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 […]

Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline judge under U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses, secured a landslide victory on Saturday in Iran‘s presidential election after a contest marked by voter apathy over economic hardships and political restrictions. With some 90% of the 28.6 million ballots counted, Raisi’s tally was 17.8 million, interior ministry official Jamal Orfi said, giving him an unassailable lead. […]

As the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the deadline for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan draws near, the region has been witnessing sudden adjustments. The Taliban have not only intensified assaults against the Afghan government forces and captured new territories but also began to demonstrate their regional ambitions to reduce Washington’s influence in Central and South […]

NPR’s Audie Cornish speaks with John F. Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction. He’s calling for continued oversight of U.S. funding there as American presence declines. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: The U.S. will pull all troops out of Afghanistan in the coming weeks but will continue its financial presence in the country with about $7.5 billion already set aside so […]

The United Nations is preparing for a likely further displacement of civilians in Afghanistan after US and international troops leave the country in September, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said on Monday as quoted by Reuters. Violence has remained high in the country over the last two months, leading to the displacement of thousands of families in northern and southern […]

US President Joe Biden at a press conference after the NATO leaders’ summit in Brussels on Monday “there was a strong consensus in the room, among the leaders, in that meeting, on Afghanistan,” reiterating that the alliance will continue its support to Afghans after the withdrawal of international troops from the country. “Our troops are coming home, but we agreed […]

Military analysts and former security officials strongly criticized the government’s current management of the war against the Taliban, saying the reason behind the collapse of districts to the Taliban is that the government’s military leaders have failed to lead the war in a successful way. Wais Ahmad Barmak, the former Afghan Minister of Interior, said that the politicization of the […]

A Republican congressman and former Green Beret implored President Biden on Wednesday to immediately order the evacuation of Afghans who helped U.S. troops, saying “blood will be on his hands” if he does not. “If he doesn’t act, and he doesn’t get these people out, blood will be on his hands and on his administration’s hands,” Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) […]

NATO security officials are in talks with Qatar about providing a military base to help train Afghan army units after foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan later this year, Reuters reports. “We are holding talks to earmark a base in Qatar to create an exclusive training ground for senior members of the Afghan forces,” said a senior Western security official in […]

The US is running out of options as it looks to secure strike capability against terrorist groups after the Afghan withdrawal. On May 2, officers of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) visited Nasirabad, a dusty town in the western Balochistan province that borders Afghanistan and Iran. It was part of a scouting mission to pinpoint a location for constructing a […]