Page 10 - Afghanistan

Donald Trump thanks Pakistan during address to US Congress: Here's why

Trump announced the arrest and imminent extradition of the suspect, Sharifullah, who was involved in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing

Govt to allow ambassador-level Taliban post to counter China: Report

Najib Shaheen, a diplomat in his early 30s at the Afghan embassy in Doha, is the main contender for the ambassador-level role in New Delhi, according to officials familiar with the discussions

IS-K rising? UN warns of global chaos as Pakistan fires back at US

The UN has warned of global chaos as Pakistan fires back at the US amid growing concerns over the Afghanistan-based terror group's expanding threat

Pakistan to send registered Afghan refugees back to their country

The Pakistan government has devised a plan to move registered Afghan refugees out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and gradually repatriate them back to their country. Authorities have also been directed to implement the plan without making any public announcement, Dawn newspaper reported quoting sources. It reported that the plan was finalised in a series of meetings presided by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last week. One of the meetings was also attended by Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir, a source in the prime minister's office confirmed. Under phase I of the relocation plan, Afghan nationals having the Afghan Citizens Card (ACC) will be immediately moved out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. They will then be sent back to Afghanistan alongside illegal and undocumented refugees. ACC is an identification document issued to registered Afghan nationals by Nadra. According to the UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM), ACC gives temporary legal status to Afghans durin

Afghan women's group hails ICC's decision to arrest Taliban leaders

An Afghan women's group on Friday hailed a decision by the International Criminal Court to arrest Taliban leaders for their persecution of women. The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Karim Khan announced Thursday he had requested arrest warrants for two top Taliban officials, including the leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Since they took back control of the country in 2021, the Taliban have barred women from jobs, most public spaces and education beyond sixth grade. In a statement, the Afghan Women's Movement for Justice and Awareness celebrated the ICC decision and called it a great historical achievement. We consider this achievement a symbol of the strength and will of Afghan women and believe this step will start a new chapter of accountability and justice in the country, the group said. The Taliban government has yet to comment on the court's move. Also Friday, the UN mission in Afghanistan said it was a tragedy and travesty that girls remain deprived of educatio

Taliban release 2 Americans held in Afghanistan in prisoner exchange

A prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking charges, officials said Tuesday. The deal came as President Joe Biden, who oversaw the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, handed power over to returning President Donald Trump. The Taliban praised the swap as a step toward the normalisation of ties between the US and Afghanistan, but that likely remains a tall order as most countries in the world still don't recognize the militants' rule. The Taliban's Foreign Ministry in Kabul confirmed the swap, saying two unidentified US citizens had been exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment in 2008. The family of Ryan Corbett, one American held by the Taliban, confirmed he had been released in a statement. Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the 2021 collapse of the US-backed governmen

Taliban deputy tells leader no excuse for education bans on women, girls

A senior Taliban figure has urged the group's leader to scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls, saying there is no excuse for them, in a rare public rebuke of government policy. Sher Abbas Stanikzai, political deputy at the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in a speech on Saturday in southeastern Khost province. He told an audience at a religious school ceremony there was no reason to deny education to women and girls, just as there was no justification for it in the past and there shouldn't be one at all. The government has barred females from education after sixth grade. Last September, there were reports authorities had also stopped medical training and courses for women. In Afghanistan, women and girls can only be treated by female doctors and health professionals. Authorities have yet to confirm the medical training ban. We call on the leadership again to open the doors of education," said Stanikzai in a video shared by his official account on the social platform X.

Taliban seeks India's support: Request visas for Afghan patients, students

Afghanistan urges India to resume visas for trade, education, and healthcare. Complexities include non-recognition of the Taliban, security concerns, and limited consular services

US lawmaker reintroduces bill to end Pakistan's major non-Nato ally status

Initially introduced by Biggs in January 2019, the bill has been reintroduced in every subsequent Congress but has not advanced legislatively in any attempt

In first high level engagement with Taliban, foreign secy meets Afghan FM

In the meeting, India's foreign sceretary Vikram Misri underlined India's historic friendship with the Afghan people and the strong people to people contacts between the two countries

Biden administration negotiating with Taliban to exchange detainees: Report

Biden's administration is seeking the return of three Americans seized in 2022 - Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi - in exchange for Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani

Pak Taliban says will hit Pakistan Army where it hurts: Its business empire

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has threatened to target the Pakistani military's commercial interests, naming specific businesses, in response to last month's air strikes in Afghanistan

India condemns Pak's airstrikes on Afghanistan, blames internal failures

India on Monday "unequivocally" condemned Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan and said it is Islamabad's old practice to blame its neighbours for its internal failures. Pakistan carried out airstrikes in certain areas in Afghanistan in what it said was aimed at targeting some terrorist hideouts. "We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost. We unequivocally condemn any attack on innocent civilians," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "It is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures. We have also noted the response of an Afghan spokesperson in this regard," he said.

Afghans arrive in Philippines to process visas for resettlement in US

A group of Afghan nationals arrived in the Philippines Monday to process special immigrant visas for their resettlement in the United States, as part of an agreement between Manila and Washington. The Philippines agreed last July to temporarily host a US immigrant visa processing centre for a limited number of Afghan nationals aspiring to resettle in America. Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza said the Afghan nationals who landed in the Philippines on Monday were provided entry visas. She said they had completed extensive security vetting and undergone full medical screenings prior to their arrival. The US government will cover the costs for the Afghan nationals' stay in the Philippines, including their food, housing, security, medical and transportation expenses, she said. She didn't specify how many Afghans arrived or how long the visa processing will take. Under the Philippines' rules, visa applicants can stay for no longer than 59 days. A senior Philippi

More than 500 Afghan children killed or injured in 2024, says UNICEF

UNICEF stated that in 2024, it trained three million children and their guardians on how to recognise and avoid the dangers of explosives

Faced pain, exhaustion after Afghanistan tour: Vegas bomber told ex-partner

The highly decorated Special Forces soldier who died by suicide in a Cybertruck explosion on New Year's Day confided to a former girlfriend who had served as an Army nurse that he faced significant pain and exhaustion that she says were key symptoms of traumatic brain injury. Green Beret Matthew Livelsberger, 37, was a five-time recipient of the Bronze Star, including one with a V device for valour under fire. He had an exemplary military record that spanned the globe and a new baby born last year. But he struggled with the mental and physical toll of his service, which required him to kill and caused him to witness the deaths of fellow soldiers. Livelsberger mostly bore that burden in private but recently sought treatment for depression from the Army, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details that have not been made public. He also found a confidant in the former nurse, who he began dating in 2018. Alicia Arritt, 39, and Livelsberger met ...

Stop employing women or face closure: Taliban's diktat to all Afghan NGOs

The Taliban says it will close all national and foreign nongovernmental groups in Afghanistan employing women. It comes two years after they told NGOs to suspend the employment of Afghan women, allegedly because they didn't wear the Islamic headscarf correctly. In a letter published on X Sunday night, the Economy Ministry warned that failure to comply with the latest order would lead to NGOs losing their license to operate in Afghanistan. The ministry said it was responsible for the registration, coordination, leadership and supervision of all activities carried out by national and foreign organisations. The government was once again ordering the stoppage of all female work in institutions not controlled by the Taliban, according to the letter. In case of lack of cooperation, all activities of that institution will be cancelled and the activity license of that institution, granted by the ministry, will also be cancelled. The Taliban have already barred women from many jobs and mos

Pakistan solider killed, 11 wounded in firing by Afghan Taliban forces

A Pakistan paramilitary soldier has been killed and 11 others injured in firing by the Afghan Taliban forces at the border posts of Pakistan troops, days after strikes by Pakistan targeted the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) militants. According to defence sources, the Afghan troops resorted to unprovoked fire on multiple Pakistani border posts in the Upper Kurram district on Saturday morning. They fired at posts in Ghozgarhi, Matha Sangar, Kot Ragha and Tari Mengal areas using both light and heavy weaponry, sources said. Pakistani forces retaliated, inflicting significant losses on the other side as seven to eight personnel of the Afghan forces were killed in the exchange of fire, sources added. However, in the fire exchange, a Frontier Constabulary (FC) soldier was killed and 11 others were injured. The incident of firing occurred days after Pakistan targeted terrorist positions in Paktika province of Afghanistan to punish the banned TTP militants, allegedly using Afghan soil to

Days after Pak airstrike, Afghan Taliban targets several points in Pakistan

The statement, which was released by Taliban did not directly specify that Pakistan was hit, but said the attacks were conducted "beyond the "hypothetical line"

World leaders mourn 'Great Champion' Manmohan Singh's passing

Leaders from around the world including the US, Canada, Afghanistan, Russia, and more share their condolences on the passing of former Prime MInister Manmohan Singh