Afghanistan

Britain’s Raab, in Qatar, cites need to engage with Taliban

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday there is a need to engage with the Taliban on Afghanistan, but Britain has no immediate plans to recognise their government. Raab…

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Taliban preparing to reveal new Afghan government amid economic turmoil

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers were preparing on Thursday to unveil their new government as the economy teetered on the edge of collapse more than two weeks after the Islamist militia captured…

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EU says it will not rush into recognising the Taliban

The European Union will need to engage with the Taliban but it will not rush into formally recognising the Islamist militant group as the new rulers of Afghanistan, a senior…

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Afghanistan crisis shows EU must seek greater military autonomy -Michel

The European Union must take action to be better prepared for military evacuations of its citizens in situations such as occurred in Afghanistan in recent weeks, EU Council President Charles…

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With airport closed, fearful Afghans scramble for the border

Crowds seeking to flee Afghanistan gathered on its borders while long queues formed at banks on Wednesday, as an administrative vacuum after the Taliban's takeover left foreign donors unsure how…

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Biden says Afghanistan exit marks the end of U.S nation-building

Facing sharp criticism over the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said it was the best available option to end both the United States' longest war and decades…

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Out of Afghanistan: Joe Biden and the future of America’s foreign policy

President Joe Biden’s decision to press ahead with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan has prompted the first major foreign policy crisis of his presidency. The harrowing pictures after the bombing…

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UK says it is too early to decide how to work with the Taliban

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday it is too early to decide if, and how, the government will work with the Taliban on tackling the Islamic State…

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Britain denies pushing to leave Kabul airport gate open before blast

Britain co-ordinated closely with the United States and did not push to keep a gate open at Kabul airport where a suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. troops and scores of Afghan civilians, British…

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Taliban celebrate ‘complete independence’ as last U.S. troops leave Afghanistan

Celebratory gunfire echoed across Kabul as Taliban fighters took control of the airport before dawn on Tuesday following the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops, ending 20 years of war that left…

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Taliban would take back Europe’s Afghan deportees to face courts, says spokesman

The Taliban government in Afghanistan would accept any Afghan migrants whose applications for asylum were rejected in Europe and they would then face court, an Austrian newspaper quoted a Taliban spokesman as saying on Monday. Austria's conservative-led government…

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U.S. completes troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday said it had completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan in a chaotic airlift nearly 20 years after it…

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UPDATE – Rockets target US troops as core diplomats fly out of Kabul

Aug 30 (Reuters) - U.S. anti-missile defences intercepted rockets fired at Kabul's airport on Monday as the United States flew its core diplomats out of Afghanistan in the final hours…

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Islamic State attack signals West’s least bad option for Afghanistan: the Taliban

The deadly attack on Kabul airport has underlined the realpolitik facing Western powers in Afghanistan: engaging with the Taliban may be their best chance to prevent the country sliding into…

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Afghan commandos could fight for British Army like Gurkhas

Afghan special forces personnel could become a new regiment of the Army akin to the Gurkhas under proposals put forward to ministers, The Telegraph reported. Hundreds of commandos from Afghanistan…

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UPDATED: Rockets fired at Kabul airport, Islamic State takes responsibility

Islamic State claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on Kabul airport on Monday, the group's Nasher News said on its Telegram channel. "By the grace of God Almighty, the soldiers…

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Around 500 Russian troops in drills near Afghanistan

Around 500 Russian motorised infantry troops are carrying out drills in the mountains of Tajikistan against the backdrop of instability in neighbouring Afghanistan, Russia's defence ministry was quoted as saying…

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EU says Afghanistan shows need for rapid-reaction force

EU governments must push ahead with a European rapid reaction force to be better prepared for future crises such as in Afghanistan, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.…

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UPDATED: EU to seek to stop mass Afghanistan migration flows, draft statement says

European Union states are determined to prevent uncontrolled migration from Afghanistan following the takeover of the country by the Taliban, a draft statement prepared for a meeting on Tuesday says.…

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U.S. drone strike destroys Islamic State car bomb in Kabul, officials say

WASHINGTON, Aug 29 (Reuters) - American forces launched a drone strike in Kabul on Sunday that killed a suicide car bomber suspected of preparing to attack the airport, U.S. officials…

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Macron says France, Britain to propose Kabul safe zone

PARIS (Reuters) - France and Britain will submit a resolution to an emergency United Nations meeting due Monday on Afghanistan proposing a safe zone in Kabul to try and protect…

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What is ISIS-K? Two terrorism experts on the group behind the deadly Kabul airport attack and its rivalry with the Taliban

An attack on a crowd gathered outside Kabul’s airport on Aug. 26, 2021, has left at least 60 people dead, including at least a dozen U.S. Marines. ISIS-K claimed responsibility…

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Taliban prepare to set up new Afghan government as U.S. evacuation nears end

Aug 28 (Reuters) - The Taliban said on Saturday they would announce a new government for Afghanistan in the coming week and expected the economic turbulence and sharp currency falls…

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UK and Germany seek common G7 approach on Taliban

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the situation in Afghanistan on Saturday and agreed on the need for international aid and a common…

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UK says its final military flight has left Kabul

LONDON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Britain's final flight carrying military personnel out of Afghanistan has left Kabul airport, the country's Defence Ministry said on Saturday. This action ends Britain's 20-year…

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U.S. military begins withdrawal from Kabul airport

WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - U.S. troops have begun their withdrawal from Kabul airport, the Pentagon said on Saturday, as the evacuation efforts from the Afghan capital entered their final…

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Warning of possible threats to the US in wake of Afghanistan attack and mass evacuation

Federal officials are on high alert for threats to the homeland following the mass evacuation from Afghanistan and devastating attack in Kabul this week that killed US service members and…

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UPDATED: No more UK civilian flights to leave Kabul, “We did our best” NATO representative says

No more British flights purely for civilian evacuees will leave Kabul airport, but flights for British military personnel and a small number of Afghan evacuees will continue, a Defence Ministry…

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NATO allies struggle to keep Kabul airport open for aid after withdrawal

NATO allies are struggling to ensure that Afghanistan's main gateway, Kabul airport, remains open for urgently needed humanitarian aid flights next week when they end their evacuation airlifts and turn…

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UPDATED: Islamic State ‘planner’ killed in drone strike, U.S. says

The United States attacked an Islamic State "planner" in Afghanistan in retaliation for a deadly bombing outside Kabul airport and said there was a high risk of further blasts as…

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A look at the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K)

Following are some facts about the Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, which was behind suspected suicide bomb attacks outside Kabul airport. Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), named after an old term…

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Lead MEPs condemn barbaric attack at Kabul airport

Chairs David McAllister (EPP, DE, Committee on Foreign Affairs), Maria Arena (S&D, BE, Subcommittee on Human Rights), and Petras Auštrevičius (Renew, LT, Delegation for relations with Afghanistan) issued the following statement on Friday: “We condemn in…

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U.N. Security Council condemns Kabul attack as “especially abhorrent”

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 27 (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Friday condemned a deadly attack at Kabul's airport in Afghanistan as "especially abhorrent" for targeting civilians trying to…

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Half a million Afghans could flee across borders – UNHCR

Up to half a million Afghans could flee the crisis in their homeland, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Friday, appealing to all neighbouring countries to keep their borders…

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WHO hopes for air bridge into northern Afghanistan in days

Medical supplies will run out within days in Afghanistan where the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday it hoped to establish an air bridge into the northern city of…

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Kremlin says danger in Afghanistan remains high after Kabul attack

The Kremlin said on Friday that danger remained high for everyone in Afghanistan after an attack at an airport in Kabul, and that Islamic State and other militant groups were…

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UK says it is in last stages of Kabul evacuations, processing ended

British forces have entered the final stages of evacuating people from Kabul's airport and processing facilities have closed, Britain's defence ministry said on Friday. The effort would now focus on…

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Plane carrying evacuated Afghans in transit to U.S. arrives in Albania

A plane carrying 121 people evacuated from Afghanistan and in transit to the United States arrived in Albania’s Tirana airport early of Friday. Passengers included babies, children and people in…

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UPDATED: U.S. on alert for more ISIS attacks, Joe Biden on Kabul attack: ‘We will make them pay’

U.S. forces helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee Taliban rule were on alert for more attacks on Friday after at least one Islamic State suicide bomber killed 85 people…

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UPDATE – At least 72 people were killed and 140 others wounded in the explosions at Kabul airport – ISIS claim responsibility

WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - There were at least two explosions near Kabul's airport amid a huge and chaotic evacuation effort from Afghanistan on Thursday, the Pentagon said, with civilians…

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Evacuations from Afghanistan by country

The United States and allies are hurrying to evacuate as many people from Afghanistan as possible before an Aug. 31 deadline amid growing security fears at Kabul airport. Roughly 13,400…

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Qatar offering COVID vaccines to Afghanistan evacuees yet to transit

Qatar is offering COVID-19 vaccines to evacuees from Afghanistan who are temporarily staying in the Gulf Arab state, which has been facilitating global evacuation efforts since the Taliban seized Kabul,…

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Taliban tells Germany, Afghans with legal papers will be able to travel beyond Aug. 31

The Taliban have told Germany that Afghans with legal documents will be able to travel on commercial flights beyond the Aug. 31 cut-off date after which evacuations from Kabul airport…

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UPDATED: Afghans told to avoid Kabul airport as Islamic State threat emerges

The United States and allies urged people to move away from Kabul airport on Thursday due to the threat of a terror attack by Islamic State (IS) militants as Western…

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Britain wants to see functioning airport in Afghanistan after departure of troops -Sky

(Reuters) - Britain wants to see a functioning airport in Afghanistan after the departure of troops, Sky News reported on Tuesday, citing comments by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's briefing to…

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Taliban say want Afghans not to leave, expect foreign evacuations to end by Aug. 31

Aug 24 (Reuters) - The Taliban expect foreign evacuations from Kabul to be completed by the end of the month, the Islamist group's main spokesman said on Tuesday, urging Afghans…

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Biden sticking to Aug. 31 Afghan pullout so long as Taliban cooperate -U.S. officials

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will stick to a Pentagon recommendation to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Aug. 31 so long as the Taliban enables the United States to complete its evacuations, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday. Biden sent thousands of U.S.…

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