Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 26, 2020 When most of Afghanistan was under Taliban rule in the late 1990s, the fundamentalist regime drafted a new constitution. The document was never officially ratified, and it was unclear how much of it was ever implemented before the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the extremist Islamic
BBC News: In a dusty courtyard, behind a tall mesh fence, a group of teenagers are playing a frenetic game of football, while others stand around watching from the sidelines. These are some of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable and most troubled children. Inmates of Kabul’s Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre. The centre generally holds approximately 300 inmates, aged
By Ayaz Gul VOA News April 26, 2020 ISLAMABAD – The United States has again demanded that Afghanistan’s feuding leaders and the Taliban insurgency set internal disputes aside and cease armed violence to focus on combating the coronavirus pandemic. American peace envoy to the country, Zalmay Khalilzad, made the call Sunday through a series of tweets
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
Tolo News: 55 Taliban prisoners were released on Wednesday from nine provinces, the Office of the National Security Council said Thursday. Javid Faisal, the council spokesman, said that the Taliban were released as part of the Afghan government’s efforts to “advance peace and fight COVID-19” in the country. Click here to read more (external link).
Ayaz Gul VOA News April 22, 2020 ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – Clashes between government forces and Taliban insurgents have killed about 60 combatants on both sides, officials in Afghanistan said Wednesday. In a major pre-dawn attack, the Taliban raided army and police outposts in two districts of the northern Sar-e-Pul Province. Provincial governor Abdul Qadir Ashna
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan April 22, 2020 KABUL — Afghanistan says it has released another 71 Taliban prisoners in a further step toward bringing the two sides together to negotiate a peace settlement. Javed Faisal, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a tweet that detainees had been released from seven prisons in the Nangarhar,
Press TV April 21, 2020 US officials have reportedly expressed concern about a possible failure of Washington’s bid to end its war in Afghanistan if Taliban and government prisoners die of coronavirus infection before being swapped as outlined under a US-Taliban deal. Four sources familiar with the matter said that if Taliban and government prisoners
Tolo News: Local officials in the northern province of Badakhshan on Tuesday said that Daesh and affiliate groups are moving to establish a stronger military presence in the province so they can continue the war against the Afghan security forces. According to the local officials, there are around 400 fighters linked with various ‘terrorist groups’