KABUL, Afghanistan — Music lovers across Afghanistan and the global diaspora marked the 47th anniversary of the death of Ahmad Zahir on Sunday, June 14, honoring the enduring legacy of the country’s most legendary musical icon. Born on June 14, 1946, Zahir revolutionized Afghan music by seamlessly blending traditional Persian poetry with Western rock, jazz,…

MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan — Taliban authorities in northern Balkh province have ordered public sector employees to surrender their smartphones, marking the local implementation of a restrictive new decree issued by the regime’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. According to local sources speaking to the Hasht-e Subh newspaper on Sunday, June 14, administrative staff across various provincial departments…

BERLIN — The German government has reportedly agreed to allow six additional Taliban diplomats into the country following a multi-day confidential meeting with representatives of the de facto Afghan authorities in Istanbul. The development was first uncovered by the German public broadcaster NDR, indicating a significant practical shift in Berlin’s engagement with Kabul.   According to…

KABUL — More than 2,900 Afghan migrants, spanning over 535 families, were forced to return to Afghanistan from neighboring Pakistan and Iran, Taliban officials announced Sunday. The figures underscore a relentless, ongoing deportation campaign by neighboring states that is exacerbating an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis inside Afghanistan. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesperson for the Taliban…

FAIZABAD — As the Taliban approaches the fifth anniversary of its return to power on August 15, the mountainous northeastern province of Badakhshan has become the country’s most active center of armed resistance, with a rapid succession of attacks, a brief district seizure, internal Taliban defections, and a growing weapons-smuggling dispute with Pakistan. A New…

KABUL — Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has strongly rejected international criticism of the regime’s domestic policies, stating that the global community has no right to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. Speaking at an official gathering with the ministry’s ombudsmen (muhtasibs), Hanafi defended the enforcement…

BAMIYAN, Afghanistan — A young man was killed in central Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province while successfully intervening to protect his sister from an attempted abduction, local security officials confirmed on Saturday. The incident took place in the Sarternok village of Yakawlang district, where an armed assailant identified as “Ali” attempted to forcibly abduct a young local…

KABUL — The Taliban leadership has issued a series of sweeping decrees strictly banning the use of smartphones by all government employees and members of their own security apparatus, introducing severe penalties including device destruction and court-martial for violators. The strict directive, attributed to Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, officially went into effect this week following…

FARAH, Afghanistan — A fatal traffic accident involving a Toyota Hilux and a Fielder sedan left at least three people dead and 11 others injured in western Afghanistan’s Farah province on Sunday, June 14. According to Kalimullah Nangyal, a spokesperson for the local police command, the head-on collision occurred within the Farahrud district. The deceased…

Members of the Afghan diaspora have launched a coordinated wave of international protests spanning major Western cities, condemning an escalating dress-code crackdown by the Taliban in Western Afghanistan and warning European nations against normalizing relations with the regime in Kabul. The global demonstrations, staged over the weekend in major cities such as Paris, Toronto, and…