VOA News Ayaz Gul January 24, 2019 ISLAMABAD — Hopes are running high that uninterrupted, extended peace talks between the United States and the Taliban in Qatar could set the stage for a politically negotiated settlement to the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan. The talks opened Monday with the U.S. team led by Washington’s special representative for
Tolo News: Out of the 18 presidential election candidates that are running for presidency in the July polls, four of them have entered the race promising to bring changes to the country’s political system. The 14 others have said they will leave the system as it is although some said they will scrap the Chief Executive position in the next government. Those candidates
By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan January 23, 2019 Afghanistan’s main spy agency says it has killed a Taliban commander who masterminded this week’s attack on Afghan forces at a military base in which scores of people were killed. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said the commander, whose name it gave only as Noman, was
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 22, 2019 The U.S. military says one of its service members was killed by “enemy small-arms fire” in Afghanistan on January 22. The incident was under investigation, a statement said, without providing further details. It did not name the service member or the branch of the military, pending notification of
By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan January 22, 2019 KABUL — Afghan officials say a Taliban attack on a military base to the west of Kabul killed at least 65 members of the country’s security forces. Taliban militants carried out the assault in Maidan Shahr, the capital of Maidan Wardak Province, early on January 21. “We
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 21, 2019 ISLAMABAD — Taliban insurgents launched a major suicide bomb-and-gun attack against a military base in central Afghanistan, killing at least 18 security troops and injuring dozens more. Authorities said the assault took place early Monday morning in Maidan Shahr, the provincial headquarters of Wardak province, about 50 kilometers from
The Independent (UK): A large number of Pashtun politicians, tribal chiefs and intellectuals are against the Taliban, which is one of its biggest weaknesses… The central, conservative ideology of the Taliban is also responsible for its failure, as it is unacceptable for most Afghans, particularly the literate population…The media has played a key role in highlighting the