Afghanistan

The two-day dialogue, hosted by Turkey and facilitated by Qatar, followed a period of heightened tension along the Durand Line

The warning came during a workshop in Kabul on child and adolescent mental health. Alice James, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, urged Afghan authorities, humanitarian agencies, and civil society to adopt a unified, national strategy to address the burgeoning mental health crisis.

In the wake of the New York Times’ revelations, key questions arise: Why was Golsteyn targeted so aggressively while the Nerkh case was quashed? Which decisions were taken higher up the chain of command? And what reforms, if any, will emerge to prevent recurrence?

Muttaqi, a key architect of the Taliban's post-2021 takeover diplomacy, travelled to the southern province of Kandahar on Friday for the audience with Akhundzada.

The report, filed under Section 7044 of the foreign operations appropriations legislation, outlines multiple fronts on which Washington plans to back human rights, education, and free expression – particularly for Afghan women and girls – even as the Taliban remain in control of most of the country.

This was the first major disaster to strike since the Trump administration suspended US foreign aid to Afghanistan in January. While Washington released statements of sympathy, it has made no formal pledge of direct financial assistance to quake relief.

Large projects like the Mes Aynak copper deposit, the vast iron ore reserve at Hajigak, the Balkhab copper prospects, and rich gemstone deposits in Badakhshan have long drawn interest from potential foreign partners.