Representatives from the UN, Turkey, Qatar and the US have met with the peace negotiating team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Doha and discussions were held about the agenda of the upcoming conference on Afghan peace in Istanbul. A member of the peace negotiating team representing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in the talks with the Taliban said […]

At least 303 prisoners – including 12 female inmates – were handed over to the Afghan government this week, the Afghan ministry of foreign affairs confirmed on Tuesday. The ministry said in a statement that the prisoners, Afghan Nationals lodged in Iran’s jails, were handed over to Afghan officials at the Islam Qala – Dogharoun border crossing on Sunday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday that Turkey plans to hold an Afghan peace conference in Istanbul in April. This comes after the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said in a letter to President Ashraf Ghani, that a meeting facilitated by the UN will be hosted in Turkey to discuss the Afghan peace process.

Local officials in Farah province said a fire broke out at Nasr Farahi customs facility on the border with Iran.

Two explosions of fuel tankers at the Islam Qala border crossing between Afghanistan’s western province of Herat and Iran were powerful enough to be spotted from space by NASA satellites on Saturday afternoon.

A massive fire broke at the Islam Qala customs facility in western Herat on Saturday afternoon, Waheed Qatali, governor of Herat province confirmed.Pictures on social media show plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky – with sources confirming dozens of fuel tankers are on fire at the border town customs facility.

Of that figure, 200,000 Afghans live in Turkey, 474,000 in the US, 709,000 in European countries. The Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation on Tuesday said that up to 200 Afghan refugees are being sent back to Afghanistan from Turkey on daily basis.

Now, Iran’s agenda for Afghanistan might exceed soft power to include the use of the Fatemiyoun force, writes Kanishka Nawabi. Iran is a significant player in Afghan internal affairs, presenting a sustained and long-term threat to its national security. The ability of Afghan institutions to identify and counter these threats needs to be improved. In particular, Afghan agencies need to […]

During talks with a visiting Taliban delegation, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Sunday called for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan. Iran’s foreign ministry said in a press release after the meeting between the Taliban delegation, led by the group’s deputy leader Mullah Ghani Baradar, and Zarif that Iran’s foreign minister welcomed the idea of the formation […]

Iran says the Taliban is part of Afghanistan’s present and future reality as the group is involved in direct negotiations with the country’s government of the country. Addressing a press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that the government of Iran not only has a close relation with Afghanistan but that it is “probably […]