The Taliban declined on Saturday to begin talks with the Afghan government’s new negotiating team in a setback to the U.S.-brokered peace process for one of the world’s longest-running conflicts.

Last week, al-Qaeda websites and social media channels shared an audio message from Khalid Batarfi, a U.S.-designated terrorist who was recently named the new emir of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

In response to the militants mounting assaults, Afghan forces on Sunday killed more than 50 insurgents in past 24 hours.

More than 25 Afghan soldiers and policemen were killed in a Taliban attack on an outpost in the southwestern Afghan province of Zabul. Taliban fighters coordinated with police sympathizers to execute the operation.

The head of U.S. Central Command, General Kenneth McKenzie, suggested that the spate of Taliban attacks throughout Afghanistan may be caused by a Taliban “splinter.” McKenzie’s suggestion is contradicted by the Taliban itself, which claims dozens of daily attacks on its official website.

On Feb. 29, the United States and the Taliban signed a historic peace agreement, calling for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops in exchange for Taliban guarantees not to use Afghanistan as a base for terrorist attacks against the West. Although there were early snags — including a disagreement over when the Afghan government would release Taliban prisoners — the […]

A 1,600-mile barrier, set to be finished this year, has improved security in Pakistan. But Afghanistan is angry, and cross-border families are suffering.

Release stalled over disagreements on number of detainees to be freed and guarantees they will not return to fighting.

The most dangerous place in the Afghan capital today isn’t under threat from Taliban or Islamic State insurgents. A single block near the presidential palace, bristling with guns, has become ground zero in a surreal war of nerves between two civilian politicians both claiming to be the country’s legitimate leader.

The United States is calling on warring sides in Afghanistan to start a prisoner swap without further delay, citing urgency in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.