Carla Babb VOA News July 12, 2021 PENTAGON – The top U.S. general in Afghanistan stepped down on Monday as Taliban fighters continue to make gains across the war-torn country. The Biden administration has said the official end date of the U.S. troop withdrawal will be August 31, but Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller’s relinquishing of command is a symbolic end to the troop
Press TV July 11, 2021 By Sa’adollah Zarei for Kayhan A notable number of Afghan towns’ fall into the hands of the Taliban has given rise to many discussions on the international and regional levels, including in Iran. The main question here is what will be the fate of Afghanistan as a result of these
RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service July 11, 2021 Turkmenistan has begun moving heavy weaponry, helicopters, and other aircraft closer to its border with Afghanistan, and reservists are being put on alert in the capital, a further sign of the worry spreading across Central Asia as Taliban fighters continue major offensives. A senior official at a Turkmen security
Ariana: At least seven Afghan pilots have been assassinated off base in recent months, according to two senior Afghan government officials, Reuters reported. According to Reuters, this series of targeted killings, which haven’t been previously reported, illustrate what U.S. and Afghan officials believe is a deliberate Taliban effort to destroy one of Afghanistan’s most valuable
1TV: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey and the US agreed on the “scope” of how to secure Kabul airport under the control of Turkish forces after US troops withdraw from Afghanistan. Erdogan said the issue was discussed between Turkish and US defence chiefs on Thursday. Click here to read more (external
Radio Azadi July 10, 2021 Kabul has requested that European countries halt the compulsory deportation of Afghan asylum seekers for the next three months due to increased Taliban violence and a rise in coronavirus infections in Afghanistan. The “war situation” and a third wave of COVID-19 infections have caused economic and social unrest in Afghanistan,
AP: Ata Mohammad Noor, who is among those behind the latest attempt to halt the Taliban advances by creating more militias, told The Associated Press that the Afghan military is badly demoralized. He said Washington’s quick exit left the Afghan military logistically unprepared for the Taliban onslaught. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV: The Taliban should promise that they will not accept the Durand Line as Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, if they love their country. Addressing a gathering in Khost province, Ghani said that the Taliban should also promise that they will not serve outsiders. Ghani said that he was not in favor of US troops staying
Radio Azadi July 10, 2021 Deadly clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban in and around the southern city of Kandahar have continued into a second day. The Afghan military said on July 10 that dozens of insurgents have been killed in fighting in Kandahar’s Seventh Police District and the provincial capital’s surrounding Dand district.
Washington Post: As Western forces exit Afghanistan, Iran is watching with alarm. The resolution of one long-standing aim, the withdrawal of U.S. troops, is unleashing a separate challenge: what to do about the Taliban, another longtime problem for Iran, swiftly regaining power and territory next door. Click here to read more (external link).