Three bombings in Kabul today killed at least fifteen people, including eight government employees, according to officials. Top U.S. and NATO officials, including the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, were in the city for meetings (Reuters)
Yesterday, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on a NATO military convoy in Kabul that killed a Croatian soldier (Voice of America)
Pakistan Agrees to Help Mediate Peace in Afghanistan
After meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced yesterday that he will attempt to persuade the Taliban to meet with the Afghan government to reach a peace settlement (Reuters)
Separately, a suicide bomber killed one Croatian soldier and injured two others near Kabul (Associated Press)
Afghan Officials Call for Clarification on Trump’s Comments
During a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he could win the war in Afghanistan in ten days by wiping out the country but did not want to kill ten million people. His comments prompted a call from Afghan officials for an explanation of the statement (Reuters)
Separately, U.S. Special Representative to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan and then Qatar next week to resume negotiations with the Taliban (Agence France-Presse)
Afghan Government Forces Kill Seven Civilians
An attack on Taliban militants in Logar province today by Afghan government forces killed seven civilians (Reuters)
Taliban Attacks Kill Dozens in Afghanistan
A Taliban attack on the police headquarters in the city of Kandahar yesterday killed twelve people and wounded nearly one hundred others (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Separately a Taliban bombing at Kabul University today killed ten people and wounded more than thirty others (New York Times)
Taliban Kill Eighteen in Afghanistan
Yesterday, eighteen Afghan soldiers were killed during a raid to capture a senior Taliban leader in Badghis province (Reuters)
Separately, the Taliban forced a Swedish charity to shut down forty-two health centers in Wardak province (Reuters)
Lastly, a radio station in eastern Ghazni province suspended broadcasts after its director said it received threats from a Taliban commander for employing women (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Bomb Kills Eleven in Afghanistan
Yesterday, a landmine in Kandahar province killed eleven and injured thirty-five. Government officials accused the Taliban of placing the landmine (Al Jazeera)
Taliban Bombs Kill Civilians, U.S. Service Member in Afghanistan
Today, a bombing in Kandahar province killed nine people (Associated Press)
Additionally, Taliban forces stormed a hotel in Badghis province, killing three security officials (Reuters)
Separately, Sgt. Maj. James Sartor, a U.S. service member, was killed in Wardak Province, bringing the number of deaths of U.S. troops this year to seven (Reuters)
Government Airstrike in Afghanistan Kills Seven Civilians
Yesterday, an Afghan government airstrike in Baghlan province killed seven civilians. This development follows an Afghan-Taliban agreement to try and limit civilian casualties (Al Jazeera)
Taliban and Afghan Delegations Release Joint Statement
After two days of talks in Qatar, Taliban and Afghan representatives pledged to work toward an internationally monitored peace agreement for Afghanistan. The two sides said they would seek to bring civilian casualties to zero (Associated Press)
Taliban to Meet With Afghan Officials; Productive U.S.-Taliban Talks
Qatar and Germany brokered two days of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Doha, as negotiations between the United States and the militant group continue (New York Times)
Meanwhile, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad reported that last week’s talks were the most productive so far (Reuters)
Separately, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a bombing at a government compound yesterday that killed at least twelve people (Washington Post)
Also over the weekend, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in Ghazni province (Reuters)
Taliban Set to Meet Afghan Delegates
At an upcoming meeting in Doha, organized by Germany and Qatar, Taliban officials will meet with forty Afghan representatives (Reuters)
There will be no official Afghan government representation at the meeting (Associated Press)
During Peace Talks, Taliban Attacks in Afghanistan
While the United States and the Taliban met in Qatar, the Taliban continued attacks across Afghanistan. Today, the Taliban detonated a bomb in Kabul that killed one person and wounded over one hundred (Associated Press)
Yesterday, the Taliban bombed a government compound in Maruf, attacked a police unit in Paktia province, and targeted a military base and security outposts in Kunduz province (New York Times)
U.S. and Taliban to Begin New Round of Talks
Negotiators will meet in Doha beginning tomorrow for their seventh round of peace talks. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani praised Pakistan for recently encouraging Taliban leaders to enter into talks with the Afghan government as well (TOLO)
Two U.S. Soldiers Killed by Taliban in Afghanistan
Two American soldiers were killed by the Taliban during a military operation in Afghanistan’s Wardak Province (New York Times)
This incident follows yesterday’s unannounced visit to Kabul by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an effort to encourage upcoming peace talks (Washington Post)
U.S.-Taliban Negotiations Focus on Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan
This week, the seventh round of U.S.-Taliban peace talks will aim to identify a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, according to a Taliban official (Reuters)
The announcement follows a UN report that Taliban support for terrorist organizations has allowed groups like al-Qaeda to become more powerful (Long War Journal)
Taliban: United States Agrees to Withdraw From Afghanistan
After the United States reported that it seeks a comprehensive peace agreement with the Taliban, a Taliban negotiator announced that the United States has agreed to completely withdraw its troops from Afghanistan (Voice of America)
Suicide Bomber Kills Nine in Afghanistan
A suicide bombing targeting a police vehicle in Jalalabad, capital of eastern Nangarhar Province, today killed at least nine people and wounded twelve others (Reuters)
Afghan Security Forces Raid Taliban Prison
Eighty-four people were rescued from a Taliban prison in northern Faryab Province last night, in a raid by Afghan security forces backed by international troops (TOLO)
Taliban Detains Afghan Peace Marchers
Twenty-five peace protesters who went missing after marching through Helmand Province were detained by Taliban militants, according to a member of the peace movement (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Bombing in Afghanistan’s Kabul Kills Five
At least five people were killed and ten others wounded in a bombing targeting Afghan government employees in the capital Kabul today (Reuters)
The attack follows three explosions in Kabul yesterday that killed one person and injured nearly twenty others (Al Jazeera)
Russia Hosts Afghan Peace Talks
Moscow hosted delegations of Taliban officials and Afghan politicians for talks yesterday. Taliban cofounder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and the head of the national peace council took part in the meeting. Baradar, along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, called for a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan (Voice of America)
Separately, Taliban attacks on security forces across Afghanistan yesterday killed more than forty people (New York Times)
UN: Attacks on Afghan Schools Tripled
The number of attacks on Afghan schools jumped to nearly two hundred last year, according to the UN Children’s Fund. The report said the increase was in part due to the use of schools as voter-registration and voting centers during October’s parliamentary elections. By the end of 2018, more than one thousand schools had been closed (UNICEF)
One-Third of Afghans Have Fled Home Since 2012
Some 3.5 million Afghans were internally displaced due to conflict or natural disasters between 2012 and 2018, according to a report from the International Organization of Migration. About 3.2 million Afghans returned to the country from abroad, largely from Iran and Pakistan, during the same period. The IOM’s chief in Afghanistan warned that the “absorption capacities of many provinces are already overstretched” (TOLO)
Afghan Police Reported Killed in Air Strike
Local Afghan officials and the Interior Ministry said that as least seventeen police officers were killed in an air strike by the U.S.-led coalition in Helmand Province. The ministry said Afghan forces requested the strike amid fighting with Taliban militants (Voice of America)