Heavy clashes have been reported in Helmand’s capital Lashkargah with hundreds of people fleeing the city after reports emerged that the Taliban had taken control of at least one Police District – PD4.

A group of high-ranking US envoys, including previous ambassadors to Afghanistan, on Saturday, called on the United States government not to withdraw all troops by Christmas, saying it would tip the balance in the Taliban’s favor and have a “terrible impact on Afghan women”.

What a post-settlement constitution says about Islam may be less important than what it specifies with respect to institutions and due process. The question of how and where Islam should fit into future legal and political frameworks has emerged as a major sticking point in the talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Qatar.

NATO said Thursday that its members would consult and decide on when to leave Afghanistan after US President Donald Trump asserted to bring all American forces home by Christmas.

At least four security forces were killed and four others wounded in clashes with the Taliban militants in Kunduz province. A security source told Ariana News that the clashes broke out after a large number of insurgents attacked a security base in the Aliabad district of the province at around 10 pm on Thursday.

Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the National Reconciliation Council met with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday in Delhi to discuss the Afghan peace process, bilateral ties, and regional support for peace efforts.

Acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and Turkmen Ambassador to Kabul Ovezov Hoja signed the ratification documents pertaining to the Strategic Partnership Agreement between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan on Thursday afternoon.

The governor of Paktia, Mohammad Halim Fidai says the Taliban are not committed to peace and have allowed foreign fighters to join their ranks in the province, which has led to intensified fighting in the area.

US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and commander of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan General Scott Miller met with Pakistan’s Army Chief of Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa Thursday to discuss peace and security in the region.

Robert O’Brien, US national security adviser, said Washington would reduce its forces in Afghanistan to 2,500 by early next year. US President Donald Trump on Twitter on Wednesday said that “We should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas!”