https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/510678/feed US President Joe Biden committed to withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan by August 31, 2021. The deadline was set after the Taliban took control of the country, seizing the capital city of Kabul as the Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani dissolved on August 15. The Biden administration had initially announced a full withdrawal of troops by 11 September 2021 – 20 years after the 9/11 terror attacks. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The number of people facing acute food insecurity in Afghanistan is set to rise above 19 million this winter, the United Nations warned on Tuesday. The food crisis gripping Afghanistan is projected to affect millions of young children in 2027, the United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA said. More than four million babies and children under six will need treatment for acute malnutrition next year, it warned. Between September and October, 15.9 million people – or nearly one in three Afghans –... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371551/192-million-afghans-could-soon-face-acute-food-insecurity-un https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3371551/192-million-afghans-could-soon-face-acute-food-insecurity-un Tue, 20 Oct 2026 14:14:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The International Criminal Court on Monday gave more details about arrest warrants issued last year for two Afghan education ministers accused of committing crimes against humanity through the Taliban government’s restrictions on women and girls. The warrants, for Habibullah Agha, minister of education, and Neda Mohammad Nadeem, minister of higher education, were issued on September 9, 2025 and remained under seal until Monday. The two officials are accused of gender-based persecution linked to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3369838/icc-unseals-arrest-warrants-4-taliban-leaders-wanted-gender-persecution-charges https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3369838/icc-unseals-arrest-warrants-4-taliban-leaders-wanted-gender-persecution-charges Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:43:42 +0000 Reuters Reuters Afghanistan’s defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 in the eastern province of Nuristan after a group it said included Islamic State militants travelled from Pakistan. The ministry alleged Pakistani militias ‌had supported the fighters and that most of them were former Afghan government security personnel. Pakistan’s information ministry rejected the allegations, describing them as “frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth” in a post on social... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368972/afghanistan-says-28-dead-fighters-came-pakistan-islamabad-denies-ties https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368972/afghanistan-says-28-dead-fighters-came-pakistan-islamabad-denies-ties Sun, 27 Sep 2026 14:37:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse More than 700 trucks carrying international humanitarian aid arrived in Afghanistan via Pakistan despite a near-total closure of the land border between the two countries following clashes in October, the United Nations said on Sunday. The convoy was carrying “food and other critical humanitarian items,” Olga Cherevko, spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan, told reporters. United Nations Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3364199/pakistan-border-sees-724-humanitarian-trucks-enter-afghanistan https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3364199/pakistan-border-sees-724-humanitarian-trucks-enter-afghanistan Sun, 16 Aug 2026 12:03:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Around 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the United Nations said on Tuesday, urging an end to such “discrimination”. The Taliban administration, recognised solely by Russia, has imposed a series of restrictions on women that the UN has characterised as “gender apartheid”. Girls cannot study beyond primary school, a policy the Taliban authorities justify based on their interpretation of Islamic law. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/article/3363701/24-million-afghan-girls-banned-schools-5-years-after-taliban-takeover-un-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/article/3363701/24-million-afghan-girls-banned-schools-5-years-after-taliban-takeover-un-says Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:33:36 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Members of Afghan settlements in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border province hurriedly packed up belongings this week while others hid at home as police launched a “large-scale crackdown” on undocumented residents. Authorities in the northern province carried out housing demolitions, roadside identity checks and told Afghans to leave as part of a broader government pushback, community members and officials said. Residents of Mattani, a short drive from the provincial capital Peshawar, said... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3360949/mini-kabul-falls-silent-pakistan-targets-undocumented-afghans-border-province https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3360949/mini-kabul-falls-silent-pakistan-targets-undocumented-afghans-border-province Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:15:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Army’s commander of its forces in Europe and Africa – who was famously the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021 – is unexpectedly stepping down from his post after just 18 months in the job, the Army confirmed late on Tuesday. General Christopher Donahue, commanding general of US Army Europe and Africa and commander of Nato’s Allied Land Command, will relinquish his command on July 2, according to an Army statement. He is the latest in a line of nearly two dozen top military... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3358262/general-who-was-last-us-soldier-out-afghanistan-suddenly-steps-down https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3358262/general-who-was-last-us-soldier-out-afghanistan-suddenly-steps-down Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:34:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Government workers in different parts of Afghanistan have started switching off their smartphones, following an order imposed on Wednesday that they said came from Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. A letter announcing the ban on smartphones for all government employees started circulating on social media last week under the emblem of the Supreme Court, which has not responded to requests to comment. “All the heads of departments in their respective provinces are advised to inform their... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3357466/afghan-government-workers-face-sack-jail-after-smartphone-ban-begins https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3357466/afghan-government-workers-face-sack-jail-after-smartphone-ban-begins Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:36:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Afghan residents in the western city of Herat have told of witnessing multiple women detained by the Taliban government’s morality police, in a crackdown over clothing which has drawn criticism from the United Nations. The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said Sunday it was “concerned over multiple arrests and detentions of women in Herat, Afghanistan, for alleged non-compliance with dress requirements”. Taliban authorities rule according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law, and have... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3356409/afghan-women-detained-taliban-clothing-crackdown https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3356409/afghan-women-detained-taliban-clothing-crackdown Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:01:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The United Nations expressed “grave concern” on Thursday about a new law issued by Afghanistan’s Taliban government on separation in marriage which includes provisions on child marriage, saying the code further entrenches discrimination against women and girls. The government rejected the accusations, saying the decree follows Islamic law and insisting the country has already banned the forced marriage of girls. Afghanistan’s justice ministry published Decree No 18 “on judicial separation of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3354430/un-expresses-grave-concern-over-taliban-decree-includes-provision-child-marriage https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3354430/un-expresses-grave-concern-over-taliban-decree-includes-provision-child-marriage Thu, 21 May 2026 19:45:45 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Afghanistan’s foreign ministry says Afghans who helped America’s war effort and have been stuck in Qatar in the hope of reaching the United States can safely return to Afghanistan. The statement on Saturday by foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi comes after reports emerged that the Trump administration is in discussions to potentially send 1,100 Afghans who assisted the US during its war in Afghanistan, and relatives of US service members, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). An... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351436/taliban-says-afghans-stuck-qatar-who-helped-us-war-can-safely-return-home https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351436/taliban-says-afghans-stuck-qatar-who-helped-us-war-can-safely-return-home Sat, 25 Apr 2026 14:09:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Samira Muhammadi hopes an international investigation can “extinguish” her pain after a Pakistani bombing killed her son and hundreds of other Afghans in the capital Kabul last month. The March 16 attack hit a drug treatment centre and killed 411 people, according to Afghan officials. A United Nations source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had verified at least 250 killed, with more still missing. “There should be investigations on this … Like me, many mothers lost their sons,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349110/pakistani-strike-killed-her-son-rehab-now-afghan-mother-demands-answers https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349110/pakistani-strike-killed-her-son-rehab-now-afghan-mother-demands-answers Mon, 06 Apr 2026 01:14:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Afghanistan aims to increase trade with Central Asian countries to US$10 billion within the next three or four years, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Sunday. Trade with Central Asian countries to Afghanistan’s north came to about US$2.7 billion in 2025, itself a significant increase over previous years, Muttaqi said. He stated Afghanistan’s new trade goal with its neighbours at a “constructive dialogue” meeting in Kabul with representatives from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349095/afghanistan-wants-us10-billion-trade-deals-central-asia https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349095/afghanistan-wants-us10-billion-trade-deals-central-asia Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:26:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Afghanistan’s Taliban government announced the release of a US national on Tuesday who had been detained for more than a year, after a letter from his family requesting his freedom. The foreign ministry said the family of linguist and researcher Dennis Coyle had written to the supreme leader of Afghanistan, asking that he be released and pardoned for the Muslim holiday Eid. “The Supreme Court of the Islamic Emirate deemed his period of detention sufficient and decided on his release,” a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3347754/afghanistan-releases-detained-us-citizen-after-more-year https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3347754/afghanistan-releases-detained-us-citizen-after-more-year Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:57:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Pakistan announced on Wednesday a pause in strikes against Afghanistan, saying the decision was made ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. In a statement, Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said the pause in strikes on “terrorists and their support infrastructure in Afghanistan” would take effect at midnight on Wednesday and remain in place until midnight on Monday. “Pakistan offers this gesture in good faith and in keeping with... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3347078/pakistan-pause-afghan-strikes-eid-request-saudi-arabia-qatar-turkey https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3347078/pakistan-pause-afghan-strikes-eid-request-saudi-arabia-qatar-turkey Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:39:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Afghanistan accused Pakistan of killing at least 400 people in an air strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital late on Monday. It marked a dramatic escalation of a conflict that began late last month and has seen repeated cross-border clashes as well as air strikes inside Afghanistan. International calls for a ceasefire have gone unheeded. Pakistan dismissed the accusation that it had hit a hospital, saying its strikes, which were also conducted in eastern Afghanistan, did... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3346806/afghanistan-accuses-pakistan-killing-civilians-fresh-kabul-strikes https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3346806/afghanistan-accuses-pakistan-killing-civilians-fresh-kabul-strikes Mon, 16 Mar 2026 20:27:26 +0000 Jawad Khalid Jawad Khalid The latest exchange of air strikes and border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan has once again pushed the region to the brink, reviving a dread among those who have lived through this cycle before, the continuation of a war that never truly ended. The so-called war on terror has been waged for over two decades, with no end in sight. Since 2001, the war has claimed more than 33,000 civilian and security forces lives in Pakistan and displaced millions internally. Yet a fundamental question... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3345138/pakistans-forever-war-and-politics-exhaustion https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3345138/pakistans-forever-war-and-politics-exhaustion Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Explosions were heard in the Afghan capital Kabul Sunday, Agence France-Presse journalists said, with the Taliban government saying they were responding to aerial Pakistan attacks. A spokesman for Afghanistan’s defence ministry said “air defence strikes were carried out against Pakistani aircraft in Kabul”. Months of cross-border clashes have flared since Thursday when Afghanistan launched an offensive along the frontier, with Pakistani forces hitting back on the border and from the skies. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345024/pakistani-afghan-clashes-widen-arab-states-struggle-halt-war https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345024/pakistani-afghan-clashes-widen-arab-states-struggle-halt-war Sun, 01 Mar 2026 09:49:14 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities are locked in a widening tit-for-tat confrontation that neither side seems willing to defuse, analysts said, warning the exchanges risked settling into a prolonged conflict along one of Asia’s most volatile borders. Islamabad has vowed to keep striking military targets inside Afghanistan until the Taliban takes action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups Pakistan says operate from Afghan soil. Pakistani warplanes... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3344965/pakistan-taliban-showdown-risks-becoming-protracted-war-attrition https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3344965/pakistan-taliban-showdown-risks-becoming-protracted-war-attrition Sat, 28 Feb 2026 08:00:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China has stepped in to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan following an escalation of their conflict, urging both sides to end the fighting and settle their disputes through dialogue. This comes after Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan on Friday, including the capital Kabul, and declared “open war” with its neighbour after months of deadly clashes. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday that as a neighbour and a friend to both countries, China was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344907/china-seeks-mediate-after-pakistan-declares-open-war-afghanistan https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344907/china-seeks-mediate-after-pakistan-declares-open-war-afghanistan Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:14:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul on Friday, with Islamabad’s defence minister declaring the neighbours at “open war” following months of tit-for-tat clashes. Journalists in Kabul and Kandahar heard blasts and jets overhead until dawn, as Pakistan launched air strikes on the Afghan capital and the southern power base of the Taliban authorities. Pakistan’s latest operation came after Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night over... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344796/pakistan-declares-open-war-afghan-taliban-after-morning-strikes-kabul-kandahar https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344796/pakistan-declares-open-war-afghan-taliban-after-morning-strikes-kabul-kandahar Fri, 27 Feb 2026 01:01:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Pakistan’s claim of killing at least 80 militants in strikes on Afghanistan is “false”, a Taliban government security source told Agence France-Presse on Sunday. “The figure of 80 martyrs given by the Pakistan regime is false and imaginary,” the source said on condition of anonymity. Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister, offered no evidence for his claim in an interview with Geo News that at least 70 militants were killed in the strikes. Pakistan’s state-run media later reported... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344268/pakistan-targets-militants-afghanistan-testing-doha-truce https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344268/pakistan-targets-militants-afghanistan-testing-doha-truce Sun, 22 Feb 2026 12:07:16 +0000 dpa dpa Heavy snowfall and rain in Afghanistan have killed at least 61 people and injured 110 others, the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday. Spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Hammad said 458 houses had been completely or partially destroyed over the past three days of severe weather, affecting at least 360 families. Losses of livestock were also reported. Hammad said the figures were preliminary, adding that assessment teams were continuing surveys in affected regions and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3341118/61-die-afghanistan-110-injured-amid-heavy-snow-rain https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3341118/61-die-afghanistan-110-injured-amid-heavy-snow-rain Sat, 24 Jan 2026 13:38:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Monday’s fatal blast at a Chinese restaurant in Kabul has underscored the grave security threat China is facing, not just in Afghanistan but also in wider Central Asia. One potential area of vulnerability is Tajikistan, Central Asia’s poorest country, which has a weak military and a long border with Afghanistan. On the same day as the Kabul bombing, the Chinese embassy in Tajikistan issued a travel warning, telling its citizens and companies to boost security and evacuate from the border region... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341049/why-are-tensions-along-afghan-tajikistan-border-such-headache-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341049/why-are-tensions-along-afghan-tajikistan-border-such-headache-china Sat, 24 Jan 2026 02:00:23 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has condemned Monday’s suicide attack on a Chinese restaurant in Kabul, urging the Taliban to take further measures to protect the safety of its citizens in Afghanistan. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing had made “urgent representations” following the attack in a heavily guarded part of the capital that killed at least seven people – one Chinese national and six Afghans – and injured several others. Guo added that China had asked the authorities to “further adopt effective... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340584/china-urges-taliban-tighten-security-after-suicide-attack-restaurant-kabul https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340584/china-urges-taliban-tighten-security-after-suicide-attack-restaurant-kabul Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A 13-year-old boy executed a man found guilty of killing his family in front of a cheering crowd in Afghanistan, in a chilling detail revealed after the event. The public execution, echoing the worst days of Taliban rule, was of a man who the Supreme Court ruled had killed 13 members of the same family, including nine children and their mother. About 80,000 people, including relatives of the victims, attended the execution in the sports stadium in the eastern city of Khost on Tuesday. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3335012/afghan-boy-13-executes-familys-murderer-echoes-worst-days-taliban-rule https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3335012/afghan-boy-13-executes-familys-murderer-echoes-worst-days-taliban-rule Wed, 03 Dec 2025 05:51:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters The suspect accused of shooting two National Guard members in an ambush in downtown Washington last week was charged on Tuesday with murder and other offences as he made his first court appearance, appearing remotely from a hospital bed. A judge ordered Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, held in custody without bond, citing the “sheer terror” of the shooting blocks from the White House that killed one member of the National Guard and critically injured a second. Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to all... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334970/national-guard-shooting-suspect-pleads-not-guilty-murder-hospital-bed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334970/national-guard-shooting-suspect-pleads-not-guilty-murder-hospital-bed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 22:37:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would review the immigration status of every permanent resident or “green card” holder from Afghanistan and 18 other countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington. The announcement came as US President Donald Trump said that one of the National Guard members, 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, had died of her wounds, while the other, Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was ‘fighting for his life’. US officials have... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334434/trump-admin-reviewing-every-green-card-19-countries-after-washington-shooting https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334434/trump-admin-reviewing-every-green-card-19-countries-after-washington-shooting Thu, 27 Nov 2025 23:19:30 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died, calling the shooter who had worked with the CIA in his native country a “savage monster”. As part of his Thanksgiving call to US troops, Trump said that he had just learned that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died, while Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life”. “She’s just passed away,” Trump said. “She’s no longer with us.... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334426/national-guard-shooting-afghan-suspect-drove-across-us-carry-out-attack-officials-say https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334426/national-guard-shooting-afghan-suspect-drove-across-us-carry-out-attack-officials-say Thu, 27 Nov 2025 16:53:00 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain A ceasefire between Afghanistan’s Taliban regime and Pakistan, agreed after intense clashes last month, is hanging by a diplomatic thread, following a wave of suicide bombings in Pakistan and disputed claims that it retaliated with cross-border drone strikes on Tuesday. With both countries vowing vengeance, analysts say regional states acting as mediators – Qatar and Turkey, and Iran and Russia – have only a narrow window of opportunity to prevent another round of hostilities. Otherwise,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3334306/can-mediators-stop-afghan-pakistani-war-cat-and-mouse-game-enters-retaliatory-phase https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3334306/can-mediators-stop-afghan-pakistani-war-cat-and-mouse-game-enters-retaliatory-phase Thu, 27 Nov 2025 05:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Afghan and Pakistani negotiators are to meet in Istanbul on Saturday to address security issues and establish a lasting ceasefire along their shared border after an outbreak of unexpectedly intense bloody clashes. The confrontation – which resulted in dozens of deaths, among them civilians – began two weeks ago following explosions in central Kabul, which the Taliban government blamed on its Pakistani neighbour, launching a retaliatory offensive at the border. Vowing a strong response, Islamabad... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3330316/afghan-pakistani-negotiators-strengthen-truce-istanbul-after-doha-ceasefire https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3330316/afghan-pakistani-negotiators-strengthen-truce-istanbul-after-doha-ceasefire Sat, 25 Oct 2025 10:24:06 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Afghanistan and Pakistan, embroiled in fighting that has killed dozens of people and injured hundreds, pledged on Sunday to respect a ceasefire. The truce, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, came into effect immediately and is intended to pause hostilities. Violence has escalated between the neighbours since earlier this month, with each country saying they were responding to aggression from the other. Afghanistan denies harbouring militants who carry out attacks in border areas. Pakistan is... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3329583/afghanistan-and-pakistan-agree-ceasefire-after-deadly-fighting https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3329583/afghanistan-and-pakistan-agree-ceasefire-after-deadly-fighting Sun, 19 Oct 2025 11:51:28 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump’s bid to regain control of the strategic Bagram airbase in Afghanistan has achieved an unlikely feat – bringing India, Pakistan and China onto the same side in opposition. At the 7th Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan in Moscow on Tuesday, the three Asian powers – often at odds over borders and regional influence – joined countries including Iran and Russia in rejecting Washington’s push to reclaim the base. “They [countries present at the Moscow Format] called... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3328163/trumps-afghan-airbase-gambit-unites-india-pakistan-and-china-opposition https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3328163/trumps-afghan-airbase-gambit-unites-india-pakistan-and-china-opposition Tue, 07 Oct 2025 16:48:22 +0000 Reuters Reuters Mobile phone and internet services were restored in Afghanistan on Wednesday, local residents said, some 48 hours after diplomatic and industry sources said connectivity was abruptly cut on the orders of the Taliban administration. The mobile phone services of Roshan and Etisalat companies, the foreign-owned biggest providers, came back to life in the late afternoon, residents in Kabul and other cities said. Internet access was restored, according to companies providing the service. A Taliban... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3327514/taliban-deny-afghanistan-internet-ban-amid-outage-reports https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3327514/taliban-deny-afghanistan-internet-ban-amid-outage-reports Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:20:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Afghanistan’s Taliban government released an American citizen from detention on Sunday, a week after freeing an elderly British couple. In a statement the country’s foreign ministry identified the detainee as Amir Amiri and said he had been handed over to Adam Boehler, Washington’s special envoy on hostages. Boehler made a rare visit to Kabul earlier this month to discuss the possibility of a prisoner exchange with the Taliban government. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan released an American... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327169/us-citizen-released-afghanistans-taliban-after-visit-envoy https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327169/us-citizen-released-afghanistans-taliban-after-visit-envoy Sun, 28 Sep 2025 18:56:26 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi In a show of united opposition, China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran jointly called for “respect” for the sovereignty of Afghanistan on Thursday, following remarks by US President Donald Trump that his country will “take back” a former military airbase in the country. On Thursday, Yue Xiaoyong, a Chinese foreign ministry special envoy for Afghanistan, held an informal meeting with the delegations from Russia, Pakistan and Iran on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3327030/beijing-leads-push-against-trumps-bid-reclaim-afghanistans-bagram-airbase https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3327030/beijing-leads-push-against-trumps-bid-reclaim-afghanistans-bagram-airbase Fri, 26 Sep 2025 10:46:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An Afghan government defence official said Sunday that a deal over Bagram airbase was “not possible”, after US President Donald Trump said he wanted the former US base back. Bagram, the largest airbase in Afghanistan, located north of the capital Kabul, was the centre of US operations in their 20-year year-war against the Taliban. Trump threatened unspecified punishment against Afghanistan if it was not returned – four years after it was abandoned by US troops. “If Afghanistan doesn’t give... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3326305/trump-demands-bagram-airbase-not-possible-taliban-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3326305/trump-demands-bagram-airbase-not-possible-taliban-says Sun, 21 Sep 2025 11:37:18 +0000 Shi Jiangtao,Seong Hyeon Choi,Laura Zhou Shi Jiangtao,Seong Hyeon Choi,Laura Zhou US President Donald Trump’s push to retake Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base, framed as a response to China’s nuclear build-up in Xinjiang, risks destabilising an already fragile region and could once again turn the war-torn nation into a flashpoint in the US-China rivalry, observers warn. The historic Soviet-built base is located roughly 70km (43 miles) north of Kabul and less than 800km from Afghanistan’s border with the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in western China. It was America’s largest... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3326260/will-trumps-push-afghan-air-base-create-new-flashpoint-us-china-rivalry https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3326260/will-trumps-push-afghan-air-base-create-new-flashpoint-us-china-rivalry Sun, 21 Sep 2025 02:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened Afghanistan with unspecified punishment if the Taleban-controlled country did not “give Bagram Airbase back”. “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” the 79-year-old leader wrote on his Truth Social platform. The vague threat comes just days after he raised the idea of the United States retaking control of the base while on a state visit to the United... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3326276/trump-says-bad-things-will-happen-if-afghanistan-does-not-return-bagram-airbase https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3326276/trump-says-bad-things-will-happen-if-afghanistan-does-not-return-bagram-airbase Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:46:34 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Taliban released on Friday a British couple held in Afghanistan for more than seven months on undisclosed charges, an official said, as part of a wider effort to get their government recognised internationally years after taking power. The case of Peter and Barbie Reynolds, aged 80 and 75, underlined the concerns of the West over the actions of the Taliban since they overthrew the country’s US-backed government in a 2021 lightning offensive. The Reynolds had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3326185/taliban-free-uk-couple-held-months-afghanistan-undisclosed-charges https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3326185/taliban-free-uk-couple-held-months-afghanistan-undisclosed-charges Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:47:05 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Robert Delaney Khushboo Razdan,Robert Delaney US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his administration was moving to retake control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, claiming that such a move was necessary because of the facility’s proximity to nuclear weapons sites in China. Bagram, located 44 kilometres (27 miles) north of Kabul, was the largest US military base in Afghanistan and the central hub of the 20-year US-led campaign until American and Nato forces withdrew in 2021 under former US president Joe Biden. “We’re trying to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3326045/trump-says-us-moving-reclaim-key-afghan-air-base-links-it-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3326045/trump-says-us-moving-reclaim-key-afghan-air-base-links-it-china Thu, 18 Sep 2025 17:25:40 +0000 Reuters Reuters Afghanistan’s Taliban administration made an appeal for help on Monday after one of the country’s worst earthquakes killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800. The appeal came as rescuers struggled to reach remote areas due to rough mountainous terrain and inclement weather. The disaster will further stretch the resources of the war-torn nation’s Taliban government, already grappling with crises ranging from a sharp drop in foreign aid to deportations of hundreds of thousands of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3323976/taliban-asks-world-help-rescuers-search-rubble-wake-afghanistan-earthquake https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3323976/taliban-asks-world-help-rescuers-search-rubble-wake-afghanistan-earthquake Mon, 01 Sep 2025 22:49:02 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen China has called for greater counterterrorism cooperation with Afghanistan, including joint patrols along the narrow strip of land that forms their only shared border. “China supports the prompt resumption of bilateral patrols in the Wakhan Corridor to maintain peace and stability in the border region,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting with the Afghan acting minister of interior affairs, Sirajuddin Haqqani. The Wakhan Corridor is a narrow strip of mountainous Afghan territory that... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322667/china-calls-joint-patrols-afghan-border-and-urges-taliban-help-fight-terrorism https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322667/china-calls-joint-patrols-afghan-border-and-urges-taliban-help-fight-terrorism Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has arrived in Kabul to meet his counterparts from Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is Wang’s first trip to the country since a surprise visit in March 2022. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed he arrived in Afghanistan on Wednesday. The ministry had earlier said he would travel to Pakistan later in the day for a three-day visit that will include talks with Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister. According to Geo News, a Pakistani... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322511/chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yi-kabul-3-way-talks-afghan-pakistan-tensions-ease https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322511/chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yi-kabul-3-way-talks-afghan-pakistan-tensions-ease Wed, 20 Aug 2025 09:07:45 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Taliban are investigating explicit death threats against dozens of Afghan women working for the United Nations, according to a report published on Sunday. In its latest update on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, the UN mission to the country said that dozens of female national staff were subjected to explicit death threats in May. The threats came from unidentified individuals related to their work with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, other agencies, funds, and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3321387/taliban-investigates-death-threats-against-un-afghan-women-report https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/article/3321387/taliban-investigates-death-threats-against-un-afghan-women-report Sun, 10 Aug 2025 15:07:24 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen A China-backed copper mine in Afghanistan is poised to start construction after nearly two decades of delay, but political instability and security issues remain a major concern, an Afghan studies expert has cautioned. State-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) recently announced that it was making significant progress toward starting copper extraction this year in the Mes Aynak Mine in central Afghanistan’s Logar province, home to one of the world’s largest untouched copper... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320858/work-china-backed-afghan-copper-mine-gains-pace-after-17-years-old-fears-linger https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320858/work-china-backed-afghan-copper-mine-gains-pace-after-17-years-old-fears-linger Wed, 06 Aug 2025 01:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press They wandered through the museum, listening attentively as their guide explained the antiquities in display cabinets. It could have been any tour group, anywhere in the world. But there was something unusual about this one. The group of foreigners visiting the National Museum of Afghanistan was made up only of women. Its guide was a woman, too – one of the first Afghan female tour guides in a country whose Taliban rulers impose the severest restrictions on girls and women anywhere in the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3320119/afghanistans-female-guides-are-challenging-stereotypes-one-tour-time https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3320119/afghanistans-female-guides-are-challenging-stereotypes-one-tour-time Wed, 30 Jul 2025 07:34:10 +0000 Hani Shehada Hani Shehada Most global actors still treat education as an afterthought during crises, something to address only once food, water and shelter are secured. But in places like Palestine, Syria and Afghanistan, this hierarchy collapses. Education isn’t a post-crisis luxury; it’s the anchor in the chaos. Over the past decade, I’ve learned that education must be treated as a frontline intervention, restoring not only learning, but also safety, identity and hope. It’s not just about classrooms. It’s about systems... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3318487/war-ravaged-youth-education-anchor-amid-chaos-not-luxury https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3318487/war-ravaged-youth-education-anchor-amid-chaos-not-luxury Sat, 26 Jul 2025 12:30:08 +0000 dpa dpa The children of an elderly couple imprisoned by the Taliban in Afghanistan have urged the group to release them before they “die in custody”. Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were arrested as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, central Afghanistan, in February. They have been held for five-and-a-half months without charge and, up until eight weeks ago, had been separated and detained in a maximum-security prison. The couple’s four adult children, who live in the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3318935/taliban-urged-release-elderly-uk-couple-they-die-custody https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3318935/taliban-urged-release-elderly-uk-couple-they-die-custody Sun, 20 Jul 2025 22:36:21 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Thousands of Afghans, including many who worked with British forces, have been secretly resettled in the UK after a leak of data on their identities raised fears that they could be targeted by the Taliban, the British government revealed on Tuesday. The government now plans to close the secret route. Defence Secretary John Healey said a data set containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to come to Britain after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was released... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3318337/uk-reveals-secret-us11-billion-resettlement-thousands-afghans-after-data-leak https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3318337/uk-reveals-secret-us11-billion-resettlement-thousands-afghans-after-data-leak Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:59:13 +0000