Talib Mangal

Talib Mangal came from Musa Khel district of Khost province in eastern Afghanistan. Reports of his death in October 2026 gave his age as 40. His exact date of birth was not published in the reports.

He began writing poetry while young, and for several years his poems were published in print magazines inside and outside Afghanistan and on many Pashto websites before they appeared as a book. An earlier profile by the Khost writer Rafiullah Zyar noted that he had already worked in journalism for about nine years by the time his first collection appeared, and that his singing voice had helped win his verse a wide following.

Mangal's first poetry collection, Spogmai Zhari, was published in Kabul by the Samim literary society in an edition of 1,000 copies. Its 135 pages contained ghazals and other poems. He also devised a new short verse form that he called Mangal lines, and a set of three hundred of them, shared online, was warmly received by readers of Pashto literature.

He worked as a journalist during the years of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The poet Pir Mohammad Karwan recalled that he produced many radio programmes and wrote numerous articles. From February 2018 until the fall of the republic in 2021 he served as spokesperson for the governor of Khost province.

Mangal was a regular contributor to the Pashto literary website Taand, writing essays on poetry and literary criticism. The poet Noor Jan Bahir said he not only wrote a great deal of poetry but also analysed poetry critically and published many articles about it. His last piece for Taand, on techniques for translating free verse, appeared on 29 September 2026. Days before his death he received the Junaid Foundation's poet of the year award, and two new collections of his poetry were published on the day he died.

At the time of his death Mangal was studying for a master's degree at Sheikh Zayed University in Khost. He lived in Khost province. Details of his family were not reported in the coverage of his death.

Talib Mangal died in a traffic accident on Friday 9 October 2026, aged 40. The Pashto website Taand, to which he contributed, reported his death the same day, noting that many people, former officials and friends had expressed their grief. His funeral was held in Khost province on Saturday 10 October 2026, and he was buried there, TOLOnews reported.

Writers, poets and journalists described his death as a major loss to literature and journalism. Mohammad Sabir Saberi, head of Khost's Department of Information and Culture, said the department would publish his unpublished works and carry his ideas and approach to future generations.

Mangal is remembered as an innovative voice among young Pashto poets, both for his ghazals and for the short form he called Mangal lines, and as a journalist and critic who wrote widely on poetry. Khost's Department of Information and Culture pledged to publish his unpublished works so that his literary legacy would be preserved.