Southern Asia

US plans to keep about 650 troops in Afghanistan after withdrawal

The soldiers will provide security cover to US diplomats for several more months, while hundreds of others to remain at the Kabul airport, to assist Turkish troops providing security there, until a formal Turkey-led security operation is in place.

Pressure must remain on India not to allow pilgrimage in Kashmir

The Indian government has cancelled the pilgrimage this year but some worry that they could recant as Covid-19 cases seemingly decrease in the country.

Modi meets Kashmir unionists first time after India annexes region

PM Narendra Modi holds face-to-face talks with several pro-India leaders from disputed Kashmir, the first such meeting since his right-wing government annexed the Himalayan territory, detained thousands and imposed a tough crackdown.

Afghan govt gathers local militias to halt advancing Taliban

Key politicians with background of anti-Taliban or anti-Soviet resistance are converging in their areas of influence to mobilise forces for a likely face-off with the marching Taliban. But rights groups fear such militias could become abusive force.

Asif Tanha: A Muslim activist hoping to restore India’s democracy

Released on bail after being imprisoned for 13 months, one of the leading figures in India's anti-CAA movement will not be scared into silence.

Turkey is helping contain Iran by encircling its sphere of influence

Though Turkey’s regional strategy doesn’t directly aim to encircle Iran and its proxies, it ultimately achieves this as an advantageous byproduct.

For Iranians, the US seizure of Iran-linked websites is a draconian move

Disinformation campaigns cannot be prevented by shutting down Iranian websites, says a Tehran-based journalist.

What do India’s new laws mean for the ‘world’s biggest democracy’?

The government’s alleged attempts to curtail misinformation is a thinly veiled assault on the privacy and free speech of average citizens.

Iran foils attack on civilian nuclear facility

Authorities say they thwarted attempted sabotage that targeted a sprawling nuclear centre located in Karaj city, just some 40 kilometres northwest of Tehran.

Afghan officials: Taliban waging war against own people, razing districts

Officials say the insurgents, who are calling on Afghan troops "in enemy ranks" to surrender, have burned buildings, closed schools and planted IEDs in the districts they have seized.

Kashmir's heroin crisis is reaching epidemic proportions

'Earlier two out of 10 patients used to be heroin addicts. These days 9 or even all ten of them are on heroin'.

What do we know about Delta Plus variant?

India has classified Delta coronavirus variant carrying a mutation as a "variant of concern". It has an extra genetic tweak that could allow the virus to evade the human immune system.