In March 2001, the Taliban shocked the world by dynamiting the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan. Two decades later, they are back in power and claim to be making strides to preserve Afghanistan’s millennia-old heritage, including pre-Islamic relics. Even months before their takeover in 2021 the Taliban called for the protection of ancient artefacts in the … Read more
An American woman was freed by the Taliban after she, two British nationals and their Afghan translator were detained in Afghanistan earlier this year, according to a source with knowledge of the matter and a former U.S. envoy to Kabul. “American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of … Read more
President Donald Trump on Saturday shared a video on social media featuring Faye Hall, an American woman who had been detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban since February. In the video, Hall expressed her deep appreciation for the president’s efforts in securing her release. “Thank you for bringing me home. I’ve never been so proud … Read more
On 1 March 2025, after his first Cabinet meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump said the Taliban should return the equipment the U.S. abandoned in Afghanistan as it withdrew in August 2021. In February 2025, the Taliban replied the abandoned weapons were “spoils of war” and would be used against attempts to seize them. Washington may … Read more
The United States has lifted multimillion-dollar bounties on three senior Taliban officials, according to Afghan authorities and a senior American official, a significant shift by the Trump administration toward some of the most blood-soaked jihadists from the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. The move comes days after a U.S. hostage envoy, Adam Boehler, made the first … Read more
he United States has lifted its $10 million bounty on Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, a move Afghan officials say signals a shift in US-Taliban relations. Haqqani, a key leader of the Haqqani Network, had long been sought by US authorities for orchestrating deadly attacks, including a 2008 Kabul hotel bombing that killed six people, including … Read more
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Thursday that American national George Glezmann was on his way back to the U.S. after being released by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Glezmann, an Atlanta native, had been in custody after being detained by Taliban authorities while on a tourist visit to Afghanistan in December 2022. He had been deemed … Read more
A British couple who spent almost two decades running education programs in Afghanistan were detained by the Taliban earlier this month, their children said in interviews with a number of British news outlets. The couple, Peter Reynolds and Barbie Reynolds, were arrested on Feb. 1 when returning to their home in the country’s Bamiyan province, … Read more
A miner in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan poured water over a block of jade, exposing the green stone that is part of the Taliban authorities’ push to capitalise on the country’s rich mineral resources. Touting the return of security, the Taliban government is rushing to court local and foreign investors to exploit the country’s … Read more
Afghan taekwondo star Marzieh Hamidi told AFP the death threats she has received, forcing her to live under French police protection, show how effective her stinging criticism of the Taliban has been. The 22-year-old’s defiance of Afghanistan’s governing Taliban fits well with her coming from “a family of freedom fighters.” Her father fought in the … Read more