Afghanistan

April 16, 2025 9:11 AM

Earthquake of magnitude 5.9 strikes Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan

In the early hours of Wednesday, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The tremor occurred at 04.43 a.m. IST (local time), with the epicentre located at latitude 35.83 degrees North and longitude 70.60 degrees East, at a depth of 75 kilometres. The NCS shared the details on X, stating: "EQ of M: 5.9, On: 16/04/2025 04:43:58 IST, Lat: 35.83 N, Long: 70.60 E, Depth: 75 Km, Location: Hindu Kush, Afghanistan." ...

March 12, 2025 11:32 AM

Pakistan rescues 155 hostages from train, dozens still held, sources say

Pakistani forces have rescued 155 passengers from a train that was hijacked by separatist fighters in the southwest of the country, security sources said on Wednesday, while the government said an operation was underway to rescue dozens still held hostage. Militants blew up a railway track and opened fire on the train on Tuesday as it travelled from Quetta, Balochistan's capital city, to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an ethnic armed group, claimed r...

February 14, 2025 8:32 PM

Afghan national confesses to Munich car ramming that injured 36, prosecutor says

An Afghan national has admitted to purposefully driving into a crowd in the German city of Munich and authorities have determined an Islamist motive for the crime, a prosecutor said on Friday. At least 36 people including a toddler were hurt on Thursday when the 24-year-old man ploughed into demonstrators gathered in the city centre, putting security back in focus before next week's federal election. "He has admitted that he deliberately drove into the participants of the demonstration," lead ...

January 23, 2025 2:12 PM

Islamic State claims responsibility for Chinese national killed in Afghanistan

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the killing of a Chinese national in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province, in a post on its Telegram channel late on Wednesday. Afghan police in the province had said on Wednesday that a Chinese citizen was murdered and a preliminary investigation had been launched, but it was not clear who was behind the attack. The Islamic State said it had targeted a vehicle carrying the Chinese citizen, which led to his death and damage to his vehicle. Ch...

January 7, 2025 12:12 PM

UK politicians urge England to boycott Afghanistan match over treatment of women

A group of British lawmakers urged England to boycott their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan next month, saying the country's cricket board (ECB) needed to take a stand against the Taliban's crackdown on women. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 it has clamped down on the rights of women and girls, restricting their access to education and work, curbing their freedom of movement, and forcing them to cover their faces and bodies. Women and girls have also been barred from spo...

January 6, 2025 4:20 PM

India condemns Pak airstrikes on Afghanistan, says ‘old practice’ to blame neighbours for internal failures

India on Monday condemned the recent Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan, emphasizing that it is Islamabad's "longstanding pattern" to blame its neighbours for its internal failures. "We have noted media reports of airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several civilian lives have been lost," said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), while responding to media queries. "We unequivocally condemn any attack on innocent civilians. ...

December 27, 2024 9:04 AM

Condolences pour in from across the globe on demise of former PM Manmohan Singh

Condolences have poured in from across the globe following the demise of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Leaders from neighbouring countries including the Maldives and Afghanistan, expressed deep grief over his passing, highlighting his contributions and warm relations with their nations. Former President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai in a post on X said that India has lost one of its most illustrious sons. Calling him an "unwavering ally and friend to the people of Afghanistan", Karzai...

July 20, 2024 4:51 PM

Panel studying US war in Afghanistan holds first public hearing

A commission created by Congress to conduct an independent review of the 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan held its first public hearing on Friday, pledging to be "unflinching" in examining how and why key decisions were made and who made them. But, while accountability "is centrally important, our focus is less on assigning credit or blame ... than on extracting and applying its lessons" for future conflicts, said co-chair Colin Jackson. The panel's first public hearing came just over a month b...

July 1, 2024 10:54 AM

India joins UN led conference on Afghanistan in Doha

India has joined a UN-led conference on Afghanistan that began on Sunday in Doha. Representing India at the conference is J.P. Singh, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. India is one of 25 countries participating in this third conference, which aims to find ways to improve the lives of Afghan people under Taliban rule. This meeting is notable because it is the first time the Taliban are attending the talks. However, the UN has clarified that the discussions are not intended to ...

September 16, 2024 6:37 PM

Russia invites Afghanistan’s Taliban to major economic forum

Russia has invited Afghanistan's Taliban to its biggest annual economic forum as Moscow moves to remove a ban on the Islamist movement, a senior Russian diplomat was quoted as saying on Monday. Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war, Russia has been slowly building ties with the Taliban, though the movement is still officially outlawed in Russia. Russia's foreign and justice ministries have reported to President Vladimir Putin on the iss...