US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad left Kabul on Monday morning after a four-day visit speaking with Afghan government and political leaders as well as civil society and diplomatic representatives, US Embassy in Kabul said in a statement. “Khalilzad completed a productive four-day visit to Kabul. He met with government and political leders, civil society activist and the diplomatic community to […]

Deborah Lyons, the Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), on Monday met with President Ashraf Ghani and discussed the upcoming Istanbul Summit, UNAMA said. During the meeting the UN envoy highlighted the pressing need for an end to violence with a political settlement that answers aspirations of all Afghans, including women. According […]

Local officials in Herat province said the Taliban have carried out a car bomb attack on an Afghan National Army (ANA) checkpoint in the Shorwardak area of Shindand district on Monday morning. Herat Governor Wahid Qatali confirmed the reports and said that clashes are taking place in the district and reinforcements had been sent to the area. He did not […]

One person was killed and another was wounded in an armed attack on a vehicle carrying security guards of the deputy head of the Senate’s secretariat in Kabul on Saturday evening, police said. According to police the incident happened in PD5 Qala-e-Kashif area in Kabul. Gunmen opened fire on the vehicle, killing the driver and wounding a security guard. The […]

A senior Afghan military official said this week that if the US pulls out without a political settlement having been reached between government and the Taliban, the country will be in “deep trouble”. Speaking to the New York Times this week, the security official said: “If the US pulls out, and there is no political agreement, then we are in […]

The US, UN, Turkey, and Qatar have handed over guiding principles for the Istanbul Summit to the Afghan government and the Taliban. A document seen by Ariana News shows that there are nine guiding principles that could help the negotiating parties reach an agreement on some key points ahead of the Istanbul conference which is due to be held from […]

The High Council for the National Reconciliation (HCNR) has drafted a unified peace plan for the upcoming Istanbul Summit. A copy of the draft seen by Ariana News shows that the plan has four parts including a principle for the future of Afghanistan, a Peace roadmap/President Ashraf Ghani’s plan, a future political system, and an end to the ongoing conflict […]

President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday said he has a clear plan for peace compared to “external plans” but reiterated that there shouldn’t be haste in the process. Ghani, whose message was played to a large gathering of residents from northern provinces in Kabul, said that there is a need for the establishment of a peace government. Ghani added that he […]

Taliban destroyed a bridge on the Kabul-Jalalabad’s second-lane road in Surkhrod district of Nangarhar province, Pajhwok News reported. The bridge was blown following the Taliban attacks on a checkpoint in Fatehabad area of the district. The second-lane was mostly used by residents of Sararud, Khogyani, Sherzad and Hesarak districts. As the Taliban militants dynamited the bridge, Afghan National Army temporarily […]

Al Qaeda and its regional affiliate, al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, continue to operate across Afghanistan despite repeated Taliban claims by the Taliban that the group is no longer present in the country, according to a report by Long War Journal. Based on the report, al Qaeda and other groups associated with it have been involved in perpetrating dozens […]