https://www.scmp.com/rss/510678/feed US President Joe Biden committed to withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan by August 31, 2021. The deadline was set after the Taliban took control of the country, seizing the capital city of Kabul as the Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani dissolved on August 15. The Biden administration had initially announced a full withdrawal of troops by 11 September 2021 – 20 years after the 9/11 terror attacks. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Afghanistan’s foreign ministry says Afghans who helped America’s war effort and have been stuck in Qatar in the hope of reaching the United States can safely return to Afghanistan. The statement on Saturday by foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi comes after reports emerged that the Trump administration is in discussions to potentially send 1,100 Afghans who assisted the US during its war in Afghanistan, and relatives of US service members, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). An... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351436/taliban-says-afghans-stuck-qatar-who-helped-us-war-can-safely-return-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351436/taliban-says-afghans-stuck-qatar-who-helped-us-war-can-safely-return-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 14:09:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Samira Muhammadi hopes an international investigation can “extinguish” her pain after a Pakistani bombing killed her son and hundreds of other Afghans in the capital Kabul last month. The March 16 attack hit a drug treatment centre and killed 411 people, according to Afghan officials. A United Nations source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had verified at least 250 killed, with more still missing. “There should be investigations on this … Like me, many mothers lost their sons,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349110/pakistani-strike-killed-her-son-rehab-now-afghan-mother-demands-answers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349110/pakistani-strike-killed-her-son-rehab-now-afghan-mother-demands-answers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 01:14:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Afghanistan aims to increase trade with Central Asian countries to US$10 billion within the next three or four years, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Sunday. Trade with Central Asian countries to Afghanistan’s north came to about US$2.7 billion in 2025, itself a significant increase over previous years, Muttaqi said. He stated Afghanistan’s new trade goal with its neighbours at a “constructive dialogue” meeting in Kabul with representatives from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349095/afghanistan-wants-us10-billion-trade-deals-central-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3349095/afghanistan-wants-us10-billion-trade-deals-central-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:26:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Afghanistan’s Taliban government announced the release of a US national on Tuesday who had been detained for more than a year, after a letter from his family requesting his freedom. The foreign ministry said the family of linguist and researcher Dennis Coyle had written to the supreme leader of Afghanistan, asking that he be released and pardoned for the Muslim holiday Eid. “The Supreme Court of the Islamic Emirate deemed his period of detention sufficient and decided on his release,” a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347754/afghanistan-releases-detained-us-citizen-after-more-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347754/afghanistan-releases-detained-us-citizen-after-more-year?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:57:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Pakistan announced on Wednesday a pause in strikes against Afghanistan, saying the decision was made ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. In a statement, Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said the pause in strikes on “terrorists and their support infrastructure in Afghanistan” would take effect at midnight on Wednesday and remain in place until midnight on Monday. “Pakistan offers this gesture in good faith and in keeping with... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3347078/pakistan-pause-afghan-strikes-eid-request-saudi-arabia-qatar-turkey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3347078/pakistan-pause-afghan-strikes-eid-request-saudi-arabia-qatar-turkey?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:39:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Afghanistan accused Pakistan of killing at least 400 people in an air strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital late on Monday. It marked a dramatic escalation of a conflict that began late last month and has seen repeated cross-border clashes as well as air strikes inside Afghanistan. International calls for a ceasefire have gone unheeded. Pakistan dismissed the accusation that it had hit a hospital, saying its strikes, which were also conducted in eastern Afghanistan, did... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3346806/afghanistan-accuses-pakistan-killing-civilians-fresh-kabul-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3346806/afghanistan-accuses-pakistan-killing-civilians-fresh-kabul-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 20:27:26 +0000 Jawad Khalid Jawad Khalid The latest exchange of air strikes and border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan has once again pushed the region to the brink, reviving a dread among those who have lived through this cycle before, the continuation of a war that never truly ended. The so-called war on terror has been waged for over two decades, with no end in sight. Since 2001, the war has claimed more than 33,000 civilian and security forces lives in Pakistan and displaced millions internally. Yet a fundamental question... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3345138/pakistans-forever-war-and-politics-exhaustion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3345138/pakistans-forever-war-and-politics-exhaustion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Explosions were heard in the Afghan capital Kabul Sunday, Agence France-Presse journalists said, with the Taliban government saying they were responding to aerial Pakistan attacks. A spokesman for Afghanistan’s defence ministry said “air defence strikes were carried out against Pakistani aircraft in Kabul”. Months of cross-border clashes have flared since Thursday when Afghanistan launched an offensive along the frontier, with Pakistani forces hitting back on the border and from the skies. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345024/pakistani-afghan-clashes-widen-arab-states-struggle-halt-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345024/pakistani-afghan-clashes-widen-arab-states-struggle-halt-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 09:49:14 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities are locked in a widening tit-for-tat confrontation that neither side seems willing to defuse, analysts said, warning the exchanges risked settling into a prolonged conflict along one of Asia’s most volatile borders. Islamabad has vowed to keep striking military targets inside Afghanistan until the Taliban takes action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups Pakistan says operate from Afghan soil. Pakistani warplanes... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344965/pakistan-taliban-showdown-risks-becoming-protracted-war-attrition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344965/pakistan-taliban-showdown-risks-becoming-protracted-war-attrition?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 08:00:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China has stepped in to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan following an escalation of their conflict, urging both sides to end the fighting and settle their disputes through dialogue. This comes after Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan on Friday, including the capital Kabul, and declared “open war” with its neighbour after months of deadly clashes. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday that as a neighbour and a friend to both countries, China was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344907/china-seeks-mediate-after-pakistan-declares-open-war-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344907/china-seeks-mediate-after-pakistan-declares-open-war-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:14:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul on Friday, with Islamabad’s defence minister declaring the neighbours at “open war” following months of tit-for-tat clashes. Journalists in Kabul and Kandahar heard blasts and jets overhead until dawn, as Pakistan launched air strikes on the Afghan capital and the southern power base of the Taliban authorities. Pakistan’s latest operation came after Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night over... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344796/pakistan-declares-open-war-afghan-taliban-after-morning-strikes-kabul-kandahar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344796/pakistan-declares-open-war-afghan-taliban-after-morning-strikes-kabul-kandahar?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 01:01:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Pakistan’s claim of killing at least 80 militants in strikes on Afghanistan is “false”, a Taliban government security source told Agence France-Presse on Sunday. “The figure of 80 martyrs given by the Pakistan regime is false and imaginary,” the source said on condition of anonymity. Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister, offered no evidence for his claim in an interview with Geo News that at least 70 militants were killed in the strikes. Pakistan’s state-run media later reported... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344268/pakistan-targets-militants-afghanistan-testing-doha-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344268/pakistan-targets-militants-afghanistan-testing-doha-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 12:07:16 +0000 dpa dpa Heavy snowfall and rain in Afghanistan have killed at least 61 people and injured 110 others, the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday. Spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Hammad said 458 houses had been completely or partially destroyed over the past three days of severe weather, affecting at least 360 families. Losses of livestock were also reported. Hammad said the figures were preliminary, adding that assessment teams were continuing surveys in affected regions and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3341118/61-die-afghanistan-110-injured-amid-heavy-snow-rain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3341118/61-die-afghanistan-110-injured-amid-heavy-snow-rain?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 13:38:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Monday’s fatal blast at a Chinese restaurant in Kabul has underscored the grave security threat China is facing, not just in Afghanistan but also in wider Central Asia. One potential area of vulnerability is Tajikistan, Central Asia’s poorest country, which has a weak military and a long border with Afghanistan. On the same day as the Kabul bombing, the Chinese embassy in Tajikistan issued a travel warning, telling its citizens and companies to boost security and evacuate from the border region... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341049/why-are-tensions-along-afghan-tajikistan-border-such-headache-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341049/why-are-tensions-along-afghan-tajikistan-border-such-headache-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 02:00:23 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has condemned Monday’s suicide attack on a Chinese restaurant in Kabul, urging the Taliban to take further measures to protect the safety of its citizens in Afghanistan. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing had made “urgent representations” following the attack in a heavily guarded part of the capital that killed at least seven people – one Chinese national and six Afghans – and injured several others. Guo added that China had asked the authorities to “further adopt effective... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340584/china-urges-taliban-tighten-security-after-suicide-attack-restaurant-kabul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340584/china-urges-taliban-tighten-security-after-suicide-attack-restaurant-kabul?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A 13-year-old boy executed a man found guilty of killing his family in front of a cheering crowd in Afghanistan, in a chilling detail revealed after the event. The public execution, echoing the worst days of Taliban rule, was of a man who the Supreme Court ruled had killed 13 members of the same family, including nine children and their mother. About 80,000 people, including relatives of the victims, attended the execution in the sports stadium in the eastern city of Khost on Tuesday. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3335012/afghan-boy-13-executes-familys-murderer-echoes-worst-days-taliban-rule?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3335012/afghan-boy-13-executes-familys-murderer-echoes-worst-days-taliban-rule?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 05:51:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters The suspect accused of shooting two National Guard members in an ambush in downtown Washington last week was charged on Tuesday with murder and other offences as he made his first court appearance, appearing remotely from a hospital bed. A judge ordered Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, held in custody without bond, citing the “sheer terror” of the shooting blocks from the White House that killed one member of the National Guard and critically injured a second. Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to all... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334970/national-guard-shooting-suspect-pleads-not-guilty-murder-hospital-bed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334970/national-guard-shooting-suspect-pleads-not-guilty-murder-hospital-bed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 22:37:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would review the immigration status of every permanent resident or “green card” holder from Afghanistan and 18 other countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington. The announcement came as US President Donald Trump said that one of the National Guard members, 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, had died of her wounds, while the other, Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was ‘fighting for his life’. US officials have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334434/trump-admin-reviewing-every-green-card-19-countries-after-washington-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334434/trump-admin-reviewing-every-green-card-19-countries-after-washington-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 23:19:30 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died, calling the shooter who had worked with the CIA in his native country a “savage monster”. As part of his Thanksgiving call to US troops, Trump said that he had just learned that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died, while Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life”. “She’s just passed away,” Trump said. “She’s no longer with us.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334426/national-guard-shooting-afghan-suspect-drove-across-us-carry-out-attack-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334426/national-guard-shooting-afghan-suspect-drove-across-us-carry-out-attack-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 16:53:00 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain A ceasefire between Afghanistan’s Taliban regime and Pakistan, agreed after intense clashes last month, is hanging by a diplomatic thread, following a wave of suicide bombings in Pakistan and disputed claims that it retaliated with cross-border drone strikes on Tuesday. With both countries vowing vengeance, analysts say regional states acting as mediators – Qatar and Turkey, and Iran and Russia – have only a narrow window of opportunity to prevent another round of hostilities. Otherwise,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334306/can-mediators-stop-afghan-pakistani-war-cat-and-mouse-game-enters-retaliatory-phase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334306/can-mediators-stop-afghan-pakistani-war-cat-and-mouse-game-enters-retaliatory-phase?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 05:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Afghan and Pakistani negotiators are to meet in Istanbul on Saturday to address security issues and establish a lasting ceasefire along their shared border after an outbreak of unexpectedly intense bloody clashes. The confrontation – which resulted in dozens of deaths, among them civilians – began two weeks ago following explosions in central Kabul, which the Taliban government blamed on its Pakistani neighbour, launching a retaliatory offensive at the border. Vowing a strong response, Islamabad... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3330316/afghan-pakistani-negotiators-strengthen-truce-istanbul-after-doha-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3330316/afghan-pakistani-negotiators-strengthen-truce-istanbul-after-doha-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Oct 2025 10:24:06 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Afghanistan and Pakistan, embroiled in fighting that has killed dozens of people and injured hundreds, pledged on Sunday to respect a ceasefire. The truce, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, came into effect immediately and is intended to pause hostilities. Violence has escalated between the neighbours since earlier this month, with each country saying they were responding to aggression from the other. Afghanistan denies harbouring militants who carry out attacks in border areas. Pakistan is... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3329583/afghanistan-and-pakistan-agree-ceasefire-after-deadly-fighting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3329583/afghanistan-and-pakistan-agree-ceasefire-after-deadly-fighting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 11:51:28 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump’s bid to regain control of the strategic Bagram airbase in Afghanistan has achieved an unlikely feat – bringing India, Pakistan and China onto the same side in opposition. At the 7th Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan in Moscow on Tuesday, the three Asian powers – often at odds over borders and regional influence – joined countries including Iran and Russia in rejecting Washington’s push to reclaim the base. “They [countries present at the Moscow Format] called... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3328163/trumps-afghan-airbase-gambit-unites-india-pakistan-and-china-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3328163/trumps-afghan-airbase-gambit-unites-india-pakistan-and-china-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 16:48:22 +0000 Reuters Reuters Mobile phone and internet services were restored in Afghanistan on Wednesday, local residents said, some 48 hours after diplomatic and industry sources said connectivity was abruptly cut on the orders of the Taliban administration. The mobile phone services of Roshan and Etisalat companies, the foreign-owned biggest providers, came back to life in the late afternoon, residents in Kabul and other cities said. Internet access was restored, according to companies providing the service. A Taliban... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3327514/taliban-deny-afghanistan-internet-ban-amid-outage-reports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3327514/taliban-deny-afghanistan-internet-ban-amid-outage-reports?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:20:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Afghanistan’s Taliban government released an American citizen from detention on Sunday, a week after freeing an elderly British couple. In a statement the country’s foreign ministry identified the detainee as Amir Amiri and said he had been handed over to Adam Boehler, Washington’s special envoy on hostages. Boehler made a rare visit to Kabul earlier this month to discuss the possibility of a prisoner exchange with the Taliban government. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan released an American... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327169/us-citizen-released-afghanistans-taliban-after-visit-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3327169/us-citizen-released-afghanistans-taliban-after-visit-envoy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 18:56:26 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi In a show of united opposition, China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran jointly called for “respect” for the sovereignty of Afghanistan on Thursday, following remarks by US President Donald Trump that his country will “take back” a former military airbase in the country. On Thursday, Yue Xiaoyong, a Chinese foreign ministry special envoy for Afghanistan, held an informal meeting with the delegations from Russia, Pakistan and Iran on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3327030/beijing-leads-push-against-trumps-bid-reclaim-afghanistans-bagram-airbase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3327030/beijing-leads-push-against-trumps-bid-reclaim-afghanistans-bagram-airbase?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 10:46:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An Afghan government defence official said Sunday that a deal over Bagram airbase was “not possible”, after US President Donald Trump said he wanted the former US base back. Bagram, the largest airbase in Afghanistan, located north of the capital Kabul, was the centre of US operations in their 20-year year-war against the Taliban. Trump threatened unspecified punishment against Afghanistan if it was not returned – four years after it was abandoned by US troops. “If Afghanistan doesn’t give... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3326305/trump-demands-bagram-airbase-not-possible-taliban-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3326305/trump-demands-bagram-airbase-not-possible-taliban-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 11:37:18 +0000 Shi Jiangtao,Seong Hyeon Choi,Laura Zhou Shi Jiangtao,Seong Hyeon Choi,Laura Zhou US President Donald Trump’s push to retake Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base, framed as a response to China’s nuclear build-up in Xinjiang, risks destabilising an already fragile region and could once again turn the war-torn nation into a flashpoint in the US-China rivalry, observers warn. The historic Soviet-built base is located roughly 70km (43 miles) north of Kabul and less than 800km from Afghanistan’s border with the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in western China. It was America’s largest... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3326260/will-trumps-push-afghan-air-base-create-new-flashpoint-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3326260/will-trumps-push-afghan-air-base-create-new-flashpoint-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 02:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened Afghanistan with unspecified punishment if the Taleban-controlled country did not “give Bagram Airbase back”. “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” the 79-year-old leader wrote on his Truth Social platform. The vague threat comes just days after he raised the idea of the United States retaking control of the base while on a state visit to the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3326276/trump-says-bad-things-will-happen-if-afghanistan-does-not-return-bagram-airbase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3326276/trump-says-bad-things-will-happen-if-afghanistan-does-not-return-bagram-airbase?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:46:34 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Taliban released on Friday a British couple held in Afghanistan for more than seven months on undisclosed charges, an official said, as part of a wider effort to get their government recognised internationally years after taking power. The case of Peter and Barbie Reynolds, aged 80 and 75, underlined the concerns of the West over the actions of the Taliban since they overthrew the country’s US-backed government in a 2021 lightning offensive. The Reynolds had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3326185/taliban-free-uk-couple-held-months-afghanistan-undisclosed-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3326185/taliban-free-uk-couple-held-months-afghanistan-undisclosed-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:47:05 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Robert Delaney Khushboo Razdan,Robert Delaney US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his administration was moving to retake control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, claiming that such a move was necessary because of the facility’s proximity to nuclear weapons sites in China. Bagram, located 44 kilometres (27 miles) north of Kabul, was the largest US military base in Afghanistan and the central hub of the 20-year US-led campaign until American and Nato forces withdrew in 2021 under former US president Joe Biden. “We’re trying to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3326045/trump-says-us-moving-reclaim-key-afghan-air-base-links-it-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3326045/trump-says-us-moving-reclaim-key-afghan-air-base-links-it-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 17:25:40 +0000 Reuters Reuters Afghanistan’s Taliban administration made an appeal for help on Monday after one of the country’s worst earthquakes killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800. The appeal came as rescuers struggled to reach remote areas due to rough mountainous terrain and inclement weather. The disaster will further stretch the resources of the war-torn nation’s Taliban government, already grappling with crises ranging from a sharp drop in foreign aid to deportations of hundreds of thousands of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3323976/taliban-asks-world-help-rescuers-search-rubble-wake-afghanistan-earthquake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3323976/taliban-asks-world-help-rescuers-search-rubble-wake-afghanistan-earthquake?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 22:49:02 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen China has called for greater counterterrorism cooperation with Afghanistan, including joint patrols along the narrow strip of land that forms their only shared border. “China supports the prompt resumption of bilateral patrols in the Wakhan Corridor to maintain peace and stability in the border region,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting with the Afghan acting minister of interior affairs, Sirajuddin Haqqani. The Wakhan Corridor is a narrow strip of mountainous Afghan territory that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322667/china-calls-joint-patrols-afghan-border-and-urges-taliban-help-fight-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322667/china-calls-joint-patrols-afghan-border-and-urges-taliban-help-fight-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has arrived in Kabul to meet his counterparts from Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is Wang’s first trip to the country since a surprise visit in March 2022. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed he arrived in Afghanistan on Wednesday. The ministry had earlier said he would travel to Pakistan later in the day for a three-day visit that will include talks with Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister. According to Geo News, a Pakistani... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322511/chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yi-kabul-3-way-talks-afghan-pakistan-tensions-ease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322511/chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yi-kabul-3-way-talks-afghan-pakistan-tensions-ease?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 09:07:45 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Taliban are investigating explicit death threats against dozens of Afghan women working for the United Nations, according to a report published on Sunday. In its latest update on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, the UN mission to the country said that dozens of female national staff were subjected to explicit death threats in May. The threats came from unidentified individuals related to their work with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, other agencies, funds, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3321387/taliban-investigates-death-threats-against-un-afghan-women-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3321387/taliban-investigates-death-threats-against-un-afghan-women-report?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2025 15:07:24 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen A China-backed copper mine in Afghanistan is poised to start construction after nearly two decades of delay, but political instability and security issues remain a major concern, an Afghan studies expert has cautioned. State-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) recently announced that it was making significant progress toward starting copper extraction this year in the Mes Aynak Mine in central Afghanistan’s Logar province, home to one of the world’s largest untouched copper... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320858/work-china-backed-afghan-copper-mine-gains-pace-after-17-years-old-fears-linger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320858/work-china-backed-afghan-copper-mine-gains-pace-after-17-years-old-fears-linger?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 01:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press They wandered through the museum, listening attentively as their guide explained the antiquities in display cabinets. It could have been any tour group, anywhere in the world. But there was something unusual about this one. The group of foreigners visiting the National Museum of Afghanistan was made up only of women. Its guide was a woman, too – one of the first Afghan female tour guides in a country whose Taliban rulers impose the severest restrictions on girls and women anywhere in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3320119/afghanistans-female-guides-are-challenging-stereotypes-one-tour-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3320119/afghanistans-female-guides-are-challenging-stereotypes-one-tour-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 07:34:10 +0000 Hani Shehada Hani Shehada Most global actors still treat education as an afterthought during crises, something to address only once food, water and shelter are secured. But in places like Palestine, Syria and Afghanistan, this hierarchy collapses. Education isn’t a post-crisis luxury; it’s the anchor in the chaos. Over the past decade, I’ve learned that education must be treated as a frontline intervention, restoring not only learning, but also safety, identity and hope. It’s not just about classrooms. It’s about systems... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3318487/war-ravaged-youth-education-anchor-amid-chaos-not-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3318487/war-ravaged-youth-education-anchor-amid-chaos-not-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Jul 2025 12:30:08 +0000 dpa dpa The children of an elderly couple imprisoned by the Taliban in Afghanistan have urged the group to release them before they “die in custody”. Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were arrested as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, central Afghanistan, in February. They have been held for five-and-a-half months without charge and, up until eight weeks ago, had been separated and detained in a maximum-security prison. The couple’s four adult children, who live in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318935/taliban-urged-release-elderly-uk-couple-they-die-custody?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318935/taliban-urged-release-elderly-uk-couple-they-die-custody?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jul 2025 22:36:21 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Thousands of Afghans, including many who worked with British forces, have been secretly resettled in the UK after a leak of data on their identities raised fears that they could be targeted by the Taliban, the British government revealed on Tuesday. The government now plans to close the secret route. Defence Secretary John Healey said a data set containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to come to Britain after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was released... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318337/uk-reveals-secret-us11-billion-resettlement-thousands-afghans-after-data-leak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318337/uk-reveals-secret-us11-billion-resettlement-thousands-afghans-after-data-leak?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:59:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Tens of thousands of Afghans streamed over the border from Iran in the days before a return deadline set for Sunday, the United Nations said, sparking an “emergency” situation at border points. In late May, Iran said undocumented Afghans must leave the country by July 6, potentially impacting four million people, out of the six million Afghans Tehran says live in the country. Numbers of people crossing the border have surged since mid-June, with a peak of more than 43,000 people crossing at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3317148/afghanistan-border-emergency-thousands-deported-iran-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3317148/afghanistan-border-emergency-thousands-deported-iran-un?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jul 2025 11:36:53 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia said on Thursday it had accepted the credentials of a new ambassador of Afghanistan, making it the first nation to recognise the Taliban government of the country. In a statement, the Russian foreign ministry said Moscow saw good prospects to develop ties and would continue to support Kabul in security, counterterrorism and combating drug crime. It also saw significant trade and economic opportunities, especially in energy, transport, agriculture and infrastructure. “We believe that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3316877/russia-becomes-first-country-recognise-taliban-government-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3316877/russia-becomes-first-country-recognise-taliban-government-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 19:50:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press At least 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan this year, the UN refugee agency said on Saturday, warning that repatriations on a massive scale have the potential to destabilise the fragile situation in Afghanistan. Iran and Pakistan in 2023 launched separate campaigns to expel foreigners they said were living in the country illegally. They set deadlines and threatened them with deportation if they did not leave. The two governments deny targeting Afghans, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3316240/least-12-million-afghans-deported-year-despite-risks-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3316240/least-12-million-afghans-deported-year-despite-risks-un?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jun 2025 15:29:40 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The Taliban may be the unexpected beneficiaries of India and Pakistan’s recent conflict, as both countries court Afghanistan’s hardline government, which is yet to be formally recognised by any nation since seizing power four years ago. Several days after launching air strikes against Pakistan for its alleged involvement in a militant attack which killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir, India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar spoke to his Taliban counterpart – Amir Khan... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3314345/talking-taliban-why-india-and-pakistan-are-courting-afghanistans-rulers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3314345/talking-taliban-why-india-and-pakistan-are-courting-afghanistans-rulers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jun 2025 08:30:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A top Taliban official said on Saturday that all Afghans who fled the country after the collapse of the former Western-backed government are free to return home, promising they would not be harmed if they come back. Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund made the amnesty offer in his message for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, also known as the “Feast of Sacrifice.” The offer comes days after US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping travel ban on 12 countries, including... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3313501/taliban-offers-amnesty-afghan-refugees-urges-them-return-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3313501/taliban-offers-amnesty-afghan-refugees-urges-them-return-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Jun 2025 11:43:41 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim China has pledged to improve trust and cooperation with Pakistan and Afghanistan amid mounting military tensions in the region, with Beijing’s top diplomat calling for the three countries to work together to project regional peace. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks during an informal meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar and Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Beijing on Wednesday. The foreign ministry said the three diplomats discussed a plan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3311270/china-urges-trust-cooperation-pakistan-afghanistan-regional-tensions-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3311270/china-urges-trust-cooperation-pakistan-afghanistan-regional-tensions-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 13:02:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Taliban authorities have barred chess across Afghanistan until further notice over concerns it was a source of gambling, which was illegal under the government’s morality law, a sports official said on Sunday. The Taliban government has steadily imposed laws and regulations that reflect its austere vision of Islamic law since seizing power in 2021. “Chess in sharia [Islamic law] is considered a means of gambling,” which is prohibited according to the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3309931/chess-banned-afghanistan-over-taliban-gambling-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3309931/chess-banned-afghanistan-over-taliban-gambling-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 May 2025 15:36:14 +0000 Pakistani security forces overnight killed 54 militants who attempted to cross into the country from Afghanistan, the military said on Sunday, marking one of the deadliest such killings in recent years. The military said in a statement that intelligence reports indicated that the killed militants were “Khwarij” – a phrase the government uses for the Pakistani Taliban. Without directly blaming anyone, the military said that the slain insurgents had been sent by their “foreign masters” to carry... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3308120/pakistan-troops-kill-54-militants-crossing-afghanistan-border-army-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3308120/pakistan-troops-kill-54-militants-crossing-afghanistan-border-army-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Apr 2025 15:51:18 +0000 The Taliban’s morality police have detained men and their barbers over hairstyles, and others for missing prayers at mosques during Ramadan, a UN report said on Thursday, six months after laws regulating people’s conduct came into effect. The Vice and Virtue Ministry published laws last August covering many aspects everyday life in Afghanistan, including public transport, music, shaving and celebrations. Most notably, the ministry issued a ban on women’s voices and bare faces in public. That... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3306027/talibans-morality-police-arrest-men-skipping-mosque-or-wrong-hairstyles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3306027/talibans-morality-police-arrest-men-skipping-mosque-or-wrong-hairstyles?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Apr 2025 11:44:55 +0000 Two months after being sworn in as President of the United States, Donald Trump is continuing his streak of executive appointments. Last week, via his social media platform Truth Social, he announced that Sara Carter, 44, had been made director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, making her the “drug tsar” of America. It is truly an honor to serve President Donald J. Trump and be part of an administration committed to putting America first. I pledge to work tirelessly every day to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3304841/meet-sara-carter-journalist-hired-donald-trump-be-his-drug-tsar-saudi-arabian-childhood-being?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3304841/meet-sara-carter-journalist-hired-donald-trump-be-his-drug-tsar-saudi-arabian-childhood-being?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Apr 2025 11:00:11 +0000