Tolo News: The Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who signed a peace deal with the Afghan government in 2016, says everyone in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, are tired of the war and that the group is now “serious” about a political settlement to the conflict in the country. “I feel that not only our nation but also
Al Jazeera: Comprising 15 percent of the population, the mostly Shia Muslim ethnic minority has long suffered targeted killings – The Hazara have long suffered oppression and persecution in Afghanistan. They are now often targeted by groups swearing allegiance to ISIL. In the 1990s, thousands were killed by al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. The Taliban declared them as “non-Muslims” during their rule from 1996
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty February 26, 2019 Afghan officials say that an air strike has mistakenly killed nine members of a government-backed militia. Provincial officials said that at least three members of the forces were also wounded in the strike, which took place in the eastern province of Ghazni late on February 26. The militiamen
Tolo News: President Ashraf Ghani has reacted to reports on a plan to establish an interim government in the country as part of a peace plan, and said the plan has been outlined outside the country and that it is not applicable in Afghanistan. Addressing a group of youths and activists from the southern provinces at
Tolo News: The fifth of round of talks between the United States officials and the Taliban representatives will be held in Doha, Qatar, on February 25, but sources said some members of the Taliban will not attend the talks. According to sources, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of Taliban’s Qatar office and an influential figure among
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty February 20, 2019 An Afghan official said six civilians were killed after their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in the eastern province of Laghman. Asadullah Dawlatzai, the provincial governor’s spokesman, said the victims were travelling in Qarghayi district when the bomb went off on February 19. No group has
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty February 19, 2019 U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has called on Afghans to put aside their differences and unite as attempts to end Afghanistan’s 17-year war gain momentum. Khalilzad has held a series of direct talks with Taliban negotiators in the Middle East in recent months, although those discussions have not
By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal February 17, 2019 The Taliban has called off a planned round of peace talks in Pakistan, saying that most of the members of its negotiating team are unable to travel because they are subject to U.S. and UN sanctions. The statement was issued on February 17 — a day before the
Michael Hughes: The Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) attack on Indian troops in Kashmir could waste some of the goodwill Pakistan had built up with the Trump administration vis-à-vis the Taliban peace talks. Islamabad was on the verge of a major diplomatic coup in Kabul but now may have “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory,” as they say.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty February 16, 2019 German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that a hasty U.S. pullout from Syria runs the risk of strengthening the roles of Russia and Iran in the Middle East. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 16, Merkel questioned whether the planned U.S. withdrawal was “a good idea.”