Afghanistan

30 Aug 2021; MEMO: Turkey is seeking an agreement with the Taliban similar to the one concluded in Libya, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Sunday.

"I cannot say that Turkey won't conclude an agreement with the Taliban as we did in Libya. We can do that," Erdogan told reporters in the Bosnian capital city of Sarajevo, stressing that it was "enough to find a partner worthy of negotiations."

29 Aug 2021; MEMO: American forces launched a military strike in Kabul on Sunday targeting a possible suicide car bomb that was aiming to attack the airport, US officials said, reports Reuters.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike targeted suspected Daesh militants. They said they were citing initial information and cautioned it could change.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Rocket fire apparently targeting Kabul’s international airport struck a nearby neighborhood on Monday, the eve of the deadline for American troops to withdraw from the country’s longest war after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was hurt.

Aug 28 (Reuters) - The Taliban said on Saturday they were preparing a new cabinet as the U.S. evacuation nears its end and they expected that sharp currency falls and economic turmoil following their takeover of Kabul two weeks ago would subside.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the movement's main spokesman, made the comments to Reuters as the U.S. military winds down its mission to evacuate U.S. citizens and vulnerable Afghans and withdraw troops from Kabul airport ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden.

29 Aug 2021; AA: The Turkish Red Crescent on Saturday distributed food packages to 100 families in the Afghan capital Kabul.

The distribution ceremony, held at the local Afghan Red Crescent Society, was attended by the group’s head Mevlevi Sifatullah Qureshi and staffers of the Turkish Red Crescent Afghanistan delegation.

Speaking at the ceremony, Qureshi thanked the Turkish Red Crescent for its timely aid delivery.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban fighter shot dead an Afghan folk singer in a restive mountain province under unclear circumstances, his family said Sunday. The killing reignited concerns among activists that the insurgents would return to their oppressive rule in the country after their military blitz toppled the government.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban forces sealed off Kabul’s airport Saturday to most Afghans hoping for evacuation, as the U.S. and its allies were ending a chaotic airlift that will end their troops’ two decades in Afghanistan.

Western leaders acknowledged their withdrawal would mean leaving behind some of their citizens and many locals who helped them over the years, and they vowed to try to continue working with the Taliban to allow local allies to leave after President Joe Biden’s Tuesday’s deadline to withdraw from the country.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban deployed extra forces around Kabul’s airport Saturday to prevent large crowds from gathering after a devastating suicide attack two days earlier, as the massive U.S.-led airlift wound down ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — American forces working under heightened security and threats of another attack pressed ahead in the closing days of the U.S.-led evacuation from Afghanistan after a devastating suicide bombing, and U.S. officials said they had killed a member of the extremist group that the United States believes responsible for it.

KABUL, Aug 27 (APP): Taliban on Friday termed the news of more blasts in Kabul city as baseless and said only two explosions had taken place outside Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday.

In a statement Taliban said the law and order situation was under control and a number of Taliban security personnel around the airport had been increased.

All possible treatment facilities to the injured of the yesterday’s blasts were being provided, it added.

The investigations were in process and Taliban leadership was reviewing the situation.