Islamic scholars to decide role of women in Afghanistan: Senior Taliban member

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A senior Taliban leader has said that the role of women in Afghanistan, including their right to work and education and how they should dress, would ultimately be decided by a council of Islamic scholars. “Our ulema (scholars) will decide whether girls are allowed to go to school or not,” Waheedullah Hashimi, who has access … Read more

Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan with 4 cars, 1 helicopter stuffed with cash: Russian Embassy

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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left Kabul on Sunday with four cars and a helicopter stuffed with cash, Russian embassy in Afghanistan said on Monday. “As for the collapse of the regime, it is most eloquently characterised by the way Ghani fled from Afghanistan: four cars were full of money, they tried to put part of … Read more

United Nations Security Council to meet on Monday to discuss Afghan situation

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With Kabul falling into the hands of the Taliban, the UN Security Council under India’s current Presidency will hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Afghanistan on Monday, the second time in just over a week. The longstanding war in Afghanistan reached a watershed moment on Sunday when the Taliban insurgents closed in on … Read more

Thousands of Afghan families flee fighting in former Taliban bastion

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More than 22,000 Afghan families have fled from their homes to escape fighting in the former Taliban bastion of Kandahar, officials said Sunday, as authorities arrested four suspected insurgents over this week’s rocket attack on Kabul. Since early May, violence has surged across several provinces including in Kandahar after the insurgents launched a sweeping offensive … Read more

Taliban take key Afghan district, adding to string of gains

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Taliban fighters took control of a key district in Afghanistan‘s northern Kunduz province Monday and encircled the provincial capital, police said, as the insurgent group added to its recent battlefield victories while peace talks have stalemated. The Taliban’s gains came as the Pentagon reaffirmed the U.S. troop withdrawal was still on pace to conclude by … Read more

Pakistan issues demarche to Kabul’s envoy Najibullah Alikhel over critical remarks by Afghan leadership

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Pakistan on Monday served a demarche to Afghanistan‘s ambassador Najibullah Alikhel, protesting against the accusations by the Afghan leadership. Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO), however, did not specify the statement which angered it. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in a recent interview, alleged that Pakistan “operates an organised system of support” for the Afghan Taliban. “The names … Read more

New game in Afghanistan: Fulfil strategic ambitions of imperial powers and facilitate loot for their corporates

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Peace in the war-torn Afghanistan would remain a distant dream, as foreign forces are unlikely to exit any time soon and external influences would continue to fuel instability and violence there. The Joe Biden administration understands that if the US and other allies withdrew from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021, as envisaged in the Doha … Read more

No hasty or disorderly withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan: US Defence Secretary

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Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the US will not undertake a hasty or disorderly withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, stressing that violence must decrease now in the war-torn country and more progress is needed in the Afghan-led negotiations. The US and the Taliban reached an agreement in February 2020 that called for … Read more

World Leaders Ready Themselves for a Biden Presidency

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After a drawn-out vote count that transfixed not just the U.S. but most of the world, many global leaders on Saturday were quick to respond to former Vice President Joe Biden’s election victory, with most sending congratulations and vowing to work with him. In Europe, where many countries hope President-elect Biden will reverse some of … Read more

Violence Plagues Afghanistan as Peace Talks With Taliban Struggle to Take Off

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KABUL—Deadly violence in Afghanistan has marred the first-ever direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban, underscoring the high stakes that face the warring sides as they struggle to get negotiations off the ground to end nearly two decades of fighting. Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban kicked off a historic first round of … Read more