BBC: Afghanistan has pulled out of an upcoming cricket series after three players in a local tournament were killed in an air strike it blamed Pakistan for. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said it would withdraw from November’s tri-nation T20 series out of respect for the dead. The three did not play for the national team.The strike hit a home in Urgon district in Paktika province, where the players were eating dinner after a match, witnesses and local officials told the BBC. Eight people were killed, the ACB said. Pakistan said the strike hit militants and denied targeting civilians.      Full news...

Reuters: services reported no connectivity and disruption to flights and financial services. The Taliban administration offered no immediate explanation for the outage and could not be reached for comment. The UN called on authorities to fully restore connections. In the past, the Taliban have voiced concern about online pornography, and authorities cut fibre-optic links to some provinces in recent weeks, with officials citing morality concerns.      Full news...

Amu TV: Sources have confirmed that Taliban members in western Afghanistan shot a man dead and hanged his body in public on Friday, August 22. The incident has drawn condemnation from rights activists who described the act as a summary execution and a violation of human dignity.Witnesses told Amu that the man was hanged from an old tank at the busy Kandahar Gate area of Herat, where a large crowd gathered to watch. Videos circulating on social media showed Taliban members kicking the body in the head and face as bystanders filmed the scene.      Full news...

IFJ: Afghan journalists endured ongoing harassment and intimidation from Taliban authorities in July, with the jailing of at least seven media workers. The International Federation of Journalists joins its affiliate, the Afghan Independent Journalists Union (AIJU), in calling for the immediate release of all media workers and an end to the arbitrary detention of media workers. The arrests were recorded in IFJ monitoring between July 6 to 30. In one incident, three journalists were arrested on July 24 by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.      Full news...

RAWA News: In a renewed and intensified assault on women’s freedoms, the Taliban has launched a wave of arbitrary arrests across Afghanistan, targeting women and girls accused of violating the group’s extreme interpretation of hijab rules. Over the past week alone, dozens of women have been detained in Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-e-Sharif, under vague and ever-changing standards of “modesty,” with no due process or legal justification. These arrests are taking place in public spaces — streets, shopping malls, cafes, and university campuses — where women are simply trying to go about their daily lives.      Full news...

The Telegraph: More than 200 Afghan soldiers and police murdered by the Taliban since a “kill list” was leaked by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have been named in a dossier. Their names were compiled by independent caseworkers highlighting the plight of Afghans who worked with British and US forces. But a court order imposed by a senior judge prevents The Telegraph from reporting whether the dead had first appeared on the MoD list, which was accidentally made public in February 2022.      Full news...

RAWANews: Fresh violence has broken out in Khash district of Badakhshan province, where armed clashes between Taliban forces and local residents have resulted in at least seven deaths and more than 40 injuries over the past two days, local sources report. The unrest began after Taliban fighters intervened in a funeral ceremony for victims of earlier violence in the area. Residents opposed their presence, triggering violent confrontations. Some news outlets have reported that up to 15 people were killed by the Taliban during the crackdown.      Full news...

RAWANews: Zalala Hashimi, a well-known Pashto singer and finalist in Season 12 of Afghan Star, has been missing for over two weeks in Kabul. Her husband reported that she left home to visit a friend but never returned. Efforts to locate her have failed, and both her friend and family claim no knowledge of her whereabouts.      Full news...

TOLO News: These retirees are calling on officials to pay their pensions, which they say they have not received for nearly four years.Abdul Raoof Amin, a retiree, said: “We are demanding our pension payments. Look at what has become of this society. Today, people in need and the elderly receive financial aid from many sources. We are entering the fifth year without receiving any assistance from the Islamic Emirate, and we still have not received our pensions.”      Full news...

BBC: The Taliban government in Afghanistan has banned chess until further notice due to fears the game is a source of gambling. Officials said the game has been prohibited indefinitely until its compatibility with Islamic law can be determined. Chess is the latest sport to be restricted by the Taliban. Women are essentially barred from participating in sport at all.      Full news...

Rukhshana: A young woman has died after setting herself on fire in Taywara district of Ghor province in an alleged attempt to escape a forced marriage, local sources told Rukhshana Media. The self-immolation occurred Sunday on the same day that the woman was allegedly to be taken to the brother of local Taliban commander in Ghor, sources said.      Full news...

Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect: Since Taliban forces effectively overthrew the Afghan government in August 2021, the Taliban and various armed groups, including the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K), have committed widespread and systematic human rights violations and abuses throughout the country. The Taliban de facto authorities have implemented restrictive policies and practices that deny women and girls their human rights, perpetuating extreme forms of gender-based discrimination and flagrantly violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).      Full news...

The Guardian: When the Taliban began marching towards cities across Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, Alia, a 22-year-old Afghan journalist, found herself doing some of the most important work of her short life and career.In the weeks leading up to the Taliban takeover in August, Alia’s voice on the radio became familiar to many in northern Afghanistan. She reported on the withdrawal of foreign troops, the siege of government offices and on the detention of former officials in her province.      Full news...

RASC News Agency: On Saturday, the first day of Ramadan, Whitney Wright, an American adult film actress, released new images documenting her travels across various Afghanistan cities. In one particularly striking photograph, she is seen carrying a Kalashnikov rifle over her shoulder, raising questions about the nature of her visit. It appears that Wright is moving freely across the country under Taliban protection. Previously, she had shared footage of herself at Band-e Amir, Afghanistan’s renowned national park.      Full news...

The Associated Press: The Taliban say they will close all national and foreign nongovernmental groups in Afghanistan employing women, the latest crackdown on women’s rights since they took power in August 2021. The announcement comes two years after they told NGOs to suspend the employment of Afghan women, allegedly because they didn’t wear the Islamic headscarf correctly. In a letter published on X Sunday night, the Economy Ministry warned that failure to comply with the latest order would lead to NGOs losing their license to operate in Afghanistan.      Full news...

The Guardian: Destitute Afghan women arrested for begging under draconian new Taliban laws have spoken of “brutal” rapes and beatings in detention. Over the past few months, many women said they had been targeted by Taliban officials and detained under anti-begging laws passed this year. While in prison, they claim they were subjected to sexual abuse, torture and forced labour, and witnessed children being beaten and abused. All the women said they had no other option to begging on the streets for money and food for their children after being unable to find paid work.      Full news...

The Diplomat: More than three years since the Taliban took over Afghanistan for the second time, the situation is more dire for Afghan ordinary citizens than ever. Amid the barren landscape of rural Afghanistan, families struggle to survive on the edge of famine. Afghans, with no employment and no business opportunities, have no prospect of economic stability. The humanitarian aid intended to reach these vulnerable communities is intercepted, redirected to the black market, or siphoned into the coffers of powerful individuals.      Full news...

The Independent: At least 10 people were killed in Afghanistan’s Baghlan province when a gunman opened fire on Sufis participating in a weekly ritual at a local shrine, the country’s interior ministry said on Friday. The details are still unclear but the ministry said it is conducting investigations to understand the nature of the attack and identify those responsible.The incident took place in Afghanistan’s remote Nahrin district.      Full news...

Yahoo News: The Taliban Supreme Court on Wednesday announced the public execution of a convicted murderer in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Paktia. Taliban officials and local residents observed the execution, which took place in a sports stadium in the regional capital Gardez. In a statement, the Supreme Court identified the convicted murderer as Ayaz Asad, a local resident of the province who had intentionally killed another Afghan using a Kalashnikov rifle.      Full news...

The Independent: The Taliban in Afghanistan have implemented a bizarre new edict that will further curb the voices of women who are already prohibited from speaking in public.Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban minister for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice, declared that women must refrain from reciting the Quran aloud in the presence of other women, reported Amu TV, an Afghan news channel based in Virginia, US.      Full news...

AFP: Afghanistan’s Taliban morality ministry pledged Monday to implement a law banning news media from publishing images of all living things, with journalists told the rule will be gradually enforced. It comes after the Taliban government recently announced legislation formalising their strict interpretations of Islamic law that have been imposed since they swept to power in 2021.      Full news...

Global Security Review: Afghanistan, under Taliban control, is a powder keg ready to erupt with consequences that will ripple throughout the region and the world. The driving forces of this impending disaster are deeply rooted in the Taliban’s ideological, strategic, and operational maneuvers, which intensified after the American exit. The brainwashing of youths, monopoly over illicit drug production, sheltering and supporting global terrorist groups, weaponization of poverty, and recruitment of refugees has brought Afghanistan to the verge of an imminent explosion, with consequences that may prove more consequential than those of September 11, 2001. Understanding what the Taliban is doing deserves further explanation.      Full news...

Medium: The Taliban executed an unarmed civilian, Najibullah, in Balkh province, despite video evidence showing he posed no threat. OSINT analysis disproves Taliban claims, revealing the incident as an extrajudicial killing. A video widely shared on social media, shows a confrontation between Najibullah, the alleged driver of a burning Toyota Corolla (1990s model), and a Taliban fighter armed with an AK-variant rifle.      Full news...

Human Rights Watch: The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), affiliated with ISIS, has claimed responsibly for killing 14 men in Daikundi province this week, the latest attack on the Hazara community in Afghanistan. The killings took place in a remote border district between Daikundi, which has a predominantly Hazara population, and Ghor provinces, in central Afghanistan. The men were returning from a pilgrimage to Shia holy sites in Karbala, Iraq when gunmen opened fire on the group.      Full news...

The Economist: Last month the Taliban published a new consolidated code of religious laws. It has left Afghan women reeling, with many now searching for ways to leave. It also has implications for the Taliban’s quest for legitimacy and relations with the world. Three years after America’s withdrawal from the country, the situation in Afghanistan looks worse than ever. Even before the announcement in late August, women were banned from attending secondary schools, universities, parks and female-only spaces such as beauty salons. They were not allowed to work in most professions.      Full news...

The Times of India: The world is now, slowly but surely, realising that all the talk of Taliban 2.0 was just a ploy by the militant group to smoothen its take over of Afghanistan. The Taliban 2.0 is no different than Taliban 1.0. All the restrictions on girls and women are back. Terror groups are again being allowed to set up based and training camps. Pakistan, the main advocate of Taliban 2.0, has seen a resurgence in terror attacksTehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), popularly known as Pakistan Taliban, is having a free run in Afghanistan.      Full news...

The Guardian: Afghanistan is at risk of a polio outbreak, health officials have warned, after the Taliban suspended the vaccination campaign over security fears and restrictions on women. The Taliban had “temporarily suspended” polio vaccinations in Afghanistan, a health official involved with the campaign confirmed to the Guardian, because of security concerns and women’s involvement in administering vaccines. A highly infectious viral disease, polio can cause paralysis and death, particularly in infants and young children.      Full news...

AFP: Gunmen killed a group of civilians in central Afghanistan on Thursday, the interior ministry said, in an attack that was claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group. “Fifteen Shiite (Muslims) were killed and six others wounded in an attack carried out by the soldiers of the caliphate in central Afghanistan,” the group’s Amaq media wing said in a statement.      Full news...

The Guardian: “So pervasive is the Taliban’s institutionalised gender oppression, and so slender are the spaces in which women and girls may live freely, that in Afghanistan today almost any act can be characterised as an act of resistance.” That conclusion from Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, encapsulates how unbearably suffocating it is to be female in Afghanistan today      Full news...

The Telegraph: The Taliban is using female workers to spy on other women to enforce harsh new laws. Since returning to power in 2021, the Afghan regime has banned women from working outside the home or attending school and university. But some women are still employed at the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (MPVPV), the body that polices the restrictions, and more recruits are wanted. “They are needed to handle other women,” said an official from the ministry.      Full news...