Asia Times: It makes for a gripping intellectual exercise to study a country in the throes of a pivotal change that throws it off its familiar path. The study of such turnabout moments in Afghanistan, however, is not as promising, because of their sheer frequency. The country in at least five of the past decades
Tolo News: There has been no progress on the formation of the High Council of Peace and Reconciliation as Abdullah Abdullah, President Ghani’s political opponent, has not presented his proposed plan to the Presidential Palace. Abdullah last month rejected a proposed plan by President Ghani in which Ghani proposed that Abdullah lead the High Council
By Ayaz Gul VOA News April 25, 2020 ISLAMABAD – Officials in Afghanistan alleged Saturday the Taliban has “killed or wounded” nearly 800 civilians since signing the February 29 peace-building deal with the United States. A spokesman for the Islamist insurgency swiftly rejected the charges. The allegations came on a day when Washington’s peace envoy for
By Ayaz Gul VOA News April 23, 2020 ISLAMABAD – The Taliban has turned down calls for a cease-fire in Afghanistan during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins Friday. The Afghan government and others had hoped to enable health officials to better respond to the “common threat” of the coronavirus pandemic. A spokesman for the Islamist
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan April 13, 2020 U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated a deal with the Taliban, has welcomed a prisoner exchange between the militants and the Afghan government as an “important step” toward peace. “Both sides should accelerate efforts to meet targets specified in the U.S.-Taliban agreement as soon as possible,” Khalilzad said on
Press TV April 12, 2020 Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has stressed the importance of strengthening unity among Afghanistan’s various parties and establishing peace and stability in the country. In a Sunday phone call with Mohammed Haneef Atmar, the acting foreign minister of Afghanistan, the Iranian foreign minister said relations between Tehran and Kabul
Ayaz Gul VOA News April 12, 2020 The Taliban released a first group of 20 prisoners on Sunday, effectively moving forward a crucial swap with the Afghanistan government aimed at kick-starting peace talks between Afghan parties to the war. The insurgent move follows the release of 300 Taliban prisoners over the past few days, including
Tolo News: A spokesman for Abdullah Abdullah on Saturday claimed that the Presidential Palace is trying to “create differences” between political and former mujahideen leaders who are supporting Abdullah’s stance. Omid Maisam said such efforts will not work and that political and former mujahideen leaders will continue to support Abdullah’s side. Click here to read
Ayaz Gul VOA News April 11, 2020 ISLAMABAD – The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan has met with leaders of the Taliban insurgency under their bilateral peace-building agreement to discuss ways to reduce violence in the war-torn country, both sides said Saturday. A Taliban spokesman tweeted about the meeting with General Scott Miller, who
The Diplomat: Afghanistan’s Ministry of Finance, one of the most important ministries in the country, will now be fragmented into three independent agencies. There are concerns over the proposed division of the Ministry of Finance, particularly to what extent the new agencies will act “independently.” This decision would make these agencies vulnerable to political influence