RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal January 15, 2019 Pakistan has detained a senior member of the Afghan Taliban, sources in the group say. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources told RFE/RL that Hafiz Mohibullah, religious affairs minister when the Taliban ran Afghanistan before the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, was detained in the northwestern city of Peshawar. There
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 14, 2019 ISLAMABAD — The fledgling U.S.-initiated dialogue with the Taliban, aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan, has come to a halt, an insurgent spokesperson said Monday, apparently dealing a blow to renewed hopes for a much-needed Afghan peace. The disclosure comes as the chief U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, is
Press TV January 13, 2019 Tehran has confirmed that it has been in talks with the Afghan Taliban in an effort to promote Afghan and regional peace. Analysts say the move would also prevent the region from turning into a hotbed for Takiri terrorist groups, especially Daesh, which has already gained a foothold in Afghanistan as
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan January 9, 2019 KABUL — The U.S. special envoy on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has begun a two-week diplomatic tour of Afghanistan and other countries in the region in an attempt to push forward the peace process with the Taliban. Khalilzad began his latest diplomatic mission on January 8 — the same
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan January 8, 2019 KABUL — Afghan Taliban representatives say they have called off two days of peace talks with U.S. officials in Qatar, just hours after they had announced the talks would take place without any delegates from Afghanistan’s government. A Taliban representative in Afghanistan had told Reuters early on January
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 7, 2019 ISLAMABAD — More than 30 people, mostly pro-government forces, were killed in Afghanistan when Taliban insurgents stormed security outposts and a bomb blast ripped through a busy market, officials confirmed Monday. The Taliban staged coordinated raids in two districts of northwestern Badghis province late Sunday, killing 21 Afghan soldiers
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 5, 2019 ISLAMABAD — The Taliban has said that its engagement with the United States for negotiating an end to “the war and illegitimate occupation” of Afghanistan remains on track, ruling out once again any direct peace talks with the government in Kabul Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told VOA a new
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 31, 2018 ISLAMABAD — China has advised the United States against staging an abrupt troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and called for collective international efforts to help initiate a peace process between the South Asian nation’s warring parties. The remarks by a top Chinese diplomat Sunday in neighboring Pakistan come amid unconfirmed
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 31, 2018 ISLAMABAD — An Afghan Taliban delegation visited Iran on Sunday and held bilateral talks on promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan. The development comes as the Afghan insurgent group claims it has established control over 61 of the 407 Afghan districts during the 2018 fighting season. Iran’s Foreign Ministry
Press TV December 30, 2018 The Taliban militant group has rejected a call by the Afghan government for formal peace talks next month in Saudi Arabia. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Taliban leader announced on Sunday that the group’s representatives would meet US officials in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah for the