The Latest Breaking News from Kabul

Taliban begin house searches, sparking fear, diplomatic criticism

The Taliban have been carrying out extensive house searches around the Afghan capital, according to residents, a policy the group's spokesman said was to detect criminal activity but that some Western diplomats said had targeted ordinary citizens.

Reuters · Feb 28, 2022

Taliban Ban Afghans from Evacuating amid Massive Security Sweep

The Taliban have clamped down on Afghans leaving the country as, separately, their forces continue a massive security sweep, going house-to-house across the capital Monday in a "clearing operation". The new travel ban was announced late Sunday by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who packaged the restrictions as being aimed at…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Feb 28, 2022

Taliban official says dozens of criminals arrested in sweeps

A Taliban government spokesman says the group's forces have arrested dozens of criminals, kidnappers and smugglers in operations across Kabul

The Independent UK · Feb 27, 2022

German aid group battles to evacuate Afghans who worked with army

Ahmad, a 30-year-old Afghan who worked for the German military, is now in hiding in Kabul in fear of his life.

Reuters · Feb 23, 2022

Expat refuses to leave Ukraine because officials won't let his wife go with him

He said dogs were given more priority in Kabul

Wales Online · Feb 21, 2022

Kabul to California: how the ‘hip-hop family’ mobilised for young Afghans

With breakdancers, artists and parkourists facing a bleak future under the Taliban, a global network stepped in to help, drawing on the activist spirit of rap culture

The Guardian - UK · Feb 21, 2022

Losing Afghanistan; The Naked Don’t Fear the Water reviews – fickle allies and personal tragedies

Six months on from the fall of Kabul, a collection of essays unpicks the catastrophic mess the west has left behind in Afghanistan, while the story of one young man’s perilous escape cannot fail to move

The Guardian - UK · Feb 20, 2022

Afghan refugees Zia and Baqir share a common past, but the paths they walk are vastly different

Ziaullah Zia arrived in Australia from Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul. Baqir Alidad arrived by boat a decade ago. While the pair share a similar past, Australia has offered one man security, while the other is left in "limbo".

ABC News · Feb 19, 2022

‘The Taliban want revenge’: Afghanistan’s female judges in exile in Australia

Fifteen judges – at risk of Taliban and criminal retribution after the fall of Kabul – were forced to flee their homeland

The Guardian - AU · Feb 19, 2022

Taliban releases four women’s rights activists but fear persists

On February 12, the Taliban released four Afghan women’s rights activists, who were arrested nearly a month earlier. Dozens more are being held in Taliban custody, according to other activists and US diplomats. The released women have not yet been able to share what happened to them in Taliban custody…

France 24 · Feb 19, 2022