Afghanistan

The new US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, has arrived in Kabul on what is being described as a fact-finding mission. He is to meet senior Afghan officials to discuss issues including the worsening security situation. On Wednesday, co-ordinated Taleban attacks in the Afghan capital killed at least …

US President Barack Obama’s envoy to Afghanistan has said that winning the conflict there will be “much tougher” than in Iraq. Richard Holbrooke told a conference in Munich: “I have never seen anything like the mess we have inherited.” Nato defence ministers at the security conference differed on whether the …

KOHAT, Pakistan  – Pakistani Taliban militants released a video tape Sunday of them beheading a Polish geologist whom they said they killed because Pakistan’s government refused to release Taliban prisoners. The Islamist militants said Saturday they had executed the Polish engineer, Piotr Stanczak, who they kidnapped in September, because the …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran seized more than 500 tons of drugs from smugglers, Commander of Iran’s anti-drug squad General Hamid Reza Hossein-Abadi said in Turkey yesterday. The drugs which were seized in the past 10 months were due to be transited to Europe, Hossein-Abadi told reporters at his joint news conference …

TEHRAN (FNA)- The foreign ministers of the three Persian-language speaking countries, Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan are scheduled to meet on trilateral ties within a month. The top diplomats will discuss ways of developing Iran and Tajikistan electricity network projects to be connected via Afghanistan, Tajik Foreign Minister Khamrokhon Zarifi said …

BISHKEK  – Kyrgyzstan began moves on Wednesday to close a U.S. military air base in the former Soviet republic which is vital for supplying U.S.-led troops fighting in Afghanistan. The decision by a traditional Russian ally in Central Asia sends a tough signal and challenge to new U.S. President Barack …

KABUL  – Afghan President Hamid Karzai renewed criticism of U.S. and NATO-led forces on Wednesday and said he was determined his government would take a stronger role in the deployment and work of foreign troops. Last month, Karzai’s government presented a draft proposal to NATO with a list of measures …

KABUL  – With the reduction of violence in Iraq, foreign militants were now flooding into Afghanistan to join Taliban insurgents battling Afghan and international troops, the Afghan defense minister said Wednesday. There was a 33 percent rise in insurgent attacks in Afghanistan in 2008, according to NATO-led forces. Violence is …

WASHINGTON  – The Obama administration is likely to emphasize security goals in Afghanistan by approving extra troop deployments even before the White House completes its review of Afghan strategy, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. The emphasis on military operations reflects a shift in U.S. thinking that places greater priority on …

KABUL (Reuters) – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was in Afghanistan on Wednesday for talks with President Hamid Karzai and NATO military leaders, the U.N. said. Ban’s unannounced visit comes a day after the U.N. said more than 2,100 civilians were killed in Afghanistan in 2008, 40 percent more …