Severe flooding, a landslide and thunderstorms in parts of Afghanistan have left 17 people dead and 26 injured over the last 24 hours, authorities said Sunday (March 29, 2026), the latest casualties from extreme weather in the country this season.

The number of casualties could increase as crews from the country’s National Disaster Management Authority survey the affected areas, the authority’s spokesman Yousuf Hammad said in a statement. Thirteen of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, mostly in the western, central and northwestern parts of the country, were affected.

The severe weather also left 147 homes either completely or partially destroyed, wiped out 80 kilometres of roads and destroyed agricultural land and irrigation canals, Hammad said.

Earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country.

Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, with snow and heavy rain that triggers flash floods often killing dozens, or even hundreds, of people at a time. In 2024, more than 300 people died in springtime flash floods.

Decades of conflict coupled with poor infrastructure, a struggling economy, deforestation and the intensifying effects of climate change have amplified the impact of such disasters, particularly in remote areas where many homes are built of mud and offer limited protection against sudden deluges or heavy snowfall. (

Afghan authorities on Tuesday (March 24, 2026)released American academic Dennis Coyle after holding him for over a year, with Afghanistan’s Taliban-run foreign ministry saying the release came on the occasion of Id al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

A statement from the Ministry said the academic researcher had been released in Kabul, the country’s capital, following an appeal from his family and after Afghanistan’s Supreme Court “considered his previous imprisonment sufficient.” Mr. Coyle was detained in January 2025 on allegations of violating laws, although Afghan authorities never publicly stated what laws he was accused of having violated.

In a separate statement, the Ministry indicated the United Arab Emirates and Qatar had helped mediate Mr. Coyle’s release, and said Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had met in Kabul with former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad ahead of the release.

Earlier this month, the U..S State Department announced the designation of Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention, accusing it of engaging in “hostage diplomacy.” Afghanistan joined Iran as countries singled out by the United States for detaining Americans in hopes of extracting policy concessions.

Afghanistan’s government rejected U.S. allegations that it detains foreigners to obtain leverage over other countries, saying Afghan authorities arrest people for violating laws not to make a deal.

Afghan authorities are believed to hold at least one other U.S. national. Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan American businessman who worked as a contractor for a Kabul-based telecommunications company, vanished in the country in 2022.

The FBI and Mr. Habibi’s family have said they believe he was taken by Taliban forces, but the Taliban have denied holding him.

 Pakistan has boosted security and arrested ‌dozens of suspects as it fears rising wave of militant attacks ​following its air strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Junior Interior Minister ⁠said on Wednesday (February 25, 2026). “Our forces are on high-alert to combat any attacks,” the Minister, Talal Chaudhry, told Reuters. “You know the militants always react whenever we go after their hideouts in Afghanistan.” Pakistan ‌carried out air strikes on targets in Afghanistan over the weekend on what it said were militant targets responsible for a ‌spate of recent suicide bombings on Pakistani soil.

Also Read | India condemns Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory

Islamabad blames Kabul for ‌allowing ⁠the fighters to use Afghanistan as a safe haven. Kabul ⁠denies the charges, saying the militancy is Pakistan’s internal problem.

Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire along their border on Tuesday, with each side accusing the other of initiating the clash.

There have ​also been a number of ‌militant attacks, including the ambush of a police vehicle in Kohat city in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in which five officers and two civilians were killed and a suicide bombing at a checkpoint that killed two ‌policemen.

Mr. Chaudhry said the retaliatory attacks by militants proved Islamabad’s case that ​they had linkages in Afghanistan, adding that the forces had averted several attacks in recent weeks and arrested a number of ⁠suspects, including Afghans.

Security forces have accelerated search and intelligence based operations and “have arrested dozens of suspected militants, their handlers and their facilitators,” the Minister said.

Multiple sources added ‌that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have issued alerts for a possible surge in terror attacks in Pakistan in coming days.

Urban centres, markets, security forces and places of worship could be possible targets, according to the alerts, the sources said.

“We have been given a strong caution about more terror attacks in our official communications. In this regard, we have almost doubled our search operations across ‌Pakistan,” said an intelligence official.

Another intelligence official added the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are ​already under terror attacks and “we fear that Afghanistan will retaliate against Pakistan through terror networks in Punjab and Sindh as ⁠well.”

Militancy is a growing problem for Pakistan with the number of attacks rising every ⁠year since 2022, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a global monitoring organization.

Data from ACLED shows attacks in Pakistan rose nearly fourfold ‌to 2,425 in 2025 from 658 in 2022 and over the same period, TTP attacks increased more than seven-fold to 838 from 118.

Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir has asked Afghanistan’s Taliban regime to choose between Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Pakistan, saying that a majority of militant groups infiltrating across the border comprise Afghan nationals.

Addressing the National Ulema Conference in Islamabad recently, Mr. Munir also drew parallels between Pakistan and the state established by the Prophet 1,400 years ago in the Arab region (today’s Saudi Arabia).

While official details of the address delivered on December 10 were limited, selected clips of his speech were broadcast on local television on Sunday (December 21, 2025).

Mr. Munir asked the Afghan Taliban government to choose between Pakistan and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), saying that Afghan nationals form the major part of terrorism coming from across the border.

“In the TTP formations coming [into Pakistan], 70% are Afghans,” he said. “Is Afghanistan not spilling the blood of our Pakistani children?” He reiterated his call that the Afghan Taliban should choose between Pakistan and the TTP.

The CDF further said that no one could order jihad in an Islamic state other than the state itself.

“No one can issue a fatwa for jihad without the order and permission and will of those vested with the authority,” he said during the conference.

His speech was loaded with Islamic references, and he also cited multiple verses from the Quran during his address.

The Field Marshal also stated that there are 57 Islamic countries in the world, and among them, “God gave us the honour of being the protectors of Haramain Sharifain (a reference to Makkah and Madina).” He also claimed that Pakistan got “divine help” during the May conflict with India. “We felt it [divine help],” he claimed.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.

The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes between the two countries and ended with an understanding to stop the military actions on May 10.

“Officials of Pakistan and Afghanistan are set to hold the second round of talks in Türkiye on Saturday (October 25, 2025) to find a negotiated solution to the border tensions and curb terrorist activities from Afghan soil,” officials said.

The talks follow a temporary restoration of calm along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border after the first round of discussions was held in Doha on October 19, 2025. The dialogue was facilitated by Qatar and Turkiye, and both sides had agreed to meet again in Istanbul on October 25 to continue discussions aimed at addressing mutual security concerns.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi in a statement on Friday (October 24, 2025) confirmed that the agreed talks would go ahead as scheduled.

Pakistan also looks forward to the establishment of a “concrete and verifiable monitoring mechanism” in the next meeting to be hosted by Turkiye in Istanbul “to address the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan soil towards Pakistan and prevent any further loss of life of Pakistanis,” he said.

Mr. Andrabi emphasised that Pakistan, as a responsible state committed to regional peace and stability, does not seek escalation.

However, he urged the Afghan Taliban authorities to honour their commitments to the international community and to take verifiable action against terrorist entities operating from Afghan territory. Mr. Andrabi reiterated Pakistan’s demand for action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

The spokesperson welcomed the outcome of the Doha meeting as a “first step” toward ensuring regional peace and stability and appreciated the constructive roles of Qatar and Turkiye in facilitating the process.

According to Mr. Andrabi, the earlier talks focussed on immediate measures to halt cross-border terrorism against Pakistan and to restore peace and stability along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Afghan interim administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also confirmed the Istanbul talks, saying the Afghan delegation would be led by Mawlawi Rahmatullah Najeeb, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Interior.

“The remaining issues (with Pakistan) will be discussed in the meeting,” Mr. Mujahid said in a social media post.

Pakistan has witnessed a renewed wave of militant attacks since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to rein in the TTP militants using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan, but with limited success.

The growing mistrust has led to repeated clashes along the 2,611-km-long border, known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan does not officially recognise.

Zimbabwe won a Test by an innings for only the third time when they defeated Afghanistan by an innings and 73 runs at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday (October 22, 2025), with two days to spare.

Afghanistan batted after Zimbabwe won the toss and were all out for 127. Zimbabwe made 359 in reply with Ben Curran hitting a maiden century, giving the hosts a 232-run first innings lead.

Curran won the player of the match award for his 121 runs, which swung the one-off Test decisively in favour of the hosts on the second day.

The tourists’ batters struggled again in their second innings and were dismissed for 159 with only Ibrahim Zadran (42) and middle-order Bahir Shah (32) having some success.

Brad Evans took five wickets in the first Afghan innings and second time round it was the turn of Richard Ngarava (5-37) to sparkle as the quick claimed his first Test five-for.

Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by an innings in 1995 in Harare and repeated the feat against Bangladesh six years later in Bulawayo.

It was the first Test victory by Zimbabwe in Harare since 2013, when they beat Pakistan by 24 runs in a thriller.

“It is a nice end to a tough year of Test cricket for us,” said Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine, referring to seven losses in their eight previous Tests.

“On a wicket that offered a little bit throughout, I thought it was a brilliant effort with the bat from the boys.

“They have learnt a fair bit over the last few months, playing the amount of Test cricket that we did against top-class opponents.

“The bowlers were outstanding. Brad (Evans) in the first innings picked up a five-for. Richie (Ngarava) stepped up in the second innings and did the same.”

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said: “Zimbabwe played really good cricket, and we did not. The conditions supported the fast bowlers.

“We were happy to bat first and scored 76 runs for the loss of only one wicket. Then there was a spectacular collapse. We let ourselves down as a team.”

The sole positive for Afghanistan, who beat Zimbabwe 1-0 in a two-Test series last January, was the performance of debutant seamer Ziaur Rahman, who captured seven wickets.

Brief scores

Afghanistan 127, 32.3 overs and 159, 43 overs (I. Zadran 42, B. Shah 32; R. Ngarava 5-37, B. Muzarabani 3-48) v Zimbabwe 359, 103 overs

Result: Zimbabwe won by an innings and 73 runs

Toss: Zimbabwe