Afghanistan

Photo Story: Afghan army soldiers Celebrate Soldiers Day

Afghan army soldiers perform during the country marked Soldiers Day in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 27 February 2021. Afghan army soldiers mark the Soldiers Day on 27 February across Afghanistan to pay…

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No letdown in violence in Afghanistan

At least four Afghan security force members, including a commander, were killed and seven were critically injured in blasts in eastern and southern provinces on Saturday, officials said, adding that…

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Photo Story: Government official’s vehicle targeted by magnetic mine in Kabul

Afghan security officials secure the scene of a magnetic improvised explosive device (IED) explosion that targeted a soft-skinned vehicle of the Ministry of Telecommunications and IT, in Kabul, Afghanistan, 18…

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Two more suspects linked to Vienna attack arrested – prosecutors

ZURICH (Reuters) - An Austrian of Afghan descent whose genetic material was allegedly found on the weapon that a jihadist used to kill four people in Vienna last month has been…

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Afghan govt, Taliban reach breakthrough deal

Afghan government and Taliban representatives reached a preliminary deal on Wednesday to press on with peace talks, their first written agreement in 19 years of war and welcomed by the…

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Explosion causes carnage among Afghan security forces

A car bombing in the Afghanistan’s central province of Ghazni killed at least 30 Afghan security force members on Sunday, officials said, and casualties could increase given the intensity and…

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Australia defence chief pledges changes after damning Afghanistan war-crimes report

Australia's top military official said on Sunday the country's defence force must 'own' a recent report on soldiers committing crimes in Afghanistan and pledged changes to ensure that atrocities do…

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Rockets hit Afghan capital Kabul, at least eight killed

Several rockets hit residential areas in the early rush hour in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 31, police officials said. The explosions,…

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Concern as US announces sharp reduction of troop numbers in Afghanistan and Iraq

President Donald Trump will sharply reduce the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 by mid-January, the Pentagon announced, stopping short of a threatened full withdrawal from…

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Nearly 6,000 Afghan civilians killed or wounded in 2020: U.N.

Nearly 6,000 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first nine months of the year as heavy fighting between government forces and Taliban insurgents rages on despite efforts to…

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24 killed in suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan

A suicide bombing at an education centre in Afghanistan's capital Kabul killed 24 people including teenage students and wounded dozens more on Saturday, officials said. A Ministry of Interior spokesman,…

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Afghan forces kill senior al Qaeda leader al-Masri who was on FBI most wanted list

Afghan security forces have killed Abu Muhsin al-Masri, a senior al Qaeda leader who was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted Terrorists list, Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security…

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Afghan peace talks to open in Doha, 19 years after 9/11 triggered war

Talks between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents start in Qatar’s capital Doha on Saturday with the goal of bringing an end to nearly two decades of a conflict that…

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UPDATED: Afghan vice president targeted by roadside bomb that kills six

A roadside bomb in Kabul targeted First Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Wednesday morning, but he escaped unharmed, his spokesman after the attack which killed and wounded at least…

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U.S. blacklists ICC prosecutor over Afghanistan war crimes probe

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, over her investigation into whether American forces committed war crimes…

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Afghanistan to release 400 ‘hard-core’ Taliban to start peace talks

Afghanistan agreed on Sunday to release 400 "hard-core" Taliban prisoners, paving the way for the beginning of peace talks aimed at ending more than 19 years of war. Under election-year…

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Mass jailbreak in Afghanistan, at least 24 die in Islamic State attack

A gunbattle between Islamic State fighters and Afghan security forces raged at a prison in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Monday, with at least 24 people killed after the…

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Islamic State claims responsibility for attack in Afghanistan

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in the Afghan city of Jalalabad, the group's Amaq news agency said on Sunday . At least three bombs exploded outside a jail…

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Russia denies paying Afghan militants to kill NATO troops

Russia has rejected as "baseless" accusations that it offered Taliban-linked militants rewards to kill US and other NATO troops in Afghanistan. The New York Times and Washington Post cited US…

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Afghan government, Taliban agree to Doha as venue for first peace talks

Afghanistan’s government and the Islamist Taliban group have agreed that Doha will be the venue for the first meeting in their peace talks, both sides said. The talks, known as…

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Newborns among 16 dead in Kabul hospital attack

Gunmen disguised as police attacked a hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, killing 16 people including two newborn babies from a maternity clinic run by the international humanitarian…

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Large number of COVID-19 cases among Afghan medics

More than a third of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Afghan capital have been among doctors and other healthcare staff, two senior health officials said, in a sign that the…

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Afghanistan probes report Iranian border guards threw migrants into river with many drowning

Afghan officials on Sunday launched a hunt to retrieve bodies of Afghan migrants from a river in a western province after reports that Iranian border guards tortured and threw…

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Afghanistan’s other war

In Afghanistan, the health ministry has warned that two critical weeks are ahead as the war-torn country recorded its biggest one-day rise of new coronavirus cases, triggered by a…

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Pandemic may derail US-Afghan peace efforts

American Efforts to bring the long-drawn conflict with the Taliban in Afghanistan to an end may be derailed by the coronavirus pandemic. Fighting has tended to escalate in the Spring…

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Photo Story: Kabul attack kills 27 persons

The death toll in an attack on a ceremony in Kabul rose to 27, a ministry of health spokesman said on Friday. Gunmen attacked a ceremony in the Afghan capital…

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War crimes investigation into US forces in Afghanistan can go ahead, ICC rules

An investigation into alleged war crimes by US and others in the Afghanistan war can go ahead, the International Criminal Court has ruled (ICC). The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001…

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US conducts first airstrike on Taliban since peace deal

The US military on Wednesday said it had conducted an airstrike against Taliban forces, just days after signing a historic peace deal with the militant group. In a tweet,…

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US and Taliban sign peace agreement ending 18-year war in Afghanistan

The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Saturday aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing U.S. troops to return…

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Taliban orders halt to attacks in Afghanistan ahead of U.S. agreement

The Taliban ordered all its fighters “to refrain from any kind of attack” on Saturday ahead of the signing of an agreement with the U.S. diplomats aimed at bringing peace…

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Violence reduction pact in Afghanistan agreed

A seven-day "reduction in violence" between the US and the Afghan Taliban will begin on Saturday, officials say. "This is an important step on a long road to peace," US…

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Parallel governments in Afghanistan as both presidential candidates say they won

Afghan presidential election challenger Abdullah Abdullah contested results that declared incumbent President Ashraf Ghani the winner of a September presidential poll, vowing to form a parallel government. "Our team, based…

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US and Taliban agree to truce in Afghanistan

The United States and the Taliban have agreed to a temporary truce that, if successful, would open the way for a deal that would bring American troops home from Afghanistan…

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Two US soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Afghan Army soldiers patrol at a check point near the Shirzad district, in Hogyani district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, 09 February 2020. At least two American soldiers were killed and…

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Remains of 2 US troops recovered from Afghanistan crash site

U.S. forces recovered the remains of two American service members killed in the crash of an Air Force plane in Afghanistan, the U.S. military command in Kabul said. They also…

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Mysterious passenger plane crash in Afghanistan

Reports are coming in that a passenger plane belonging to Ariana Airlines crashed and caught fire in eastern Afghan Ghazni province. Local officials initially said it was a passenger…

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Photo Story: Life in Kabul

An Afghan balloon vendor looks for customers on a hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan, 15 January 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/HEDAYATULLAH AMID

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Extreme cold weather kills 70 more people in Pakistan, Afghanistan

Severe winter weather has claimed more lives as avalanches triggered by heavy snowfall killed 55 people in Pakistan-administered Kashmir while 15 died in neighboring Afghanistan, officials said. The latest deaths…

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Photo Story: Winter in Afghanistan

Afghan children selling tea and groceries warm up themselves with a blanket as they wait for the customers on a hilltop after a heavy snowfall in Kabul, Afghanistan, 06 January…

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Gunmen kill head of Japan aid agency in Afghanistan

Gunmen killed six people, including the head of a Japanese aid agency, on Wednesday in an attack on their vehicle in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan, officials said. The ambush comes…

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Trump makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

President Donald Trump made a surprise Thanksgiving visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan on Thursday and said he believed Taliban insurgents would agree to a ceasefire in America’s longest war.…

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EU reinforces humanitarian support to Afghanistan with €40 million as crisis worsens

The European Commission has allocated an additional €40 million in emergency assistance for those affected by the worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, as well as for Afghan refugees in neighbouring…

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Seven people died after car bomb is detonated in Afghanistan

A car bomb detonated in the Afghan capital of Kabul during Wednesday's morning commute, killing seven people and wounding at least seven more, officials said. Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the…

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At least eight children killed in Afghanistan by roadside bomb near their school

At least eight children have been killed by a roadside bomb near their school in Afghanistan. The victims of Saturday's attack in Takhar province were all aged between nine and…

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UN Secretary General condemns Afghan mosque attack

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is strongly condemned the attack inside a mosque during Friday prayers in eastern Afghanistan which killed scores of civilians and injured dozens more. U.N. spokesman Stephane…

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EU sees spike in arrivals of Afghan asylum-seekers

Reuters reports that so far this year, Afghans have made up the largest number of asylum-seekers arriving to the European Union, outnumbering Syrians. According to EU and Iranian officials, many…

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Presidential elections in Afghanistan

Voters line up at a polling station to cast their ballot during the presidential elections, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. The Afghan presidential elections will take place nationwide on 28 September amidst…

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U.S. drone kills 30 farm workers in Afghanistan

A U.S. drone strike intended to hit an ISIS hideout in Afghanistan killed at least 30 civilians resting after a day’s work in the fields. The attack on Wednesday night…

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Deadly Taliban attack ‘destroys’ hospital

At least 15 people have died after a truck packed with explosives was detonated by Taliban militants outside a hospital in southern Afghanistan. Many of the victims in the attack…

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Afghan President survives bomb attack during rally

At least 24 people have been killed and more than 30 wounded in a bomb blast near an election rally held by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who is reported to…

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Trump cancels peace deal with Taliban

US President Donald Trump says he has cancelled a peace deal with the Taliban. Trump tweeted he had been set to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and senior Taliban leaders…

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Suicide attack targets checkpoint in downtown Kabul

Afghan security forces inspect the scene after a suicide attack targeted a checkpoint in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan, 05 September 2019. According to reports, at least three people were killed, and…

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Taliban claim responsibility for car bomb as US and Afghanistan reach agreement on withdrawal of US troops

The Taliban claimed responsibility for a car bomb explosion that rocked the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, killing at least five people and wounding dozens more and shaking windows and…

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Fighting in Afghanistan escalates as US and Taliban ‘close to deal’

The US is "at the threshold of an agreement" with the Taliban, the US envoy in Afghanistan has said. But the militant Islamist group has stepped up assaults on cities…

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Photo Story: Explosions mars Afghanistan independence celebrations

An Afghan soldier marks the Independence Day in Helmand, Afghanistan, 19 August 2019. On Monday Afghanistan is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its independence from British rule on 19 August.…

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Afghan IS affiliate claims responsibility for bombing which killed over 60 persons killed and injured more than 180 injured during wedding (Update)

Update via AP: The local Islamic State group’s affiliate claimed responsibility for what was the deadliest attack in Kabul this year. Earlier: An Afghan official says an explosion has occurred…

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Progress in US-Taliban talks for withdrawal from Afghanistan

US negotiators have made significant advances in recent talks with the Taliban, and the two sides are close to announcing an agreement on an initial U.S. troop withdrawal, along with…

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