Category: Afghanistan

Doha talks postponed after Taliban objects to presence of Afghan officials

A three day conference between the Taliban and a delegation of Afghan that was to be held in Doha, Qatar has been postponed after the Taliban objected to the presence of Afghan government officials. The Taliban has consistently refused to negotiate with the Afghan government and said the composition of the delegation to Doha indicates that it represents the Afghan […]

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UN Security Council condemns Taliban offensive as a blow against ‘sustainable peace’

The United Nations Security Council has condemned the announcement by Taliban militants in Afghanistan of its spring offensive, saying it will result in more “unnecessary suffering and destruction for the Afghan people”.

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Taliban Spring Offensive Draws U.S. Ire Amid Peace Efforts

The U.S. and Afghan governments condemned the Taliban’s launch of a new spring offensive in Afghanistan as the world’s biggest military power continues to pursue peace talks with militants in the war-torn country.

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Ex-ambassador: Don’t leave Afghanistan without a deal built on national unification

When I led the U.S. team trying to bring peace to Afghanistan, we coined a term — “dirty reconciliation” — for the United States making a deal with the Taliban that protected our minimal security interests, while abandoning both the Afghan government and any attempt to preserve the gains made in Afghan society since 2001. The idea was purely a […]

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Taliban announce annual spring offensive in Afghanistan

Taliban fighters mounted a big attack in eastern Afghanistan on Friday heralding the start of a spring offensive despite ongoing preparations for another round of peace talks.

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Dozens of Afghan Forces and Taliban Killed as Violence Spikes Ahead of Talks

Dozens of Afghan forces and Taliban fighters were killed in overnight fighting across Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday, as violence intensified ahead of another round of peace efforts to end the 18-year-old war.

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Afghans Name Council to Ease Logjam on Talks With Taliban

In a sign that a logjam in Afghanistan over entering peace talks with the Taliban could be easing, the Afghan government announced Sunday that it had named a council of senior political leaders who will appoint negotiators, create their mandate for talks and oversee their work.

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Taliban Attack Kills Dozens

KABUL, Afghanistan — A large attack by the Taliban in western Afghanistan on Thursday killed at least 30 soldiers and police officers, Afghan officials said, in a sign of intensifying spring fighting across the country despite American efforts to reach a peace deal. Hundreds of Taliban fighters stormed the center of Bala Murghab District in Badghis Province in the predawn […]

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Afghan vice president survives Taliban assassination attempt

KABUL — Taliban insurgents repeatedly ambushed the convoy of Vice President Abdurrashid Dostum and killed two of his guards, Afghan officials said Sunday, but the powerful former warlord escaped injury. Dostum, a military general and member of Afghanistan’s Uzbek minority, was traveling in the north of the country when his heavily armed entourage came under fire. “By the grace of […]

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Afghans recruited to fight in Syrian war struggle back home

HERAT, Afghanistan (AP) — Too poor to even buy pens and notebooks for school, Mehdi left his home in Afghanistan soon after his 17th birthday and headed to Iran, hoping to make his way to Europe and find work. Instead, Mehdi ended up fighting in Syria’s civil war, a conflict he had nothing to do with, 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) […]

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