Troops from Russia and Uzbekistan began joint military drills on Monday near the Afghan border amid fears in both countries over a worsening security situation in Afghanistan that could spill over into Central Asia, Reuters reported. Russia said 1,500 Russian and Uzbek troops would take part in the five-day exercises that began at the Termez military site in Uzbekistan, the […]

Helmand, Kandahar and Herat have been hit hard these past few days by intense battles between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban, officials confirmed. One of the hardest hit has been Herat, which has witnessed two days of solid fighting around the city itself, while heavy attacks have been launched on villages to the west of the city. As […]

The U.S. and British embassies in Kabul said on Monday the insurgent Taliban may have committed war crimes in southern Afghanistan by carrying out revenge murders of civilians, a charge denied by the insurgents. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban negotiating team member based in Doha, told Reuters that tweets containing the accusations were “baseless reports.” The U.S. Embassy in the capital […]

The Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) and the Meshrano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament) on Monday jointly declared their support for the country’s Republic system, the Constitution, freedom of expression, women’s rights and government’s security forces. Their declaration came after a special session that was addressed by President Ashraf Ghani who called on all MP’s and Senators to mobilize […]

The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) stated Sunday that four journalists were arrested in southern Kandahar province this week for “collaborating” with the Taliban militants. The journalists – three reporters from Nation Voice [Millat Ghag] Radio, Bismillah Watandost, Qudratullah Sultani, and Mohibullah Obaidi; and Sanullah Siam who claimed to be working with China’s Xinhua news agency – were arrested […]

Taliban officials claim to have taken control of more than half of Afghanistan from the government. Their targets: cities, airports and border crossings – with civilians often caught in the middle. Officials in Kandahar said that two children were among the dead when a mortar shell hit a taxi today. Many hope to leave the country, but are being forced […]

Amid the unrelenting violence in Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday said that in the past two decades, the Taliban has become “more cruel and more oppressive.” During a virtual cabinet meeting, Ghani said, “Yes, they (Taliban) have changed but negatively. They have no wish for peace, for prosperity, or progress; we want peace but they want surrender (subdued people […]

Clashes continued in key parts of Lashkargah city in District 1 near the police headquarters and the provincial governor’s office on Sunday, causing concerns to ratchet up over the situation in the province. Security sources said many parts of the city have fallen to the Taliban in recent weeks. Helmand MPs said that the city will be out of the […]

The government deployed more security forces to the western city of Herat on Sunday a day after the Taliban advanced closer to the central parts of the city. Local officials said that the clashes intensified in villages in the western parts of Herat city. Abdul Rahman Rahman, senior deputy of the Interior Ministry, also visited Herat city on Sunday and […]

Officials at an army corps base in Zabul province in southern Afghanistan illegally sold at least 300,000 liters of Afghan forces’ aviation gasoline at local markets, and then created a cover story that the fuel was lost in a rocket attack at their base, said sources. Abdul Ghafoor Hotaki, the commander of Zabul garrison, and Sefatullah, the commander of the […]