Nation

KABUL: Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said only the Afghan government has the carte blanche to broker a peace deal with the Taliban, amid a second round of talks between Taliban and the US in UAE. At the first meeting of the advisory board for peace in Presidential Palace on Sunday, …

By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: The Taliban held another meeting on Monday with USofficials in the United Arab Emirates involving Afghan, Saudi, and Emirati andPakistani representatives in the latest attempt to bring a negotiated solutionto Afghanistan’s grilling protracted conflict. A delegation from Afghanistan travelled to the UAE, Deputy Spokesman of the Chief …

 Whatever might be its outcomes but people from war stricken Afghanistan are attaching great hopes and expectation with a fresh round of peace talks, commenced in Dubai United Arab Emirates Monday. So far United States, Afghanistan government and Taliban Qatar Political Office are participating in the talks. But it is …

KABUL: Worsening security has forced about 35 schools in southern and volatile Paktika province to close for past years, adding to problems that children face in getting an education, officials said. Because of insecurity, Paktika education director Mehrabuddin Shafaq said, dozens of school remained closed in several districts for the past many …

KabuL: The Korean government has contributed a sum of $2.2 million to provide humanitarian relief to thousands of women and children displaced by severe droughts. According to a statementthe contribution will protect 21,000 families, more than half are children, from the harsh winter season.  “Years of conflict, displacement and growing …

KabuL: More than 79 militants have been killed and over 24 of them woundedin raids across the country, military authorities said on Sunday. Ministry of Defense released a statement which said that ANDSF and Afghan Air Force conducted raids in Nangarhar, Khost, Logar, Paktia, Paktika, Uruzgan, Kandahar, Zabul, Farah, Badghis, …

KABUL: The fate of the newfemale mayor of Maidan Shahr, capital city of Maidan Wardak province, has remained uncertain as she is barred from taking office since her appointment five months ago. Appointed as the mayor of Maidan Shahr city about five months ago, Zarifa Ghafari was supposed to assume …

KABUL: A former aide to the erstwhile president has said that settling the conflict and restoring peace must come before holding elections in bid to stop the unstoppable bloodshed. Shahzada Masoud said that the need for restoration of peace to end bloodshed is more impotent than holding of elections for people in …

KABUL: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, head of the Hezb-e-Islami (Islamic Party) rejected President Ghani’s offer to be included as a member of the newly formed consultation board for peace talks with Taliban, saying the board should be made by political parties. President Ashraf Ghani announced this week the 27-member consultative board which …

KABUL: More than 16 civilians, including women and children, were killed in an overnight airstrike targeting a Taliban insurgent in eastern Kunar province on Friday, officials said. The airstrike launched by Afghan security forces in Shaltan district of Kunar province, the governor spokesman Abdul Ghani Mosamem said, killed 38 Taliban …