Tag: Afghanistan

IS or Taliban? Hospital raid leaves Kabul stupefied

by Usman SHARIFI Agence France-Presse KABUL, Afghanistan  -The Islamic State group claimed a spectacular assault on Afghanistan’s largest military hospital that bore the hallmarks of the Taliban, prompting officials to voice misgivings as IS’s nascent presence in the country dwindles. IS claimed via its propaganda agency Amaq that its fighters dressed as doctors stormed the Sardar Daud Khan hospital in Kabul on Wednesday, reportedly killing around 50 people — hours after the Taliban denied responsibility. […]

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Afghan civilian casualties hit record high in 2016: UN

by Mushtaq MOJADDIDI Agence France-Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Civilian casualties in Afghanistan in 2016 were the highest recorded by the UN, the world body said Monday, with nearly 11,500 non-combatants — one third of them children — killed or wounded. Fighting between Afghan security forces and militants, especially in populated areas, remained “the leading cause of civilian casualties” more than two years after NATO’s combat mission ended, said the United Nations, which began documenting […]

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At least 50 killed in Afghanistan avalanche

  (Reuters) — Dozens of people in Afghanistan were killed after heavy snow and avalanches hit over the weekend (February 4-5). In the northern province of Badakhshan, as many as 19 people were killed and 17 injured due to avalanches, collapsed roofs and road accidents, said Naweed Frotan, a spokesman for the provincial governor. The government was working to reach at least 12 districts in Badakhshan that had been completely cut off, he said. In […]

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Obama pays last presidential holiday visit to Hawaii marine base

Kaneohe, United States | AFP | US President Barack Obama on Sunday visited American troops at a Hawaii military base, the last time he will participate in his holiday tradition as commander-in-chief. Obama and the first lady Michelle visited the Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, close to where the presidential couple are vacationing with their daughters. Speaking weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s scheduled inauguration, Obama called his time as commander-in-chief “the privilege of […]

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Senior Al-Qaeda leader’ killed in US strike in Syria: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US drone strike has killed a senior Al-Qaeda leader in Syria who previously operated in Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced Tuesday. The November 18 strike near Sarmada in northwestern Syria targeted Abu Afghan al-Masri, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. “He had ties to terrorist groups operating throughout Southwest Asia, including groups responsible for attacking US and coalition forces in Afghanistan and those plotting to attack the West,” Cook […]

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Suicide bomber attacks vehicle in Kabul, killing four

  KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) — A suicide bomber on a motorbike killed at least four people and wounded several in an attack on a vehicle carrying national security officials in Kabul on Wednesday (November 16), a security official at the scene in the Afghan capital told Reuters. An interior ministry official confirmed the attack but could not say immediately how many people had been killed or wounded. Najib Danish, a spokesman for the interior ministry, […]

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US airstrikes kill 30 Afghan civilians, officials say

by Gul Rahim KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (AFP) – US airstrikes early Thursday killed at least 30 Afghan civilians, including women and children, in the volatile northern province of Kunduz, officials said, after a Taliban assault left two American soldiers dead. The airstrike triggered emotionally-charged protests in the provincial capital, with the victims’ relatives parading mutilated bodies of dead children piled into open trucks through the streets of Kunduz city. The carnage underscores worsening insecurity after the […]

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15 years on, the Afghan war still defies US timelines

by Andrew BEATTY WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Fifteen years after the US invasion of Afghanistan, President Barack Obama and the American military have dug in for a long campaign that defies rigid timelines and easy barometers of victory. On October 7, 2001, in response to the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush launched Operation Enduring Freedom to dislodge the Taliban and capture or kill Al-Qaeda militants they were harboring. For much of the 15 […]

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Archaeologists dig Afghanistan, map its cultural heritage

by Anne CHAON KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — For archaeologists Afghanistan, rich in ancient treasures and once a key stop on the legendary silk road, is an “open-air museum”, albeit one ravaged by war and plagued by looters. After 30 years of conflicts, Afghanistan’s cultural heritage is in dire straits, but one group of archaeologists is trying to put the country’s historical sites back on the map – literally. An international team is working to map […]

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Heavy fighting as Taliban breach southern Afghan city

  KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) – by Mamoon Durrani The Taliban stormed into Tarin Kot Thursday, triggering heavy fighting around government buildings as panicked residents scrambled to flee the capital of southern Uruzgan province, the latest city to be targeted by insurgents. Pitched battles prompted urgent calls from officials for reinforcements and air support, after the militants toppled security posts on the outskirts to breach the city gates. Residents said senior officials were abandoning government buildings and […]

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Third blast after 24 killed in Kabul carnage

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) – by Usman SHARIFI A third massive explosion shook central Kabul late Monday, hours after a Taliban double bombing killed at least 24 people and left 91 others wounded, in another day of carnage in the Afghan capital. Authorities said they were trying to pin down the location of the third blast and there was no immediate claim of responsibility from any militant group. It jolted the capital just hours after high-level […]

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Twin Taliban suicide blasts in Kabul kill 24, wound 91

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) – by Usman SHARIFI At least 24 people were killed and 91 wounded Monday in a Taliban double suicide bombing in central Kabul during late afternoon rush hour, the latest assault on the Afghan capital. The carnage near the defence ministry came as the Taliban ramp up their nationwide summer offensive against the US-backed government. The two bombers on foot blew themselves up in rapid succession, in an assault apparently aimed at inflicting […]

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