Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has criticised US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for downplaying NATO allies’ role in Afghanistan, urging him to repeat his remarks to families of 44 Poles who died there. afintl.com/en/202610198611

Iran’s Mobarakeh Steel Company has reached a broad agreement with the Taliban on cooperation in Afghanistan’s mining sector, according to Iran’s specialist industry and mining outlet Irasin. afintl.com/en/202610191377

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries met in Samarkand on Monday for a C5+1 meeting focused on security, trade, energy and regional cooperation. afintl.com/en/202610197507

Sources say the Taliban has opened a second drone operations centre near the governor’s office in Badakhshan amid rising insecurity and repeated attacks on Taliban facilities in the province. afintl.com/en/202610195430

Afghan traders and investors have called for greater Indonesian investment in mining, agriculture, electricity, energy and industry during meetings with Indonesian business and government representatives. afintl.com/en/202610196552

Uzbek officials and UNICEF representatives have discussed supplying medicines to Afghanistan as shortages and rising prices persist after trade routes with Pakistan were closed and Pakistani drug imports were banned. afintl.com/en/202610192120

Iran’s transport minister has called for extending the railway from Herat to Uzbekistan’s Termez border, saying the route could boost trade and give regional countries greater access to open seas. afintl.com/en/202610195934

New figures in Pakistan show bilateral trade with Afghanistan fell by more than 74 percent in the latest financial year, dropping from $1.3 billion to around $358 million. afintl.com/en/202610192730

Spain’s prime minister says the energy crisis caused by the US-Iran conflict has cost the EU more than €100 billion, warning of major consequences for public finances and household budgets. afintl.com/en/202610177396

Local sources in Paktia say heavy clashes have erupted between Taliban fighters and Pakistani forces along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, opposite Pakistan’s Kurram district. afintl.com/en/202610175982

Twenty-eight civil society organisations have called on the United Nations and the international community to intervene to prevent the forced eviction of residents of Omid Sabz Township in western Kabul. afintl.com/en/202610172688

Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov says trade between Russia and Afghanistan doubled in the first half of 2026 as Moscow and Kabul develop what he called “constructive and mutually beneficial” ties. afintl.com/en/202610178259

Russia’s Afghanistan envoy Zamir Kabulov says a senior economic delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk will soon visit Afghanistan for talks with Taliban officials. afintl.com/en/202610174921

Mahmood Khan Achakzai, leader of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, has blamed Pakistan’s policies for regional insecurity, accusing the state of recruiting, training and supporting militants during the Soviet-Afghan war. afintl.com/en/202610171360

Iran says it has granted temporary residency to nearly 10,000 former Afghan security forces, according to Nader Yar Ahmadi, head of foreign nationals and migrant affairs at Iran’s Interior Ministry. afintl.com/en/202610168601

The Taliban’s ambassador to Russia has accused Pakistan of threatening regional security, harbouring armed Taliban opponents and enabling Islamic State activity on its territory. afintl.com/en/202610165547

CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev says Afghanistan’s security situation remains tense, warning that Islamic State Khorasan, al-Qaeda and other groups are seeking to spread instability into Central Asia. afintl.com/en/202610166618

Kyrgyzstan’s president says Afghanistan is an important part of Asian security and cooperation, adding that lasting stability can only be achieved through dialogue and coordinated international action. afintl.com/en/202610160525

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Deputy Secretary-General Ahmad Saeed Moradzadeh says an inclusive government involving Afghanistan’s ethnic and political groups is the only path to lasting peace and stability. afintl.com/en/202610166817

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged the Taliban to take practical steps to eliminate terrorist forces in Afghanistan, saying this is necessary for lasting peace and stability. afintl.com/en/202610168901