Afghanistan | Al Majalla

Afghan nationals carry placards as shout slogans during a demonstration against the Taliban government in Islamabad on August 15, 2023, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Two years of Taliban rule: The view from Afghanistan's neighbours

Both Iran and Pakistan have supported some elements of the Taliban in the past in political plays to weaken Afghanistan. But things have not panned out the way that they had hoped for.

Shelly Kittleson 17 August 2023

Speaking to Al Majalla in Vienna just before an Afghan opposition meeting, Massoud warns of dramatic dangers that lie ahead for the world as the Taliban grows more powerful

John Berkeley

Ahmad Massoud: Ignoring the Taliban threat jeopardises global security

In an exclusive interview with Al Majalla, the Afghan opposition figure warns that while the world is distracted with other global issues, the Taliban is consolidating its power

Ibrahim Hamidi 22 June 2023

Members of the Taliban security forces arrive as Afghan women march during a demonstration they call ‘Stop Hazara genocide’ a day after a suicide bomb attack at Dasht-e-Barchi learning centre, in Kabul on October 1, 2022.

AFP

Understanding Iran's pragmatic approach in Afghanistan

Safeguarding its water interests, securing its borders and preventing other regional players from gaining a foothold in Afghanistan are all reasons behind Tehran's pragmatic approach.

Khaled Hamadeh 15 June 2023

An aerial view from a medevac helicopter shows the Helmand river in Helmand province.

AFP

Iran’s clashes with Afghanistan over water could reveal deeper ambitions

Tension over the Helmand River has a long history. While violent clashes could have wider implications, there are also signs that Tehran can be pragmatic toward Kabul.

Khaled Hamadeh 08 June 2023

An Afghan man walks past a wall mural in Fayzabad district of Badakhshan province on February 6, 2023.

AFP

Nearly two years after Taliban takeover, Afghans say they are tired and scared

Interviewees express exasperation over living under Taliban rule, especially regarding the severe restrictions on girls and women

Shelly Kittleson 02 April 2023

Since the Taliban came to power in August 2021, speculation had been rife that women’s rights would be curtailed. That fear came true in December 2022, when girls’ education was officially banned

Miriam Martincic

Banned from schools, Afghan girls face bleak future

Since the Taliban came to power in August 2021, speculation had been rife that women's rights would be curtailed. That fear came true in December 2022, when girls' education was officially banned

Shelly Kittleson 03 February 2023

Nooruddin Azizi, acting Afghan Minster of Commerce and Industry, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Kabul, Afghanistan December 25, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara

Taliban Seeks Economic Self-Sufficiency and Foreign Investment for Afghanistan, Minister Says

The Taliban administration will encourage self-sufficiency and wants international trade and investment, the acting commerce minister said, as Afghanistan faces isolation and suspension of some…

03 January 2023

Taliban fighters check the site of an explosion, near the Interior Ministry, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. A bomb exploded near a checkpoint at Kabul's military airport Sunday morning killing and wounding several people, a Taliban official said, the first deadly blast of 2023 in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Taliban: Kabul Checkpoint Bomb Blast Kills, Wounds Several

A bomb exploded near a checkpoint at Kabul’s military airport Sunday morning killing and wounding “several” people, a Taliban official said, the first deadly blast of 2023 in Afghanistan. No one…

AP 01 January 2023

What Awaits the Middle East in 2023?

Individually and collectively, the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have experienced a slew of concerns in 2022 as the world has shifted under the weight of superpower conflicts…

Dalia Ziada 30 December 2022

People walk in a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara

U.N. Halts Some Programs in Afghanistan After Ban On Women Aid Workers

The United Nations said that some "time-critical" programs in Afghanistan have temporarily stopped and warned many other activities will also likely need to be paused because of a ban by the Taliban…

28 December 2022

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The conflict over Karabakh had been the longest-running in the post-Soviet space. Al Majalla explains the origins of the conflict and how it has evolved over the decades.

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Nagorno-Karabakh's perpetual conflict shows Soviet Union still crumbling

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Al Majalla explains the origins and evolution of the longest-running conflict in the post-Soviet space

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France’s Suez Moment has been a drawn-out one. Its influence has waxed and waned since the 1960s, but it has been on an overall downward trajectory throughout. Al Majalla explains.

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France’s African empire may have had its ‘Suez Moment’

24 September 2023

France's 'Suez Moment' has been a drawn-out one. Its influence has waxed and waned since the 1960s, but it has been on an overall downward trajectory throughout. Al Majalla explains.

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Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks with AFP during an interview in the countryside outside the northwestern Syrian city of Hasakah.

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Mazloum Abdi: Syria, Iran, and Turkey 'incited' Arab tribes to attack the SDF

24 September 2023

The SDF commander rejects demands to disband his forces and tells Al Majalla in an exclusive interview that US-Russian tension east of the Euphrates is 'under control'

Ibrahim Hamidi

A woman spreads bulgur to dry in the sun after grinding it in the Lebanese southern town of Marjayoun, on July 15, 2020.

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Harvesting the homeland: How the Syrian bulgur season used to bring joy to villagers

24 September 2023

Syrian novelist Khaled Khalifa recalls the joy that bulgur season used to bring to his village in Syria. Now the simple pleasure is disappearing from households as a harrowing consequence of war.

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LATEST ISSUE

Two years of Taliban rule: The view from Afghanistan's neighbours

Ahmad Massoud: Ignoring the Taliban threat jeopardises global security

Understanding Iran's pragmatic approach in Afghanistan

Iran’s clashes with Afghanistan over water could reveal deeper ambitions

Nearly two years after Taliban takeover, Afghans say they are tired and scared

Banned from schools, Afghan girls face bleak future

Taliban Seeks Economic Self-Sufficiency and Foreign Investment for Afghanistan, Minister Says

Taliban: Kabul Checkpoint Bomb Blast Kills, Wounds Several

What Awaits the Middle East in 2023?

U.N. Halts Some Programs in Afghanistan After Ban On Women Aid Workers

The seven messages of Mohammed bin Salman

Nagorno-Karabakh's perpetual conflict shows Soviet Union still crumbling

France’s African empire may have had its ‘Suez Moment’

Mazloum Abdi: Syria, Iran, and Turkey 'incited' Arab tribes to attack the SDF

Harvesting the homeland: How the Syrian bulgur season used to bring joy to villagers

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