The United States and the Taliban have agreed to a “re-set” following a sharp rise in violence in the past week in Afghanistan – specifically in Helmand province.

A U.S. military contractor who was part of a crime ring that stole more than $300,000-worth of vehicles, generators and other goods from Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan, has pleaded guilty to federal fraud and theft charges, the Justice Department said in a statement.

A deadly Taliban offensive in Afghanistan’s Helmand province has drawn a crescendo of accusations that the militant group is openly flouting a deal under which all American troops could leave the country by next spring, and jeopardizing month-old peace talks with the government.

It’s the second week of Kyrgyzstan’s political crisis – what does the path forward look like? Kyrgyzstan’s ruling elites are getting closer to solving the country’s prolonged crisis of legitimacy.

Opposition parties have tapped a right-wing Islamist as the leader of the Pakistan Democratic Movement. That raises serious questions. Pakistan’s opposition parties have elected the head of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Rehman (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rahman, as their leader to drive the incoming agitation campaign against the government.

Two ANA helicopters collided and crashed along the Helmand river near an Afghan security outpost in Nawa district of Helmand on Tuesday night. According to sources, a number of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces members were killed.

At least 15 Afghan National Security Force (ANDSF) members were killed and five others wounded when Taliban Red Unit fighters attacked security outposts in Guzargah-e-Noor district of northern Baghlan province.

A meeting between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s negotiating team and the Taliban was held Wednesday night where both sides agreed to find ways to resolve the contentious issues.

Afghan National Army Commandos and Special Forces from the National Directorate of Security (NDS) launched a major military operation on Monday night, with the help of air support, to bring the Helmand situation under control, officials said Tuesday.

Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq and US special envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad held a virtual conference on Tuesday to discuss issues around the Afghan peace process.