Asian News from UK

Tag: kabul

  • Ghani Exits As Talib Army Enter Kabul

    Ghani Exits As Talib Army Enter Kabul

    Nobel laureate and a victim of Taliban atrocities Malala Yousafzai says she is “deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates” as the Taliban takes control in Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News.

    Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has left the country bound for Tajikistan as Taliban troops enter the capital city.

    The Taliban order their fighters to refrain from violence and allow safe passage for anyone wanting to leave, BBC reported. They say members of the Afghan security forces will be allowed to return to their homes.

    Earlier in the day, acting defense minister Bismillah Mohammadi said that the president has handed the authority of solving the crisis in the country to political leaders, Tolo News reported.

    Mohammadi said that a delegation will travel to Doha on Monday for talks on the country’s situation.

    The delegation includes key political leaders, including Younus Qanooni, Ahmad Wali Massoud, Mohammad Mohaqiq among others.

    Sources close to the Taliban said that it has been agreed that Ghani will resign after a political agreement and hand the power to a transitional government.

    Afghans have said that they seek a political settlement and an end to the ongoing violence in the country.

    Eyewitnesses say the militants met little resistance along the way to the capital.  The Taliban capture more territory, including the former US airbase at Bagram and the central Bamiyan province.

    Vice-president Amrullah Saleh is also reported to have fled. Mr Ghani has come under increasing pressure to resign as major cities around Afghanistan have fallen to Taliban militants over the course of 10 days.

    In another development, Nobel laureate and a victim of Taliban atrocities Malala Yousafzai says she is “deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates” as the Taliban takes control in Afghanistan.

    The women’s rights and education activist urged global powers to call for “an immediate ceasefire” and to protect refugees and civilians.

    There is concern that under Taliban rule, women’s rights could deteriorate in Afghanistan. When the militants previously ruled the country, girls over the age of 12 did not receive an education and women could not leave their house without a face covering and a male relative chaperoning them.

    Residents flee city

    People in Kabul have been fleeing the capital as news of the Taliban advance emerges. Long queues of cars have formed as people try to find a way out of the city. Banks have also been busy as residents try to withdraw their savings, BBC reported.

      Afghan MP Farzana Kochai describeD the scene: “I’m in my house and looking at the people who are just trying to run.”

     She continues: “I don’t know where they’re trying to go, even in the streets and from their houses, their bags they are carrying… and all these things. It’s heartbreaking, you know.”

     Earlier, Pakistan said it was closing the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan after the militants seized the Afghan side of the border, according to reports.  This leaves Kabul International Airport as the only way out of the country.

    Afghan radio reports said that the road to Kabul’s international airport is clogged with thousands of people who are rushing to leave the country.

     Thousands of others stand in long queues, stretching for kilometres, outside the capital’s only passport office, desperately trying to secure travel documents.

    Others frantically rush around downtown Kabul, a city of some 5 million people, running last-minute errands before fleeing their homes.

    The fear and panic gripping Kabul is palpable as the Taliban militant group marches on the capital following a devastating, months long military offensive during which it has seized large swaths of the war-torn country.

    “It’s a feeling of shock and sadness compounded by brutal uncertainty,” says Timor Sharan, a former civil servant and the director of the Afghanistan Policy Lab, a Kabul-based think tank. “Shopping in the city today, I felt people were gripped by a sense of being stuck; stuck in an uncertain future and never able to dream, aspire, think, and believe anymore.”

      Meanwhile, the price of some food staples like flour has surged by 30 percent, while gas prices have almost doubled in recent weeks, even as poverty spreads and a humanitarian crisis worsens.

    ALSO READ-US govt issues new terrorism threat warning ahead of 9/11 anniversary

    READ MORE-Homeland Security warns fresh Covid-19 curbs could spark attacks

  • US Embassy in Kabul destroys sensitive materials

    US Embassy in Kabul destroys sensitive materials

    The State Department said that this was part of the standard procedure applied when minimising the US footprint…reports Asian Lite News.

    The US Embassy in Kabul is instructing personnel to destroy sensitive materials as well as items “which could be misused in propaganda efforts”, according to a management notice sent to the staff.

    The notice about “Emergency Destruction Services” underscores the dire situation on the ground in Afghanistan as cities continue to fall to the Taliban, a CNN news report said.

    The report said that one intelligence assessment indicated that Kabul could be isolated by the Taliban within the week, possibly in the next 72 hours, but stressed that does not mean the militant group would enter the capital.

    President Joe Biden spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday “about the ongoing efforts to safely drawdown the civilian footprint in Afghanistan”, according to a White House tweet.

    In preparation of that effort, Friday’s embassy notice said facilities would provide “destruction support” daily and called on personnel to “please take advantage and reduce the amount of sensitive material on the property”, including papers and electronics.

    “Please also include items with embassy or agency logos, American flags, or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts,” it said.

    The notice said there would be a variety of means to destroy these materials, including burn bins, a disintegrator, an incinerator and a compacter and heavy-duty equipment.

    The State Department said that this was part of the standard procedure applied when minimising the US footprint.

    “Drawdowns at our diplomatic posts around the world follow a standard operating procedure designed to minimise our footprint across various categories, including staffing, equipment, and supplies. Embassy Kabul is conducting their drawdown in accordance with this standard operating procedure,” a State Department spokesperson said.

    The situation on the ground is incredibly challenging for US diplomats, who say that plans are changing by the minute.

    The notice said there would be a variety of means to destroy these materials, including burn bins, a disintegrator, an incinerator and a compacter and heavy-duty equipment.

    As the Taliban rapidly surges and American diplomats and military leave, many in Afghanistan have been left in a state of unease, fear and despair.

    There is particular concern among women, minorities, and those who worked for the US government — groups who now face repression and reprisal by the Taliban.

    ALSO READ-Biden increases troops deployment to Afghanistan

    READ MORE-Ghani vows to prevent further bloodshed as Taliban offensive continues

  • Multiple blasts and gunfire rock Kabul

    Multiple blasts and gunfire rock Kabul

    The incident took place around 8 pm and videos showed large plumes of smoke billowing out from the scene minutes after the blast…reports Asian Lite News

    Multiple explosions and sporadic gunfire were heard in the city Kabul, near the residence of the acting Afghanistan Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammad in Kabul late on Tuesday.

    “We heard sporadic gunfire. Then there was a loud siren. About five minutes later there was a second explosion. And then a third…” CNN said.

    “Gunfire and explosions are still heard near the acting defense minister’s house in downtown Kabul where an initial blast was heard around 8 pm (local time),” TOLO News also said.

    The incident took place around 8 pm and videos showed large plumes of smoke billowing out from the scene minutes after the blast, TOLO News reported.

    Shortly after the explosions scores of people were seen taking to the streets in Jalalabad chanting religious slogans in support of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.

    Afghanistan

    “Nangarhar residents took to the streets in Jalalabad tonight chanting Allahu Akbar in support of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces,” it tweeted.

    This came amid heavy clashes between Afghanistan forces and the Taliban in several Afghan cities. Aghan forces battled the Taliban in Lashkargah as the fighting intensified in the city in southern Helmand province and the frontline was in District 1 where the US conducted an airstrike on Monday morning.

    Over the last few weeks, the Taliban have captured several districts in Afghanistan including Takhar, the country’s northeastern province.

    Nationwide, the Taliban controls 223 districts, with 116 contested and the government holding 68, according to the Long War Journal, whose calculations tally with CNN’s estimates. It says 17 of 34 provincial capitals are directly threatened by the Taliban.

    An Afghan special force member attends a military operation against Taliban fighters in Kandak Anayat village of Kunduz city, Afghanistan, July 23, 2021. (Photo by Ajmal Kakar/Xinhua)

    Airstrikes kill 21 militants

    In an airstrike by Afghan Air Force (AAF) on Tuesday at least 21 Taliban terrorists were killed and 27 others were wounded in Jowzjan province.

    “21 Taliban terrorists were killed and 27 others were wounded in airstrikes conducted by AAF at the outskirts of #Sheberghan city, Jowzjan provincial center, late afternoon today. Also, 10 motorbikes, a large amount of their weapons, amos & equipment were destroyed,” Ministry of Defense, Afghanistan tweeted.

    These airstrikes come as Afghanistan is witnessing a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive against Afghan forces and civilians with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.

    Over the last few weeks, the Taliban have captured several districts in Afghanistan including Takhar, the country’s northeastern province.

    Nationwide, the Taliban controls 223 districts, with 116 contested and the government holding 68, according to the Long War Journal, whose calculations tally with CNN’s estimates. It says 17 of 34 provincial capitals are directly threatened by the Taliban. (ANI)

    ALSO READ: War in Afghanistan has sharpened challenges of terrorism: Jaishankar
    ALSO READ: Public anger against Taliban grows in Afghanistan
  • India pulls out staff from Kandahar as fighting escalates

    India pulls out staff from Kandahar as fighting escalates

    The evacuation was done on Saturday, just four days after India said there were no imminent plans to close its mission in Kabul and consulates in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif, reports Asian Lite News

    India has evacuated some 50 diplomats and security personnel from Kandahar in an Indian Air Force aircraft after Taliban fighters seized key areas around the southern city in Afghanistan.

    The evacuation was done on Saturday, just four days after India said there were no imminent plans to close its mission in Kabul and consulates in the cities of Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif. However, officials had said that India was closely tracking the deteriorating security situation across Afghanistan and all steps will be taken to ensure that Indian officials and nationals were not put in harm’s way.

    The Indian consulate in Kandahar has been temporarily closed after the diplomats, support staff and guards from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were flown out to New Delhi.

    The presence of a large number of terrorists from Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand is believed to have been a factor in India’s decision to pull out the diplomats and security personnel from the city. According to a recent estimate by Afghan security agencies, more than 7,000 LeT fighters are believed to be fighting alongside the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

    Kandahar has witnessed a spike in fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces since last week, with some reports saying the militants entered Kandahar city on Friday after capturing key districts surrounding it. The strategic district of Panjwai in Kandahar province fell to the Taliban last weekend, just days after US forces abandoned Bagram air base near Kabul.

    Taliban fighters seized houses in Kandahar’s seventh police district on Friday, triggering fierce clashes that continued till Saturday. The Afghan military said about 70 Taliban fighters were killed in fighting in the seventh police district and nearby Dand district.

    About 2,000 families from the seventh police district were displaced and forced to take refuge in other parts of Kandahar.

    Kandahar, the second largest city in Afghanistan and the capital of the province of the same name, has for long been of strategic and commercial importance. It served as the headquarters of the Taliban from the mid-1990s till 2001, when the group was ousted from power by the US invasion.

    New Delhi has been working on plans to ensure the safety of diplomats and some 3,000 Indian nationals in Afghanistan in view of what officials have described as a “fluid and dynamic” situation because of the intense fighting across the country. India is also keeping a close eye on steps being taken by key countries such as the US for the safety of diplomats as it weighs its options.

    In April last year, India had shuttered its consulates in Herat and Jalalabad, ostensibly because of the spread of Covid-19, though some reports suggested security was a factor in the decision.

    ALSO READ-Will Taliban Keep Promise to Preserve Afghanistan’s Cultural Legacy?

    READ MORE-China Wants a Taliban Govt in Afghanistan

  • Erdogan reaches out to Biden over Kabul airport

    Erdogan reaches out to Biden over Kabul airport

    One area where Erdogan hoped to showcase a central Turkish role in NATO is Afghanistan, where Ankara has offered to guard and operate Kabul airport after US and NATO forces withdraw in coming weeks, reports Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha

    US President Joe Biden described his meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Brussels on Monday as “productive”. This was a non-committal response which essentially meant that the US side had not made up its mind on what the clever Turkish president had dished out during the meeting.

    Both NATO allies covered a lot of ground –from Afghanistan and Syria to defence issues and bilateral trade.

    Turkey has angered its allies in the Western military alliance by buying Russian surface-to-air missiles and unilaterally intervening in wars in Syria and especially Libya, now an oil rich failed state, which could fuel Erdogan’s regional ambitions. Turkey is also in a standoff with Greece and Cyprus over territory in the Eastern Mediterranean. The US -Turkish relationship has been roiled in recent years, including by Erdogan’s militarism in Syria and Libya and his suppression of dissent following an alleged coup attempt in 2016.

    The big blow to ties came in April, when Biden recognised the World War I slaughter of Arme by Turks and Kurds, as genocide, infuriating the Turkish leader. Last year, Biden called on Erdogan to abandon his decision to turn the Hagia Sophia, a former Christian church, from a museum into a mosque.

    Yet, despite episodic events, Erdogan knows that the US cannot afford to leverage its pivotal position to radiate influence in several directions — Europe, West Asia, Caucasia, Central Asia, and now, with Pakistan’s assistance, South Asia. All American presidents starting from Harry Truman onwards have recognised Turkey’s vital location to extend US and western influence in several regions simultaneously.

    Unsurprisingly, one area where Erdogan hoped to showcase a central Turkish role in NATO is Afghanistan, where Ankara has offered to guard and operate Kabul airport after US and NATO forces withdraw in coming weeks.

    ALSO READ: Turkey interested in taking control of Kabul airport

    Turkey has close historical ties with Afghanistan. It currently has some 500 soldiers in the war-torn country. But that number may rise, if Turkey concludes that it should take advantage of the post-American power vacuum, despite the heavy risks, demonstrated by history, that would be involved.

    Conscious of Turkey’s imperial ambitions, fired by Erdogan’s aspiration to raise a 21 st century neo-Ottoman empire, the Taliban has reacted sharply. It asserted that all foreign forces should hold “no hope” of keeping a military presence in Afghanistan after the US and NATO troops withdraw, warning the security of embassies and airports would be the responsibility of Afghans. “If anyone does make such a mistake, the Afghan people and the Islamic Emirate shall view them as occupiers and shall take a stance against them as they have taken against invaders throughout history,” the statement said.

    While the Taliban regularly attacked the US and allied troops during their nearly two-decade long stay in Afghanistan, Turkish forces remained unharmed. Turkey is the only Islamic country serving under NATO’s non-combatant Resolute Support mission, which is mandated to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces battling the insurgents.

    The UN led Istanbul Summit for the Afghanistan peace hangs in the balance. It has been postponed until after the month of Ramadan which ended one month back but there is no movement on that. Despite repeated requests by Turkey, China and Pakistan, the Taliban has not responded for the meeting. Instead, the Taliban has been fighting and capturing strategic districts near Kabul.

    The militant group has also overrun military sites of Afghan government security forces, and it has besieged towns and cities across the country. Those military gains by the Taliban have fuelled concerns that it could topple the Western-backed Afghan government and the battered Afghan security forces once the last foreign troops leave.

    According to the US media, Washington is considering preparations for airstrikes to support Afghan forces if there’s a risk of the Taliban taking over Kabul. It has pledged to continue funding the 273,000-strong Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.

    “The United States will reorganise our counterterrorism capabilities and assets in the region to prevent the re-emergence of a terrorist threat in Afghanistan,” Biden said. “We will hold the Taliban and the Afghan government accountable to their commitments not to allow terrorists to threaten the United States or its allies from Afghan soil. And we will refine our national strategy to monitor and disrupt terrorist threats wherever they arise.”

    Aware of the deep flux in Afghanistan triggered by several competing interests, India, as a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan, has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.

    “Met with @US4AfghanPeace Zalmay Khalilzad in Doha. Continued our exchange of perspectives on Afghanistan and the region,” Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar tweeted on Tuesday night. He met US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad in Doha.

    (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

    ALSO READ: Libya, Turkey bolster security ties

  • Taliban oppose Ankara’s proposal to guard Kabul airport

    Taliban oppose Ankara’s proposal to guard Kabul airport

    Turkey was interested in taking control of Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport if NATO allies permit…reports Asian Lite News

    Taliban on Friday opposed Turkey’s proposal to guard Kabul airport and said that Ankara must leave Afghanistan as per the 2020 deal.

    Suhail Shaheen, a spokesperson to the Taliban expressed his opposition to Turkey’s proposal to safeguard the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul after the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) troops’ withdrawal, reported The Khaama Press Agency.

    Previously Turkey has said it will protect the Kabul airport with 500 soldiers if the NATO allies provide financial, logistical, and political supports to them.

    Turkey was interested in taking control of Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport if NATO allies permit.

    Khaama Press reported that Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that Turkish forces have agreed to take the control of the Hamid Karzai International Airport if allies provide support.

    “500 Turkish forces in Afghanistan will take the control and responsibility of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, if financial, logistic and political support is provided by the allies,” Akar said in a meeting with its NATO allies.

    The US, other countries, and international agencies operating in Afghanistan are concerned about the safe evacuation of its personnel if the situation gets worse post-US withdrawal from Afghanistan, reported The Khaama Press Agency.

    Taliban
    ALSO READ: Another district in eastern province falls to Taliban

    The US and NATO forces are scheduled to take out troops from Afghanistan before September 11, 2021, which is the 20th anniversary of the US towers attack by Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda.

    Pentagon officials had earlier said that Pakistan had allowed the US military to use its airspace and given ground access so that it could support its presence in Afghanistan.

    However, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi refuted the claim and said that the country would not provide its military bases to the US for future counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan and also not allow drone attacks inside Pakistan.

    Whereas, according to the New York Times, some American officials believe the negotiations have reached an impasse for now. The US intelligence agency CIA did use a base in Pakistan to launch drone strikes against militants but “was kicked out of the facility in 2011, when US relations with Pakistan unraveled,” the report said.

    “Some American officials (told the newspaper) that negotiations with Pakistan had reached an impasse for now. Others have said the option remains on the table and a deal is possible,” the report explains.

    According to NYT, William J. Burns, the CIA director, recently made an unannounced visit to Islamabad to meet the chief of the Pakistani military and the head of the directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence. US Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin also has had frequent calls with the Pakistani military chief about getting the country’s help for future US operations in Afghanistan. (ANI)

    ALSO READ: Another Afghan district falls to Taliban for 3rd straight day

  • Turkey interested in taking control of Kabul airport

    Turkey interested in taking control of Kabul airport

    This comes as the withdrawal of the foreign forces which is scheduled to be completed by September 11 have increased concerns among the international community…reports Asian Lite News

    As the United States declares its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Turkey is interested in taking control of Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport if North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies permit.

    Khaama Press reported that Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that Turkish forces have agreed to take the control of the Hamid Karzai International Airport if allies provide support.

    “500 Turkish forces in Afghanistan will take the control and responsibility of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, if financial, logistic and political support is provided by the allies,” Akar said in a meeting with its NATO allies.

    This comes as the withdrawal of the foreign forces which is scheduled to be completed by September 11 have increased concerns among the international community and the diplomatic mission’s presence in Afghanistan.

    Pentagon officials had earlier said that Pakistan had allowed the US military to use its airspace and given ground access so that it could support its presence in Afghanistan.

    However, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi refuted the claim and said that the country would not provide its military bases to the US for future counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan and also not allow drone attacks inside Pakistan.

    Whereas, according to the New York Times, some American officials believe the negotiations have reached an impasse for now. The US intelligence agency CIA did use a base in Pakistan to launch drone strikes against militants but “was kicked out of the facility in 2011, when US relations with Pakistan unraveled,” the report said.

    “Some American officials (told the newspaper) that negotiations with Pakistan had reached an impasse for now. Others have said the option remains on the table and a deal is possible,” the report explains.

    According to NYT, William J. Burns, the CIA director, recently made an unannounced visit to Islamabad to meet the chief of the Pakistani military and the head of the directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence. US Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin also has had frequent calls with the Pakistani military chief about getting the country’s help for future US operations in Afghanistan. (ANI)

    ALSO READ: Pakistan and Turkey’s selective support to Muslim causes

  • US hands over key Kabul base to Afghan forces

    US hands over key Kabul base to Afghan forces

    Pentagon officials have said that the US has completed up to 25 per cent of the entire withdrawal process, reports Asian Lite News

    A key military US base called the New Kabul Compound (NKC) has been handed over to the Afghan forces, the Ministry of Defence announced.

    Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Ministry, said that at a ceremony on the occasion on Friday, US and NATO forces commander Gen. Scott Miller emphasised the international community’s continued support to Afghan forces, reports TOLO News.

    The withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from the country started on May 1.

    US

    According to figures provided by US Central Command, the Pentagon has so far removed the equivalent of approximately 160 C-17 loads of material out of Afghanistan and has turned over more than 10,000 pieces of equipment to the Defense Logistics Agency for disposition.

    The figures also show that the US had by last week officially handed over five facilities to the Ministry of Defence.

    Pentagon officials have said that the US has completed up to 25 per cent of the entire withdrawal process.

    Violence however, remains high in the country, especially after the three-day ceasefire from May 13-15.

    The Ministry of Defence on Saturday said that at least 210 Taliban were killed in clashes and defensive operations by Afghan forces in 18 provinces, including Kabul, in the last 24 hours.

    ALSO READ – A window of opportunity for India in Afghanistan

    ALSO READ – Taliban warns neighbouring nations against allowing bases to US

  • Massive Kabul blast kills 33

    Massive Kabul blast kills 33

    No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion as of yet….reports Asian Lite News

    The death toll in the explosion that took place here on Saturday near a school has risen to 33, officials said.

    Besides, 55 others who sustained injuries were taken to different hospitals, according to Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry’s spokesman Tariq Arian, DPA news agency reported.

    Arian said that casualties — all of whom were civilians, most of them young girls — were likely to rise.

    He confirmed that an explosion occurred at 4.27 p.m. near a school in Dasht-e-Barchi, a Shia-Hazara-populated area of the Afghan capital.

    Arian said the area has been cordoned off by police, without giving further details.

    a piece of broken glass of a vehicle at the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua)

    It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion.

    There was conflicting information about the possible cause, with some local media outlets initially reporting three blasts caused by rockets, while other reports suggested the explosion was caused by a car bomb.

    Images on television showed backpacks strewn on the ground, bloodstained schoolbooks and people searching desperately for relatives.

    Emergency, a non-governmental organisation, tweeted that one person who died and 26 people who were injured had been brought to a hospital that it runs in Kabul.

    It said the victims were almost all girls between the ages of 12 and 20.

    No one claimed responsiblity

    There were fears that the death toll could rise further. Journalist Bilal Sarwari tweeted that at least 53 people had been killed and more than 150 were injured.

    After the incident, many took to social media to condemn the killing of the civilians.

    No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion as of yet.

    Both the Taliban and Islamic State militant groups are active in Afghanistan.

    The Taliban denied that it was involved. However, an Interior Ministry spokesperson tweeted that the Taliban was undoubtedly behind the attack.

    President Ashraf Ghani also blamed the Taliban. The group had again showed that it was not only unwilling to resolve the crisis peacefully but would rather sabotage the peace process, a statement from the presidential palace said.

    Also read:12 killed in Afghanistan floods

    The Afghan government has been in peace talks with the Taliban since September of last year, but these have stalled.

    US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson called the attack “abhorrent” in a tweet.

    He called the attack “unforgivable” and “an assault on Afghanistan’s future.”

    His comments were echoed by the US State Department, which condemned the “barbarous attack,” in a statement.

    “We call for an immediate end to violence and the senseless targeting of innocent civilians,” it said.

    “We will continue to support and partner with the people of Afghanistan, who are determined to see to it that the gains of the past two decades aren’t erased.”

    There have been growing concerns about the security situation in Afghanistan since May 1, the date that international troops officially began their withdrawal. The process is due to be completed by September 11 at the latest.

    Many see this time as a test as to whether Afghan security forces, trained by US and NATO troops, are able to protect the government and provide security.

    Also read:Taliban capture key district in northern Afghanistan

  • US pulls out diplomats from Kabul

    US pulls out diplomats from Kabul

    The decision comes as the situation in Afghanistan has worsened than before due to the rise in violence…reports Asian Lite News

    The US State Department has ordered the withdrawal of diplomats from its embassy in Kabul in light of the deteriorating security situation there.

    According to updated travel advice on Afghanistan, all embassy employees who are able to carry out their tasks from another location are affected by Tuesday’s order, DPA news agency reported.

    The ministry did not provide any information on how many diplomats are to leave and how many are to remain in the Afghan capital.

    International troops will officially begin withdrawing from Afghanistan on May 1. US President Joe Biden has set a September 11 deadline for the withdrawal’s completion.

    Also read:‘Afghanistan ready for NATO pack up’