China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said this week that while the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan will bring some uncertainties, the move will give the Afghan people the chance to control their own future. Following a video dialogue on Thursday with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts, Wang said troops withdrawal will give Afghans an opportunity “to truly control their […]

At least ten security force members, including police chiefs from two Baghlan provincial districts, were killed in Taliban attacks on Friday night in Julga district, security sources confirmed. According to them, the Taliban launched an attack on Julga district, just after midnight, from a number of different directions. The skirmishes continued into Saturday morning, sources said. Gulbuddin Ghafoori, the police […]

Zabul’s Shinkai district police headquarters, district building and bazaar have been seized by the Taliban, sources told Ariana News Saturday morning. According to sources, Afghan National Army soldiers based in the district withdrew to another ANA base on the outskirts of Shinkai. This, said sources, led to the Taliban seizing the district on Saturday morning. This brings the total number […]

China and Pakistan are looking to bolster their strategic partnership in Afghanistan, where the withdrawal of U.S. troops after two decades of warfare is set to bring along new opportunities and uncertainties, among them the question of a common foe that the United States says does not exist. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mahmoud Shah Qureshi […]

A report by the UN Monitoring Team released on Wednesday said that “the Taliban and Al-Qaeda remain closely aligned and show no indication of breaking ties.” 18 Member States report “no material changes to this relationship, which has grown deeper as a consequence of personal bonds of marriage and shared partnership in struggle, now cemented through second generational ties.” This […]

Mawlavi Mohammad Kababyani, a prominent cleric, was slain by unknown armed men in front of his house in Anjil district of Herat. “Any ideology or any scholar who tries to give hope and peace to the people–or support the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan–is being targeted,” said Sayed Wahid Qatali, the governor of Herat. Clerics in Herat condemned the assassination. “Two […]

Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council of National Reconciliation (HCNR), on Thursday said the system will collapse if Afghan leaders do not forge a consensus on the issues of national importance. Speaking at the 10th assassination anniversary of Gen. Daud Daud, the former commander of 303 Pamir corps in Kabul, Abdullah called on Afghan political leaders to put […]

At least 4 people were killed and five more wounded after a blast hit a passenger car in the Kot-e-Sangi area in PD5 of Kabul city, according to Afghan security officials. Four hours before the blast, at least four civilians were killed, including two women, and four others were wounded–including one child and a woman–in an earlier blast in Kabul […]

China will chair a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan on Thursday as Beijing looks to step up its engagement with both Kabul and Islamabad amid the withdrawal of U.S. forces. China’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday the fourth meeting between the three countries’ foreign ministers will be held via video link and would be chaired by […]

Six Pakistani members of al-Qaeda on the Indian Subcontinent, along with eight Taliban members were killed in airstrikes on hideouts on Wednesday in Helmand Province. According to the Ministry of Defense, a local al-Qaeda leader, Abbas, was among those killed in the airstrikes on Nawa district of Helmand. A prominent Taliban commander, Mullah Shafiq, was also resportedly wounded in the […]