Economy
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Bashardost: Taliban Officials Are Increasingly Surrounded by Luxury and Ceremony
DID Press: Ramazan Bashardost, a former member of Afghanistan’s parliament, has accused Taliban officials of becoming increasingly involved in luxury, elaborate protocol and heavy security, despite their claims of governing according to the model of the early Islamic caliphs. Bashardost,…
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Brent Crude Rises Above $90 as Hormuz Disruptions Deepen Supply Concerns
DID Press: Brent crude oil prices briefly climbed above $90 a barrel on Tuesday, as fading hopes for a breakthrough in U.S.-Iran negotiations and continued disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz intensified concerns over global energy supplies. Reuters…
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Taliban Expand Diplomatic Ties as Civil Rights Crackdown Remains a Major Barrier
DID Press: Nearly five years after returning to power, the Taliban have expanded working and diplomatic relations with a growing number of countries in the region and Europe. However, Russia remains the only country to have formally recognized the Taliban…
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Kabul’s Rapid Population Growth Puts Urban Infrastructure Under Strain
DID Press: Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, has grown into a city of nearly six million people, but its urban infrastructure has failed to keep pace with the rapid population increase. Over the past two decades, Kabul has experienced rapid population growth…
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Five Years After the Taliban’s Return: Afghanistan Needs a Comprehensive Vision for the Future
DID Press: As Afghanistan approaches the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, the country needs a comprehensive, forward-looking approach centered on its substantial domestic potential. The past five years cannot be assessed solely through political and security indicators.…
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US Users Mock Trump Over Strait of Hormuz Claims: “Just Open Your Eyes”
DID Press: US social media users have mocked President Donald Trump’s remarks about the status of the Strait of Hormuz, contrasting his claim that the strategic waterway remains open with what they describe as the realities facing commercial shipping. One…
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NRC: Aid Cuts and Mass Returns Intensify Afghanistan’s Crisis
DID Press: Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has warned that Afghanistan is facing a deepening humanitarian, economic and climate crisis as the country approaches the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power. The aid organization said millions of Afghans are…
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WSJ: 42 US Aircraft Destroyed or Damaged in Iranian Attacks
DID Press: The Wall Street Journal has reported that Iranian attacks on U.S. military bases across the Middle East, including in Jordan, have highlighted the growing threat posed by Iranian missiles and drones, while the United States remains insufficiently prepared…
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NRC Warns Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis Is Deepening
DID Press: The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has warned that Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis is worsening as international aid declines sharply, five years after Western governments withdrew their troops, diplomats and development agencies from the country. According to an NRC report,…
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US Think Tank: Taliban Exploit Afghanistan’s Mineral Wealth
DID Press: A US think tank says Afghanistan’s mineral sector, estimated to be worth up to $1 trillion, has come under increasingly centralized Taliban control since the group returned to power in August 2021, with limited transparency surrounding mining contracts…
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