The Biden administration has no plans to release billions in Afghan gold, investments and foreign currency reserves parked in the United States that it froze after the Taliban’s takeover, despite pressure from humanitarian groups and others who say the cost may be the collapse of Afghanistan’s economy. Much of the Afghan central bank’s $10 billion … Read more
As Kabul began a new era of Taliban rule, long queues outside banks and soaring prices in the bazaars underlined the everyday worries now facing its population after the spectacular seizure of the city two weeks ago. For the Taliban, growing economic hardship is emerging as their biggest challenge, with a sinking currency and rising … Read more
A U.S. drone strike on Sunday destroyed an explosives-laden vehicle that the Pentagon said posed an imminent threat to Afghanistan’s main airport, as the massive airlift of Afghans fleeing Taliban rule shut down just two days before the scheduled final withdrawal of U.S. forces. Afghans said the drone strike killed a number of civilians, including … Read more
The Department of Defense on Saturday identified the 13 members of the U.S. military who were killed in the attack on the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday as they worked to evacuate people to safety. They hailed from across the country — from California to Wyoming to Tennessee — and had an average age … Read more
“US military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner. The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangahar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target. We know of no civilian casualties,” a statement by Central Command spokesperson Captain Bill Urban read. Islamic State Khorasan Province is Islamic State’s affiliate … Read more
In his first sit-down interview with a Western media outlet since the Taliban took full control of Afghanistan, one of the group’s leaders on Wednesday offered a portrait of a group intent on rebuilding a country shattered by decades of war. “We want to build the future, and forget what happened in the past,” the … Read more
Taliban members outside the closed United States embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Image/The New York Times) Chaos persists at Kabul airport as Taliban discuss new government As lethal mayhem persisted outside the Kabul airport, with thousands of terrified Afghans trying to flee, the Taliban have reached out to a former Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, and to … Read more
Ahead of an emergency G7 meeting on Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesperson on Monday warned there would be “consequences” if an extension is sought to the August 31 deadline for the US-led troop withdrawal from the war-torn country. Taliban spokesperson Dr Suhail Shaheen, while speaking to Sky News, said that the month-end deadline was a “red … Read more
As humanitarian needs in Afghanistan increase, World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF have called for immediate and unimpeded access to the country to deliver medicines and other lifesaving supplies to millions of people in need of aid, “including 3,00,000 people displaced in the last two months alone.” “While the main focus over the past days … Read more
Afghan protesters defied the Taliban for a second day on Thursday, waving their national flag in scattered demonstrations that were met with renewed violence by the insurgents. According to the news agency Associated Press (AP), a procession of cars and people near Kabul’s airport carried long black, red, and green banners in honor of the … Read more
