Taliban leader Mullah Baradar named among 100 most influential people of 2021 by Time magazine
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar – deputy prime minister in the Taliban’s newly announced caretaker government and the top figure in the Doha deal – has been named among the 100 most influential people of 2021 by Time magazine. In February 2020, when the US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad officially signed the peace …
Afghan envoys marooned abroad after Taliban’s sudden return
The Taliban’s abrupt return to power has left hundreds of Afghan diplomats overseas in limbo: running out of money to keep missions operating, fearful for families back home and desperate to secure refuge abroad. The Islamist militant movement, which swiftly ousted Afghanistan’s Western-backed government on August 15, said on Tuesday that it had sent messages …
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Friction among Taliban pragmatists, hard-liners intensifies
Friction between pragmatists and ideologues in the Taliban leadership has intensified since the group formed a hardline cabinet last week that is more in line with their harsh rule in the 1990s than their recent promises of inclusiveness, said two Afghans familiar with the power struggle.
‘He is a busy man’: Imran Khan on no phone call from Joe Biden
It’s been almost eight months and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is yet to receive a courtesy phone call from US President Joe Biden. When asked about no phone call from Biden during a CNN interview, the Pakistan PM replied: “He is a busy man.” ”But our relationship with the US is not just dependent …
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Pakistan NSA criticises ‘wait and watch’ policy on recognising Taliban regime in Afghanistan
Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf has said that the ‘wait and watch’ policy on recognising the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was flawed and could result in the economic collapse of the conflict-torn country. The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in mid-August, ousting the previous elected leadership which was backed by the West. The interim …
Pakistan’s role in enabling Taliban is victory for hardliners: top US senator
The role of Pakistan in enabling the Taliban is a victory for the hardliners in the country’s government, a top American lawmaker has said, asserting that the unfolding developments in Afghanistan and the role being played by Islamabad in Kabul are not sending a good message to India.
Al-Qaida could strike US from Afghanistan base next year, spies say
US intelligence agencies are already seeing activities by the terrorist group once led by Osama bin Laden to re-establish itself in Afghanistan, said CIA deputy director David Cohen, who agreed with the timeline of one to two years.
Panjshir resistance to declare parallel govt in Afghanistan
In response to the new cabinet announced by the Taliban for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the resistance front in Panjshir province led by Ahmad Massoud has said that they will declare a parallel government in the country after consultations. The front termed the Taliban’s caretaker government as illegitimate and a vivid enmity with the …
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China backs Taliban’s demand to US to unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets
China on Wednesday supported the Taliban’s demand that the US should unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets and said that America has no legitimate reasons to do so as the Chinese envoy to Kabul called on acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and congratulated the interim government.
Taliban seize $12.4 million from former top Afghan officials
Afghanistan’s Taliban-controlled central bank said it had seized nearly $12.4 million in cash and gold from former top government officials on Wednesday, including former vice president Amrullah Saleh. In a statement, the central bank said the money and gold had been kept in officials’ houses, although it did not yet know for what purpose.
Taliban army chief says those who defend democracy will be suppressed
The Chief of Army Staff of the Taliban, Fasihudin, has said that those who defend democracy in Afghanistan and oppose the Taliban will be suppressed. He added that they will suppress all those who defend the gains of the past two decades under the name of specific ethnic groups or resistance in Afghanistan, Khaama News …
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Joe Biden top aides discouraged abrupt Afghan pullout, book says
President Joe Biden’s top cabinet members unsuccessfully tried to dissuade him from pulling all US troops from Afghanistan, hoping he would leverage the withdrawal to seek a political settlement, a new book says.