In the span of three days, at least four provincial capitals in Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, with the strategically significant city of Kunduz on the brink. On August 6, the first Afghan provincial capital fell to the Taliban in the wake of the nearly-complete U.S. withdrawal and intensified fighting across the country. By August 9, three other provincial capitals […]

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani led a government delegation to Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday morning to assess the security situation in the northern provinces. Ghani’s visit to the capital of Balkh province comes amid escalating violence across the country, particularly in the north. According to the Presidential Palace, Ghani’s senior security and political affairs adviser Mohammad Mohaqiq and former mujahideen commander Juma […]

Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum said Wednesday that the Taliban are now trapped in the north and will not be able to flee that part of the country and that security forces will “crackdown” on the militants. Speaking to journalists in Balkh province, Dostum said: “The Taliban have been trapped in the north several times and this time it is not […]

The Afghan government has brought changes in key army positions amid intensified clashes between the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and the Taliban militants across the country. Commander of the Special Operations Corps General Hebatullah Alizai has been appointed as Chief of Army Staff, replacing General Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai. Ahmadzai was removed as Chief of Army Staff after […]