Four gunmen who crossed from Afghanistan into neighboring Tajikistan were killed in a skirmish with border guards overnight, Tajikistan’s National Security Committee said. The Tajik border guards spotted the gunmen near a village close to the border with Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province.

Spokesman Khalid Zadran said the explosion struck at a hotel in the Shahr-e-Naw district, causing a number of casualties. Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the blast had caused both deaths and injuries, and that the cause was being investigated. Neither had details on the number of casualties.

Peshawar is a haven for Afghan artists who fled from the Taliban, which has banned music. A new policy of deportations by Pakistan threatens this community of exiles.

An explosion targeting Chinese citizens killed at least seven people on a crowded street in Afghanistan on Monday.

Afghanistan was hit by several earthquakes recently. A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck on Sunday evening, January 18, 2026. Earlier that day, a 4.1 magnitude tremor was recorded. These follow a 4.2 magnitude quake on January 15.

Report claims Hibatullah Akhundzada ‘spooked’ by possibility of schism between his hardline base in south, more pragmatic ministers in capital.

Afghanistan briefly lost momentum in the middle overs, slipping from 183 for 2 to 186 for 5, but Uzairullah Niazai ensured there was no collapse. Batting with maturity, he remained unbeaten on 51 off 51 balls to guide his side to a competitive total of 266 for 8.

Producers for "Afghan Star" -- Kabul's version of "American Idol" -- travel across Afghanistan's war-torn provinces in search of the country's most talented singers. "This is a new type of show," contestant Naweed Sabirpur told CNN. "And the people are watching and following it intently. Even when they don't have power, they turn on their generators and watch." The show has Afghans all over the world, via satellite television, riveted every Thursday and Friday night, reconnecting them to the country's long history of poetic and musical artistry after three decades of warfare. It also offers a refreshing change for a country still reeling from Taliban rule, which banned music and television from 1996 to 2001 -- isolating people from a significant piece of Afghan culture. Watch more about the making of the show » "The people were thirsty to listen to music and to have fresh young artists," said "Afghan Star" host Daoud Siddique. Siddique added that even though music was repressed, it wasn't forgotten. "We are talented people, we are no different from the rest of the world's people," he said. Still, the show often reflects the country's disparities. Of the 2,700 Afghans who auditioned last year for the show's fourth season, only 11 were women. Among them was Elaha Sorur, the only woman to make it into the top 10 and a quick fan favorite. "I hope from God that in the future of the series that the women participating will be ten times that of the men," Sorur said with a giggle. A refugee in Iran for 15 years, her mix of classic and modern ballads kept the audience wanting more. However, radical clerics have labeled the show un-Islamic, calling for its end. But that hasn't stopped viewers from tuning in and voting for their favorites via mobile phone. "We have to build our nation, encourage our youth," said Siddique. "We have to become like the people of the world. This is a very big message from this show."