Afghanistan
Afghanistan: five dead in Balkh car bomb
Five people have been killed and over 40 injured in a car-bomb attack near an Afghan army base in the northern province of Balkh. The bomb went off around 8.45am local time on Tuesday morning in a crowded area of Balkh district, close to an animal clinic, an official from the Afghan Ministry of D
Taliban team visits Pakistan in build-up to Afghan peace talks
Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents sent a political team to Pakistan on Monday as efforts appear to be ramping up to get negotiations under way with the Afghan government. The start of the talks, envisaged under a US-Taliban peace agreement signed in February, was hampered by a series of delays tha
Afghan Official: Bomb Kills 7 Civilians in Eastern Province
A roadside bombing on Sunday in eastern Afghanistan killed seven civilians, a provincial official said, the latest in relentless deadly violence in the country amid new uncertainties over the start of talks between the Taliban and the Kabul government. No one immediately claimed responsibility fo
Three killed in earlier rocket attack in Kabul
KABUL: A rocket attack that struck Kabul this week as the city marked Afghanistan’s independence day killed at least three people, including two members of President Ashraf Ghani’s honor guard, officials said Wednesday.Fourteen rockets were fired into central Kabul on Tuesday
Rockets strike Kabul as Afghanistan marks independence day
Several rockets struck the Afghan capital on Tuesday as the country marked the 101st anniversary of its independence, officials said.There were no immediate reports of casualties after the rockets were fired from two vehicles in Kabul, interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said.The rockets struc
Kabul begins release of final 400 Taliban prisoners ahead of talks
Afghanistan has freed the first batch of Taliban prisoners out of a final 400 whose release will pave the way for negotiations between the warring sides in the country's protracted conflict, the government said on Friday. Javid Faisal, spokesman for the Afghan National Security Council, said 80 p
Taliban rule out cease-fire until it is agreed in talks
Taliban have rejected calls for a truce before the long-awaited talks with the government get underway. They said that the possibility of a cease-fire could be debated only during the talks. “When our prisoners are released, we will be ready for the talks,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a Talib
Taliban ready for Afghan peace talks after prisoner release completed
The Taliban said Monday they were ready to hold peace talks with the Afghan government “within a week” of a contentious prisoner exchange being completed.“Our stance is clear, if the prisoner release is completed, then we are ready for the intra-Afghan talks within a week,&
Afghan council backs freeing of Taliban prisoners to start peace talks
A traditional Afghan council concluded on Sunday with hundreds of delegates agreeing to free 400 Taliban members, paving the way for an early start to negotiations between Afghanistan's warring sides.The declaration read out in both of Afghanistan's official languages of Pashto and Farsi calls for
Afghan prison break an ‘inside job,’ say lawmakers
Several provincial Daesh leaders were among hundreds of inmates who escaped from a prison in eastern Afghanistan two days ago after the militant group stormed the facility in a commando-style attack, officials and lawmakers said Tuesday, amid claims that the jailbreak was an inside job. “Th
Mass jailbreak in Afghanistan, at least 24 die in Daesh attack
A gunbattle between Daesh fighters and Afghan security forces raged at a prison in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Monday, with at least 24 people killed after the militants’ overnight assault led to a mass jailbreak. The attack began on Sunday evening with car bomb detonated at the entrance
Afghan Troops Kill Senior ISIS Militant
The Afghan intelligence service said it has killed a high ranking official with the ISIS affiliate in an operation in eastern Afghanistan. A statement released by the National Directorate of Security late Saturday said Assadullah Orakzai was an intelligence leader for ISIS and special forces kill
Afghan president orders release of 500 Taliban inmates
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday ordered the release of 500 Taliban prisoners as part of a new cease-fire that could lead into long-delayed peace talks.Ghani said the militants would be freed during the Eid Al-Adha holiday, which started Friday and has prompted a national cease-fire for three
Taliban announce Eid Al-Adha ceasefire in Afghanistan
Afghanistan's Taliban militants announced on Tuesday that they will observe a three-day ceasefire for the Muslim religious holiday of Eid Al-Adha, starting Friday, offering some respite from weeks of increasing violence. Disagreements over a prisoner exchange and the violence have delayed pe
Taliban accuse Kabul of re-arresting freed insurgents
The Taliban accused Afghan security forces Sunday of re-arresting insurgents who had been released as part of a crucial prisoner swap meant to kick-start peace talks. They said the National Directorate of Security (NDS) had detained an unspecified number of insurgents released under the exchange
Taliban says ready for talks next month if prisoner swap complete
The Taliban is prepared to hold peace talks with the Afghan government next month straight after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the armed group has said, provided a continuing prisoner swap has been completed. The conditional offer marks the first occasion a talks timeline has been floated si
Afghan girl who killed Taliban gunmen ‘ready to fight again’
An Afghan girl who shot dead two Taliban fighters after they gunned down her parents said Wednesday she was ready to confront any other insurgents who might try to attack her.Qamar Gul, 15, killed the militants when they stormed her home last week in a village in the Taywara district of the central
Airstrikes in Afghanistan kill 45 civilians and Taliban members -officials
Airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan killed 45 people, including civilians and Taliban, local officials said on Wednesday.Ali Ahmad Faqir Yar, the governor of Adraskan District in the eastern Afghanistan province of Herat, said at least eight civilians were among the dead. “Forty-five peopl
