By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan November 12, 2019 KABUL — The Afghan government has released three key Taliban prisoners, including Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of Sirajjuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network, in exchange for two professors of the American University of Afgahnistan in Kabul, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has announced. The prisoners
Ariana: Pakistan prefers a weak government in Kabul and has played an active, and by many accounts, a negative role in Afghan affairs for decades, a U.S. Congressional report has said. In its latest report on Afghanistan, the independent and bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) identified Pakistan, the most important neighbor of Afghanistan. However, it said,
Ayaz Gul VOA News November 5, 2019 ISLAMABAD – Pakistan said Tuesday it will have fenced off its traditionally porous border with Afghanistan by the end of next year, leading to an improved security situation in the region. The military-led massive construction program, launched in mid-2017, is installing a pair of nearly 3-meter-high chicken wire
Ariana: The U.S. State Department said in a recent report that Islamabad pledged support for political reconciliation between the Afghan government and Taliban, but did not restrict the Taliban or the Haqqani network from operating in Pakistan and threatening U.S. and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. The annual terror report, released on Friday last week, said Pakistan
Ariana: Supporters of the Afghan Taliban group are seen among the anti-government protesters in Pakistan asking for the resignation of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. Footage from the protest shows a group of protesters holding the Taliban flag among thousands of Islamist marchers. The presence of pro-Taliban men in a civil protest, however, has sparked
VOA News November 4, 2019 Pakistan has closed its consular office in Afghanistan’s capital, citing unspecified security reasons. Pakistan said the Kabul office will be closed until further notice. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Afghanistan’s charge d’affaires has been summoned to “convey serious concerns over the safety and security” about its diplomats in Kabul. Pakistan said
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty October 31, 2019 A total of 403,338 people have returned to Afghanistan from neighboring Iran and Pakistan since the beginning of the year, the UN-affiliated International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a report released on October 31. The report said that some 385,000 Afghans have been repatriated from Iran, with
Ayaz Gul VOA News October 29, 2019 ISLAMABAD – A senior official in Afghanistan announced Tuesday that under a “new” peace plan, the government will not seek any more unconditional negotiations with the Taliban and will require that a cease-fire last at least one month before initiating any peace process with the insurgent group. Hamdullah
By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan October 28, 2019 Afghan and Pakistani security forces have clashed along the countries’ disputed border, leaving at least three civilians dead, Afghan officials said. A firefight broke out in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar on October 27 and continued the following morning, the officials said. Sher Zamin Khan, a member
By Bruce Pannier Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty October 25, 2019 A new proposal by Pakistani officials could bring much needed energy to people in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan during the frigid winters in a long-planned project that will also see Central Asian energy go to Afghanistan and Pakistan. A chain of hydropower plants strung across Tajikistan