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Afghanistan's Taliban government faces a triple squeeze: a collapsing transit economy, intensifying border conflict with Pakistan, and growing European deportation pressure, while internal repression and natural disasters compound a humanitarian crisis.
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.
Afghanistan's economy is in sharp decline as transit trade with Kabul hits a historic low, signaling severed regional commercial links. The drop follows intensified border fighting with Pakistan and reduced international engagement, leaving the Taliban government without major economic partners.
The Taliban government is tightening internal control, banning government workers from using smartphones, while seeking external legitimacy through meetings with Qatar and Uzbekistan. Germany is shifting policy, expanding deportations and debating asylum laws, while UN officials warn that Afghanistan cannot recover without women's participation.
Security is deteriorating along the Pakistan border, with Pakistani forces killing 24 Taliban fighters, while Islamic State-Khorasan claims the killing of a Taliban official. Germany is deporting criminals and non-criminals to Afghanistan, and a secretive terrorist removal court holds its first hearing, reflecting heightened international security measures.
Afghan society is reeling from flash floods that killed at least 23 and left over 100 missing, while the return of 6 million migrants strains resources. Taliban rule is marked by harsh enforcement, including hijab inspections and slaps, and Germany's deportation flights trigger protests.