World News

Taliban deny their deputy prime minister, Mullah Baradar, is dead

The Taliban have denied that one of their top leaders has been killed in a shootout with rivals, following rumours about internal splits in the movement nearly a month after its lightning…

Read More Here

Taliban name new Afghan government, interior minister on U.S. sanctions list

Sept 7 (Reuters) - The Taliban named Mullah Hasan Akhund, an associate of the movement's late founder Mullah Omar, as the head of Afghanistan's new government on Tuesday, with Mullah…

Read More Here

Taliban tells Berlin it will welcome German companies, aid

The Taliban would welcome German investment in Afghanistan and help in areas including humanitarian aid, health care, education and infrastructure, the group's spokesman told Bild newspaper. The Taliban took power…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Taliban claim complete control of Afghan province of Panjshir

The Taliban claimed victory on Monday over opposition forces in the Panjshir valley northeast of Kabul, completing their takeover of the country following the stunning capture of Kabul last month…

Read More Here

Taliban sources say last Afghan holdout region falls; resistance denies claim

Sept 3 (Reuters) - Three Taliban sources said the Islamist militia had on Friday seized the Panjshir valley north of Kabul, the last province of Afghanistan holding out against it,…

Read More Here

Taliban sources say Mullah Baradar to lead new Afghanistan government; Rebels hold out in Afghan valley

Mullah Baradar, the head of the Taliban's political office, will lead the new government in Afghanistan, at least three sources in the Islamist group said on Friday. Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob,…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

U.N. rights boss says has credible reports of Taliban executions

Top U.N. human rights official Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday that she had received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including summary executions of civilians and restrictions on women…

Read More Here

G7 leaders plan to pledge unity on Taliban recognition, sanctions – sources

Leaders of the G7 advanced economies are expected to pledge unity on whether or not to officially recognise or sanction the Taliban when they meet virtually to discuss Afghanistan on Tuesday, according to two…

Read More Here

Taliban ‘flog young Afghans for wearing jeans’

A group of young Afghans have said they were flogged by Taliban fighters for the crime of wearing jeans.In a post widely shared on Facebook, an Afghan youth said they…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Taliban fire in the air to control crowd at Kabul airport

The Taliban fired in the air and used batons to make people line up in orderly queues outside Kabul airport on Sunday, witnesses said, a day after seven people were…

Read More Here

Taliban carrying out door-to door manhunt, Relative of Deutsche Welle reporter killed by Taliban

The Taliban have begun rounding up Afghans on a blacklist of people they believe have worked in key roles with the previous Afghan administration or with U.S.-led forces that supported…

Read More Here

Reports of several killed amid firing by Taliban and stampede during rally in Afghan city

Flag-waving protesters took to several Afghan cities on Thursday and several people were killed when Taliban fighters fired on a crowd, a witness said, in the first popular opposition to…

Read More Here

EU says it will work with Taliban only if human rights respected

The EU will only cooperate with the Taliban if they respect fundamental rights, including those of women, and prevent the use of Afghanistan's territory by terrorists, the bloc's foreign policy…

Read More Here

Taliban say they want peace, will respect women’s rights under Islamic law

The Taliban held their first official news conference in Kabul on Tuesday since the shock seizure of the city, declaring they wanted peaceful relations with other countries and would respect the rights…

Read More Here

Taliban say they want peace, will respect women’s rights under Islamic law

KABUL, Aug 17 (Reuters) - The Taliban held their first official news conference in Kabul on Tuesday since the shock seizure of the city, declaring they wanted peaceful relations with…

Read More Here

Taliban’s Afghanistan takeover presents fresh challenge for social media companies

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan poses a new challenge for big U.S. tech companies on handling content created by a group considered to be terrorists by some world governments. Social media giant…

Read More Here

UPDATE – Evacuation flights resume at Kabul airport as Biden defends U.S. withdrawal

Aug 17 (Reuters) - Military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan resumed early on Tuesday after the runway at Kabul airport was cleared of thousands of people desperate to…

Read More Here

Joe Biden under fire over unfolding chaos in Afghanistan

Joe Biden is facing the worst crisis of his presidency as his plans for an orderly US withdrawal from Afghanistan crumbled. The frantic scramble to evacuate American diplomats before the…

Read More Here

Taliban say they have control of Afghan presidential palace

KABUL, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The Taliban has taken control of Afghanistan's presidential palace, two senior Taliban commanders present in Kabul told Reuters on Sunday, after President Ashraf Ghani left…

Read More Here

Taliban insurgents enter Afghan capital Kabul

KABUL, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Taliban insurgents entered the Afghanistan capital Kabul on Sunday, an interior ministry official said, as the United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter.…

Read More Here

Factbox: What to watch for as the Taliban inch closer to Kabul

Aug 14 (Reuters) - The insurgent Taliban have captured Afghanistan's second- and third-largest cities, and a town just south of Kabul, and now have their sights set on the capital.…

Read More Here

Taliban could take Afghan capital in 90 days- U.S. intelligence

Taliban fighters could isolate Afghanistan's capital in 30 days and possibly take it over in 90, a U.S. defence official told Reuters on Wednesday citing U.S. intelligence, as militants took control…

Read More Here

Taliban control 65% of Afghanistan, EU official says, after series of sudden gains

Taliban insurgents tightened their grip on captured Afghan territory on Tuesday as civilians hid in their homes, and a European Union official said the militants now control 65% of the country…

Read More Here

Taliban tighten control of Afghan north as UN fears erasure of human rights

President Ashraf Ghani called on regional strongmen to support his government after a stunning string of Taliban gains as U.S.-led foreign forces pull out, while a U.N. official said the gains made…

Read More Here

Taliban close in on two provincial Afghan capitals as U.S. forces exit country

Taliban fighters on Friday intensified clashes with Afghan forces and targeted militias allied with the government, officials said, stretching their dominance of border towns and closing in on two provincial…

Read More Here

Taliban rockets hit Kandahar airport in Afghanistan, flights suspended

KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban fighters struck Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan with at least three rockets overnight, the insurgent group's spokesman said on Sunday, adding that the aim was to…

Read More Here

Foreign missions in Afghanistan call for Taliban ceasefire

KABUL, July 19 (Reuters) - Fifteen diplomatic missions and the NATO representative in Afghanistan urged the Taliban on Monday to halt their military offensives, just hours after the insurgents and…

Read More Here

India pulls officials from Afghanistan’s Kandahar as Taliban widens control

India said on Sunday it had temporarily brought back officials from its consulate in Kandahar, a major city in southern Afghanistan, as Taliban fighters continue to gain control amid the…

Read More Here

Taliban seize more territory, say they control much of Afghanistan

Taliban officials said on Friday the Sunni Muslim insurgent group had taken control of 85% of territory in Afghanistan, and its fighters were tightening their grip on strategic areas. Government…

Read More Here

Taliban aim to present written peace plan at talks as soon as next month

The Taliban plan to present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government side as soon as next month, a spokesman for the Islamist insurgents said even as they make major territorial…

Read More Here

Taliban launches huge Afghan offensive after deadline for U.S. pullout

Afghan security forces fought back a huge Taliban offensive in southern Helmand province in the last 24 hours, officials and residents said on Tuesday, as militants launched assaults around the country following…

Read More Here

Three female polio vaccination health workers shot dead in Afghanistan: sources

Gunmen killed three female polio vaccination health workers in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Tuesday, two government sources said. It was not immediately clear who carried out the two separate shootings, a…

Read More Here

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,…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

Americans and Talibans agree in principle on terms for peace in Afghanistan

American and Taliban officials have agreed in principle to the framework of a deal in which the insurgents would guarantee to prevent Afghan territory from being used by terrorists, and…

Read More Here

48 dead in suicide bombing in Kabul

Al Jazeera reports that at least 48 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in front of an educational centre in the west of the Afghan capital, Kabul, according…

Read More Here

Corporate Dispatch Sunday’s Morning Briefing

Good morning, Our Sunday Morning Brief takes you around the globe. Wishing you a good day. Thanks for joining. Jesmond Saliba Managing Editor Amongst various stories, the Maltese stories…

Read More Here

Taliban, Afghan security forces hug during EID ceasefire

CNN: Rare scenes have been reported in Afghanistan of Taliban fighters and government security forces shaking hands and embracing during an unprecedented ceasefire to mark Eid. The Afghan Taliban called last week for…

Read More Here

Car bomb in Kabul leaves at least 26 dead

Times of India: KABUL - A car bomb killed at least 26 people at a gathering of Taliban and Afghan armed forces in the eastern city of Nangarhar on Saturday,…

Read More Here

Taliban Leader and Pakistan’s most wanted militant blamed for Malala shooting in 2012, killed in US Airstrike

Euronews: PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The leader of the Pakistani Taliban was killed by a U.S. drone strike, an Afghan official said Friday. Mullah Fazlullah Khorasani was Pakistan's most-wanted militant and…

Read More Here