Afghanistan

From Abbey Gate to today: How five years reshaped the Middle East and world policy - analysis

Other trends emerged from 2021 to 2024, including the expansion of economic blocs (BRICS, SCO), growing Russian and Chinese influence, and US allies hedging by working more closely with Beijing.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (C) poses for a photograph with Marine GySgt. Jonathan Eby (R) during an event to honor Marines who were serving during the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing, at the Pentagon on August 26, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.
Taliban members are seen from a window as they inspect inside a prison cell at Pul-e-Charkhi prison, located on the outskirts of Kabul on October 17, 2021.

UN says two staff members detained in Afghanistan have been freed

 TOLOnews television anchor Tahmina Usmani, 23, poses for a portrait in Kabul, August 1, 2022.

Afghan journalist explains her escape from Taliban after restrictions on women in broadcasting

 Women wearing burqas pause at the side of a road in Kabul, Afghanistan October 26, 2021.

Five years after Taliban takeover, Afghan women remain trapped in deepening rights crisis


Taliban celebrate ‘victory day’ five years after seizing power in Afghanistan

Five years after seizing power, the Taliban are projecting control in Afghanistan while rights groups warn of deepening humanitarian crises and sweeping restrictions on women.

 Taliban soldiers celebrate on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul on a street near the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2023.

Half of Afghan women rarely leave home as Taliban restrictions deepen, UN agency says

Afghanistan remains the only country in the world to ban girls from secondary education and women from attending university.

Afghan women prepare dough to make traditional cookies inside a bakery in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 5, 2024.

At least 14 killed, 18 wounded in suicide bombing outside Pakistan police station

The explosion took place in the Kabal area of Swat, a district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Police personnel cordon off a street following a suicide bombing during a protest in Pakistan's Swat district on August 2, 2026.

Islamist terrorists kill 10 police officers in northwest Pakistan, say police

The attack took place late on Wednesday in ⁠the Hangu district near the Afghan border, an ​area that has long served as home to terrorist groups.

A security officer in plain clothes walks with his gun outside the office of the Rangers, a paramilitary force, following an explosion and gunfire reported on Saturday night in Karachi, Pakistan, June 28, 2026.

Female Afghan Christian convert flees Taliban, only to risk deportation in Qatar

Since retaking power, the Taliban has largely excluded women from public life. Girls are barred from secondary schools and universities, while women have faced sweeping restrictions.

Taliban personnel detain a woman in Herat, Afghanistan, for allegedly violating the dress code.

Twenty killed, 100 missing after flash floods hit Afghanistan, authorities say

Afghanistan is among the nations most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which has made some parts of the country more drought-prone and exposed others to more rainfall.

People use a mini truck to cross a flooded road in the Argo district of Afghanistan's Badakhshan province on June 4, 2026; Illustrative.

Women’s OIC conference in Pakistan sees Syrian delegation after 14 years

Syria’s minister of social affairs and labor, Hind Kabawat, led the delegation, as few Afghan women were represented in their fight for rights under Taliban rule.

Women prepare for Eid al-Adha prayers at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, May 27, 2026.

Trump administration launches campaign to dismantle ICC efforts to infringe on US sovereignty

President Donald Trump and other US officials, such as former President George W. Bush, have long said the ICC should not have the authority to investigate and prosecute Americans.

US President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One as he departs Bismarck Municipal Airport on July 01, 2026 in Bismarck, North Dakota. Trump traveled to North Dakota to attend the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library dedication.

Jews face harassment in nearly 100 countries as global religious hostilities spike, Pew shows

Overall, fifty-five countries had elevated (high or very high) levels of social hostilities involving religion in 2023, up from 45 the previous year.

A demonstrator installs banners reading "WARNING - The artist you are about to see previously stated: 'I like Hitler' We thought you should know this," Arnhem, Netherlands, June 6, 2026.

Pakistani bus falls into roadside ditch, rescue agency reports 40 killed, 8 injured

The bus was headed to national capital Islamabad from provincial capital Quetta. There were 48 passengers on board, the agency said.

A Pakistani bus upturned in a ditch, July 3, 2026.