Afghanistan
'Nightmare': Military veterans warn US against delaying Afghanistan exit
"If we stay against the will of the Taliban -- on Wednesday morning -- the nightmare scenario is light machine gun fire, and a dozen mortar rounds, closing down their evacuation of our forces. At which point, we've got a real problem," retired four star general Barry Richard McCaffrey said in a television interview on Thursday.
UNGA president calls for protecting civilians in Afghanistan
"Protection of civilians and rights and freedoms of Afghan people - in particular women and children must be a priority," the UNGA president said on Thursday in a note emailed to UN correspondents, Xinhua news agency reported. Bozkir noted that for 40 years, the General Assembly has addressed "the situation in Afghanistan," focusing on peace, stability, good governance, human rights and development.
Over 60 including 12 US military personnel killed in Kabul blasts
US Central Command commander Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr has confirmed that 12 American service members have been killed and 15 injured in two suicide bombings. US President Joe Biden, speaking at the White House, vowed to carry on with evacuating people fleeing Afghanistan, the BBC reported. He also pledged that the US would hunt down those behind the attacks and make them pay.
Russia sees over 150 man-portable US missiles with Afghan militants as major terror threat
Russia's Federal Service of Military and Technical Co-operation Director Dimitry Shugaev told journalists in Moscow on Wednesday that "there are more than 150 missiles left behind by the US forces in Afghanistan. We do not know who is in control of these missiles. They could be in the hands of the Taliban or any other militant group who can use them in any part of the world including Europe, America or India."
India will soon know that Taliban can run Af affairs smoothly: Taliban leader
Dawn said the statement from the Taliban leader came a week after Modi commented on the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, saying "empires created out of terror can dominate for some time, but their existence is never permanent as they cannot suppress humanity forever". Dilwar warned India not to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.
Russia relies on its Central Asian military bases to block terror influx from Afghanistan
The recent military drills that took place on the Afghan border with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan had Russian forces from these bases—sending a clear signal to the Taliban not to invade or cause problems in the region. Among its bases, Russia maintains its largest presence in Tajikistan where it has deployed its 201 motorised division. In Tajikistan, the division operates from Dushanbe, and Bokhtar.
Taliban, Panjshir resistance not to attack each other
The two sides have agreed to cease attacks against each other, sources said, adding that meetings between the two delegations of the Taliban and Northern Alliance were taking place over the last two days at Charikar in Afghanistan's Parwan province. A peace agreement will be announced during a press conference by the Taliban and Northern Alliance leaders, the sources added.
India returns to the Afghan cockpit after Modi-Putin talks
Several points of convergence emerged in the dialogue. Russia has been engaging with the Taliban, which overran Kabul on August 15, for a long time. But the two countries decided they will coordinate their position regarding recognition of the new Emirate of Taliban, which would come only if there is a marked change in the behaviour of the Islamist group dominated by ethnic Pashtuns.
'US to ensure Americans, partners can leave Afghanistan beyond Aug 31'
President Joe Biden confirmed on Tuesday that his administration aimed to complete the evacuation by August 31, while asking for contingency plans to adjust the timeline if necessary, reports Xinhua news agency. Addressing reporters on Wednesday, Blinken said that there was no deadline on the work to help Americans and those Afghan partners who remained in the country to leave. "That effort will continue every day past August 31," he said.
Taliban's takeover of Kabul sooner than expected: Danish intel
"It was not a surprise that Kabul fell, but we did not consider the speed at which it happened to be probable. We made our assessments on the intelligence basis, but it has turned out that our assessment was simply too optimistic," Xinhua news agency quoted Svend Larsen, acting head of the FE, as saying in a statement issued on Wednesday.
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