Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, on Monday reacted to remarks by Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, calling them “the language of threat and insult,” saying such talk “doesn’t work” in Afghanistan and it is not what the people expect from their political leaders.

Two days ahead of the NATO ministerial, the Afghan government expects the continued support of the alliance to Afghanistan in its train, advice and assist mission. The NATO meeting has been called an important event where allies are expected to decide on the presence of international troops in Afghanistan.

Security officials in Nangarhar province said Tuesday morning that at least three people including a doctor were assassinated in Jalalabad city. The incident happened at about 8am in PD4 near Nasrat High School.

Afghan commando forces have rescued 42 people – 25 soldiers and 17 civilians – from a Taliban prison in Baghlan province, the Defense Ministry (MoD) confirmed on Tuesday.

Taliban Deputy Leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar says that there is no military solution to the long-term conflict in Afghanistan. In an open letter to the people of the United States, Mullah Baradar stated: “The past nineteen years have proven beyond any doubt that the Afghan issue cannot be resolved through the use of force or by alternating military strategies […]

At least seven policemen were killed in an IED explosion in the Almar district of Faryab province, police said in a statement on Tuesday. According to the statement, an IED targeted a Humvee belonging to the National Security and Defense Forces in the Bazaar of the district on Tuesday.

The enormous fire that destroyed more than 500 trucks at the Islam Qala port facility in Herat province, along the border with Iran, has left business owners reeling as financial losses are estimated to be over $50 million. The massive fire burned for over 24 hours after a fuel tanker reportedly exploded at midday on Saturday.

Eleven people, including an engineer, working on the Pashdan Dam project in Herat province, have been kidnapped by the Taliban, provincial council members confirmed Monday.

Seven Daesh militants were killed Sunday night in an operation by the National Directorate of Security in eastern Nangarhar province, the NDS said in a statement.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said Monday that human rights and media space in Afghanistan has contracted in the past few months as a result of the sharp increase in targeted attacks against professionals in these two sectors.