Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar will lead a new Afghan government set to be announced shortly, sources in the Islamist group said on Friday, as its fighters battled forces loyal to the vanquished republic in the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul. The new government’s most immediate priority, however, should be to stave off the collapse of … Read more
Turkish media says an evacuation flight from Afghanistan has landed in the UK with an extra passenger – after cabin crew delivered a baby girl mid-air. When the traditional cry of “Is there a doctor on the flight?” went unanswered on Saturday, Turkish Airlines staff helped 26-year-old Afghan Soman Noori give birth at 30,000 feet, … Read more
A Taliban spokesman said a US drone strike targeting a suspected suicide bomber in Kabul on Sunday resulted in civilian casualties, and condemned the United States for failing to inform the Taliban before ordering the strike. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told China’s state television CGTN on Monday that seven people were killed in the drone attack, … Read more
The Taliban said that a US airstrike targeted a suicide bomber in a vehicle Sunday who wanted to attack the Kabul international airport amid the American military’s evacuation there. There were few initial details about the incident, as well as a rocket that struck a neighbourhood just northwest of the airport, killing a child. The … Read more
US President Joe Biden vowed to keep up airstrikes against the Islamic extremist group whose suicide bombing at the Kabul airport killed scores of Afghans and 13 American service members. Another terror attack, he said, is “highly likely” this weekend as the US winds down its evacuation. The Pentagon said the remaining contingent of US … Read more
Biden said the security situation in Afghanistan was changing rapidly and his administration was under no illusions about the threat from Islamic State militants in Afghanistan known as ISIS-K (for Khorasan). The Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan last week as the United States and its allies withdrew troops after a 20-year war, fired in … Read more
The Taliban must decide whether it wants to be recognized by the international community, US President Joe Biden said in an ABC interview aired on Thursday, adding that he did not think the group had changed its fundamental beliefs. Asked if he thought the Taliban had changed, Biden told ABC News, “No.” “I think they’re … Read more
The Taliban celebrated Afghanistan’s Independence Day on Thursday by declaring it had beaten the United States, but challenges to their rule ranging from running the country’s frozen government to potentially facing armed opposition began to emerge. From ATMs being out of cash to worries about food across this nation of 38 million people reliant on … Read more
U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday on the situation in Afghanistan and they agreed to hold a virtualG7 leaders’ meeting next week to discuss a common strategy and approach, the White House said. The two leaders “discussed the need for continued close coordination among allies and democratic partners … Read more
A Taliban spokesman promised Tuesday that the insurgents who overran Afghanistan in recent days would respect women’s rights and would not exact revenge, seeking to calm a wary population and skeptical world powers. In his first news conference, Zabihullah Mujahid, who had been a shadowy figure for years, doubled down on the Taliban’s efforts to … Read more
