Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday urged Pakistan and the Taliban to end the fighting and resolve their differences through dialogue and diplomacy. It described Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan border areas as a tragic incident.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said: “The Russian side calls on Islamabad and Kabul to end the armed conflict and resolve disputed issues through political and diplomatic means.”
The United Nations said on Monday that at least 28 people had been killed in Pakistan’s airstrikes. However, both the Pakistani military and the Taliban have reported higher casualty figures.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban of providing safe haven in Afghanistan to militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban reject the allegation, saying insecurity and militant activity are Pakistan’s internal problem.
Local sources in Daikundi have confirmed that unidentified gunmen shot dead Yaser Behzad Hosseini, a former officer in Afghanistan’s previous army, in the centre of Shahristan district.
According to the sources, two-armed men on a motorcycle killed him on Friday evening in Alqan Bazaar, only a short distance from the district governor’s office.
The attack occurred at around 8:00 pm while Behzad was closing his shop. Witnesses said two motorcycle-riding gunmen opened fire on him before fleeing the scene.
Relatives told Afghanistan International that the attackers shot him three times, killing him instantly.
During the former regime, Behzad worked in logistics and coordination for the army command in Daikundi province.
Flee to Tajikistan, family pressure and return
Sources said his life took a turbulent turn after the collapse of the former government. Due to security threats and fears of persecution, he initially fled to Tajikistan. After several years, he returned to Afghanistan but was detained by Taliban authorities for several days before being released. Fearing for his safety, he later fled to Tajikistan again.
According to the sources, Taliban forces detained his elderly father early last winter to pressure him into returning. The pressure eventually led him back to Afghanistan, where he opened a small shop in Alqan Bazaar, in Shahristan District of Daikundi Province to support himself.
Sources added that he had also been detained by Taliban intelligence about a month ago but was released before being transferred to Nili, the provincial capital, following mediation by the Taliban district governor.
Taliban authorities in Daikundi have not commented on the killing or the identity of the attackers.
Rising killings of former security personnel
The killing comes just one day after the body of Hashmatullah, another former Afghan National Army commander from the 201st Selab Corps, was found mutilated on the border between Parwan and Kapisa provinces, with reports that his eyes had been gouged out.
International human rights organisations have repeatedly reported that, despite Taliban claims of a general amnesty, arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and targeted killings of former military and security personnel continue across Afghanistan.
Recently, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada met governors from nine northern and north-eastern provinces in Kandahar. According to a Taliban statement, he said the purpose of the “general amnesty” decree was to prevent revenge and ensure peace and security.
He urged religious scholars and community elders to encourage forgiveness, resolve longstanding disputes and promote local reconciliation so that future generations do not become trapped in cycles of killing.
The Afghan Women United football team celebrated its first international victory with an emphatic 7–0 win over Libya in their third match of the FIFA tournament in Morocco.
The Afghan side had suffered defeats in their first two matches with 1–6 against Chad and 0–4 against Tunisia. FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended the second match to watch the team in action.
With the commanding win over Libya, Afghanistan earned three points, finishing third in the group standings, ahead of the Libyan women’s team.
The tournament, held in Morocco from 26 October to 1 November 2025, featured four teams: Afghanistan, Chad, Libya, and Tunisia.
This marked the Afghan women’s football team’s first appearance in an international competition in nearly four years, rekindling hope for the revival and future growth of women’s football in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Under-19 cricket team has secured qualification for the 2026 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup after finishing top of their group in the regional qualifiers.
Afghanistan was set to face Nepal in a decisive match on Saturday; however, the fixture was cancelled due to persistent rainfall and unplayable ground conditions. As a result, Afghanistan progressed based on their superior points and net run rate.
The Afghan side had already dominated the group stage, claiming comprehensive victories over the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and Oman in their previous three matches. They topped the table with six points and an impressive net run rate of +4.817. Nepal also finished with six points but had a lower net run rate of +3.576, placing them second.
The 2026 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup is scheduled to take place in Namibia and Zimbabwe during the first two months of 2026.
The Afghanistan national futsal team has successfully qualified for the Futsal World Cup after defeating Kyrgyzstan with a score of 5-3. Goalscorers for Afghanistan included Omid Qanbari, Akbar Kazemi, Mahdi Noruzi, and Mehran Gholami, who scored twice.
Reactions to the qualification have been overwhelmingly positive. The Taliban spokesperson extended congratulations to Afghanistan's futsal team on their World Cup qualification, declaring it a significant achievement.
Additionally, former officials such as Ashraf Ghani, Abdullah Abdullah, and Atta Mohammad Noor, among others, offered their praises separately, applauding the team for this historic accomplishment.
Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front also expressed his commendation, telling the team members, "After a long time, you have brought joy to the hearts of our suffering people. You are our pride."
With six gold, two silver, and four bronze medals, Afghanistan’s national Muay Thai team, secured the runner-up position at the international Muay Thai competition in Iran.
Afghan athletes also won the golden belt award and a trophy for the most technical team at the event.
Two teams representing Afghanistan participated in these competitions which concluded on Wednesday.
Mashaal Islamzai (51 kg); Jamil Ibrahimi (60 kg); Arash Ahmadi (57 kg); Yasin Mirzaei (48 kg) and Sayed Jamal Sahar (67 kg) won gold medals in their respective weight categories while Samiullah Alipoor and Reza Rezai secured the silver medals in the weight category of 67 kg and 54 kg respectively.
Apart from them, Shokrullah Yazdani (63.5 kg), Arif Salehi (75 kg), Hasan Sultani (75 kg), and Ali Sina Mohammadi (48 kg) clutched the bronze medals in their respective weight categories.
Afghanistan also managed to secure a gold and a silver medal in women’s competitions.
Iran secured the pole position in the competitions while Iraq placed third.
The competitions were held in Gilan in Iran with the participation of athletes from 13 countries. An Afghan immigrant team won 11 medals from these competitions too.
