New UN Envoy Says Afghanistan’s Future Must Be Shaped by Its People

October 24, 2026 Current News Articles

Mujeeb Rahman Awrang

Kabul Tribune

24 October 2026

The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The United Nations’ new special representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, has pledged to work alongside the Afghan people as they confront years of conflict, displacement and humanitarian crises, emphasizing that the country’s future must be determined by its own citizens.

In a video message marking the United Nations’ 81st anniversary on Saturday, Fatima said she was beginning her responsibilities in Afghanistan with deep respect for its people, culture and heritage, and a commitment to listening and engaging with communities.

“The future of Afghanistan belongs to its people, and the United Nations will remain a committed partner as Afghans shape that future,” she said.

Fatima praised the resilience of Afghans who have continued serving their communities despite decades of instability and hardship.

She highlighted the contributions of women, young people, teachers, health workers, community leaders and humanitarian workers, describing their dedication as a source of hope and inspiration.

The U.N. envoy acknowledged the scale of Afghanistan’s challenges but said the abilities and aspirations of its people offered greater potential for the country’s future.

“The challenges facing Afghanistan are significant, but the talents, aspirations, and potential of its people are even greater,” she said.

Fatima reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment to supporting Afghans and advocating for dignity, opportunity and improved living conditions across the country.

She also reflected on Afghanistan’s long relationship with the United Nations, noting that the country joined the organization in 1946, a year after its establishment.

For nearly eight decades, she said, the U.N. and its humanitarian partners have supported Afghan communities through conflict, drought, displacement and natural disasters.

The special representative said the organization, established in the aftermath of World War II, remains guided by the belief that peace can be achieved through dialogue, international cooperation and shared humanity.

Her remarks come as Afghanistan continues to face significant humanitarian and economic challenges, with vulnerable communities struggling to recover from years of conflict and recurring natural disasters.

Marking United Nations Day, observed annually on Oct. 24, Fatima called for confidence in Afghanistan’s future and renewed the organization’s commitment to working with its people.

The United Nations was founded in 1945, and Afghanistan became a member the following year.

Pakistan urges Afghanistan to act against militants and denies recruiting Afghan fighters

October 24, 2026 Current News Articles

By MUNIR AHMED

Associated Press

October 24, 2026

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan urged Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Saturday to take verifiable action against militants it says operate from Afghan territory, dismissing Kabul’s assertion that Islamabad was shifting blame for its own security failures.

In a separate statement on X, Pakistan’s Information Ministry rejected allegations that it was arming Afghans to fight the Taliban or recruiting them to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents. Former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad had cited reports of both activities a day earlier.

The exchanges come amid heightened tensions between the two sides over militant activity, repeated border clashes and Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, deepening a longstanding dispute over responsibility for cross-border violence.

Khalilzad on Friday wrote on X that there had been reports of Pakistan arming Afghans to fight the Taliban inside Afghanistan and of the Pakistani military recruiting Afghans to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents. He offered no evidence, and did not identify the sources of those reports.

Last month, Afghanistan said its forces killed 28 fighters and captured 32 others, including alleged members of the Islamic State group said to have crossed from neighboring Pakistan.

Pakistan frequently accuses Kabul of sheltering the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, as well as the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, and al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, an affiliate of the global extremist network. The TTP is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban.

On Friday, the Afghan Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that Kabul was not responsible for insecurity in Pakistan. He accused Pakistani military and security agencies of shifting blame when they failed to maintain security at home. He said Kabul had neither an interest in destabilizing Pakistan nor the capability to foment or finance unrest in other countries.

In Islamabad, the Information Ministry on X said those assertions did not address what it described as documented security concerns. It cited attempted cross-border infiltration, the deaths of Afghan nationals and members of militant groups during Pakistani counterterrorism operations, and the recovery of foreign-origin weapons as matters requiring scrutiny.

According to the ministry, the U.S. report covering January through March 2026 estimated the strength of the Pakistani Taliban at 4,000 to 6,000 fighters.

Pakistan is currently conducting multiple operations against militants near the Afghan border.

The ministry said these security measures were aimed at targeting militant threats, not the Afghan people. It urged the Taliban government to end any tolerance, facilitation or support for militant organizations, including the TTP and the BLA, and prevent Afghan territory from being used to plan or launch attacks against Pakistan.

Militant violence has surged in Pakistan in recent years, with much of it blamed on TTP and BLA. Pakistan says many TTP leaders and BLA insurgents have found sanctuary in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021, an allegation Kabul denies.

Pakistani authorities say more than 2,800 militant attacks since January have killed 3,000 people across Pakistan, mainly in the northwest and Balochistan province.

Islamabad rebuts Kabul’s stance on ‘lacking capacity’ to fuel insecurity in Pakistan, slams ‘diversionary allegations’

October 24, 2026 Current News Articles

The information ministry on Saturday rebutted the Afghan Taliban’s stance that it lacked the “capabilities” to fuel insecurity in other countries and criticised it for resorting to “diversionary allegations” instead of preventing the use of Afghanistan’s soil for terrorist attacks against Pakistan.

The ministry’s rebuttal comes after spokesperson for the interim Taliban administration in Afghanistan, Zabiullah Mujahid, said in a statement on X last night that it was not in his country’s “interest to create insecurity in Pakistan or to support any acts of instability there”.

He further contended that the Taliban “do not possess capabilities or resources to foment or finance insecurity in other countries”, and claimed that Islamabad’s “misguided approach distracted Pakistan’s security forces from their own duties”.

On Saturday, the information ministry said the Afghan Taliban “once again resorted to diversionary allegations instead of addressing Pakistan’s legitimate and longstanding security concerns”.

“Pakistan’s concerns are not based on conjecture,” it asserted, adding that the “assertion that Afghanistan lacks either the capacity or the interest to destabilise Pakistan does not address these documented concerns”.

It backed its stance on cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan by citing a report by the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team and another report submitted to the United States Congress.

The UNSC team, in its 16th report, “examined the presence and activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan”, the ministry said.

It further noted that the report by the US Lead Inspector General’s Operation Enduring Sentinel for January-March 2026 stated that the Afghan Taliban continued to allow the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan territory.

The ministry also highlighted other findings from the report, which stated that the Taliban continued to allow TTP “greater liberty and support, resulting in increased TTP attacks against Pakistan”. It added that TTP remained the “largest in number” among those groups.

“The report estimated TTP strength at 4,000–6,000 fighters. These assessments underscore the seriousness of Pakistan’s concerns regarding terrorist sanctuaries and support networks operating from Afghan soil,” the information ministry emphasised.

“Repeated attempts by armed terrorists to infiltrate across Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the killing of Afghan nationals and members of terrorist groups during Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations, and the recovery of foreign-origin weapons from terrorist elements, all warrant serious scrutiny,” the ministry stressed.

It noted that Pakistan had also raised concerns over “alleged facilitation of terrorist groups by Afghan Taliban officials, including officials in Kandahar”. “Such concerns cannot be dismissed through blanket denials; they require credible explanations and verifiable action.”

The ministry further said that “blaming Pakistan’s security institutions does not absolve the [Afghan Taliban] regime of its responsibility to prevent Afghan territory from being used for terrorism against Pakistan”.

‘Legitimate security concerns’

The ministry clarified that Pakistan’s “security measures are directed against terrorist threats, not the Afghan people”.

“Attempts to portray Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns and necessary defensive measures as hostility towards Afghanistan will neither deflect attention from the issue nor resolve it,” it stressed.

Pointing out that peace and stability were closely linked, it highlighted that Afghan people stand “as much to gain from a region free of terrorism as their Pakistani neighbours”.

“The Afghan Taliban regime must end any tolerance, facilitation or support for terrorist organisations, including TTP, BLA (Baloch Liberation Army) and their affiliates, and ensure that Afghan territory is not used to plan, prepare or launch attacks against Pakistan,” the ministry demanded.

It declared that Islamabad “will continue to take all necessary measures to protect its citizens, sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

The ministry affirmed that Pakistan “remains open to responsible engagement based on mutual respect, verifiable commitments and concrete action against terrorist sanctuaries, support networks and cross-border infiltration”.

“However, Afghan Taliban regime must understand that peace can only prevail in the region if Pakistan’s core concern of terrorism originating from Afghanistan is verifiably addressed by the Afghan Taliban,” the statement concluded.

Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained in the past few years as Islamabad continues to voice its concern over cross-border terrorism.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration in Kabul to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP, that are used for attacks in Pakistan. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.

September witnessed another bout of conflict between the two neighbours, with Pakistan carrying out calibrated airstrikes in the border region in response to terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

This was followed by drone incursions from across the border, which Islamabad said were shot down, and two further rounds of retaliatory airstrikes.

Pakistan rejects Khalilzad’s allegations of arming Afghans

Earlier in the day, the information ministry rejected former United States envoy Zalmay Khalilzad’s “baseless and misleading allegations” that Pakistan was “arming Afghans to fight the Taliban”.

The ministry’s response came a day after Khalilzad, who served as special representative to Afghanistan during the first Trump administration, claimed on X that there were “many reports that Pakistan is arming Afghans to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan”. He further alleged that Pakistan was now “recruiting Afghans to fight against anti-Pakistan insurgents”, adding that ties between the two countries were likely to “get much worse”.

“His sweeping baseless assertions merely recycle speculative narratives as part of his personal agenda to prop [the] terrorism-supporting Taliban regime,” the information ministry’s fact-check account said on X.

It rebuked Khalilzad, saying his “[peddling] of such unsubstantiated allegations only exposes his skewed agenda-based views”.

‘Open War’ Between Afghanistan and Pakistan Adds a Volatile Element

October 22, 2026 Current News Articles

By Elian Peltier

Elian Peltier is the bureau chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The New York Times

Oct. 22, 2026

China has tried to mediate, unsuccessfully. So have Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. And yet the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan shows no sign of ending, and each side appears to have abandoned diplomacy. Proxy groups are also playing a growing role in the fighting.

In the latest round of fighting on Saturday, Pakistan’s military claims to have destroyed a military camp along the rugged, porous border and killed Afghan soldiers. A provincial spokesman for the Afghan military denied that there were any Afghan casualties and claimed instead that the Taliban had killed 13 Pakistani soldiers.

The conflict could become even more unpredictable, said Ibraheem Bahiss, an expert on Afghanistan at the International Crisis Group, as both sides embrace proxy groups: The Taliban in Afghanistan are accused of failing to restrain incursions by armed groups in the borderland that target Pakistan, while Pakistan is warming to the idea of supporting anti-Taliban armed opposition.

On Sept. 27, the Taliban said they had killed 28 militiamen and captured 32 others who had tried to enter Afghanistan from Pakistan. The Pakistani government called the accusations “baseless.”

“The proxy standoff is intensifying, and that’s a more dangerous escalation,” Mr. Bahiss said.

Pakistan’s military and intelligence officials have met with leaders of anti-Taliban armed groups in recent months to offer potential support, according to a Pakistani intelligence official, a former national security official briefed on the meetings, and a senior Afghan member of one of those groups.

The conflict between the two countries, which escalated when Pakistan declared “open war” in late February, has stymied months of effort to broker peace and killed or injured at least 1,100 Afghan civilians. More than 730 civilians have been killed in militant attacks in Pakistan this year, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, a New Delhi-based monitoring platform.

In April, China hosted talks that went nowhere. On Oct. 5, a meeting in Moscow on Afghan security among 10 countries in the region failed to produce a joint statement because of disagreements between the Afghan and Pakistani delegations, according to Vladimir V. Putin’s special representative for Russia.

“The two sides are so fixated on their own position and righteousness of their arguments that no one has the ability to coerce or strong-arm either, even China,” said Mr. Bahiss.

“It is progressing from a low-grade confrontation to an entrenched conflict that has the potential to spiral out of control,” said Amira Jadoon, an associate professor of political science at Clemson University and a South Asia security expert. “But the underlying issue is never resolved.”

That issue is the Taliban’s support for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban. Thousands of militants from the group navigate the porous border to stage attacks on Pakistani security forces. Security experts and officials attribute a sharp increase in attacks on Pakistan to the permissive environment provided by the Afghan Taliban since 2021.

There have been, on average, more than one militant attack a day on Pakistani security forces this year, according to a tally by the Pak Institute of Peace Studies, a research center based in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

The Taliban have denied providing any support for militant attacks on Pakistan.

Publicly, both sides say they remain open to diplomacy, but the Pakistani government says it won’t negotiate with the Taliban until they commit to stopping supporting militant groups.

Until then, Pakistani military and political leaders view military action as the only option left, according to Aarish Khan, an analyst at a government-funded research center in Islamabad, even though that may push the Taliban to rely even further on the militants attacking Pakistan.

“It doesn’t seem to be as much a long-term strategy as the outcome of pent-up frustration,” said Mr. Khan, head of the Afghanistan program at the Institute of Regional Studies. “And pent-up frustration isn’t viable in the long term.”

Civilians on both sides of the border say they are bearing the brunt of the violence.

In the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, some residents said they worry that a recent power grab by the federal government against provincial officials could give the military an even freer hand in launching operations without any accountability.

“It will cause displacement again and create more chaos,” said Amjad Wazir, a university student from the region.

Across the border, Mohammad Idris Zazi, a taxi driver in Paktia Province, where Saturday’s clashes erupted, said he could not work because of the relentless airstrikes and shelling. He said, “What have we done wrong to deserve to become victims of disputes between the two countries?”

Zia ur-Rehman and Safiullah Padshah contributed reporting.

Elian Peltier is The Times’s bureau chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan, based in Islamabad.

UNAMA Confirms Attack on Staff Member in Afghanistan’s Bamyan

October 22, 2026 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

October 22, 2026

Reported UNAMA Security Incident in Bamyan

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is gathering information about a security incident involving one of its staff members in Bamyan province, the mission said Thursday.

A UNAMA spokesperson said the incident occurred on Wednesday evening and that the mission was still examining the details.

The staff member was not injured and is safe, the spokesperson said. UNAMA has not yet released further details about the incident.

According to local sources, armed assailants opened fire on a vehicle carrying a UNAMA security official at around 6:30 p.m. in Bamyan city. Images appeared to show damage to the vehicle, including a mark on the windshield consistent with a bullet impact and a shattered side window.

UNAMA did not identify the staff member or explicitly confirm that gunfire was involved.

The incident comes amid ongoing security concerns in Afghanistan, where despite the authorities’ claims of improved security, sporadic attacks, armed violence and unexplained security incidents continue to be reported in various parts of the country. The circumstances surrounding the incident in Bamyan, including the motive and those responsible, remain unclear, and UNAMA has said it is still gathering information.

The United Nations and other international organisations have continued to monitor Afghanistan’s security and humanitarian situation since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. While the scale and nature of violence have changed, attacks claimed by militant groups, including Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-K), remain a concern. However, no available information establishes a link between the reported incident involving the UN staff member in Bamyan and any militant group.

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October 22, 2026 Current News Articles

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October 22, 2026 Current News Articles

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UN Experts Warn EU Against Afghan Deportations and Normalization of Taliban Rule

October 22, 2026 Current News Articles

Besmellah Zahidi·

Kabul Now

October 22, 2026

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – United Nations human rights experts expressed concern on Thursday over reports that European Union member states are deporting Afghan nationals to Afghanistan, saying the country remains unsafe for forced returns and that such actions could violate international law.

In a joint statement, the experts, including Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, stressed the principle of non-refoulement, which bars returns to places where people face serious risks. They reminded EU states of their obligations under international human rights and refugee law.

The experts described Afghanistan’s human rights situation as “dire,” saying violations against women and girls are so widespread and systematic that they could amount to crimes against humanity.

They also cited reports of torture and extrajudicial killings targeting ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, journalists, sexual and gender minorities, and former Afghan officials and security personnel.

The group reminded EU member states of their non-refoulement obligations under the Convention against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Refugee Convention, and the European Convention on Human Rights.

“International law’s non-refoulement obligation prohibits the removal of any person to a State where they are at risk of arbitrary deprivation of life, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention, flagrant denial of justice and other serious violations of human rights,” the experts said.

The experts also warned against efforts to normalize relations with the Taliban, citing a visit by a Taliban delegation to Brussels in June at the invitation of the European Commission. The commission described the meeting as “technical,” while the Taliban delegation called it “historic.”

“We remain concerned that such engagement, without clear redlines on the need for improvements in respect for human rights, leads to the normalization of gross human rights violations by the Taliban, including gender persecution,” the experts said.

They noted that some EU member states continue “technical discussions” to facilitate deportations and have accepted Taliban consular officials on their territories.

The experts urged EU states to increase advocacy for human rights improvements in Afghanistan. “There must be no normalization or legitimation of the Taliban unless there are concrete improvements on human rights, including the lifting of the ban on the education of girls and women over sixth grade,” they said.

European countries have increased contacts with the Taliban regarding the deportation of Afghan migrants. France has confirmed it is in contact with the group on the matter. Germany previously reached an agreement with the Taliban on deportations and has returned hundreds of Afghan nationals whose asylum claims were rejected or who committed crimes.

The United Nations, some EU lawmakers and human rights groups have criticized the rise in returns to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and growing official contacts with the group, arguing the country remains unsafe for forced returns and that engagement risks legitimizing a regime responsible for widespread rights abuses

US Lawmaker Seeks House Vote to Restore Protection for Afghan Nationals

October 21, 2026 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

October 21, 2026

US Lawmakers Urge Immediate Action for Afghan Allies and Military Families Stranded Abroad — *Afghan refugees board an aircraft at Kabul airport during an evacuation operation following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.*

A US Democratic lawmaker is seeking to force a vote in the House of Representatives on legislation that would restore Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, potentially shielding thousands from deportation following the Trump administration’s termination of the protection in 2025.

Representative Sam Liccardo of California is backing efforts to advance the Afghanistan TPS Act of 2026, a bipartisan bill intended to make Afghans eligible for temporary protected status in the United States. The legislation was introduced in July and referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where it has remained pending.

The bill was introduced by Democratic Representative Jason Crow, with Liccardo and Republican Representatives Don Bacon and Maria Elvira Salazar among its co-sponsors. It seeks to restore a legal protection that had allowed eligible Afghans to remain in the United States temporarily.

The proposed legislation comes after the Trump administration announced the termination of Afghanistan’s TPS designation in May 2025. The decision put thousands of Afghan nationals at risk of losing their protection against deportation, including people who had supported US forces during the war in Afghanistan.

To bypass the committee bottleneck, Liccardo and Crow introduced a resolution on October 1 to set up a procedure for bringing the bill to the House floor. The resolution was referred to the House Rules Committee. If the process advances, lawmakers could use a discharge petition to seek a vote without the usual approval from House leadership.

Under House rules, a discharge petition generally requires 218 signatures to bring eligible legislation to the floor. The petition cannot simply be assumed to be active yet: the special-rule process must first meet the required procedural steps.

Liccardo has argued that the United States has a responsibility to Afghan partners who supported American forces as interpreters, informants and in other roles. Some of those Afghans could face serious risks if returned to Afghanistan, according to the bill’s supporters.

The legislation has bipartisan support, with Republican lawmakers among its co-sponsors. However, it has not yet passed the House, and the proposed restoration of TPS would require further legislative action before it could become law.

The number of Afghans affected requires careful attribution. Liccardo’s office said more than 9,000 Afghans had received TPS after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, while the supplied draft cites about 8,000 people at risk of deportation.

Qatar calls for shift from humanitarian aid to economic recovery in Afghanistan

October 21, 2026 Current News Articles

Ariana News

October 21, 2026

Qatar has called for a shift from emergency humanitarian assistance toward economic recovery and private-sector development in Afghanistan, stressing the need for sustained international engagement to build a more stable future for the country.

Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, made the remarks Tuesday at the Afghanistan Coordination Group meeting in Doha.

Al Misnad said Qatar has provided and pledged nearly $150 million over the past decade for humanitarian and development projects in Afghanistan, particularly in health care, education and emergency response.

She warned that severe humanitarian needs and economic difficulties continue to affect Afghan families, while the return and displacement of people are placing additional pressure on public services and livelihoods. She said urgent needs remain in food security, health care, nutrition, education and access to water.

The minister stressed that assistance must be delivered transparently, with accountability and in line with humanitarian principles, with particular attention to vulnerable groups, including women and young people.

She also said Afghanistan’s future should be shaped through a comprehensive political process led by Afghans themselves, with respect for the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

Al Misnad highlighted Qatar’s role in facilitating dialogue on Afghanistan since the launch of the Doha peace process in 2013, as well as its support for initiatives such as the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees and the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund.

She said the UN-led Doha Process provides a platform for political engagement and practical cooperation, highlighting counter-narcotics and private-sector development as areas where international efforts could deliver tangible results.

Al Misnad urged participants to maintain Afghanistan’s place on the international agenda, establish clear priorities and renew their commitments to the Afghan people, emphasizing that technical cooperation should complement broader political efforts.

‘Legitimate security concerns’

Pakistan rejects Khalilzad’s allegations of arming Afghans

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