Afghanistan

The following is the text of a communique issued by the United States of America, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, Norway, and the United Kingdom on the Afghan Peace Process. Begin Text: Special Envoys and Special Representatives of the United States of America, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, …

The Pentagon has deployed more heavy bombers and fighter jets to ensure the protection of the withdrawing U.S. and coalition troops from Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on May 6. “Less than one week in, the drawdown is going according to plan,” Austin told reporters, adding that the …

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday (6 May 2021) that NATO continues to closely monitor Russia’s significant military build-up in and around Ukraine. Speaking at a meeting of European Union Defence Ministers, the Secretary General welcomed today’s announcement by the EU to include Canada, Norway and the United …

The United States appears upbeat about the resumption of stalled peace talks between warring parties in Afghanistan, even as fighting escalates amid the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the country. A senior U.S. official said Tuesday during a background briefing in Kabul that Washington’s diplomatic efforts are continuing …

A car bomb attack in Pakistan, possibly aimed at a Chinese diplomat, has demonstrated just how important peace and stability in the region is to Beijing and its $65 billion Belt and Road Initiative. On April 21 Wednesday evening a deadly blast struck a Pakistan hotel stemming from a car …

Far worse than failing to intervene is intervening to fail. The withdrawal from Afghanistan is just that. US allies who have themselves invested huge military and economic resources in Afghanistan fear a Taliban return to power and the blood-bath that would likely accompany it. Their concerns are shared by General …

A new quarterly U.S. report has documented a staggering 82% increase in “insider attacks” on Afghan government security forces in the first quarter of 2021, resulting in 115 personnel killed and 39 wounded. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported Thursday to the U.S. Congress that overall Afghan …

The Pentagon is preparing for possible Taliban attacks on U.S. and coalition forces as they withdraw from Afghanistan, a prospect that complicates the outlook for winding down America’s longest war. May 1 was the date all U.S. and other foreign forces were to have departed Afghanistan under a February 2020 …

The U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan has officially begun in line with President Biden’s order for all U.S. troops to be out by Sept. 11, the White House confirmed Thursday. “A drawdown is underway,” deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling on Air Force One. Biden ordered …

Afghan security forces broke up an alleged Chinese espionage ring in December that was operating in Kabul and trying to infiltrate terrorist networks in the country. The Afghan government said little about the issue besides acknowledging the arrests. Beijing publicly denied knowledge of the group’s activities.