�Less Than 5,000� Troops in Afghanistan by Late Nov: Esper

The United States plans to cut its troop levels in Afghanistan to "a number less than 5,000" by the end of November, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in an interview broadcast on Saturday, Reuters reported. Esper added detail to remarks President Donald Trump made earlier this week. The US will...

Political activists worry about aspects of impending Afghan peace talks

Pressure is mounting on the Afghan government to include representatives from various civil bodies and political parties in its impending peace talks with Taliban militants. Political parties and civil activists, including women rights activists, express concerns that their rights may not be discussed...

Taliban seek to control aid agencies, private companies in Afghanistan

The file photo, taken on May 22, 2020, shows volunteers carrying relief aid for distribution to families who fell victim to an attack by militants at a maternity ward on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. (By AFP) The Taliban militant group wants national and international organizations operating...

One Killed, Two Wounded in Kabul Blast

At least one person was killed and two others were wounded in a magnetic mine blast that targeted a police vehicle in Kabul city on Tuesday morning, Kabul police said in a statement. The incident happened around 7:15 am local time in Badam Bagh area in PD4 of Kabul city on Tuesday morning, the statement...

Afghan Army Chopper Makes Emergency Landing in Helmand

A security source said the chopper was targeted by insurgents while flying over Kajaki. An Afghan army Black Hawk helicopter has made an emergency landing in Kajaki district in Helmand, said Omar Zwak, a spokesman for provincial governor on Monday. The reason of the emergency is not yet clear, he...

Taliban political chief warns US to withdraw as per Doha agreement

The Taliban�s political chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, warned on Sunday that the group "would make the necessary decisions" if the US failed to leave Afghanistan within the timeline agreed to earlier this year. In an interview with Iran�s Tasnim news agency, Baradar said the US-Taliban agreement,...

Khalilzad on New Trip to Press for Intra-Afghan Talks

The US�s special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is traveling to press for intra-Afghan talks, the US State Department said on Saturday, and he plans to visit five nations. Khalilzad departed on July 24 for Kabul, Afghanistan; Sofia, Bulgaria; Oslo, Norway; Islamabad, Pakistan; and Doha, Qatar,...

�Taliban Killed in Herat Airstrike�: Khalid

Acting Defense Minister Asadullah Khalid on Thursday said that the Taliban were killed in yesterday�s Herat airstrike and "we will share evidence--including footage--with the media." On Wednesday, at least six Taliban local commanders were killed in an airstrike in Adraksan district of Herat province,...

US peace envoy condemns Herat airstrikes, calls for investigation

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, condemned this week�s airstrike by Afghan forces and said in a tweet early Thursday morning that the incident needs to be investigated. In his tweet, Khalilzad said: "The last 24 hours have been very violent in Afghanistan...

�31 Taliban Killed, 13 Held Pakistani IDs�: Officials

At least "31 Taliban fighters" including "13 Pakistani nationals" were killed and 15 others were wounded in eastern Nangarhar province on Wednesday evening, said Attaullah Khoghyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor. The clashes took place in Khoghyani district of the province after the Taliban...

Afghan teenage girl kills two Taliban militants in retaliation for killing of parents

A photo circulating on social media purportedly shows Afghan teenager Qamar Gul. A teenage girl in Afghanistan has shot dead two Taliban militants and injured several others in an act of retaliation for the killing of her parents. Afghan officials said Tuesday that the incident happened last week when...

National Security Adviser Vows Response to Pakistani Shelling

The Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib, during a visit to the eastern provinces on Tuesday said that the recent artillery attacks by the Pakistani� military forces on Afghanistan�s eastern Kunar province will not go without a response. He said that over the past eighteen years attacks...

8 Soldiers Killed in Maidan Wardak

At least eight Afghan National Army soldiers were killed in a suicide car bombing in Maidan Wardak on Monday afternoon, the Ministry of Defense confirmed in a statement. The ministry said that nine other soldiers were wounded in the attack that targeted a convoy of army forces in Sayed Abad district,...

Afghan Forces Take Casualties in Taliban Attacks in Kunduz

At least 13 Afghan security forces members were killed, and 10 others were wounded, in Taliban attacks in the northern province of Kunduz early Monday morning, according to a security forces source. At least nine policemen and four army soldiers were killed and ten other security forces members were...

Dostum Awarded Rank of Marshal in Jawzjan Ceremony

Abdul Rashid Dostum, the former vice president, has officially been awarded the rank of marshal at a ceremony held in Jawzjan province on Wednesday. On July 3, a decree of President Ghani promoting Dostum to marshal rank was leaked to the media. The decree was signed on June 10. The promotion is...

Pentagon Confirms Troops Withdrawn from Five Bases in Afghanistan

The US Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement Tuesday that US troops have withdrawn from five military bases and reduced the size of its forces in Afghanistan as part of the agreement reached with the Taliban in February, The Hill reported. "US forces in Afghanistan remain in...

Taliban Violence �Undermines Confidence in Peace�: NATO

The high level of violence in Afghanistan, driven by Taliban attacks, undermines confidence in the peace process, NATO said in a statement released on Tuesday. NATO called on all sides to rapidly start intra-Afghan talks, adding that NATO allies will continue to consult on its military presence to...

Afghan Civilian Casualties Fell 11% But Still High

A report by Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) shows that 1,213 civilians were killed and 1,740 civilians were wounded in the first six months of this year, an 11% reduction from the same period in 2019. The reduction comes amid increasing peace efforts by the Afghan government...

Govt Data: 2,685 Civilians Casualties in Five Months

The Afghan security agencies data seen by TOLOnews shows that 2,685 civilians were killed or wounded in five months--from Jan. 21 to June 20--but the figures do not differentiate between those who lost their lives and those who were wounded. The data is from one month ahead of the Feb. 28 peace deal...

US says deal with Taliban enters �next phase�

(L to R) US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar sign an agreement during a ceremony in the Qatari capital, Doha, on February 29, 2020. (Photo by AFP) The United States says its deal with Taliban has entered the "next phase," even...

US soldier dies in �non-combat-related incident� � Afghanistan

The US Department of Defense said Monday that an American soldier died in Afghanistan on, July 12, 2020. Pentagon said in a statement that the soldier has lost his life as a result of a non-combat-related incident in southern Kandahar province. The incident is under investigation, the statement noted. The...

Khalilzad Condemns Taliban Attack on NDS in Samangan

The US peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, in a tweet on Tuesday morning condemned the Taliban�s attack on the National Directorate of Security (NDS) office in northern Samangan province on Monday. "We condemn today�s attack. The use of major explosives to detonate a vehicle in a provincial...

�Iran open to long-term roadmaps for cooperation with friendly countries�

Iran�s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi addresses a press conference in Tehran on July 13, 2020. The Foreign Ministry says Iran is ready for setting out roadmaps similar to the one that is in the works with China, with other friendly countries, saying attacks targeting the pending arrangement...

Dozens Hospitalized After Blast Near NDS Office in Samangan

A suicide car bomb explosion claimed by the Taliban happened on Monday morning in front of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) compound in Aybak city, the center northern Samangan province, killing at least 10 people, according to local officials. The officials also confirmed that 50 others...

13 Security Force Members Killed in Taliban Clashes

At least 13 security force members were killed and 11 others were wounded in clashes with the Taliban in the northeastern province of Badakhshan and northern Kunduz province on Sunday night, said local officials and a security source said. Six policemen were killed and nine others were wounded in...

4 Security Force Members Killed in Parwan Clashes

At least four security force members were killed and five others were wounded in a Taliban attack in northern Parwan province on Sunday night, a security source said on Monday. The clashes took place around 11:20 on Sunday night in Shenwari district after the Taliban attacked the security checkpoints,...

Sediqqi: Taliban Must Join Peace Process in �Real Way�

Presidential Palace spokesman Sediq Sediqqi on Sunday criticized the Taliban for the escalation of violence and argued the Taliban must "enter the peace process in a real way." Sediqqi on Twitter also said the group�s violence has damaged people�s expectations for peace. The recent escalation of...

4 Security Force Members Killed in Baghlan Clashes

At least four security forces members were killed and 10 others were wounded in northern Baghlan province on Saturday, security sources said on Sunday. The clashes took place in the Cheshmaye Shir and Bagh-e-Shamal areas on the Baghlan - Samangan highway after the Taliban attacked the security forces,...

68 civilians killed, wounded in past week: ONSC

Office of the National Security Council (ONSC) released a statement about the civilian casualties saying that the Taliban, over the past week, killed 23 civilians and Injured 45 others in Afghanistan. According to ONSC, the Taliban conducted 284 attacks in 16 provinces of Afghanistan in the past week...

Level of Taliban Violence Unacceptable: Abdullah

Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, on Friday criticized the Taliban for not ending violence in the country and thus preventing the peace process from moving forward. He made the remarks at the end of a four-day meeting titled "Strengthening Regional and International...