The Independent (UK): Donald Trump could once again turn to his ally Zalmay Khalilzad, the chief architect of the Doha Deal, as his Afghanistan go-between. Some experts fear that would be a mistake, as Arpan Rai reports. Click here to read more (external link).
Fazelminallah Qazizai via News Line Mag: The caption identified him as Afghan national Mohammad Sharifullah (also known as Jafar), arrested in Pakistan and handed over to the U.S. as a “top terrorist” mastermind behind the August 2021 Kabul airport bombing that killed more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops. But here, in the alleys
Michael Hughes: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif admitted Pakistan’s ties to the Afghan Taliban have come back to haunt Islamabad. Although, for many, this is like saying the sky is blue, it is quite a development when such a statement emanates from a Pakistani official. The timing of the admission, of course, is too little, too
Amu: On this day 24 years ago, the Taliban carried out one of the most infamous acts of cultural destruction in modern history, demolishing the ancient Buddhas of Bamiyan, two towering statues that had stood for centuries as symbols of Afghanistan’s rich Buddhist heritage. On March 11, 2001, Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar ordered the
Ariana: Addressing a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said “every single one” of the military generals involved in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan should be fired. Seated next to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump has been questioned about whether his administration would fire or relieve from duty the military officers involved in the
Khaama: Trump’s Defense Secretary Nominee Calls U.S. Exit from Afghanistan ‘Disastrous’ Amid Biden’s Defense of Withdrawal. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, described the manner of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as “disastrous” just one day after President Joe Biden strongly defended his decision to end America’s involvement in the country. Hegseth,
8am: Ashraf Ghani was just another passport holder who had spent most of his life in the West and was married to a Christian woman from Lebanon. Despite spending his childhood in Kabul, he was alien to Afghanistan and its people. His obvious mistakes in performing namaz (Prayer) and reciting Farsi poems became subjects of
euro news: The former German chancellor was the last witness to testify before a parliamentary inquiry committee on the German military’s role in the Western withdrawal from Afghanistan during the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a parliamentary inquiry on Thursday that the hasty withdrawal of Western troops from
Khaama: The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has announced that the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) will soon begin the restoration of the monastery of Mawlana Jalaluddin Balkhi-Rumi’s father. Some historians consider the Bahauddin Monastery to be Rumi’s birthplace. Due to its historical significance, the monastery annually attracts hundreds of domestic and international
Azra Jafari via Newsweek: We mourn our inability to help our fellow women and girls who are suffering under the Taliban, but most of all we feel anger at the United States and the international community for their betrayal of Afghan women. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, when the war on terror was