Afghanistan

KABUL, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said that Afghanistan and the United States had reached an agreement based on which the U.S. and coalition forces will withdraw from the country within 14 months.

"Today, the United States and Afghanistan issued a joint declaration. Based on this declaration a durable peace will be ensured for all Afghans," Ghani told a joint press conference with visiting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper here.

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan’s presidential palace confirmed on Wednesday that a ceremony to swear in Ashraf Ghani as president has been delayed, but contradicted reasons cited a day earlier by the U.S. government behind the postponement.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday said that the Afghan government had agreed to postpone its presidential inauguration, citing an electoral feud in which both Ghani and his main rival Abdullah Abdullah claimed victory in disputed Sept. 28 elections.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Five people including a civilian have been confirmed dead as the Taliban fighters stormed a security checkpoint in Charkent district of the northern Balkh province on Monday, district governor Salima Mazari said Tuesday.

A group of the armed militants, according to the official, attacked a security checkpoint in Parabarat village of the restive district at 03:30 a.m. local time on Monday, killing four pro-government militia members and a woman villager.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A United Nations report says Afghanistan passed a grim milestone with more than 100,000 civilians killed or hurt in the last 10 years since the international body began documenting casualties in a war that has raged for 18 years.

21 February 2020; AFP: A week-long "reduction in violence" between the Taliban, the US, and Afghan security forces will commence shortly, an official said Friday, ahead of the possible signing of a deal between Washington and the insurgents.

If the partial truce goes ahead, it would mark a historic step in more than 18 years of gruelling conflict in Afghanistan and would pave the way for a deal that could, ultimately, see the war end.

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban’s deputy leader said the group would soon sign an agreement with the United States to reduce violence for seven days, adding that militant commanders were “fully committed” to observing the “historic” accord.

“That we today stand at the threshold of a peace agreement with the United States is no small milestone,” Sirajuddin Haqqani wrote in an opinion piece in the New York Times, in the first significant public statement by a Taliban leader on the accord for a week-long reduction in violence (RIV).

KABUL, Feb 19 (NNN-XINHUA) — Afghanistan’s election commission on Tuesday announced incumbent President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani as the winner of the Sept 28 presidential polls.

His rival and chief executive of his National Unity Government Abdullah Abdullah stood second by securing 39.52 percent of the votes.

The head of the election commission Hawa Alam Nuristani made the announcement at a press conference here.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Ashraf Ghani won a second term as president of Afghanistan, the country’s independent election commission announced Tuesday, but his closest opponent refused to recognize the results, declaring himself winner and potentially endangering peace negotiations with the Taliban.

KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban fighters attacked Afghan government forces overnight, and militant commanders said on Monday insurgency operations would go-ahead until they receive fresh instructions based on a deal with the United States to reduce violence in the country.

KABUL/DUBAI (Reuters) - A U.S.-Taliban peace deal could be signed this month if the Taliban significantly reduces violence, and that deal could lead to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, two Afghan government sources and a Western diplomat said on Wednesday.

The timeline shared by sources came a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said there has been a possible breakthrough in U.S.-Taliban talks in Qatar.