By Ayaz Gul VOA News August 13, 2020 ISLAMABAD – A senior official in Afghanistan said Wednesday that a team of state representatives will begin formal peace negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar “early next week” to try to negotiate a political solution to the country’s long war. Mustafa Mastoor, the Afghan Minister of Economy, said
Tolo News: At least four people were killed and two more wounded after a car bomb exploded near Farah city police headquarters on Wednesday, local officials said. Dadullah Qani, a member of the Farah provincial council, confirmed to TOLOnews that the car bomb targeted the vehicle of Abdul Qader, the deputy commander of the Farah
Ayaz Gul VOA News August 11, 2020 ISLAMABAD – The Taliban reaffirmed Tuesday its commitment to ending violence in Afghanistan, while emphasizing that a comprehensive cease-fire has to be discussed during intra-Afghan peace negotiations due to begin later this month. The proposed talks are an outcome of the agreement the United States sealed with the
Xinhua: Gunmen killed a pro-government tribal leader in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, local police said Monday. “Alizaman, a tribal elder and influential leader, was shot and killed outside his house in Zintu area of Mianshin district late on Sunday,” Jamal Barekzai, provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua. The assailants fled the scene after the shooting and
Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News August 10, 2020 ISLAMABAD – Nineteen Afghan civilians were killed in multiple roadside mine blasts in Kabul and Kandahar Sunday. Two of the blasts occurred in Arghistan district of Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. In the first incident, a Toyota pickup carrying civilians hit a roadside mine near Shana Nari village killing nine
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 9, 2020 U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says the United States is planning to cut back its troop levels in Afghanistan to “a number less than 5,000” by the end of November. Esper made the remark in an interview with Fox News that was broadcast on August 8. His
Ayaz Gul VOA News August 9, 2010 Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani Sunday announced the release of a last batch of 400 Taliban prisoners, clearing the way for an early start to a U.S.-brokered peace dialogue with the Islamist insurgency. Ghani’s decision came after a government-sponsored grand public assembly, known as a Loya Jirga, advised him
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan August 8, 2020 A traditional Afghan council is expected to back a proposal for the government to release a final group of 400 Taliban prisoners, a move that potentially paves the way for intra-Afghan peace talks. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Loya Jirga gathering Afghan politicians and community leaders, said
Ayaz Gul VOA News August 7, 2020 ISLAMABAD – A traditional public assembly, known as a Loya Jirga, opened in Afghanistan Friday to determine whether a last set of 400 hard-core prisoners from the Taliban insurgency should be freed to clear the way for long-awaited direct peace talks between Afghanistan’s warring sides. Afghan President Ashraf
Ariana: A traditional consultative council, or Loya Jirga, will convene in Kabul on Friday to decide the fate of the last 400 Taliban prisoners who have not yet been released in accordance with the US-Taliban Doha agreement. The agreement called for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 government personnel that were being held