Afghanistan

Middle East economy to shrink 2.1% in 2026, Gulf economies by 4.3%, World Bank forecasts

Despite grim forecasts, the World Bank projects regional economies could rebound by 7.8% in 2027 if the conflict ends this year, though the Hormuz blockade and inflation remain major threats.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Now, when Israel looks out at the map, it has an alliance with two countries that face Iran directly across the Gulf
A US F-14 fighter takes off from the main deck of the USS Enterprise early 09 October 2001 as a second wave US-led air attacks on Afghanistan was launched with residents of Kabul reporting bombs hitting targets on the outskirts of the city.

On this day: US, Britain strike Afghanistan over September 11 attacks, kickstart War on Terror

The bombing targeted Taliban and al-Qaeda forces, and was the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom, which would span over a decade until December 31, 2014.

|ByTZVI JASPER
A poster of Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is seen along a road in Kabul on August 14, 2023. (

ICC provides more details on arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders

The precise contents of the warrants had previously been sealed. Now the court has given more information about the findings of the judges who issued the warrants.

|ByREUTERS
A migrant woman from Afghanistan sits at the Macedonian-Serbian border near the village of Tabanovce, Macedonia February 24, 2016.

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, UAE back railway linking Central Asia to Pakistan’s seaports

The proposed Central Asia-South Asia railway would pass through Uzbekistan and Afghanistan before reaching Pakistan.  

|ByARSHAD MEHMOOD/THE MEDIA LINE

Fourteen Pakistani police officers killed in car bombing, ambush in Bannu

Three personnel have been found alive and transferred to the hospital, the officer added.

MAY 10, 2026ByREUTERS
Residents gather as heavy machinery clears the rubble of a damaged police post after a car bombing in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan May 10, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone.

Arrest of Pakistani journalist spurs dispute over Al-Qaida allegations

Supporters of Muhammad Saad bin Riaz say the accusations do not match his work as a researcher and journalist focused on regional conflicts and information warfare.

MAY 6, 2026ByARSHAD MEHMOOD/THE MEDIA LINE
Muhammad Saad bin Riaz

Trump considering plan to send Afghan refugees who helped US to Congo - NYT

AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver criticized the move, describing it as giving the refugees a choice between "the world’s number one refugee crisis to the world’s number two refugee crisis.”

APRIL 23, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Evacuees from Afghanistan arrive at Hamad International Airport in Qatar's capital Doha on September 10, 2021.

Taliban arrests senior co-founder Mullah Mutasim Agha Jan amid deepening internal rifts

Agha Jan, a close associate of the late Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, served as finance minister in the group’s first government prior to the 9/11 attacks.

APRIL 20, 2026ByARSHAD MEHMOOD/THE MEDIA LINE
Mutasim Agha Jan.

Australian former soldier gets bail on Afghanistan war crime charges

Police arrested and charged Ben Roberts-Smith, 47, with five counts of war crimes last week over the murder of five unarmed Afghan civilians between 2009 and 2012.

APRIL 17, 2026ByREUTERS
Former Australian Defence Force soldier Ben Roberts-Smith's parents, Len and Sue Roberts-Smith, leave the Downing Centre Courts after Ben Roberts-Smith was granted bail in Sydney, Australia, April 17, 2026.

Afghan women’s rights advocates urge Melania Trump to support girls facing Taliban restrictions

Over 100 Afghan women’s rights defenders have written to Melania Trump, urging her to help restore education and freedom to Afghan women and girls under Taliban rule.

APRIL 16, 2026ByARSHAD MEHMOOD/THE MEDIA LINE
Taliban Deputy Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat speaks during a press conference about the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 3, 2026.

Gas pipeline blown up in southern Pakistan by unknown assailants, says official

It suspended gas supply to several parts of the city and at least five more districts, the official said.

MARCH 30, 2026ByREUTERS
(Illustrative) sign indicating the location of the Millenium Pipeline buried under a cut in the forest, March 30, 2026.

Afghan national jailed for 15 years in the UK for raping 12-year-old girl

Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was convicted after a trial at Warwick Crown Court of one count of raping a child under 13 in Nuneaton, central England, last July.

MARCH 27, 2026ByREUTERS
Police officers stand outside New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, in London, Britain March 21, 2023.

Afghanistan releases American detainee in an effort to improve Taliban, US relations

Dennis Coyle, an American citizen held in Afghanistan since authorities detained him at his Kabul home in 2025, is among the hundreds of Americans freed by the Trump administration.

MARCH 24, 2026ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN, REUTERS
THE BLUE Mosque in Kabul.

Pakistan denies deadly Kabul hospital attack, says it struck Taliban military site

Conflicting accounts over a disputed airstrike leave questions about the target and reported civilian deaths unresolved.

MARCH 19, 2026ByARSHAD MEHMOOD / THE MEDIA LINE
A man stands on the debris at the site of a drug rehabilitation hospital destroyed in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026.