The election commission announced the names of twenty-four men and nine women who won seats in the lower house of parliament in last October’s election (TOLO)
A presidential election originally set for April was postponed twice and is now scheduled for September (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Afghan Presidential Candidates Demand Ghani Step Down
A dozen presidential candidates called on President Ashraf Ghani to step down on May 22, when his five-year term was to run out, or to not run in the election now set for September. Afghanistan’s supreme court recently ruled that Ghani can stay in power while the vote has been postponed (Voice of America)
Prominent Woman Journalist Killed in Afghanistan
Mina Mangal, a journalist and cultural advisor to Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament, was killed by gunmen on her way to work in Kabul on Saturday (TOLO)
The country’s supreme court and civil society groups called for an investigation into her murder (BBC)
U.S., Taliban Wrap Up Sixth Round of Doha Talks
U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said negotiators were getting to the “nitty-gritty” in the latest round of talks to end the war in Afghanistan. The Taliban said “both sides patiently heard each other’s views” and called the talks “positive” (TOLO)
Top U.S. General Suggests Troops to Stay in Afghanistan
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford said the United States must maintain a counterterrorism presence in Afghanistan for as long as an insurgency exists there (TOLO)
Taliban Attack NGO Office in Afghanistan
Gunmen stormed the offices of U.S.-based nongovernmental organization Counterpart International in Kabul today, killing at least five people and wounding nearly twenty-five others. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the organization was involved in “harmful Western activities” (Associated Press)
Afghans Call for Ramadan Cease-Fire
Dozens of residents and activists in Helmand Province called for a cease-fire between the government and Taliban during the month of Ramadan, which began today. President Ashraf Ghani told a peace jirga last week that the government would commit to a cease-fire, while the Taliban has rejected the call (TOLO)
Taliban fighters overran an Afghan army checkpoint in western Farah province overnight, killing twenty soldiers (Associated Press)
Peace Jirga Ends in Afghanistan With Calls for Ceasefire
A gathering of 3,200 delegates to debate peace negotiations with the Taliban in Kabul ended today, with the release of a 23-article resolution that included calls for a cease-fire and the launch of an intra-Afghan dialogue. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said the government would observe a cease-fire during Ramadan if the Taliban agreed, and announced the release of 175 Taliban prisoners as a gesture of goodwill (Khaama Press)
Separately, nearly fifty Afghan government security forces and eighteen civilians were killed in attacks across Afghanistan in the past week (New York Times)
U.S., Taliban Open New Round of Doha Talks
A sixth round of negotiations between U.S. delegates and Taliban militants begin in Qatar’s capital today, according to a Taliban spokesperson. U.S. and Afghan sources made no comment on the reported meetings (TOLO)
Afghanistan Begins Loya Jirga to Discuss Peace Talks With Taliban
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani opened a four-day peace jirga, or traditional assembly, in Kabul to discuss a common approach to peace talks with Taliban militants. More than three thousand delegates are attending the gathering (Associated Press)
Challenges Increase With Tracking U.S. Progress in Afghanistan
The U.S. special inspector general for Afghanistan said it is getting “harder and harder” for the public to see U.S. military progress in the country because of the level of information that is classified or no longer tracked (TOLO)
Separately, nine Afghan policeman were killed in a Taliban ambush in Farah province yesterday (Associated Press)
UN: NATO, Afghan Forces to Blame for More Civilian Deaths
The United Nations reported for the first time that civilian deaths attributed to Afghan and allied international forces outnumbered those attributed to the Taliban. The top causes of civilian deaths in the first quarter of this year were air strikes and ground search operations by Afghan forces; women and children made up half of air strike victims (Deutsche Welle)
Afghanistan’s Supreme Court Extends President’s Term
Afghanistan’s supreme court approved the extension of President Ashraf Ghani’s tenure until the next presidential election, scheduled for September 28, 2019 (TOLO)
Kabul: Taliban Dialogue Cancelled Due to Qatari Objections
The Afghan presidential palace said long-awaited talks between an official Afghan delegation and Taliban militants set for today in Doha were cancelled due to objections from the Qatari government over members of the 250-person Afghan government delegation (TOLO)
Afghan Peace Talks With Taliban Postponed
A weekend meeting in Doha has been postponed, reportedly due to the Taliban objecting to some of the 250 delegates selected by the Afghan government (Wall Street Journal)
Afghanistan Names Delegates for Talks With the Taliban
A presidential spokesman shared a list of 250 delegates, including 52 women, slated to take part in a meeting with the Taliban in Qatar on April 19–21 (TOLO)
International Criminal Court Dismisses Investigation on War in Afghanistan
The International Criminal Court declined to open an investigation into crimes committed in the course of the war in Afghanistan, saying the United States and other parties to the conflict would not cooperate in the probe (New York Times)
Taliban Announce Start of Spring Offensive in Afghanistan
The Taliban today declared that their annual spring offensive has begun, despite ongoing peace talks with the United States (Associated Press)
Three U.S. Soldiers, Contractor Killed in Afghanistan
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the explosives-laden vehicle near Bagram Air Base. Another three U.S. service members were wounded in the attack yesterday afternoon (TOLO)
Afghan Minister: Land Mines Killing Civilians
An estimated 120 Afghan civilians are killed or injured by mines and unexploded ordnance every month, according to the country’s humanitarian affairs minister. He said international coalition forces have left ordnance behind as they have pulled out of Afghanistan and that about 650 square miles are yet to be demined (TOLO)
Taliban Militants Kill Dozens in Attacks Across Afghanistan
Following a series of attacks that killed more than thirty people at security checkpoints throughout Afghanistan this weekend, Taliban militants took control of a district center in the Badakhshan province (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Separately, an ambush on Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum on Saturday was claimed by the Taliban, which blames him for the deaths of thousands of prisoners in late 2001 (New York Times)
Watchdog Warns of Afghan Peace Challenges
In a new report by the U.S. special inspector general for Afghanistan, the watchdog warned that the country will likely continue to struggle with “multiple violent-extremist organizations,” regardless of a possible peace deal. The report also warned that the United States’ $132 billion reconstruction effort faces threats from corruption and weak institutions, among other issues (SIGAR)
Separately, nine police officers were killed in a Taliban attack in Ghazni today (New York Times)
Afghan Children Reportedly Killed in U.S. Strike
A UN preliminary report said at least thirteen civilians, including ten children were killed in a U.S. airstrike in Kunduz Province over the weekend (TOLO)
At least four Afghan soldiers are also believed to have been killed in the strike (New York Times)
Afghan Presidential Election Delayed Again
Afghanistan’s electoral commission postponed the presidential election by another two months, to September 28, noting that the delay will allow election authorities to “better implement the rule of election law” and ensure voter registration. The commission is still finalizing results from parliamentary elections last October (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Afghan Battlefronts Active Amid Peace Talks
Fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban militants intensified in the country’s south and west over the weekend, with at least twenty Afghan soldiers and fifty suspected Taliban members killed in the Badghis Province (TOLO)
Amid the heavy fighting, Taliban militants took 150 Afghan soldiers captive, the largest such capture in the war’s history (New York Times)