https://www.scmp.com/rss/514814/feed Chris Fitzgerald is a freelance journalist covering Afghanistan and director of the Platform for Peace and Humanity’s Indo-Pacific programme. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Chris Fitzgerald Chris Fitzgerald The fragile ceasefire between the Taliban and Pakistan has broken, and there is now open war in South Asia. This week has seen a dangerous escalation between the former allies, starting when Pakistan carried out a series of air strikes on what it says were terror “camps and hideouts” in Afghanistan’s border provinces. Pakistan claims it killed 80 militants, whereas the Taliban says villages were hit and 17 civilians were killed. The two have since engaged in a deadly tit-for-tat of ground and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3345086/why-talibans-only-hope-peace-pakistan-renouncing-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3345086/why-talibans-only-hope-peace-pakistan-renouncing-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 09:30:07 +0000 The Taliban is under pressure, facing an increasing number of attacks from terror groups seeking to undermine its rule and destabilise Afghanistan. However, this is a problem of the Taliban’s own making. The Taliban’s acting refugee minister Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani was killed in a suicide bombing earlier this month. Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid called the bombing, which reportedly killed and wounded several other ministry employees, a “cowardly attack”. Haqqani is the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3291983/why-afghanistan-once-again-hotbed-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3291983/why-afghanistan-once-again-hotbed-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:30:08 +0000 Pressure is mounting on the Taliban to respect the rights of women after Western governments decided to take the group to the International Court of Justice for gender discrimination. The Netherlands, Canada, Germany and Australia announced the move on Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly, marking only the second time a country is sent to the International Court of Justice for violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination of Women (CEDAW). Dutch foreign... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3280488/will-suing-taliban-protect-afghan-women-maybe-chinas-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3280488/will-suing-taliban-protect-afghan-women-maybe-chinas-help?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2024 21:30:07 +0000 The world descended on Doha last weekend for a two-day meeting to decide the future of Afghanistan and the Taliban’s role in this future. Delegates from 25 countries attended the United Nations-led summit. The Taliban arrived in Doha confident the international community is starting to take it seriously after retaking power almost three years ago. Leaving Doha, there is now a view in Kabul that official recognition is only a matter of time. The Taliban has good reason to be emboldened. In a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3269122/world-leaders-choosing-closer-taliban-ties-betray-afghan-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3269122/world-leaders-choosing-closer-taliban-ties-betray-afghan-women?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jul 2024 11:30:09 +0000 Afghanistan is facing another setback. This time, natural disasters are taking lives and destroying communities, leading to accusations that the Taliban is incapable – or unwilling – to solve problems. If the Taliban is serious about governing Afghanistan, it must find help. Heavy rains have caused devastating floods in northern Afghanistan, ripping through towns and villages and sweeping away homes. Baghlan province has been the hardest hit, with the World Food Programme saying over 300 people... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3262999/why-china-should-step-aid-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3262999/why-china-should-step-aid-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 08:35:42 +0000 Islamic extremism is on the rise again in Afghanistan, with terrorists flourishing under Taliban rule. With the international community recently meeting in Doha to consider steps to legitimise the Taliban, it could not have come at a worst moment for the de facto rulers of Afghanistan. In particular, the UN’s report on Afghanistan released last month revealed a disturbing rise in activity by al-Qaeda. The report said the terrorist group had re-established itself in Afghanistan and “continues to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3252753/if-taliban-wants-legitimacy-afghanistan-it-must-renounce-al-qaeda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3252753/if-taliban-wants-legitimacy-afghanistan-it-must-renounce-al-qaeda?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Feb 2024 21:30:17 +0000 As the world sees in a new year, Afghanistan remains a problem and its future uncertain. The country continues to suffer through a humanitarian crisis and the Taliban continues to rule through brutality, severely oppressing women. The world has been unsure how to solve these problems, though a recent vote at the United Nations suggests this might be changing. On December 29, the UN Security Council passed a resolution on the Afghanistan independent assessment, meant to be a blueprint of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3247298/world-betraying-afghan-women-legitimising-taliban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3247298/world-betraying-afghan-women-legitimising-taliban?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jan 2024 08:30:12 +0000 The Pakistan-Afghanistan border is witnessing one of the largest forced expulsions of people since the second world war. Pakistan’s decision to deport over a million Afghans threatens to worsen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis and risks thousands of lives. But China may hold the key to a solution. Pakistan announced on October 3 that all illegal migrants and asylum seekers had 28 days to leave or face deportation. While not directly mentioned, Afghans make up the vast majority of undocumented... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3240274/how-china-can-stop-pakistan-worsening-afghanistans-humanitarian-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3240274/how-china-can-stop-pakistan-worsening-afghanistans-humanitarian-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:30:16 +0000 A damning report handed down by the United Nations this week reveals that the Taliban’s repression in Afghanistan is not solely directed at women. It shows a systematic targeting of former officials and minority groups that threatens to tear the country apart. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) has recorded “credible reports” of serious human rights violations by the Taliban against those associated with the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. This includes at least... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3233071/talibans-repressive-rule-afghanistan-driving-its-own-demise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3233071/talibans-repressive-rule-afghanistan-driving-its-own-demise?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Sep 2023 17:00:26 +0000 History is repeating itself in Afghanistan. Decades after the US-led coalition intervened to remove al-Qaeda, and in the process the Taliban, terrorist groups are again flourishing in the country with deadly results. This comes as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a report last week revealing the number of civilians killed in terrorist attacks since the Taliban takeover on August 15, 2021. According to UNAMA, 1,095 civilians were killed, including 287... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3226438/talibans-failures-have-left-afghanistan-grip-terrorism-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3226438/talibans-failures-have-left-afghanistan-grip-terrorism-again?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jul 2023 19:00:18 +0000 It has been almost two years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, which saw the United States and its allies leave in chaotic scenes after 20 years of supposed nation-building. Nature abhors a vacuum, and it has been one China is happy to fill. When Kabul fell to the Taliban, it did not go unnoticed in Western circles that China kept its embassy open, promising at the time, according to the Taliban spokesperson, to “beef up” relations with the new regime. Afghanistan offers China... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3221776/china-should-tread-carefully-afghanistan-or-risk-becoming-latest-addition-graveyard-empires?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3221776/china-should-tread-carefully-afghanistan-or-risk-becoming-latest-addition-graveyard-empires?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 May 2023 19:30:13 +0000 The World Bank recently released its Afghanistan Economic Monitor, painting a more optimistic outlook on the country’s economic situation. The report revealed that inflation had stabilised, the salaries of civil servants were now being paid and US$1.54 billion in revenue was collected last year. This is good news for the Afghans, who have suffered a brutal winter of acute food insecurity and dangerous levels of poverty. The Taliban pounced on the report, with the Office of the Deputy Prime... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3208896/if-afghan-economy-improving-its-no-thanks-taliban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3208896/if-afghan-economy-improving-its-no-thanks-taliban?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Feb 2023 19:30:14 +0000