Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty February 19, 2021 The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East says the U.S. military is looking for so-called “fallback” bases in Saudi Arabia to protect forces in the event of raised tensions with Iran. “What we would like to do, without shutting down [current] bases…is to have the ability
Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Friday reported 5 new positive cases of COVID-19 out of 1,448 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The ministry says the cumulative total of known COVID-19 cases is 55,580, the total number of reported deaths is 2,430, and the total number of recoveries is 48,803. Click
Ariana: An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.8 hit the mountainous region of Afghanistan, west of the Capital City Kabul, last night on Feb. 18, 2021, 22:48 local time. So far there were no damages or casualties immediately reported. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: Afghanistan’s spinner Mujib-ur-Rahman has joined his national teammates, cricket sensation Rashid Khan and all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, after he was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 auction on Thursday. Click here to read more (external link). Other Sports News Brazilian fighter claims he threw fight against Ahmad Wali Hotak
Tolo News: Elders in the southern province of Kandahar have said that the internal rifts between local officials in the province and the mismanagement of local affairs are causing massive security threats in the area. According to lawmakers from Kandahar, internal rifts between the governor, police chief and local officials have been damaging the morale
Ariana: Afghan commando forces freed 23 security force members and one civilian from a Taliban prison in Kunduz on Wednesday, 217 Pamir Corps said in a statement. According to the officials, 16 of the prisoners are members of the Afghan National Army (ANA), four of them are commando forces, two were police, and one was
1TV: Hundreds of vehicles were burnt in a massive blaze that tore through the customs post last week. Iranian drivers say nearly a hundred of vehicles belonged to them. One of the drivers, as quoted by Fars news agency, criticized customs officials for stopping his vehicles for six days while usually it would be released
Ariana: Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) stated in a report released Thursday that despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent on efforts to support Afghan women and girls since 2002, some programs were designed on assumptions that proved to be ill-suited to the Afghan context. Click here to read more (external link).