8am: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has announced that one member of the Taliban was killed and two others were wounded in a military attack on a Taliban patrol vehicle in Kabul’s Deh Sabz district. The front said in a statement on Thursday, September 24, that the attack was carried out at around 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday along the main Kabul-Bagram road. Click here to read more (external link).
Two Afghans Enter US Under Narrow Immigration Exception, AfghanEvac Says
Khaama: Two Afghan nationals have entered the United States under a narrow exception to current immigration restrictions, according to AfghanEvac, an organization advocating for the relocation of Afghan allies and their families. he development comes amid continuing restrictions on the entry and visa issuance of Afghan nationals. AfghanEvac says a federal court ruling allows a limited category of Afghan family members to proceed under the I-730 follow-to-join process when the principal family member has already been granted asylum in the United States. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – September 24, 2026
Afghanistan beats Japan by 48 runs in Asian Games cricket opener
Amu: Afghanistan opened its men’s cricket campaign at the Asian Games with a 48-run victory over host Japan on Thursday, dismissing the Japanese side for 81 after setting a target of 130 runs. The victory gave Afghanistan a winning start in Group A of the men’s cricket competition. Afghanistan, which won silver in men’s cricket at the previous Asian Games, is scheduled to face Nepal in its second match Friday. Click here to read more (external link).
Kabul-Islamabad tensions soar: Pakistan strikes 10 sites in Afghanistan after drone attacks
TOI: Pakistan said early Thursday that it had carried out airstrikes on 10 sites in Afghanistan that it said were used to launch drone attacks against Pakistan. There was no immediate response from Kabul to the latest Pakistani strikes. Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had denied on Wednesday that Afghan Taliban forces carried out attacks against Pakistan. Click here to read more (external link).
More
An Afghan Mother And Her Daughters Left Their Homeland In Search Of A Better Life. They Died Of Thirst
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
September 23, 2026
When Nizam Hematkhil heard the news, he rushed to a remote corner of Iran near the border with Pakistan.
A group of illegal migrants from Afghanistan had died in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.
When Hematkhil arrived in the village of Mak Sukhteh, he found the bodies of his stepmother and her four daughters.
“The cause of their deaths was thirst,” Hematkhil told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. “I personally recovered their bodies.”
They were among the 17 Afghans who died of extreme dehydration in mid-September after crossing Iran through Pakistan, according to foreign-based Iranian human rights group Haalvsh.
The deaths have highlighted the dangers faced by Afghan migrants and refugees who risk crossing illegally into Iran to escape extreme poverty and the Taliban’s repressive rule.
Escaping Extreme Poverty
Hematkhil’s stepmother and her daughters, who were aged between six and 15, had been on their way to join him in Iran.
The family had all moved to Iran in search of a better life, but most of them returned to Afghanistan last year.
“Instead of finding a way to start over, we exhausted all our savings and resources,” said Hematkhil, whose family are from the northern Afghan province of Baghlan. “There was little work and no realistic way for the family to support themselves.”
“Consequently, they were compelled to return to Iran to survive, as there was practically no other option left,” he added.
The Taliban’s seizure of power in 2021 worsened one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Without international development assistance, the Afghan economy has further shrunk as joblessness and poverty rise.
Meanwhile, the hard-line Islamist group has committed gross human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and torture, leading to an exodus to neighboring countries.
Critical Condition
Hematkhil’s stepmother and her young girls had crossed into Iran without taking water with them, said a relative who accompanied them on the journey.
Hematkhil’s stepmother’s son, who was also with them, survived.
“The son was in critical condition. He had left the women behind,” the relative said. “Locals transported him to [the Iranian town of] Saravan, and fortunately, he is doing well.”
A Taliban diplomatic source confirmed to Radio Azadi that a mother and her four daughters died on September 11 due to severe thirst while crossing Iran. But the source disputed Haalvash’s claim that 17 Afghans had died.
Haalvsh released a video appearing to show locals digging graves. Another video purportedly shows people listening to a sermon in Pashto, one of Afghanistan’s two main languages.
Deadly Routes
For decades, millions of Afghans fleeing war, persecution, and poverty have sought refuge in Iran. Hundreds of thousands more have moved to the Islamic republic since 2021.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates that around 4.5 million Afghans live in Iran, including more than 2 million undocumented migrants.
Many undocumented Afghans pay traffickers to smuggle them into Iran. The journey is arduous, and migrants often have to cross remote stretches of desert and mountains where food and water are scarce.
In July, the bodies of 14 Afghan migrants were found in a desert in southeastern Afghanistan near the border with Iran. The group was believed to have been attempting to cross illegally into Iran.
Similar cases have been reported in the past, with migrants dying after running out of water or food.
Crossing the 921-kilometer-long border has become increasingly dangerous for many Afghans as Iran violently cracks down on illegal migrants.
At least 10 Afghans were shot dead by Iranian border guards in December, according to Taliban officials, after they entered Iran illegally from western Afghanistan’s Farah Province. Seven others were shot dead by border guards in November.
The incidents underscore the risks Afghans are willing to take to escape poverty and the dire economic situation in their country.
“They think about their futures, believing that if they reach Iran, they can at least find work and earn an income to provide a better life for their families,” Sefatullah Zahedi, a Germany-based migrant rights activist, told Radio Azadi.
Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
Copyright (c) 2026. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
Related
Taliban Forces Raid Karzai’s Home, Disperse Visitors, Say Sources
Hamid Karzai
Afghanistan International: The reason for the raid remains unclear. Reliable sources in Kabul told Afghanistan International that Taliban forces prevented Karzai’s guests from meeting the former president. The sources said Taliban forces stormed Karzai’s residence on Wednesday morning, September 23, and “disrespected” tribal elders who were on their way to meet him. It remains unclear whether the aim was to cancel the meeting or impose further restrictions on the former president’s activities. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – September 22, 2026
UK Afghanistan war crimes inquiry faces delay over 97 million newly identified documents
Ariana: Britain’s Ministry of Defence has identified 97 million previously undisclosed documents, some of which could be relevant to an inquiry into allegations that British special forces unlawfully killed people in Afghanistan. The discovery could further delay the inquiry, which was established in 2023 and had initially aimed to produce an interim report within 18 months. Nearly four years later, it has yet to publish findings. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan: A New Battlefield as Iran and America Redraw the Taliban’s Role in Regional Power
8am: If we seek a simple answer to these complex developments, we can conclude that the terrorist group the Taliban, on the advice of Khalilzad and ethnic secular networks outside Afghanistan, have concluded that in the ongoing conflict between America and Iran (in which Saudi Arabia is indirectly involved), the Taliban should remain aligned with Riyadh and Washington. This is precisely where the issue of the Taliban as America’s “silent pawn” gains significance. The Taliban may appear to be at odds with America on the surface, but this apparent disagreement should not blind us to the shared interests that have formed between the two sides in certain arenas. After withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan, America no longer needs to send soldiers back to advance all of its objectives. If the Taliban control the geography of Afghanistan, restrict the activities of America’s and Iran’s adversaries, keep the door open for economic activity by America’s allies, and at the same time prevent the complete collapse of the ruling structure, America can pursue some of its goals through this very structure without a direct military presence. Click here to read more (external link).
Related