Archive for March, 2021

Eight dead, 54 wounded in car bomb explosion in Afghanistan

At least eight people were killed and 54 injured when a car bomb exploded in Herat City in western Afghanistan on Friday, an official confirmed Saturday. A police constable was among those killed, and the injured included seven police officers as well as children, Interior Ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said.

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MoD’s Plan to Merge Army Corps Sparks Reaction from MPs

The Defense Ministry’s plan to dissolve the Afghan Army’s 217 Pamir Corps and merge it with the 209 Shaheen Army Corps has been faced with widespread reaction from lawmakers and analysts who say it will have severe consequences on the security situation in some northern and northeastern provinces, especially the Kunduz province.

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Who will Benefit from an Imposed Peace Process in Afghanistan?

Following an eight-month period of shuttle diplomacy and challenging negotiation, the US and the Taliban signed a peace agreement in February 2020. The process did not include the Afghan government, which was then faced with a fait accompli placing them at the negotiating table without real ownership of the confidence-building measures agreed upon by US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and […]

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Heavy explosion rocks Herat

A car bomb blast rattled Herat city on Friday evening, local officials confirmed. According to the officials, an explosive-loaded vehicle detonated in PD14 of the city.

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Death toll in Herat car bomb climbs to 8

The death toll in a deadly car bomb attack in Herat city rose to eight, the Interior Ministry (MoI) confirmed early Saturday morning. The MoI said that an explosive-laden vehicle detonated in PD14 of the city on Friday night.

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Govt confirms it will attend Moscow and Turkey peace summits

The Afghan National Security Advisor (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib said Saturday that Afghanistan will attend the Moscow and Istanbul peace conferences scheduled to take place in the next few weeks. The Russia-backed Moscow summit is scheduled for March 18, while the US-backed peace conference will be held in Turkey in April.

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Interior Minister warns against hasty withdrawal of foreign troops

Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Masoud Andarabi warned on Saturday against a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan of foreign troops, saying that the Taliban’s ties to al-Qaeda remain intact and that a swift pullout would worsen global counterterrorism efforts.

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Taliban Capture Center of Almar District in Faryab

The Taliban took control of the center of Almar district in Faryab province on Thursday afternoon at about 1pm, according to local security sources. Naqibullah Fayeq, provincial governor, said that the security forces have retreated from the center of the district to “prevent casualties of civilians and local forces.”

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Afghan Analysts Discuss Centralized, Decentralized Govt Systems

On July 17, 1973, former Prime Minister Mohammad Daoud Khan led a coup against Afghanistan’s last king, Mohammad Zahir Shah, overthrowing the monarchy system and setting the stage for a republic system to be formed in Afghanistan. TOLOnews reporter Haseeba Atakpal discussed the origins and history of the republic system, and centralized and decentralized systems in Afghanistan with analysts, using […]

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Ghani, Afghan Politicians Divided on Peace Process: Sources

President Ashraf Ghani held a meeting at the Presidential Palace with key Afghan political leaders on Wednesday to discuss the peace process, particularly focusing on the latest peace plan proposed by the US. Sources who attended the meeting said on Thursday there was no broad agreement on a way forward. According to the sources, consultation between the Afghan political leaders […]

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