Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 2, 2021 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the top diplomats of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on July 1, with Afghanistan high on the agenda as U.S. forces prepare to exit the war-torn country and Washington seeks Central Asian partners. The meetings in Washington come as the Taliban has
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
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
Nike Ching VOA News July 1, 2021 WASHINGTON – The United States on Wednesday reaffirmed ongoing support to relocate tens of thousands of Afghans who helped American forces during the nearly two-decade war in Afghanistan. “We’ve identified a group of SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) applicants who served as interpreters and translators, as well as other individuals who have assisted us and
Ayaz Gul VOA News June 30, 2021 ISLAMABAD – Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday denounced as “idiocy” his country’s past policy of becoming a “front-line state” in the U.S.-led war against terrorism in Afghanistan, blaming the policy for the persistent security and economic challenges facing Islamabad. “We can be, and will always remain,
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 30, 2021 The last German, Italian, and North Macedonian troops have returned home from Afghanistan, bringing their nearly two-decade deployment to a close as part of an accelerated withdrawal of foreign forces from the war-wracked country. The U.S.-led coalition agreed in April to end their 9,600-strong mission in Afghanistan after
By Radio Free Afghanistan June 29, 2021 The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan has not ruled out conducting air strikes against the Taliban if the insurgents press on with their campaign to seize territory across the war-torn country. The Taliban has taken control of dozens of districts from government forces in recent weeks, raising
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 29, 2021 Afghan security forces have retaken control of three districts in the north of the country after days of heavy fighting with Taliban militants. The Taliban has taken control of dozens of districts from government forces in recent weeks, raising concerns that the Western-backed government in Kabul and the