Afghanistan

Afghan Leadership Failed To Stand Up To Taliban, Says NATO Chief

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday (17 August) called on the Taliban to prevent Afghanistan from lapsing back into being a breeding ground for terrorism, and said the Western defence alliance has agreed to send additional evacuation planes to Kabul. Western powers are scrambling to respond to the fall-out from …

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Russian and Turkish foreign ministers discuss Afghanistan

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday and called on key players to ensure security there, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The Taliban said on Tuesday they wanted peaceful relations with other countries and would respect women’s …

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Taliban Declare Amnesty For Afghan Government Officials

The Taliban has declared a general amnesty for former Afghan government officials, a statement by the Taliban said. “A general amnesty has been declared for all so you should have no doubt about resuming your normal activities,” the statement reads, TASS reported. Taliban members entered Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul on …

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Talibans’ Return 20 Years After 9/11: Challenges In Building Peace In Afghanistan – Analysis

Twenty years ago, the United States waged the Global War On Terrorism (GWOT) in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks. The US declared Afghanistan as the first front in this war with the intention to swiftly crush the Taliban forces for providing safe haven to Osama …

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Pentagon Says US Could Evacuate Up To 9,000 A Day From Afghanistan

Air operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, continued through the night, getting between 700 and 800 people out of the country, said Army Maj. Gen. William D. “Hank” Taylor, the Joint Staff’s deputy director for regional operations. Taylor spoke alongside DOD Press Secretary John F. Kirby at …

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The Price Of Biden’s Betrayal – OpEd

It took a couple of days for US President Joe Biden to interrupt his vacation at Camp David and address his people and a world still in shock at the carnage in Afghanistan. In his 10-minute remarks, Biden defended his handling of the US withdrawal, while blaming his predecessor, former …

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Taliban Spokesperson Denies He Gave Interview to Israeli Reporter

The Taliban’s international media spokesperson denied that he conducted an interview with an Israeli journalist, suggesting that a reporter for the Israel public broadcaster may have been “masquerading” in order to get the one-on-one. Suhail Shaheen on Tuesday night in a telephone interview with Roi Kais of Kan News said …

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Afghanistan’s Future Is Unclear – OpEd

The Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan in December, 1979 and withdrew, exhausted and demoralized, 10 years later. In Moscow a joke had long circulated: “Why are we still in Afghanistan?” Answer: “We are still looking for the people who invited us.” The same is true for the Americans and NATO who …

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Thousands of Diplomats and Civilians Have Been Evacuated From Kabul

Thousands of diplomats and civilians reportedly have been evacuated from Kabul on military flights in the wake of the Taliban takeover of the country, and many more thousands are waiting to leave, including translators and other Afghan contractors who helped the US military in the country. The White House said …

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World Leaders, Experts Criticize US Policy in Afghanistan

Czech President described the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as cowardice and a dramatic failure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. World leaders, political commentators, and foreign affairs experts have joined the international chorus denouncing the U.S. policy in Afghanistan, under which a 20-year military deployment suddenly came to a chaotic …

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