At least 233 Afghan nationals have been executed in Iran since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 through September 2026, with the number of executions rising sharply in recent years.
The EU has appointed Thomas Frellesen as its new special envoy for Afghanistan. He says support for Afghans, particularly women and girls, will remain central to the bloc’s engagement with the country.
Shahabuddin Delawar, head of the Taliban’s contact commission, has ruled out political talks with opponents, saying negotiations would amount to recognising them as a party to Afghanistan’s conflict.
Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar accused the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of poor governance and called the party a branch of the TTP, alleging it spends provincial funds on protests instead of counter-terrorism.
The UN says 1,415 children were killed or wounded in Afghanistan over three years, including 446 killed and 969 injured. The casualties included 1,094 boys, 310 girls and 11 children of unknown sex.
A Pakistani security analyst says Russia’s changing stance towards the Taliban and ISIS suggests Moscow is reshaping its Afghanistan policy and creating a new “Great Game” in the region.
Nikkei Asia says continued clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, along with failed Chinese mediation, have complicated Afghanistan’s security situation and could increase the risk of renewed civil war.
Iranian MP Mohsen Zangeneh has walked back remarks about allocating more than 110 hectares of land in Chabahar to Afghanistan, saying no Iranian territory has been handed over.
Taliban governors, police chiefs, intelligence officials and military commanders from five northern provinces met in Maimana on Thursday night amid increased attacks by armed opposition groups.
The International Organization for Migration says more than 6.5 million Afghans returned from Iran and Pakistan over the past three years, warning that Afghanistan lacks the capacity to absorb them.
The US State Department says the Taliban made no meaningful effort to combat human trafficking in 2026, leaving Afghanistan in the lowest tier of its annual report.
Pakistan on Friday rejected Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s allegations that Islamabad has links to ISKP, saying security in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan and Nuristan provinces is the Taliban’s responsibility.
UAE Ambassador to the UN Mohamed Abushahab told new UNAMA chief Rabab Fatima that Afghanistan cannot achieve stability, security or prosperity without fully guaranteeing equal rights for women and girls.
France says it has opened technical talks with the Taliban to facilitate the deportation of Afghan nationals who are in the country illegally and are considered a threat to French security.
UN Assistant Secretary-General Alexander Zuev says Islamic State- Khorasan remains one of Islamic State’s most powerful branches and that its activities in Afghanistan threaten security across the region.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has called for continuous, structured talks with the Taliban on water management, warning of growing water scarcity and climate pressures across Central Asia.
An Iranian MP says a preliminary agreement has been reached to allocate more than 110 hectares of land at Chabahar port to Afghanistan for commercial activities and investment by Afghan companies and traders.
Sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban barred women from entering the Imam Abu Hanifa International Exhibition in Kabul, including Afghan women and invited female visitors from India and Iran.
Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and the EU’s new chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan, Nicola Bellomo, discussed bilateral ties, cooperation, counter-narcotics efforts and Afghanistan’s security situation.
Spain’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Javier Puig, said in Madrid that half of Afghanistan’s population lives under gender apartheid, warning that growing engagement with the Taliban must not lead to its normalisation.
UNAMA says the Taliban detained at least 52 women and one girl in Kabul and Herat between July and September 2026, voicing deep concern over arrests and threats of detention targeting women and girls.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for practical action against militant groups operating from Afghanistan during a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday.