Michael Hughes AOPNEWS September 15, 2021 A group of American senators, led by intelligence panel vice chair Marco Rubio, introduced legislation on Wednesday directing the U.S. Secretary of State to designate the Taliban movement as a state sponsor of terrorism as well as an illegitimate regime. The move comes as the U.S. and international community
Michael Hughes AOPNEWS August 12, 2021 The US military is moving around 3,000 personnel to Afghanistan to evacuate diplomats and ensure the drawdown of forces is secure, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday. The announcement comes in the wake of reports that U.S. intelligence has predicted that Kabul would fall within a few
Michael Hughes AOPNEWS July 30,2021 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington will ensure al-Qaeda no longer uses Afghan territory to launch attacks against the American homeland or its allies, although his comments came just as reports surfaced claiming that the terror outfit is fighting alongside the Taliban. According to ANI, the Pakistan army
Michael Hughes AOPNEWS June 14, 2021 Just as the NATO summit gets underway in Brussels, several alliance members are expressing frustration with how the United States has managed the entire process of withdrawing from Afghanistan, including the fact the exit is unconditional – just as the Taliban continues to make significant military advances. And this
Michael Hughes AOPNEWS May 15, 2021 Tehran and Kabul reached a preliminary agreement that would see $5.3 billion invested in developing Afghanistan’s infrastructure, an Iranian Roads and Urban Development Ministry (MRUD) official said, as the two countries look to strengthen relations in the wake of the U.S. military withdrawal. Around $2.2 billion of the funding
Michael Hughes AOPNEWS | April 15, 2021 *Breaking News* The US military will be able to focus more resources on perceived challenges in the Indo-Pacific region after exiting Afghanistan, a senior Biden administration official told reporters on Thursday. Biden, in a major address on Wednesday, announced that U.S. troops would exit Afghanistan by September 11,
Michael Hughes: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Afghan authorities reached an agreement that would provide the country access to $364 million in credit over the next 3.5 years if actions are taken to improve transparency and reduce corruption. The announcement comes as the Afghan government is under fire again for rampant corruption, including allegations of abusing
Michael Hughes: Pentagon officials have said the Taliban are not meeting key conditions of the withdrawal pact it signed with the United States nearly four months ago. Meanwhile, a recent UN report revealed that the insurgent movement is still in bed with al-Qaeda, violating – at least in spirit – one of the key promises
Michael Hughes March 31, 2020 It will be nearly impossible for conflict-torn countries like Afghanistan to fight the coronavirus pandemic without immediate assistance from major states and aid organizations across the globe, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a new action alert. “Health systems in conflict zones in places such as
Michael Hughes: A crackdown of Pashtun activists in Pakistan has drawn international opprobrium at an inconvenient time for Islamabad and Washington as they try to shape a public narrative to make a peace pact with the Taliban as palatable as possible. The Trump administration wants the U.S.-Taliban exit deal to be seen as a victory