As intense fighting continues in the country, Afghan authorities on Tuesday said that over 6,000 Taliban fighters, including Pakistani nationals, have been killed in fighting with the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) over the past one month. Ajmal Omar Shinwari, a spokesman for Afghan forces, on Tuesday said that another 3,400 Taliban fighters were wounded during this period. […]

As clashes continue between security forces and the Taliban in many parts of the country, the Defense Ministry said it had recently recaptured areas of Kaldar district in Balkh province and Pashtun Kut and Khan Chahar Bagh districts in Faryab province. Operations are underway to retake other districts that are under Taliban control, the MoD said. It was also reported […]

Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov said Monday that there is no direct threat to Russia from the Taliban activities in Afghanistan, Russia’s TASS news agency reported on Tuesday. “There is no immediate direct threat [to Russia] from the Taliban,” Dmitry told Rossiya-24 television channel when he was asked whether the Taliban’s activities could threaten Russia directly. Tass also reported […]

The Taliban’s spokesman in Doha, Qatar, Mohammad Naeem, on Tuesday accused the Afghan Republic’s negotiating team of not being interested in moving peace talks forward. In a video message Tuesday, Naeem said: “Although the two sides had held a number of joint meetings after Eid, the government delegation was not interested in talks and was probably looking forward to [President […]

The Afghan government has accused the Taliban of being a proxy force for an intelligence agency which “provides the group with equipment and facilities.” Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Waheed Omer, President Ghani’s advisor and director-general of the Office of Public and Strategic Affairs, stated that a well-organized intelligence agency is leading Taliban war across the country. Omer, however, […]

During a visit to assess the security situation of Paktia province on Saturday, the acting interior minister Abdul Satar Mirzakwal confirmed that there have been reports of government military tanks being moved across the border to Pakistan following the fall of districts in Afghanistan. Mirzkwal warned that if security forces detect movement of this type the air force will target […]

Pakistan’s interior minister said Sunday that the families of Afghanistan’s Taliban live in his country, including in areas around the capital, Islamabad, and that members of the insurgent group receive medical treatment in local hospitals. The admission by Sheikh Rashid Ahmed came during an interview aired by a privately-owned Pakistani television channel, Geo News. This is a significant departure from […]

The Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Afghanistan Jiri Baloun officiated over an ceremony over the weekend marking the end to the Czech military’s presence in Afghanistan. The military parade was also attended by the Deputy Commander of US and NATO’s Resolute Support Mission Lt. Gen. Nicola Zanelli, who thanked the Czech Republic for its nearly twenty-year military presence and […]

Following the admission by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed about the presence of Afghan Taliban in Pakistan, and that their families live in the country, including on the outskirts of Islamabad, Afghan officials Tuesday slammed Pakistan for harboring members of the group. In response to Ahmed’s revelations, First Vice President Amrullah Saleh implied that Afghanistan has long suspected this […]

Hundreds of people, many of them armed, on Friday poured into streets in 10 provinces of the country to raise their voice in support of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), announcing their preparation to fight the Taliban. Those who rallied on streets said they will not allow the Taliban to take over their villages. In northern Takhar […]