talks in Urumqi yield no binding agreement. Mediation efforts face hurdles over trust, written assurances, and the role of the TTP, underscoring deepening tensions along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she would not rule out a future returns programme to Afghanistan for refused asylum seekers and that the government is monitoring what Kabul and EU partners are discussing. A returns policy would reverse current UK practice since it does not recognise the Taliban, though she declined to comment further. The UN warns Afghanistan remains a grave rights crisis, particularly for women and girls. Meanwhile, the UK is tightening asylum rules for those arriving by small boats, enforcing measures like a France “one-in, one-out” deal and an Afghan student visa ban, while EU countries show growing interest in deportations to Kabul amid broader talks about returns.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry urged Afghans who helped the U.S. during its war and are stranded at Camp As-Sayliyah in Qatar to return home through safe, legal channels, as reports surface that the U.S. may relocate about 1,100 evacuees and relatives to a third country (potentially Congo). The group of evacuees says they have not been informed by U.S. officials about relocations, fearing Taliban reprisals if they return to Afghanistan, where they say the Taliban would harm them. The State Department says it is seeking voluntary relocation options while Afghanistan says its doors are open for those who wish to come home and that there are no security threats forcing anyone to leave.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said Afghans who helped the U.S. war effort can return home safely, offering assurances of safety amid ongoing security concerns and potential Taliban-era reprisals.
Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, has been charged with five counts of murder related to Afghanistan deployments, including alleged killings of detainees, a handcuffed prisoner pushed off a cliff, and orders to have a rookie execute detainees during a practice dubbed 'blooding'; prosecutors claim evidence shows detainees were repeatedly restrained before being killed, while Roberts-Smith denies the allegations and the case is expected to take years in court, with strict bail granted pending trial.
Australia’s most decorated veteran, Ben Roberts-Smith, is released on bail amid war-crimes charges related to Afghan deaths, marking another chapter in a high-profile legal saga.
Former Australian special forces veteran Ben Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, was granted bail after 10 days in custody on five murder charges tied to Afghanistan operations between 2009 and 2012. He denies the charges and faces potential life imprisonment if convicted; prosecutors say the victims were not combatants and were killed in his presence or by subordinates under his orders, with the case now heading to trial.
Afghanistan says Pakistan shelled the outskirts of an eastern city in Nangarhar province’s Momand Dara district, killing and wounding civilians amid ongoing border tensions between the two countries.
Severe weather across Afghanistan, including floods, landslides and thunderstorms, has killed 17 people with damage reported in Kandahar province.
After a brief halt, fighting resumed along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border as both sides exchanged fire following the end of a temporary ceasefire, raising regional security concerns.
An FT View editorial argues Pakistan and Afghanistan are on the brink of all-out conflict after cross-border strikes and a deadly Kabul hospital attack, with thousands displaced and regional stability at stake. It warns that Western disengagement risks broader chaos and terrorism, and urges renewed engagement and face-to-face talks, potentially brokered by the US and China. It also suggests Pakistan’s bombing alone won’t quell insurgencies and that the Taliban must be pressured with a mix of sticks and carrots, while China could play a pivotal mediating role to shape a broader regional settlement.
An airstrike on Kabul’s rehab centre, a former NATO base converted to a civilian facility, killed more than 400 and wounded 265, Afghan authorities say, while Pakistan claims it struck military targets. Families continue to search for missing relatives as bodies are retrieved and funerals planned, drawing international calls for civilian protection and de-escalation amid a deteriorating Afghanistan–Pakistan dispute.