Afghanistan in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
In March 2026, Afghanistan's politics were dominated by its conflict with Pakistan and attempts to end it. Pakistan and Afghanistan held their first formal mediation talks around March 10, while a Pakistani official separately dismissed reports of a delegation going to Kabul. China urged both sides to settle their differences through talks rather than force and said it was mediating directly. On March 18 the two governments announced a multi-day ceasefire for Ramadan, following an escalation in cross-border fighting. Russia said it was ready to mediate if both sides asked.
The dispute also drew in other countries. Pakistan and India traded sharp criticism at the UN Security Council over Afghanistan, and Pakistan's Foreign Office rejected an Indian statement on action against terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan as "unwarranted." Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused the Pakistani government of seeking to "create anarchy" in Afghanistan.
On March 10 the United States designated Afghanistan a state sponsor of wrongful detention, accusing the Taliban government of using detentions of foreign nationals to win concessions from other countries.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.