Afghanistan

Military execution of Foot Hood gunman will not be livestreamed, Trump says

According to multiple officials, Trump was not initially aware that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would be announcing the livestream of the execution.

US President Donald Trump listens to a reporters question in the Oval Office at the White House on September 28, 2026 in Washington, DC.; illustrative
In this photo released by the Bell County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who is charged with murder in the Fort Hood shootings, is seen in a booking photo after being moved to the Bell County Jail on April 9, 2010 in Belton, Texas; illustrative

Retired US military officers urge government to cancel livestream of Fort Hood shooter's execution

Now, when Israel looks out at the map, it has an alliance with two countries that face Iran directly across the Gulf

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

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


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.

UN says two staff members detained in Afghanistan have been freed

The two Afghan staff members of the UN's Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) were detained in the western city of Herat on August 9, following a string of detentions by Taliban authorities. 

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.

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

Censorship, threats, and tightening restrictions made it impossible for journalist Tahmina Usmani to continue working freely or safely in Afghanistan.

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

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

The Afghan women who spoke to The Media Line said that words could hardly capture the hardships they have endured in exile, while their loved ones continue to face difficult conditions back home.

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

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.