The Pentagon is reportedly considering seeking authorization to carry out airstrikes to support Afghan security forces if Kabul or any other major Afghan city is in danger of falling to the Taliban, the New York Times reported Wednesday. According to senior officials, this could potentially introduce flexibility into President Joe Biden’s plan to end the United States military presence in […]

Taliban militants captured the Arghanjkha district of Badakhshan province on Wednesday evening, sources said. The government, however, stated that the Afghan Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF) retreated from the district following two days of heavy clashes with the militants. At least 11 soldiers and one member of the public uprising forces have been killed in the skirmish. Khalil-ul-Rahman, Badakhshan Police […]

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Afghanistan Jean Arnault and Martin Griffiths, the UN special envoy for Yemen. Zarif and Arnault discussed the developments in Afghanistan. During the meeting, Zarif explained the views of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Afghanistan, especially peace and security in the country as well as the peace […]

At least three Afghan Air Force personnel died and one other was wounded Tuesday night when a military helicopter crashed in Maidan Wardak province, officials confirmed. The Ministry of Defense said in a news release that an M-17 helicopter crashed on Tuesday night in Jaghato district of Maidan Wardak province due to technical problems. “At least three people died in […]

US President Joe Biden said in a letter to Congress on Tuesday that Washington will continue to fully support peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban and will encourage other nations in the region, especially Pakistan, to do more to support stability in Afghanistan. In his letter he stated that over the past few decades, the United States and […]

Pakistan has refused to host U.S drone bases on its soil as Washington seeks to continue its counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan after a military pullout, local media reported, citing Pakistani government officials. A report carried by Dawn on Wednesday also said Pakistani officials have privately begun confirming a secret visit to Islamabad made by U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William […]

The U.S. military estimates that it has pulled out more than 50 percent of its equipment and troops from Afghanistan. “U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) estimates that we have completed greater than 50% of the entire retrograde process,” the command, which oversees operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, said in a press release on Tuesday. CENTCOM also said the […]

The New York Times on Sunday published a report outlining the CIA’s struggle to put together a new counterterrorism strategy as US troops withdraw from Afghanistan. “The CIA is seeking ways to maintain its intelligence-gathering, war-fighting and counterterrorism operations in the country,” The New York Times reported, citing CIA analysts warning of the “ever-growing risks” of a Taliban takeover. The […]

The center of Shahrak district in the central province of Ghor fell to the Taliban on Sunday evening, local officials confirmed on Monday. Ghor governor Abdul Zahir Faiz Zada said security forces have evacuated all government offices in the center of the district to prevent civilian casualties in the clashes between security forces and the Taliban. “Soon an operation will […]

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, currently on a regional tour amid the withdrawal of American and coalition forces from Afghanistan, says two options remain for Afghanistan at this critical juncture: A political solution to the conflict or continued war. He reiterated that the United States will not abandon Afghanistan despite US troops leaving. In his first interview with TOLOnews after […]