Abubakar Siddique, a journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, specializes in the coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is the author of The Pashtun Question: The Unresolved Key To The Future Of Pakistan And Afghanistan.
A suicide bombing attack on the Taliban-led Ministry for Urban Development office in the Afghan capital, Kabul, has killed two people and injured three more.
Journalists in Pakistan are up in arms after a new law was passed that empowers the government to punish anyone for spreading what the authorities deem online disinformation.
Hamas has survived Israel’s 15-month war in the Gaza Strip. Now, the militant group is replenishing its ranks, although restocking its weapons supplies will be more difficult.
The 15-month Israel-Hamas war has profoundly altered the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape. Iran and Russia, once dominant forces, have suffered severe setbacks, while Israel, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar have all expanded their regional influence.
Hundreds of Afghans are killed and injured every year by land mines left behind during four decades of wars in their country. Now, reduced international funding is forcing demining agencies to cut their operations in one of the most mine-infested countries in the world.
In 2024, Pakistani security forces suffered the deadliest year in almost a decade. The trend has worried residents, who say the state has failed them.
Israel has intensified its attacks against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. But experts say geography as well as intelligence gaps pose “serious challenges” for Israel.
Pakistani air strikes again targeted alleged hideouts of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group inside Afghanistan. The strikes have rekindled tensions between erstwhile allies Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban, who are in a deadlock over what to do about the TTP.
Syria's new Islamist rulers, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have swiftly moved to distance themselves from how the Taliban is ruling Afghanistan. The HTS leader has promised to allow women's education and pledged to form an inclusive government to unite their diverse country.
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 has fueled a mass exodus of professionals, including doctors. The shortage of medical professionals has affected many Afghans.
Hundreds have been killed and injured in clashes between Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims in northwestern Pakistan this year. The violence has fueled a worsening humanitarian situation in one city.
A senior Taliban figure has criticized the extremist group over muzzling the free press in Afghanistan.
Pakistan is clamping down on the use of VPNs, a move that activists say is designed to further stifle free speech and dissent in the country.
The Taliban's claims of restoring security and wiping out rival militant groups in Afghanistan has been negated by the killing of one of its ministers by Islamic State-Khorasan.
Islamic State militants are trying to exploit the security vacuum following the fall of the Assad government in Syria. Experts and officials are warning that the group could revert to its signature violent tactics to reestablish a foothold.
It is not yet clear what role Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) will play in post-Assad Syria. But if, as seems likely, it emerges as a key player, Western governments appear keen to keep their options open.
Iran and Pakistan have been embroiled in a decadeslong row over cross-border militancy. But the neighbors now appear to be expanding cooperation on tackling insurgencies along their shared border.
Over 80 people were killed and scores more injured in recent sectarian clashes in northwestern Pakistan. Experts say historic rivalries, extremist Islamist groups, and political marginalization are to blame.
Iran is talking to the Taliban to hand over some 1,000 Afghans convicted on drug charges. The Taliban wants Tehran to deport all Afghan convicts amid a sharp rise in executions in Iran.
Afghanistan is one of the countries most affected by climate change. But the country is also considered one of the most ill-equipped to adapt to and mitigate its effects.
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