The government of Afghanistan is appealing to militia groups and veterans of the resistance against Soviet invasion in the 1980s to fight the Taliban as it rampages across northern Afghanistan and U.S. troops continue their withdrawal.
A spokesman for the Taliban announced Sunday night the group ordered its forces to pause offensive operations for the three days of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.
“Unidentified gunmen” killed a prominent Afghan journalist on Thursday following a declaration by the Taliban that it would soon begin targeting members of the media with which it has disagreements.
Russian state media reported Thursday that an “extended Troika conference on Afghanistan reconciliation” would be held in Doha, Qatar, on Friday — the day before the May 1 deadline for American and NATO forces to withdraw.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced this week that the administration of President Joe Biden expects to immediately invest “nearly $300 million” in aid to Afghanistan, potentially just the beginning in what Blinken has advertised as heightened civilian engagement in the country.
Washington will demonstrate “enduring” support for Afghanistan even after the U.S. withdraws its troops from the country later this year, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during an unannounced visit to Kabul on Thursday.
Afghanistan will continue working with its “U.S./NATO partners” after the U.S. withdraws troops from the country in September, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Wednesday.
A statement from the Afghan jihadist organization the Taliban condemned President Joe Biden on Thursday for delaying the withdrawal of American troops from the country, noting the administration of President Donald Trump agreed to leave the country by May 1, but Biden would keep troops there for another four months.
A spokesman for the governor of Badakhshan said Taliban forces launched a lethal assault against the Afghan National Army (ANA) on Tuesday morning, the first day of Ramadan, killing three government soldiers in the province, the Khaama Press reported.
The legitimate government of Afghanistan is considering a power-sharing agreement with the Taliban, but not unless the Taliban acknowledges its legitimacy, a senior official said this weekend.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday urging him to take on a more “constructive” attitude in talks with the Taliban and warning President Joe Biden may still adhere to a May 1 deadline to fully withdraw American troops from the country.
KABUL, Afghanistan— Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday, amid an ongoing drawdown of U.S. troops.
The Australian Defense Force (ADF) released a report on Thursday detailing the results of a four-year investigation into alleged abuses by Australian troops in Afghanistan. The report found 39 unlawful killings were committed between 2005 and 2016 by Australian special forces soldiers, 19 of whom will now face criminal investigation and the potential loss of military honors.
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani presented his country to the 2020 United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday as a nation that has borne more than its share of turmoil and suffering, in everything from economic disruptions and climate change to the coronavirus pandemic and terrorism.
Representatives of the Taliban jihadist organization told Afghan media outlets on Sunday that the goal of their participation in peace talks held this weekend in Doha, Qatar, with the legitimate Afghan government and the United States was to negotiate the liberation of Taliban jihadists and a return of Islamic law to the country.
A rocket struck the Afghan presidential palace compound in Kabul on Tuesday, killing at least three people, including two members of President Ashraf Ghani’s honor guard.
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree on Monday to release 400 “hardcore” Taliban prisoners as a condition to initiate peace talks with the jihadi terror group, Reuters reported.
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday issued a statement that he will respond to a ceasefire “gesture of goodwill” from the Taliban by expediting the release of 2,000 Taliban prisoners.
In his address for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada – supreme leader of the Taliban as well as one of its top clerics – promised equal rights for men and women under fundamentalist Taliban rule after the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan. He also offered a general amnesty to the Taliban’s enemies, provided they “end their opposition” to the “establishment of an Islamic government.”
Afghanistan’s President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday signed a decree to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners beginning on March 14, a step the Taliban insists is necessary before talks between the Islamist insurgents and the Afghan government can continue.
The prospects for the peace deal brokered between the United States and the Taliban looked grim less than 24 hours after it was announced, as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani balked at releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners as specified in the agreement, and the Taliban responded by announcing it would resume “operations” against the Afghan government.
A group of 62 Islamic State fighters, including 30 Pakistanis and two Turkish nationals, surrendered to Afghan military forces in the Nangarhar area on Tuesday. The Afghan government, which is busy arranging extradition for captured foreign nationals, said the latest in a series of surrenders indicated ISIS is losing its ability to effectively resist the national military.
“Together, we will succeed,” he said. “We will never forget that 9/11 brought us, and we will never permit the repetition of 9/11 again. God bless you. God bless the President.”
The Taliban released two Western professors, an American and an Australian, on Tuesday after more than three years in captivity. In exchange, the Afghan government released three Taliban jihadists and flew them to Qatar.
“We have more votes in this election,” challenger Abdullah Abdullah claimed on Monday, declaring victory over incumbent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the weekend elections.
Taliban narco-jihadis claimed responsibility for a suicide attack Tuesday that killed at least 24 people and wounded 30 others at an election campaign rally held by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos won a Nobel Peace Prize for giving terrorists unelected seats in Congress, disregarding the rejection of the Colombian people.
Afghanistan’s president this week vowed to take “revenge” and “eliminate” Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) safe havens in the country after the group killed 63 civilians at a wedding, including children.
President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan announced on Monday the release of nearly three dozen Taliban prisoners in a bid to convince the reluctant terrorist group to engage in peace negotiations with Kabul.
The Afghan Taliban this week pledged to violently disrupt the upcoming presidential elections in Afghanistan at any cost even as the narco-jihadis continue to negotiate a U.S.-backed “political reconciliation” pact with Kabul.
U.S.-backed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani this week again offered the Taliban the opportunity to participate in presidential elections if they agree to peace talks with Kabul.
The Afghan government has asked for “clarification” on U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about being able to wipe Afghanistan “off the face of the earth” if he really wanted to win the war there.
Two U.S. service members were killed during a military operation in eastern Afghanistan early on Wednesday morning, NATO said, the latest international casualties as the U.S. and the Taliban prepare for talks.
The Afghan government confirmed this week that it released 490 Taliban prisoners and is expected to release hundreds more to convince the narco-jihadi organization to engage in peace negotiations with Kabul.
The Afghan Taliban on Friday rejected reports that they had agreed to a repeat of last year’s unprecedented three-day ceasefire in honor of the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, noting the audio message about the truce is related to last year’s cessation of hostilities.
Russia on Wednesday is expected to host an intra-Afghan conference in Moscow including a Taliban delegation and mainly anti-President Ashraf Ghani politicians to discuss a negotiated political settlement between the terrorist group and Kabul to end of the war raging since October 2001.
A general who served as a senior adviser to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani leveled accusations claiming the current administration is engaged in widespread corruption, namely the exchange of sexual favors for government posts, several news outlets reported this week.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday announced the upcoming release of 175 Taliban narco-jihadis in an apparent gesture of goodwill towards the inclusion of Kabul in U.S.-led peace talks with the reluctant terrorist group.
An unprecedented round of Qatar-based peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban scheduled to start Friday was reportedly “postponed indefinitely” on Thursday over the narco-jihadis’ objections to size of the Kabul delegation.
Taliban narco-jihadists on Friday announced the launch of their “Victory” spring offensive amid ongoing U.S.-led efforts to convince the terrorist group to agree to a political settlement with Kabul to end the more than 17-year-old war in Afghanistan.
