Roshan Noorzai VOA News January 21, 2021 WASHINGTON – A recent string of targeted killings in Afghanistan has created an atmosphere of fear among Afghan journalists who say they cannot carry out their duties under growing threats. The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, a local media advocacy group, has warned that the country might lose one
Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 21, 2021 Afghanistan’s government has been fighting the Taliban militarily for many years, but Kabul is increasingly waging an ideological battle with the Islamist group. On the battlefield, government forces and Taliban militants are fighting a grinding war for control of the country. Off the battlefield, the foes
Ariana: Five villages in Orgu district of Badakhshan province have fallen to the Taliban, the provincial police said Thursday. Sanaullah Rouhani, a spokesman for Badakhshan police told Ariana News that the villages had recently been reclaimed by security forces but were overrun on Wednesday by the Taliban. Click here to read more (external link).
By Abubakar Siddique Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 20, 2021 As U.S. President Joe Biden assumes office today, many in Afghanistan hope that he can correct course and help their country achieve peace while also helping Washington end the longest war in its history. Biden’s predecessor left him a narrow path to follow in Afghanistan. Under
AFP: President-elect Joe Biden’s pick [Antony Blinken] for his top diplomat said on January 19 he would undertake a review of a deal with Afghanistan’s Taliban and that the United States needed means to prevent any resurgence of terrorism. Click here to read more (external link). Related Afghan Govt Will Not Release More Taliban Prisoners:
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 19, 2021 A spate of violence has killed more than two dozen people across Afghanistan, even as peace talks are under way between representatives of the government and Taliban militants in Qatar. The Defense Ministry said in a statement on January 19 that four Afghan soldiers were killed overnight in
1TV: Afghanistan’s First Vice President Amrullah Saleh suggested on Monday that some Taliban detainees should be executed in response to rise in assassinations. Saleh said that the core reason why assassinations have increased in major cities is that the Taliban detainees think that they would be pardoned and not punished. Click here to read more
Ariana: Former vice president Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum has returned to the battlefield and is leading troops to fight the Taliban in Qaramqal district of northern Faryab province. In an operation led by him, parts of the district are said to have been cleared of militants within only 12 hours. Click here to read more
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 17, 2021 ISLAMABAD – Officials in Afghanistan said Sunday two female judges working for the Supreme Court were shot dead in the capital, Kabul, the latest victims of targeted killings in recent months. A court spokesman said the slain judges were on their way to work in the morning when
Michael Hughes: President-elect Joe Biden may have no choice but to allow Zalmay Khalilzad to stay on as U.S. envoy to Afghanistan for reasons of continuity amid the ongoing negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban. Khalilzad, a native Afghan turned American cowboy, is not taking any chances, however, as he aggressively pushes President Ashraf Ghani