A short video clip on social media shows that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy leader of the Taliban, addressed a gathering and said that peace talks are being conducted in consultation with clerics and leaders of the Taliban.

Afghan leaders including President Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah along with the foreign community in Kabul have strongly condemned the assassination on Wednesday of Yousuf Rashid, head of the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA).

The United Nations said Wednesday night it was deeply concerned by US President Donald Trump’s move to pardon four former Blackwater security contractors convicted of killing 14 Iraqi civilians in 2007. “We are deeply concerned by the recent US presidential pardons for four security guards from the private military firm Blackwater who were convicted for killing 14 Iraqi civilians.

Wolesi Jirga speaker and some members on Monday strongly reacted to First Lady Rula Ghani’s recent remarks, saying her ‘unforgiveable’ insult to the lower house should be investigated.

Two Chechen militants were killed during an operation in central Logar province, the Defense Ministry said on Monday.

An army official was killed and three others were wounded in a car-bomb attack on a military base in the Dawlatabad district of northwestern Faryab province, a source said on Tuesday.

Afghanistan and Azerbaijan agree there is a good potential for expanding bilateral cooperation in different areas. The agreement came during a meeting between Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib in Baku late on Monday.

At least five policemen, including the police chief for Chahar Dara district, and 11 others wounded during a clash in northern Kunduz province.

Afghanistan’s National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday after a meeting earlier in the day with his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani, where the two discussed issues of mutual interest and security concerns relating to the region.

Saleh Omar, district chief for Chardara district in Kunduz, was killed in a Taliban attack on Monday night, a local source confirmed.