December 6, 2025

Afghanistan Watch

Pakistan Airstrike in Afghanistan Kills Nine Children, Taliban Claims

pgnewser November 25, 2025

One day after a suicide bomber attack in Pakistan’s Peshawar city, Pakistan launched an air attack on the country they blame for the bombing, Afghanistan. Pakistan hit targets along the border regions of Kunar and Paktika. The suicide bombing targeted a security facility. It killed three Pakistani soldiers and injured 11 others.

Blurb:

Pakistan strikes on neighbouring Afghanistan have killed 10 people – among them nine children – a Taliban government spokesperson has said, a day after a suicide attack on a security compound in Pakistan’s Peshawar city.

“The Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident … As a result, nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman were martyred” in Khost province, Zabihullah Mujahid said on X.

Air strikes targeting the border regions of Kunar and Paktika wounded another four civilians, he added.

Pakistan government officials and the military have not commented on the raids.

Powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake kills at least 20 people in northern Afghanistan– www.euronews.com

pgnewser November 5, 2025

Blurb:

A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn, killing at least 20 people and injuring 260 others, Afghan health officials said on Monday.

Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said at least 20 people died and 260 were injured in the earthquake. Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s disaster management agency, added that most of the injured suffered minor wounds and were discharged after receiving initial treatment.

According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck around midnight Monday local time, the USGS said.

What we know about Pakistan-Afghanistan ceasefire, will it hold? | Pakistan Taliban News– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser October 21, 2025

Blurb:

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an “immediate ceasefire” after a week of deadly clashes along their border, as the ties between the two South Asian neighbours plunged to their lowest point since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Both countries agreed to stop fighting and work towards “lasting peace and stability” after peace talks in Doha, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday, about the deal it mediated alongside Turkiye.

Fierce Pakistan-Afghanistan border clash rages on; fresh visuals show intense shelling – Top developments– timesofindia.indiatimes.com

pgnewser October 15, 2025

Blurb:

Roads were seen with moving tanks as intense clashes continued between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with both sides claiming damage and casualties. This latest confrontation left 15 Afghan civilians dead, officials in Kabul told AFP on Wednesday.The fighting broke out overnight in Spin Boldak, a southern Afghan district.Ali Mohammad Haqmal, a local spokesman, confirmed the casualties to AFP, while Abdul Jan Barak, an official at Spin Boldak district hospital, verified that dozens had been injured.

According to the Pakistan Army, its forces killed at least 15–20 Taliban fighters in the Spin Boldak area, stating that “the attack was effectively repulsed by Pakistani forces.”

Afghan Taliban hit 'several points' in Pakistan in retaliation for ...

Afghanistan Attacks Pakistan

pgnewser October 14, 2025

The Taliban-led Afghanis launched assaults on numerous Pakistani military posts, killing between 58, according to the Taliban, and 23, according the Pakistanis, and injuring hundreds of others. So far, the conflict has not led to full-out declarations of war, though skirmishes have continued so far.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said the people of Pakistan were “indebted to the ultimate sacrifice of these heroes who laid down their lives while defending the territorial integrity of Pakistan against the cowardly and treacherous aggression of the Taliban regime and Indian sponsored terrorist proxies operating from inside Afghan soil.”

Blurb:

Once Allies, Pakistan And Afghan Taliban Lurch Toward Full-Blown Conflict

from www.rferl.org

A full-blown conflict between Afghanistan’s Taliban and neighboring Pakistan seemed unthinkable when the hard-line Islamist group, a longtime ally of Islamabad, seized power in 2021 as international troops withdrew and the government they supported collapsed.

But fears have heightened of an all-out war after the deadliest-ever clashes involving Taliban fighters and Pakistani troops over the weekend.

“This confrontation is hugely significant and could have long-term consequences for the countries,” said Sami Yousafzai, an Afghan political commentator.

Fierce fighting erupted between Taliban fighters and Pakistani security forces on October 11-12, leaving dozens dead and key border crossings closed.

The border clashes occurred just days after Pakistan carried out unprecedented drone strikes in the center of Kabul as well as air strikes in the country’s east.

Russia sends Trump bold warning over Afghanistan air base plans during Taliban talks | World | News– www.express.co.uk

pgnewser October 9, 2025

Blurb:

A top Kremlin official says the US must not be allowed to retake a massive airbase in Afghanistan, warning it could lead to “new conflicts”. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the comments as he hosted a delegation of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban government in Moscow.

The Taliban last month rejected a bid from President Donald Trump to take back control of Bagram Air Base, which was America’s largest military site during the 20-year war in Afghanistan. In a warning to the US, Mr Lavrov said: “The deployment of military infrastructure of any third countries on the territory of Afghanistan, as well as on the territories of neighbouring states, is categorically unacceptable under any pretext.” The base has been in the hands of the Taliban since the chaotic withdrawal of US forces in 2021.

“The military presence of any extra-regional players could only lead to destabilisation and new conflicts,” Mr Lavrov said.

“The history of Afghanistan has seen a lot of situations with foreign military presence. I believe everyone should have drawn the right conclusions long time ago.”

Mr Trump previously cited Bagram Air Base’s close proximity to China — the US’ biggest economic and military competitor — as one of the reasons the US wants a presence there again.

“It’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he said. “So a lot of things are happening.”

Trump Threatens Afghanistan With ‘Bad Things’ If Bagram Not Handed Back To US– www.rferl.org

pgnewser September 22, 2025

Trump Threatens Afghanistan With ‘Bad Things’ If Bagram Not Handed Back To US– www.rferl.org
Source Link
Excerpt:

US President Donald Trump threatened Afghanistan with unspecified “bad things” if it doesn’t turn the massive Bagram Air Base outside Kabul back to United States, an action previously rejected by the country’s Taliban rulers.

“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN,” Trump said on September 20 in a Truth Social post.

Asked by reporters at the White House whether he would consider sending troops to recapture the facility, Trump said only that “we won’t talk about that.”

“We’re talking now to Afghanistan, and we want it back and we want it back soon, right away. And if they don’t do it — if they don’t do it, you’re going to find out what I’m gonna do,” he told reporters.

The remarks come after Trump on September 18 said the United States was attempting to get Bagram Air Base back from Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, citing the extremist group’s need for US help and the facility’s proximity to China’s nuclear assets.

“We’re trying to get it back because they [Taliban rulers] need things from us,” Trump said without being specific during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London.

Afghanistan bus crash kills more than 70 Afghans returning from Iran – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser August 22, 2025

Source Link
Excerpt:

A bus crash in northwestern Afghanistan killed at least 79 people returning from Iran, including 19 children, an official said.

Two people were also injured in the crash, Ministry of Interior spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani told The Associated Press.

Tolo News, citing the official, said the accident happened Tuesday around 8:30 p.m. local time in Herat province. The bus collided with a truck and a motorbike, causing a massive fire that killed many on the spot, the outlet reported.

China’s Foreign Policy Alliance Push

pgnewser May 29, 2025

China appears to be making a concerted effort to cement alliances with as many nations as possible, but not just among some of the usual suspects, like Iran, and recently, Afghanistan, but even among U.S. allies.

Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron had a phone chat with Chinese Chairman Xi, with both sides promising to work closer to one another to “safeguard the global order.” As Xi reached out to France, reports of Greenland making overtures to China make it seem as if China is aggressively attempting to peel off American allies using the promise of investment dollars to do so.

China, Russia, Iran cement Kabul ties as US reenters Afghan game – thecradle.co
Source Link
Excerpt:

An unspoken alliance is quietly chipping away at the US-backed Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), challenging India’s influence across the Indian Ocean, the Asia-Pacific region, and particularly South Asia.

This alignment – comprising China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan – has emerged as a formidable counterforce, especially in the wake of the US President Donald Trump administration’s attempts to sever Beijing’s access to vital Afghan minerals.

China has already invested $14 billion into Afghanistan’s mineral, petroleum, mining, and agriculture sectors. It has also revamped the Wakhan border with Afghanistan as part of a broader strategy that includes Iran’s plans to build the Iran–Afghanistan–China corridor.

Since the US and NATO withdrawal from Kabul in 2021, Afghanistan has become a nucleus of intense regional activity. The Taliban-led government has welcomed billions in foreign investments in mining and communications, while its ties with China and Russia have deepened.

Hegseth Launches Task Force To Probe Afghanistan Withdrawal– thefederalist.com

pgnewser May 22, 2025

Source Link
Excerpt:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the creation of a special review panel on Tuesday to investigate the Biden administration’s “chaotic” 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal.

“President Trump and I have formally pledged full transparency for what transpired during our military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Department of Defense has an obligation, both to the American people and to the warfighters who sacrificed their youth in Afghanistan, to get to the facts,” Hegseth wrote in an agency memo released on Tuesday.

In his directive, Hegseth disclosed that the Defense Department has been conducting “a review” throughout the past three months of what the secretary described as a “catastrophic event in our military’s history.” Based on the probe’s findings, Hegseth “concluded that we need to conduct a comprehensive review to ensure that accountability for this event is met and that the complete picture is provided to the American people.”

The memo tasks Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell to “convene a Special Review Panel (SRP) for the Department who will thoroughly examine previous investigations.” As noted in a Defense Department press release, Parnell spent 485 days stationed in Afghanistan and was “wounded in action” along with many of his fellow soldiers.

Russia Joins with Taliban to fight “Common Enemy,” the Islamic State

pgnewser May 7, 2025

Russia says it will help Taliban fight Islamic State in Afghanistan – Reuters
Source Link
Excerpt:

Russia will help the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan fight against the Afghan branch of Islamic State, Moscow’s special representative for the country was quoted as saying on Friday.

Zamir Kabulov, a former Russian ambassador to Afghanistan, referred to Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) as the “common enemy” of Moscow and Kabul.

“We see and appreciate the efforts that the Taliban are making in the fight against the Afghan wing of ISIS,” Kabulov told the RIA state news agency in an interview.

“We will provide our best assistance to the authorities of (Afghanistan) through specialised structures.”

Taliban Earning Billions, Giving American Weaponry to Terrorist Groups as Afghanistan Once Again Becomes Jihadi Hotbed: Report– freebeacon.com

pgnewser May 6, 2025

Source Link
Excerpt:

Taliban took in $3.4 billion in revenue over past year, boosting cash supply in wake of Biden admin’s Afghan withdrawal

Taliban parades U.S. military vehicles August 14, 2024 (@pagahindu/X)

The Taliban took in $3.4 billion in revenue over the last year, boosting its cash supply by 14 percent amid the return of Afghanistan as a central safe haven for terrorist organizations across the Middle East, according to a U.S. government watchdog group.

The repercussions of the Biden administration’s disastrous 2021 military withdrawal from Afghanistan continue to reverberate across the war-torn country, with multiple al Qaeda affiliates accessing American-supplied “weapons seized from the former Afghan National Army,” according to a new oversight report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).