The Defense Ministry is preparing to increase special operations forces to face the Taliban in the upcoming fighting season this spring, Deputy Defense Minister Shah Mahmoud Miakhil said on Tuesday. Miakhil said that special forces from the army, police and the NDS are preparing together and that no area in the country will face the threat of collapse. Figures by […]

Hundreds of clerics from in Afghanistan’s Herat province on Tuesday appealed to the Afghan government and the Taliban to end the violence and announce a ceasefire in the country.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has renewed his call for a global truce, so the world can focus on fighting the pandemic. Guterres stated in a tweet late Sunday that a ceasefire would create space for diplomacy and enable humanitarian access across the world.

A large heroin production factory of the Taliban was destroyed by the Afghan forces in eastern Nangarhar province. In a statement released late Sunday, the Defense Ministry stated that the Afghan Defense Forces conducted a clearance operation in the Toto village in the Shirzad district of the province.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Monday that the recent wave of violence against our people is an indication of a systematic onslaught against Afghan society. Addressing the 46th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, President Ghani said that targeted killings are the sharp edge directed against men and women representing the profound transformation of Afghan society during the […]

Afghanistan on Friday angrilyreacted to Russia’sSpecial Envoy Zamir Kabulov’s remarks in favourof a transitional coalition government in Kabul. Earlier in the week, Kabulov claimed the Taliban had not breached their peace deal with the United States of America. The pact was signed last year in Doha.

Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar is due in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on issues of common interest. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said: “On February 24-27, Atmar will visit Moscow for talks with Lavrov and other officials.”

Russian President’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, on Friday met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and exchanged views on the Afghanistan peace process. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “both Pakistan and Russia have convergence of views on matters of mutual interest including an inclusive political settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan.”

US President Joe Biden said that his administration “strongly” supports the diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the long-term conflict in Afghanistan. Addressing the virtual Munich Security Conference, Biden stated that the United States is committed to consulting closely with NATO on the way forward in Afghanistan.

Three IED blasts rattled Kabul city early Saturday morning, leaving at least two people killed. The first blast targeted a vehicle in Darulaman Road in PD6 of Kabul city at 8 a.m. Saturday.