Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 29, 2019 Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan, is opening a new round of talks with the Taliban in Doha as Washington bids to speed up the process to end the 18-year conflict in the war-torn country. Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha,
The New York Times: The New York Times obtained a rare copy of that draft constitution — a 14-page document that was confirmed by people close to the Taliban, including some former officials who worked on the draft. It remains the only known official codification of the movement’s political vision. The draft shows flashes of sophistication,
1TV: Speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, Ghani highlighted “strong interdependencies” between the Taliban and Pakistan and called for “programmatic approaches” to move from conflict to cooperation. “We have a proverb it says you cannot take an Afghan to heaven by coercion, but you can take him to hell by persuasion,” Ghani said. Click
Tolo News: Amid optimism by the Afghan government and the United States on a potential peace deal ahead of the upcoming polls in Afghanistan, the head of the High Peace Council, Mohammad Karim Khalili said he supports the efforts for the reconciliation process but added that an Islamic emirate will not be a responsive system for
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 26, 2019 BRUSSELS — NATO defense ministers will gather in Brussels on June 26 for two days of talks that will include defense spending within the alliance, its mission in Afghanistan, and Russia’s alleged violation of a Cold War-era nuclear-arms-control agreement, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Meanwhile, acting U.S. Defense Secretary
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 26, 2019 The U.S. military says two of its service members were killed in Afghanistan on June 26, a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a quick visit to Kabul where he said Washington was hopeful of a peace deal “before September 1.” A statement by the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 25, 2019 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hopes for a peace deal with the Taliban “before September 1,” as he spoke to reporters in Kabul during an unannounced visit to the Afghan capital on June 25. Pompeo met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other high-level Afghan
1TV: Afghan force reclaimed Bilchiragh district in northern Faryab province from the Taliban, Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Bilchiragh had fallen to insurgents more than 10 months ago. Click here to read more (external link).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 24, 2019 The Taliban have issued a threat to Afghan media, saying journalists will be targeted unless news outlets stop broadcasting what they describe as government propaganda against the militants. In a statement released on June 24, the group gave Afghan radio stations, TV channels, publications and others a week
Tolo News: Hezb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has praised Pakistan’s role in the ongoing peace process for his country and has said that “Pakistan could play a key role in bringing peace in Afghanistan and now they are doing it.” “Pakistan is a very important country and Islamabad could play a key role in bringing peace in