The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, marked a watershed moment in global security and the US approach to counterterrorism. The coordinated strikes by al-Qaeda not only resulted in the tragic loss of nearly 3,000 lives but also fundamentally altered US domestic and foreign policy—leading to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the establishment of the
According to state-backed media in Iran, more than one hundred thousand Shia Afghan migrants in the Iranian city of Mashhad participated in state-backed mourning processions to commemorate the death of hardline Islamist President Ebrahim Raisi in late-May. But this is far from a one-off. In March, the presence of at least twenty thousand Afghan migrants
TO: The UN secretary-generalFROM: Laurie Nathan and Nilofar SakhiSUBJECT: Establish a UN conflict prevention mechanism for the Afghanistan region SHARE MEMO BY EMAIL DOWNLOAD PDF What does the UN secretary-general need to know? Our “memo to…” series has the answer with briefings on the world’s most pressing issues from our experts, drawing on their experience advising the highest levels of government. Bottom line up
On Monday, Pakistan launched airstrikes against several suspected hideouts of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces. The Afghan Taliban responded by firing on Pakistani positions along the border, according to the Afghan defense ministry. Pakistan’s defense and foreign ministries called the strikes on Afghanistan “retaliatory,” likely referring to the suicide bombing
After the fall of Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban quickly seized control of Afghanistan. Since then, the group has slowly engaged with the international community in search of support while steadily eroding human rights and political freedoms at home. How will the Taliban navigate their return to power, especially following their proclaimed appointment of
