CBC: Setting up regulations and tax collection ‘to make the Taliban look like a state’ – The Taliban in Afghanistan are becoming what one think-tank calls a “government in waiting,” taxing individuals in the provinces and extending a kind of regulatory jurisdiction over medical clinics and other public institutions. The Taliban have their own tax
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty December 24, 2018 Militants detonated a car bomb before storming a government compound in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in an ongoing attack on December 24, officials and eyewitnesses said. Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry, said several gunmen entered the compound and that they were exchanging fire with the
Hasib Danish Alikozai Mohammad Habibzada VOA News December 22, 2018 WASHINGTON — Reactions are mixed to reports in the U.S. media that U.S. President Donald Trump is mulling over withdrawing within weeks roughly half of the more than 14,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The news of the potential withdrawal from Afghanistan comes a day after Trump
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 21, 2018 ISLAMABAD — The government in Afghanistan is playing down the significance of reported U.S. troop reduction plans, saying Afghan security forces are capable of protecting and defending the country on their own. Officials in Washington are reported as saying President Donald Trump is considering withdrawing roughly half of the
VOA News December 20, 2018 President Donald Trump is considering a significant U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, senior administration officials said Thursday. The first of the U.S. troops could come home as early as next month, the officials told U.S. news agencies. There has been no comment so far from the Pentagon or U.S. Central
Associated Press: Trump has said his instinct is to quit Afghanistan as a lost cause, but more recently he’s suggested a willingness to stay in search of peace with the Taliban. However, the abruptness with which he turned the page on Syria raises questions about whether combat partners like Iraq and Afghanistan should feel confident that
Ayaz Gul VOA News December 19, 2018 ISLAMABAD — The Taliban say ongoing bilateral “serious discussions” with the United States are entirely focused on the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and reports to the contrary are “propaganda.” The marathon three-day dialogue, being hosted by the United Arab Emirates, is due to conclude Wednesday. Pakistan says
The American Conservative: Put simply, our presence in Afghanistan (and other places) doesn’t prevent terrorism; in fact, our presence likely causes terrorism. There are 17 years of practical experience in Afghanistan countering theories about the “stabilizing” factors of American and NATO forces. Who wants to see American values corrupted and cheapened as we kill innocents in
By Shareefullah Sharafat and Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty December 16, 2018 QALAT, Afghanistan — The ancient fortress towering above Qalat, the capital of Afghanistan’s southern province of Zabul, overlooks swaths of desert and scrubland that stretch to the rugged mountains straddling the border with Pakistan. This barren, sparsely populated land has long been
Michael Hughes: Washington still lacks any viable strategy for ending the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan outside of a last ditch bid to strike a Faustian bargain with Taliban contacts in Doha. Beijing, on the other hand, appears to have a workable regional solution that can bring stability and prosperity to Afghanistan if the United States