Page 4 - Afghanistan

Afghan forces launch retaliatory strikes on Pak posts along Durand Line

Afghan Ministry of Defence warned that forces remain ready to defend the nation's borders against any further attacks

Pakistan summons Afghan envoy over India-Afghanistan joint statement

Pakistan on Saturday summoned the Afghan ambassador to convey its strong reservations over the India-Afghanistan joint statement issued in New Delhi a day earlier. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who landed in New Delhi on Thursday, is on a six-day visit to India. The Foreign Office (FO) in a statement said the Additional Foreign Secretary (West Asia & Afghanistan) conveyed Pakistan's strong reservations to the Afghan envoy regarding references made to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement. It was conveyed that the reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is in clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions...," the Foreign Office said. According to the joint statement, Afghanistan has strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in April and expressed condolences and solidarity with the people and the Government of India. Both sides unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism emanating from regional countries as .

Opposition slams exclusion of women journalists from Afghan FM presser

The opposition on Saturday termed the absence of female journalists from a press conference of visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi "unacceptable" and an "insult to women", and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence in the face of such discrimination exposes the "emptiness" of his slogans on 'Nari Shakti'. The Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) said the act was "highly discriminatory" and urged the government to take the matter up with the Afghan Embassy to ensure that such gender- based exclusion in media briefings does not occur in the future. Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Modi over the absence of female journalists from the presser, saying by allowing "exclusion" of women scribes from a public forum, the prime minister is telling every woman in India that he is "too weak to stand up for them". In a post on X, Gandhi said, "Mr Modi, when you allow the exclusion of women journalists from a public forum, you are telling ..

Afghanistan foreign minister says hopeful of stronger ties with India

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Saturday voiced confidence that the India-Afghanistan ties will grow stronger in future as he thanked the people for the welcome he received during his visit to Darul Uloom Deoband in Saharanpur, one of the most influential Islamic seminaries in South Asia. "We will be sending new diplomats, and I hope you people will visit Kabul as well. I have hopes for stronger ties in the future from the way I was received in Delhi. These visits may be frequent in the near future," Muttaqi said here. The Afghan leader, who reached Deoband from Delhi by road with his delegation, was welcomed by Mohtamim (vice-chancellor) of Darul Uloom Deoband Abul Qasim Nomani, president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Maulana Arshad Madani and officials of Darul Uloom, amid a floral shower. Hundreds of students of the Islamic seminary and a large number of locals who had gathered at the Deoband campus jostled to shake hands with the visiting foreign dignitary, but were stoppe

Afghan FM Muttaqi to visit Deoband today, Agra on Oct 12 during India trip

Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will visit Deoband in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district on Saturday and Agra on Sunday as part of his six-day India trip, officials said. According to Saharanpur police, during his day-long visit to Deoband, Muttaqi will tour Darul Uloom Deoband, one of the most influential Islamic seminaries in South Asia, and meet senior clerics, scholars and administrators of the institution. He is expected to arrive around noon and return to Delhi by evening. Superintendent of Police (Saharanpur Rural) Sagar Jain said police and intelligence units have been deployed and "comprehensive security arrangements" have been made ahead of the visit. The district administration has also coordinated with the Darul Uloom authorities to ensure a smooth programme. Darul Uloom's office in-charge Mufti Rehan Usmani confirmed the visit and said preparations are being made for the Afghan minister's reception. "Earlier, we expected him to stay for two days but d

New Delhi upgrades status of technical mission in Kabul to embassy

New Delhi and Kabul renew ties after four years, with plans to boost trade, mining investment, and restore the air freight corridor via Chabahar port

Ties, terror & beyond: Inside EAM Jaishankar-Afghan FM Muttaqi talks | India-Afghanistan relations

External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar emphasised the need for India and Afghanistan to work together in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

India to reopen embassy in Kabul, deepen engagement with Afghanistan

Jaishankar announces upgrade of India's Kabul mission as Taliban foreign minister visits New Delhi, signalling cautious but deeper diplomatic engagement

Afghan foreign minister Amir Muttaqi lands in Delhi: What's on agenda?

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has landed in New Delhi, marking a rare high-level engagement with India since the Taliban assumed power in 2021

Afghan FM arrives in Delhi on first high-level visit since Taliban takeover

Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi landed in the national capital on Thursday, in the first high-level trip from Kabul after the Taliban seized power following the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government over four years back. Muttaqi will hold extensive talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during his six-day trip to India, people familiar with the matter said. "Warm welcome to Afghan Foreign Minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi on his arrival in New Delhi," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media. "We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues," he said. Muttaqi's engagements include a visit to the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary and the Taj Mahal, the people cited above said. The Afghan foreign minister was scheduled to visit New Delhi last month but it was called off in view of a travel ban that he faced under UN Security Council ...

Earthquake of magnitude 4.1 strikes Afghanistan, no causalities reported

Earlier on September 28, another earthquake of magnitude 3.9 struck the region at a shallow depth of 10km, making is susceptible to aftershocks

UN grants travel ban exemption for Afghan FM to visit India from Oct 9-16

Under Security Council resolution 1988 (2011), certain individuals linked to the Taliban are subject to travel bans

Afghan foreign minister Muttaqi to visit India after UN travel ban waiver

Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to visit India next week, in the first high-level trip from Kabul after Taliban captured power overthrowing the Ashraf Ghani government around four years ago. The Afghan foreign minister is expected to visit India from October 10, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. However, there is no official word on the visit yet. Muttaqi was scheduled to visit New Delhi last month but it was called off in view of a travel ban that he faced under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions. On September 30, a UNSC committee approved a temporary exemption to the travel ban, allowing Muttaqi to visit New Delhi from October 9 to 16, according to a UN statement. Afghan media reported that Muttaqi will travel to Moscow on October 6 to attend the seventh round of Moscow Format talks. The UNSC has slapped sanctions against all leading Taliban leaders and they have to secure a waiver for foreign travels. Muttaqi's visit is expec

UN mission urges Taliban to restore internet access across Afghanistan

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan urged the Taliban on Tuesday to restore internet and telecommunications access across the country, saying the blackout imposed by the government in Kabul has left the nation almost entirely cut off from the outside world. The outage, reported the previous day, was the first nationwide shutdown since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 and was part of their professed crackdown on immorality. Earlier this month, several provinces lost their fibre-optic connections after Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree banning the service to prevent immorality. The disruption threatened economic stability and deepened one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, said the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. It warned that the blackout is crippling banking and financial systems, isolating women and girls, limiting access to medical care and remittances, and disrupting aviation. The UN said such restrictions further undermine free

Afghanistan faces internet blackout as Taliban enforce morality crackdown

An internet blackout hit Afghanistan on Monday, with local media reporting a potential nationwide cut of fibre-optic services as part of a Taliban crackdown on immorality. It's the first time Afghanistan has experienced a shutdown of this kind since the former insurgents seized power in August 2021. Earlier this month, several provinces lost fibre-optic connections after Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree banning the service to prevent immorality. On Monday, internet-access advocacy group Netblocks said that live metrics showed connectivity in Afghanistan had collapsed to 14 per cent of ordinary levels, with a near-total nationwide telecoms disruption in effect. The incident is likely to severely limit the public's ability to contact the outside world, the group added. The Associated Press was unable to contact its Kabul bureau, as well as journalists in the provinces of Nangarhar and Helmand. There was no confirmation of the blackout from the Taliban government,

From Kabul to Delhi, Afghan teen survives deadly ride in plane's wheel well

The boy, a resident of Kunduz, Afghanistan, reportedly sneaked into Kabul airport on Sunday morning and managed to hide inside the rear wheel well of a KAM Air (RQ-4401) flight bound for New Delhi

Watch: India urges global community to block LeT, JeM operations from Afghanistan

India has called on the international community to ensure UN-designated terror entities, including Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.

Why Trump wants Bagram Air Base to be returned to the US by Afghanistan

Donald Trump says the US is 'trying to get back' Bagram Air Base to counter China and terrorism. The Taliban reject the idea as analysts warn of costs, risks and fallout

Taliban rejects Trump's demand to return Bagram air base to US control

Trump has long criticised his predecessor Joe Biden over the tumultuous US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Trump warns of 'bad things' if Afghanistan does not return Bagram air base

Trump said on Thursday that the United States had sought to regain control of the base used by American forces following the attacks of September 11, 2001