Members of the extended ‘Troika’ on the Peaceful Settlement in Afghanistan – Russia, US, China and Pakistan – will meet on Friday to hammer out a single position on advancing the Afghan peace talks, Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said on Wednesday night. Speaking to Russia’s TASS media outlet, Kabulov said: “I confirm that a meeting of […]

Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby said this week the US mission in Afghanistan, known as Resolute Support Mission (RS), effectively ends on May 1 when the United States and NATO formally enter the “mission to draw down”. Kirby said the mission shifts on Saturday – May 1 – to become one of a drawdown. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, […]

Gen. Haibatullah Alizai, the Commander of Special Operations Command of the Afghan National Army (ANA), on Wednesday assured the Afghan people that the nation’s armed forces are fully prepared to crush any hostile move by the Taliban once the US and NATO forces withdraw from the country. He said that members of the Special Operations Command are among the best […]

Wednesday marked the 8th of Saur, the 29th anniversary of the defeat of the Soviet Union by the Afghan mujahideen on April 27, 1992, when the government of Dr. Najibullah was overthrown. Meanwhile, a number of former mujahideen commanders have warned against a repeat of the post-Soviet situation when the US pulls out. A number of residents in Afghanistan have […]

The Taliban has sent letters to a number of Afghan political leaders, calling on them to enter into direct talks with the group, sources familiar with the matter told TOLOnews on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the office of Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council of National Reconciliation (HCNR), confirmed that it had received a letter from the Taliban, however Abdullah’s […]

President Ashraf Ghani held meetings with a number of influential political leaders of Afghanistan including former President Hamid Karzai, the High Council of National Reconciliation chairman Abdullah Abdullah, and former jihadi commander Abdul Rab Rassould Sayyaf to discuss the ongoing security and political climate of the country and issues around national consensus, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. […]

The Afghan National Army (ANA) on Wednesday showcased its military capabilities in various parts of the capital Kabul as NATO and US colleagues prepare to withdraw from the country in the next few months. Dozens of aircraft, among them transportation carriers and bombers, were showcased in Kabul. Speaking on the occasion, Gen. Yasin Zia, the acting Minister of Defense, said […]

The US State Department is downsizing the US Embassy in Kabul and has ordered all nonessential personnel to leave Afghanistan amid concerns of heightened violence as US and NATO troops withdraw. The department “ordered the departure from U.S. Embassy Kabul of U.S. government employees whose functions can be performed elsewhere,” it noted in a travel advisory issued Tuesday. In an […]

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Tuesday Afghanistan could be taken over by Taliban or descend into civil war when the US withdraws troops by September 11 – the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Blinken told CNN a civil war or Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is “certainly a possible scenario” when the US withdraws all its troops from the country. The […]

Commander of US Central Command General Kenneth F. McKenzie said on Tuesday he is developing concepts that will preserve the US’s ability to ensure Afghanistan does not again become a safe haven for terrorist attacks against the United States. He said these concepts will help enhance America’s “ability to strike terrorists and capitalize on partnerships elsewhere in the region.”