In ongoing tension, Balochistan province in Pakistan witnessed the deadliest attacks in the first quarter of 2025. The hijacking of the Jaffar Express train by the Balochistan Liberation Army caught everyone by surprise. The train was carrying approximately 440 passengers from Quetta to Peshawar. Also perhaps a surprise, a nonviolent struggle for Baloch rights has emerged from this situation, becoming a source of hope for the Baloch people. […]

President Biden’s decision to complete US troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan by August 31 has elicited strong reactions at home and internationally. While opponents of the decision claim that it emboldens the Taliban and gives them a sense of victory, supporters hail the decision as an end to the long US engagement in Afghanistan. Regardless of the merits of either view, the fact remains that violence escalated across Afghanistan just after this announcement. The Taliban have increased their attacks throughout Afghanistan, in a few cities, and particularly in rural areas.

On March 26, 2018, a suicide car bomb hit a stadium in Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand province in Afghanistan. The attack killed dozens of football fans who had gathered in the stadium to watch the game. A number of civilians who lost their dear ones in the attack sat in protest to criticize the attack. They erected protest tents in Lashkargah and observed a hunger strike. […]