Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 29, 2020 Top U.S. officials have hailed a three-day cease-fire proposed by the Taliban and agreed by the Afghan government, raising hopes that the long-delayed intra-Afghan peace talks could begin next week. The two foes announced a halt in hostilities for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday starting on July 31,
Tolo News: Almost two months after receiving marshal rank, Abdul Rashid Dostum has yet to return to Kabul to start his work as a member of the National Security Council and as a member of the newly formed High Council of Government, which has raised questions among critics who say political rifts between government leaders
Ariana: The Taliban’s leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada stated Tuesday that the group is on the threshold of “establishing a pure Islamic government” and warned the United States and the international community to take the Doha-agreement seriously and “stop creating further problems”. He said in his Eid ul-Adha message: “Our Jihad was and continues to be
Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday reported 105 new cases of COVID-19 out of 416 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 36,368 countrywide. The ministry also reported one death from COVID-19 that happened in Herat and 160 recoveries. The total recoveries are now 25,358 and
Tolo News: Farhan Yusefzai, chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), on Monday fired Lutfullah Stanikzai, the CEO of ACB. In a termination letter addressed to Stanikzai that went viral on social media, ACB chairman Farhan Yusefzai said Stanikzai’s contract was being terminated for “mismanagement”, “unsatisfactory performance,” and “misbehavior with managers.” Click here to read
Aparna Pande and Vinay Kaura: While Afghanistan recognizes that Pakistan cannot be the anchor of its post-U.S. exit foreign and strategic policies, Kabul is equally aware that it needs support from Islamabad (and, more importantly, Rawalpindi) to ensure a durable settlement. The path ahead to secure a negotiated end to the Afghan conflict is difficult
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 27, 2020 There were 1,282 civilian deaths in Afghanistan in the first half of the year, while another 2,176 people were wounded over the same period, the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report published on July 27. Those numbers include 340 children killed and another 727 wounded, the report
Ariana: The Taliban’s political chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, warned on Sunday that the group “would make the necessary decisions” if the US failed to leave Afghanistan within the timeline agreed to earlier this year. In an interview with Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Baradar said the US-Taliban agreement, signed earlier this year in Doha, stipulated