MOSCOW, August 20 (Sputnik) – The Taliban movement has accepted Russia’s invitation to attend the Moscow format of Afghan reconciliation talks scheduled for September 4, media reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department Director Zamir Kabulov told Sputnik that Moscow expected the
Ayaz Gul VOA News August 19, 2018 ISLAMABAD — Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has announced a three-month unilateral conditional cease-fire with the Taliban, hours after authorities confirmed the Islamist insurgency overran a northern district and apparently captured dozens of government soldiers. Ghani explained Afghan forces will halt their operations from Monday, provided the insurgents reciprocate and
Ayaz Gul VOA News August 18, 2018 ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — The fugitive Taliban leader renewed his call Saturday for direct talks with the United States, dismissing as impractical and unacceptable “propositions” he asserted Washington has offered to promote a negotiated end to the war in Afghanistan. Malawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, in a message to his followers ahead
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan August 18, 2018 The leader of Afghanistan’s Taliban has said there can be no peace in the country as long as foreign “occupation” goes on. In an August 18 statement to mark the Eid al-Adha holiday, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada repeated that the Taliban remain committed to “Islamic goals” and the sovereignty
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 11, 2018 Taliban and Uzbek officials say the head of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar traveled to Uzbekistan last week where he led a delegation for talks with senior officials from Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry. The talks focused on a range of issues, including the withdrawal of international forces from
Political commentators and cartoonists are taking aim at President Ashraf Ghani’s recent comment about offering ice cream to the Taliban. ***
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan August 7, 2018 Twenty amputees have kicked off a trek of more than 600 kilometers across Afghanistan to call for an end to the country’s 17-year war. The marchers, some on crutches and others in wheelchairs, began their journey on August 7 from the western city of Herat to the Afghan
MOSCOW, August 7 (Sputnik) – Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said that the country’s government was working on another ceasefire with the Taliban group, which would be timed to the upcoming Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday, local media reported on Monday. Ghani had made the statement at a meeting with Afghan political parties, during which he
Tolo News: Former US ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan C. Crocker has said that peace talks between representatives of the Taliban and US officials in Qatar further undermines the credibility of the Afghan government. This comes in the wake of reports that US officials met with Taliban officials in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the possibility of peace
Ayaz Gul VOA News August 4, 2018 ISLAMABAD — Authorities in southern Afghanistan said Saturday they have lost contact with scores of soldiers after Taliban insurgents assaulted a military base in the restive Uruzgan province. A regional Afghan National Army (ANA) spokesman told VOA heavy fighting erupted following the late Friday insurgent offensive in the Chinarto