The United States has 1,000 more troops in Afghanistan than it has disclosed, reports a leading American newspaper. The report comes at a time when the Biden administration is reviewing last year’s peace with the Taliban on a full troop withdrawal from the country by May 1.

Al Jazeera has reported the Taliban have expressed scepticism about the US proposal for an interim government in Afghanistan. But Dr. Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for the rebel group’s Qatar office, said the US participatory government idea was still under their consideration.

At least 15 civilians were wounded on Monday when an IED was detonated against a bus they were traveling in, police said. The blast occurred at 15:30 local time in PD2 area of Dahan-e-Bagh in Kabul.

Sources from the High Council for National Reconciliation and Sapedar Palace confirmed on Monday that the Afghanistan government delegation, led by Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, will attend the Moscow summit this week. So far no further details on the number of delegates nor their identities have been revealed.

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on Monday and immediately met with Afghan leaders to discuss the recent developments around the peace process. The Presidential Palace (ARG) said Khalilzad met with President Ashraf Ghani on Monday afternoon. ARG stated they discussed Khalilzad’s recent trips to neighboring countries and to Doha and the next steps in […]

Members of the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) on Monday called on government to take serious measures to safeguard Afghan journalists. Marking National Journalist Day, which falls on March 17, Mir Rahman Rahmani, Speaker of the Wolesi Jirga, said that supporting journalists is supporting freedom of speech.

Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) chief has announced his party representatives will attend Moscow and Turkey conferences, scheduled for next month. At a meeting with Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) head Sirajul Haq in Lahore, Gulbadin Hekmatyar said most of NATO forces had left Afghanistan and the remaining were ready to leave.

Wolesi Jirga (WJ) member from Kabul province Najibullah Nasir elected on Sunday as the deputy speaker of the house. Earlier, Javid Jaihon was elected as first deputy speaker of Wolesi Jirga, Karim Atal as secretary and Hujatullah Kheradmand as deputy secretary of the Wolesi Jirga.

An appellant court in central Uruzgan province has sentenced six employees of different government departments to 13 years imprisonment in connection with bribery. Attaullah Atta, director of courts, said the seven employees had been arrested by National Directorate of Security (NDS) red-handed on bribe charges.

Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, addressing a gathering of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Lahore, Pakistan on Saturday, said that NATO has “accepted” its defeat in Afghanistan and is now seeking ways to leave the country. He said the Afghan government was responsible for the ongoing situation and said he would attend upcoming conferences on Afghan peace in Istanbul and Moscow.