Afghanistan Strategic and Foreign Affairs

[ghazi52]

US says UN aid to Afghanistan needs evaluation​

Food shortages hit 17 million Afghans as debate grows over UN mission funding

Reuters
March 10, 2026

Despite what it called a humanitarian "disaster" in Afghanistan, the US said on Monday international assistance to the country should be evaluated, given Taliban "intransigence" and its exclusion of the female population from basic rights.

Speaking to a ‌UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, noted that the budget for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the mandate of which is up for renewal next week, is the largest of any special UN mission in the world.

"In light of the Taliban's intransigence, we must ⁠carefully evaluate the utility of international assistance and engagement in Afghanistan," Waltz said, even as he highlighted an ongoing "humanitarian disaster" there.

 

[ghazi52]

"This council must consider carefully the funds we collectively provide for this mission's budget, when the mission's female national staff are not even able to go into the office to work," he added.

Afghanistan under the Taliban faces one of the world's most pressing humanitarian crises.

According to the UN World Food Programme, more than 17 million Afghans - or one-third of the population - are facing acute food shortages, ‌including 4.7 ⁠million facing emergency levels of hunger.

The temporary head of UNAMA, Georgette Gagnon, told the meeting Afghanistan had "urgent" humanitarian needs and the humanitarian crisis there had worsened due to funding cuts. She said humanitarian agencies aimed to assist 17.5 million Afghans in 2026 through an appeal for $1.71 billion, ⁠but this was currently only 10% funded.

 

[ghazi52]

Gagnon said Afghanistan's nearly two-week conflict with Pakistan had had "punishing human and economic costs" and the Iran war on its other border was causing prices of ⁠basic commodities to rise.

She said some positive developments showed the value of international engagement, including the Taliban ban on opium poppy cultivation. She warned that if rights and ⁠humanitarian issues were not dealt with, Afghanistan could "once again become a driver of regional and global instability in the form of outmigration, terrorism, narcotics and more."

 

[ghazi52]

US designates Afghanistan as ‘state sponsor of wrongful detention’​

by The Frontier Post

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) : US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday he has designated Afghanistan as a “State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention,” demanding Taliban authorities release two Americans and commit to ending its “hostage diplomacy.”

The move comes just over a week after Iran became the first country added to Washington’s new “wrongful detention” blacklist.

President Donald Trump in September signed an executive order that created the blacklist, similar to designations by the United States on terrorism.

“The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions,” Rubio said in a statement.

He said it was “not safe for Americans to travel to Afghanistan because the Taliban continues to unjustly detain our fellow Americans and other foreign nationals.”

“The Taliban needs to release Dennis Coyle, Mahmoud Habibi, and all Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan now and commit to cease the practice of hostage diplomacy forever,” he added.

Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman, previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation.

He was arrested in August 2022 in Kabul along with dozens of other employees of his telecommunications company, according to US authorities.

The State Department has issued a reward of $5 million for information leading to Habibi’s return.

Coyle is an academic from Colorado who worked for two decades in Afghanistan before being detained in January 2025, according to the James Foley Foundation.

 

[ghazi52]

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[ghazi52]

Kabul calls for stronger Afghanistan-Qatar cooperation​

by The Frontier Post

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Prime Minister’s Office has described Qatar’s implemented projects in various sectors in Afghanistan as beneficial and called for the expansion of bilateral cooperation during a meeting with the Qatari ambassador in Kabul.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said Mullah Abdul Wasi, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, met with Mirdaf bin Ali Al-Qashouti, the Ambassador of Qatar to Kabul.

Mullah Abdul Wasi described relations between Qatar and Afghanistan as important, noting that over the past 20 years Qatar, as a brotherly Muslim country, has made significant efforts to strengthen peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He said Qatar’s implemented projects in various sectors in Afghanistan are valuable and called for further expansion of cooperation.

He added that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) seeks positive bilateral relations with neighbouring, regional and global countries based on mutual respect and within the framework of Afghanistan’s national interests and Islamic principles.

 

[Sam6536]

Russia and Afghanistan signed a military cooperation agreement on Wednesday, just one year after the Kremlin removed the Taliban from a list of banned terrorist groups.

The new agreement underscores the deepening ties between the Kremlin and the Taliban, and while the exact details remain murky, Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoub said the agreement marked an expansion of the bilateral relations between the two countries.

“Interaction with Russia is important for us,” Yaqoub said following a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu at the International Security Forum in Moscow. “Afghanistan and Russia have long-standing and historic relations, and we want to move forward in this direction.”

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and spent the next decade fighting a bloody war against the mujahideen, Islamic guerrilla fighters resisting the occupation, many of whom would later found the Taliban.

In the years after Soviet troops withdrew, relations between Moscow and Kabul remained tense. However, following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Russia was accused of supplying arms to the Taliban as the group moved to consolidate its control over the country.

On Wednesday, Shoigu called for Western countries to “unfreeze” sanctions on the Taliban and “fully acknowledge their full responsibility for their 20-year presence in Afghanistan.”

In April 2025, Russia removed the Taliban from its list of banned terrorist groups, a designation that had been in place since 2003. Then, in July of the same year, it became the first and only country to formally recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.

Earlier this month, the European Commission confirmed that it had invited Taliban officials to Brussels, although a spokesperson said that the invitation “does not by any means constitute a recognition.”

 

[ghazi52]

Russia, Afghanistan sign military cooperation deal​

Agreement comes amid growing contacts between Moscow and Taliban authorities

Anadolu Agency
May 28, 2026

Russia and Afghanistan signed an agreement on military-technical cooperation during the International Security Forum in the Moscow region, as Moscow continues expanding ties with the Taliban-led authorities in Kabul.

The agreement was signed Wednesday evening by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob.

“Interaction with Russia is important for us. Afghanistan and Russia have long-standing historical relations, and we want to continue moving in this direction. We have expanded bilateral relations,” Yaqoob said.


Shoigu said Western countries should unfreeze Afghan assets and assume responsibility for rebuilding the country after two decades of military presence.

“We are convinced that Western countries should unfreeze blocked Afghan assets, fully recognize their responsibility for their 20-year presence in Afghanistan and bear the burden of the country’s post-conflict reconstruction,” he said.

The agreement comes amid growing contacts between Moscow and the Taliban authorities.

Earlier this month, speaking at a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation security council secretaries in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Shoigu said Russia had established dialogue with the Taliban and was developing a “full-fledged partnership” with the group.

 

[ghazi52]

Kabul warning to TTP fails to convince Islamabad​

Taliban say their supreme leader warned TTP to stop cross-border violence or risk losing allegiance

Kamran Yousaf
June 01, 2026

ISLAMABAD: In an effort to convince Pakistan of its sincerity in addressing Islamabad's security concerns, the Taliban regime has informally conveyed that Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has warned the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to halt attacks inside Pakistan or risk losing the Taliban's allegiance.

A credible Pakistani source told The Express Tribune that the message was part of the Taliban regime's broader effort to demonstrate that it is taking steps to rein in the TTP and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory. However, according to the source, Pakistan viewed the move as insufficient and lacking the substance required to bring about any meaningful change on the ground.

Officials familiar with the matter said the prevailing assessment within the relevant authorities is that the latest Taliban assurances appear aimed more at easing international and regional pressure than addressing the root causes of the problem.

A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Pakistan's assessment suggests there has been no tangible shift in the Taliban regime's approach toward terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan. "The recruitment of Afghan nationals into terrorist networks continues," the official said, despite repeated claims by Taliban authorities that they have taken a series of measures to address Islamabad's concerns.

According to the official, the Taliban leadership believes such steps can buy time and reduce pressure from Pakistan, but Islamabad remains unconvinced. "The problem is not the absence of assurances, the problem is the absence of verifiable action," the official added.

 

[Fatman17]

Is the Taliban-Russia MoU good for Afghanistan?

The recently signed agreement is unlikely to advance the country's long-term national interests.

share.google

 

[Muji.Iqbal]

News|Taliban

Afghanistan is ‘a free nation’: Taliban celebrates US defeat​

Taliban congratulates Afghans on their victory after the withdrawal of the last US soldier, says it wants good relations with Washington.

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The withdrawal of US troops came just before the August 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden to end the two decades-long war [File: Khwaja Tawfiq Sediqi/AP]
Published On 31 Aug 202131 Aug 2021
The Taliban are celebrating their return to power after they took charge of Kabul airport following the departure of the last US troops from Afghanistan.

The Afghan group said on Tuesday Afghanistan is now a “free and sovereign” nation as it hailed the exit of US troops, describing their departure as a “historic moment”.

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“Congratulations to Afghanistan… this victory belongs to us all,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters from the runway of the Hamid Karzai International airport.

“America was defeated, they could not achieve their targets through military operations,” he said.

The United States’s longest military conflict drew to a close on Monday night when its forces left Kabul airport, where it had overseen a frenzied airlift that saw more than 123,000 people evacuated since the Taliban took over on August 15.

Taliban fighters swept into the airport and fired weapons into the sky across the city in jubilation – an astonishing return after US forces invaded in 2001 and toppled them for their links to al-Qaeda, which was blamed for the 9/11 attacks.

Marine General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, announced that the last American troops flew out of Kabul just before midnight local time (19:30 GMT).

“We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out. But I think if we stayed another 10 days, we would not get everybody out that we wanted to get out.”

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New phase​

Some Afghans are worried about a return to the Taliban’s previous rule from 1996 to 2001, which was marked by curbs on women rights and a brutal justice system.

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However, the Taliban has repeatedly promised a more tolerant and open brand of rule compared with their first stint in power, and Mujahid continued that theme.

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“We want to have good relations with the US and the world. We welcome good diplomatic relations with them all,” he said.

Mujahid also insisted Taliban security forces would “be gentle and nice”.

Reporting from Kabul, Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford said: “From the start, the Taliban have been very keen to try to convince both the Afghans and the international community that they are more aware of the needs of a functioning country in the modern world … and that we [they] have changed to a different political entity.”

Stratford added, however, that “issues of trust” remain. “There are big countries, American rivals, that have already reached out to the Taliban, including China, Russia and Iran,” he said.






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03:04
Al Jazeera exclusive on Taliban control of Kabul airport


All eyes will now turn to how the Taliban handles its first few days of sole authority over the country, with a sharp focus on whether it will allow free departure for those wanting to leave – including some foreigners.

Blinken said a small number of US citizens remained in the country – “under 200” but likely closer to just 100.

Many thousands of Afghans, who worked with foreign missions or the US-backed government over the years and fear retribution, also want to get out.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Monday urging the Taliban to honour a commitment to let people freely leave Afghanistan in the days ahead and to allow humanitarian access to UN and other aid agencies.

Talks are ongoing as to who will now run Kabul airport. The Taliban has asked Turkey to handle logistics while they maintain control of security, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not yet accepted that offer.

Biden faces criticism​

The US troops’ withdrawal came just before the August 31 deadline set by US President Joe Biden to end the war that killed hundreds of thousands of Afghans and more than 2,400 American service members.

Facing stinging criticism from the opposition as well as from fellow Democrats for his handling of the withdrawal, Biden said he would address the nation on Tuesday in Washington, DC.

“We can’t fight endless wars, but the scope and consequence of Biden’s failure here is staggering,” Republican Senator Rick Scott said.

Biden’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, was able to offer little more than stern words for the Taliban.

“Any legitimacy and any support will have to be earned,” Blinken said, as he announced the US had suspended its diplomatic presence in Kabul and shifted its operations to Qatar.

‘Victory belongs to us all’: Taliban celebrates US defeat

Taliban congratulates Afghans on their victory after the withdrawal of the last US soldier.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Muji.Iqbal]

So it was the heyday of the American Empire. The atheistic elites of USA who are running USA.

I am waiting for the day China equalizes their economy with USA's.