In 1989, the Soviet Union withdrew the Red Army from Afghanistan across the Friendship Bridge back into the Soviet Union. That was not the end of Moscow’s engagement with Kabul, however. While President George H.W. Bush spoke of a ‘peace dividend’ and Congress scrambled to shift money to domestic projects, the Soviet Union also had a dividend: The Kremlin directed […]

The seizure of Nerkh district comes amid intensifying violence following an announcement by the group of a three-day ceasefire in Afghanistan for the Muslim religious holiday of Eid, starting this week. Afghan security forces have mounted an operation to recapture a Taliban-held district outside the capital Kabul just before the start of a three-day ceasefire at midnight, according to a […]

Pakistan ruled out Tuesday the possibility of again providing its military bases to the United States for future counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan, as US troops prepare to completely leave the country by September 11, VOA reported. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made the remarks to reporters in Islamabad, explaining that his government has adopted a policy that allows it […]

Following reports about the fall of Nerkh district of Maidan Wardak province to the Taliban, Afghan security officials said that the security forces made a “tactical retreat” from the district. Maidan Wardak’s governor said that the security forces retreated from the district as part of a “conspiracy,” without further elaborating. He said the district is currently under Taliban control. However, […]

A three-day nationwide ceasefire between the Afghan government and the Taliban is expected to begin on midnight Wednesday. The Taliban’s spokesman told TOLOnews that the ceasefire is not to continue after the three days of Eid-ul-Fitr, which begins on Thursday. However, the public has urged the Taliban to agree to a permanent ceasefire and stop their violence against the Afghan […]

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that China feels it is necessary for Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, including Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, to fully support the Afghan peace process and that Afghanistan should ensure all ethnic groups and parties fully participate in the future political lineup. In a statement issued ahead of a foreign ministers meeting of Central Asian countries, […]

US forces in Afghanistan have moved about 104 cargo loads of equipment out of the country so far and have turned over more than 1,800 items of gear for destruction, US Central Command said on Tuesday. CENTCOM said in a statement that since President Joe Biden’s decision to fully withdraw all military personnel from Afghanistan “the US has retrograded the […]

Taliban insurgents captured a key district just outside the Afghan capital Kabul in central Maidan Wardak province on Tuesday, forcing government forces to retreat, security officials have confirmed. The capture of Nerkh district comes amid intensifying violence across the country following an announcement by the Taliban of a three-day ceasefire over Eid-ul Fitr. Reuters reported that Tariq Arian, an interior […]

Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, deputy head of the Taliban splinter group in the western part of the country, was badly injured in a skirmish in Herat province, sources said. Provincial officials told Ariana News that Niazi was wounded in a skirmish with Taliban militants in the Guzara district of the province. The sources stated that Niazi, who reportedly is a […]