The Afghan Taliban has a new leader, one who appears pragmatic and moderate compared to Mullah Mohammad Omar, the near-mythical figure he replaces.
The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan faces an uncertain future after the announcement by Kabul that its spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, has been dead for more than two years.
Peace talks with the Afghan government have sparked a leadership struggle within the Taliban.
A former foreign minister under the Afghan Taliban has criticism for both sides in the conflict.
In a significant development, top Afghan officials and Taliban representatives are meeting in Norway this week.
Pakistani and Afghan leaders need to move quickly to end the historic trust deficit between their countries to embark on a new journey of peace and cooperation.
In a rapid reversal of warming relations with Pakistan, the Afghan president has asked Islamabad to move swiftly against the Afghan Taliban operating from its soil.
An old hand in Afghan affairs see the country's hardline Taliban divided over the prospects of peace talks after more than a decade of violence.
A complicated and thorny agenda awaits the Taliban and Afghanistan's government as they are reportedly ready to begin direct peace talks early next month.
Nearly a year after embarking on ending Afghanistan's decades-old conflict, China appears to have made substantial progress toward a diplomatic breakthrough.
A leading democracy watchdog says global freedom suffered a "disturbing" decline in 2014, with Syria ranking as the world's least free country and Russia's "invasion" of Ukraine dealing a bad blow to democracy.
Authorities have begun firearms training for women teachers in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar. The instructions are part of the measures the government is taking to secure educational institutions.
