ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan opened a probe Wednesday into the suicide bombing outside an Islamabad district court that left 12 dead the day before, underscoring the challenges facing the government as it struggles with militant attacks, border tensions and a fragile ceasefire with Afghanistan. The attack at the court, located on the edge of the…
Afghan and Pakistani negotiators are to meet in Istanbul Saturday to address security issues and establish a lasting ceasefire along their shared border after an outbreak of unexpectedly intense bloody clashes. The confrontation — which resulted in dozens of deaths, among them civilians — began two weeks ago following explosions in central Kabul, which the…
By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD/KABUL (Reuters) -Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks in Doha, both sides said on Sunday, after a week of fierce border clashes, the worst violence between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021. The ceasefire “has been finalised”, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja…
A week after a suspected Pakistani airstrike in Kabul targeted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali Mehsud, the militant leader appeared in a video message on Thursday, declaring he was alive. The development risks reignite the most serious confrontation between Islamabad and Kabul in decades. In the latest video, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali…
US President Donald Trump’s bid to regain control of the strategic Bagram airbase in Afghanistan has achieved an unlikely feat – bringing India, Pakistan and China onto the same side in opposition. At the 7th Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan in Moscow on Tuesday, the three Asian powers – often at odds over borders and…
Afghanistan faced a second day without internet and mobile phone service on Tuesday, after Taliban authorities cut the fibre 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 weakened until connectivity was less than…
We’ve read quite a bit about President Trump’s “hot mic” comment, during a meeting with European leaders about the Russian war against Ukraine, that Vladimir Putin “wants to make a deal for me, as crazy as it sounds.” Pundits debated whether this was an embarrassment for Trump; they wondered why he would say such an…
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has arrived in Kabul to meet his counterparts from Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is Wang’s first trip to the country since a surprise visit March 2022. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed he had arrived in Afghanistan on Wednesday. The ministry had earlier said he would travel to Pakistan later…
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban said Wednesday that efforts to free a British couple from an Afghan prison are not yet complete and denied that their rights were being violated despite concerns from their families and U.N. officials. Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who are in their 70s, were arrested in early February after being taken…
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — When a cockfight begins in Kabul, the noise is immediate. Roars of “Hit!” and “Kill!” erupt among spectators as two birds lunge at each other, feathers and blood flying. This centuries-old blood sport, once a common winter pastime, now takes place year-round in the Afghan capital, driven not just by tradition…