AT News KABUL – The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has informed Congress that there are no specific controls in place to prevent the diversion or misuse of funds intended for Afghanistan. The watchdog’s response to a Congressional inquiry on the Switzerland-based Afghan Fund, holding $3.5 billion, …

AT News KABUL – Tajik militant commander Muhammad Sharifov, also known as Mahdi Arsalon, wanted in Dushanbe on terrorism charges, has reportedly disappeared in Afghanistan, according to RFE/RL. Sources close to his relatives and friends revealed on January 8 that Sharifov went missing several months ago. Following the Taliban’s takeover …

AT News KABUL – The Taliban authorities have intensified their crackdown against dress code violations and reportedly arrested women in several neighborhoods of Kabul. The crackdown, primarily focused on enforcing strict dress standards, has recently escalated in western Kabul, with reports emerging from the Khair Khana and Taimani areas. Sources …

AT News KABUL – Last year, Afghanistan endured its worst drought in three decades and is now in its third consecutive year of ‘drought-like conditions’, which have placed Afghanistan among nations with highest levels of food insecurity, according to a new report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination …

AT News KABUL – At least 6 Pakistani police officers were killed and 10 other people injured after a roadside bomb exploded near a van carrying police assigned to protect workers in a polio immunization campaign in north-western Pakistan. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The bombing happened …

AT News KABUL – The chief of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has arrived in Kabul for discussions with the Taliban leaders, marking his first visit to Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. Accompanied by a high-level delegation, including party leaders Maulana Abdul Wasi, Maulana Salahuddin, Maulana …

AT News KABUL – A bomb explosion targeted a minibus in western Kabul on Saturday evening, killing at least two civilians and leaving 14 others wounded. The incident unfolded in Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood, known for its Shiite Muslim population. Khalid Zadran, spokesperson for the Kabul police under Taliban leadership, confirmed the …

AT News KABUL – The Taliban have again called on the international community for flexibility in recognizing their interim administration as the legitimate ruling government of Afghanistan, despite a recent global backlash after arrests of several women over ‘bad hijab’. Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban, told a …

AT News KABUL – The Taliban are actively establishing jihadi madrassas, or seminaries, across Afghanistan. Last year, they pledged to open “three to 10” madrasas in each province. With a cloud of uncertainty about the system of these religious education hubs, this calculated move could radicalize and inject extremism into the minds …

AT News KABUL – The Taliban have arrested women in Kabul for what they deem as “bad hijab,” marking the first instance of such actions against Afghan women. This move is seen as a further effort by the group to restrict women’s rights and exclude them from public life, drawing …