On 24 May 2000 the last Israeli soldier left Lebanon after 18 years of war. A few months earlier I completed my national service as an IDF operations sergeant, serving in command centres on the Lebanese border. Back then I watched the withdrawal with relief; happy that the roadside bombs, shelling, Hezbollah attacks on convoys and outposts, the wounded and […]

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said he would discuss with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin on Wednesday a plan for Turkey to operate and guard Kabul’s Hamid Karzai airport after the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, adding there was no final decision yet. Ankara has offered to run and guard the airport after NATO’s withdrawal, and has been in talks with […]

Some American troops will stay on in Afghanistan to protect the U.S. diplomatic presence after the troop withdrawal process ends, Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby confirmed Tuesday. Addressing a press briefing, Kirby also said that the US is still working on details of how to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul once troops have left the country. Turkey has […]

Turkey will not send additional troops to Afghanistan as part of a plan to run and secure Kabul’s airport following the U.S. and NATO pull-out from the country, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar cited as saying on Wednesday. Turkey has offered to guard and run Hamid Karzai airport after NATO’s withdrawal and has been holding talks with allies, namely the […]

Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Sunday. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said that the diplomats condemned the continuing high level of violence in Afghanistan and “particularly condemned attacks targeting […]

Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline judge under U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses, secured a landslide victory on Saturday in Iran‘s presidential election after a contest marked by voter apathy over economic hardships and political restrictions. With some 90% of the 28.6 million ballots counted, Raisi’s tally was 17.8 million, interior ministry official Jamal Orfi said, giving him an unassailable lead. […]

Turkey should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan under the 2020 deal for the pullout of U.S. forces, a Taliban spokesman said on Thursday, effectively rejecting Ankara’s proposal to guard and run Kabul’s airport after U.S.-led NATO forces depart. The development raises serious questions for the United States, other countries and international organizations with missions in Kabul about how to securely […]

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Afghanistan Jean Arnault and Martin Griffiths, the UN special envoy for Yemen. Zarif and Arnault discussed the developments in Afghanistan. During the meeting, Zarif explained the views of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Afghanistan, especially peace and security in the country as well as the peace […]

Iran has long claimed to support political stabilization in neighboring Afghanistan while at the same time expanding its ties with the Taliban, a contradictory policy that’s likely to breed more chaos and violence as the Sept. 11 deadline for U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan draws closer, experts say. This policy of simultaneously supporting the Afghan government and the Taliban—what the […]

The Taliban has agreed to begin substantive talks with the Republic team in Doha in the coming days, according to sources close to the group, which would end the peace process stalemate. The sources said that the group plans to attend the Istanbul summit, but wants the end negotiations to take place in Doha. The negotiating teams met in Doha […]