Taliban now 50km away from Kabul as US ramps up Afghan evacuations
The Afghan Taliban tightened their territorial stranglehold around Kabul on Saturday, as refugees from the insurgents’ relentless offensive flooded the capital and US Marines returned to oversee emergency evacuations from Afghanistan. With the country’s second- and third-largest cities having fallen into Taliban hands, Kabul has effectively become the besieged, last stand for government forces who have offered […]
Taliban detain ‘Lion of Herat’, capture three more provincial capitals in relentless push
Taliban insurgents detained veteran militia commander Mohammad Ismail Khan on Friday after they seized the western city of Herat, a provincial council member said. The insurgents also captured three more provincial capitals as they press a lightning offensive that is gradually encircling the capital, Kabul. Khan, who has been leading fighters against the Taliban in recent weeks, […]
US advises its citizens to leave immediately
WASHINGTON: The United States urged its citizens on Thursday to leave Afghanistan immediately as a US intelligence report predicted that the Afghan capital Kabul could fall to the Taliban in 90 days. The security alert for Americans still in Afghanistan said that the US Embassy in Kabul could soon announce evacuation flights for them but […]
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 […]
