UK to leave small number of elite troops in Afghanistan as ex-MI6 chief warns of likely civil war

The British government is poised to keep a small special forces contingent on the ground in Afghanistan, The Telegraph has reported, after the Taliban made significant ground gains amid the US withdrawal. Days after the US and its NATO allies pulled out of the coalition’s main base in the country,...

Afghanistan’s security must be established by Afghan people: Iran’s president-elect

The combined photo shows Iran’s President-elect Ebrahim Raeisi (R) and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan. Iran’s President-elect Ebrahim Raeisi says the security of the neighboring Afghanistan should be provided by people of the country, adding that foreign forces only bring insecurity to...

Bagram’s radar and VSAT systems reactivated following US pullout

Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) said on Sunday the Bagram Airport Radar and Telecommunication System (VSAT) has been reactivated following the withdrawal of foreign troops from the key military facility. The last of the US troops based at Bagram withdrew in the early hours of Saturday morning...

Turkey, Pakistan and Iran consulates close doors in Balkh

Consulate offices of Turkey, Pakistan and Iran have closed in Mazar-e-Sharif amid a deteriorating security situation in Balkh, local officials confirmed. Officials said visas are no long being issued by these consulates and that the diplomats have been relocated to Kabul. This comes as fighting in the...

Russian Envoy Shows Opposition to US Plans for Regional Bases

As the US troops are leaving, Russian envoy Zamir Kabulov has said that the United States cannot and should not transform the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan into the relocation of its military facilities to Central Asia, something that the US is looking into it as an option to provide over-the-horizon...

US Wants to See Taliban Return to Afghan Peace Process: Pentagon

The US Defense Department on Tuesday asked the Taliban to return to the peace negotiations, reminding them that the violence remains too high in Afghanistan. What we want to see, what we’d like to see is the Taliban return to the peace process in a credible way, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said...

German military completes withdrawal from Afghanistan

The German military late on Tuesday concluded its withdrawal from Afghanistan after almost two decades, finishing Germany’s deadliest military mission since World War 2. Our last troops left Afghanistan this night after almost 20 years and are on their way home, German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer...

U.S. military days away from completing Afghan withdrawal – sources

The US military appears just days away from completing its withdrawal from Afghanistan, well ahead of the Sept. 11 deadline set by President Joe Biden to end America’s longest war, U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. The withdrawal of troops and equipment from...

Military tanks being moved to Pakistan will be targeted: MoI

During a visit to assess the security situation of Paktia province on Saturday, the acting interior minister Abdul Satar Mirzakwal confirmed that there have been reports of government military tanks being moved across the border to Pakistan following the fall of districts in Afghanistan. Mirzkwal warned...

About 80 Afghan interpreters flown to safety in Australia

About 80 Afghan interpreters and their families have arrived in Australia on commercial flights after being granted a safe haven for their work alongside Australian troops in Afghanistan. According to the Guardian Australia, this comes after 41 interpreters wrote to the government twice earlier this...

US Launches Drone Strikes in Northern Afghanistan: Report

A US defense official quoted by Fox News said on Friday that the United States military has launched two drone strikes against Taliban positions in northern Afghanistan. The strikes came hours before President Ashraf Ghani’s meeting with US President Joe Biden on Friday, the report says. An unknown...

Afghan peace talks should continue unless Taliban pull out: Abdullah

Chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah said on Friday that long-stalled talks on a political settlement to decades of strife should not be abandoned despite surging Taliban attacks unless the insurgents themselves pull out. I think we shouldn’t shut...

US to keep about 650 troops in Afghanistan after withdrawal

The United States is expected to keep roughly 650 American troops in Afghanistan to provide security for diplomats after the main US military force completes its withdrawal, which is set to be largely done in the next two weeks, US officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. In addition, several...

Biden calls on Afghans to ‘decide their future’ as withdrawal nears end

U.S. President Joe Biden met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and High Council for National Reconciliation chairman Abdullah Abdullah on Friday at the White House where he called on Afghans to decide the future of their country as the last U.S. troops pack up after 20 years of war and government forces...

Afghan leaders head to Washington to meet Biden

President Ashraf Ghani left Kabul on Wednesday evening along with a high level delegation for a two-day official visit to Washington, the Presidential Palace (ARG) said. He will meet US President Joe Biden, other administration officials and US lawmakers, ARG said. Ghani is accompanied by First Vice...

Covid outbreak at US Embassy in Kabul grows to 159 cases

The COVID-19 outbreak at the US Embassy in Kabul has grown to 159 cases, according to a diplomatic cable sent Tuesday, CNN reported. This comes amid a devastating third wave of the deadly disease in Afghanistan. CNN reported that a source familiar with the cable said it noted that several people at...

‘Foreign forces can’t come and go as they wish:’ China, Russia alarmed about Afghanistan

Photo taken on May 9, 2021 shows the books of students who were killed in a car bomb attack in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. (Photo by Xinhua) China and Russia have warned that Afghanistan is facing a security crisis as the United States and other NATO forces are leaving the country without having...

Russia’s military chief calls for Tehran and Islamabad to support peace process

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Wednesday that peace and stability in Afghanistan will not be possible without Iran and Pakistan’s support. Addressing the 9th Moscow Conference on International Security, Shoigu said the situation in Afghanistan requires particular attention - both by...

CENTCOM says retrograde process over 50% complete

U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that since President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw troops, the Department of Defense has retrograded the equivalent of approximately 763 C-17 cargo flight loads of material out of Afghanistan and have turned nearly 14,790 pieces of equipment over to the Defense...

Qureshi voices concern over current situation in Afghanistan

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mohammad Qureshi said this week he is concerned about the current situation in Afghanistan and that any take over by force would not be in Afghanistan’s interest. The world has come to the conclusion that there is no military solution for Afghanistan and that any military...

Surge in Taliban attacks across Afghanistan as tribal leaders mobilize to fight

Afghan forces are seen at the site of a battle field where they clash with the Taliban insurgent in Kunduz province, Afghanistan, on June 22, 2021. (Photo by Reuters) Suspected Taliban militants have fired a rocket at a hospital in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar, as heavy fighting continues...

Iran urges UN to help facilitate peace process among all Afghan groups

Afghan commando forces are seen at the site of a battle field where they clash with the Taliban in Kunduz Province, June 22, 2021. (Photo by Reuters) Iran has called on the United Nations to help facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan aimed at ending decades of bloodshed in the conflict-ridden country,...

Biden to discuss airport security situation with Erdogan

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Sunday night that President Joe Biden is heading to Brussels for Monday’s NATO Summit where he is expected to discuss a number of issues including that around the future security of both the United States embassy in Kabul and the airport. Addressing...

Erdogan Says US Can Rely on Turkey Once Troops Leave Afghanistan

Amidst talks on handing over responsibilities of the security of Kabul airport to Turkish forces, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said his country would be the only reliable country left to stabilize Afghanistan after the US pulls out its troops, indicating Washington could rely on its...

Families find the bodies of two missing Kabul women+Video

The bodies of two young women employed by Afghan Film in Kabul, who had been missing since Saturday’s explosion, were finally tracked down by their families on Sunday. The families of Tayeba Mousavi and Fatama Mohammadi confirmed Sunday they found the women’s bodies at the government forensic medicine...

District in Ghor Falls to Taliban after ‘Heavy Clashes’

Tolak district in the central province of Ghor has fallen to the Taliban following heavy clashes against security forces on Friday night, two sources from the province said on Saturday. Salman Yusufi, the district governor for Tolak, said that at least 20 security force members were killed and 20 more...

US embassy suspends all visa application process due to COVID

In response to the intense third wave of COVID-19 cases throughout the country the US Embassy in Kabul has suspended all visa application operations effective June 13 (Sunday), the embassy said in a statement Friday. According to the statement, everyone scheduled for appointments in the coming days...

NATO Allies, Including Turkey, Continue Talks on Kabul Airport

NATO is talking with different allies, including Turkey, on maintaining support to the international airport in Kabul after the US and coalition forces withdraw from the country, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday. This development comes as a Taliban spokesman, quoted by Reuters, said...

US weighs possibility of airstrikes in Afghanistan after troops withdrawal

The file photo shows US army soldiers walking as a NATO helicopter flies overhead in the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan.(Photo by AFP) The Pentagon is weighing the option of conducting airstrikes in Afghanistan after the full withdrawal of American troops from the country if the capital...

Six Security Force Members Killed in Baghlan Car Bomb Attack

At least six security force members were killed and more than 10 others were wounded in a car bomb attack close to a military base in the northern province of Baghlan early hours of Thursday morning, sources said. The attack took place at around 2am local time in Bagh-e-Shamal area in Pul-e-Khumri,...