President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday morning visited Nangarhar province for meetings with the provincial Governor, military officers, local residents, writers and cultural figures.

A number of soldiers have been killed and wounded in a Taliban attack on an army check post in Kunduz province.

At least five civilians were killed in an airstrike in Helmand province, local officials said Thursday.

President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday said a republic government was essential for the people of Afghanistan and that peace was crucial. Speaking during a visit to the eastern province of Nangarhar, Ghani also called on the Taliban to respect the people’s demands.

The Taliban on Wednesday responded to comments made by US President-elect Joe Biden’s national security adviser nominee Jack Sullivan and said they believed in “the path of diplomacy”.

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad flew out of Kabul on Tuesday night without having met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, sources confirmed Wednesday.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday evening at a press conference that 2021 will be a “pivotal year for NATO because we need to decide on our presence in Afghanistan.”

Pakistan on Wednesday night welcomed the start of the second round of intra-Afghan negotiations and said the two teams have made significant progress to date.