By RFE/RL’s Russian Service March 31, 2022 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow has accredited the first diplomat from Taliban-led Afghanistan even though Russia has labeled the militant group a terrorist organization and most of the world has shunned the hard-line regime. Speaking at a gathering of foreign ministers of nations neighboring Afghanistan on March
Jeff Seldin VOA News March 20, 2022 WASHINGTON — Intelligence agencies worldwide are warning that Taliban rule in Afghanistan is radically reshaping terrorist and militant groups in South Asia and around the world. Specifically, intelligence and counterterrorism officials say that despite Taliban promises to sever ties with al-Qaida and oppose terror groups such as the Islamic
Jeff Seldin VOA News March 15, 2022 WASHINGTON — More than six months after the U.S. pulled its last troops from Afghanistan, the threat from the Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate is growing, though new intelligence assessments suggest that earlier warnings the group might be able to strike at America and its allies as early as next
By Abubakar Siddique Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty March 11, 2022 Since it first emerged in 2015, Islamic State’s local affiliate in Afghanistan has focused its violent campaign within that country, fighting against Afghan and foreign forces as well as the Taliban, a rival militant group. But experts say Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) is now shifting its war
Al Jazeera: A new United Nations report has said nearly 400 civilians have been killed in attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, more than 80 percent by a group affiliated with ISIL (ISIS). It is the first major human rights report since the Taliban seized power from the former US-backed government in August, triggering
Jeff Seldin VOA News February 15, 2022 WASHINGTON — Despite lingering concerns among some officials in Washington that Afghanistan is on its way to once again becoming a terrorist haven, recent U.S. defense and intelligence assessments seem to indicate that at least for now, groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida are not ready to use the
8am: The Pentagon has rejected CNN reports that US forces fired on civilians at Kabul airport, saying its investigation has found no definitive evidence that anyone was killed by gunfire in the Kabul airport attack. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: Lieutenant General Michael Kurilla, US President Joe Biden’s pick to be commander of Central Command, warned al-Qaeda and ISIS were “reconstituting” in a wide-ranging Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday. “One of the challenges is the threat to the homeland from al-Qaeda and ISIS. They are reconstituting. The Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) has not
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty February 7, 2022 The United States has offered a $10 million reward for information that helps identify and find the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group’s affiliate in Afghanistan. The U.S. State Department also offered a $10 million reward for information that would aid in arresting or convicting the people responsible for
Ariana: The U.S. military said on Friday that a single Islamic State (Daesh) bomber killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 170 Afghans at Kabul airport last August, not the complex attack originally suspected, and that it could not have been prevented with the resources on hand. Click here to read more (external link).