It had to be symbolic, and was represented as such. Forces of the United States will be leaving Afghanistan on September 11 after two decades of violent occupation, though for a good deal of this stretch, US forces were, at best, failed democracy builders, at worst, violent tenants. In his April 14 speech, President Joe Biden made the point that […]

The White House on Thursday said that the United States has the ability to keep an eye on any resurgence of al Qaeda in Afghanistan without keeping a military footprint there a day after U.S. President Joe Biden said that he was pulling out U.S. forces after nearly 20 years of war. “We believe we have the means to keep […]

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Friday that the Taliban has to “change based on democratic ways.” Addressing Raisina 2021 conference virtually, Zarif stated: “If they (Taliban) want to go back to their 90s ideology, it will be impossible, as there is a new and different Afghanistan today.” Zarif’s remarks come a day after US President Joe Biden and […]

At least nine Taliban militants – including the group’s spy chief Ajmal Mashak – were killed in an airstrike by the Afghan force in northern Balkh province, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Friday. The MoD said in a statement that the airstrike was conducted in the Hussain Khel village in the Balkh district of the province on Thursday. According […]

President Ashraf Ghani said on Thursday that US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s decision to withdraw foreign forces set the context for a “reset” of assumptions, alignments, and actions and that the Afghan government is “not at risk of collapse”. Addressing a virtual event organized by Azerbaijan’s Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Ghani said: “We are not at […]

Once US troops exit Afghanistan, America’s ability to collect intelligence and act on threats will diminish, says the CIA director. William Burns said: “Our ability to keep that thread in Afghanistan in check, from either Al Qaeda or ISIS has benefited greatly from the presence of US and coalition militaries on the ground and in the air…” They were fueled […]

Russia has hailed India as a welcome partner in its efforts to promote the Afghan peace process as foreign troops prepare to leave the war-torn country. “India (is our) closest friend and trusted partner. Big meeting of minds on the majority of global and regional issues” the Russian ambassador in New Delhi said on Wednesday. Nikolay Kudashev told a virtual […]

The Taliban cannot return to power in the wake of international forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, says the government’s top peace negotiator. The chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) asked the insurgent not to think of taking over Afghanistan through military means. Such thinking on Taliban’s part would be a gross miscalculation, remarked the HCNR head, who explained […]

President Biden has announced that the United States will withdraw all remaining military forces from Afghanistan before September 11, 2021 — likely marking a definitive end to America’s longest war just months before its two-decade anniversary. The decision fundamentally changes the dynamics of the Afghan peace process, as the Taliban have defined their insurgency by opposition to perceived occupation by […]

The Afghan National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday the country’s security forces are capable of maintaining security in the country. This comes just hours after US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced a full withdrawal of all foreign troops starting May 1. According to them, all troops will be out of Afghanistan by September 11 […]