Category: Afghanistan

Afghanistan is the key for Ankara-Washington relations

One of the important topics of discussion at the recent NATO summit in Brussels was the Afghan peace process. The protracted peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, the start of the withdrawal of foreign troops and the completion of this process by Sept. 11, 2021, have all raised concerns about the future of the country among the […]

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Ex-Pakistani diplomat: Biden ‘delusional’ to think Taliban has broken ties with al Qaeda

The Biden administration is “delusional” if it thinks the Taliban have broken or will break from what is left of the al Qaeda terrorist network in Afghanistan, says a former top Pakistani diplomat in Washington. Husain Haqqani, who served as Islamabad’s ambassador to the U.S. a decade ago and is now a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute, said the […]

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Clashes Inch Closer to Outskirts of Charikar City North of Kabul

Clashes between government forces and the Taliban have reached the outskirts of Charikar City in the central province of Parwan – 63 kilometers north of Kabul – but troops on the ground have not received orders from the center to retake the collapsed areas from the militants. The control of two districts in Parwan, Siah Gerd district and Shinwari, fell […]

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Dostum Vows to Return to North, Suppress Taliban

Former vice president Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, who is in Turkey for treatment, said Sunday he will soon return to his home province of Jawzjan in northern Afghanistan to suppress the Taliban in the north, after consultation with President Ghani and the Defense Ministry. “I predicted this years ago,” Dostum said, referring to Taliban offensives in northern provinces. “All districts, […]

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US forces conduct airstrikes against Taliban targets in two provinces

US forces targeted Taliban positions in northern Afghanistan on Friday, Fox News reported citing a US defense official. According to the report, the US military has carried out airstrikes against the Taliban in Baghlan and Kunduz provinces. “An unknown number of Taliban fighters were killed in Baghlan and Kunduz provinces, where the strikes took place,” the report said. The Taliban […]

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Pakistan says it hopes Taliban will stop TTP cross-border attacks

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has said Islamabad hopes the Afghan Taliban will prevent groups such as TTP from carrying out cross-border attacks against Pakistan. Speaking to the Express Tribune, Rashid said: “Prime Minister Imran Khan has categorically said that we [Pakistan] will not give any bases to the United States to use against Afghanistan.” “…But we also expect from […]

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Biden says Afghan interpreters who “risked their lives” for US troops won’t be left behind

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday (June 24) said Afghan interpreters who aided American troops during the 20-year-long war would not be abandoned to their fate when the United States and its allies complete their withdrawal from that nation. The United States is planning to evacuate a group of vulnerable Afghan interpreters before the U.S. military completes its withdrawal from […]

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Afghan forces retake seven districts: Military

The Afghan forces have regained control of seven districts in the last 24 hours amid a surge in Taliban offensives across the country. The Afghan military said Friday that the Afghan forces have recaptured the Mizaka, Ahmadabad, and Sayed Karam districts in Paktia; Andkhoi and Khan Charbagh in Faryab; and Khinjan and Dushi districts of Baghlan. This comes as Taliban […]

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130 Taliban members cross sides, join peace process

A group of 130 armed Taliban led by Maulvi Mardan joined the peace process in Herat on Thursday, officials confirmed. Herat Governor Abdul Sabor Qani said the group had been active in areas of Herat’s Shindand district, and that many villages in the area were under the group’s control. Local officials in Herat said the group entered the government’s peace […]

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US closely monitoring current situation in Afghanistan: Milley

The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley told the US Senate that the Taliban had taken control of numerous districts since May, but that the group would not be able to capture major cities. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has meanwhile said that Afghanistan is still in the world’s spotlight and that the United States […]

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