Afghanistan - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty https://www.rferl.org/z/654 RFE/RL's latest news, features, commentary, and multimedia content on Afghanistan https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png Afghanistan - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty https://www.rferl.org/z/654 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 23:50:28 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL EU Set To Host Taliban For First Time Despite Outcry Over Human Rights Violations The European Union is preparing to host the Taliban in Brussels for the first time for "technical talks" on the repatriation of Afghans despite sharp criticism from rights groups and signs Afghanistan's rulers are cracking down further on women. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-taliban-meeting-further-crackdown/33780057.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-taliban-meeting-further-crackdown/33780057.html Sun, 14 Jun 2026 11:14:54 +0200 AfghanistanNewsFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesEurope UN Voices 'Grave Concern' After Taliban Arrests Afghan Women Over Dress Violations The United Nations said it was “gravely concerned” by the arrests of at least 30 women in Afghanistan’s western city of Herat over the past week for allegedly violating a new dress code imposed by the Taliban government. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-women-hijab-un/33779247.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-women-hijab-un/33779247.html Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:15:14 +0200 NewsAfghanistanThe Rundown Stories As Afghanistan's Border With Pakistan Remains Closed, The Economic And Humanitarian Toll Mounts The closure of Afghanistan and Pakistan borders since October has severely impacted millions of residents and thousands of businesses. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-border-closure-crisis/33777637.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-border-closure-crisis/33777637.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 07:16:02 +0200 FeaturesAfghanistanPakistanThe Rundown Stories Taliban Forces Fire On Afghan Women Protesting New Restrictions Afghanistan’s Taliban government used live fire to disperse a protest in the western city of Herat over new restrictions on women, eyewitnesses told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-women-afghanistan-new-restrictions/33776929.html https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-women-afghanistan-new-restrictions/33776929.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:47:56 +0200 AfghanistanNewsThe Rundown Stories Taliban Security Forces Fire On Afghan Women's Rights Protesters Afghan Talliban forces used gunfire to disperse a women’s rights protest in the western city of Herat on June 9 after residents demonstrated against the recent arrest of women accused of violating the mandatory dress code. One eyewitness said at least one person was killed. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-women-protest-dress-code-shooting/33776891.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-women-protest-dress-code-shooting/33776891.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:17:27 +0200 AfghanistanVideo ArchiveVideosHuman Rights With Billions At Stake, China Steps Up Efforts To Mediate End To Pakistan-Taliban Conflict China remains proactively engaged in finding a lasting solution to the dispute between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban. Once allies for decades, Pakistani and the Taliban forces fought bloody clashes last year. What is at stake for China? https://www.rferl.org/a/china-mediates-pakistan-taliban-dispute-afghanistan/33775964.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-mediates-pakistan-taliban-dispute-afghanistan/33775964.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:46:17 +0200 News AnalysisFeaturesAfghanistanThe Rundown StoriesChina Stealing Rain From Neighbors? Kazakhstan's Cloud-Seeding Experiment Sparks Regional Fears When Kazakhstan launched Central Asia’s first large-scale cloud-seeding program on May 17, it called it a high-tech response to drought, water scarcity, and accelerating desertification. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-cloud-seeding-central-asia-weather/33772843.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-cloud-seeding-central-asia-weather/33772843.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 10:24:36 +0200 FeaturesAfghanistanIranKazakhstanKyrgyzstanUzbekistanThe Rundown Stories Truck Carrying Afghan Returnees Crashes, Killing At Least 22 In Eastern Afghanistan An overloaded truck carrying Afghan families returning from Pakistan crashed in eastern Afghanistan on May 30, killing at least 22 people and injuring 36 others, local officials said. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-returnees-killed-in-afghanistan-truck-crash/33769031.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-returnees-killed-in-afghanistan-truck-crash/33769031.html Sat, 30 May 2026 15:15:05 +0200 NewsAfghanistanThe Rundown Stories In Sign Of Deepening Ties, Russia And Afghan Taliban Sign Military Deal Russia and Afghanistan’s Taliban have signed a military and technical cooperation deal, Russian media reported, but neither side released details, raising questions about whether it marks a substantive shift or a symbolic move. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-taliban-afghanistan-military-agreement-shoigu-yaqub/33767652.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-taliban-afghanistan-military-agreement-shoigu-yaqub/33767652.html Thu, 28 May 2026 18:37:02 +0200 FeaturesAfghanistanRussiaThe Rundown Stories When Silence Means Yes: Taliban Law Traps Child Brides In Marriages They Never Chose The Taliban has issued a new law on divorce that explicitly acknowledges child marriage is permitted in Afghanistan. Two former child brides told RFE/RL that the law formalizes a reality many Afghan girls are already living: forced marriage, delayed justice, and silence treated as agreement. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-child-bride-marriage-divorce-girls-women/33766823.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-child-bride-marriage-divorce-girls-women/33766823.html Wed, 27 May 2026 17:21:19 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Escaping Border Violence, Afghans Struggle To Rebuild Lives Tens of thousands of Afghans have been internally displaced by deadly border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent months. Among them is a father-of-six who now lives in a tent. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-idp-refugees-border/33766621.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-idp-refugees-border/33766621.html Wed, 27 May 2026 13:09:02 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Taliban Closes Radio Stations In Ongoing Media Clampdown Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have closed down three local radio stations in the latest move in an ongoing crackdown that has seen the country's media landscape decimated since the militant group seized power for a second time in 2021. https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-closes-radio-stations-media-clampdown/33764361.html https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-closes-radio-stations-media-clampdown/33764361.html Mon, 25 May 2026 15:08:13 +0200 NewsAfghanistanThe Rundown Stories Afghan Migrants In Iran Face Growing Hardship Amid War Fallout As Iran struggles with the economic fallout from months of conflict, Afghan refugees and migrant workers in the Islamic republic say they are paying a disproportionate price. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-afghanistan-migrants-war/33761126.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-afghanistan-migrants-war/33761126.html Wed, 20 May 2026 17:30:41 +0200 IranFeaturesAfghanistanThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East