Ahmad Massoud, whose forces are fighting the Islamist militants in Panjshir valley, says he wants ‘lasting peace’The leader of the Afghan opposition group resisting Taliban forces in the Panjshir valley has said he welcomes proposals from religious sch…
Beyond Kabul, a humanitarian crisis is developing in Afghanistan | Astrid Sletten
As an aid worker, I can see first-hand how a perfect storm of conflict, drought and Covid has gripped the countryIt felt surreal to be flying into Kabul international airport rather than out, crossing paths with families who were trying to flee. For th…
Taliban break up Afghan women’s rights march with gunfire
Militia members fire shots into air and demonstrator says they also used teargas and stun gunsTaliban fighters have broken up a women’s rights march in Kabul with gunfire as bitter fighting continued in Afghanistan’s last rebel holdout and the US army’…
The west must engage with the Taliban and provide financial support
The gains of the past 20 years in Afghanistan will be lost unless we keep funding social infrastructureAfghanistan is on the brink of economic meltdown. Millions of people are going hungry. Teachers and doctors are going unpaid. The social infrastructu…
Afghan musicians silently await their fate as Taliban’s ban looms
Amid upheaval across the country, it remains unclear whether a new government will forbid music as it did 25 years agoThe shutters have been down all along Kharabat Street, the storied heart of Afghan musical life, since the Taliban swept into Kabul in…
With the US becoming a less reliable ally, Britain needs to make friends in Europe | Andrew Rawnsley
Britain urgently needs to repair its relations with its neighbours but Boris Johnson’s government is singularly ill-equipped to do soAfter the rout, the recriminations. British fingers furiously jab at the Americans for a shaming scuttle from Kabul tha…
Britain must rediscover the will to lead on global issues | Tobias Ellwood
The withdrawal from Afghanistan is folly and has highlighted glaring faults in Whitehall“The war in Afghanistan is over,” proclaimed Joe Biden. How wrong he will be proved to be.This was never a baseball game that simply folds when we all walk away, ye…
Senior Tory demands end to ‘unseemly’ Cabinet row over Afghan crisis
Tobias Ellwood, chair of the defence select committee, says spats are damaging the UK’s global standingBritain must rediscover the will to lead on global issues | Tobias EllwoodA senior Conservative MP is demanding an immediate end to the “unseemly and…
‘I’m not Rambo’: Republican unrepentant about attempt to enter Afghanistan
Congressman Markwayne Mullin, criticized for rogue rescue effort, says he would do it again ‘without hesitation’The Oklahoma Republican congressman Markwayne Mullin has said he has no regrets about trying to enter Afghanistan on a rescue mission last m…
Original Observer Photography
Michael Rosen, Paloma Faith, St Etienne and ‘champing’ holidays – the best photography commissioned by the Observer in August 2021 Continue reading…