Category: South East Asia

Islamic leaders hail accord to promote peace in Afghanistan

The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation has hailed the signing of the Declaration of Peace in Afghanistan by Afghan and Pakistani scholars at a meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia in Makkah on Thursday. The conference, organised by the Muslim World League, brought together senior scholars from both countries for the first time with the aim of supporting peace efforts in Afghanistan, […]

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19 Afghan security personnel killed in Taliban attack: Official

The Taliban in Afghanistan attacked check posts in the country’s central Ghor province, killing at least 19 security personnel and injuring 12 others, an official said on Saturday. “The condition of the injured is serious. The district will fall to the Taliban if additional forces do not reach,” Sulaiman Yosufy, governor of the Tulak district, told Anadolu Agency. The Taliban, […]

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Taliban Reject Foreign Military Role in Guarding Kabul Airport After Troop Exit

The Taliban warned Saturday that it would be “unacceptable” to them and a “mistake” on the part of any nation to retain a military presence in Afghanistan to guard airports or other installations after the departure of U.S.-led NATO troops from the warn-torn country. The insurgent group’s warning raises questions for Washington, other world countries, and aid groups with missions […]

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As the US pulls out, the Afghan war enters a brutal phase

The fight between Afghan government troops and the Taliban is entering a more brutal phase of ground engagements, many on the edges of densely populated urban areas, as US forces’ airstrikes wind down. Last month, to clear pockets of a district just a few hundred yards from the edge of Helmand’s provincial capital Lashkar Gah, Afghan government forces under Gen […]

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District in Ghor Falls to Taliban after ‘Heavy Clashes’

Tolak district in the central province of Ghor has fallen to the Taliban following heavy clashes against security forces on Friday night, two sources from the province said on Saturday. Salman Yusufi, the district governor for Tolak, said that at least 20 security force members were killed and 20 more were wounded in the clashes in the district. He said […]

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NATO working with allies on ‘securing’ Kabul airport

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said late Friday the organization is working with its Allies on how to maintain important infrastructure in Afghanistan including the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Speaking at a press briefing ahead of next week’s summit to be attended by NATO leaders, Stoltenberg said the attending leaders will address a wide ranging set of issues […]

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Seven killed in two separate explosions in Kabul

At least seven civilians were killed and six others wounded in two separate explosions in the Dasht-e-Barchi of Kabul city on Saturday afternoon, the Interior Ministry said. The Ministry stated that an IED blast targeted a passenger vehicle in the Sar-e-Pul station area in PD13 of Dasht-e-Barchi. The Minister added that one person was killed and four others – including […]

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Taliban issues warning to foreigners over embassies, airport plans

The Taliban on Saturday warned the international community against leaving foreign troops in the country to guard their embassies and the country’s key commercial airport in Kabul and said if this happens, the forces will be seen as “invaders”. In a statement issued by the group, the Taliban said: “The presence of foreign forces under whatever name or by whichever […]

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16 People Killed in Attack on Balkh District Police HQ: Official

At least 16 people, including 2 civilians, were killed in the recent attack on the police headquarters in Balkh province, and 117 others, including 67 civilians, were wounded, said Mohammad Younus Stanekzai, the Balkh district governor. According to local officials, 10 houses and 80 shops were also damaged in the attack. “Unfortunately, the district building was totally damaged–100 percent–while the […]

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ICC, Afghan Govt Investigating Recent Mass Killings

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Wednesday said that the Afghan government and the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague are assessing the recent attacks in Afghanistan that targeted civilians. Hamid Tahzib, the deputy spokesman of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday said that Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar during his recent trip to […]

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