In the latest sign of closer ties between India and the Taliban, Anand Prakash, a senior Indian Foreign Ministry official, attended an event in New Delhi marking the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power.
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has described an explosion near a school in Dasht-e Barchi, a predominantly Hazara area of Kabul, as deplorable.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran has not yet reached a final decision on formally recognising the Taliban government.
Residents of Kabul reported an explosion in the Dasht-e Barchi area of western Kabul on Monday, 17 August. Some residents said the blast occurred near a school. Details about the cause and possible casualties remain unclear.
Protests marking the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power have spread to 28 cities worldwide, with many demonstrators urging governments not to normalise ties with the group and to recognise gender apartheid in Afghanistan.
The United Nations said on Sunday that more than 700 trucks carrying international humanitarian aid had entered Afghanistan through Pakistan.
Afghan artists, civil society activists and citizens gathered in Washington to protest Taliban policies, joining demonstrations in cities worldwide and calling for support for Afghans’ rights, particularly those of women and girls.
Sources in Badakhshan told Afghanistan International on Monday that dissident Taliban commander Juma Khan Fateh left his military positions and surrendered to Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat in Nusay district centre.
Spain’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that normalising relations with the Taliban depends on respect for human rights and human dignity in Afghanistan, where women and girls still face “systematic discrimination”.
The Taliban re-enacted a bomb attack on US forces in Paktia province as part of events marking the fifth anniversary of its return to power.
Local sources reported new clashes on Saturday, 15 August, between the Afghanistan Freedom Front and Taliban forces in Zebak district of Badakhshan.
As fighting intensifies in Nusay district of Badakhshan’s Darwaz area, the Afghanistan Freedom Front says it carried out a “pre-emptive” attack on Taliban positions in Zebak district.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told Afghanistan International that it is closely monitoring the situation in Badakhshan but does not yet have verified information on civilians in areas affected by the fighting.
A resident of Nusay district told Afghanistan International on Saturday that the military situation had intensified, with the Taliban imposing a night-time curfew and completely shutting down telecommunications networks.
Tajmir Jawad, the Taliban’s deputy intelligence chief, has acknowledged the presence of opportunistic individuals within the Taliban administration, saying their activities are being monitored and action will be taken against them.
Rawadari, a human rights organisation, says human rights violations and repression have remained widespread in Afghanistan over the past five years, with at least 6,929 civilians killed or wounded between 15 August 2021 and 31 December 2025.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told The New York Times that the United States could reopen its embassy in Kabul and restore a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban interior minister, says the group is seeking to resolve existing challenges through engagement with the world, while warning that some circles abroad are trying to create disorder in Afghanistan.
Taliban Defence Minister Yaqoob Mujahid warned on Friday that the group’s forces were ready to confront internal and external threats, saying any Pakistani aggression against Afghan territory would receive a calculated response.
The Bolaq Analysts Network said in a new report that Hazaras have faced widespread security, political, economic, religious and cultural challenges during the five years of Taliban rule.
Local sources told Afghanistan International on Friday, 14 August, that the Taliban had launched a large-scale operation against Juma Khan Fateh’s positions in Nusay district, Badakhshan, with fierce fighting under way.