A former Taliban member who joined the peace process five years ago is now serving as head of the Hajj and Religious Affairs Directorate in the southern province of Kandahar. Mawlawi Manzoor Ahmad Husaini had different roles as the Taliban-designated security chief in Badghis, head of military commission in the western zone, and head of the Olympic committee during the […]

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad sent a letter to negotiators representing the Afghan republic and the Taliban specifying the date for the Turkey conference on Afghanistan, sources in Qatar said. The sources said that a political consensus for an early solution to the Afghanistan crisis, the establishment of a shared government and a regional and international consensus will be the […]

A blast targeted vehicles of the Afghan security forces in the Paghman district of Kabul province on Sunday afternoon, police said. According to police, an explosive-laden corolla-type vehicle was detonated close to a number of military vehicles in the Panja Chinar area of the district. At least three security personnel were killed and 12 others wounded in the blast, police […]

The Afghan forces have arrested two key Taliban members in northern Baghlan province, police said Sunday. Ahmad Jawid Bisharat, a spokesman for Baghlan police, said that the designated chief and head of the military commission of the Taliban for the Sabari district of Khost were arrested in an operation on the Baghlan highway. Bisharat, however, did not provide further details […]

At least 51 Afghan National Defense and Security Force (ANDSF) members have been killed or wounded in the past 24 hours in clashes with Taliban insurgents across the country. One of the worst hit areas was Helmand with at least 20 security force members killed in a Taliban attack. Helmand A source told Ariana News that at least 20 security […]

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a report that the primary sources of income for the Taliban are narcotics, illicit mining, and other illegal activities. SIGAR, citing a UN Security Council report, said the Taliban has continued to adapt and expand its ability to maintain and generate financial revenues to support their operations from June 2019. […]

At least five policemen were killed in Kabul and Nangarhar provinces in the past 12 hours, officials said Tuesday. One police force member was killed and one more was wounded in an attack by unidentified armed men in the Chawk-e-Arghandi area in Paghman district, Kabul province, on Tuesday morning, police said. Police have started an investigation into the incident. In […]

Clerics and scholars in Iran have declared their full support for a ceasefire and the end to hostilities and bloodshed in Afghanistan, following a joint symposium on the Afghan peace process. In a joint statement issued by the clerics and scholars, they called for peace talks to move forward and for continued efforts on the part of regional and global […]

As the May 1 deadline for the US troop withdrawal nears, and efforts to secure a peace deal are ramped up, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai said the country is asking the Taliban to embrace today’s Afghanistan, a progressive modern Republic with democratic institutions.

Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is due in Islamabad on Tuesday on a two-day official visit for talks on bilateral and regional matters, with special focus on Afghanistan. According to Pakistan’s Daily Times, Lavrov will lead a 13-member delegation that also includes Russian special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and several other senior officials. This […]