Afghanistan News

TEHRAN (FNA)- Military action is no good prescription for Afghanistan’s problems, Iranian deputy foreign minister for European affairs said on Wednesday. In his speech at the Greek Institute for International Studies, Mehdi Safari underlined that the foreign forces should withdraw from Afghanistan, and said that drug cultivation has grown extremely …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Unidentified gunmen in Afghanistan abducted an Iranian man in the western province of Heart on Wednesday. The Iranian man was kidnapped in Ghourian near an Iranian company which does construction work in Afghanistan. There are no reports yet of the identity of kidnappers and the police are investigating …

KABUL  – Afghanistan on Thursday announced presidential elections for August 20, hoping a U.S. troop surge will improve security at a time when violence is at the highest levels since the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban. President Hamid Karzai has strongly hinted he will run for re-election saying he still …

BRUSSELS  – NATO said Thursday it was pleased an election date had been announced in Afghanistan and said it would give the alliance enough time to deploy sufficient reinforcements to help protect the vote. Afghanistan said Thursday it would hold presidential polls on August 20, only the second time the …

WASHINGTON  – President Barack Obama will press Afghan President Hamid Karzai to extend government control beyond the capital and fight corruption in a new U.S. policy that will have a “significant non-military component,” a White House official said on Wednesday. The White House is conducting a review of all aspects …

BRUSSELS  – NATO-led forces killed nearly 100 civilians in operations against militants in Afghanistan last year, the alliance said on Wednesday, while blaming insurgents for the deaths of 10 times that number. Civilian casualties have eroded public support for President Hamid Karzai’s government and foreign troops backing it. It has …

PRAGUE  – The European Union said on Wednesday it would invite Iran to a conference on Afghanistan. Calls have grown in the international community to engage Iran in both regional diplomacy and in direct talks on Tehran’s nuclear program. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the planned conference would …

LONDON  – Private security companies are expanding operations in Afghanistan as the war there heats up, but industry experts say those that made fortunes in Iraq may find business much tougher in the new market. As Iraq has grown more stable, Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency is strong, has been …

LONDON – The Taliban told U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday that his plan to close Guantanamo Bay prison camp was a “positive step” but peace was only possible if he withdraws U.S. forces from Afghanistan and Iraq. The Taliban, toppled in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, also told …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen said on Tuesday that US can hold dialogue with Iran over Afghanistan. Mullen underlined that the US can hold dialogue with Iran and find some mutual interests in Afghanistan and such talks “could be useful”. “With respect …