US frustration mounts over Afghan failure to halt Taliban
The failure of Afghan security forces to blunt the advance of the Taliban has left US officials deeply frustrated after spending billions to train and equip the country’s military for two decades. President Joe Biden and other officials have repeatedly called for Afghan leaders to unite and fashion a clear strategy amid mounting worries that […]
3 more provincial capitals fall to Taliban: Afghan officials
The Taliban seized three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday, putting nine of the nation’s 34 in the insurgents’ hands amid the US withdrawal from the country. The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces to the northeast and Farah province to the west put increasing pressure on the country’s central government […]
Taliban militants capture sixth provincial Afghan capital
Taliban militants captured a sixth provincial Afghan capital on Monday, a lawmaker said, after they ousted Afghan security forces from border towns and trade routes as US-led foreign forces pull out. The Taliban, fighting to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster, have stepped up their campaign to defeat the government as foreign forces […]
US says it is up to Afghans to defend country as Taliban take more territory
The United States said it was up to Afghan security forces to defend the country after Taliban militants captured a sixth provincial capital on Monday, along with border towns and trade routes. President Joe Biden has said the US military mission in Afghanistan will end on August 31, arguing that the Afghan people must decide […]
Gas cylinder explosion kills nine in Pakistan
At least nine people were killed and three others wounded when the gas cylinder in a van exploded in Gujranwala district of Pakistan’s east Punjab province on Sunday night. The van caught fire following the explosion, killing five people at the spot while four others succumbed to injuries in hospital, the report said. The injured […]
Saudi to start receiving Umrah requests from foreigners
Starting from Monday, Saudi Arabia will begin receiving requests to perform Umrah — an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca — from foreign worshippers, the government announced. For concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic, only the vaccinated and the recovered will be provided with permissions, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry of Haj and Umrah as saying in […]
UN To Release Key Climate Change Report Today
A UN-appointed panel of experts is releasing a key report Monday summarizing the latest authoritative scientific information on climate change. The report will provide governments with up-to-date facts on the current impacts and future risks of global warming ahead of a UN climate summit in November in Glasgow. It will also examine how various options […]
Taliban seize two more Afghan provincial capitals in northern blitz
The Taliban captured two more provincial capitals on Sunday as they gained ground in their fight to take over Afghanistan’s cities after seizing much of the countryside in recent months. The insurgents have snatched up four provincial capitals since Friday in a rapid offensive that appears to have overwhelmed government forces. Kunduz and Sar-e-Pul in […]
Russia boosts arms supplies to Central Asia amid Afghan mayhem
MOSCOW/DUSHANBE: Russia has increased arms and military hardware supplies to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan amid fighting in Afghanistan, Interfax news agency quoted Russian military chief of staff Valery Gerasimov as saying on Thursday. Gerasimov, who was in Tashkent to attend joint Uzbek-Russian military drills near the Afghan border, provided no details such as what arms were being supplied. […]
Lightning kills 16 at wedding in Bangladesh
DHAKA: Several lightning bolts hit a Bangladesh wedding party within a few seconds on Wednesday, killing 16 people and injuring the groom, officials said. The group had just left a boat at the riverside town of Shibganj to take shelter from the thunderstorm when the lightning struck, a government administrator for the town said. The […]
