Toward the end of August, a delegation from the Afghan Taliban led by the group’s deputy, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, travelled to Islamabad. There, they met with Pakistan’s foreign minister and head of its Inter-Services Intelligence, the military’s intelligence wing. The first gathering, held at Pakistan’s Foreign Office, was meant …
Read More »The Hard Truths About 9/11’s Aftermath and America’s Legacy in Afghanistan
In the 19 years that have passed since I watched the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapse, not a single moment of that day has faded from memory.
Read More »Islamic State claiming more attacks in all but three of their regions of operation during August 2020
Islamic State Khurasan (ISK) Assault Team on Jalalabad Prison, Nangarhar, Afghanistan Islamic State built upon on the increased operational tempo initiated late last month during Eid al-Adha, claiming more attacks in all but three of their regions of operation during August 2020. Despite concerted counter-terror operations undertaken by the differing …
Read More »France asks Afghans not to free Taliban who killed its citizens
France objects to release of three men jailed for the murders of French nationals in Afghanistan.
Read More »Afghan Peace Talks: Prisoner Release Paves Way for Direct Negotiations
Can the Afghan government and the Taliban agree to a political settlement to end decades of conflict? Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday said that his government would release the last batch of Taliban prisoners, ostensibly removing the final hurdle to direct negotiations with the insurgent group. Intra-Afghan negotiations were …
Read More »Kabul Calls On Tehran to Prevent pro-Taliban Activities
Afghan Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Sadiq Siddiqui called on Iran Monday to prevent Taliban activities in Tehran, in the first comment after some Afghans were seen in pictures waving the Taliban flag at a park in Iran’s capital.
Read More »Russia did pay extremists to attack US soldiers in Afghanistan, according to 3 separate Taliban sources
Taliban commanders have confirmed that Russia has offered financial and material support to its members in exchange for attacking US forces in Afghanistan.
Read More »Iran’s influence in Afghanistan
Despite strong religious and cultural ties and a long shared border, Iran has a somewhat complicated relationship with Afghanistan. Revolutionary Iran’s tumultuous birth coincided with the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan some four decades ago. Since then, Iran’s attempts to preserve its interests in conflict-ridden Afghanistan have not received much …
Read More »Jihadist group confirms arrest of Uzbek commander
Jabhat Ansar al Din (JaD), a longstanding pro-al Qaeda group in Syria, has confirmed the arrest of Abu Saloh al Uzbeki earlier this week. Uzbeki was the founder and former emir of Hay’at Tahrir al Sham’s Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ).
Read More »Taliban denounces ‘deviant beliefs,’ including ‘satanic western and disbelieving ideologies’
As Western and Afghan officials cling to the hope that they can make peace with the Taliban and integrate the group into the government, the Taliban continues to display its true colors. In a recent video, the Taliban extolled the virtues of jihad and its Islamic Emirate while denouncing “deviants …
Read More »