It had to be symbolic, and was represented as such. Forces of the United States will be leaving Afghanistan on September 11 after two decades of violent occupation, though for a good deal of this stretch, US forces were, at best, failed democracy builders, at worst, violent tenants. In his April 14 speech, President Joe Biden made the point that […]

President Ashraf Ghani said on Thursday that US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s decision to withdraw foreign forces set the context for a “reset” of assumptions, alignments, and actions and that the Afghan government is “not at risk of collapse”. Addressing a virtual event organized by Azerbaijan’s Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Ghani said: “We are not at […]

Russia has hailed India as a welcome partner in its efforts to promote the Afghan peace process as foreign troops prepare to leave the war-torn country. “India (is our) closest friend and trusted partner. Big meeting of minds on the majority of global and regional issues” the Russian ambassador in New Delhi said on Wednesday. Nikolay Kudashev told a virtual […]

The Taliban cannot return to power in the wake of international forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, says the government’s top peace negotiator. The chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) asked the insurgent not to think of taking over Afghanistan through military means. Such thinking on Taliban’s part would be a gross miscalculation, remarked the HCNR head, who explained […]

President Biden has announced that the United States will withdraw all remaining military forces from Afghanistan before September 11, 2021 — likely marking a definitive end to America’s longest war just months before its two-decade anniversary. The decision fundamentally changes the dynamics of the Afghan peace process, as the Taliban have defined their insurgency by opposition to perceived occupation by […]

The Afghan National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday the country’s security forces are capable of maintaining security in the country. This comes just hours after US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced a full withdrawal of all foreign troops starting May 1. According to them, all troops will be out of Afghanistan by September 11 […]

The United Kingdom will pull out all its forces from Afghanistan, says a media report. The Times reported Britain’s plans Hours after US President Joe Biden’s announcement of a full troop pullout from the country by September 20. The UK would transfer control of the Military Academy in Kabul, where its troops train Afghan soldiers, to the government in Kabul. […]

The Taliban have linked participation in any conference on Afghanistan’s future to the pullout of all international forces from the country. Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for Taliban’s political office in Doha, said this in a tweet hours after President Biden announced on Tuesday withdrawing all US troops from Afghanistan by September. Naeem wrote: “Until all foreign forces withdraw from our homeland, […]

Taliban on Wednesday afternoon warned the US and NATO to stick to the agreement of troops withdrawal on May 1 and said if the Doha agreement is not adhered to problems will be “compounded” and those in breach of the deal will “be held liable”. In a series of tweets, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said: “The Islamic Emirate of […]

A coalition of NATO-led troops in Afghanistan will leave the country in coordination with a planned U.S. withdrawal by September 11, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Brussels on Wednesday. His remarks came ahead of a formal announcement of the end of two decades of fighting. Around 7,000 non-U.S. forces from mainly NATO countries, but also from Australia, […]