The Ministry of Interior Affairs on Sunday released a list of 70 Taliban commanders killed in Helmand and Kandahar in Afghan forces operations that were carried out in response to attacks by the group that started more than a month ago. According to the ministry, 20 of the commanders were from various parts of Helmand and were leading groups of […]

A surge of targeted killings and assassinations has swept Afghanistan, where violence has soared despite peace efforts aimed at ending the war. Many of those being targeted are civilians — journalists, rights activists, cultural figures, moderate religious leaders, and women in public roles.

First Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Saturday said the Afghan forces have arrested the mastermind behind the deadly attack on Kabul University that left at least 22 people dead, most of whom were students of the university.

The Ministry of Defense says 77 Taliban fighters have been killed in clashes with the country’s security and defense forces. The ministry said in a press release on Saturday, that 60 Taliban fighters were killed last night during a security operation in Kandahar province.

Newly appointed acting defense secretary, Christopher Miller has signalled he could accelerate the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the Middle East in the final weeks of the Trump administration. Miller, a former U.S. special forces officer and counterterrorism expert, was this week given the role by President Donald Trump who fired defense secretary Mark Esper.

The Afghan government on Saturday expressed deep concerns over continued violence in the country, saying that there is a need for the Taliban to stop violence and make efforts for peace. Presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said that continuation of violence by the Taliban is not acceptable.

Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, on Saturday said the Taliban prisoners were released in the hope for ending the war or reducing violence in the country, but the expectations from the move were not met.

A suicide attacker with a car bomb was identified and killed by Afghan National Security Forces on Friday evening in Helmand province, the ministry of defense said in a statement.

The explosion targeted a government forces’ checkpoint near the gate of the Afghan capital. A suicide car bomb exploded at the western entry gate of the Afghan capital Kabul, killing at least three soldiers and wounding four others, an Afghan official said.

Afghan forces have captured the mastermind of two brutal attacks on education institutes in the country’s capital which killed nearly 50 people, officials said Saturday. Mohammad Adel planned an attack on his alma mater Kabul University on November 2 and a bombing at another education centre in October, officials said.