Officials from the Afghan Foreign Ministry confirmed a ministerial driver was killed early Tuesday morning when the armored Land Cruiser he was traveling in was targeted in an IED explosion.

US Central Command Chief Frank McKenzie indicated Monday that the Taliban would need to change course for Washington to withdraw all its troops by the May 1 deadline.

Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) said Tuesday the Taliban has brought the intra-Afghan negotiations to a standstill in Doha, Qatar. Addressing a meeting on the occasion of the inauguration of the HCNR’s Media and Public Awareness Commission, Abdullah stated that no negotiations have been held between the peace teams for about three weeks.

Vice President Amrullah Saleh claimed that the Taliban has not cut ties with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, despite having agreed to do so when signing the agreement with the US in February last year. In an interview with France24 on Monday, Saleh stated: “At least 500 foreign terrorists largely affiliated with al-Qaeda are fighting alongside Taliban in Afghanistan.”

US Senator Lindsey Graham said Sunday night that American troops will stay on in Afghanistan and only leave when the conditions are right. In an interview with CBS News, Graham, a Republican senator, said: “I’m very pleased with what the Biden administration is proposing for Afghanistan. We’re going to keep troops there on a conditions-based approach.”

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) said Monday Allah Dad Fedaee, the police chief of Maidan Wardak province has been suspended over the shooting of protesters in Bihsud district about 10 days ago.

At least eight members of the Afghan security forces were killed and two more wounded in clashes with Taliban militants in Badghis and Ghor provinces, sources said Monday.