Afghanistan

Hamdullah Mokhlis, a senior commander with the Taliban forces in Kabul, is one of the 19 dead in the attack carried out by Islamic State on Tuesday on the most significant military hospital in the Afghan capital, the Taliban confirmed on Wednesday.   Mokhlis was a member of the extremist Haqqani network, which the United States describes as a terrorist, and of the Taliban special forces known as Badri 313. He is the most senior Taliban commander killed since that group took power in August in Afghanistan. At least 19 people were killed and 50 injured in Tuesday's attack, the Taliban said. Two explosions took place, after which unknown persons also fired shots. The Taliban confirmed that there were explosions at the entrance to the 400-bed hospital, where Taliban fighters and former...

Now that the evacuations by western countries have been completed, the situation in Kabul is getting worse by the day, says an Afghan doctor who wants to leave the country with his family.   The Taliban are increasing their presence around the Afghan capital, where fears of the new regime are growing. Meanwhile, people are fleeing to national borders and trying to get into neighbouring countries. The Taliban have set up checkpoints around Kabul. They question anyone who wants to pass, and the doctor tells the ANP. He also learns that the Taliban are becoming increasingly violent in other provinces. "I live in even more fear than before," said the Afghan. After the takeover, the Taliban promised that people were safe, but many residents do not believe this. After the first takeover ...

Afghan ex-president Ashraf Ghani has fled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).   He left his country in a hurry last weekend when the radical Islamist Taliban movement took the capital Kabul, ending the reconquest of the country. The UAE has welcomed Ghani and his family on humanitarian grounds, the Gulf State Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Ghani is in Abu Dhabi. Because the president fled, Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh claims he is now the legal leader of Afghanistan. As "legitimate interim president", he calls on the population to join the "resistance". In messages on Twitter, he claims that he has stayed in Afghanistan.

An Australian BBC reporter with Afghan roots received a call from a Taliban spokesman during a live broadcast on Sunday. In a half-hour conversation, Suhail Shaheen explained the plans of the radical Islamic movement.   Australian Yalda Hakim fled Afghanistan as a child and grew up in Sydney. She works as a news anchor for BBC in Australia. On Sunday, she reported on the situation in Afghanistan, where Taliban fighters surrounded the city of Kabul. When the journalist received a call from Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen in the middle of a broadcast, she made sure viewers could follow the conversation by putting her phone on the loudspeaker and placing it next to a microphone. A few hours later, the Taliban fighters invaded the city and captured the presidential palace, from where t...

An explosion in a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul has claimed the lives of at least twelve people. The explosion comes at a time when Afghanistan is under a short truce due to the end of Ramadan.   The explosion, according to police, took place during Friday prayers. In addition to the fatalities, including the imam of the mosque, 15 were also injured. It is not immediately clear who is behind the explosion. A three-day ceasefire between the Taliban and the Afghan government has been in force in Afghanistan since Thursday. The militant organization had proclaimed it because of Eid al-Fitr, also known as the Sugar Feast. The army has been called upon by the government to respect the truce. The Taliban's announcement was welcomed by President Ashraf Ghani, who is calling for a pe...