Archive for June, 2021

Britain’s war in Afghanistan has cost over $31 billion

Britain’s war in Afghanistan has cost UK taxpayers £22.2billion ($31.3 billion), the United Kingdom’s government has revealed. According to a report in the UK’s Mirror on Monday, is likely to be even higher because the bill disclosed by Defence Minister James Heappey only counts cash from a special Whitehall fund for the conflict. Revealing the cost in a written parliamentary […]

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Taliban ‘invites’ translators to remain in their own country

As concerns deepen for the safety of Afghan translators who worked alongside US and NATO forces for 20 years, once foreign troops have left the country, the Taliban on Monday issued a statement urging them not to leave Afghanistan. In a statement issued by the group, the Taliban said it “invites them to return to their normal lives and serve […]

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At least 60 soldiers under siege in Uruzgan’s Gizab district

The district headquarters, the bazaar, the police headquarters and the National Directorate of Security (NDS) compound in Gizab district in Uruzgan province have fallen to the Taliban after days of fighting, local officials said Monday. Uruzgan provincial council secretary Abdul Karim Khadimzai said more than 60 soldiers had been trapped in a residential property in the district for the past […]

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CIA scrambles for new approach in Afghanistan: NYT reports

As US troops withdraw from Afghanistan, the CIA is reportedly under intense pressure to find new ways to gather intelligence and carry out counterterrorism strikes in the country, the New York Times reported Monday. But, according to the report, the spy agency has few good options. The CIA, has been at the heart of the 20-year American presence in Afghanistan, […]

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Khalilzad calls on Afghan leaders to start talks with Pakistan on peace issue

Zalmay Khalilzad, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, has urged Afghan leaders and politicians to start “serious negotiations” with Pakistan in order to resolve the Afghan peace issue, sources said. A number of Afghan politicians, who have recently met with Khalilzad, stated that Khalilzad has urged Afghanistan to send a high-ranking delegation to negotiate with Pakistan. Pakistan has played a […]

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Afghan security forces suffer ‘shockingly high’ casualties

At least 150 Afghan troops have been killed or injured in the last 24 hours in a surge of attacks by Taliban militants, senior government officials told Reuters on Monday. According to the officials, fighting is now raging in 26 of the country’s 34 provinces. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity as the Afghan government does not give total […]

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Pakistan Seeks Afghan Settlement Before Troop Withdrawal: Report

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that his country is pushing for a political settlement in Afghanistan before international troops leave later this year to reduce the risk of civil war in its western neighbor. US President Joe Biden announced in April to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11. The announcement was followed by concerns about […]

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The Taliban Are Getting Stronger In Afghanistan As U.S. And NATO Forces Exit

At a dusty bus station on this city’s outskirts, ticket hawkers call out for passengers to the southern city of Kandahar. It’s a 300-mile route — and the Taliban control key parts of the highway. There are gun battles along the route, and the Taliban undertake violent ambushes of Afghan forces. But for bus driver Jan Mohammad, the highway seems […]

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What will become of Afghanistan’s economy once the US leaves?

After almost 20 years and $2 trillion, the United States is ending its war in Afghanistan. In that time, the economy has been hooked on billions in military spending and international aid. Kardan University’s Mahmood Ajmiri tells Al Jazeera how the war economy will cope as the Taliban takes control of more of the country. And Congo Is Not For […]

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US withdrawal sparks new wave of violence in Balochistan by Pakistan Taliban

The US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan has led to increased violence in Balochistan by Pakistan Taliban. The revival of the Pakistani Taliban is not only linked with the growing turmoil in neighbouring Afghanistan caused by the US troop withdrawal but also to growing differences between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, including over Pakistan’s growing new strategic engagement with the US, […]

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