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 frees three Pakistani soldiers in Saudi-mediated move

Their release comes after October clashes between the Taliban and Pakistani forces, during which dozens were killed before a fragile ceasefire was agreed upon.

This photograph taken on December 29, 2025 shows Taliban security personnel standing guard near the zero-point border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan at the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province.

If Iran regime survives, Hamas will rearm, become threat to Israel again, Graham tells 'Post'

The Abraham Accords will fall apart if the Islamic Regime survives, and trust in the US will fall apart, worse than the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Senator Lindsey Graham said on Monday.

Senator Lindsey Graham holding a "Make Iran Great Again" hat during a speech at the David Kempinski hotel in Tel Aviv, February 16, 2026.

Afghanistan marks Soviet withdrawal anniversary as Taliban rule draws global scrutiny

The Taliban’s governance remains deeply controversial. Since returning to power in 2021, the group has imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls and enforcing strict social rules.

An Afghan Taliban fighter sit next to an anti-aircraft gun near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces in Afghanistan, October 15, 2025.

Taliban will offer aid to Tehran if US strikes Iran, group spokesperson confirms

Mujahid clarified that the Taliban would show sympathy and possibly cooperate with Iran if requested, but the group is not committing to joining a retaliatory war against the US.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaks during a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan November 10, 2021.

Taliban penal code legalizes slavery, places women below animals, expert tells 'Post' - interview

Under the Taliban’s penal code, which includes 119 articles, published on January 7, 2026, the penalty for animal abuse outweighs that of a serious case of domestic violence.

MURSAL SAYAS,  an Afghan women’s rights activist, journalist, and the CEO of Women Beyond Borders.

WATCH: Massive fire breaks out in Tehran shopping center amid protests

Firefighting teams arrived at the scene in Tehran's Jannat Abad neighborhood, attempting to extinguish the fire. It remains unclear if the fire was directly related to anti-regime protest activity.

Smoke rises during a fire at Janat Abad Market in Tehran, Iran, February 3, 2026.

Pakistan says hundreds killed in Balochistan attack, including 108 terrorists

State broadcaster Pakistan Television reported that members of an armed group carried out coordinated attacks at more than a dozen locations, including Quetta, Nushki, Dalbandin, Pasni, and Gwadar. 

Afghan citizens wait to register as they attempt to return to their country, with trucks loaded with their belongings seen in the background, after Pakistan closed border crossings for trade with Afghanistan following exchanges of fire between the two nations' forces, at the Chaman border crossing.

Tens of thousands flee Pakistan’s Tirah Valley amid military action warnings

Amid heavy snowfall, tens of thousands of families have evacuated Pakistan’s Tirah Valley, driven by warnings of military operations against Islamist terrorists in the region.

Armed Taliban security personnel keep guard beside the closed gate of the zero point border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan at Spin Boldak district in Kandahar province on October 12, 2025.

Taliban confirms it is holding Americans, ex-intel officer calls detainee Coyle 'valuable asset'

Americans are being held in near-solitary confinement by a Taliban counterintelligence unit whose personnel include former detainees from Guantanamo Bay and the US-run Bagram prison.

A Taliban security personnel stands guard along a road near the Ghulam Khan zero-point border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Gurbuz district in the southeast of Khost province on October 20, 2025.

Follow the flow: Inside Iranian narco-trafficking in Iraqi Kurdistan - explainer

In recent years, the Sulaymaniyah governorate in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan has become a hub for Iranian narco trafficking.

Kurdish internal security forces stand guard after seizing a quantity of captagon pills in Qamishli, Syria, March 25, 2025.