Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has described Afghanistan as the main source of terrorism and blamed it for insecurity in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported that more than 8.8 million children in Afghanistan face climate-related risks. According to the report, over 75 percent of Afghan children are exposed to drought, while more than half face longer and more frequent heatwaves.
A Taliban military court has banned the use of smartphones by all government employees, according to a document obtained by Afghanistan International. The court warned that anyone violating the order will have their phone destroyed and be referred to a military tribunal.
Belgium's Foreign Ministry has informed Afghanistan International that decisions on holding meetings and inviting delegations rest with European institutions.
The protests that began in Herat’s Jebrail district following the detention of women and Taliban restrictions on women and girls have sparked a wave of international solidarity.
Taliban Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said an agreement between Iran and the United States would be a positive step benefiting the region. He described its implementation as a welcome development.
Alongside extending UNAMA’s mandate, the UN Security Council reaffirmed the importance of continued humanitarian assistance, support for human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls, and efforts to counter terrorist threats in Afghanistan.
Local sources in Herat’s Jebrail area told Afghanistan International that the Taliban has detained two men accused of filming the moment its forces opened fire on protesters during demonstrations earlier this week.
Nasir Andisha, Afghanistan’s permanent representative to the UN, says a draft resolution extending UNAMA’s mandate has replaced the term “de facto rulers” of Afghanistan for the Taliban with “relevant authorities” at the proposal of the US, UK and France.
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has welcomed the finalisation of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the conflict and resolving disputes through negotiations.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2026. The UN has called for urgent funding to “save lives and prevent irreversible harm” caused by the crisis.
Khalid Zadran, the Taliban police spokesperson in Kabul, announced that the driver who rammed a vehicle into a group of girls in Kabul has been arrested.
Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban deputy prime minister for administrative affairs, praised the performance of Herat’s local administration amid widespread protests over the detention of women in the province.
Japan’s ambassador to Afghanistan Kenichi Masamitsu has announced that Tokyo will allocate $35 million for development projects in Afghanistan.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) says it has provided vital assistance to more than 18,000 Afghans affected by conflict in border areas of eastern Afghanistan. The aid included temporary shelter, hygiene kits, kitchen supplies and cash assistance.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday defended the fencing and strengthening of security infrastructure along the border with Afghanistan. He said the spending on securing the frontier was a necessary measure to protect the lives of Pakistani citizens.
As civil protests continue over the Taliban’s recent arrests of women accused of violating the group’s dress code, and security tensions remain high in Herat, Taliban Governor Noor Ahmad Islamjar has travelled to Kabul.
The Taliban Ministry of Refugees announced on Saturday, June 13, that 763 Afghan nationals were released from Pakistani prisons over the past week. In a statement, the ministry said they returned to Afghanistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.
A Taliban spokesman says the group leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, used a cabinet meeting in Kandahar to stress the proper implementation of the Islamic system and his decrees.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) says its forces targeted a gathering of Taliban morality police at the entrance to the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice office in Herat on Friday night, June 12.
Residents of Herat awoke on Friday, June 12, to find hundreds of Taliban fighters deployed across the city with light and heavy military equipment, including tanks.