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Afghanistan’s Silk Road jewel: experts fear for heritage in Herat

With Herat now in the hands of the Taliban as the militant group consolidates power over the last outposts of government-held territory, protecting Afghanistan’s heritage has become a grave concern for many. Last month Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, accepted a request by the Afghan government …

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Hardline Haqqani Network Put in Charge of Kabul Security

The Taliban has placed security for the Afghan capital, Kabul, in the hands of senior members of the Haqqani Network, which has close ties with foreign jihadist groups including a long-standing association with al-Qaida. Western intelligence officials say the assignment is alarming and undercuts Taliban promises to tread a more …

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Islamic State threat moves online, expands across Africa: Senior counter-terrorism expert

Two decades after the 11 September terrorist attacks in New York, terror networks Al-Qaida and Islamic State – also known as Da’esh – continue to pose a grave threat to peace and security, adapting to new technologies and moving into some of the world’s most fragile regions, the top UN …

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US Continues Diplomatic Outreach to Host At-risk Afghans

The United States says it is engaging directly with the Taliban to secure safe passage for “everybody” who is trying to get to the Kabul airport. The U.S. is also reaching out to dozens of countries to host at-risk Afghans while accelerating the evacuation of American citizens, diplomats and Afghan …

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Russia supports withdrawal of foreign fighters from Libya

Russia’s top diplomat assured his Libyan counterpart Thursday that Moscow supports the withdrawal of all foreign fighters from the North African country and is prepared to help work out the details with other countries. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after the talks in Moscow with Najla Mangoush that the …

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Scoop: CIA director raised China concerns with Israeli prime minister

While visiting Israel last week, CIA director Bill Burns told Prime Minister Naftali Bennett the U.S. was concerned about Chinese investments in Israel, particularly in the tech sector, and involvement in major infrastructure projects, Israeli officials tell Axios. Why it matters: That’s the highest level at which the Biden administration …

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Israel Bombs Syrian Cities in the Middle of the Night

The Israeli attack was the second to hit Syria within two days, after a missile attack targeted military sites in Quneitra province on Tuesday On Thursday night, Israel launched missile strikes at some sites in the Syrian capital of Damascus and the central province of Homs. At 11:00 pm local …

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G7 Seeks Cooperation on Evacuation Amid Chaos in Kabul

Foreign affairs ministers from the U.K. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S. spoke about internal displacement in Afghanistan over recent days. The Group of Seven (G7) on Thursday sought to secure close cooperation in personnel evacuation and the resettlement of refugees as chaos continues at the Kabul airport …

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Putin Rejected Role for U.S. Forces Near Afghanistan at Summit With Biden

After Afghan withdrawal, U.S. military hopes to position forces temporarily near Afghanistan, but Putin told Biden that Moscow objects Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a June 16 summit meeting with President Biden, objected to any role for American forces in Central Asian countries, senior U.S. and Russian officials said, undercutting …

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Taliban Conquest of Afghanistan Scrambles the Diplomatic Map

U.S. efforts to isolate the Taliban could be undercut by new regime’s outreach to Russia, China and neighbors The ascent of the Taliban has redrawn the diplomatic map for the U.S. and its rivals as they compete to shape the future of Afghanistan. China and Russia already are moving to …

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