RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi July 31, 2021 HERAT, Afghanistan — Afghan security forces and Taliban militants clashed again on the outskirts of the western Afghan city of Herat on July 31 — a day after the militant group attempted to storm into the city. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi on July 31
Ariana: Afghan National Security Advisor (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib said Friday that as many as 15,000 militants could enter Afghanistan from Pakistan to fight the Afghan Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF). Speaking in an interview with Sky News on Friday, Mohib stated that Pakistan has been a safe haven for the Taliban and that the group
Tolo News: People’s Resistance Front’ forces led by Mohammad Ismail Khan, an ex-Jihadi leader, have been deployed alongside security forces in some parts of Herat city to prevent the Taliban from entering the city. Armed with light and heavy weapons, the forces warn the Taliban that they will be killed if they get closer to
Tolo News: Mohammad Ismail Khan, a former mujahideen leader and a senior member of Jamiat-e-Islami party, has mobilized hundreds of his loyalists in Herat province in the west of Afghanistan to fight the Taliban as the group continues to capture large swaths of territories across the country. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: Balkh governor Mohammad Farhad Azimi said on Thursday that of the 5,000 fighters that were pledged by political leaders and other influential figures in Balkh as part of the public uprising forces, 1,500 have already been deployed in fighting positions to face the Taliban alongside security forces. Click here to read more (external
The Guardian (UK): Women have taken up guns in northern and central Afghanistan, marching in the streets in their hundreds and sharing pictures of themselves with assault rifles on social media, in a show of defiance as the Taliban make sweeping gains nationwide. One of the biggest demonstrations was in central Ghor province, where hundreds
Tolo News: Dozens of women took up arms – some of them heavy weapons – and marched in the capital city of Feroz Koh to pledge their support the Republic and the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. The women said that the historical record of the five years of the Taliban regime proved that
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
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
Tolo News: Former vice president Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, who is in Turkey for treatment, said Sunday he will soon return to his home province of Jawzjan in northern Afghanistan to suppress the Taliban in the north, after consultation with President Ghani and the Defense Ministry. “I predicted this years ago,” Dostum said, referring to