Several sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban has recently begun reshuffling civilian and military officials across Badakhshan province. The changes have so far affected police commanders, district governors and intelligence chiefs. afintl.com/en/202610261656

Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, members of the "Mecca Pact", arrived in Tehran on Monday, 26 October, for talks amid growing concerns over the spread of conflict in the Middle East and ongoing diplomatic efforts to ease tensions. afintl.com/en/202610269463

Pakistan has urged the international community to hold the Taliban accountable for failing to meet counterterrorism commitments. On Monday, 26 October, its Foreign Ministry rejected Taliban claims of civilian casualties in Pakistani strikes on Afghanistan. afintl.com/en/202610263401

A recently circulated video shows a man identifying himself as a member of the Pakistani Taliban approaching Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister, and whispering something in his ear. afintl.com/en/202610267970

The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) said on Monday, 26 October, that its forces had attacked a vehicle carrying Taliban members on the Kabul-North highway in Qarabagh district. afintl.com/en/202610260802

Sediqullah Khalid, deputy governor of Afghanistan's Taliban-controlled central bank, announced that all restrictions on bank accounts would be lifted by the end of the current Afghan solar year. Account holders reportedly continue to face withdrawal limits. afintl.com/en/202610267211

Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, members of the "Mecca Pact", are expected to visit Iran on Monday, 26 October, two sources told Reuters. The officials are reportedly due to discuss regional coordination in Tehran. afintl.com/en/202610269710

A video released by Taliban members on Saturday shows Sirajuddin Haqqani, the group's interior minister, meeting a group of men in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province, including a young man who identifies himself as being associated with two figures linked to the Pakistani Taliban. The 48-second video shows Haqqani greeting several men. Some kiss his hands and face, while the Taliban minister takes money from his pocket and gives it to them. At around the 26-second mark, a young man wearing a green scarf approaches Haqqani and introduces himself in Pashto, speaking with a Waziristani accent. “I have something to tell you ... Jalalim and I wanted to come with District Governor Mujahid. I am Zabihullah, from Kotkai and the Mehsud tribe, from [the followers of] Qari Hussain and Hakimullah Mehsud,” he says. After hearing the two names, Haqqani appears to gesture with his hand for the man to move away, directing him towards one of his aides, who approaches the young man. Hakimullah Mehsud, a former leader of the TTP, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2013. Qari Hussain was a prominent figure in the group, known for training and recruiting suicide bombers. Previous reports have linked suicide bombers used by the Haqqani network in its fight against Afghanistan's former government and foreign forces to training facilities run by Qari Hussain. Haqqani travelled to Khost on Saturday to inaugurate a new police command building and delivered a speech at the ceremony.

The Taliban's Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, called on the United States to return $7 billion in frozen Afghan assets to the country's central bank. afintl.com/en/202610266916

Pakistan's Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, said Islamabad would act to end what he called terrorism originating from Afghanistan and reserved the right to take any necessary action if Afghan territory was used against Pakistan. afintl.com/en/202610262801

Afghanistan's National Resistance Front (NRF) said its forces killed two Taliban members in a targeted operation in Herat's Injil district. The group also claimed to have seized two firearms and a radio communication device. afintl.com/en/202610248438

Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday, 24 October, rejected allegations that it was arming Afghans to fight the Taliban or anti-Pakistan militant groups, describing the claims as "baseless and misleading". afintl.com/en/202610246887

New documents reveal that Switzerland spent more than $16,000 on a Taliban delegation's visit to Geneva in August 2025 to identify Afghans facing deportation and paid each of the four delegates a daily allowance. afintl.com/en/202610241166

India and Uzbekistan have agreed to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats and bolster national and regional security, India’s Foreign Ministry said. afintl.com/en/202610240846

New UNAMA chief Rabab Fatima says that despite the many challenges facing Afghans, their talent, aspirations and potential are greater than the difficulties they face. afintl.com/en/202610240404

Pakistan says it is ready to continue talks with the Taliban but insists further dialogue depends on concrete action to curb terrorist threats originating from Afghanistan. afintl.com/en/202610249859

The Taliban has again strongly rejected Islamabad’s claims that it is involved in Pakistan’s insecurity, saying it lacks the means to create or finance instability in other countries. afintl.com/en/202610244670

UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett has urged European countries not to deport Afghans to places where they may face danger, stressing that states must uphold their international human rights obligations. afintl.com/en/202610232399

Türkiye will host foreign ministers from Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul on Friday for talks on regional developments and stronger cooperation with Europe. afintl.com/en/202610236071

Maryam Rahmati, Afghanistan International’s reporter at UN headquarters in New York, has won the 2026 bronze award from the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA). afintl.com/en/202610230086