Pakistan and rival India say fierce military clashes across their frontier in disputed Kashmir have killed at least 13 people and wounded many more on both sides, with each country accusing the other of initiating the fight. The two nuclear-armed South Asian nations routinely trade fire across the cease-fire boundary, known as the Line of Control (LoC), which splits the […]

A surge of targeted killings and assassinations has swept Afghanistan, where violence has soared despite peace efforts aimed at ending the war. Many of those being targeted are civilians — journalists, rights activists, cultural figures, moderate religious leaders, and women in public roles.

First Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Saturday said the Afghan forces have arrested the mastermind behind the deadly attack on Kabul University that left at least 22 people dead, most of whom were students of the university.

The Ministry of Defense says 77 Taliban fighters have been killed in clashes with the country’s security and defense forces. The ministry said in a press release on Saturday, that 60 Taliban fighters were killed last night during a security operation in Kandahar province.

Newly appointed acting defense secretary, Christopher Miller has signalled he could accelerate the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the Middle East in the final weeks of the Trump administration. Miller, a former U.S. special forces officer and counterterrorism expert, was this week given the role by President Donald Trump who fired defense secretary Mark Esper.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Kabul this week, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Saturday. Gran Hewad, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Afghan peace process and strengthening political, security, trade and economic ties will be discussed during this trip.

The Afghan government on Saturday expressed deep concerns over continued violence in the country, saying that there is a need for the Taliban to stop violence and make efforts for peace. Presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said that continuation of violence by the Taliban is not acceptable.

Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, on Saturday said the Taliban prisoners were released in the hope for ending the war or reducing violence in the country, but the expectations from the move were not met.

A suicide attacker with a car bomb was identified and killed by Afghan National Security Forces on Friday evening in Helmand province, the ministry of defense said in a statement.

The New York Times quoting intelligence officials said, that Abu Muhammad al-Masri, al Qaeda’s second-highest leader, accused of being one of the masterminds of the deadly 1998 attacks on American embassies in Africa, was killed in Iran three months ago.