A document obtained by Afghanistan International indicates that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has issued a new verbal order banning the use of smartphones by the group members and government employees.
Documents obtained by Afghanistan International show that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has issued a new decree regulating gold panning activities. The decree, dated May 18, 2026, is being published by Afghanistan International for the first time.
Sources told Afghanistan International that Sirajuddin, a former police officer in Ghor province and a former jihadi commander, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Sunday afternoon.
The Taliban’s Justice Ministry has announced the publication of a Law on the Preservation of Jihadi Heritage after it was approved by the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Multiple sources in Herat told Afghanistan International that the wave of arrests targeting women continued Sunday, with Taliban authorities detaining eight women in the Jebrail area as part of an operation against those accused of violating the group’s dress code requirements.
Residents of Herat told Afghanistan International that Taliban authorities launched a large-scale operation on Saturday to detain women accused of violating the group’s mandatory dress code, with more than 20 women reportedly arrested in one area alone.
Afghanistan International’s review of Taliban Interior Ministry statements suggests crime has risen sharply across major Afghan cities, with authorities reporting 1,878 arrests nationwide over the past month alone.
The Taliban’s ambassador in Moscow held separate talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk and Chamber of Commerce President Sergei Katyrin on expanding economic and trade ties.
The interior ministers of Pakistan and Tajikistan have expressed deep concern over the presence of militant safe havens and the growth of narcotics production in Afghanistan during a meeting on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation gathering in Bishkek.
Euractiv, a European outlet focused on EU policy, has criticised the Taliban's invitation to Brussels, reminding members that the Taliban Education Minister Habibullah Agha was sanctioned in 2023 for barring girls from schooling beyond grade six.
The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat has warned that women who appear in public without complying with the group’s prescribed dress code, including those showing their faces or wearing make-up, will face action.
Local sources in Spin Boldak, Kandahar, say prolonged border closures and passport requirements for travel between Afghanistan and Pakistan have fuelled a rise in people smuggling across the frontier.
The United Nations office in Afghanistan confirmed on Friday, June 5, the death of Freshta Emady, an employee of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Kabul.
The United Arab Emirates has stressed the importance of protecting the rights of Afghan citizens, particularly women and girls, and called for their access to education, employment and equal participation in society.
More than half of Afghanistan’s population is facing the devastating effects of drought and severe water shortages, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on World Environment Day.
Local sources told Afghanistan International that an explosion occurred around midday on Friday, June 5, in Kabul’s 11th police district, near a boys’ school and the residence of a senior Taliban official.
The Taliban’s disaster management authority has warned of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and possible flash floods in eight Afghan provinces, with precipitation of between 5 and 20 millimetres forecast for June 5.
Reliable sources told Afghanistan International on Thursday that Taliban and Pakistani representatives held an informal meeting in the Uzbek border city of Termez at the request and with the mediation of the Uzbek government.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk says talks on a railway project through Afghanistan are continuing despite ongoing instability in the region, including plans for a western route passing through Herat province.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan says his office has verified cases of sexual violence allegedly committed by Taliban officials, primarily in detention centres. Victims interviewed included women and girls, as well as men and boys.
The Taliban displayed the bloodied bodies of two men in the city of Herat after killing them in Injil district, saying they died during a confrontation with security forces while allegedly attempting an armed robbery.