The Taliban are reportedly opposed to a Turkish initiative for a contingent of Ankara’s troops to remain in the country to guard Kabul airport after US and international forces complete their withdrawal from the country in September. Contacted by Reuters via text, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen bundled Muslim-majority Turkey together with other NATO members, affirming the groups’s stance that it […]

Amidst reports of Ankara’s proposal to guard and run Kabul’s airport after the withdrawal of US and coalition forces from the country, a Taliban spokesman has said that Turkey should pull its troops from Afghanistan under the Doha agreement, adding another layer of complexity to concerns about consequences of troop pullout. Quoted by Reuters, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said that […]

The centers of two districts in northern and northeastern Afghanistan have fallen to the Taliban, two lawmakers said on Friday, urging the Ministry of Defense to send reinforcements to the provinces to repel a possible collapse of some strategic areas to militants. So far, sources and officials have confirmed that the centers of at least 17 districts have fallen to […]

Taliban militants captured the Arghanjkha district of Badakhshan province on Wednesday evening, sources said. The government, however, stated that the Afghan Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF) retreated from the district following two days of heavy clashes with the militants. At least 11 soldiers and one member of the public uprising forces have been killed in the skirmish. Khalil-ul-Rahman, Badakhshan Police […]

Turkey should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan under the 2020 deal for the pullout of U.S. forces, a Taliban spokesman said on Thursday, effectively rejecting Ankara’s proposal to guard and run Kabul’s airport after U.S.-led NATO forces depart. The development raises serious questions for the United States, other countries and international organizations with missions in Kabul about how to securely […]

The Taliban militants have captured the Ashkamash district of Northern Takhar province, sources said Friday. Mohammad Azam Afzali, a member of the Provincial Council, said that the Afghan security forces are under siege by the Taliban in the central Bazar of the district. “Due to the lack of reinforcements, the troops retreated from the district police headquarters last night and […]

The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation has hailed the signing of the Declaration of Peace in Afghanistan by Afghan and Pakistani scholars at a meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia in Makkah on Thursday. The conference, organised by the Muslim World League, brought together senior scholars from both countries for the first time with the aim of supporting peace efforts in Afghanistan, […]

The Taliban in Afghanistan attacked check posts in the country’s central Ghor province, killing at least 19 security personnel and injuring 12 others, an official said on Saturday. “The condition of the injured is serious. The district will fall to the Taliban if additional forces do not reach,” Sulaiman Yosufy, governor of the Tulak district, told Anadolu Agency. The Taliban, […]

The Taliban warned Saturday that it would be “unacceptable” to them and a “mistake” on the part of any nation to retain a military presence in Afghanistan to guard airports or other installations after the departure of U.S.-led NATO troops from the warn-torn country. The insurgent group’s warning raises questions for Washington, other world countries, and aid groups with missions […]

The fight between Afghan government troops and the Taliban is entering a more brutal phase of ground engagements, many on the edges of densely populated urban areas, as US forces’ airstrikes wind down. Last month, to clear pockets of a district just a few hundred yards from the edge of Helmand’s provincial capital Lashkar Gah, Afghan government forces under Gen […]