The suicide of a former Afghan army pilot in Mashhad has highlighted the dire circumstances facing Afghan military refugees in Iran, according to Iranian researcher Arash Nasresfahani.
The Taliban have prohibited table football in Daikundi province, local sources told Afghanistan International. The group claims the miniature player figures in the game resemble idols, which they say is forbidden in Islam.
The National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan has announced that 90 percent of the country’s gasoline exports in the first quarter of 2025 were sent to Afghanistan. This marks a dramatic increase in bilateral trade between the two countries.
Abdul Rashid Dostum, former Vice President of Afghanistan, has sharply criticised the Taliban for what he described as discriminatory policies targeting the country’s Turkic population. He also expressed disappointment at the muted response from Turkic-speaking nations.
Mujib Rahman Rahimi, a former senior official in Afghanistan’s previous government, has criticised the Taliban for imposing severe restrictions on independent media, forcing many outlets to either shut down or act as mouthpieces for the regime.
The Taliban have arrested another prominent cleric in Kabul, continuing a wave of detentions targeting religious scholars who have expressed dissent against the group’s leadership.
Local sources told Afghanistan International on Monday that public protests are intensifying in Badakhshan province, with demonstrators calling for the removal of Qari Ayub Khalid, the Taliban governor.
Local sources have confirmed that Mawlawi Zaidullah, a militia commander and known opponent of the Taliban, was killed on Monday following intense armed clashes in the Shuhada district of Badakhshan province.
The Taliban’s Virtue and Vice directorate in Laghman has announced the destruction of over 100 musical instruments in Alingar district. The Taliban states that it is part of the group’s ongoing enforcement of its ban on music.
The rights group Hengaw has said that the Iran executed six prisoners between Saturday and Monday, in the cities of Zahedan, Qom, and Borujerd. Among those executed was a 25-year-old Afghan national.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi declared Afghanistan “open for business” during his appearance at the 20th Western China International Fair in Sichuan on Monday. He signalled a shift toward an economy-driven foreign policy and urged international investment.
Afghans participating in the fourth round of the Antalya Process have criticised the United Nations for failing to consult civil society in the development of its “Mosaic” initiative.
Clashes between Taliban forces and local farmers in Farghamanch village, Jurm district of Badakhshan, have entered a second consecutive day, local sources told Afghanistan International.
The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported on Monday that 480 Afghan migrant families have returned from Iran and Pakistan within the past 24 hours.
General Jalaluddin Yaftali, former commander of the 203rd Army Corps, has urged the people of Badakhshan to prepare for what he described as a “historic battle” to expel the Taliban from the province.
Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, met with Tobias Krause, Germany’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, on Monday, 26 May, in Islamabad.
Karim Khurram, former chief of staff to President Hamid Karzai, warned on Sunday that Afghanistan risks becoming the latest arena for global power rivalry unless it forges national consensus and rebuilds legitimate institutions.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that humanitarian operations in Afghanistan remain severely hampered by Taliban interference, particularly affecting women aid workers and beneficiaries.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has appealed for $555 million to support Afghanistan’s most vulnerable families through August.
The Taliban has dismissed the Organisation of Turkic States’ plea for an inclusive Afghan government as an internal affair.
India has resumed issuing visas for Afghan citizens after a four-year suspension, government sources told The Hindu.