Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News | June 3, 2020 ISLAMABAD – Ten civilians were killed and another four wounded when their van hit a roadside landmine Wednesday morning in Afghanistan’s Arghistan District in Kandahar province, according to local police. Jamal Barakzai, a spokesman for Kandahar police, told VOA the victims were residents of a local village.
The Intercept: ONE HUNDRED AND fifteen civilians died in just 10 airstrikes in the U.S. war in Afghanistan in the last two years; more than 70 of them were children. That’s the finding of a new investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, or TBIJ, which offers a glimpse into the terrible reality of the
Tolo News: Sirajuddin Haqqani, the deputy leader of the Taliban, said that despite the group’s belief in the peace negotiation talks as one of the core components of the solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, the Taliban will still continue the path of jihad (holy war) and strengthen its military power. According to the UN
Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday reported 758 new positive cases of COVID-19 out of 1,323 samples tested in the last 24 hours, bringing the total cases in the country to 17,267. Kabul is a hotspot with 332 positive cases reported in the past 24 hours. The total number of known deaths
Michael Hughes: COVID-19 cases have dramatically surged in Afghanistan due to lack of resources, unconstrained refugee flows and the international community’s inability to respond, among other reasons, while health officials and aid agencies predict that the virus will continue spreading undetected. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) declared that Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian disaster, noting
1TV: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo via video link on Monday, discussing the next steps in peace process. The video conference was attended also by head of High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, Resolute Support commander Scott Miller and other officials. Click
Ariana: The incident has taken place in the Shewa area in the Arghanchkhah district of the province on Monday evening. Nek Mohammad Nazari, a spokesman for the provincial governor told Ariana News that the militants have shot dead two men along with their sons. Click here to read more (external link). Related Kunduz: Seven Civilians
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan June 2, 2020 Taliban officials have denied a report that its leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, died after contracting the coronavirus. Foreign Policy magazine, citing unnamed Taliban officials, reported on June 1 that Mullah Akhundzada contracted COVID-19 and possibly died while receiving treatment abroad. Foreign Policy quoted Mawlawi Mohammad Ali Jan Ahmad, a senior