Latest News
Atta Noor changes tack, mulls interim government
Former Balkh governor and politician Atta Mohammad Noor said he has recently started considering the option of an interim government which he said could help resolve the current crisis.
He said he only recently started thinking about this as an option and only after President Ashraf Ghani’s move to summarily dismiss the health minister Jawad Ahmad Osmani.
Noor says he now thinks an interim government could be an option to consider.
Speaking at a gathering in Balkh province Noor said if there is indeed a plan in place for an interim government people should not oppose it.
“Now we need to recommend such a plan (interim government), or if such a plan exists, then we should not oppose it but further develop it for the sake of national unity, social justice and political justice,” said Noor.
Noor said this after accusing Ghani of not fulfilling his promises.
“From the umbrella of tyranny, the dictatorship of those who are not bound by any principle nor word, indeed, or in commitment and we must give a heavy answer,” Noor said.
Noor’s reaction comes after Osmani was sacked from his post as public health minister by Ghani last week.
At the time Noor called it a “hasty and insulting” decision and warned of possible consequences.
Osmani said after his dismissal he was asked by Ghani to step down but he refused to do so.
On Wednesday Noor said: “There are many ways to threaten and fight, as soon as the president loses a political ally, it is a threat in itself, a very big response.
“A heavy response does not mean going to war, we are neither terrorists nor anti-regime, but we are against the President’s extralegal methods,” Noor added.
Questions were raised last week over the legitimacy of President Ashraf Ghani’s move to fire public health minister Ahmad Jawad Osmani but the Presidential Palace (ARG) was quick to state the president has the authority to dismiss senior government officials as he sees fit.
Osmani was fired after a number of public health ministry officials were arrested on charges of corruption.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, warned during a graduation ceremony for soldiers of the Ministry of National Defense that the Islamic Emirate will respond decisively to anyone with ill intentions toward Afghanistan.
He said the country is “not an easy target, but a bitter tree that has made the throats of empires bitter and newborns can never digest.”
Baradar also announced that in the coming days, the Islamic Emirate will introduce tax exemptions of one to five years for domestic and foreign investors, based on the level of investment in new sectors. He also said that the process of distribution of land to manufacturers will be accelerated.
Baradar called on countries to engage in political and economic relations according to the values and principles of the Islamic Emirate, emphasizing that energy and resources spent on conflict would be better used to support one another and strengthen common interests.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in its latest report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, stated that 14 members of the former Afghan government forces were killed in the last three months of 2025.
The report noted that during this period, there were 28 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and at least seven cases of torture and ill-treatment targeting officials and personnel of the former Afghan government.
According to the report, some of the officials and forces who had recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan were among those subjected to extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and detentions.
The report also highlighted restrictions on women’s work and movement, executions and flogging of individuals, and disruptions to internet and telecommunications services.
An eight-member delegation from Afghanistan, led by Haseebullah Ahmadi, chief of staff deputy interior minister for counter-narcotics, has departed for Jakarta, Indonesia.
The delegation includes officials from the Interior Ministry’s counter-narcotics deputyship as well as representatives from the Ministry of Public Health.
The visit comes at the official invitation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Kabul and is supported financially by Japan.
During their stay, the delegation will participate in a meeting focused on enhancing international cooperation in combating narcotics and improving treatment programs for individuals struggling with addiction.
Baradar: Afghanistan is not an easy target, but a ‘bitter tree’
New Zealand cruise past Afghanistan by five wickets in T20 World Cup
Fourteen former Afghan government forces killed in last three months of 2025: UNAMA
Afghan counter-narcotics delegation travels to Indonesia
UNAMA: 70 civilians killed in Pakistani attacks on Afghanistan in last three months of 2025
ICG report says Pakistan most impacted by IEA’s return in Afghanistan
Afghanistan–China joint market opens in Kabul
Pakistan approves re-export of stranded Afghan transit trade cargo
ATN secures broadcast rights to Carabao Cup semis across Afghanistan
Pakistan army orders evacuation of Tirah Valley, fears of mass displacement grow
Tahawol: Kabul’s response to Pakistan’s new accusation discussed
Saar: Discussion on Iran-US talks in Oman
Tawsia: Afghanistan’s interest in buying Russian oil and gas
Tahawol: IEA calls UNSC’s Daesh concerns baseless
Saar: Afghanistan’s role in regional affairs discussed
-
Sport5 days agoJapan trumps Afghanistan 6-0 in AFC Futsal Asian Cup quarter-final
-
Sport4 days agoHosts and heavyweights advance as AFC Futsal Asian Cup reaches semifinals
-
Latest News3 days agoTerrorist threat in Afghanistan must be taken seriously, China tells UNSC
-
Latest News4 days agoUzbekistan, Pakistan advance Trans-Afghan railway project
-
Sport4 days agoWinter Olympics finally underway, ATN to broadcast exclusively across Afghanistan
-
Sport4 days agoAfghanistan beat West Indies in final T20 WC warm-up match
-
Regional5 days agoTurkish President Erdogan meets Saudi Crown Prince in Riyadh
-
Sport2 days agoIndonesia shock Japan to reach historic AFC Futsal Asian Cup final