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Sunday, February 22, 2026
TopicAfghanistan

Topic: Afghanistan

Dozens of Afghan civilians killed in border areas in Pakistani air strikes: Afghan authorities

Dozens killed in Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar & Paktika, Kabul officials said, while Islamabad maintained operation targeted 7 terror camps linked to suicide attacks in Pakistan.

Taliban’s war on music in Afghanistan: Hundreds of tombaks, guitars & national instrument rubab burnt

Since taking control of the country in 2021, the Taliban has dismantled thousands of musical instruments and actively enforced ban on music.

Operating without women: Taliban’s mixed-gender ban for surgical teams worsens Afghanistan health crisis

Women comprise less than a fifth of specialised physicians in the country, new decree risks shutting Afghan women out of professions & access to healthcare.

India halves aid to Bangladesh, boosts support for Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in Union Budget 2026

In the immediate neighbourhood, Bhutan sees the highest allocation of roughly Rs 2,288 crore, up from Rs 2,150 crore in 2025.

Crime & punishment, Taliban adaptation: 15 days’ jail for beating wife, only if there are ‘bruises’

New ‘criminal code’ in Afghanistan also legalises ‘Caste-like slavery’, prescribes flog-at-sight for ‘sinners’ & proposes 3 months’ jail for wife visiting kin without ‘permission’.

Taliban pulls down veil on free speech. Public criticism of regime now punishable

Public flogging & executions have become increasingly common under the Taliban regime. In 2025 alone, 1,000 people, including over 150 women, were punished likewise, Afghanistan's top court has stated. 

No images of ‘living beings’, avoid necktie, grow beard—Taliban extends media crackdown in Herat

Decree from Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice & Department of Information and Culture reported to be in force in 23 provinces, 20 TV stations shut.

US-made MQ-9 Reaper downed in Afghanistan? Claims by Pro-Taliban accounts hint at Pakistan angle

The unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in the Maidan Wardak province in Central Afghanistan. If the drone is confirmed as a MQ-9 Reaper, its likely origin would be from Pakistan.

Taliban hiding boom in cross-border narcotics trade behind veil of piety, UN monitors say

UN monitors also warn that areas where the industry is being relocated could potentially benefit ISIL-Khurasan and TTP.

On Camera

Nick Jonas wearing a mangalsutra is validation for many Indians. He’s our favourite jiju

Nick Jonas is not trying to modernise the mangalsutra, but his gesture shows that choices can be equal. If commitment must be flaunted, it need not be gendered.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

Suspected brake failure leads to Tejas accident after landing, airframe likely to be written off

The IAF, so far, remains mum on this accident which has led to grounding of the fleet for safety checks.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.