Radio Free Afghanistan March 18, 2021 Representatives of the Afghan government, the Taliban, and several major countries have gathered in Moscow to push for a reduction in violence to advance the peace process in Afghanistan. “We hope that today’s conversation will help create conditions for achieving progressive inter-Afghan negotiations,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
Tolo News: Gunfire interrupted a meeting of Jamiat-e-Islami members in Kabul who belong to the faction led by Atta Mohammad Noor, the former governor of Balkh province, on Thursday. “Six people came to the yard outside the hotel and started shooting,” eyewitnesses said, adding that “one person was wounded in the shooting.” Some members of
Tolo News: A 16-member delegation of the Afghan government led by Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, will attend the Moscow meeting that will be held on Thursday, the reconciliation council confirmed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said it appreciates efforts made by Afghanistan’s neighboring countries and regional
Tolo News: The appearance of Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, the former vice president, at a special security meeting at the Presidential Palace on Saturday, caused politicians and analysts to speculate that President Ashraf Ghani is using Dostum opportunistically amid new developments in the peace process. Dostum has not attended any such event for the last
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty March 12, 2021 Russia says the Taliban should be included in any interim Afghan government as Moscow prepares to host a conference next week that is meant to move forward the peace process in the conflict-wracked country. The statement by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova came on March 12, hours
Ariana: Seven Civil Society Organizations have jointly slammed government for compromising on democratic values, and went as far as to label government a “dictatorship” and Afghanistan a country its people no longer consider safe to live in. “The government epitomizes dictatorship. Power has not been actually separated; autonomy of the three main powers is questionable;
Ariana: Members of a number of different political parties said Tuesday that under the new US plan for a transitional government, the Taliban has been offered a 50 percent stake in the system with the balance shared between politicians and government. Meanwhile, sources from the Jamiat-e-Islami party said they proposed the power-sharing plan to the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty March 8, 2021 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has set out a series of steps to reinvigorate the stalled peace process between the Afghan government and the Taliban, according to media reports. Blinken made the suggestions in a letter to President Ashraf Ghani seen by Afghanistan’s TOLOnews. The New York Times also
Ariana: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the Hizb-e-Islami Party, has accused the government of being involved in targeted attacks across the country. In an interview with Ariana News, Hekmatyar threatened to expose those involved in the attacks if the government failed to “stop assassinating people”. Click here to read more (external link).
The Guardian (UK): These are the “danger hours” in Afghanistan: on the streets where Afghans fear for their lives; in negotiations where all sides know the risk of an even more vicious civil war and, in a worst case scenario, a chaotic collapse of Kabul. The US is trapped in a vice. Click here to