Page 3 - Afghanistan

Blast at eatery in Afghanistan kills 7; several including women injured

An explosion at a restaurant in downtown Kabul on Monday killed at least seven people and wounded about a dozen more, according to police and an Italian charity running a surgical unit in the city. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear. The explosion occurred in a Chinese restaurant in the Shahr-e-Naw district of the Afghan capital, according to Kabul police command spokesman Khalid Zadran. He said the restaurant was jointly owned by an Afghan man, a Chinese national and his wife. The restaurant was popular with Chinese Muslims, Zadran said, adding that one Chinese national and six Afghans were killed and several others were wounded. The blast occurred near the restaurant's kitchen, the police spokesman said, and the cause was under investigation. The Italian charity EMERGENCY said its surgical centre in Kabul, which is located near the site of the explosion, had received 20 people from the blast, including seven who were already dead. It noted the number of casualties

US to close Qatar camp that housed Afghans who fled their country in 2021

The decision marks the latest move by President Donald Trump's administration targeting Afghans who migrated to the US or are seeking to do so, part of a broader immigration crackdown

Govt dismisses claims of suspending trade with Afghanistan amid Iran unrest

The government on Tuesday dismissed claims by some Pakistani social media accounts that India has suspended trade operations with Afghanistan due to unrest in Iran, saying the reports were completely false. It said that a fabricated letter is being circulated by Pakistani propaganda accounts on the matter. Iran is witnessing widespread nationwide protests. "A fabricated letter is being circulated by #Pakistani propaganda accounts, falsely claiming that India has temporarily suspended trade operations with #Afghanistan due to escalating unrest in #Iran," PIB Fact Check said in a social media post. In 2024-25, India's exports to Afghanistan stood at USD 318.91 million, while imports were aggregated at USD 689.81 million.

Pak, Afghan agree to establish joint committee to reopen border

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday agreed to establish a 13-member joint committee of business leaders to hold formal negotiations for the opening of the border for trade. The border has been shut since October last year after the two sides clashed over the issue of militancy emanating from Afghanistan. The Express Tribune newspaper reported that the joint committee comprises six members from Pakistan and seven from Afghanistan. The Pakistani delegation will be led by Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi, Adviser to the President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), while the Afghan side will be headed by Mohammad Wali Amini. Speaking to the media, Kazmi said the primary objective of the talks is the immediate reopening of Pak-Afghan trade routes, the removal of obstacles in border management, and ensuring the continuity of bilateral trade. He added that a comprehensive and practical roadmap would be formulated to provide a lasting solution to the issues fa

Pakistan witnesses drop in terror attacks since Afghan border closure

Since closing down its border with Afghanistan, Pakistan has recorded a significant drop in cross-border terrorist attacks and deaths related to violence. Pakistan shut its border on October 11 last year after clashes with Afghanistan, which were prompted by the allegations that Kabul was not doing enough to stop the use of its soil by terrorists. Dawn reported from the data collected by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), a local think-tank, that terrorist attacks went down by almost 17 per cent in December, preceded by 9 per cent decline in November, while terrorism-linked fatalities among civilians and security officials also fell in the last quarter of 2025, by nearly 4 per cent and 19 per cent each in November and December. However, the data of CRSS showed that with an almost 34 per cent surge in overall violence, the year 2025 went by as the most violent year for Pakistan in a decade. The comparative data for 2024 and 2025 reveals a sharp escalation in terror

More than 2 million Afghan refugees still living in Pakistan: UNHCR

More than two million Afghan refugees are still living in Pakistan despite over a million returning to their country in 2025. In November alone, 171,055 Afghans returned to Afghanistan, with 37,899 deported through the Chaman, Torkham and Barabcha borders, Dawn reported from the statistics of a UN refugee agency. Also in November, over 31,500 Afghan Proof of Registration Cards (PoRs) card holders were sent to Afghanistan through UNHCR's repatriation centres. Heightened Pakistan-Afghanistan border tensions in November disrupted humanitarian operations, restricted cross-border movements, and prompted temporary relocation of UN agencies from the Chaman border area. Despite intensified implementation of the third phase of the Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan (IFRP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the UNHCR and partners ensured that essential and life-saving services were provided, including resumption of women and girls safe spaces and child friendly spaces, continued legal and mental

JP Nadda meets Afghan health minister, reiterates medical support

Medical visas, supply of drugs and CT scan machines figure in discussions between both countries

Between Pakistan and Afghanistan, trade war with no end in sight

Amid the deepest erosion of relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan in decades, the Pakistani government has cut off cross-border trade

ICE arrests of Afghans surge after National Guard attack, say lawyers

On a recent afternoon, Giselle Garcia, a volunteer who has been helping an Afghan family resettle, drove the father to a check-in with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She warned him and his family to prepare for the worst. The moment the father stepped into the ICE office in California's capital city, he was arrested. Coming just days after the shooting of two National Guard troops by an Afghan national suspect, federal authorities have carried out increased arrests of Afghans in the US, immigration lawyers say as Afghans both in and outside the country have come under intense scrutiny by immigration officials. Garcia said the family she helped had reported to all their appointments and were following all legal requirements. He was trying to be strong for his wife and kids in the car, but the anxiety and fear were palpable, she said. His wife was trying to hold back tears, but I could see her in the rearview mirror silently crying. They had fled Afghanistan under threat by

'Democracy and Pakistan don't go together: MEA amid Imran Khan protests

Jaiswal, while replying to a query on diminishing democratic institutions in Pakistan, noted that India was following events but would not go into details

Heavy exchange of fire reported between Pak, Afghan forces at Chaman border

A heavy exchange of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces was reported from the key Chaman border, according to a media report on Saturday. Injuries were reported from the district hospital, but no fatalities occurred, the Dawn newspaper reported. Officials from both sides accused each other of instigating the flare-up late on Friday night across the border in the Balochistan province. While Pakistani officials said that Afghan forces had fired mortar shells on the Badani area, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed it was Pakistan that launched an attack on Spin Boldak, alleging that their forces were responding. Pakistan's official sources told Dawn that Pakistani forces retaliated against the Afghan aggression and returned fire. There were also reports of fighting on the Chaman-Kandahar highway, but these could not be immediately verified. A senior official in Quetta confirmed on condition of anonymity that the exchange of fire started around 10 pm and conti

4.1 magnitude quake strikes Afghanistan, no causalities reported so far

Afghanistan sits on numerous fault lines between the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates, with a fault line also running directly through Herat

Afghan national to be charged with murder in White House guard shooting

In August, US president Donald Trump had asserted that his government would seek capital punishment in every murder case that occurred in Washington, DC

What Trump said on 'Third World' migration & which nations may be affected

Donald Trump has announced plans to pause migration from what he calls 'Third World countries', after two National Guard service members were shot near the White House by an Afghan national

US orders green card review for 19 nations after DC National Guard attack

US President Donald Trump ordered a full review of green cards from 19 countries after an Afghan national shot two National Guard members in Washington, prompting stricter vetting checks

Afghan immigrant drove across US to ambush Guard troops near White House

An Afghan national who worked with the CIA in his native country and immigrated to the US in 2021 drove from Washington state to shoot two West Virginia National Guard members deployed in Washington, DC, just blocks from the White House, US officials said Thursday. The suspect had worked in a special CIA-backed Afghan Army unit before emigrating from Afghanistan, according to a cousin who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, declined to provide a motive for Wednesday afternoon's brazen act of violence, which comes as the presence of troops in the nation's capital and other cities around the country has become a political flashpoint. Pirro identified the guard members at a news conference as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both remained hospitalised in critical condition. Pirro said that the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, launched an ambush-style att

Explained: How Operation Allies Welcome brought Afghans into the US in 2021

Two West Virginia Guard members were shot near the White House, and the suspect, an Afghan national, had entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome

US puts immigration requests from Afghans on hold after Washington shooting

The move comes after two National Guard members were critically injured after a gunman, suspected to be an Afghan national, opened fire on them near the White House

Earthquake of magnitude 4.6 strikes Afghanistan; no casualties reported

On November 4, a powerful earthquake rattled northern Afghanistan, killing at least 27 people and injuring 956 more, according to Sharafat Zaman Amar, the spokesperson for Taliban