AT News KABUL: A Kabul-based electoral watchdog on Friday voiced grave concern over its recent findings suggesting that the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC)’s affairs were stymied by immense political pressures from election stakeholders. Ahmad Zubair Habibzada, spokesperson for the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA), said these undue pressures …

Following month-long rifts, the Wolesi Jirga finally approved the draft national budget for the current fiscal year on Jan 22, only to spark fierce reactions from disgruntled Afghans in different provinces – including Ghor and Wardak among others – due to what they call ‘unfairness and imbalance’ in allocated resources to the …

AT Monitoring Desk KABUL: At least 64 U.S. military personnel in Iraq suffered brain trauma in an Iranian missile attack launched in retaliation after President Trump ordered the killing of an Iranian general. The 64 service members — 14 more than previously reported — have been diagnosed with mild traumatic …

AT Monitoring Desk KABUL: A report issued on January 20 by the United Nations claims Al-Qaeda continues to have “close and mutually beneficial” relations with the Taliban despite the latter group’s holding talks with US negotiators in Doha to broker a peace deal. The report by the UN Analytical Support …

AT Monitoring Desk KABUL: A US agency warned on Friday that Afghanistan will need vast amounts of foreign funding to keep its government afloat through 2024. International money pays for roughly 75 percent of all of Afghanistan’s costs, while government revenue covers barely a quarter of Afghan public expenditures. The …

AT News KA BUL: A top US diplomat in Kabul has underscored the need for transparency in the electoral process, including the final results. “We strongly support the efforts of the election complaints commission to complete its work in a transparent, fair, and timely manner. Impartiality and consistency will deliver …

You have the right to speak. It’s not what you say—it’s the way that you say it. Your right to express your opinion is protected no matter what beliefs you hold. What matters is how you use that right. If you organize a protest that causes serious disruption, the government …

AT News KABUL: Former President, Hamid Karzai met Gulbuddin Hekmatyar the leader of Hezb-e-Islami Party on Wednesday, discussing peace efforts and particularly the intra-Afghan negotiations expected to be held in Germany, Hekmatyar’s office said in a statement. The statement did not elaborate the meeting, but said German government planned to …

AT News KABUL: Hundreds of girls have been deprived of education as insecurity recently been intensified in northern Takhar province, provincial officials said on Wednesday.   Some of the provincial inhabits have voiced concerns over the Taliban’s active presence in Khwajaghar district. They said the insecurity has deprived scores of …

AT News KABUL: Some 25 Afghan forces have been killed in Taliban ambushes on security outposts in tumultuous Kunduz and Uruzgan provinces, according to provincial councilmembers. The Taliban have taken responsibilities for the attacks. Deputy Chairman of Kunduz provincial council, Safiullah Amiri, said that Taliban staged a pre-dawn group ambush …