Spotlight

Chashma-e-Shir area in Dahana Ghori district of the northern Baghlan province remains one of the most insecure areas where the Taliban militants kidnap government staffs en route to their provinces or back to Kabul and extort money from truck drivers since last year, say local sources.      Chashma-e-Shir, a strategic…

Talking to Kabul Now, local officials in the western Badghis province warned that a battalion of 300 security and defense forces has become under a tightened Taliban siege in Balamurghab district of the province. They further went on to express concern over a possible increase in Taliban offensives across other…

A delegation of Afghan representatives led by the government will meet with Taliban peace negotiators for first time in talks that will be held in few weeks. The two sides will discuss a power sharing deal including country’s future political system. On Monday, August 10, President Ashraf Ghani signed a…

The new epoch of Afghan film, in the post-Taliban era, was marked by Osama, a film directed by renowned Afghan film maker, Sidiq Barmak. Technically advised by Muhseen Makhmalbaf, an Iranian exiled director, Mr. Barmak, in this film, tells the story of a young girl who disguises herself as a…

The intra-Afghan negotiations will be held on August 16 in Doha, confirmed RTA World, Afghanistan’s state-run television, today, Monday, August 10. The news comes after the Consultative Loya Jirga agreed to release of the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners—whom according to the Afghan government—were involved in serious crimes. Suhail Shaheen, spokesperson…

“They brought four dead bodies in a single day to Qala-e-Shahada mosque. One of them was my son, Sharif,” Khadim Hussain retells the devastating scene he saw eight years back. His one and only son, Sharif, who was member of the Afghan National Police, was killed in war against the…

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, speaking at closing of the three-day Consultative Loya-Jirga, today, Sunday, August 09, announced that he would sign a decree to release 400 Taliban prisoners, whose fates were pending for their involvement in “serious crime”. The statement comes after the Consultative Loya Jirga, with a nearly 3,000…

As many as four policemen were killed when their outpost came under Taliban attack in Maiwand district of the southern Kandahar province, local security authorities told Kabul Now on Saturday, August 08. Jamal Nasir Barikzai, spokesperson for Kandahar governor, confirmed that the Taliban fighters launched an attack late on Friday…

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi yesterday, August 07, read a statement issued by US Department of State. The two sides talked about the importance of US-Pakistan cooperation on the Afghan peace process, according to the statement. The conversation between the US…

The Afghan government has convened a three-day Consultative Loya Jirga to debate future of peace talks with the Taliban. Afghan leaders including President Ashraf Ghani, Abul Rab Sayyaf, a prominent jihadi leader, and Massom Stanikzai, the head of commission for convening of Loya Jirga, will address the assembly. Abdullah Abdullah,…