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Some Afghans are skeptical about an initiative intended to convince fighters to lay down their arms KABUL: Afghanistan’s High Peace Council has come in for some tough criticism in Kunduz, where militants briefly captured the provincial capital last year. The Council was set up five years ago to handle attempts …

Kabul hosts second quadrilateral meeting on peace By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: The second quadrilateral coordination group meeting kicked off Monday in Kabul, with the message of the foreign minister to “all Taliban groups” to join peace process. “We invite all Taliban groups to the peace negotiations in order to overcome the …

By Akhtar M. Nikzad-KABUL: The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced the Wolesi Jirga and district council elections for October 15th. “Today, the IEC announces that the parliamentary and district council elections will be held on October 15, 2016,” said Ahmad Yousuf Nooristani, head of the commission. Wolesi Jirga election was …

AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull paid a surprising visit to Kabul the other day, meeting President Ashraf Ghani and other senior officials. Ghani and Turnbull discussed issues regarding mutual interests, counter-terrorism and Australian cooperation with Afghanistan, bilateral ties, peace process and human rights. Ghani thanked Australia for …

AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: Chairman of the Meshrano Jirga Fazel Hadi Muslimyar said that the government should not hold talks with those people who are hell-bent on killing civilians. He said this at the funeral ceremony of the Sunday’s suicide attack victims in Jalalabad which left 13 people killed. Scores of …

After protracted delay, finally on Monday the Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced the Wolesi Jirga and district council elections date. Chief of the IEC Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani said the elections would be held on October 15 this year. However, he is concerned over the security situation in the country and …

Two-time champion Pakistan, strong contender Sri Lanka, fast-improving Afghanistan and Canada make Group B the toughest preliminary round in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup which will be played in Bangladesh from 27 January to 14 February. The biennial 16-nation tournament features nine Test-playing nations and seven Associate and Affiliate …

KABUL: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemns today’s suicide attack in Jalalabad that killed 13 civilians and injured 14 others. A suicide attacker detonated his explosive device inside a civilian residence during a gathering of tribal elders. UNAMA reiterates that civilians may never be deliberately targeted in …

Disappointed by the failed counter-extremism strategies, Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs Faiz Mohammad Osmani expressed concerns over presence of extremist groups in the country. Addressing a three-day seminar aimed at finding solutions to deal with extremism in the war-hit country, the minister said the other day that effective and …

AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: The second round of quadrilateral meeting between representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China is scheduled to be held on Monday (today) in Kabul. The first round of talks between the four countries was held in Islamabad, aimed at establishing a roadmap on resumption of …