8am: A soldier affiliated with the now-former security directorate in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province claims that local government forces have severely tortured him. He was reportedly abducted and severely tortured by Taliban government forces in Lashkar Gah on Wednesday night. Click here to read more (external link).
AFP: Weeks after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, families who fled the fighting in one southern village returned home to find something strange: the cricket ground had been circled in rocks painted red and white.’ Click here to read more (external link).
France24: Provincial cities in the north have fallen like dominoes this week – in some cases after government forces retreated or surrendered without a fight – but in Lashkar Gah, a Taliban heartland, the army appears to be providing stiffer resistance. Leading them is Sami Sadat, 36, the highest-ranking army officer in southern Afghanistan, in
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 5, 2021 The Afghan Air Force on August 5 resumed air strikes against Taliban positions in southern Afghanistan as militants made additional gains in the country’s north. A Defense Ministry statement said air strikes were carried out across the country, including in the southern Helmand Province where government forces are
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 4, 2021 Civilians fled their homes in southern Afghanistan on August 4 as government troops prepared a counterattack to retake swaths of the city of Lashkar Gah from the Taliban, as international concerns intensify over civilian casualties in several major urban centers. With intense battles under way in the west
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 3, 2021 The United Nations has warned of a “catastrophic” impact and urged Afghanistan’s warring sides to better protect civilians caught up in the intensifying conflict, the focus of which has shifted in recent weeks from mostly rural areas to major battles for control of three large cities. The plea
Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News August 2, 2021 ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani announced Monday that he finally has a clear plan to counter Taliban offensives across the country after his government was heavily criticized for its seeming lack of strategy in the last three months. The militants have made unexpectedly swift territorial gains,
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi August 2, 2021 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on August 2 blamed Washington’s “sudden” decision about its troop withdrawal for the current insecurity in his country, as government troops battled Taliban militants for control of a southern provincial capital following weekend assaults on urban centers in a major escalation. Fighting raged in Lashkar
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi August 1, 2021 Residents of Afghanistan’s second-largest city expressed fear of further Taliban advances on August 1 after at least three rockets struck and disabled Kandahar airport overnight. The airport attack further highlighted the reach of Taliban militants as government forces continue to battle major offensives that have crept to the gates
Ayaz Gul VOA News May 20, 2021 ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – Taliban insurgents have captured a district in eastern Afghanistan and negotiated a temporary truce with government forces in another, as U.S.-led foreign troops continue to withdraw from the country. Separately, a roadside bomb blast early Thursday killed at least nine civilians, including women and children,