A nine-member Taliban delegation is on a two-day visit to China where they met with the foreign minister for talks on the peace process and security issues, the group’s spokesperson said on Wednesday. “Politics, economy, and issues related to the security of both countries and the current situation of Afghanistan …
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 »Pakistan reopens Afghanistan border crossing held by Taliban
Pakistan on Monday reopened a major southwestern border crossing with Afghanistan that is currently under Taliban control on the Afghan side, Pakistani customs officials said, allowing over 100 trucks carrying goods to cross into Afghanistan. The Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, a key port for landlocked Afghanistan, had been closed by Pakistan …
Read More »Afghan soldiers seek refuge in Pakistan after losing border military posts to Taliban
Forty-six Afghan soldiers sought refuge in Pakistan after losing control of military positions across the border following advances by the Taliban, Pakistan’s army said on Monday. Hundreds of Afghan army soldiers and civil officials have fled to neighboring Tajikistan, Iran, and Pakistan in recent weeks after Taliban offensives in border …
Read More »Afghanistan imposes night-time curfew to limit Taliban movements
Afghanistan has imposed a night-time curfew to limit the movements of the Taliban across the country, a day after the militant group demanded the removal of President Ashraf Ghani. “To curb violence and limit the Taliban movements, a night curfew has been imposed in 31 provinces across the country,” the …
Read More »Afghan forces capture Taliban fighters for Eid rocket attack in Kabul
Afghan forces have captured four Taliban fighters including a militant commander for carrying out this week’s rocket attack targeting the presidential palace in Kabul during the Muslim Eid al-Adha prayers, officials said Sunday. At least three rockets landed near the palace on Tuesday as President Ashraf Ghani and his top …
Read More »Russian, Tajik defense ministers discuss response to Afghan conflict risks: TASS
Russian defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Tajik counterpart Sherali Mirzo on Saturday discussed joint measures to counter threats from the Taliban in the Tajik-Afghan border area, the TASS news agency reported. Russia on Friday pledged to help its ally Tajikistan to build a new outpost on the border, amid …
Read More »Afghanistan imposes night-time curfew to limit Taliban movements
Afghanistan has imposed a night-time curfew to limit the movements of the Taliban across the country, a day after the group demanded the removal of President Ashraf Ghani. “To curb violence and limit the Taliban movements, a night curfew has been imposed in 31 provinces across the country,” the Afghan …
Read More »Biden approves $100m emergency funds to resettle Afghan refugees
The US is preparing to evacuate thousands of Afghan special visa applicants who are at risk from the Taliban. US President Joe Biden has authorized up to $100m from an emergency fund to meet “unexpected urgent” refugee needs stemming from the situation in Afghanistan, including for Afghan special immigration visa …
Read More »Afghanistan: Defense ministry rejects Taliban claim of seizing over 90% of borders
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry has dismissed as an “absolute lie” a claim by the Taliban militants that they have taken control of 90 percent of the country’s borders. “It is baseless propaganda,” deputy spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense Fawad Aman told AFP on Friday. His remarks came a day …
Read More »Tajikistan ready to take in up to 100,000 Afghan refugees: Government official
Tajikistan is preparing to take in up to 100,000 refugees from neighboring Afghanistan where fighting has escalated as United States-led troops withdraw, a senior Tajik official said on Friday. Taliban are gaining control of more and more territory in Afghanistan, which the Pentagon estimates now extends to over half of …
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 »Rockets land near Afghan presidential palace as country marks start of Eid al-Adha
At least three rockets landed near the Afghan presidential palace on Tuesday as the country’s leader Ashraf Ghani held outdoor prayers with top officials to mark the start of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, it was the first rocket attack on Kabul …
Read More »Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan to hold drills near Afghan border amid Taliban offensive
Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are set to hold military drills next month near the border with Afghanistan where the Taliban militant group has over the past weeks ramped up attacks against government forces. According to Press TV, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the joint …
Read More »US peace envoy visits Islamabad as Pakistan-Afghan ties sour
Washington’s point man in talks aimed at ending decades of war in Afghanistan made a brief visit Monday to Pakistan as relations between Islamabad and Kabul reached a new low. Zalmay Khalilzad’s visit came just hours after Afghanistan withdrew its ambassador from Pakistan late Sunday after the diplomat’s daughter was …
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 »Afghanistan withdraws ambassador from Pakistan over kidnapping incident
The envoy and other senior diplomats would be back to Kabul until all the security threats are removed, Afghanistan said, a day after the daughter of the Afghan ambassador was briefly kidnapped and tortured in Islamabad. Afghanistan has decided to recall its ambassador to Islamabad and all senior diplomats over …
Read More »Kabul, Taliban Reportedly Agree to Continue Talks, Start Countrywide Humanitarian Aid Programme
This comes amid a recent surge in violence in Afghanistan following the start of the withdrawal of international troops from the country in line with an agreement reached between the Taliban* and the US in Doha last year. The delegations of the Afghan government and the Taliban issued a joint …
Read More »Taliban leader ‘strenuously favors’ political settlement to end the Afghan conflict
The Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada on Sunday said he “strenuously favors” a political settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan even as the movement has launched a sweeping offensive across the country. “In spite of the military gains and advances, the Islamic Emirate strenuously favors a political settlement in the …
Read More »Daughter of Afghan envoy to Pakistan briefly abducted, ‘tortured’: Kabul
Afghanistan’s authorities say the daughter of the ambassador to Pakistan was briefly kidnapped and “severely tortured” in the Pakistani capital. According to a statement by the Afghan Foreign Ministry on Saturday, Silsila Alikhail, the daughter of Ambassador Najibullah Alikhail, was kidnapped and tortured by unidentified men on her way home …
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