Press TV December 5, 2019 The US says its special representative for Afghanistan is set to restart talks with the Taliban militant group, a week after President Donald Trump paid a surprise visit to the war-torn country and hinted at a resumption of the negotiations in Qatar. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan November 27, 2019 Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency says it has released two activists who helped expose an alleged pedophile ring operating in the country’s schools, a scandal that has sparked national outrage. The National Directorate of Security (NDS) has come under fire for arresting last week the two human rights defenders
Tolo News: Former president Hamid Karzai held a press conference on Monday and urged the Afghan government and Afghan forces to defend the freedom of speech and the people’s rights in the country. Karzai, addressing President Ghani, said the country’s situation is deteriorating and “we must not let the situation worsen.” Click here to read
Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News November 19, 2019 ISLAMABAD – The Taliban freed two Western hostages Tuesday after the Afghan government released three important Taliban prisoners, who were flown to Qatar where the Taliban has a political team. Sources told VOA the hostages, American Kevin C. King, 63, and Australian Timothy J. Weeks, 50, were released
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty November 17, 2019 Kabul has blamed the Taliban for a delay in the exchange of three extremist prisoners held in Afghanistan for two Western hostages that the militant group has been holding. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s office on November 16 said the Taliban prisoners “are still being held by the Afghan
Ayaz Gul VOA News November 15, 2019 ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – The Afghan Taliban are blaming the United States for this week’s failed prisoner swap between the two adversaries, saying the American side did not show up at a mutually agreed upon venue, somewhere inside Afghanistan. Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the insurgent group, told VOA on
Tolo News: Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish on Friday said that the Afghan government is ready to release the Taliban prisoners “within the framework of the prevailing laws of the country” in order to help promote confidence-building measures and create conditions for peace negotiation talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Danish said that
Michael Hughes: It is impossible to decipher the true motives that drove Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani to suddenly resign from his post although his allegiance to CEO Abdullah Abdullah, President Ashraf Ghani’s primary electoral opponent, is likely a factor. However, there are also other reasons to be considered including the reality that he was
Tolo News: Newly-available documents seen by TOLOnews indicate that the acting minister of finance–and top adviser to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani– Mohammad Humayon Qayoumi, received a $450,000 salary from California State University in 2015, where he had served as president between 2011 and 2014. These documents—along with others shown to Tolonews earlier in the month—reveal a
Ariana: President Ghani has appointed Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Idrees Zaman as Acting Foreign Minister, presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi tweeted. Mr. Zaman has been serving as Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs since October 2018. His new appointment comes days after resignation of former Acting Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani. Click here to read more