2026.5.16 U.S. reups $6 million reward for information on American missing in Afghanistan since 2014
The United States has renewed two rewards totaling $6 million for information leading to the whereabouts or safe return of American freelance writer Paul Edwin Overby Jr., who disappeared in Afghanistan 12 years ago.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Overby vanished in May 2014 while conducting research for a book in Afghanistan’s Khost province. Before disappearing, he had reportedly said he might cross into Pakistan.
“For over a decade, FBI agents and analysts have worked tirelessly to find Paul and bring him home,” said Darren Cox, assistant director in charge at the FBI. “We will continue to coordinate with partner agencies and pursue all credible leads until we can provide Paul’s family with the answers they’ve waited 12 years to hear.”
In May 2018, the FBI Washington Field Office announced a reward of up to $1 million for information that leads to Overby’s location, recovery, and return. The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is also offering a reward of up to $5 million.
2026.5.16 2 suspected theft gangs arrested in Herat, Balkh
HERAT CITY / KABUL (Pajhwok): Two groups suspected of theft have been arrested in western Herat and northern Balkh provinces, security officials said on Saturday.
According to officials, one group in Herat mainly targeted cash belonging to citizens, while the other group in Mazar-i-Sharif was accused of stealing mobile phones and other items.
Herat police said in a statement that members of the group primarily targeted cash belonging to money exchangers, traders, and ordinary citizens in the city’s commercial areas, and fled the scene after committing the thefts.
The statement added that members of the gang were involved in several cases of cash theft and were arrested during separate operations in different parts of the city by forces of the 5th Police District, following a series of intelligence-led investigations.
The Ministry of Interior also said in a statement that police have arrested a five-member group in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, on charges of theft.
According to the ministry, the individuals were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the theft of mobile phones and other items. A pistol and several knives were also recovered from their possession.
The ministry added that the arrested individuals will be handed over to judicial and legal authorities after initial investigations.
2026.5.15 28 smuggled weapons seized in Paktia
GARDEZ (Pajhwok): Security forces have recovered and seized 28 different weapons along with 900 rounds of ammunition in southeastern Paktia Province; according to officials, the weapons were being smuggled from Pakistan into Afghanistan.
According to a statement released by the provincial police, security forces seized the weapons and ammunition in the Zandoy Nari area of Dand Patan district.
The statement said the weapons and ammunition were being smuggled from Pakistan into Afghanistan but were intercepted and seized by security forces.
It added that the smugglers fled the scene, and efforts to arrest them are ongoing.
2026.5.14 561 Afghans freed from Pakistani prisons, return home: MoRR
KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) has said that 561 Afghan nationals were released from prisons in Pakistan and returned to Afghanistan during the ongoing week.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry said 481 of the returnees entered through the Torkham crossing point, while 80 others returned via Spin Boldak.
It added that the individuals had been detained for lacking legal documents and were transferred to their respective areas after registration and the provision of humanitarian assistance.
This comes as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said a day earlier that around 11,515 Afghans returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, and several other countries between May 3 and May 9 this year.
2026.5.13 Afghan border forces seize large shipment of medical supplies and seeds near Torkham
The operation was based on intelligence and counter-intelligence reports, the statement added.
Afghan border forces have intercepted a major smuggling attempt involving hundreds of surgical instruments, medical drugs, and vegetable seeds near Torkham in Nangarhar province.
According to a statement from the 201 Khalid bin Walid Corps, the seizure took place in Momandara district near Torkham, carried out by the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Border Brigade.
The operation was based on intelligence and counter-intelligence reports, the statement added.
The confiscated items—including surgical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and vegetable seeds—were reportedly being smuggled illegally from Pakistan into Afghanistan. Authorities confirmed that the materials will be handed over to relevant legal institutions for further investigation and processing.
2026.5.13 Illegal mining and gold panning suspended in Shighnan district of Badakhshan
Officials said the main objective of the meeting was to curb illegal extraction activities and address the concerns of local residents.
Authorities in Badakhshan province have announced the immediate suspension of all illegal mining and gold panning activities in Shighnan district until legal procedures are completed and official licenses are obtained.
According to local officials, the decision was made during a meeting chaired by Mohammad Ismail Ghaznawi, with the participation of the provincial Department of Mines and Petroleum, local district authorities, and representatives of mining and gold-panning workers.
Officials said the main objective of the meeting was to curb illegal extraction activities and address the concerns of local residents.
The governor emphasized that no individual, group, or company will be allowed to carry out mining operations in the province without legal authorization and coordination with the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and the provincial mining department.
He further stated that a new mining regulation framework will soon be announced by the authorities of the Islamic Emirate, after which applicants will be able to resume operations in accordance with official procedures through the Badakhshan provincial mining department
2026.5.10 Latest NewsAfghan man pleads guilty to sexual communication with child in UK
An Afghan man has pleaded guilty to sexual communication with a child in the United Kingdom. Najeebullah Arab appeared before a court in Oxford on May 8 and admitted to the offence, which took place in Grove in May 2024.
The 40-year-old had initially denied the charge and was expected to stand trial later this year. Court records stated that he made inappropriate comments to the child, including remarks about her appearance and requests to spend time alone with her.
Earlier this year, Arab also pleaded guilty to several other offences. These included one count of sexual assault linked to an incident in Grove on January 21.
He additionally admitted to charges of sexual assault, rape and kidnapping involving another woman on January 27. The court previously heard that he dragged a woman from an alleyway into a field during the incident.
Following the earlier hearings in March, a small group of protesters gathered outside the court building carrying flags and banners. Police officials praised the victims for coming forward and said the case reflected the strength of the evidence collected by investigators.
Arab is due to be sentenced for all offences on June 19. The court has ordered a pre-sentence report to assess whether he poses a danger to the public, while the judge ruled that he remain in custody until sentencing.
2026.5.9 Two killed in protests against poppy field destruction in Badakhshan
Two people have been killed amid protests against a poppy eradication campaign in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said.
Authorities said counter-narcotics forces were deployed on Friday to Atan Jalo area of Argo district to destroy poppy fields. Clashes erupted after a number of farmers and residents reportedly attempted to block the operation.
Officials said a child was killed during Friday’s unrest, while another person died on Saturday as protests and tensions continued in the area.
According to local authorities, demonstrators also temporarily blocked the Kishm–Faizabad highway, disrupting traffic for several hours before it was reopened following coordinated efforts by security officials, religious scholars, and community elders.
Officials blamed “drug traffickers and criminal groups” for inciting the unrest and said security forces have since regained control of the area.
2026.5.2 Four women, two children drown in Helmand River incidents in Nawa district
Four women have been drowned in the Helmand River in Nawa district of Helmand province, with two confirmed dead and two others still missing, local officials said on Friday.
According to a statement from the provincial Department of Information and Culture, the incident occurred after a woman was swept away by the river. In an attempt to rescue her, five other women entered the water, but the situation turned tragic when several of them were also caught in the strong current.
In a separate incident in the same district, two children — a boy and a girl — were also drowned in the Helmand River. Officials said the children remain missing.
2026.4.30 Landslide in Badakhshan kills five gold miners
Preliminary findings suggest that unstable soil conditions combined with a lack of safety equipment were the main causes of the deadly incident.
Five people were killed early Tuesday morning after a hillside collapse in the Shahri Buzurg district of Badakhshan, local sources confirmed.
The incident took place in the Pastaw area of Awez village, where the victims were engaged in small-scale gold extraction inside underground tunnels.
Mir Ahmad, Commander of the 4th Border Battalion, Shahr-e-Bozorg District, Badakhshan said the miners were residents of Yaftal district and were working in informal mining activities when the collapse occurred.
Preliminary findings suggest that unstable soil conditions combined with a lack of safety equipment were the main causes of the deadly incident.
2026.4.30 Man convicted of aiding IS group, but jury deadlocks on alleged role in deadly Kabul airport bombing
Attack took place during US military’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — An alleged Islamic State group militant from Afghanistan was convicted on Wednesday of aiding the terror organization that took credit for a deadly suicide bombing at a Kabul airport, but a jury couldn’t agree on whether he bears some responsibility for that attack during the U.S. military’s chaotic withdrawal from the country in 2021.
Mohammad Sharifullah faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years after his one-count conviction in an international terrorism case that President Donald Trump heralded last year during a speech to a joint session of Congress. Sharifullah didn’t testify at his weeklong trial.
Approximately 160 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were killed in the Aug. 26, 2021, attack at the airport, where U.S. troops were conducting an evacuation operation when a lone suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device near an entry point known as Abbey Gate.
A federal jury in Virginia convicted Sharifullah of providing material support to an Islamic State regional branch known as ISIS-K. But the jurors deadlocked on whether any deaths at the airport “resulted from” that conspiracy. Sharifullah could have faced a possible life sentence if the jury had unanimously decided that question.
Sharifullah didn’t appear to have any visible reaction to the verdict. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga didn’t immediately set a date for Sharifullah’s sentencing.
The jury deliberated for roughly eight hours over two days. In a note to the judge, jurors indicated that they quickly reached a unanimous decision to convict Sharifullah of conspiracy but couldn’t agree on the element that could have significantly enhanced the severity of his sentence. The judge rejected a prosecutor’s request to give them more time to deliberate.
Defense attorney Lauren Rosen argued that prosecutors failed to present any evidence tying Sharifullah to the bombing besides his own words during hours of FBI questioning. Rosen said Sharifullah told FBI agents what he thought they wanted to hear, possibly because he was afraid of being tortured in Pakistani custody before he was brought to the U.S.
“The problem was, he didn’t know much about what actually happened that day,” Rosen told jurors during the trial’s closing arguments. “The government has told you nothing about how this attack actually happened.”
Justice Department prosecutor Ryan White said Sharifullah played a crucial role in planning the Abbey Gate bombing and was involved in several other attacks by ISIS-K, including its March 2024 attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed roughly 140 people.
“The defendant thought nothing of killing,” White said. “For him, it was just another day at the office.”
SEE ALSO: Trump lays wreath to mark 3 years since Kabul airport attack that killed US troops
A review by U.S. Central Command found that the Abbey Gate bomber was Abdul Rahman al-Logari, an Islamic State group militant who had been released from an Afghan prison by the Taliban. Sharifullah recognized the alleged bomber as an operative he had known while incarcerated, according to an FBI affidavit.
A former Marine testified to Congress that he and others had spotted two possible suspects behaving suspiciously on the morning of the bombing but didn’t get permission to act. However, the Central Command review concluded that the snipers hadn’t seen the actual bomber and that the attack was not preventable.
A prosecutor assigned to the Abbey Gate case was fired last year after a right-wing commentator publicly criticized him over his work during President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration. Michael Ben’Ary’s ouster was part of a broader purge of Justice Department veterans deemed to be insufficiently loyal to Trump, a Republican.
During his most recent presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly condemned Biden for his role in the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and blamed him for the Abbey Gate attack.
Biden’s White House was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the first Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020. A 2022 review by a government-appointed special investigator concluded decisions made by both Trump and Biden were the key factors leading to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military and the Taliban takeover.
White, the prosecutor, said Sharifullah told a journalist that he wanted to “catch and kill the crusaders” from the U.S. for invading his country after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
“This case is not complicated,” White said. “The defendant told you everything you need to know.”
Rosen said U.S. authorities accepted ISIS propaganda at face value when the group took responsibility for the airport bombing. She suggested that militants from a Taliban offshoot were manning Abbey Gate and could have been involved in the attack.
“You can’t base your verdict on mere conjecture and speculation,” Rosen said. “That’s what the prosecution is asking you to do.” x1200
2026.4.4 1 dead, 20 rescued after smugglers abandon migrants in Farah river
FARAH (Pajhwok): One individual has died and 20 others have been rescued after migrant smugglers abandoned a group in a river in western Farah province, local officials said.
The Farah Police said the victims were among 21 individuals attempting to cross illegally into Iran when they were left stranded in the river by smugglers.
Police spokesman Mullah Kalimullah Nangyal told Pajhwok Afghan News: “Twenty-one of our compatriots who intended to travel illegally to neighboring Iran were abandoned by smugglers in the middle of a river. As a result, one individual lost his life and 20 others were exposed to serious danger.”
He said that immediately after the incident, security forces in Joyeen district, along with intelligence personnel and members of the 1st Battalion of the 9th Border Brigade, launched a swift rescue operation and saved the remaining people.
According to Nangyal, the rescued individuals were transferred to a safe location and received full medical care.
2026.2.27 Pakistan launches airstrikes against Afghan-based ‘militants’ it blames for cross-border attacks
Islamabad — Pakistan said Sunday it carried out airstrikes on militant camps across the border in Afghanistan, in a serious test of an uneasy peace between the neighbors.
Pakistan’s information ministry said its military conducted “intelligence-based, selective operations” against seven camps belonging to militants it blames for a recent series of deadly attacks on its soil. The strikes targeted the Pakistani Taliban – also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – and its affiliates, as well as a group associated with the Islamic State.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the strikes in a statement, calling them a “blatant violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty” and a “clear breach” of international law.
The strikes took place in civilian areas in the eastern Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika, targeting a religious seminary and “multiple civilian homes,” the ministry said.
Women and children were among the 18 people killed, Sayed Tayeb Hamad, a senior police official in Nangarhar, said on Afghan state television. The bodies of the victims were still being dug out from under the rubble on Sunday morning, according to state media reports.
The airstrikes came after a month of deadly attacks within Pakistan, the most recent being the killing of two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, by militants in the country’s northwest on Saturday, officials said.
Earlier this month, dozens of people were killed by a suicide blast in a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.
Pakistan’s information ministry said on Sunday that the country had “conclusive evidence” that the February attacks were carried out by militants at the “behest of their Afghanistan based leadership and handlers.”
This new escalation will test the delicate ceasefire that has been in place between the neighboring countries since last October, after they traded their deadliest fire in years.
x1200
2026.2.27 A new penal code issued by decree in Afghanistan sets harsher punishments for the mistreatment of animals than for domestic violence against women and solidifies into law inequality based on gender and social status.
Comprised of 119 articles, the 60-page Decree No. 12 lays out penalties for women who visit their relatives without their husband’s permission, and allows husbands and the heads of households to determine and mete out punishment in their own homes.
The decree states that a man who beats his wife severely enough to cause a visible cut, wound or bruise faces 15 days in prison – if his wife can prove her case to a judge. But a woman who goes to her father’s house and stays there without her husband’s permission is punished by a three months in prison, as are her relatives if they do not return her to her husband.
Afghan authorities have often issued laws laying out various prohibitions, including bans on education for girls beyond primary school, on women working in most jobs, and mandates on how women should dress and behave. But the decree is the first full penal code issued by the government.
The new penal code also lays out different treatment for the same crime depending on social class, ranging from simple warnings for clerics to corporal punishment for those deemed to be at the lowest social rungs.
Scholars and “high-ranking people” face a warning from a judge; tribal leaders and businessmen receive a warning and a court summons; “average people of society” face imprisonment; and “the lower classes” are subject to physical beatings. If an offender is sentenced to a maximum 39 lashes, they must be to “different parts of the body,” the decree states.
However, the differing treatment does not apply in murder cases, where anyone found guilty faces the death penalty. The other capital offense is insulting the Prophet Muhammad, although in that case the death penalty can be converted to six years imprisonment if the offender repents.
۷ حوت ۱۴۰۴ هـ.ش
مسئولان ریاست زراعت، آبیاری و مالداری کندهار میگویند که نیروهای امنیتی ولسوالی سپین بولدک از قاچاق ۴۶ رأس گاو از پاکستان به کندهار جلوگیری کردهاند.
به گفته مسئولان، این گاوها از سوی شماری از افراد از طریق خط فرضی دیورند بهگونه غیرقانونی وارد کشور میشد که در نتیجه اقدام بهموقع نیروهای امنیتی ضبط گردید. در پیوند به این قضیه، سه تن نیز بازداشت شدهاند که پس از فیصله محکمه، با آنان برخورد قانونی صورت خواهد گرفت.
قابل ذکر است که در این اواخر تلاشهای مسئولان امنیتی در امتداد خط فرضی دیورند افزایش یافته و تأکید میشود که به هیچکس اجازه داده نخواهد شد تا حیوانات را بهگونه قاچاقی وارد یا خارج نماید. همچنان یک هفته پیش نیز از قاچاق ۹ رأس گاو جلوگیری شده بود.
2026.2.18 Over 500 musical instruments set alight in Parwan
CHARIKAR : The Department for the Promotion of Virtue, Prevention of Vice, and Hearing Complaints in central Parwan province reported the burning of more than 500 musical instruments and related items.
Mawlawi Maqbool Ahmad Waqas, head of the department, told Pajhwok that these items, used for dancing and celebrations at ceremonies, had been collected over the past year from the provincial center and districts.
He said that today (Wednesday), the instruments were burned in the Gulghandi area in the presence of officials from the provincial government, intelligence department, and other relevant authorities.
Waqas emphasized that the action was part of ongoing efforts to combat vice and urged residents to refrain from using items considered contrary to Sharia law.
2026.2.4 Over 6,000kg of narcotics torched in Ghor
FEROZKOH : More than 6,200 kilogrammes of various types of narcotics were set alight in western Ghor province on Wednesday, an official said.
Police spokesman Mawlavi Abdul Rahman Badri told Pajhwok Afghan News the drugs had been seized during multiple operations conducted by security forces.
He said: “The destroyed substances included 202.6-kg of ‘Ef’-type drugs, 10.1-kg of opium, four kilogrammes of raw cannabis, 4.1-kg of crystal meth and 600-kg of processed hashish. All of these were seized from traffickers and destroyed today.”
However, he did not provide information on whether anyone had been arrested in connection with the trafficking.
ZARANJ/HERAT CITY : Security forces have prevented the smuggling of more than one tonne of medicines in northwestern Nimroz province and seized 170 kilograms of opium in western Herat province.
Mawlavi Gul Mohammad Qudrat, spokesperson for the Nimroz Police, said the Zaranj-Dalram highway battalion intercepted 159 cartons of medical drugs, weighing a total of 1,391 kilograms.
He added that the medicines were being transported in a Suzuki vehicle and were intended for smuggling to Helmand province. Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, in Herat, security forces recovered and seized 170 kilograms of opium during an operation on the Herat-Farah highway, provincial police headquarters said in a statement.
The narcotics had been skillfully concealed in a private vehicle. One person has been arrested in relation to the case and is currently under the supervision of security forces.
2026.1.6 درگیری با شرکت استخراج طلا در تخار سه کشته برجا گذاشت
زارت امور داخله تأیید کرده است که در پی درگیری میان باشندگان محل و مسئولان یک شرکت زرشویی در ولسوالی چاهآب ولایت تخار، سه نفر جان باخته و پنج تن دیگر زخمی شدهاند.
ه گزارش افغان نیوز: عبدالمتین قانع، سخنگوی وزارت داخله، امروز (چهارشنبه، ۱۷ جدی) گفته است که افراد مظنون به قتل، شامل یک تن از کارمندان امنیتی شرکت و یک تن از باشندگان محل، از سوی پولیس بازداشت شدهاند.
به گفته او، تحقیقات برای شناسایی سایر عاملان احتمالی این رویداد همچنان ادامه دارد.
همزمان با این رویداد، معاون والی تخار به ولسوالی چاهآب سفر کرده تا وضعیت را از نزدیک بررسی کرده و روند پیگیری این حادثه را مدیریت کند.
وزارت داخله افزوده است که فعالیتهای شرکت دخیل در این قضیه بهگونه موقت متوقف شده و بررسیهای پولیس برای روشن شدن تمام ابعاد حادثه جریان دارد.
از سوی دیگر، وزارت معادن و پترولیم امارت اسلامی نیز اعلام کرده است که یک هیئت ولایتی را برای بررسی درگیری اخیر میان باشندگان محلی و شرکت استخراج طلا به ولسوالی چاهآب اعزام کرده است.
همایون افغان، سخنگوی این وزارت، روز سهشنبه در گفتوگو با رسانهها تأیید کرد که این درگیری به تلفات جانی و خسارات مالی انجامیده و پس از تکمیل بررسیها، گزارش جامع هیئت با رسانهها شریک ساخته خواهد شد.
این رویداد در حالی رخ داده است که فعالیت شرکتهای استخراجی در برخی مناطق کشور پیش از این نیز با اعتراضها و تنشهای محلی همراه بوده است.
2025.11.17 پولیس کابل: مرگ فرخنده ناشی از سکته مغزی بود
رماندهی امنیه کابل اعلام کرد که مرگ خانمی به نام «فرخنده»، که در روزهای اخیر بازتابهایی مشکوک در شبکههای اجتماعی داشته، بنا بر اظهارات خانوادهاش در نتیجه سکته مغزی رخ داده است.
ه گزارش افغان نیوز: خالد زدران، سخنگوی فرماندهی امنیه کابل، گفت که خانواده متوفا تأیید کردهاند فرخنده دو روز پیش بر اثر سکته مغزی جان باخته و هیچگونه نشانهای از خشونت یا حادثه جنایی در این رابطه وجود ندارد.
به گفته زدران، پولیس پس از نشر شایعات در شبکههای اجتماعی، بررسیهای ابتدایی را آغاز کرده و تاکنون «هیچ جنبه مشکوک» در این قضیه مشاهده نشده است.
او افزود که خانواده متوفا نیز «هیچ شک یا شکایتی علیه کسی» مطرح نکردهاند.
با وجود این، سخنگوی پولیس تاکید کرد که بررسی و تحقیقات بیشتر در مورد این رویداد همچنان ادامه دارد تا هرگونه ابهام احتمالی رفع شود.
خبر مرگ «فرخنده» که دو روز پیش رخ داد، ابتدا بدون ارائه جزئیات پزشکی منتشر شد و این خلا اطلاعاتی باعث شد در شبکههای اجتماعی گمانهزنیهای مختلفی شکل بگیرد. کاربران برخی رسانهها و شبکههای اجتماعی با انتشار پیامها و ویدئوهای کوتاه، مرگ او را مشکوک قلمداد کردند.
发表回复