A short video clip on social media shows that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy leader of the Taliban, addressed a gathering and said that peace talks are being conducted in consultation with clerics and leaders of the Taliban.

Afghan leaders including President Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah along with the foreign community in Kabul have strongly condemned the assassination on Wednesday of Yousuf Rashid, head of the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA).

Wolesi Jirga speaker and some members on Monday strongly reacted to First Lady Rula Ghani’s recent remarks, saying her ‘unforgiveable’ insult to the lower house should be investigated.

Afghanistan and Azerbaijan agree there is a good potential for expanding bilateral cooperation in different areas. The agreement came during a meeting between Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib in Baku late on Monday.

Afghanistan’s National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday after a meeting earlier in the day with his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani, where the two discussed issues of mutual interest and security concerns relating to the region.

Saleh Omar, district chief for Chardara district in Kunduz, was killed in a Taliban attack on Monday night, a local source confirmed.

President Ashraf Ghani met with US Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller on Tuesday afternoon and discussed the peace process, the situation in Afghanistan and the region, and further support to the Afghan Security and Defense Forces, the Presidential Palace said.

Abdullah will “discuss the Afghan peace process, regional support and bilateral relations” in Tajikistan, Abdullah’s office said. Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, left Kabul on Monday bound for Tajikistan to discuss the Afghan peace process, his office said in a statement. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation.

First Vice President Saleh personally took charge of overseeing Kabul security two months ago. Kabul witnessed at least 60 security-related incidents over the past two months in which 133 people were killed and 280 more wounded.

At least one civilian confirmed dead after a magnetic bomb went off in Police District 7 (PD7) of the Afghan capital Kabul early Tuesday morning, local security officials said.