Michael Hughes: The fact the Taliban established seven new training camps on Afghan soil in the past 30 days just as U.S. forces were exiting five military bases is likely not a pure coincidence. However, its significance will be impossible to weigh until more is known about the U.S. anti-terror posture after the conditions-based-in-name-only exit
By Ayaz Gul VOA News July 16, 2020 ISLAMABAD – The Taliban said Thursday it has already released 845 Afghan security forces under an ongoing prisoner swap with the Kabul government and is working to free the remaining 155 in line with the insurgent group’s agreement with the United States. Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen shared
Tolo News: A US official in Kabul, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Tuesday that the five bases closed in Afghanistan–in compliance with the US-Taliban peace agreement–were in Helmand, Uruzgan, Paktika and Laghman provinces. The US peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, in a tweet on Tuesday morning said: “As we look to the
By Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 12, 2020 The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was backed by most countries in the region, who shared the goal of ousting the extremist Taliban regime and eliminating the allied Al-Qaeda terrorist network. The governments in Tehran, Moscow, and Islamabad readily helped the United States fight the
Ayaz Gul VOA News July 12, 2020 ISLAMABAD – Afghanistan’s Taliban has dismissed as “illogical” escalating domestic and foreign calls for the insurgent group to cease hostilities before the commencement of intra-Afghan peace negotiations. The long-delayed dialogue is stipulated in a landmark deal the United States and the Taliban sealed in February aimed at ending
Al Jazeera: Khairullah Khairkhwa, from the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, discusses efforts to reach political reconciliation.
Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News July 9, 2020 ISLAMABAD – The Taliban denied news reports Thursday that they have agreed to an alternative list of prisoners to break a deadlock over prisoner exchange which is holding back the start of negotiations to reach a political settlement. “This is not true. The prisoner commission has told me
Ayaz Gul VOA News July 7, 2020 ISLAMABAD – China, Afghanistan and Pakistan are calling for a “responsible” withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces from Afghanistan to prevent what they say is “potential terrorist resurgence” in the conflict-torn nation. Top Chinese, Afghan and Pakistani foreign ministry officials issued the statement Tuesday at the end of the latest
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan July 7, 2020 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has warned that a spike in violence by militants in the country poses a “serious” threat to the peace process with the Taliban. Speaking on July 6 during an online conference aimed at briefing the international community on the expected talks with the militant group, Ghani
1TV: Afghan government said on Sunday it will not release 597 prisoners that are included in Taliban’s list of 5,000 prisoners they are demanding. The Office of Prisons Administration said that most of those prisoners are convicted of criminal offenses and moral crimes, including murder. Click here to read more (external link). Related Freed Taliban