Afghanistan

Taliban Close Afghan Diplomatic Missions in United States
Afghanistan, News, US

Taliban Close Afghan Diplomatic Missions in United States

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan is closing its diplomatic missions in the United States seven months after it took power in Kabul. Diplomatic sources report this.   Afghanistan's embassy in Washington and consulates in New York and Los Angeles will cease operations from Wednesday, an Afghan diplomat who asked to remain anonymous said. The reason would be a lack of resources, but the diplomat did not elaborate on that. The US-backed government appointed the diplomats previously employed in the United States in Kabul that were overthrown by the radical Islamist Taliban last year. They haven't been paid for months. The Afghan diplomat said efforts had been made to keep the activities going until the last minute. If diplomatic missions are closed, Afghan diplomats will have 30 days ...
19 Dead in IS Attack on Kabul Hospital, Taliban Commander Among Victims
Afghanistan, News

19 Dead in IS Attack on Kabul Hospital, Taliban Commander Among Victims

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...
Tens of Thousands of Afghans Still Stranded on US Military Bases
Afghanistan, News, US

Tens of Thousands of Afghans Still Stranded on US Military Bases

Tens of thousands of Afghans are still waiting on American army bases after the chaotic flight from their homeland until they are accommodated somewhere. Unfortunately, that is being delayed by the medical and security screenings that refugees have to undergo, writes The New York Times.   Last month, the US and other countries carried out a massive air evacuation in the Afghan capital, Kabul. This happened after the extremist Taliban reached the city after a lightning strike. Western countries evacuated civilians and former Afghan employees who were at risk on a large scale. There are still about 49,000 evacuees at eight army bases on American soil, the newspaper quotes from internal government documents. Another 18,000 people are housed on US bases abroad. Some people stay there f...
Afghan Doctor: Kabul’s Situation is Getting Worse by the Day
Afghanistan, News

Afghan Doctor: Kabul’s Situation is Getting Worse by the Day

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 Flees to United Arab Emirates
Afghanistan, News

Afghan Ex-President Flees to United Arab Emirates

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.
Taliban Spokesman Reveals Future Plans in Live Conversation with Australian BBC Reporter
Afghanistan, News

Taliban Spokesman Reveals Future Plans in Live Conversation with Australian BBC Reporter

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...
Death by an Explosion in Mosque Afghanistan
Afghanistan, News

Death by an Explosion in Mosque Afghanistan

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...
Afghanistan is Going to Release 900 Captured Taliban Fighters
Afghanistan, Asia, News

Afghanistan is Going to Release 900 Captured Taliban Fighters

Afghanistan is going to release 900 captured Taliban fighters, the government announced Tuesday.   Kabul called on the Taliban to extend the three-day truce that ends Tuesday night by three days. The release is part of an agreement the United States and the Taliban signed in February. The aim is to exchange a total of 5,000 captured Taliban fighters against 1,000 captured government soldiers to build trust between the parties. To date, the government has released about a thousand men and removed the Taliban about 300 prisoners. The Taliban declared a ceasefire on the occasion of the sugar feast. "It is important to extend the armistice, and the Afghan government is ready to support it, to prevent bloodshed," said the spokesman for the Afghan national security adviser.
NATO Calls on Afghans to Seize the Opportunity for Peace
Afghanistan, News, US

NATO Calls on Afghans to Seize the Opportunity for Peace

The warring parties in Afghanistan must end their hostilities and seize the "historic" chance for peace, NATO believes.   In a statement, the 30 Member States call on the Taliban to reduce violence and to come to the negotiating table, as previously agreed with the US. The Taliban have ignored a government call for a truce during Ramadan. "The current level of violence caused by the Taliban is unacceptable," said the Western alliance, which is training Afghan security forces. Political leaders and their supporters in Afghanistan must resolve their disagreements and form a government together, the statement said. As a gesture of goodwill, NATO encourages both sides to accelerate the release of prisoners and to embrace the call for an immediate ceasefire. The prospect of negotiati...