Page 62 - Afghanistan

US State Secretary discusses Afghanistan issue with Pakistan FM

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday underscored the importance of bilateral relations with Pakistan in a telephonic conversation with his counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi

Taliban say they now control 85% of Afghanistan's territory

The announcement came at a press conference at the end of a visit by a senior Taliban delegation to Moscow this week

Afghanistan's decades of progress at risk at Taliban returns, US pulls out

Collapse of swathes of the country into civil war and attempts by millions of refugees to flee could be likely results.

President Joe Biden says US war in Afghanistan will end August 31

President Joe Biden on Thursday said the US military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on August 31, saying speed is safety as the United States seeks to end the nearly 20-year war. We did not go to Afghanistan to nation build, Biden said in a speech to update his administration's ongoing efforts to wind down the US war in Afghanistan. Afghan leaders have to come together and drive toward a future. Biden also amplified the justification of his decision to end US military operations even as the Taliban make rapid advances in significant swaths of the country. The effort to further explain his thinking on Afghanistan comes as the administration in recent days has repeatedly sought to frame ending the conflict as a decision that Biden made after concluding it's an unwinnable war and one that does not have a military solution. How many more, how many more thousands of American daughters and sons are you willing to risk? Biden said to those calling for the U.S. to extend the military

Joe Biden to deliver major policy speech on Afghanistan: White House

US President will deliver a major policy speech on Afghanistan on Thursday and an update on the drawdown of troops after a meeting with his national security team on the conflict-ridden country

Iran hosts talks between Taliban and Afghan officials ahead of US exit

The Taliban said its delegation was led by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, deputy head of the movement's political office in Qatar

Amid US withdrawal, China ramping up its involvement in Afghanistan

China appears to be preparing to ramp up its involvement in Afghanistan amid US troops withdrawal -- with Beijing eyeing the war-torn nation for investment and influence opportunities

Taliban wins force closure of consulates in Afghanistan, says report

The consulates of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, and Pakistan have reduced their services

16 security personnel killed in Taliban attack near Afghanistan's Salma Dam

At least 16 security personnel were killed in an attack by the Taliban on a security checkpoint at the Salma Dam in western Herat province

Groups against Pakistan, China step up attacks amid Afghan turmoil

Amid the chaos, previously defeated insurgent groups with bones to pick against both Pakistan and China are once more on the rise

Taliban takes control of key district in Kandahar amid US troop withdrawal

Amid the ongoing US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban on Sunday took control of a key district in their former bastion of Kandahar

Taliban take districts in northeast Afghanistan from fleeing troops

Group now controls roughly a third of all 421 districts and district centres in the country

US exit from Afghanistan won't be finished in next few days, says Biden

The US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan would not be completed in the next few days, said US President Joe Biden on Friday (local time)."No," Biden said when asked by White House reporters if the withdrawal completion was days away, Voice of America (VOA) reported."We're on track exactly as we expect it to be. I wanted to make sure there was enough 'running room' that we wouldn't be able to do it all till September," he added, referencing the September 11 deadline he gave for the withdrawal's completion.Biden has set a deadline of September 11 for the final pullout of the few remaining troops.Earlier, a US defence official confirmed that all US and international coalition forces had left Bagram Airfield, the main American base in Afghanistan and that the base had been turned over to the Afghan National Security Forces.Citing the media reports, VOA reported that the withdrawal from Afghanistan could be completed by the US Independence Day on Sunday.On Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd

US seeks refuge for Afghan staff as it hands over Bagram airbase

The US had said it would have most troops out by September 11, keeping a contingent of about 650 in the country to protect diplomats, but that timetable was accelerated.

Top US General in Afghanistan warns of civil war after troop withdrawal

The top US military commander in Afghanistan has said that the country may collapse into civil war after the full US military drawdown

After 20 years, US to leave Bagram - heart of its Afghan military power

For nearly 20 years, Bagram Airfield was the heart of American military power in Afghanistan, a sprawling mini-city behind fences and blast walls just an hour's drive north of Kabul. Initially, it was a symbol of the U.S. drive to avenge the 9/11 attacks, then of its struggle for a way through the ensuing war with the Taliban. In just a matter of days, the last U.S. soldiers will depart Bagram. They are leaving what probably everyone connected to the base, whether American or Afghan, considers a mixed legacy. Bagram grew into such a massive military installation that, as with few other bases in Afghanistan and even Iraq, it came to symbolize and epitomize the phrase mission creep', said Andrew Watkins, Afghanistan senior analyst for the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. U.S. Central Command said last week that it's well past 50% done packing up Bagram, and the rest is going fast. American officials have said the entire pullout of U.S. troops will most likely be completely .

'We're going to stick with you': Joe Biden tells Afghanistan President

President Joe Biden has told his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani that the people of Afghanistan "are going to have to decide their future" but assured him that the US is going to "stick with you"

US withdrawal from Afghanistan can have consequences for both sides: Ghani

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said that he warned Joe Biden that Washington's move of withdrawing troops will have consequences for both sides, though he did not ask Biden to delay the withdrawal

Partnership between Afghanistan, US to be sustained, says Joe Biden

As the United States prepares to withdraw its soldiers from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden on Friday said his country's partnership with the South Asian nation is going to be sustained.

Best of BS Opinion: Thaw on the western front, globalisation, and more

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for Saturday