Khaama Press

About Khaama Press

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Khaama Press (خامه پرس) is an Afghan online news agency publishing around the clock in English, Persian and Pashto. Established in 2010 by founder Khushnood Nabizada, it presents itself as "Independent. Reliable. Afghan News, Worldwide," and has grown into one of the most widely read English-language sources on Afghanistan, with its reporting frequently cited by international media.

About Khaama Press

Khaama Press was established in 2010 and describes itself as one of the leading news outlets reporting from Afghanistan on a 24/7 basis. It is a digital-first operation — an online news agency rather than a print newspaper or television channel — publishing continuously through its website, khaama.com.

The outlet's tagline, "Independent. Reliable. Afghan News, Worldwide," captures its editorial positioning: an Afghan-owned, independent newsroom covering Afghanistan for both domestic and global audiences. Its English-language output, in particular, has made it a reference point for diplomats, researchers, journalists and members of the Afghan diaspora seeking news from the country.

Khaama Press styles itself as a news agency, and much of its output follows the wire-service model: fast, factual breaking-news reporting alongside longer articles and analysis. Rather than a single daily edition, it publishes as events unfold, and its stories are widely picked up and cited by other media — giving the agency an influence well beyond its own readership.

The agency's influence extends beyond its direct audience. Because it publishes in English around the clock, its reporting is routinely picked up by regional and international outlets covering Afghanistan — a role few Afghan newsrooms can play. For the country's English-speaking professional class, diplomats and researchers, Khaama's wire is often among the first sources of the day's developments.

History

Khaama Press was founded on 25 October 2010 by Khushnood Nabizada, entering an Afghan media landscape that was then expanding rapidly, with dozens of new newspapers, radio stations and television channels launching in the years after 2001. From the start it bet on the internet: while many outlets invested in print or broadcast infrastructure, Khaama built a digital newsroom aimed at readers inside Afghanistan and abroad.

Through the 2010s, the agency established itself as a leading online source of Afghan news, building a reputation for speedy coverage of breaking developments — security incidents, political announcements, business stories and cultural events. Its English service, unusual in its depth among Afghan outlets, drew an international audience that most local media could not reach, and its stories began appearing as cited sources in regional and global reporting on Afghanistan.

Its newsroom model was deliberately lean and digital: no printing presses, no broadcast transmitters — reporters and editors feeding a website that never closed. That leanness later proved an advantage. When the costs and risks of physical newsgathering rose sharply after 2021, Khaama's digital infrastructure let it keep publishing with comparatively little disruption.

The Taliban's return to power in 2021 disrupted Afghan journalism profoundly, forcing many outlets to close, relocate or fall silent. Khaama Press continued publishing throughout, adapting to the new environment like the hardiest of its peers. Its homepage on 13 October 2026 carried freshly dated stories from that same day — Afghan politics, regional developments and world news — confirming uninterrupted daily operation more than five years after the political upheaval.

The outlet has also diversified its support base over the years: alongside advertising, its website solicits reader donations, reflecting the difficult economics of sustaining independent Afghan journalism.

News coverage and topics

Khaama Press covers Afghan domestic news as its core beat — politics, security, the economy and social developments — alongside world news selected for its relevance to Afghan readers. Its homepage sections span Afghanistan, World News (with regional desks for the US & Canada, Africa, Europe, Australia & Oceania, the Middle East and Asia), Business & Finance, Sports, Science & Tech, Entertainment, Opinions, Refugee & Immigration, and Women & Girls.

The Women & Girls vertical is a distinctive feature. The site presents it as a platform bringing attention to the lives of women in Afghanistan and invites readers to share stories, concerns and insights through a dedicated address, afghanwomenvoices@khaama.com. Coverage here has included the ban on girls' education, child-marriage risks and the detention of women — subjects central to Afghanistan's story since 2021.

Business and finance reporting tracks the country's battered economy, from Herat's export industries to labour-market pressures, while sports coverage follows Afghan athletes' international achievements. The opinions section carries commentary and analysis, and the Refugee & Immigration desk covers the Afghan diaspora's experience — from asylum policy to resettlement.

The breadth of a single news day illustrates the mix. Stories published on 12–13 October 2026 ranged from a Russian warning over any US military return to Afghanistan and rising Kabul–Islamabad tensions, to a World Food Programme finding on falling purchasing power among Afghan labourers, a Herat battery company's exports to Arab markets, and Afghan sporting successes — a bodybuilder's runner-up finish at Mr. Olympia and a historic Asian Games cycling silver for Fariba Hashimi, Afghanistan's first female cycling medallist. Hard news, economic reporting and human stories share the front page.

Languages and platforms

Khaama Press publishes in three languages — English, Persian (Farsi) and Pashto — with a language switcher offering the three full editions alongside Arabic and Uzbek options. The English edition is the agency's signature product and the main window through which the international community follows its reporting; the Persian and Pashto editions serve Afghan readers at home.

The website is the primary platform, updated continuously through the day. The agency is also active on X as @khaama, where it shares headlines and breaking news as it happens. Its content is freely accessible online, supported by advertising and reader donations.

The trilingual approach reflects a dual-audience strategy. Persian and Pashto serve readers inside Afghanistan in the country's official languages, while English carries the same journalism to the diaspora and the international community — the diplomats, aid workers, analysts and journalists whose work concerns Afghanistan but who cannot read its national languages.

Location and operating status

Khaama Press is listed as a Kabul-based outlet reporting from Afghanistan, with its founder based in the United States — a transnational character common among Afghan digital media, editorially rooted in Afghanistan with an international footprint.

As of October 2026, the agency is fully active, publishing multiple dated stories daily across its sections, from Afghan politics to world news. Its country of service is Afghanistan, and its journalism remains focused on Afghan audiences at home and in the diaspora, as well as the international readers who rely on its English wire.

Official website and contact

The official website is https://www.khaama.com, publishing 24/7 in English, Persian and Pashto. Readers will find breaking news, section-based coverage and opinion pieces, along with a contact page; the Women & Girls vertical can be reached at afghanwomenvoices@khaama.com.

WorldNM is an independent directory and does not own, operate or represent Khaama Press. For advertising, news tips or other inquiries, please use the outlet's own channels.

Sources and last verified

This profile was verified on 13 October 2026 against khaama.com (checked live with same-day dated content), including its about-us footer statement, language editions and section structure. Founding details (25 October 2010, founder Khushnood Nabizada) and the X account @khaama are corroborated by secondary sources. As with all directory entries, facts reflect what was publicly verifiable on the verification date.