Ken Bredemeier VOA News July 4, 2021 WASHINGTON – As the last U.S. forces are withdrawn from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of fighting, the American commander says he is worried about the territorial advance of Taliban insurgents attempting to take back control of the country. U.S. Army Gen. Scott Miller, in an interview broadcast
Los Angeles Times: The capital’s morning rush hour is a discordant backdrop for the workshop of Izzatullah Neamat. But walk down an alley, sidestep a sewage canal, and there he is: ensconced in the rabble among dozens of rubabs — an ancient instrument that resembles a lute — that have become his life’s work and
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 3, 2021 The Pentagon says the turnover of Bagram Airfield to Afghan security forces was a “key milestone” in the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but insisted the U.S. military still has the authority to protect Afghan forces. The comments from Defense Department spokesman John Kirby on July 2
Radio Mashaal: Pakistan’s top military leadership has warned members of parliament that an army crackdown against militants of the Afghan Taliban group inside Pakistan could result in blowback, lawmakers say. Click here to read more (external link).
Carla Babb VOA News July 2, 2021 U.S. forces have left Bagram Airfield, the main American base in Afghanistan, and handed control over to Afghan National Security Forces, a U.S. defense official confirmed to VOA. For nearly two decades the base, 60 kilometers north of Kabul, served as the center of the U.S. fight to
Ariana: Civil society activists in the northeastern province of Takhar said on Thursday that the Taliban have issued new laws and regulations in recently captured districts in the province. The activists said the Taliban have ordered men to grow their beards, banned women from leaving home alone, and have set dowry regulations for girls. “They
Michael Hughes: On the very same day then-President George W. Bush delivered his “Mission-Accomplished-in-Iraq” speech, his Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, declared that major U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan had “clearly” moved into stabilization mode. “The bulk of this country today is permissive, it’s secure,” Rumsfeld told reporters during a visit to Kabul on May 1,
The Guardian (UK): Haji Ghoulam Farouq Siawshani watched the Taliban rampage across northern Afghanistan this month, weighing up the threat from militants on his doorstep. Then, 10 days ago, the former oil trader turned militia commander issued a call to arms. “Where the Taliban go, they bring destruction, and they are one kilometre away from
Ariana: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday that Pakistan has no leverage over the Taliban group in Afghanistan. “Now that US is leaving they are asking Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the talks tables but we have no leverage over them (Taliban), except a few of their families live here; can we
Tolo News: A mortar round landed inside the residence of Atta Mohammad Noor, the former governor of Balkh province this evening, wounding at least two people, said MP Sayed Zahir Masroor. “The mortar landed while Noor was in a meeting with political leaders, provincial council members and security officials to review the security situation of