Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Alone Islamic State gunman rampaged through a Sikh house of worship in the heart of the Afghan capital Wednesday, killing 25 worshippers and wounding eight, Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry said.

The gunman held many worshippers hostage for several hours while Afghan special forces, helped by international troops, tried to clear the building. At least one of the dead was a child.

Within hours, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

25 March 2020; AFP: Gunmen stormed a Sikh-Hindu temple in central Kabul on Wednesday and were locked in an ongoing battle with security forces in the latest assault on the Afghan capital.

The attack comes as Afghanistan is facing myriad crises including a raging insurgency, political deadlock, a massive cut in US aid, a flailing peace process and rising coronavirus cases.

"At around 7:45 am (0315 GMT), a number of attackers entered a Hindu-Sikh temple," interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told AFP.

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived on Monday in the Afghan capital, on a previously unannounced visit to help salvage a historic deal between Washington and the Taliban, struck in February but marred by a political feud.

Pompeo will meet President Ashraf Ghani and longtime rival Abdullah Abdullah, who contests the result of a September presidential vote, raising the prospect of parallel governments that has paralysed selection of negotiating teams for talks.

TALUQAN, Afghanistan, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Two civilians and six Taliban militants were killed and 22 people injured following an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in Afghanistan's northern province of Takhar, a provincial government spokesman confirmed on Friday.

"The explosion occurred in Chinzayee, an area on outskirts of provincial capital Taluqan roughly at 6:30 p.m. local time on Thursday," spokesman Abdul Khalil Aser told Xinhua.

KABUL, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan government has postponed the start of the educational year due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, according to a statement of the Presidential Palace received Sunday.

As a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the virus in the country, the government has decided to postpone the start of educational year for one month, and all the government departments and private schools, universities and educational centers would remain closed during the period.

The new educational year was supposed to commence on March 22.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — After a series of delays, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree early Wednesday promising to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture to get intra-Afghan negotiations started.

A recent peace deal signed between the United States and the Taliban called for the release of up to 5,000 prisoners ahead of the much sought-after negotiations.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The United States began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Tuesday, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban while also praising Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week.

The U.S.-Taliban deal signed Feb. 29 was touted as Washington’s effort to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan. The next crucial step was to be intra-Afghan talks in which all factions including the Taliban would negotiate a road map for their country’s future.

KABUL, Mar 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Incumbent Afghan President, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, was sworn in for a second five-year term on Monday, while his main election rival and government Chief Executive, Abdullah Abdullah, also held a parallel presidential swearing-in ceremony.

Afghanistan’s Chief Justice, Sayed Yousuf Haleem administered Ghani’s swearing-in ceremony, at the fortified Presidential Palace.

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived at the presidential palace in Kabul on Monday afternoon ahead of an inauguration ceremony for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Local state broadcaster RTA broadcast live footage of Khalilzad arriving, as well as NATO forces commander Scott Miller and U.S. Charge d’Affaires Ross Wilson.

KABUL, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) called for inclusion of women in peace talks, the mission said on Sunday, the International Women's Day.

The UNAMA said in a statement that with anticipation building that the door for intra-Afghan peace talks will open, women's advocacy groups and activists across Afghanistan have focused on developing strategies to protect and advance the gains they have made in social, political, civic and economic life.