Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 20, 2018 Afghan security officials said that gunmen attacked Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel on January 20 and that security forces battling the assailants had killed one “terrorist.” Officials said that at least three attackers entered the hotel and had exchanged gunfire with security forces who arrived at the scene. Afghan Interior
Press TV January 20, 2018 A senior Iranian diplomat says the US-led invasion of Afghanistan has merely led to the deterioration of the security situation in the Asian country, urging enhanced economic ties with Kabul to pave the way for an international fight against terrorism there. Iranian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Es’haq Al-e Habib made
Tolo News: Officials state at least 100 security force members have been killed in fighting in Farah in the past week. Members of Farah provincial council on Thursday reported that the Taliban are pushing to capture Farah City after a week of clashes with security forces. Click here to read more (external link).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 18, 2018 German prosecutors have filed terrorism and murder charges against a suspected member of Afghanistan’s Taliban accused of participating in the killing of an Afghan police officer. Federal prosecutors said on January 18 that they filed the indictment against the Afghan national, identified as 20-year-old Omaid N., at the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 18, 2018 The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says that Afghanistan is getting closer to holding peace talks with the Taliban as a result of a new Afghan strategy put in place by the United States last year. The remarks by Ambassador Nikki Haley at the UN in New
Michael Hughes: Turkey-hosted discussions between members of the Taliban and Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) – the political party founded by notorious Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar – underscore the reality extremists are trying to hijack the peace process. Although Kabul and even Taliban central downplayed the proceedings, the development marks a step backwards in the quest for a
January 15, 2018 RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan A community gathering in Afghanistan’s Logar Province has awarded U.S. President Donald Trump a “bravery” medal, thanking him for his tough stance against Pakistan. Said Farhad Akbari, a community leader in the province, told RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan on January 14 that more than 300 people at an
VOA News Mohammad Habibzada January 14, 2018 Afghan forces are planning to hand over the security responsibilities to the local forces of the rural communities, they have recently captured from Taliban and IS militants, in eastern Nangarhar a province that borders Pakistan. Nangarhar provincial officials said hundreds of local men, armed by Afghan National Directorate
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 14, 2018 Afghanistan government negotiators and Taliban officials have reportedly opened “unofficial” talks in Turkey to discuss “mechanisms” that could pave the ground for initiating a formal peace dialogue. Participants of the meeting have told Afghan media the talks have been arranged in cooperation with the Turkish government. Officials from
VOA News January 13, 2018 Hasib Danish Alikozai Mohammad Habibzada WASHINGTON — An Afghan defense official told VOA that the recent spike in violence in Afghanistan is not the work of the Islamic State terror group. Rather the Pakistan-based Haqqani network is behind the attacks, he said. General Mohammad Radmanesh, a spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry