Category: Afghanistan

Taliban Sends Letters to Afghan Leaders Calling for Direct Talks

The Taliban has sent letters to a number of Afghan political leaders, calling on them to enter into direct talks with the group, sources familiar with the matter told TOLOnews on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the office of Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council of National Reconciliation (HCNR), confirmed that it had received a letter from the Taliban, however Abdullah’s […]

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US State Department orders nonessential embassy personnel to leave Kabul

The US State Department is downsizing the US Embassy in Kabul and has ordered all nonessential personnel to leave Afghanistan amid concerns of heightened violence as US and NATO troops withdraw. The department “ordered the departure from U.S. Embassy Kabul of U.S. government employees whose functions can be performed elsewhere,” it noted in a travel advisory issued Tuesday. In an […]

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Taliban shares draft peace plan with HCNR: Salim

Attaullah Salim, Deputy of the High Council for the National Reconciliation (HCNR) said Wednesday that the Taliban has shared a draft of a peace plan with the council. Addressing a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Mujahidin victory, Salim stated that he hopes the integration of the HCNR’s plan with the Taliban peace plan could lead to “a common vision […]

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US sending 650 Rangers to protect forces as they withdraw

The Pentagon is reportedly sending around 650 troops to Afghanistan in the coming days to protect US forces as they withdraw from the country, CNN reported Tuesday, citing several defense officials. According to CNN, the deployment was approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin late last week as part of a package of military assets being sent to the country to […]

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Rocky US-Pakistan Ties Scrutinized as Foreign Troops Set to Exit Afghanistan

Officials in Pakistan appear upset over U.S. military assessments warning of a possible resurgence of terrorism in the South Asian country after the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan and calling into question Islamabad’s commitment to peace in the war-torn neighboring country. Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East and South Asia, shared the […]

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4 intel officers among 6 shot dead in Afghan capital

Four intelligence officials, a university lecturer, and a civil servant were gunned down in targeted attacks in Afghanistan’s capital on Saturday. Police in Kabul said four officers of the National Directorate of Security, the country’s main spy agency, were shot dead by unknown assailants in the Paghman area during the morning rush hour. Rafi Usmani, a lecturer at a private […]

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Afghan Security Chiefs: ANDSF Ready to Safeguard the Nation

The heads of Afghanistan’s security agencies on Saturday referring to the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country reassured that the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) were capable of foiling threats posed by the insurgents and terror groups as they have proved it in the past. General Yasin Zia, the Afghan Acting Minister of Defense, said that currently […]

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Pakistani Delegation in Kabul for Talks with Afghan Officials

Pakistan’s envoy Mohammad Sadiq, leading a delegation from Islamabad, has arrived in Kabul for discussions with Afghan leaders on peace, security and related matters, Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, confirmed on Twitter on Sunday. Before the arrival of the delegation, National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib confirmed that a Pakistani delegation would visit Kabul to discuss relations between the […]

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Harris says she had key role in Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal decision

Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed Sunday that she was the last person in the room before President Joe Biden made the decision to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” Harris was asked about being the last person in the room regarding major decisions, something that Biden has […]

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243 civilians killed or wounded in Taliban attacks in 10 days: MoI

At least 243 civilians including women and children were killed or wounded in the past 10 days in Taliban attacks and explosions across the country, the Ministry of Interior said Sunday. The ministry said in the past 10 days Taliban carried out six suicide bombings and 62 landmine explosions which resulted in financial and human losses to civilians including women […]

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