Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty May 19, 2021 U.S. lawmakers called for the thousands of allies in Afghanistan to be evacuated from the war-ravaged country before international troops pull out, fearing they could be “slaughtered by the Taliban.” However, the top U.S. envoy to Afghanistan on May 18 played down the dangers to those who worked
Ayaz Gul VOA News May 18, 2021 ISLAMABAD – China has renewed diplomatic efforts to help facilitate a negotiated end to the conflict in Afghanistan, saying it is ready to hold peace negotiations between warring Afghans. Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed peace prospects in phone conversations with his Afghan counterpart, Mohammad Haneef Atmar and National
Ayaz Gul VOA News May 16, 2021 ISLAMABAD – Fighting between government security forces and Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan resumed in the early hours of Sunday, ending a three-day cease-fire declared by the adversaries to mark Islamic Eid al-Fitr festival. The Afghan army confirmed its forces started “offensive, clearing and counterterrorism” operations in districts close
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty May 11, 2021 Afghan officials say the Taliban have captured a strategic district some 40 kilometers from Kabul, ahead of a three-day cease-fire agreed for later this week and amid the ongoing withdrawal of U.S. and international forces from the war-torn country. Special forces were deployed in the area on May
Ayaz Gul VOA News May 11, 2021 ISLAMABAD – Pakistan ruled out Tuesday the possibility of again providing its military bases to the United States for future counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan after U.S. troops leave the conflict-torn neighbor by September 11. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made the remarks to reporters in Islamabad, explaining that
Ayaz Gul VOA News May 9, 2021 ISLAMABAD – The leader of Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgency Sunday praised the ongoing withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the country, as officials in Kabul raised the death toll to more than 60 from the previous day’s multiple blasts outside a girls’ school in the capital. “We consider
Tolo News: Ahmad Massoud, the son of Afghanistan’s National Hero Ahmad Shah Massoud, on Wednesday said that the Afghan mujahideen are ready for a military confrontation with the Taliban if the group does not abide by its commitments to peace. Massoud’s warning follows media reports weeks ago that men are taking up arms in Takhar,
Ashraf Ghani via Foreign Affairs: President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September represents a turning point for the country and our neighbors. The Afghan government respects the decision and views it as a moment of both opportunity and risk for itself, for Afghans, for the Taliban, and
Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News May 2, 2021 KABUL – The U.S. and its NATO allies officially began withdrawing their remaining forces and equipment from Afghanistan on Saturday. Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, discussed the implications for Afghanistan’s peace process and the future of the country, with VOA’s Ayesha
Michael Hughes: The so-called “extended” troika after talks in Doha on Friday called on the Ghani administration to enter into negotiations with the Taliban in a bid to accelerate a political solution to the conflict. However, just as the troika was releasing its statement, top Afghan government officials accused the Taliban and Pakistan of collaborating