Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader who oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989 after Moscow’s failed decade-long campaign there, said on Tuesday that NATO’s own deployment to the country had been doomed from the start. Gorbachev, 90, regarded the Soviet presence in Afghanistan as a political mistake that …
Read More »Taliban enter Afghan capital as US diplomats evacuate by chopper
Taliban insurgents entered the Afghanistan capital Kabul on Sunday, an interior ministry official said, as the United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter.
Read More »ntl. community won’t recognize Taliban government taken by force in Afghanistan: NATO
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the US-led military alliance would support the Afghan government in the face of the Taliban offensive, warning the militants against taking the country by force. NATO Allies met in the North Atlantic Council on Friday after three major cities in western and southern Afghanistan …
Read More »Ukraine asks for US missile systems, troops, Russia warns of retaliation
Ukraine has called on the United States to send troops and anti-missile systems to the country, in a controversial move that has prompted Russia to warn of retaliation. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Reznikov had made the request during a visit to Washington, he said in a statement on Tuesday. …
Read More »Afghan Air Force pilot killed in Kabul bombing, attack claimed by Taliban
An Afghan Air Force pilot was killed by a bomb in Kabul on Saturday, officials said, in an attack claimed by the Taliban. The pilot, Hamidullah Azimi, died when a sticky bomb attached to his vehicle detonated, officials said, adding that five civilians were wounded in the explosion. Azimi was …
Read More »Taliban Presence in Northern Afghanistan Reduces Daesh Threat to Central Asia, Russian Diplomat Says
The presence of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan’s north will suppress the growth of threat from the Daesh (ISIS) terrorist group to Central Asian countries, Russia’s special presidential representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said on Tuesday. “Many other international terrorist organizations have been based on these territories for a long …
Read More »Russia says ISIS terrorists moving into Afghanistan, pledges to boost Tajik army
Russia says members of the Takfiri Daesh militant group are moving into Afghanistan from Syria, Libya, and several other countries, stressing that Moscow would provide its Central Asian ally Tajikistan with military assistance if any security threats emanate from Afghanistan. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the remarks during a …
Read More »NATO chief Stoltenberg urges ‘negotiated settlement’ with Taliban in Afghanistan
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday reiterated calls for a “negotiated settlement” with the Taliban in Afghanistan, admitting the country faced a “deeply challenging” security situation as foreign troops leave. “The security situation in Afghanistan remains deeply challenging, and requires a negotiated settlement. NATO will continue to support Afghanistan, including …
Read More »US-China talks come at time of heightened tension
US diplomatic trip comes 50 years after Henry Kissinger’s secret China visit that initiated relations between the two countries. On Sunday, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman – the US’s second-highest-ranking diplomat – will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin, China in what looks set to be …
Read More »Russia: US, NATO colluding with Daesh in Afghanistan
Russia has revealed collaboration in Afghanistan between US and NATO forces and Daesh terrorists, specifically pointing to the use of unmarked supply helicopters in Daesh-infiltrated areas where the country’s air space remains under the complete control of the US-led forces. “Russia is aware of unmarked helicopters conducting flights in areas, …
Read More »US, NATO colluding with Daesh in Afghanistan, Russia says
Russia has revealed collaboration in Afghanistan between US and NATO forces and Daesh terrorists, specifically pointing to the use of unmarked supply helicopters in Daesh-infiltrated areas where the country’s air space remains under the complete control of the US-led forces. “Russia is aware of unmarked helicopters conducting flights in areas, …
Read More »Russia developing hypersonic arms to confront US, NATO threats: Kremlin
Russia says it has been developing hypersonic missiles to counter actions taken by the United States and NATO that damage military “parity” with Moscow. Speaking at a news briefing on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said arms control treaties had been gradually broken over the past decades. He referred to …
Read More »Foreign missions in Kabul issue joint call for Taliban ceasefire
Fifteen diplomatic missions call for ‘urgent end’ to offensives, hours after the Doha meeting failed to agree on a ceasefire. Fifteen diplomatic missions and the NATO representative in Kabul have joined hands to urge the Taliban to halt military offensives across Afghanistan, just hours after a peace meeting in Doha …
Read More »Turkey’s Erdogan set to visit Northern Cyprus amid tensions
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heads to Northern Cyprus to mark the anniversary of Turkey’s 1974 invasion, a visit that is bound to draw the ire of Greek Cypriots. Erdogan will embark on the two-day trip to the Turkish Cypriot-controlled northern territories on Monday. He is scheduled to meet with …
Read More »US Black Hawk helicopter makes emergency landing in downtown Bucharest (Videos)
A Black Hawk helicopter belonging to the U.S. military made an emergency landing on a Bucharest street on Thursday, tearing down two public street lights and stopping traffic but making no casualties. The helicopter was part of a group of six which were rehearsing ahead of events to mark Romanian …
Read More »George Bush slams US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Former US President George W. Bush has criticized the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, warning it is going to have grave consequences. In an interview with German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, the former Republican president defended his decision to attack Afghanistan in 2001, reiterating that it has led to great …
Read More »Top US general in Afghanistan relinquishes command
The top US general in Afghanistan relinquished command Monday at a ceremony in the capital, the latest symbolic gesture bringing America’s longest war nearer to an end even as the Taliban continue a bloody onslaught across the country. General Austin “Scott” Miller — the highest-ranked officer on the ground in …
Read More »Taliban claims to control most of Afghanistan after rapid gains
The Taliban have been emboldened by the NATO troop withdrawal and – with peace talks in Doha deadlocked – appear to be pressing for a full military victory. The Taliban said on Friday it has seized control of 85 percent of territory in Afghanistan, a declaration government officials dismissed as …
Read More »Taliban says it controls most of Afghanistan, reassures Russia
A Taliban delegation in Moscow said on Friday that the group controlled over 85% of the territory in Afghanistan and reassured Russia it would not allow the country to be used as a platform to attack others. Foreign forces, including the United States, are withdrawing after almost 20 years of …
Read More »Most UK troops on NATO mission now out of Afghanistan, rest are returning home – PM Johnson
The majority of the UK’s armed forces personnel assigned to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan have left that country and the rest are returning home, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. The withdrawal comes 20 years after the US, with British support, launched the so-called “war on terror” against the Taliban in …
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