Reuters: Atta Mohammad Noor, the governor of Balkh province, denies an accusation by provincial council member Asef Mohmand that Noor and his sons abducted him from the Mazar-i-Sharif airport and then assaulted him. Mohmand told reporters one of Noor’s son bit off part of his ear during the beating. A spokesman for Noor called Mohmand’s story
August 3, 2017: In Afghanistan’s northern Balkh Province, ethnic Turkmen kids attend class every day in a small tent — the only school available in their area. There are few books, and no chairs or desks. Some teachers have faced threats from violent extremists, but they remain committed to educating the next generation, whatever the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 2, 2017 An Afghan official says the Taliban have attacked a local militia, killing 13 pro-government fighters. The local forces were on their way to take part in a security operation when they were ambushed in the Chemtal district of northern Balkh Province, Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the Balkh
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 17, 2017 At least one Afghan soldier has been killed and seven U.S. service personnel wounded in a so-called insider attack at an Afghan National Army base in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif. A U.S. military spokesman in Kabul also said that at least one Afghan soldier was wounded
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty May 20, 2017 Bruce Pannier For more than three years now, Qishloq Ovozi and the Majlis podcast have been following events in northern Afghanistan, in the provinces that border Central Asia, while the situation there went from concerning to unstable. This reporting benefited greatly from the work and dedication of one
Tolo News: The family of a soldier who was killed in Friday’s attack on the Afghan National Army’s 209 Shaheen Corps Headquarters in Balkh province said they were shocked by the large number of dead bodies they saw and that they want justice to be served on those who failed to prevent the attack. Click here
Tolo News: The former president said after Friday’s army base attack he can no longer call the Taliban brothers. In a rare change of tone, former president Hamid Karzai on Sunday labeled the Taliban as an insurgent group, saying he will no longer see the Taliban as “brothers”. Karzai’s policy shift on the Taliban comes
Ayaz Gul VOA News April 22, 2017 ISLAMABAD — A Taliban suicide raid on a major military base in northern Afghanistan is reported to have left at least 140 people dead, mostly soldiers, in the deadliest attack on Afghan forces since 2001. Witnesses said a group of 10 heavily armed suicide bombers aboard two army vehicles
Press TV April 21, 2017 Eight Afghan soldiers have been killed and nearly a dozen others injured in an attack by gunmen on a military compound in the northern province of Balkh. Daulat Waziri, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense, said gunmen clad in army uniforms stormed the compound on Friday. Khaama Press earlier reported
VOA News April 9, 2017 WASHINGTON — Insurgents have killed at least 13 Afghan security forces in separate attacks, officials said Sunday, as the country struggles to contain a long-running Taliban insurgency and combat a growing threat from a local Islamic State affiliate. Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the governor of the northern Balkh province, said