The Taliban condemned the United States on Wednesday for what they described as “plain interference” in Afghanistan by offering to resettle Afghan civilians with affiliations to international forces who could be targeted by the insurgent group. Washington on Monday announced the program that offers thousands of Afghan interpreters and translators, along with their families, a chance to relocate as refugees […]
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US, Afghan airstrikes pummel Taliban positions in southern Afghanistan
U.S. and Afghan airstrikes hit Taliban targets overnight in southern Helmand province in an effort to dislodge the insurgents after they captured much of the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, officials said Wednesday. The United Nations and Human Rights Watch asked both sides to take care to prevent civilian casualties as the fighting rages on. The Taliban have waged a […]
Read more ›Turkey pushes back at US plan to resettle Afghans
Ankara has criticised a US plan to use third countries such as Turkey to resettle thousands of Afghans who risk being targeted by Taliban insurgents over their US links. “It’s unacceptable to seek a solution to the problem in our country without our country’s consent,” the foreign ministry said in a statement issued late Tuesday. Already home to more than […]
Read more ›Heavy Clashes Still Ongoing in Herat City
Heavy clashes that began in Herat city eight days ago are still ongoing in the southern parts of the city, local officials said on Wednesday. Afghan security forces operations are occurring in the villages in the southern parts of the city, the security officials said, adding that the “Taliban has been pushed back from the city.” “The operations are ongoing […]
Read more ›Attack on Acting Defense Minister’s House Raises Questions
Residents, lawmakers in Parliament and military strategists on Wednesday raised questions about the deadly car bomb attack on the residence of acting Defense Minister Bismillah Mohammadi on Tuesday night in which at least eight people, including a woman, were killed and 20 more were wounded. Military experts and residents in Kabul said that the complex attack on the house of […]
Read more ›Taliban Killed ‘Possibly 800-900 People’ in Kandahar: Tadin Khan
The former police chief of Kandahar and a member of the High Council of the National Reconciliation (HCNR), Tadin Khan, on Wednesday stated that the Taliban “does not believe in human rights,” saying the group has killed potentially up to 900 people in Kandahar province in the past month and a half. Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement saying […]
Read more ›How Iran and Saudi Arabia Can Together Bring Peace to the Middle East
The shift in Washington is undeniable: the Middle East is no longer a top priority for the United States. The U.S. withdrawal from the broader region is evident in the departure of troops from Afghanistan and reductions in U.S. military commitments to Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, alongside a heightened focus on China and Russia. There are good reasons […]
Read more ›Uzbek, Tajik Militaries Conduct Drills Close to Afghan Territory
Uzbek military forces crossed the Tajik border on Monday, to take part in joint Russian-Tajik-Uzbek drills close to the territory of Afghanistan, Reuters reported. The military exercises are to take place from August 5 to August 10 according to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Defense. Moscow said it would send a much bigger military contingent to Tajikistan for trilateral exercises amid fears […]
Read more ›Clashes Ongoing in Herat City for 6th Day
Clashes entered the sixth day in the city of Herat on Monday specifically in districts 2, 3, 7 and 14 as well as in the southern parts of Herat’s capital near Injil district. Herat is the second provincial capital city along with Lashkargah where heavy clashes have been underway for the past few days. “We have air support and the […]
Read more ›Fighting in Helmand’s Capital Lashkargah Continues for 5th Day
Clashes between government forces and the Taliban intensified in the city of Lashkargah in southern Helmand province, leaving some streets of the city empty of residents and adding to concerns about rising threats to major capitals. The frontline was in District 1 where the US conducted an airstrike on Monday morning that left seven Taliban killed, according to the Defense […]
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