Tag: Taliban

Taliban fire shots to disperse protest in Kabul

by James EDGAR KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — The Taliban on Tuesday fired shots into the air to disperse crowds who had gathered for an anti-Pakistan rally in the capital, the latest protest since the hardline Islamist movement swept to power last month. The Islamists have yet to announce a government, but Afghans — fearful of a repeat of the group’s previous brutal reign between 1996 and 2001 — have staged small, isolated demonstrations in cities […]

Taliban claim total control over Afghanistan

  by James EDGAR Agence France Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — The Taliban on Monday claimed total control over Afghanistan, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last remaining holdout of resistance against their rule. Following their lightning-fast victory in mid-August over the former Afghan government’s security forces and the withdrawal of US troops after 20 years of war, the Taliban turned to fighting the forces defending the mountainous Panjshir […]

Taliban pledge safety for humanitarian workers: UN

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — The Taliban on Sunday pledged to guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers and aid access in Afghanistan in a meeting with the UN humanitarian chief in Kabul, a UN spokesman said. Martin Griffiths was in the Afghan capital on Sunday for several days of meetings with Taliban leadership amid a looming humanitarian disaster in the country newly under the control of the hardline Islamists. “The authorities pledged that the […]

Taliban battle for Panjshir as US warns of Afghanistan civil war

  by David FOX Agence France Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Taliban fighters advanced deep into the last holdout province of Panjshir Sunday, as the top US general warned Afghanistan faces a wider civil war that would offer fertile ground for a resurgence of terrorism. Following their lightning fast rout of Afghanistan’s army last month — and celebrations when the last US troops flew out after 20 years of war on Monday — the Taliban […]

Taliban close to forming new government in Afghanistan

  by David FOX Agence France Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — The Taliban were expected to form a government as early as Friday with the new regime under intense international scrutiny over its vow to rule Afghanistan with greater tolerance, especially on women’s rights. The announcement of a new administration could be made after Friday afternoon prayers, two Taliban sources told AFP, as the Islamists shift gears from insurgent group to governing power, days after […]

URGENT: Blast heard in Afghan capital Kabul: AFP journalists

A loud blast was heard in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday by AFP journalists, hours after US officials warned of the possibility of a terror attack. A security official from the recently deposed government told AFP it was a rocket that “initial information shows hit a house”. bur/ecl/jds/fox/axn © Agence France-Presse

Turkey’s Erdogan cool to Taliban securing Kabul airport

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan poured cold water Sunday over a plan in which Turkey operates Kabul airport and the Taliban provides security, adding Ankara would be in a tough position if another attack occurs. Turkey had long planned to help secure and run the Afghan capital’s airport, but appeared to drop the idea when it started Wednesday to withdraw its approximately 500 non-combat troops from Afghanistan. Erdogan on Friday said Turkey had held its first […]

Anger after UK embassy ‘left Afghan staff details’ in Kabul

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — UK politicians on Friday slammed British diplomats for reportedly leaving Afghan staff’s contact details on the ground as they evacuated the Kabul embassy compound, now guarded by the Taliban. The discovery comes as the UK has acknowledged its hurried evacuation effort left hundreds of eligible Afghans behind. The Times in a front-page story by veteran war correspondent Anthony Loyd reported that he found unshredded documents revealing contact details of […]

US strikes IS target in Afghanistan, pushes airlift into final stage

  by David FOX Agence France Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — The US conducted a drone strike against an Islamic State target in Afghanistan on Saturday, as the airlift of those desperate to flee moved into its fraught final stages with fresh terror attack warnings and encroaching Taliban forces primed to take over Kabul airport. US forces overseeing the evacuation have been forced into closer security cooperation with the Taliban to prevent any repeat of […]

Islamic State claims deadly bomb attack at Kabul airport: SITE monitoring

  The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide attack at the airport in Kabul on Thursday during the US-led evacuation from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the SITE monitoring agency said. The bomber “was able today to penetrate all the security fortifications” and get within “five meters (16 feet)” of US forces before detonating his explosives belt, the jihadist group’s propaganda arm Amaq said, according to a translation by SITE. The statement only appeared to […]

Attack leaves dozens dead at Kabul airport blasts as airlift deadline looms

  by David FOX Agence France Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Two Islamic State suicide bombers attacked crowds of people gathered outside Kabul airport Thursday hoping to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, killing dozens including 12 US troops, the Pentagon said. The country’s new Taliban rulers said the blasts killed between 13 and 20 people. A health official in the previous government said the toll could rise to 60. The blasts came as the August 31 deadline […]