Ruchi Kumar

One year on, the Taliban struggles to provide services they used to disrupt

The recent wave of power shortages is being felt across Afghanistan, and the Taliban blame the international community for the country's political and financial isolation since the group took over last year.

Kabul strays affected by the Taliban bombing find human sympathy

Stray cats and dogs were killed and injured when a truck bomb ripped through a fortified compound in Afghanistan's capital in early September. Now Samaritans are trying to find a new home for the surviving animals.

Is Daesh posing an existential threat to the Taliban?

As the Taliban nears a peace deal with the US, the increasing presence of Daesh in the country makes the Afghan militant group jittery.

Afghanistan's postal service trudges along despite decades of conflict

Without an address system and despite the very real threat of attack by the Taliban and Daesh fighters, Afghanistan's postal workers are determined to continue serving the country.

Does gender equality feature in the US-Taliban talks?

Known for having imposed strict laws in the country in the mid-1990s, the Taliban's possible return in the Afghan power structure makes a lot of women uncomfortable.

Why is everyone cosying up to the Taliban?

From Russia and the US to the UAE, several powers and stakeholders in the Afghan conflict have started engaging with the insurgent group to secure a long lasting peace in the country.

US anti-narcotics policy backfires in Afghanistan

Failing economy, growing insurgency and low returns from food crops have left tens of thousands of Afghan farmers with no other choice but to return to poppy cultivation after a gap of 13 years.

India's first woman private detective is right out of a pulp fiction novel

An inquisitive Indian woman first got her start by “investigating” classmates. Later, she became a full-blown detective in a field dominated by men. This is Rajani Pandit's success story.