Ariana: The Taliban say they don’t want to monopolize power, but insist there will only be peace in Afghanistan once President Ashraf Ghani has been removed from power and a new government is in place. In an interview with The Associated Press, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, who is also a member of the group’s negotiating
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 22, 2021 A war of words between Pakistan and Afghanistan has escalated dramatically on social media and reverberated up the political ranks, threatening a diplomatic breakdown and highlighting security concerns in the region. An Afghan vice president taunted Pakistanis on July 22 with an image from a humiliating national defeat
Liam Scott, Nike Ching, Jeff Seldin VOA News July 22, 2021 WASHINGTON – A coalition of more than two dozen U.S. news outlets and press freedom organizations is calling on the U.S. government to help protect Afghans who worked with foreign media and may face risks from the Taliban as a result. Letters to President Joe Biden and
Bruce Pannier Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 22, 2021 Central Asia has long advertised itself as the crossroads of the Eurasian continent — a region that, with development, could be an important transit hub for shipping goods from east to west and from north to south. The Asian Development Bank’s Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation
The Conversation: During the Taliban’s five-year rule – which was almost universally shunned by other governments but supported militarily and politically by Pakistan – women were prohibited from working, attending school or leaving home without a male relative. Men were forced to grow beards and wear a cap or turban. Music and other entertainment was
Ariana: The Taliban appear to have “strategic momentum” in the fight for control of Afghanistan as they put increasing pressure on key cities, setting the stage for a decisive period in coming weeks, the top U.S. military officer General Mark Milley said Wednesday. “This is going to be a test now of the will and
Ariana: President Ashraf Ghani said on Wednesday the Taliban still has “deep ties to al-Qaeda, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba” and wants Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorists. Click here to read more (external link).
By Reid Standish Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 20, 2021 As U.S. troops draw down in Afghanistan, Chinese officials have stepped up contacts with the Taliban as it surges across the country and builds strategic footholds against Afghan government forces. On paper, Beijing and the Taliban are strange bedfellows. China is an atheistic, communist state that
Rolling Stone: Kunduz, a city of some 370,000 people, had fallen to the Taliban twice before – in 2015 and 2016 — but was retaken with the help of U.S. Special Forces and air support. A loss here now would be severely demoralizing and could have a domino effect at a time when other provincial
AFP: At least three rockets landed Tuesday in the Afghan capital ahead of a speech by President Ashraf Ghani marking the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the interior ministry said. The rockets, fired about 8 a.m., were heard across the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses the presidential palace and several embassies,