Pakistan deported 2,784 Afghan migrants on Wednesday, April 8, the Taliban’s migrant affairs commission said. The returnees were sent back via the Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings, according to the group.
The ninth regional meeting of border chiefs from Commonwealth of Independent States countries was held in Guliston, Tajikistan, on Wednesday. Participants voiced concern over the impact of Afghanistan’s instability on Central Asian border security.
The National Resistance Front says it killed two Taliban members in a rocket attack on the Taliban governor’s office in Faizabad, Badakhshan. Local sources said three Taliban-linked sites were targeted on Wednesday night.
At least nine people were killed and 13 injured by flooding in the past 24 hours, a Taliban official said on Thursday. About 80 homes were destroyed and 626 damaged across several provinces.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation says Afghanistan remains under close watch, with member states monitoring developments due to their regional impact and shared borders.
A major fire at the Sheikh Abu Nasr Farahi border port in western Afghanistan has been brought under control with assistance from Iran, Taliban officials said on Wednesday.
The Taliban Foreign Ministry says talks with Pakistan in Urumqi have ended, describing discussions as “constructive” and covering bilateral ties, security issues and regional stability.
The Taliban’s disaster management authority says heavy rain and flooding over the past 24 hours have killed at least 15 people and injured 18 across 21 provinces, with one person missing.
A new nationwide polio vaccination campaign will begin in Afghanistan on Monday, April 13, with health authorities urging families to vaccinate all children under five.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the group will not allow any groups to use Afghan soil to threaten neighbouring countries, stressing a commitment to regional security.
Sources told Afghanistan International that talks between Pakistani officials and the Taliban in Urumqi ended without a clear outcome, with both delegations returning home, while China said progress was made.
UN-Habitat says around 4.2 million people in Afghanistan will need emergency non-food assistance and shelter in 2026, with recent floods further worsening conditions.
Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, said the military operation “Ghazab-Lil-Haq” against Afghan Taliban targets is ongoing and will continue until militant safe havens are eliminated.
The UN’s humanitarian agency says attacks continued in eastern Afghanistan despite an Eid ceasefire, displacing more than 94,000 people, including about 13,400 families.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met China’s ambassador in Kabul to discuss talks with Pakistan, saying negotiations with Islamabad have so far been positive.
Pakistani media report Islamabad set three conditions in Urumqi talks with the Taliban, including designating Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan a terrorist group and eliminating its sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s Public Works Ministry says snow, heavy rain, flooding and landslides have forced the closure of several key highways, including the Salang Pass and the Kabul–Jalalabad Road.
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has urged UN chief António Guterres to condemn Pakistan’s attacks on Afghanistan, calling them a violation of international law and Afghan sovereignty.
UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett says women and girls in Afghanistan still face major barriers to healthcare; warning Taliban restrictions are weakening the country’s health system.
Pakistani cleric Maulana Fazl ur Rehman has criticised the government’s border closures with Afghanistan and its handling of the economy, saying the policy has failed and officials are not being transparent with parliament.
Despite reduced clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban, the UN says about 100,000 people in Nuristan’s Barg-e Matal and Kamdesh districts lack access to humanitarian aid due to insecurity and blocked routes.
Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader, urged Hajj guides to educate people on Islamic rulings and “correct their thinking”, calling for continuous guidance and advice to pilgrims.