US Defense Sec. Esper Was Briefed on Russian Bounties

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Thursday confirmed that he had been briefed on information about Russian payments to the Taliban in Afghanistan, apparently acknowledging that Russia�s support for the militant group is not a "hoax" as Trump has claimed. The Pentagon chief also made clear that...

Dispute Over 592 Taliban Prisoners Solved: Source

The standoff over the release of 592 Taliban prisoners has been solved and 592 replacement prisoners will be released by the Afghan government due to a new Taliban list, a source said. The government so far released 4,019 prisoners and the Taliban has released 737 prisoners. Earlier this week, The...

US soldier killed in road accident in southwestern Afghanistan

A photo of US Army Spc. Vincent Sebastian Ibarria, 21, who was killed in Farah, Afghanistan An American soldier has been killed in a road accident in Afghanistan�s southwestern province of Farah, the Pentagon says. Pentagon officials said Spc. Vincent Sebastian Ibarria, 21, from San Antonio, Texas...

Russia accuses US intelligence officers of trafficking drug from Afghanistan

A top Russian diplomat has accused US intelligence officers of involvement in trafficking of drug from Afghanistan. The accusation comes over a week after the New York Times reported that US intelligence has concluded that the Russian military offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan...

Kabul-Hosted Intl Conference on Peace Process Begins

Kabul is hosting a meeting of 19 representatives from nations as well as international organizations today in a virtual event organized by the Presidential Palace to discuss peace and to build consensus on the reconciliation process in the country. Representatives from the United States, Russia, China,...

US Soldier Killed in Vehicle Accident in Afghanistan

A US soldier died in a vehicle accident in Afghanistan on Friday, Pentagon confirmed. The US Department of Defense said Saturday that the soldier died in Farah as the result of a vehicle rollover accident. Pentagon identified the soldier as Spc. Vincent Sebastian Ibarria, 21, from San Antonio, Texas. The...

Watchdog Urges Taliban to Allow Probe of Sangin Attack

The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) on Friday urged the Taliban to allow human rights worker to probe a recent mortar attack in Sangin district. "We call on the Taliban to pave the way for an investigation by the workers of the human rights commission, because the area is under...

Khalilzad Begins New Round of Travel for Intra-Afghan Talks

The US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad departed on June 28 for travel to Doha and will meet Taliban leaders to discuss the intra-Afghan talks, the US State Department said in a statement on Sunday. Khalilzad departed on June 28 for travel to Doha, Islamabad, and Tashkent, the statement said, adding that...

6 Civilians Killed in Helmand Roadside Mine Blast

At least six civilians, including women and children, were killed in a roadside mine blast in southern Helmand province on Sunday afternoon, local officials said on Monday. The incident took place in Washir district after a civilian vehicle struck a roadside mine, said Mohammad Zaman Hamdard, a spokesman...

Biden: Trump Inactive on Reported Russian Bounties

The White House on Saturday denied that President Donald Trump was briefed on reported US intelligence that Russia�s military offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill US troops in Afghanistan, with Democratic rival Joe Biden criticizing Trump for failing to take action against Moscow. White...

�Heavy� Taliban Casualties in Sar-e-Pul Airstrike: Officials

Local officials in Sar-e-Pul province claimed Sunday that Taliban insurgents took heavy casualties on Saturday in an airstrike targeting a Taliban gathering. Zabiullah Amani, the provincial governor�s spokesman, said that the strike happened in Kata Qala village of Sozma Qala district. Amani said...

Khalilzad, Intl Community Condemns AIHRC Attack

US peace envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad on Twitter condemned the attack on the human rights workers that occurred on Saturday, calling it "anti-human." "The targeted killing of Fatima Khalil and Jawid Folad, two Afghans dedicated to the cause of fundamental human rights, is an anti-human act....

US Finalizing Plan to Pull 4,000 Troops from Afghanistan: CNN

CNN on Saturday reported that the Trump administration is close to finalizing a decision to withdraw more than 4,000 troops from Afghanistan by the fall, citing two Trump administration officials. Almost a week ago, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, said the United States has...

Two Human Rights Workers Killed in Kabul

Two employees of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) were killed in an IED explosion that targeted their vehicle in Kabul this morning, the commission confirmed. One of the victims was a woman who was serving as a legal adviser to the commission. Another victim was a driver. The...

Pakistan remains safe harbor for �terrorist groups�: US

Pakistan is a safe harbor for "regionally focused terrorist groups", allowing the groups to target Afghanistan, the US State Department said in a report. In its annual terror assessment, released Wednesday, the Department said that Pakistan remained a safe harbor for other regionally focused terrorist...

Abdullah at USIP: No Military Solution to the Conflict

In a virtual interview given for the US Institute of Peace on Wednesday, Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High National Reconciliation Council, discussed his idea for bringing peace to Afghanistan and said that there are still serious concerns among the Afghan people about their civil liberties...

Attack on Lawyers Meant to Disrupt Peace Process: Khalilzad

The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad on Tuesday in a tweet condemned the attack against Attorney General Office�s lawyers who were killed yesterday in an armed attack by unknown gunmen. "The US strongly condemns the attack against the Afghan Attorney General�s...

Six Policemen Killed in Taliban Attack in Balkh

At least six policemen were killed and one was wounded in a Taliban attack in northern Balkh province on Monday night, local officials said on Tuesday. The attack took place in Peyazkar village in Chahar Bolak. The Taliban attacked a security checkpoint and clashed with the security forces, said...

Blast Kills Wife, Daughter of Afghan Writer Walwalji

An explosion occurred on Friday evening in the Aino area in Paghman district, west of Kabul city, targeting a vehicle in which family members of writer and analyst Assadullah Walwalji were traveling, police said. Walwaji’s wife and his daughter were killed in the attack. Six people were also...

Two Afghan Forces Commanders Killed in Taliban Attack in Helmand

Two commanders in the Afghan security forces were killed in a Taliban attack on Friday night in Helmand province in the south of Afghanistan amid an unannounced truce between the two sides and while peace efforts by the Afghan government and its allies are underway. The attack happened in the Jahanzib...

US Reaches Troop Drawdown Target in Afghanistan

A top US general on Thursday said the United States has reduced its troop level to 8,600 in Afghanistan, fulfilling the first phase of the planned withdrawal specified in the US-Taliban deal signed in Doha in February. The withdrawal of the US forces is a key part of the US-Taliban agreement, but US...

Mortar shell explosion at school kills 7 students in Afghanistan

In this file photograph, taken on November 14, 2019, an Afghan deminer is seen holding the fin assembly of a mortar shell in Ahangaran district, in the central Afghan province of Bamiyan. (By AFP) A mortar shell has exploded at a religious school in northern Afghanistan, killing seven students, police...

7 Afghan Police Killed in Baghlan Attack

At least 7 police were killed in a Taliban attack in Baghlan province on Wednesday night, said a security source on Thursday. The attack took place in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of the province when a group of Taliban attacked a military base, the source said. "The Taliban has also suffered casualties...

12 ANDSF Killed in Taliban Attack in Jawzjan

At least 12 security forces were killed and five others were wounded in a Taliban attack in northern Jawzjan province on Tuesday night, a local official said on Wednesday. The Taliban attacked two security checkpoints in Aqcha district, said Marouf Azar, a spokesman for the provincial governor. "Five...

5 ANDSF Killed in Kunduz Attack: Source

At least five security forces were killed and seven others were wounded in a Taliban attack in northern Kunduz province on Tuesday night, a security source said on Wednesday. The attack took place in the Talooka area in Kunduz city, as a group of Taliban attacked security checkpoints, said the source,...

US, Russia Expect Immediate Start to Initial Intra-Afghan Talks

Afghanistan, Russia and the US in a trilateral meeting on Monday "expect that an initial meeting between the negotiating teams must be held immediately to agree on agenda and next steps," Afghanistan�s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement. The trilateral meeting of Afghanistan, Russia...

US Senators Ask Pentagon if $1B in Afghan Aid was Cut: Reuters

Two Democratic senators on Monday asked US Defense Secretary Mike Esper what happened to $1 billion in aid for Afghanistan the Trump administration said it would cut nearly three months ago, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services...

Qatari capital to host first peace talks between Afghan government, Taliban

Members of the Taliban militant group attend a session of the intra-Afghan dialog in the Qatari capital Doha on July 7, 2019. (Photo by AFP) Afghanistan�s government and Taliban have agreed to hold their first high-level meeting in a long-awaited peace process in Qatar. Both sides announced on Sunday...

Dr. Najibullah�s daughter reacts to President Ghani�s recent remarks

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meeting the President of Afghanistan, Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on September 19, 2018. Muska Najibullah, the daughter of Dr. Najibullah, the former president of Afghanistan, reacted to the recent remarks of President Mohammad...

Four Killed in Mosque Blast in Western Kabul, Including Imam

An explosion occurred at Sher Shah Suri Mosque in Kart-e-Char area in the west of Kabul as people were partaking in the Friday prayer, 10 days after an explosion at a mosque in downtown Kabul left two dead and several others wounded. Among the four killed was the imam of the mosque, Azizullah Mofleh,...