Category: Afghanistan

Taliban faces internal battles in northern province

Hundreds of Afghans took to the streets of a provincial capital on Thursday to protest against the Taliban’s arrest of a local commander from the Uzbek ethnic minority. Uzbek Taliban fighters demonstrated in Maimana, in the northern province of Faryab, after an Uzbek Taliban commander named Makhdom Alam, also the police chief of Faryab, was sacked. “He was accused of […]

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Aid reaches at-risk families in Paktika, thanks to Bayat Foundation

Bayat Foundation officials said on Thursday that they have distributed food to hundreds of needy families in Paktika province this week in a bid to bring relief to as many local residents as possible. According to the officials, the food parcels included flour, rice and oil. This is part of Bayat Foundation’s ongoing efforts to help desperate Afghans survive the […]

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Muttaqi heads to Ashqabat for trade, energy and TAPI talks

Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has departed Kabul for Ashqabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, on Friday to discuss bilateral trade with Turkmen officials. Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, stated that Muttaqi, who is leading a high-level delegation, will discuss the TAPI project, and bilateral trade with Turkmen officials. He added Acting Foreign Minister is […]

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Mortar shell explosion kills 9 children in eastern Afghanistan

Blast occurred when a food cart struck an old, unexploded mortar shell in Nangarhar province, local officials say. An explosion in eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan has killed at least nine children and wounded four others, according to local officials. The blast on Monday took place when a cart selling food items struck an old, unexploded mortar shell […]

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Senior Pakistani Taliban leader killed in Afghanistan: Official

Khalid Balti, former spokesperson for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, has been killed in Nangarhar province. A senior leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistan Taliban or TTP) has been killed in eastern Afghanistan, Pakistani security officials say, as a peace talks process between the armed group and the government remain stalled. Khalid Balti, also known by the nom de guerre Muhammad Khorasani when […]

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‘You’re Very Vulnerable’: Afghan Diplomats Fear Violent Taliban Reprisals

The Taliban are pressuring exiled diplomats in an attempt to take back Afghanistan’s embassies. The Taliban have begun more aggressively to replace Afghanistan’s exiled diplomats who have resisted the militant group’s rule, current and former Afghan officials told Foreign Policy, using surprise diplomatic appointments and the threat of violence as a first step toward seeking wider political recognition. In the […]

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IEA demands return of dozens of aircraft parked in neighboring countries

Afghanistan’s ruling Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government has asked Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to return Afghan Air Force planes and helicopters that were flown to neighboring countries by fleeing pilots in August last year as the former government in Kabul collapsed. Addressing a Ministry of Defense ceremony in Kabul on Tuesday, IEA Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob said his government would […]

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Muttaqi says IEA committed to Doha deal, calls for recognition

Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has reiterated his call to the international community for the recognition of Afghanistan under the rule of the Islamic Emirate. Addressing a conference via video entitled “Peace and Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan”, Muttaqi stated IEA will remain committed to the Doha deal. “Whether America recognizes the government of Afghanistan or not; this is […]

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Taliban meets with opposition militia representatives in Iran

A group of Taliban officials met over the weekend in Iran with leaders of several armed Afghan resistance groups, reportedly offering to let them return home safely. It was the first direct interaction between Afghanistan’s new rulers and an alliance of domestic militias that launched a short-lived uprising after the Islamist extremists took power in August. But a spokesman for […]

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Hazara Foundation opens charity bakeries to feed Kabul residents

The Hazara Foundation, an Afghan charity organization, has distributed bread to hundreds of at-risk families through two bakeries in Kabul this week. The foundation opened two Tabassum charity bakeries in the west of Kabul this week and produce Naan bread for around 300 needy families every day. The foundation’s officials stated that if they are able to continue assisting people […]

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