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A woman passes by a beauty salon in Kabul, where photos of women have been covered in black pain

UN rights chief fears for women, girls in Afghanistan

The UN rights chief has voiced grave concern at the situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban, urging them to honour commitments to respect the rights of women and girls.

World • 24 Aug 21

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid at a press conference in Kabul

Afghanistan's media enters the unknown under Taliban

Scores of journalists are among the tens of thousands of people trying to flee Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, fearful of violent reprisals from the militants.

World • 24 Aug 21

Thousands have gathered outside Kabul airport hoping to flee Afghanistan

NATO urges Taliban to allow evacuations

NATO has called on the Taliban to allow people being evacuated to leave Afghanistan, and vowed that the allies would remain in "close coordination" while operations continue.

World • 20 Aug 21

The Fund has traditionally relied on its membership to decide whether to engage with governments that take power in coups or disputed elections

IMF suspends Afghanistan's access to funds

The International Monetary Fund has suspended Afghanistan's access to IMF resources, including some $455 million in new monetary reserves, due to a lack of clarity over the country's government after the Taliban seized control of Kabul.

Business • 19 Aug 21

Afghans celebrate the 102th Independence Day of Afghanistan with the national flag in Kabul

Taliban must decide if it wants recognition - Biden

The Taliban must decide whether it wants to be recognised by the international community, US President Joe Biden has said in an ABC interview, adding that he did not think the group had changed its fundamental beliefs.

World • 19 Aug 21

No money was stolen from any reserve account, according to Ajmal Ahmaty

Afghanistan central bank reserves 'not compromised'

Despite the swift takeover of the government in Afghanistan, the Taliban will not have access to most of the nation's cash and gold stocks, the central bank chief has said.

Business • 18 Aug 21

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid (L) gestures as he arrives to hold the first press conference in Kabul yesterday following the Taliban takeover

West faces wrenching choice on dealing with Taliban

After two decades trying to destroy the Taliban, Western powers face the wrenching decision of whether to deal with the Islamist insurgents who have taken over Afghanistan.

World • 18 Aug 21

The US has accused the Taliban of reneging on its promises

US says Taliban blocking Afghans leaving from airport

The United States is pressing the Taliban to let Afghans flee through the US-controlled airport after violations of their promises, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said today.

World • 18 Aug 21

Miles Routledge received widespread attention and criticism on social media for taking a holiday in Afghanistan

UK tourist who hid from Taliban evacuated from Kabul

A British student who travelled to Afghanistan on holiday has been evacuated to Dubai after being forced in to hiding by the advance of the Taliban.

World • 17 Aug 21

Taliban members have reportedly continued to use Facebook's end-to-end encrypted messaging service WhatsApp

Facebook confirms ban of Taliban

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan poses a new challenge for big US tech companies on handling content created by a group considered to be terrorists by some world governments.

Business • 17 Aug 21

Joe Biden said 'we gave them every chance to determine their own future'

Biden: Mission was never supposed to be nation-building

US President Joe Biden has said the mission of the United States in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation-building as he defended his decision to pull out US troops from the country.

World • 16 Aug 21

An Afghan family rushes to the Hamid Karzai International Airport as they look to flee the Taliban

'We cannot and must not abandon the people' - Guterres

As thousands of civilians desperate to flee Afghanistan thronged Kabul airport today, there has been strong reaction from the international community to the Taliban takeover.

World • 16 Aug 21

The abandoned entrance to Kabul's 'green zone'

European countries scramble to evacuate from Kabul

European countries have moved to evacuate their nationals and local staff in Afghanistan as the Taliban entered the country's capital city Kabul.

World • 15 Aug 21

Taliban fighters moved across Afghanistan as US troops withdrew

Afghanistan Taliban - a background

The Taliban previously governed the country between 1996 and 2001, imposing a strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law before being ousted and launching an insurgency.

World • 15 Aug 21

Who's who behind the Taliban leadership

The Taliban movement's inner workings and leadership have always been largely shrouded in secrecy, even during their rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

World • 15 Aug 21

Afghan security forces patrol in the Afghan capital of Kabul

Afghan president fled country 'to avoid bloodshed'

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that he had fled the country earlier today in order to "prevent a flood of bloodshed", as the Taliban entered the capital Kabul, capping a lightning offensive across the country.

World • 15 Aug 21

A Taliban fighter holds a rocket-propelled grenade along the roadside in Herat in Afghanistan

UN warns Afghanistan is 'spinning out of control'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Taliban to immediately halt their offensive and warned that Afghanistan is "spinning out of control."

World • 13 Aug 21

Afghan military at an army base on the outskirts of Ghazni

US to send troops to Kabul to pull out embassy staff

The United States has said it is sending troops to the international airport in Afghanistan's capital Kabul to pull out US embassy staff, as the Taliban makes rapid gains.

World • 12 Aug 21

Displaced Afghans reach out for aid from a local Muslim organisation at a makeshift IDP camp in Kabul

Afghan leader flies to northern city as Taliban advance

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has flown to the besieged northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif to rally his beseiged forces.

World • 11 Aug 21

Internally displaced Afghan families scramble for food packages, pic: Getty

Taliban now controls 65% of Afghanistan - EU official

Taliban insurgents tightened their grip on captured Afghan territory today as civilians hid in their homes, and a European Union official said the militants now control 65% of the country after a string of gains as foreign forces pull out.

World • 10 Aug 21

Afghan security personnel stand guard in Enjil district of Herat province

Taliban fighters claim sixth northern city in a week

Taliban fighters have seized a sixth Afghan provincial capital in less than a week, overrunning the northern city of Aibak, its deputy governor and an insurgent spokesman said.

World • 10 Aug 21

A senior security official said the blast appeared to have been caused by a car bomb

At least three dead as Kabul hit by powerful explosion

A powerful blast followed by sporadic gunfire hit Afghanistan's capital Kabul today near the city's heavily fortified 'Green Zone', an area home to government buildings and foreign embassies, police officials said.

World • 03 Aug 21

A delgation of Afghanistan's Taliban movement attends a session of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha

Taliban negotiators meet in Qatar over Afghan fighting

Representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents met in Doha for talks as violence raged in their country with foreign forces almost entirely withdrawn.

Afghanistan • 17 Jul 21

Smoke rises from houses amid ongoing fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in Qala-i-Naw

Taliban claims to control 85% of Afghanistan

The Taliban has claimed to be in control of 85% of Afghanistan, including a key border crossing with Iran, following a sweeping offensive launched as US troops pull out of the war-torn nation.

World • 09 Jul 21

Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world

Taliban kill 10 mine-clearing workers in Afghanistan

Ten people have been killed and 16 injured in an attack on a de-mining camp in Afghanistan, according to a British landmine clearance charity.

World • 09 Jun 21