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The Taliban government faces acute internal security threats from attacks on Chinese interests and external diplomatic isolation over Trump's NATO remarks, while managing a humanitarian crisis and fragile economy dependent on foreign aid and regional trade disputes.
Editorially curated conflicts and rivalries Afghanistan is party to. Open a panel to see the specific friction points inside it.
The contested borders of South Asia, where two nuclear-armed states and their neighbours dispute territory, water and responsibility for cross-border violence. Five fault lines run through it: the air campaign and border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan along the Durand Line; the Kashmir territorial dispute between India and Pakistan; the separatist insurgency in Balochistan; the Indus Waters Treaty, suspended by India and contested by Pakistan; and the militant attacks that each state attributes to the other. Pakistan is a party to four of the five.
The economy remains fragile and reliant on foreign aid and regional trade negotiations. Italy made a new contribution to the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan, while Pakistan traders sought a waiver of port charges on Afghan cargo after re-export approval. Iran's President Pezeshkian called for increased efforts to secure Iran's water share from Afghanistan.
The Taliban government is diplomatically isolated, facing international condemnation for a new law legalizing slavery and granting immunity to mullahs. External political discourse is dominated by outrage over Trump's remarks on NATO's role in Afghanistan, with the UK political leader, Italian PM, and Norwegian PM all criticizing the claims. China directly engaged the Taliban government, asking it to protect Chinese citizens.
Security is dominated by a major attack targeting Chinese nationals in Kabul and the Taliban's confirmation it is holding Americans. An explosion in a Kabul hotel killed several people and injured Chinese nationals, prompting urgent calls from Beijing for protection. The Taliban also entered a German safe house for Afghan evacuees, and Pakistan's PM Shehbaz cited Kabul's inaction against terrorists as the reason for a trade blockade.
Society is gripped by a severe humanitarian crisis and the Taliban's contradictory actions on women's rights. A hunger crisis is worsening amid severe winters and aid reductions, while the Taliban launched national guidelines to combat child malnutrition. Simultaneously, the Taliban continue their war on women and girls, exemplified by the arrest of a female taekwondo coach, though they released a female taekwondo teacher.