Afghanistan

Kabul Accuses Pakistan of Resuming Strikes on Afghan Soil

Pakistan launched strikes on Afghan soil late Friday, breaking a ceasefire that had brought two days of calm to the border, a senior Taliban official told AFP, warning that Kabul would "retaliate." The 48-hour truce had paused nearly a week of bloody border clashes that killed dozens of troops and civilians on both sides. "Pakistan has broken ...

Pakistan and Afghanistan Agree to 48-Hour Ceasefire

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire on Wednesday, the foreign ministry in Islamabad said, after dozens of troops and civilians were killed earlier in a fresh round of border skirmishes. "The Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban regime, at the Taliban's request... have decided to implement a temporary ceasefire starting ...

Pakistan Promises “Strong Response” to Afghan Border Operation

Islamabad on Sunday promised a “strong response” to an Afghan reprisal operation against its forces overnight along their shared border, which Kabul says killed “58 Pakistani soldiers.” On Saturday night, the Taliban Ministry of Defense said it had successfully carried out an armed “reprisal operation” against Pakistani security ...

Taliban Impose Communications Blackout Across Afghanistan

Afghanistan faced a second day without internet and mobile phone service on Tuesday, after Taliban authorities cut the fiber optic network. Taliban authorities began shutting down high speed internet connections to some provinces earlier in the month to prevent "vice". On Monday night, mobile phone signal and internet service gradually ...

Days After Quake, Afghan Survivors Still Await Aid

Rescue teams struggled Wednesday to reach survivors days after a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan left more than 1,400 people dead, as access to remote areas remained obstructed. A magnitude-6.0 shallow earthquake hit the mountainous region bordering Pakistan late Sunday, collapsing mud-brick homes on families as they slept. Fearful of ...

Hope Dwindles for Survivors days After Deadly Afghan Quake

Hope faded Wednesday of finding survivors in the rubble of homes devastated by the weekend's powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, as emergency services struggled to reach remote villages. A magnitude-6.0 earthquake hit the mountainous region bordering Pakistan on Sunday, leaving residents huddled in the open air for fear of powerful ...

Earthquake in Afghanistan

A powerful earthquake has struck eastern Afghanistan, leaving hundreds dead and villages destroyed. The Taliban and the UN have launched a major rescue operation in a country already weakened by decades of war and a lack of international aid.

ICC Seeks Arrest of Taliban Leaders over Persecution of Women

The International Criminal Court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity for persecuting women and girls. Judges said there were "reasonable grounds" to suspect Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani of committing gender-based ...

Mass Influx of Afghans Expelled from Iran Before the July Deadline

Tens of thousands of Afghans streamed over the border from Iran in the days before a return deadline set for Sunday, the United Nations said, sparking an "emergency" situation at border points. In late May, Iran said undocumented Afghans must leave the country by July 6, potentially impacting four million people out of the six million ...

Pakistan Army Kills 30 Militants Trying to Cross from Afghanistan

Pakistan's army said Friday it had killed 30 militants attempting to cross the border from Afghanistan over the last three days, after a suicide attack killed 16 soldiers in the same region. The militants belonged to the Pakistan Taliban or its affiliated groups, the military said in a statement, accusing arch foe India of backing them. "The ...

UN Sees 'Alarming' Surge in Afghan Families Deported from Iran

The UN migration agency on Tuesday voiced concern over a surge in Afghan families deported from Iran, recording a more than two-fold increase in May from the previous month. There was a "sharp rise in the forced return of Afghan nationals" from Iran in May, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement. "Particularly ...