Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday responded to Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib’s recent criticism of Pakistan’s policy on Afghanistan. The Pakistani Foreign Minister said that on the one hand, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani urges Pakistan for cooperation and, on the other hand, levels baseless allegations against Islamabad. Speaking in a session of Pakistan’s parliament, Qureshi asked […]

Three sources on Wednesday said that the Supreme State Council is expected to be finalized soon, however, more decisions need to be made about the role of the council, specifically whether or not it will be a decision-making or advisory body. According to the sources, the conflict over the appointment of the new governor of Faryab has now raised questions […]

Taliban on Tuesday morning launched an attack on the Obe district in the western province of Herat, the provincial governor Waheed Qatali said. He said the attack started with the “destruction” of a bridge by the Taliban. The bridge, he said, connected the Obe district with other parts of the province. “Three Taliban fighters, including their commander, were killed in […]

President Ashraf Ghani said that the Afghan government is ready to fight against the Taliban after the full withdrawal of international troops from the country, reiterating that the key to peace talks is accepting the election as a way forward for Afghanistan’s future government. “The threat of terrorism has changed. It has not disappeared. We are all agreed on this,” […]

Government officials in the eastern part of the country say there have been heavy clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban for several days. The officials added that after the 3-day Eid ceasefire, the Taliban and the security forces have started fighting in Khogyani, Shirzad, and Hesarak district in Nangarhar, and Dolat Shah and Ali Sheng districts in Laghman […]

Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar on Tuesday spoke about a recent trip of a high-level Pakistani delegation to Kabul. He said the two sides reached agreements about the peace process in Afghanistan, but the two countries now need to take practical steps to expand bilateral cooperation on peace in Afghanistan. Atmar made it clear that Afghanistan will not trust […]

As prospects for the resumption of peace talks between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban remain vague, a spokesman for the Taliban on Monday said that the group was ready to resume intra-Afghan talks in Doha—but gave no details about when the talks would start again. “We are conducting regular meetings, the contact has not been cut off, […]

The US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, through its Rewards for Justice (RFJ) office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have offered a reward of up to $5 million for information concerning the kidnapping of Cydney Mizell, a humanitarian aid worker who went missing in Afghanistan in 2008. This RFJ reward offer is for information leading to the location, […]

Taliban militants have captured parts of Jalrez district of Maidan Wardak province, an Afghan PM said Wednesday. Mahdi Rasikh, MP for Maidan Wardak in the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) shared a message attributed to an Afghan soldier who stated that the Taliban stormed the district at around 3 am Wednesday. According to the soldier, four outposts fell to […]

Two members of the Afghan Republic’s negotiating team, who are in Kabul, said on Wednesday that the Taliban is ready to start meaningful negotiations. Habiba Sarabi, a member of the Republic’s negotiating team, said peace talks to finalize the agenda of intra-Afghan negotiations will resume once members of both teams are back in Doha, Qatar. “When the Taliban delegation arrives […]