Afghan Government and Taliban Prisoner Exchange Delayed
A prisoner exchange between the Afghan government and the Taliban has been delayed, according to spokespeople from both sides. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced the planned swap last week as a prelude to resuming peace talks (TOLO)
Explosion Kills Several in Kabul
A car bombing during morning rush hour in Kabul killed at least seven people, the Afghan Interior Ministry said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Separately, Afghanistan’s election commission announced that the results of a presidential election vote recount, originally set to be released tomorrow, will be further delayed due to complaints from candidates about the tallying process at some eight thousand polling stations (TOLO)
Afghanistan Announces Prisoner Swap With Taliban
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced the release of three Taliban commanders in exchange for the release of an Australian and a U.S. professor held by the Taliban. Ghani said the measure was aimed at facilitating face-to-face peace talks (TOLO)
Afghan Judges Killed at Taliban Checkpoint
Three judges and a court staffer were killed after their car was stopped at a Taliban checkpoint in the country’s east, regional officials said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack (Reuters)
Afghan Peace Talks to Be Held in China
Beijing will soon host delegations from the Afghan government and Taliban to discuss a peace agreement, the Afghan president’s spokesperson said (TOLO)
HRW Details Abuses by Groups in Afghanistan
A new report by Human Rights Watch found that in 2017–19, Afghan forces backed by the CIA committed atrocities including summary executions, forced disappearances, and the killing of civilians in night raids. The organization called for such groups to be disbanded and for independent investigations into the reported abuses (Human Rights Watch)
Afghan Peace Process Talks Held in Moscow
China, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States held a second round of four-party talks in Moscow to support an Afghan peace process (U.S. State Department)
Afghan Government Reportedly Prepares Peace Plan
The government of President Ashraf Ghani has drafted a seven-point plan for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and negotiations with the Taliban, according to a report (TOLO)
U.S., European States Urge Afghan Peace Talks
Representatives from the United States and several European countries, as well as the European Union, issued a joint statement calling for a cease-fire in Afghanistan and intra-Afghan peace negotiations (TOLO)
U.S. Defense Chief, House Speaker Visit Afghanistan
Defense Secretary Mark Esper visited Afghanistan today in a bid to restart peace talks with the Taliban, which President Donald J. Trump broke off last month (Reuters)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also met with top Afghan officials over the weekend (Speaker’s Office)
Separately, General Austin Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, confirmed today that the United States has withdrawn approximately two thousand troops from the country over the past year, bringing the total number of U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan down to roughly twelve thousand (New York Times)
Scores Killed in Afghanistan Mosque Bombing
At least sixty-two people were killed and more than one hundred others injured after a bombing at a mosque in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province today (Reuters)
Afghanistan to Miss Election Results Deadline
Preliminary results from the country’s September vote may be delayed more than a week beyond the October 19 deadline due to slow data entry, according to sources from the election commission (Reuters)
Separately, the UN reported that the past three months in Afghanistan have been the deadliest three-month period in at least a decade, with more than nearly 1,200 civilians killed and more than 3,100 wounded between July and September (Washington Post)
UN: Scores Killed in Afghan Election Violence
A new report from the UN mission in Afghanistan found that 85 people were killed and another 373 injured in attacks leading up to and on the day of the September presidential election (United Nations)
Separately, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs reported that three security officers have been killed, and dozens of people injured, in a Taliban bombing near a police station in Laghman province. Of those injured in the attack, twenty were children attending school near the explosion (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Moves to Restart Taliban Peace Talks
U.S. and Taliban representatives have reportedly discussed confidence-building measures with the aim of reviving peace talks that President Donald J. Trump called off last month. The measures could include a prisoner swap or a cease-fire (Wall Street Journal)
Chinese and Pakistani Leaders Meet to Discuss Peace in Afghanistan
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a joint statement endorsing an Afghan-led peace process in the country (TOLO)
UN: U.S. Strikes on Afghan Drug Labs Killed Dozens
At least thirty-nine civilians were killed in May air strikes by U.S. and allied forces that targeted drug labs in the country’s west, according to a new report by the UN mission in Afghanistan and the UN human rights agency. The report said the labs were not lawful targets of such attacks (United Nations)
The United States disputes most of the report, identifying the casualties as “lawful military targets” (New York Times)
Separately, nineteen students were wounded in a blast at Ghazni University in southeast Afghanistan; no group has claimed responsibility (Al Jazeera)
Voting Irregularities Raise Fraud Concerns in Afghan Elections
High vote tallies from polling centers that reported low turnout are raising concerns about fraud in last weekend’s presidential election, according to a new report (New York Times)
Taliban, in Pakistan, Urges Return to Peace Talks
A delegation from the Taliban met today with Pakistan’s foreign minister in Islamabad, where both parties voiced support for resuming stalled U.S.-Taliban peace talks. U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is also in the Pakistani capital (TOLO)
Both Afghan Election Front-Runners Claim Lead
President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, the two leading candidates in last week’s presidential election, both said they were on track to win the vote despite official results not being due until mid-October (New York Times)
Dozens Killed in Afghanistan Election Day Attacks
The Taliban threatened widespread violence to disrupt the election. At least twenty police officers and nine civilians were killed in attacks that targeted voting centers, according to officials (TOLO)
Afghanistan is set to hold a presidential election tomorrow amid widespread security concerns, as the Taliban has pledged to disrupt the vote (New York Times)
The two election front-runners are President Ashraf Ghani, who has vowed to work toward peace with the Taliban despite a stall in U.S. talks, and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who joined a power-sharing deal with Ghani after the disputed 2014 presidential election (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
At least four hundred polling centers will be closed due to the security concerns (TOLO)
Afghanistan Deploys Additional Security Forces Ahead of Election
The Afghan government has deployed more than one hundred thousand military and police personnel to guard polling stations ahead of the upcoming presidential election. The mobilization of security forces comes in response to threats of widespread violence by the Taliban (Reuters)
Pakistan’s Khan Calls to Restart Taliban Talks
Prime Minister Imran Khan, speaking at CFR yesterday, said there is no military solution to the war in Afghanistan and called for the United States to resume peace talks with the militant group. Khan met with U.S. President Donald J. Trump at the United Nations later yesterday (Voice of America)
Taliban Leaders Meet With Chinese Officials
A Taliban delegation, on a visit to Beijing, held talks with senior Chinese officials about stalled peace negotiations with the United States. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called for resuming the peace process (Voice of America)
U.S. Cancels Some Afghan Aid Over Corruption
The U.S. State Department announced it is rescinding $100 million in aid for a large energy infrastructure project in Afghanistan and withholding $60 million in other assistance due to “government corruption and financial mismanagement” (U.S. State Department)