Masoud Andarabi, Minister of Interior Affairs, said Saturday the Taliban is playing for time in the ongoing peace negotiations in Doha and waiting to see what the new US administration decides following the inauguration of Joe Biden last week.

Top Afghan officials on Saturday welcomed the decision of US President Joe Biden’s administration to review a landmark US deal with the Taliban and focus on whether the insurgents have reduced attacks in Afghanistan in keeping with the agreement.

Three Taliban insurgents were killed and three security personnel were wounded during separate clashes in southwestern Nimroz province, police said on Thursday.

NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative (SCR) in Afghanistan, Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo on Thursday reaffirmed NATO Allies and partners support to the Afghan security forces, during a video call with Kandahar Governor Rohullah Khanzada and Assistant Governor Faisal Sherzai.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has handed over to the Ministry of Public Health a fourth batch of personal protective equipment (PPEs) worth more than $187,000 to help the country combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Pakistani foreign minister has said that the new US administration should play an active role in the ongoing Afghan peace process and the opportunity made available for ending the Afghan crisis should not be missed.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu reiterated NATO Support toward Afghan peace process, adding that NATO will address its training mission in Afghanistan in February.

President Ashraf Ghani has called on the Taliban to cut ties with Pakistan. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Ghani stated that the Taliban should not have a safe haven in Pakistan either.

Pakistan FM tells Al Jazeera the country has hopes for greater engagement with the new Biden administration. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said his country has hopes for greater engagement with the new United States government and called on Joe Biden to follow up on the ongoing Afghan peace process and US troops withdrawal from the country.

Politico says the story is based on conversations with 10 Pentagon and Biden officials involved in the transition. The Pentagon blocked members of President Joe Biden’s incoming administration from gaining access to critical information about current operations, including the troop drawdown in Afghanistan, Politico reported on Wednesday.