Washington Examiner: The central argument for staying in Afghanistan — to prevent it from becoming a terrorist sanctuary — is weak for several reasons. This argument hinges on the fear that withdrawal would lead to the Taliban retaking control of Afghanistan. But although the Taliban did provide al Qaeda safe haven back in 2001, it
Ayaz Gul VOA News October 18, 2016 ISLAMABAD — Senior Afghan government and Taliban representatives reportedly have held at least two secret meetings in recent days in a bid to resume a long-awaited peace dialogue to end the war in Afghanistan. A source within the National Unity Government (NUG) in Kabul has confirmed to VOA the
Tolo News: President Ashraf Ghani’s first VP General Abdul Rashid Dostum on Monday said that he had not been injured during a Taliban siege in Faryab, terming CEO Abdullah Abdullah’s remarks inappropriate. Presiding over a meeting of council of ministers on Monday, Abdullah said that Dostum had been slightly injured in a Taliban siege in Faryab. However
Michael Hughes: The already-forgotten war in Afghanistan – the one the United States started – has been relegated to background noise in a presidential contest rife with scandal and low on serious policy debate. The mainstream media has nearly guaranteed that most voters will have Hillary Clinton’s emails or Donald Trump’s alleged gropes on their minds
QALA-E-NAW, Afghanistan, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) — A senior security official Brigadier Abdul Qadir lost his life after Taliban militants ambushed his motorcade in the western Badghis province with Qala-e-Naw as its capital, 555 km northwest of Kabul on Monday, provincial police chief Abdul Rauf Taj said. “Brigadier Abdul Qadir the commander of Special Force of
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty October 17, 2016 Afghan officials say unknown gunmen have shot dead a reporter in the southern province of Zabul. Zabul Province’s police chief, General Mirwais Noorzai, said Yaqoob Sharafat was killed late on October 16 in the provincial capital, Qalat. Sharafat was reportedly leaving a clinic with his wife when the
Ayaz Gul VOA News October 16, 2016 ISLAMABAD — Security forces in Afghanistan claim to have pushed the Taliban from parts of a key southern provincial capital and inflicted heavy casualties on the opposition as insurgent hostilities appear to have subsided in other conflict-hit provinces. The rebel group staged a major assault on Lashkar Gah, capital
1TV: Islamic State militant group is planning to deploy as many as 7,000 fighters in northern Afghanistan to carry out terror attacks, First Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum said Saturday. Visiting Faryab to clear the northern province from Taliban insurgents, Dostum stated that the IS fighters in north Afghanistan would include nationals of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Tajikistan,
VOA News / October 14, 2016 Ayaz Gul ISLAMABAD — A spokesman for the U.S.-led foreign military coalition in Afghanistan said it is worried about the number of casualties Afghan security forces have suffered in recent battles with the Taliban. According to local officials, more than 100 personnel of the Afghan National Defense and Security Force,
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty October 14, 2016 Afghan officials say hundreds of members of the Afghanistan’s security forces have been killed in recent fighting against Taliban militants in and around Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province. Abdul Majeed Akhonzada, deputy head of Helmand’s provincial council, and Helmand’s lawmaker in the upper chamber of the