The Pakistani and Afghan governments agreed to extend an initial forty-eight-hour ceasefire as delegations from both countries prepare for longer-term talks in Doha this weekend (Reuters)
Still, officials reported that seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and thirteen others were wounded in a car bomb attack in Waziristan district, though the perpetrators remain unknown (Al Monitor)
Afghanistan-Pakistan Truce
The two countries announced a temporary ceasefire following days of deadly cross-border clashes and appeals for de-escalation from regional neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar; Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the truce would last forty-eight hours (Reuters)
The self-declared Islamic State, as well as al-Qaeda, are trying to resurface in the region (AP)
Tensions Simmer on Pakistan-Afghanistan Border
Pakistan closed major crossings and suspended border trade after fierce weekend clashes with Afghan Taliban forces left dozens dead in the worst fighting since 2021; tense calm has prevailed, as U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the United States may intervene to help end the confrontation (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Clash
Both countries said their security forces killed dozens of each other’s combatants in the worst border hostilities in months; the fighting began Thursday following explosions in Afghanistan that the Taliban blamed on Pakistan and amid clashes with the Pakistani Taliban that left several dead in northwest Pakistan (Al Jazeera; AP)
Islamabad did not confirm or deny carrying out strikes in Kabul, saying that it carried out “a series of retribution operations;” Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harboring members of the Pakistani Taliban (Guardian)
Taliban Accuses Pakistan of Conducting Airstrikes Inside Afghan Territory
The Taliban accused Pakistan of explosions in Kabul and the bombing of a market in Paktika Province; Pakistan has not claimed responsibility but suggested that Afghanistan is being used as a “base for terrorism,” while Taliban officials warned of consequences if territorial violations continue (BBC)
Taliban Visit Russia
Russia plans to expand business, anti-narcotics, and counterterrorism cooperation with Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said as a Taliban delegation visited Moscow; he also called military deployments by “extra-regional players” in Afghanistan unacceptable, indirectly referencing Trump’s suggestion last month that the United States retake control of Bagram Air Base—a proposal the Taliban rejected (AP)
Afghanistan Atrocities Probe
The UN Human Rights Council will vote Monday on a European Union plan to investigate abuses in Afghanistan by both the Taliban and foreign troops, aiming to gather evidence for future war crimes cases; the United States has expressed opposition to any “unlawful jurisdiction” over its forces but supports scrutiny of Taliban abuses (Reuters)
Internet Restored After Nationwide Blackout
Afghanistan’s internet and phone services were slowly returning after a two-day nationwide outage that crippled daily economic activity; Taliban officials denied ordering the shutdown, dismissing reports that it was deliberate (NBC)
Afghanistan’s Internet Ban
The country is experiencing “a total internet blackout,” internet watchdog group NetBlocks said; the Taliban announced earlier this month that it was blocking wi-fi in part of the country “for the prevention of vices,” but mobile internet appeared to be down yesterday, too (WaPo)
Flights from Kabul airport were also disrupted (BBC)
Officials did not immediately explain the reason for the national blackout (Guardian)
Taliban Detainee Release
Afghanistan’s Taliban government freed a U.S. citizen, Amir Amiry, who had been detained in the country since last December; the Afghan and U.S. governments thanked Qatar for helping mediate the release (NBC)
Three other Americans have been freed from Afghanistan this year, though U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more remain detained in the country (NYT)
Taliban Rejects U.S. Bid to Regain Control of Bagram Air Base
Trump floated the idea to reporters and on social media in recent days; the Taliban took control of the base following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 (CBS/AP)
Trump Says U.S. Seeking to Retake Afghanistan’s Bagram Airbase
President Trump said Washington is negotiating with the Taliban to regain control of Bagram Airbase, which the United States abandoned in 2021, citing its proximity to China’s nuclear facilities; Taliban officials denied Chinese control of the site and stressed it remains under Afghan authority (Guardian)
Meanwhile, the Taliban freed two British education workers detained since February following Qatari mediation (Reuters)
Taliban Bans Fiber-Optic Internet in Northern Afghanistan
The Taliban cut fiber-optic internet across five northern provinces, citing efforts to curb “immoral activities,” though mobile data remains available; this is the first Wi-Fi ban since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 (AP)
Critics, including former U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, condemned the move as repressive and unnecessary (Reuters)
Pakistani Raids Near Afghan Border Kill Dozens Amid Clashes With Taliban
The Pakistani military said at least nineteen soldiers and forty-five Pakistani Taliban fighters were killed in operations in Bajaur, Lower Dir, and South Waziristan; Islamabad pushed Kabul to prevent militants from using Afghan soil for attacks (Al Jazeera)
Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 1,400
Another three thousand people were injured after an earthquake hit near the eastern Afghanistan city of Jalalabad on Sunday (AP)
The EU, India, Iran, and Japan pledged aid, though the area is mountainous and hard to reach; the United States provided 45 percent of Afghanistan’s aid last year but has since suspended almost all of it (NYT)
Afghanistan, China, and Pakistan Hold Trilateral Summit
The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan are in Afghanistan today for a trilateral meeting on political, economic, and regional cooperation; it is the first meeting among such senior officials since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021 (AP)
Russia has been the only country to officially recognize the Taliban government since then, though several countries have held high-level meetings with Taliban representatives (NYT)
UN Agency Says Afghanistan Faces Rise in Child Malnutrition
The World Food Programme announced that Afghanistan needs $539 million to help ten million people facing acute food insecurity, accounting for a quarter of Afghanistan’s population and one in three children; the problem has been exacerbated by the Trump administration’s decision to cut food aid to Afghanistan (AP)
Iran Suring Deportations of Afghans Following War With Israel
Tehran had already begun deporting Afghans in March, citing the economic burden of hosting them, and has now accused some Afghans of spying for Israel; the UN special representative for Afghanistan said the volume of returns, to some thirty thousand per day, “should be setting off alarm bells across the global community” (FT)
Afghan Relocations After UK Data Leak
The UK began secretly moving thousands of people from Afghanistan after a data leak put them at risk from the Taliban; the breach of Britain’s Ministry of Defense data happened in 2022 and revealed details about Afghans who had assisted the UK (CNN)
A media injunction had previously prevented the information from becoming public; it was lifted today (BBC)
Iran Expels Five Hundred Thousand Afghans to Western Afghanistan
After making unsubstantiated claims that Afghans spied for Israel during the Israel-Iran conflict, the Iranian government initiated mass deportations of Afghans across the Islam Qala border (CNN)
ICC Issues Arrest Warrants for Two Taliban Leaders
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s Supreme Leader, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, head of Afghanistan’s Supreme Court, on charges of persecuting women and girls (AP)
Russia Recognizes Taliban Government
Russia’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, met with Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Kabul, where Zhirnov announced Russia’s decision to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, making it the first country to do so (NYT)
Moscow Accepts Taliban Ambassador
Moscow accepted a Taliban-nominated ambassador from Afghanistan, the Afghan foreign ministry said Sunday; while no country formally recognizes the Taliban government, Russia now joins several countries that have accepted diplomats from the Taliban administration at the ambassador level, starting with China in 2023 (Reuters)
Taliban Government Bans Chess in Afghanistan
Taliban officials stated that chess provides a source of gambling; the prohibition of the game will remain until the group can evaluate its compatibility with sharia-based law (BBC)
Russia Pledges to Assist Taliban in Fight Against Islamic State
Moscow’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, stated that the Islamic State Khorasan represents a “common enemy” between Russia and the Taliban, and he praised the Taliban’s existing efforts to fight the terrorist organization (Reuters)