The minister’s residence was struck while an important meeting was underway inside, the group said in a statement released by its spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid. The attack was just the beginning of retaliatory operations targeting key Afghan officials overseeing the fight again the Taliban across the country, the group warned. On …
Read More »Several rockets hit Afghanistan’s Kandahar airport amid ongoing Taliban assault
At least three rockets were launched towards Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport on Sunday, with two of the projectiles hitting the runway, airport chief Massoud Pashtun said, as quoted by the news agency AFP. All flights have been canceled, but are expected to resume later in the day, as the …
Read More »A new Great Game is afoot in Afghanistan, as China hosts the Taliban and eyes a key role in the country’s future
China this week took the highly unusual step of hosting a delegation from the Taliban in Beijing for talks, as concerns rise about the future of Afghanistan, amidst growing fighting and a massive offensive by the Islamist group against the government, whose days are increasingly seen as numbered. Foreign Minister …
Read More »US vows to continue airstrikes in Afghanistan, as general insists ‘Taliban victory is not inevitable’
“The Taliban are attempting to create a sense of inevitability about their campaign. They are wrong,” General Kenneth McKenzie told reporters in Kabul over the weekend. Since the US began its withdrawal in May, the advance by the Taliban has intensified, with militants now claiming to have gained control of …
Read More »The resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan is simply America’s chickens coming home to roost
The Taliban and the Afghan government are negotiating a power-sharing agreement, but making little progress. In negotiations, the government has pushed Taliban leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada for a promise on the treatment of women, but he has been willing to concede very little. The government supporters’ biggest fear is the …
Read More »‘Baseless’: Kabul refutes Taliban’s claims that militant group controls 90% of Afghan border
Fawad Aman slammed these claims on Friday, claiming on Twitter that “the Taliban’s claim to control Afghanistan’s borders is a lie, and baseless – it is mostly propaganda.” In a follow-up tweet, Aman said most of Afghanistan, including its borders, was still under the control of the Afghan National Defense …
Read More »Risk of Afghan instability ‘overflowing’ across region, Russian FM says, as Taliban insurgents gain ground following US withdrawal
Addressing a regional security conference on Friday, Moscow’s top diplomat said that “the uncertainty of the development of the military-political situation in this country and around it has increased.” “Unfortunately, in recent days we have witnessed a rapid degradation of the situation in Afghanistan … It is obvious that in …
Read More »Sanctions against Taliban could be lifted as part of Afghan peace process, top Russian diplomat tells RT in wake of US withdrawal
On Monday, one of the Islamist faction’s top political envoys said it had used a meeting with Russian counterparts to request support in having the restrictions quashed at the United Nations. The Taliban is currently subject to asset freezes, arms embargoes and a travel ban. However, while officially designated as …
Read More »Taliban claim key Afghan border crossing with Pakistan as insurgent group nets new territories
Taliban forces captured Wesh, a town in the southern Afghan province, on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the militant group, Zabihullah Mujahid. He also said that an important road linking to the Wesh-Chaman border crossing with Pakistan was also under their control. Afghan troops reportedly surrendered the key trade …
Read More »As Taliban runs riot in Afghanistan, new commander of withdrawing US & NATO troops vows to support ‘abandoned’ Afghan forces
US Army General Austin ‘Scott’ Miller officially handed off his role as commander in a ceremony on Monday in Kabul, calling his nearly three-year stint the “highlight of my military career.” That assessment might ring hollow to the Afghan people, who continue to endure massive civilian casualties, caused by both …
Read More »