The setbacks come at a harrowing moment for Afghanistan, just as American and international troops are set to leave the country in coming weeks. The Taliban entered two provincial capitals in northern Afghanistan Sunday, local officials said, the culmination of an insurgent offensive that has overrun dozens of rural districts and forced the surrender and capture of hundreds of government […]

The Afghanistan government’s top peace negotiator has voiced concern that the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan could cause a “security vacuum, an increased level of fighting and perhaps a slower pace of negotiations,” saying the solution “has to be through negotiations, not through battle.” “The Taliban has unfortunately increased its activities,” thinking that “it might help them at the […]

In reaction to remarks by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Sunday said that Islamabad has effective tools to “encourage Taliban leaders to start meaningful peace negotiations.” In an interview with TOLOnews aired on Saturday, Qureshi said Taliban leadership “lives in Afghanistan” and that the leaders of the group are visiting Pakistan […]

With the centers of many districts in Faryab now under Taliban control, clashes have begun in the city of Maimana in the northern province, increasing the alarm of Faryab residents and lawmakers from the province in Kabul, who say that urgent action by the security forces is needed. Along with fighting in the center of Faryab, the centers of 11 […]

Taliban deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said that to achieve progress in the peace negotiations there is a need for the implementation of the Doha agreement. His statement comes amid ramped-up fighting across the country and the fall of dozens of districts to the Taliban. Baradar, in an article published Sunday on the group’s website, stressed the importance of […]

The Taliban said on Sunday it wants a “genuine Islamic system” in Afghanistan and that the group is committed to peace talks and believes in resolving issues through (mutual) understanding. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, said in a statement issued Sunday that now that foreign forces are on the verge of completing […]

The Taliban insurgents captured centers of eight districts in the last 24 hours, sources said Saturday. Local officials told Ariana News that the militants have seized control of Khwaja Sabz Posh and Juma Bazar in Faryab; Meer zaka in Paktia; Muradian in Jawzjan; Barak and Bangi in Takhar; Pusht Koh in Farah; Dara Suf Payan in Samangan; and Bazar Fabrika […]

Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Sunday. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said that the diplomats condemned the continuing high level of violence in Afghanistan and “particularly condemned attacks targeting […]

US President Joe Biden will meet at the White House with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, on June 25, the White House said on Sunday. The meeting comes at a critical time when fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban militants has surged, since Biden announced in April that all […]

The Taliban insurgents have seized control of another 17 districts in eight provinces in the past 24 hours. A member of Takhar provincial council told Ariana News that the Taliban overrun the Dasht-e-Qala, Darqad, Namak Aab, Chaal, Khwaja Ghar, Hazar Samuch, Yangi Qala, and Khwaja Baha-u-Din districts of the province. Meanwhile, the Afghan forces have also retreated from the Dara […]