Danish: Taliban Seek Collapse of System by Opposing Constitution

Afghanistan�s Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish on Tuesday said that the Taliban�s opposition to the current Constitution of Afghanistan is meant to cause the collapse of the system. Addressing a ceremony on the 17th anniversary of the ratification of Afghanistan�s Constitution, Danish...

Freed Taliban prisoner killed on battlefield: governor�s media office

Nine Taliban insurgents, including a recently released prisoner, died in an airstrike in Batikot district of eastern Nangarhar province, the governor�s media office said. According to the office, a Taliban commander, named Omar, who was recently released from prison, was among those killed on the...

Actions will prove whether Taliban has cut ties with al-Qaeda: Sullivan

US President-elect Joe Biden�s national security adviser, Jack Sullivan, said Sunday night the Taliban�s commitment to severing ties with al-Qaeda must not only be proven in words but more importantly in practice. He told CNN that under the Taliban agreement with the US, they had pledged to sever...

Taliban accuse US of violating deal following airstrikes

The Taliban on Monday accused the United States government of violating the US-Taliban agreement signed in February in Doha claiming US Forces had carried out airstrikes in Nangarhar, Helmand and Kandahar provinces. In a statement issued by the group, the Taliban stated airstrikes had been conducted...

Taliban�s leader for Helmand district killed in airstrike

Taliban shadow governor for Sangin district of southern Helmand province has been killed in an airstrike by the Afghan forces, the Defense Ministry (MoD) claimed. In a statement issued on Sunday, the MoD stated that Mullah Shafiullah, known as Mawlavi Nazim, was killed along with five militants in...

Pompeo hails US-Taliban deal and peace talks as �incredible progress�

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday no American soldiers have been killed in almost a year in Afghanistan, following the US-Taliban Doha deal in which the Taliban pledged to avoid attacks against US forces in the country. Pompeo hailed the deal, which was US President Trump�s initiative,...

Kabul University attack mastermind sentenced to death

Afghanistan�s Supreme Court has sentenced Mohammad Adil to death after he was found guilty of masterminding the Kabul University attack. According to the Interior Ministry, five other collaborators of the attack were sentenced to various jail terms after being found guilty of charges of treason, transfer...

Media watchdog slams Ghor govt for failing to protect slain journalist

In a series of tweets, the Afghanistan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) slammed the Ghor provincial government for its lack of cooperation in helping to safeguard the life of slain journalist Bismillah Adil. This comes after Adil and the AJSC repeatedly requested support from Ghor provincial government...

Staff from President�s office targeted in Kabul explosion

The Office of the President has confirmed one of its staff vehicles was targeted in an early morning IED explosion in Kabul city, leaving one employee dead and another wounded. According to Fazel Fazly, the Director General for the Administrative Office of the President of Afghanistan, the Toyota...

One killed, two wounded in early morning IED explosion

At least one person was killed and two others wounded in an early morning IED explosion in Kabul city Thursday, police confirmed. According to Ferdaws Paramarz, Kabul police spokesman, the incident happened at about 8am in PD7 in Chehelsetoon area. A magnetic IED was detonated against the vehicle...

Khalilzad �shocked� at sudden passing of key Afghan envoy

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said early Thursday he was shocked and saddened at the sudden death of Hakim Dalili, the Afghan ambassador to Qatar, who had worked tirelessly in support of the peace process. Dalili died suddenly on Tuesday from a heart attack...

Chief peace negotiator says key topic in talks will be ceasefire

Afghanistan�s chief peace negotiator Masoom Stanekzai said on Wednesday that while he knows Afghans want a "quick result", which is not possible, the focus will be on a ceasefire when talks resume. Speaking at a gathering at the Institute for Peace Studies in Kabul, Stanekzai said: "We will go to...

Afghan Army Pilot Shot and Killed in Kandahar

Officials at the 205th Atal Corps confirmed that Massoud Atal, a military pilot, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in PD14 of Kandahar city on Wednesday afternoon. The officials did not provide further details except to say that an investigation is ongoing. No group immediately claimed responsibility...

Azerbaijan lawmakers vote in favor of opening embassy in Kabul

Azerbaijan lawmakers have approved a motion to open an embassy in Kabul as the two countries work to strengthen bilateral relations. During a parliament session this week, MPs debated a bill to establish the foreign mission, Trend News Agency reported. At the session, MPs noted Afghanistan�s continued...

NATO chief says �no guarantee of success� in Afghanistan

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this week there is no guarantee of success in Afghanistan but that the organization will meet with incoming US President Joe Biden�s team in February in order to make a decision on whether to stay in the country or withdraw all its troops. In an interview...

Afghanistan remains one of the deadliest places in world to be a civilian

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday once again said that Afghanistan is one of the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian. "Afghanistan is one of the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian," the committee said in a tweet. The committee said that 50 percent...

50 Journalists Killed in 2020: RSF

50 journalists were killed worldwide in 2020, according to a report of abusive treatment and violence against journalists, published Monday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). While the number of journalists killed in countries at war continues to fall, more are being murdered in countries not at...

Afghan envoy to Doha dies of heart attack

Afghanistan�s Ambassador to Qatar Hakim Dalili died suddenly on Tuesday after being hospitalized on Monday, government sources have confirmed. Dalili reportedly died of a heart attack in Qatar. Officials from the High Council for National Reconciliation said his death is a big loss to Afghanistan...

16 Civilians Killed or wounded during past five days: AIHRC

Preliminary findings from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) show that between 2 to 9 December there were nine IED & armed attacks in Khost, Kapisa, Kandahar and Kabul - 9 civilians killed and 17 others injured. The Human Rights Commission said in a statement released on Sunday...

Abdullah confirms next round of peace talks to be held in Doha

Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the HCNR, on Sunday posted on his Twitter page that the leadership committee of the High Council for National Reconciliation has decided on a clear set of guidelines for the next round of peace talks which are expected to resume on January 5. He also stated that a decision...

Four Pakistani soldiers killed in helicopter crash

At least four Pakistani soldiers were killed in a military helicopter crash in the northern parts of the country on Sunday, Pakistan�s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. According to the statement, the military helicopter crashed due to technical issues during a casualty evacuation...

Ghani, Abdullah Discuss Next Round of Talks: Presidential Palace

President Ashraf Ghani met with Abdullah Abdullah, head of the Reconciliation Council, on Sunday at the Presidential Palace to address the next round of the peace talks, the Palace said in a statement. Ghani and Abdullah have discussed the second meeting of the leadership of the council and issues...

Public �Blame Game� Detrimental to Afghan Peace: Pakistan

Pakistan on Sunday reiterated its "firm commitment" for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and said it is concerned about "some negative comments, which continue to emanate from certain official as well as unofficial Afghan circles." "We would continue to emphasize the mutually agreed fundamental...

Afghan Intelligence Busts Chinese Spy Cell in Kabul: Report

Afghanistan�s intelligence agency-the National Directorate of Security (NDS)-has busted a 10-member Chinese module operating a terror cell in the city of Kabul, the Hindustan Times has reported quoting some diplomats and security officials. According to the Hindustan Times, the crackdown has come...

Abdullah addresses HCNR meeting, confirms talks to resume January 5

Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation on Saturday confirmed the second round of peace talks will resume on January 5. He did not state where the talks would be held but did say "the venue for the talks should not be an obstacle." This comes after numerous calls...

Saleh demands official apology after NDS busts Chinese spy ring in Kabul

Afghanistan�s National Directorate of Security (NDS) has reportedly detained 10 Chinese nationals on charges of espionage after busting the alleged spy ring. According to EurAsian Times, the group was allegedly running a terror cell in Kabul with the help of the Pakistani spy agency, ISI. The Hindustan...

Three early morning IED explosions rattle Kabul

A string of IED explosions rattled Kabul early Saturday morning, leaving at least two security personnel wounded. Shortly after 9am local time, Kabul police confirmed the third IED explosion of the day - this time a magnetic IED attached to a police Ranger in Dehburi area in Kabul city. Two other...

Miller says special forces likely to be last US troops in Afghanistan

US acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said this week that US special forces were the first to arrive in Afghanistan in 2001 and would probably be the last to leave the country when the US eventually withdraws. Miller paid a surprise visit to Kabul this week and met with Afghan President Ashraf...

Saleh promotes a dignified and unified peace

Speaking at an event in Kabul on Thursday, First Vice President Amrullah Saleh said Afghanistan wants "a peace that is acceptable to all sides and all people". He said the Taliban has problems with Afghanistan�s flag, its sovereignty, constitution, resources and "everything else." "Death, to be hanged,...

FEFA chief executive gunned down in Kabul in latest attack

Yousuf Rashid, CEO of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), has become the latest victim in an ongoing assault on public figures and key workers in Kabul after being killed by gunmen on Wednesday morning in PD7 in Kabul. According to Rashid�s brother, Yousuf Rashid died from his...