RFE/RL

Spinning Taboos: Sama Dance Group Challenges Taliban In Afghanistan

A spinning dance troupe is breaking new ground in Afghanistan, as women and men perform a spiritual Sama together. The woman who founded the group says she will not be intimidated by the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islam.

Pakistan Urged To Release Journalist Held On 'Flimsy' Charge

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of a Pakistani journalist who it says has been held for days on a "flimsy" charge of posting "anti-state" content on social media.

Afghan Officials: Taliban Kills Six Members Of Same Family

The Taliban has killed six members of the same family, including an infant girl, in a remote village in the country's north, Afghan officials say.

Taliban Hopes For Afghan Peace Deal By End Of January

A spokesman for the Taliban has told a Pakistani newspaper that the militant group is hoping to reach a deal with U.S negotiators by the end of January.

Pakistan Jails Dozens Over Protests Sparked By Christian Woman's Blasphemy Acquittal

A Pakistani court has sentenced 86 people to 55-year prison terms each for taking part in violent rallies over the acquittal of a Christian woman in a high-profile blasphemy case.

Pakistan FM Qureshi Urges U.S. To 'Remain Engaged' In Rebuilding Afghanistan

Pakistan’s foreign minister said during his visit to Washington that the United States should remain engaged in Afghanistan even if it eventually pulls its troops out of the war-torn country.

U.S. Indicts Five Suspects For Smuggling U.S. Goods To Pakistan’s Nuclear Program

Displaced Afghans Fight Freezing Temperatures

Thousands of Afghan families displaced by violence elsewhere in their country are struggling to survive extreme winter temperatures in the slums of Kabul.

Two Children Killed By Bombs In Northern Afghanistan

Two children have been killed and at least eight other people wounded after two bombs went off near-simultaneously in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif, officials say.

U.S. House Passes Nonbinding Resolution To Limit Trump’s Actions Against Iran

The U.S. House of Representatives, as expected, on January 9 passed a nonbinding resolution limiting President Donald Trump’s ability to take military action against Iran.

Hard-Hit Canada Seeks Key Role In Iran Crash Probe

Canada says it intends to play a key role in the investigation of a crash of an Ukrainian airliner that killed dozens of its citizens despite not having direct diplomatic relations with Tehran

Trump Pulls Back From Brink Of War With Iran, But Is Threat Over?

Pakistani Writer Says Parody About Ex-Dictator Zia Confiscated

A prominent Pakistani writer and New York Times columnist has said that purported Pakistani security agents raided the Karachi office of his publisher and confiscated all copies of a novel he wrote about the country's former military dictator, Muhammad Zia ul-Haq.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Chief Threatens To 'Set Ablaze' U.S.-Backed Locations

The top commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has threatened to "set ablaze" unspecified locations supported by the United States over the killing of a top Iranian general in a U.S. air strike last week.

Trump Again Eyes Iranian Cultural Sites, Says Iraq Faces Sanctions Over Possible U.S. Troop Withdrawal

After a 17-day sojourn at his Florida estate, U.S. President Donald Trump returned to Washington on January 5 facing the fallout from the strike he ordered to kill a powerful Iranian general.

Trump Says 52 Iranian Sites To Be Hit Should Tehran Take Action

U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington has identified 52 “Iranian sites” that will be hit “very fast and very hard” should Tehran strike any American target, while the early stirrings of protests began surfacing on U.S. streets against the strike that killed a top Iranian commander.

Top Iranian General Killed In U.S. Air Strike In Iraq

Qasem Soleimani, the powerful commander of Iran's Quds Force, has been killed in a U.S. air strike in Baghdad in a dramatic escalation of hostilities between the United States and Iran that could lead to retaliatory action by Tehran.

Iraqi Paramilitaries Withdraw From U.S. Embassy In Baghdad

Iraq's military said pro-Iran paramilitary groups have withdrawn from outside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, a day after a mob attacked the compound, prompting U.S. authorities to deploy hundreds more troops to the region.

Pakistani Taliban Commander Reportedly Killed In Afghanistan

A key commander of the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has been shot dead at a refugee camp in southeastern Afghanistan, a Pakistani security source and a tribal elder have told RFE/RL.

Taliban Attack Kills 17 Pro-Government Militia In Northern Afghanistan

A Taliban attack in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar Province has killed 17 local militiamen, local officials said on December 29.