Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 20, 2021 A top U.S. general says he has “grave doubts” about the Taliban’s reliability as the United States prepares to remove its troops from Afghanistan, but he stressed that the American military would still be able to observe the militant group and verify its actions after American troops
1TV: Taliban militants have caused $1 billion damage to infrastructure in Afghanistan in one year, President Ashraf Ghani said on Tuesday. Ghani mentioned recent destruction of two major bridges in Arghandab district of Kandahar province as an instance of Taliban damaging infrastructure. Click here to read (external link).
Radio Free Afghanistan April 20, 2021 At least 12 members of the Afghan security forces were killed in overnight attacks, officials said on April 20. In the northern province of Badakhshan, at least eight police officers were killed and two wounded after militants attacked a checkpoint in Zebak district, according to member of provincial government
1TV: US authorities on Monday returned 33 antiquities valued approximately $1.8 million to Afghanistan. The antiquities were handed over to the Afghan ambassador by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the Department of Homeland Security. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday reported 176 new positive cases of COVID-19 out of 2,159 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The ministry reported that the cumulative total of known COVID-19 cases is 58,213, the total number of reported deaths is 2,557, and the total number of recoveries is 52,272.
Tolo News: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in an interview with ABC news said that the civil war in Afghanistan is in “no one’s interest.” “Ultimately, it is in no one’s interest in Afghanistan, whether it’s the Taliban or anyone else and certainly not the people of Afghanistan, for the country to descend
1TV: Afghan authorities have asked NATO to hand over air traffic control tower of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Afghanistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said on Monday it sent a letter to NATO saying it would be glad to take over air traffic control at the airport by May 1. Click here to read more
1TV: Former US President Donald Trump slammed the Biden administration on Sunday for delaying withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. Biden earlier this week announced that he will withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by September 11. This comes as the US-Taliban agreement signed during Trump era requires the withdrawal to be completed by May 1.