US forces conducted airstrikes against Taliban insurgents attacking Afghan security forces in Zheri district of southern Kandahar province, local officials confirmed on Friday.

A district police chief has been killed during an operation against criminals in Kabul, an official said on Saturday.

A car bombing destroyed a key bridge in Arghandab district of southern Kandahar province, officials and local residents said on Friday. Police spokesman Jamal Nasir Barakzai told Pajhwok Afghan News the explosives-laden Humvee vehicle was identified and shot at by police and it was exploded before reaching the target.

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has operated several chartered flights to Afghanistan, transporting hundreds of tonnes of pharmaceutical supplies to the Afghan national army and police.

UN Acting Assistant-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ramesh Rajasingham during his visit to Afghanistan said the war-torn country needed $1.3bn in 2021 to provide assistance to 16 million people.

Qatar is proud of its role in the context of international efforts aimed at helping the brothers in Afghanistan to reach the desired peace, said the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani.

The World Bank has approved two grants totaling almost $85 million from the International Development Association (IDA), as part of a $393 million financial package to help Afghanistan overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and improve access to clean water, sanitation, and public services.

The Afghan Ministry of Interior said that based on initial reports four rockets were fired from the Khair Khana area in Kabul city early Saturday morning, killing at least one person and wounding another.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib said on Saturday the next stages of peace talks between the Afghan Republic’s team and the Taliban should take place in Afghanistan.

Shah Hussain Murtazawi, Senior Advisor in the Office of the President of Afghanistan, on Saturday called for calm and responsible reporting after First Vice President Amrullah Saleh warned that “Daesh Taliban” have threatened to turn Kabul into a Shia slaughterhouse.