Ayaz Gul VOA News December 31, 2018 ISLAMABAD — An Afghan Taliban delegation visited Iran on Sunday and held bilateral talks on promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan. The development comes as the Afghan insurgent group claims it has established control over 61 of the 407 Afghan districts during the 2018 fighting season. Iran’s Foreign Ministry
Tolo News: Assadullah Khalid, who took the charge as the acting defense minister following a decree by President Ghani last week, vowed further reforms in the Ministry of Defense and a thorough attention to the Afghan forces, who he described as the owners and decision makers of this country. Click here to read more (external
Hasib Danish Alikozai VOA News December 28, 2018 WASHINGTON — Despite challenges on multiple fronts, Afghanistan seems more likely than at any time in recent history to come to a favorable political settlement, according to a report released this week by the Pentagon, which cited the effects of a recent military escalation coupled with diplomatic initiatives.
Press TV December 28, 2018 Former German Defense Chief General Harald Kujat has warned that a probable American military withdrawal from Afghanistan may jeopardize German troops and force them to leave. “If the United States reduces itself to a small contingent in Afghanistan there’s no reason for us to continue the mission anymore,” Kujat told the German Tagesspiegel newspaper on
Press TV December 27, 2018 The Taliban militant group has warned the United States it would face the same fate as the Soviet Union in the 1980s if it did not leave violence-wracked Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement on Thursday that US forces face “humiliation” and could “learn a great deal” from
1TV: Amrullah Saleh, a former Afghan intelligence chief who was recently appointed as acting interior minister, on Tuesday vowed that he would be “merciless against criminals and enemies of the country.” “I hope when I leave the post, people would attach two attributes to me: a sincere servant of the people and a merciless minister against
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty December 27, 2018 The Afghan National Army says a leading spokesman for the affiliate of the extremist group Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan has been killed in a drone strike. An army statement on December 27 said Sultan Aziz Azam was killed the day before in an “IS hideout” in the
Press TV December 26, 2018 Iran’s top security official has confirmed that the country has been holding talks with the Afghan Taliban in coordination with Kabul to help relieve rampant insecurity in Afghanistan. “The series of contacts and talks with the Taliban group have taken place with the knowledge of the Afghan government,” Ali Shamkhani,
By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan December 25, 2018 Afghan officials say at least 43 people were killed after militants stormed government offices in the eastern part of the capital Kabul, triggering an hours-long gun battle. Health Ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh said another 25 people were wounded in the December 24 raid on a compound housing
VOA News| December 25, 2018: U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering cutting in half the number of American troops in Afghanistan in coming weeks. The move, not yet confirmed by the U.S. administration, has shocked officials in the war-ravaged country and around region. Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad.