The Taliban has captured three major Afghan cities and a string of provincial capitals in a sweeping offensive that threatens the capital, Kabul. In the past 24 hours, Taliban fighters have seized Herat and Kandahar — the country’s second- and third-largest cities — as well as Lashkar Gah, the capital of southwestern Helmand Province. The insurgents on August 13 also […]

The first of some 3,000 US soldiers and Marines ordered by the Biden administration back into Afghanistan began arriving at Kabul’s international airport Friday as six more of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals were overrun by the Taliban, bringing the total to 18 that have fallen to the insurgency. Another 4,000 US troops are being sent to Kuwait for a possible rapid […]

The EU’s border agency is trialing new high-tech surveillance equipment to detect migrant boats, just as rapid gains by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan have raised the prospect of a surge in people fleeing to Europe. A balloon system equipped with cameras is being tested at Alexandroupolis airport near the Greek-Turkish land border in northeastern Greece, and on the island of […]

Turkey boosted security measures on its border with Iran to stop illegal crossings, mainly from Afghans fleeing the Taliban that has taken over key cities and provinces. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar on Saturday (August 14) visited the 295-kilometer long border with Iran where a modular concrete wall is being built. Turkish officials said a 64-kilometer-long section of the wall […]

American troops have flown into the Afghan capital to help evacuate embassy personnel and other civilians in Kabul, a US official said on Saturday as quoted by Reuters. The Pentagon has said two battalions of Marines and one infantry battalion will arrive in Kabul by Sunday evening, involving about 3,000 troops, according to Reuters report. “They have arrived, their arrival […]

Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Sunday and said they were awaiting a “peaceful transfer” of the city after promising not to take it by force, but panicked residents raced to the leave, with workers fleeing government offices and helicopters landing at the U.S. Embassy. In a nationwide offensive that has taken just over a week, […]

President Joe Biden on Saturday authorized an additional 1,000 U.S. troops for deployment to Afghanistan, raising to roughly 5,000 the number of U.S. troops to ensure what Biden called an “orderly and safe drawdown” of American and allied personnel. U.S. troops will also help in the evacuation of Afghans who worked with the military during the nearly two-decade war. The […]

President Ashraf Ghani in a pre-recorded message to the nation on Friday said that remobilization of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) is his top priority and that required measures are underway to reach this end, but he vowed to prevent further bloodshed in the country. Ghani thanked the Afghan forces for their bravery in defending the country […]

Afghanistan’s leaders face a challenging task: uniting a fractured and crippled country in the midst of a raging pandemic with economic devastation and societal discord fueling conflict and terrorism. The loss of life in Afghanistan is staggering: 6,000 killed since mid-April due to the unrest. While there does not appear to be a coherent strategy for turning the tide, it […]

The UK government should maintain aid spending in Afghanistan, especially after the troop withdrawal. The decision by the UK government to cut foreign aid will have devastating consequences, particularly in Afghanistan where the security situation is deteriorating. The cuts signal that the UK government has not learned from history, where a lack of commitment to Afghanistan and its neighbours has […]