Hewn out of a rocky cliffside in central Afghanistan’s Bamyan Valley around the sixth Century AD, the Bamiyan Buddhas stood more than 150 feet tall for 1,400 years, until the Taliban blew them to pieces with high explosives in 2001, shortly before the US invasion ended their brief reign over …
Read More »Taliban leader pleads for help in first address
“We assure all the countries that we will not interfere in their internal affairs and we want to have good economic relations with them,” Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the co-founder of the Taliban and now the prime minister of its government, promised on Saturday. During his 30-minute speech, Hassan insisted …
Read More »Senior Taliban commander among those killed in ISIS attack on Kabul hospital
The commander of the Kabul corps, Hamdullah Mokhlis, lost his life in a gunfight with Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants at Sardar Daud Khan Hospital. He became the most senior Taliban figure to have been killed since the group overran Kabul in mid-August amid the withdrawal of US troops …
Read More »Taliban recognition still off the table for Berlin, Merkel says as EU pledges $1.2 billion in aid to Afghanistan
The Taliban militants did not form the inclusive government required by the international community, the chancellor said on Tuesday following a G20 video conference. The question of the Taliban’s political recognition is, thus, not on her agenda for the moment, she added. “Nevertheless, there should and must be talks,” she …
Read More »Taliban calls for improved ‘diplomatic relations’ with US after ‘candid talks’ in Doha, welcomes humanitarian aid
In a statement released in the wake of two-day talks with US officials in Doha, Qatar, the Taliban said that the US promised to “give humanitarian assistance to Afghans” and “provide facilities for other humanitarian organizations to deliver aid.” While saying that it “welcomes” the aid, the Taliban stressed that …
Read More »‘Good for no one’: Taliban WARNS Biden administration against attempting to destabilize new Afghan government
“We clearly told them that trying to destabilize the government in Afghanistan is good for no one,” France’s AFP quoted Taliban-appointed Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as saying on Saturday. The statement followed a meeting in Doha, where the Taliban is holding its first face-to-face talks with US officials since …
Read More »US will seek to facilitate evacuation, push for ‘inclusivity’ in 1st face-to-face talks with Taliban since pullout – media
A delegation of US officials and senior Taliban representatives are scheduled to meet in Doha, Qatar over the weekend, a State Department spokesman confirmed to AFP on Friday. During the meeting, the US hopes to pressure the ultra-conservative Islamist group to “respect the rights of all Afghans, including women and …
Read More »Russia invites China for crunch talks with Taliban on Afghanistan’s future after American troop withdrawal from war-torn state
On Friday, Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the country has “already received a request to take part and is engaging in consultations with all sides, including Russia.” He added that Beijing would support any efforts to stabilize the country and the surrounding area. …
Read More »Taliban arrests 11 ISIS members in Kabul after explosion outside mosque
A spokesperson for the Taliban government, Bilal Karimi, said Islamic State operatives were detained in the capital’s Fifth Police District. The raid came after a bomb was detonated at the entrance of the Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul on Sunday, as Taliban officials gathered to mourn the passing of the …
Read More »Taliban wipes out Islamic State cell in Kabul after fatal bombing at mosque during prayers for top official’s mother
Taking to Twitter early on Monday, Zabihullah Mujahid, the son of the deceased woman, confirmed that a “special unit” had carried out an operation on Sunday against “ISIS insurgents” in the capital. He added that “the operation, which was very successful and decisive, resulted in the complete destruction of the …
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