US, NATO working on plan to help secure Kabul airport after withdrawal

The United States and its NATO allies are exploring a possible international effort to help secure the airport in Afghanistan�s capital after American troops withdraw from the country, the top US general said this week, Reuters reported. According to US Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint...

Dawlat Shah in Laghman falls to Taliban

Rahmatullah Yarmal, the governor of Laghman province, said Thursday morning Dawlat Shah district has fallen to the Taliban after security forces were forced to retreat. He said the security forces had been under siege for several days. A reliable source told Ariana News however that security forces...

Two decades of war in Afghanistan failed to bear results: Norway

Norwegian special forces in Afghanistan (file photo) NATO member Norway has acknowledged that the two-decade war in and occupation of Afghanistan by the Western military alliance has failed to bear a result and bring peace to the war-torn country. Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Tuesday...

Billions of dollars in contracts at risk due to �lack of coordination�

Officials representing defense contractors said billions of dollars in contracts meant to support Afghanistan through U.S. government agencies are at risk during the military drawdown, and that the risk is worsened by a lack of coordination in Kabul and Washington. The Associated Press reported these...

Fears of Taliban takeover post troop withdrawal are overblown: Khalilzad

The US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said Tuesday predictions that the Taliban will quickly overrun Afghan government forces and conquer Kabul once U.S. and coalition forces have withdrawn are unduly pessimistic. Testifying before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Khalilzad said:...

US Lawmakers Seek Continued Efforts in Afghanistan

At least 11 members of the US House of Representatives wrote a letter to President Joe Biden about the "enduring interests and ideals that should continue to guide US efforts in Afghanistan even as the armed forces end their mission in the country." The lawmakers said they hope President Biden will...

A battlefield decision might be needed if Taliban shun peace: Ghani

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Monday if the Taliban wants peace, then it has to be peace that respects the gains of the citizens of Afghanistan and among them, first and foremost, women. In an interview with PBS News Hour, Ghani also said if the Taliban does not want peace and wants to gain...

Taliban Attacks Herat District, Clashes Underway: Governor

Taliban on Tuesday morning launched an attack on the Obe district in the western province of Herat, the provincial governor Waheed Qatali said. He said the attack started with the "destruction" of a bridge by the Taliban. The bridge, he said, connected the Obe district with other parts of the province. "Three...

Faryab�s governor takes up reins despite Dostum�s objection

Mohammad Daud Laghmani assumed office as the new governor of northern Faryab province at a ceremony at the army base in the city of Maimana on Monday, Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) said. Sibghatullah Ghaznawi, deputy head of IDLG said that Laghmani, was introduced as the new provincial...

Two Logar children killed in ANDSF mortar fire: source

Two children were killed and three others wounded when a mortar hit their house on Sunday night in Baraki Barak district of Logar province, a security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told ArianaNews According to the source the mortar was fired by ANDSF. However, residents in the area...

Miller warns of increase in Taliban pressure on provincial capitals

US Forces Commander in Afghanistan General Scott Miller has said they are closely watching what the Taliban will do following the three-day Eid ceasefire that ended at midnight on Saturday but said he expects violence to increase. In an interview with BBC, Miller said: "Ideally they would continue...

US president vows and vows again to leave Afghanistan

A Black Hawk helicopter of the U.S. Air Force is pictured in front of the cityscape on April 29, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. FLORIAN GAERTNER/PHOTOTHEK VIA GETTY IMAGES The United States has vowed several times, under various different presidents, that it would soon end the war on Afghanistan.However,...

Blinken and Qureshi discuss Afghan peace process

Pakistan�s Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Sunday and discussed the Afghan peace process among other issues. According to Pakistan�s Foreign Ministry, Qureshi reaffirmed Pakistan�s desire for a broad-based and comprehensive partnership...

Survivors call for Kabul school bombing to be seen as act of genocide

The survivors and families of victims of the girls� school bombing in Dasht-e-Barchi in Kabul last Sunday have called on the Afghan government and the international community to recognize the attack as an act of "genocide". Addressing a press conference Sunday, they stated that a specific ethnicity...

ISIS claims responsibility for Kabul mosque bombing

ISIS (Daesh) has claimed responsibility for Friday�s bombing at a mosque in Kabul that left at least 14 worshippers, including the mosque�s Imam, dead, SITE Intelligence Group reported. The explosion happened inside a mosque in Shakardarah district of Kabul province during Friday prayers. The explosion...

Ghani Seeks European Allies� Role to �Get Pakistan On Board�

As US and coalition forces are withdrawing from the country and the peace talks have stalled amidst a sharp increase in violence, President Ashraf Ghani has emphasized the need for a decision on peace by the region and for Europe�s further role to "get Pakistan on board." Quoted in an interview by...

Fighting resumes in Afghanistan after three-day ceasefire ends

The Afghan Army has launched offensives and started clearance operations in the south western parts of the country after the three-day Eid ceasefire ended at midnight Saturday. The 215th Maiwand Military Corps said in a statement, operations were launched simultaneously in besieged western areas of...

Ceasefire in Afghanistan to Start Wednesday at Midnight

A three-day nationwide ceasefire between the Afghan government and the Taliban is expected to begin on midnight Wednesday. The Taliban�s spokesman told, the ceasefire is not to continue after the three days of Eid-ul-Fitr, which begins on Thursday. However, the public has urged the Taliban to agree...

Deputy Leader of Taliban Splinter Group Wounded in Herat

Mullah Mannan Niazi, the deputy leader of a splinter group of Taliban led by Mullah Rasul, was wounded in a clash in western Herat province on Tuesday evening, sources said. Local officials have not commented on the report. The clash happened at around 10 pm local time in Guzara district in Herat...

Khalilzad calls for peace talks; warns against military solution

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special peace envoy for Afghanistan, has said the level of violence in Afghanistan is too high and that peace talks need to resume as soon as possible. "Both sides have to be realistic about finding common ground. If there is no peace agreement, the alternative is not a...

Death toll from Kabul school bombing rises to 85

The office of Afghanistan�s Second Vice President Sarwar Danish confirmed on Monday that the death toll in the deadly school bombing on Saturday has risen to 85. Speaking to Ariana News, an official from Danish�s office said 85 people had died and over 150 were wounded. The deadly bombing targeted...

13 Civilians Killed in Zabul, Parwan Blasts

At least 13 civilians were killed and 42 more were wounded in separate roadside bomb blasts in Zabul and Parwan provinces, Ministry of Interior and officials said. In Zabul, 11 civilians were killed and 28 more were wounded in a roadside bomb blast that targeted a passenger�s bus in Shahr-e-Safa district...

Abdullah welcomes Taliban�s announcement of three-day ceasefire

Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah has welcomed the Taliban�s announcement of a temporary ceasefire over Eid-ul-Fitr but said this is not a permanent solution. He said: "We believe that the solution to the current crisis in the country is to speed up negotiations,...

Australian FM meets with Ghani and Abdullah in Kabul

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne has paid an unannounced visit to Kabul where she met with President Ashraf Ghani and High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah Abdullah. In a statement issued by Australia�s foreign office, Payne said she discussed the challenges of COVID-19,...

Rights watchdog reports hundreds killed so far during Ramadan

The Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC) says that during the month of Ramadan so far (April 13 to May 7), 130 security incidents were recorded resulting in 519 civilian casualties. According to the commission, 160 people were killed and 351 others were injured in security incidents during Ramadan. This...

Taliban leader says in Eid message there �will be an Islamic Emirate�

In his annual message ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, Taliban leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada on Sunday called on Afghans to "contribute to the redevelopment of our homeland" in order for there to be a prosperous and progressive country "in the shade of an Islamic system." "Let us attain this end by moving...

Deadly bombing near Kabul girls school sparks international outcry

Saturday�s bombing near a girls school in Kabul city has sparked outrage among the international community, including the Iran, The US, the UK, Germany and the United Nations, who have all condemned the incident in the strongest terms. In a statement issued by the US State Department, Washington called...

Kabul school blasts death toll rises to 53: MoI

The death toll from a series of blasts outside a school in PD13 capital Kabul rose to 53, the Ministry of Interior said on Sunday.   According to the reports, at least three blasts happened near Sayed-ul-Shuhada high school in the west of Kabul on Saturday afternoon, the ministry added. The Ministry...

Khalilzad wraps up regional trip, highlights need to keep republic intact

US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said in a series of tweets he has wrapped up his latest trip - to Tashkent, Doha, Kabul, and Dushanbe - with a stop in Berlin - which was focused on building regional consensus on the Afghan Peace Process. Khalilzad said there is "a unique international consensus for...

Women MPs share concerns with US Congress in virtual meeting

Women representatives of the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) attended a video conference with key members of the U.S. Congress on Thursday evening where they discussed the latest political and security developments in Afghanistan. According to the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Afghan...