Abubakar Siddique, a journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, specializes in the coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is the author of The Pashtun Question: The Unresolved Key To The Future Of Pakistan And Afghanistan.
As a landlocked backwater in the heart of Asia, Afghanistan has attracted war and conflict during the past two centuries. A series of major infrastructure and energy projects now underway could revive its historic role as a regional hub for trade and transport.
Illegal sales of government arms and military equipment to the Taliban and the presence of thousands of 'ghost' policemen contributes to insecurity and militia resurgence in a remote Afghan province on Central Asia's border.
A remote Afghan town where NATO claimed success after a major operation during its Afghanistan campaign is now a contested frontline between Afghan forces and the Taliban.
A Pakistani man kidnapped by the Islamic State group in Afghanistan recounts his suffering at the hands of the extremist faction known for executing prisoners.
In an effort to win the support of politicians from minority provinces for multibillion-dollar Chinese investments, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has inaugurated a major road in a remote southwestern region.
Some communities in eastern Afghanistan are resorting to extreme violence and tough rhetoric after the Islamic State's onslaught on their homeland.
A power struggle among top Taliban leaders casts a dark shadow over the militant movement's political future, though their campaign shows no signs of abetting despite the onset of winter in Afghanistan.
In a sign that the Islamic State has established a foothold in eastern Afghanistan, the insurgents are now operating a radio station to propagate their message and attract new recruits.
The chairman of the Gwadar Port Authority hopes billions of dollars in Chinese investment will transform a dusty provincial town in southwestern Pakistan into a glitzy, 21st-century port.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's efforts to involve Pakistan in improving security and jumpstarting a peace process with the Taliban are facing domestic criticism.
There are signs that Pakistan and Afghanistan are likely to go ahead with a second round of talks between the Afghan Taliban and Kabul as part of a new push to end the Afghan conflict through a negotiated settlement and cultivating a cooperative bilateral relationship between the two neighbors.
A village in a restive southern province in Afghanistan encapsulates the insecurity, fear, and challenges civilians endure merely to survive amid escalating chaos.
Contradictory reports cloud the fate of the Afghan Taliban leader's fate a day after reports emerged that Mullah Akhtar Mansur had been seriously injured following a verbal dispute at a meeting of militant commanders in neighboring Pakistan.
In an unusual development, the Afghan Taliban have released a report detailing their fight against Central Asian militants allied with a Taliban splinter group in southern Afghanistan.
Suspicion in Kabul over Islamabad's intentions in facilitating peace talks with the Taliban and growing rifts among Afghan insurgents cloud the possible resumption of direct talks between the Afghan government and rebels.
Afghan officials and the Taliban are attempting unprecedented cooperation in reopening schools in remote parts of southern Afghanistan where insurgents control large swaths of territory.
A former inmate of the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay is leading Afghanistan's fight against Islamic State militants involved in a violent campaign in eastern Afghanistan.
Afghan lawmakers, officials, and observers see a covert Taliban alliance with Tehran to counter the increasing influence of the Islamic State, which is apparently bent on replacing the Taliban as the major insurgent faction in Afghanistan.
In a major blow to a simmering secessionist struggle from Pakistan, one of the most influential Baluch separatist leaders is expected to reconcile with Islamabad after engaging in secret talks with the government.
An Afghan academic speaks about pioneering a genders studies program at the university she was forced to quit by Islamist radicals two decades ago.
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