6.1 Earthquake - 44 km south of Jurm, Badakhshan, Afghanistan

"A very strong magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit 44 km (27 mi) away from Jurm, Badakhshan, Afghanistan, in the late afternoon at 6.04 pm local time (GMT +4:30). The quake had a moderate depth of 199 km (124 mi) and was felt over a large region." VD

Afghanistan says Pakistan air raids killed 13 people, including children

"Afghanistan has accused Pakistan’s military of killing at least 13 people, most of them children, in air attacks on the provinces of Kunar, Khost and Paktika.
The attacks were the deadliest in weeks and follow a period of relative calm at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, said in a post on X that the victims of the attacks included 11 children, one woman and an elderly man." msn

Death toll from Afghan quake rises

"For several minutes after the earthquake struck, he could hear their screams. Then there was silence.
Mohibullah Niazi, a neighbor who helped in the rescue efforts, said that the eight people killed

on the outskirts of Kabul after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan the previous night were a refugee family recently returned from neighboring Iran.
There was only one survivor: a boy of around 3 years old, who was injured and has been hospitalized in Kabul.
Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat increased the overall death toll from the quake to 12, with another four people injured. Fitrat said five homes were destroyed and another 33 significantly damaged, affecting 40 families in the provinces of Kabul, Panjshir, Logar, Nangarhar, Laghman and Nuristan." AP

Floods, landslides triggered by heavy rain in Afghanistan leave 77 dead in 10 days, authorities say

"Widespread flooding, landslides and lightning strikes triggered by heavy rain and stormsacross Afghanistan have left 77 people dead and 137 injured over the past 10 days, the country’s Disaster Management Authority said Saturday.
More rain has been forecast for the coming days throughout Afghanistan, and the authority warned the public to stay away from river banks and areas prone to flooding." AP

IRGC Fleeing Iran - IDF Kills IRGC Military Head

"There's also been some threatening messages being sent to the IRGC passage members. 

A huge chunk of them, second wave of IRGC members who are fleeing to Afghanistan through the border. This is not the first time. We've had the same thing a few days ago. 

But more of them are now leaving the country. A lot of the commanders have abandoned post anyway. We now have uh over the last few seconds minutes confirmation by the Israelis that the new military head of the Supreme Leader's office, the IRGC, has been eliminated. Another one bites the dust." Tousi

Blasts rock Kabul as Pakistan and Afghanistan exchange strikes

"Multiple explosions shook the Afghan capital, Kabul, and several other regions early Friday morning as Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged military strikes across their volatile border, accusing each other of escalating the conflict.

Islamabad launched Operation Ghazab Lil Haq (“Wrath of Justice”) hours after Afghan forces conducted cross-border attacks against Pakistani military positions. Residents of the Afghan capital reported hearing at least three blasts, but authorities have not confirmed the precise locations of the explosions.
“The cowardly Pakistani military has carried out airstrikes in certain areas of Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia; fortunately, there have been no reported casualties,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X." RT

5.7 Earthquake - 38 km NE of Bāzārak, Afghanistan

"The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported a magnitude 5.7 quake in Afghanistan near Bazarak, Bazarak District, Panjshir, only 11 minutes ago. The earthquake hit in the afternoon, at 5:09 pm local time at an intermediate depth of 87. km. The exact

magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report. A second report was later issued by the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, which listed it as a magnitude 5.7 earthquake as well.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Bazarak (pop. 65,000) located 42 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Jabal Saraj (pop. 15,000) located 75 km from the epicenter, Nahrin (pop. 22,400) 81 km away, Charikar (pop. 53,700) 88 km away, Pul-e Khumri (pop. 56,400) 107 km away, Baghlan (pop. 108,400) 117 km away, Kabul (pop. 4,434,600) 133 km away, and Jalalabad (pop. 271,900) 142 km away." VD

Severe snowstorm leaves 11 dead in Afghanistan

"Heavy winter storms struck northern and central Afghanistan causing avalanches, building collapses, and road blockages across several provinces. At least 11 people were confirmed dead, with fatalities reported in Kandahar, Parwan, Bamyan, Maidan Wardak, Jawzjan, and Faryab." W

5.3 Earthquake - Baghlan, 58 km southwest of Taloqan, Takhar, Afghanistan

"A strong magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit 58 km (36 mi) away from Taloqan, Takhar, Afghanistan, in the morning at 10.09 am local time (GMT +4:30). The quake had a shallow depth of 35 km (22 mi) and was felt by many near the epicenter. The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicenter than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would." VD

U.S. Halts All Afghan Visas After D.C. National Guard Attack

"The State Department moved to freeze all immigration cases from Afghanistan after a 29-

year-old Afghan national deliberately targeted and shot two National Guard soldiers in downtown Washington D.C., leaving them fighting for their lives.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced late Wednesday night that it had halted processing for Afghan nationals indefinitely. Thousands of Afghan nationals have been attempting to enter the United States on immigration visas on claims that they aided coalition forces during the Afghanistan conflict or were at risk of harm from the nation’s Taliban government." TP

Pakistani airstrike kills nine children – Afghanistan

"A late-night Pakistani airstrike on a home in the southern Afghan province of Khost has killed

at least nine children, a Taliban administration spokesman said on Tuesday.
The Khost bombing also killed a woman, and strikes in Kunar and Patrika injured four civilians, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated on X.
“Last night at around 12 o’clock in the Gorbuz district of Khost province, in the Mughalgai area, the Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident, Waliat Khan, son of Qazi Mir,” Mujahid said. “As a result, nine children [five boys and four girls] and one woman were martyred, and his house was destroyed.” RT

Magnitude-6.3 earthquake hits Afghanistan

"A magnitude-6.3 earthquake has struck northern Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake hit at a depth of 28 kilometres in Kholm, a town with a population of nearly 65,000.
The quake was felt by AFP correspondents in the capital, Kabul." AFP

Afghanistan and Pakistan exchanged their deadliest fire in years

"A 48-hour ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been reached after tensions flared,

with the exchange of deadly gunfire between the neighbors stoking fears of a wider conflict. The fighting followed strikes in the Afghan capital Kabul and the border province of Pakistan last Thursday that the Taliban blamed on Pakistan, though Islamabad has not officially acknowledged the attacks. The latest flare-up coincided with a historic trip by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to Pakistan’s rival India, triggering concern in Islamabad." CNN

Russian Energy Week 2025 Opens in Moscow With President Putin Participating

"The Russian Energy Week International Forum (REW) will take place from October 15 to 17

in Moscow, serving as one of the world’s leading platforms for dialogue on the future of global energy and fuel industries.
Notable international participants include:
Kim Yu Il, Minister of Electric Power Industry of North Korea;
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary;
Abdul Latif Mansour, Minister of Energy and Water of Afghanistan;
Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President and Minister of Petroleum of Venezuela (joining via video link).
Featuring over 70 sessions and discussions, REW 2025 will center on multilateral cooperation in energy and explore Russia’s role in the evolving multipolar energy landscape." Sputnik

Two New Earthquakes Strike Afghanistan Today

"Meanwhile, hundreds of additional bodies have been pulled from homes in mountain villages leveled by a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, raising the death toll to more than 2,200, a Taliban government spokesman said. Two moderate earthquakes also struck eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, the Survey reported." Newsweek

Afghanistan earthquake kills at least 500

"A 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan left at least 500 dead and 1000 injured, Afghan authorities confirmed on Monday. According to a statement given by the Kunar Disaster Management Authority, most victims came from Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur and Chadapare districts of the Jalalabad city near the Pakistani border. The statement also reads that many people remain trapped under the rubble and that casualty figures are expected to rise further. The deadly earthquake hit the Jalalabad area at midnight local time, with the Taliban government deploying helicopters to rescue the injured. Officials estimated that "hundreds are dead" following the news of the earthquake."

ABC

Russia Removes Taliban From Terror List

"Russia's Supreme Court on Thursday lifted its two-decade-old ban on the Taliban, the Tass

news agency said, reopening opportunities for business and investment between the two countries, and aligning with the Kremlin's bid to stabilize Afghanistan.
The move is undoubtedly a diplomatic win for the Taliban, which has been largely ostracized on the world stage after it wrested back power in a swift and chaotic takeover when the US withdrew its troops from the country in 2021." ZH

Trump Jr. demands answers from Ukraine over alleged assassination plot

"Donald Trump Jr. has criticized Kiev for failing to alert the U.S. authorities about a man who reportedly tried to obtain military weapons from Ukrainian contacts to assassinate his father during the 2024 presidential campaign.

In a tweet posted on Tuesday, Trump Jr. responded to recent revelations about Ryan Wesley Routh, a pro-Ukraine activist currently facing federal charges after being arrested near Donald Trump’s golf resort in Florida with a rifle in September.
According to newly surfaced court documents obtained by Fox News, Routh had allegedly sought to acquire heavy weaponry from someone he believed had access to Ukraine’s military arsenal in order to kill the then-presidential candidate.
“If you think it’s bad that Ukraine never said thank you for everything the United States has done for them,” Trump Jr. wrote on X, “the fact that they seemingly did not tell us that this sociopath literally tried to buy arms from them to assassinate my father seems like a much bigger deal. Wonder why?!?”
Routh, a convicted felon, had attempted to enlist in the Ukrainian military in 2022. Though unsuccessful, he remained engaged in the conflict in the region, reportedly working to recruit ex-Afghan soldiers to fight on Ukraine’s behalf, according to a Justice Department filing with the Florida Southern District Court.
In August 2024, prosecutors say Routh used an encrypted messaging app to reach out to an individual he believed to be a Ukrainian weapons supplier. He allegedly requested a Russian RPG grenade launcher and a U.S.-made Stinger missile, stating explicitly why he needed the weapons. “I need the equipment so that Trump don’t [sic] get elected,” one message read.
Routh also insisted that obtaining such arms wouldn’t be difficult due to the chaos of war, adding that “one missing would not be noticed.” 

RT

Afghan asylum seeker stabs child to death in Germany

"A two-year-old child and an adult were killed and three others injured when a playschool

group was targeted in a knife attack in a town in the German state of Bavaria on Wednesday. The incident was condemned by Chancellor Olaf Scholz as an “unbelievable act of terror.”
The stabbing occurred in a public park in the town of Aschaffenburg, with the suspect, identified as a 28-year-old Afghan national and a failed asylum seeker, targeting a group of toddlers from a daycare center." RT

Biden speaks with relatives of Americans held by Taliban, but deal to bring them home still elusive

"President Joe Biden spoke Sunday with relatives of three Americans the U.S. government is looking to bring home from Afghanistan, but no agreement has been reached on a deal to get them back, family members said.

Biden's call with family members of Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi took place in the waning days of his administration as officials try to negotiate a deal that could bring them home in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the 2021 collapse of the U.S.-backed government, was abducted by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip and Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban's intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling through the country.
Officials believe the Taliban is still holding both men as well as Habibi, an Afghan American businessman who worked as a contractor for a Kabul-based telecommunications company and also went missing in 2022. The FBI has said that Habibi and his driver were taken along with 29 other employees of the company, but that all except for Habibi and another person have since been freed." MS