Russia’s Consulate in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif has temporarily closed due to security concerns in Balkh province, Russian Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said on Monday. Speaking to Russia’s TASS news agency, Kabulov said: “The situation is unstable, the Afghan troops have surrendered too many districts. Naturally, that triggers anxiety. So, many consulates [of other countries in Mazar-e-Sharif] […]

The U.S. left Afghanistan’s Bagram Airfield after nearly 20 years by shutting off the electricity and slipping away in the night without notifying the base’s new Afghan commander, who discovered the Americans’ departure more than two hours after they left, Afghan military officials said, the Associated Press reported. The U.S. announced Friday it had completely vacated its biggest airfield in […]

Sources said that 11 districts have fallen to the Taliban in the last 24 hours – seven districts in Badakhshan, two districts in Kandahar, one in Parwan and one in Helmand. The districts are Maimai, Nusai, Shuki, Khwahan, Ishakashim, Shuhada and Yawan in Badakhshan, Nish and Mianshin in Kandahar, Nawa in Helmand and Shinwari in Parwan. Badakhshan residents in northeastern […]

Admitting some shortcomings in protecting remote districts from falling to militants, the Afghan Army Chief Gen. Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai, who was newly appointed to his post, pledged that the top priority is to safeguard major cities, border towns and highways. He said that the closure of border towns, supply routes and attacks on major cities and districts are among the […]

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Washington to act with sincerity and work toward solutions on a variety of hot-spot issues including Afghanistan. Addressing the ninth World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday, Wang said since the US military began withdrawing from Afghanistan, violence has spiked and the urgent need for humanitarian assistance has increased substantially. China […]

While capturing Kabul is “not Taliban policy”, any foreign troops left in Afghanistan after NATO’s September withdrawal deadline will be at risk as occupiers, the Taliban told the BBC. This comes amid reports that as many as 1,000 US troops could stay on in Afghanistan to protect the American Embassy and Kabul’s international airport. Speaking to the BBC, Taliban spokesman […]

Government forces plan a counteroffensive in Afghanistan’s northern provinces after losing ground to the Taliban, Russia’s RIA news agency quoted adviser to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as saying on Monday. National security adviser Hamdullah Mohib, who was in Moscow on Monday for talks with senior security officials, told RIA in an interview that government forces had not expected the Taliban […]

National Directorate of Security (NDS) forces have arrested members of a gang who were allegedly responsible for the destruction of power pylons in Parwan province, the NDS said on Monday. The NDS stated that the head of the gang, along with three collaborators, was arrested in an operation in northern Parwan province. The suspects are also members of ISIS, locally […]

The West is pulling out of Afghanistan after 20 years, but the conflict remains – and the Taliban are stronger than they have been for a long time. And now? The renowned Taliban expert Ahmed Rashid talks to Tobias Matern about mistakes made by the West and the future role of the Taliban in Afghanistan The West is leaving Afghanistan […]

The Taliban has captured more territory in Afghanistan in recent days from fleeing Afghan forces, as NATO troops continue to pull out of the country. Officials said on Sunday that several hundred Afghan security forces fled across the northern border into Tajikistan as Taliban fighters continued to gain momentum, capturing several districts. Since mid-April, when US President Joe Biden announced […]