Afghanistan Times
AT Monitoring Desk KABUL: New Zealand’s defense minister has said they are watching the situation in Afghanistan closely as clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban have flared up amid the ongoing withdrawal of foreign troops. “We’ve just pulled our troops out of there and we will continue to make …
Read More »Pakistan closes Torkham over virus fears
AT Monitoring Desk KABUL: Pakistan has closed a key crossing point with Afghanistan and has not given any time frame for its reopening. Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad announced that the Torkham terminal will be closed starting July 6, until further guidance from the National Command and Operation Center …
Read More »Taliban reject ‘rumors’ about peace plan
AT Monitoring Desk Kabul: A Taliban spokesman in Qatar Naeem Wardak has reject recent reports as ‘rumors’ about the group seeking to present a written peace plan to the Afghan negotiators in Doha. This is as the group’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had earlier said that their negotiations with the Afghan …
Read More »Alarmed at Taliban gains, Tajikistan deploys 20,000 troops on border
AT News KABUL: Tajikistan has deployed 20,000 soldiers along the border with Afghanistan as Taliban insurgents have made advances in the north and northeastern areas especially in Kunduz, Takhar and Badakhshan provinces which are bordering the Central Asian state. Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon who is also commander-in-chief of the country’s …
Read More »Ankara, Washington discuss Kabul airport security
AT Monitoring Desk KABUL: Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said he would discuss with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin on Wednesday a plan for Turkey to operate and guard Kabul’s Hamid Karzai airport after the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, adding there was no final decision yet, Reuters reported on Tuesday. …
Read More »UN urges ‘genuine’ peace talks in Afghanistan
AT News KABUL: The United Nations calls on the Afghan parties to begin “real peace negotiations” and give priority to the talks. Deborah Lyons, the UN chief’s special representative in Afghanistan and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a visit to Qatar accelerated efforts to …
Read More »Afghans who helped Germany to be granted asylum
AT Monitoring Desk KABUL: The first group of Afghans to be granted asylum for their work with the German military has arrived in Germany, according to Der Spiegel. They are fleeing the Taliban who consider them “traitors.” The first six members of Afghan personnel, who worked with the German military …
Read More »Covid-19: Afghanistan records 1,485 cases, 77 deaths
AT News KABUL: The ministry of public health reported 1,485 confirmed cases of the pandemic virus with additional fatalities of 77 deaths. The new tally was recorded out of 4,238 samples within the past 24 hours across the country. During this period, 834 people were recovered. The total number of …
Read More »Fighting displaces thousands in Daikundi
AT News KABUL: Taliban threats have displaced nearly 3,000 families in tumultuous Daikundi province in the past week alone, local officials said on Monday, adding to woes of civilians across Afghanistan, bearing the brunt of an unabated conflict. Over 2,000 families have fled the fighting and taken refuge in capital …
Read More »Editorial: What awaits Afghanistan
Since the US announced its complete September withdrawal plan, a big question has remained: what awaits Afghanistan and the region because the security situation has worsened. To understand the gravity of the crisis, we need to have a deep discussion about why the 20 years military approach has failed and …
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