At least five civilians were killed in an airstrike in Helmand province, local officials said Thursday.

President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday said a republic government was essential for the people of Afghanistan and that peace was crucial. Speaking during a visit to the eastern province of Nangarhar, Ghani also called on the Taliban to respect the people’s demands.

The Taliban on Wednesday responded to comments made by US President-elect Joe Biden’s national security adviser nominee Jack Sullivan and said they believed in “the path of diplomacy”.

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad flew out of Kabul on Tuesday night without having met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, sources confirmed Wednesday.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday evening at a press conference that 2021 will be a “pivotal year for NATO because we need to decide on our presence in Afghanistan.”

Pakistan on Wednesday night welcomed the start of the second round of intra-Afghan negotiations and said the two teams have made significant progress to date.

Interior Minister Massoud Andarbai on Monday said the Taliban were preparing for a full-pledged war in coming spring and security forces were also preparing to counter the offensive under a single operation unit.

Police have arrested a renowned Pashton Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader Syed Alam Mased in Peshawar, the capital of Khayber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province.

Security sources in southern Ghazni province said six Afghan National Army (ANA) personnel were killed in an insider attack by a Taliban infiltrator on Tuesday.

A bomb-rigged vehicle was destroyed in an airstrike in Lashkargah, the capital city of southern Helmand province, on Tuesday.