Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 4, 2017 Taliban forces in Afghanistan plan to extend their control of provinces in which they already have a heavy presence in the upcoming spring offensive, a spokesman told the German dpa news agency in an interview. Zabihullah Mujahid on April 3 said the militants will press their advantage during
Noor Zahid VOA News April 2, 2017 WASHINGTON — As Afghan security forces continue their military operations against the Taliban and Islamic State-backed militants in the country, the government plans to improve its security forces in the next few years to help beat the growing threat posed by militant groups, Afghan officials said. As part of
Ayaz Gul VOA News April 2, 2017 ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — Witnesses and relatives in southern Afghanistan say a pre-dawn bomb blast killed at least 10 civilians, mostly children and women, in an area where Afghan national security forces were conducting anti-Taliban operations. It was not immediately clear whether an airstrike by government forces or an insurgent
Michael Hughes: The White House seems to be singing from a different song sheet about the situation in Sangin than America’s military brass, evidenced by its reluctance to rubber stamp the Pentagon’s position that the key district in southern Helmand province was not overrun by the Taliban recently. This could be a case of simple miscommunication
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 1, 2017 Russia says it is in contact with the Taliban in Afghanistan to push the militant group toward national reconciliation and to ensure the security of Russian citizens. Speaking to reporters in Brussels on March 31, Russia’s ambassador to NATO, Aleksandr Grushko, denied that Moscow is providing aid to
Paul Alexander VOA News April 1, 2017 Pakistan’s unilateral decision to build a wall along the de facto border with Afghanistan is proving popular at home while fanning emotions on the other side that were enflamed by Islamabad’s decision to close border crossings. In both cases, the stated reason was to halt terror attacks in
Press TV March 31, 2017 A mortar attack by Taliban militants has killed five civilians of one family, including four children, in Afghanistan’s northern province of Takhar. Sunatullah Timor, the provincial governor’s spokesman, said on Friday that the militants fired mortars at a security post in Khwaja Bahuddin district the previous day. One of the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty March 31, 2017 U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has expressed concern over Russia’s activities in Afghanistan and its interaction with the Taliban militant group. “We have seen Russian activity vis-a-vis the Taliban,” Mattis said during a news conference in London on March 31. “I am not willing to say at this
Tolo News: The Commander of the United States Central Command General Josef Votel said at a session in the U.S Senate this week that Russia might provide support to the Taliban in order to be an influential party in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link). Related Russia resurrects interest in Afghanistan NATO-Russia Council Holds
Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News March 29, 2017 ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan is expected to get up to 200 helicopters and other aircraft as part of a four-year plan to improve the nation’s security forces to help beat the Taliban insurgency, according to Dawlat Waziri, the spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry. Waziri said discussion of the plan