Russia will host the Taliban and Afghan politicians <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/will-participate-in-all-formats-of-talks-that-bring-peace-india-on-afghan-peace-process-194136">opposed to President Ashraf Ghani </a>on Tuesday, Russian and Taliban sources said, promoting its role of power broker in what a US official called an attempt to "muddle" the US-backed peace process.

Moscow snubbed the Afghan government, sources said, to ensure the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/kabul-control-slips-in-afghanistan-amid-us-talks-with-taliban-194042"> participation of the Taliban</a> who refuse to hold talks with Ghani's representatives to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, branding them puppets of the United States.

"Senior Taliban leaders and prominent Afghan politicians will travel to Moscow for a day-long summit. At this sensitive stage, it was best to not have Afghan government officials at the table," said a Russian official on condition of anonymity.

The Russian embassy in Kabul was not available for comment.

The Moscow talks underline the increasing role Russia is playing in Afghanistan, decades after Soviet forces withdrew from the country, with business investment plans, diplomatic and cultural outreach and small military support for the central government.

They also come as the Afghan government is struggling to recover control of districts lost to the Taliban.

The latest quarterly report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction noted that the control of Afghanistan's territory and population "became somewhat more contested (and) Afghan government control or influence continued to decline".

The news of Russia hosting Ghani's critics, including former President Hamid Karzai who believes Russia can play a decisive role in ending America’s longest war, has angered Kabul and US officials.

"Russia is again trying to muddle the US-backed peace process and the political situation of Afghanistan," said a senior US official, adding that Russia's repeated overtures towards the Taliban and Ghani's critics proved its determination to belittle the government.

Prominent outspoken critics of Ghani, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Mohammad Ismail Khan and Atta Mohammad Noor, who fought against the Soviets after their 1979 invasion, will travel to Moscow.

Sohail Shahin, a spokesman for the Taliban political office in Qatar, said a delegation led by Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, a senior political leader, would travel to Moscow for what he said would be a two-day meeting.

Last November, Moscow hosted a multilateral summit to try to find ways to end the war, drawing delegates from a body appointed by the Western-backed government, the Taliban and officials from a dozen nations, including the United States.

Analysts said Russia wants to maintain good relations with the Taliban, who are fighting to restore strict Islamic rule after their 2001 ouster.

"Russia knows that Ghani's government was established with American support that is why they are not giving importance to it," said Wadir Safi, a political science professor at Kabul University.

"The Moscow meeting can cause hurdles to the ongoing peace talks if it is not in close cooperation with the US peace efforts."

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in January her country welcomed Washington’s peace initiative, but US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad’s attempts to convince the Taliban to sit down to talks with the Kabul government have failed.

The United States has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission and a separate counter-terrorism effort largely directed at groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State.

The next round of peace talks between Khalizad and the Taliban's newly appointed political leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, is scheduled for Qatar on February 25th.

Russia will host the Taliban and Afghan politicians opposed to President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday, Russian and Taliban sources said, promoting its role of power broker in what a US official called an attempt to "muddle" the US-backed peace process.

Russia will host the Taliban and Afghan politicians opposed to President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday, Russian and Taliban sources said, promoting its role of power broker in what a US official called an attempt to "muddle" the US-backed peace process. Moscow snubbed the Afghan government, sources said, to ensure the participation of the Taliban who refuse to hold talks with Ghani's representatives to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, branding them puppets of the United States. "Senior Taliban leaders and prominent Afghan politicians will travel to Moscow for a day-long summit. At this sensitive stage, it was best to not have Afghan government officials at the table," said a Russian official on condition of anonymity. The Russian embassy in Kabul was not available for comment. The Moscow talks underline the increasing role Russia is playing in Afghanistan, decades after Soviet forces withdrew from the country, with business investment plans, diplomatic and cultural outreach and small military support for the central government. They also come as the Afghan government is struggling to recover control of districts lost to the Taliban. The latest quarterly report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction noted that the control of Afghanistan's territory and population "became somewhat more contested (and) Afghan government control or influence continued to decline". The news of Russia hosting Ghani's critics, including former President Hamid Karzai who believes Russia can play a decisive role in ending America’s longest war, has angered Kabul and US officials. "Russia is again trying to muddle the US-backed peace process and the political situation of Afghanistan," said a senior US official, adding that Russia's repeated overtures towards the Taliban and Ghani's critics proved its determination to belittle the government. Prominent outspoken critics of Ghani, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Mohammad Ismail Khan and Atta Mohammad Noor, who fought against the Soviets after their 1979 invasion, will travel to Moscow. Sohail Shahin, a spokesman for the Taliban political office in Qatar, said a delegation led by Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, a senior political leader, would travel to Moscow for what he said would be a two-day meeting. Last November, Moscow hosted a multilateral summit to try to find ways to end the war, drawing delegates from a body appointed by the Western-backed government, the Taliban and officials from a dozen nations, including the United States. Analysts said Russia wants to maintain good relations with the Taliban, who are fighting to restore strict Islamic rule after their 2001 ouster. "Russia knows that Ghani's government was established with American support that is why they are not giving importance to it," said Wadir Safi, a political science professor at Kabul University. "The Moscow meeting can cause hurdles to the ongoing peace talks if it is not in close cooperation with the US peace efforts." Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in January her country welcomed Washington’s peace initiative, but US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad’s attempts to convince the Taliban to sit down to talks with the Kabul government have failed. The United States has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission and a separate counter-terrorism effort largely directed at groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State. The next round of peace talks between Khalizad and the Taliban's newly appointed political leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, is scheduled for Qatar on February 25th.

Russia to host Taliban, Afghan politicians opposed to President Ghani: Sources

At the crack of dawn in Kabul, dozens of girls and women bounce along a path leading up a barren, rocky mountain on the edge of the Afghan capital, relishing every step of freedom.

The all-female Free to Run group hits the city's trails and parks several times a week, braving disapproving looks, verbal abuse and even physical violence to enjoy the rare pleasure of exercising outdoors.

"When I run, I feel free," says Zahra, 26, whose family name, like that of other female runners interviewed by AFP, has not been used for security reasons.

"I like to run because it motivates me, it gives me a meaning for living."

But it is not easy.

Running in public is something many in ultra-conservative Afghanistan consider shameful for women, who are largely treated like second-class citizens in the patriarchal Muslim-majority society.

It is not unusual for people to stare and hurl insults, says Zahra, who began running a year ago and has already completed two marathons and a half marathon.

"I just laugh at them," she says dismissively.

The marathons take place in safer cities, such as Bamiyan or Mazar-i-Sharif.

For those in war-torn Kabul, where bombs and suicide attacks are frequent, training sessions start at daybreak even through the colder months when temperatures fall below zero and the air thickens with smoke from wood and coal stoves.

Minivans, whose male drivers double as chaperones for the team, collect the girls and women from their homes and drive them to relatively safe running spots.

As the sun peeks over the mountains that surround Kabul, the runners -- wearing tracksuits and headscarves or stretchy bandanas over their hair begin their workout with the men in tow.

Running at their own pace, the girls and women smile and giggle even as their noses run and lungs burn from Kabul's cold, dry and dusty air.

"I feel good when I'm running," says Marmar, 17, who has won three races and finished second twice in the two years she has been competing.

"My family wants me to be a professional (runner). I am proud of myself. So is my family.

'It changed my life'&nbsp;

Free to Run started in 2014, the brainchild of Canadian human rights lawyer and ultrarunner Stephanie Case.&nbsp;

The non-profit organisation aims to empower girls and women in conflict zones through sports like running, hiking, skiing, cycling and kayaking.

So far it has more than 380 members in Afghanistan.

Recruiting girls and women to the team is hard.

While the early-morning starts may deter some, the biggest challenge is getting permission from families, says Kubra, Free to Run's country programme manager.

"Families are worried about the security situation and won't let their girls join the team," she explains.

And many think it is not appropriate for girls to run, "especially in an open place".

For that reason, many of the runners are from the Hazara ethnic group, which is widely considered to be the most open and progressive in Afghanistan.

"I feel powerful when I run," says Jamila, 18, whose family is "open-minded" and encourages her to exercise.

"Running gives me a good feeling, I forget all my stress."

Around one-third of the team are serious runners, training for marathons and ultra-marathons in Afghanistan and abroad, including Mongolia and Sri Lanka.

Others turn up to training sessions when they can, appearing to enjoy catching up with their friends as much as the physical exercise.

As well as building fitness, Kubra says running has helped the girls and women manage anxiety and develop self-confidence.

On a recent hike in the mountains, they cheerfully walked or ran as they listened to music, sang, chatted and took selfies.&nbsp;

"It changed my life," says Fatima, 26, who began running seven months ago after sensing "something was missing in my life".

"I feel healthy," she says.

"I want to encourage (other girls) to run. This is the easiest sport just run and feel free."

At the crack of dawn in Kabul, dozens of girls and women bounce along a path leading up a barren, rocky mountain on the edge of the Afghan capital, relishing every step of freedom.

At the crack of dawn in Kabul, dozens of girls and women bounce along a path leading up a barren, rocky mountain on the edge of the Afghan capital, relishing every step of freedom. The all-female Free to Run group hits the city's trails and parks several times a week, braving disapproving looks, verbal abuse and even physical violence to enjoy the rare pleasure of exercising outdoors. "When I run, I feel free," says Zahra, 26, whose family name, like that of other female runners interviewed by AFP, has not been used for security reasons. "I like to run because it motivates me, it gives me a meaning for living." But it is not easy. Running in public is something many in ultra-conservative Afghanistan consider shameful for women, who are largely treated like second-class citizens in the patriarchal Muslim-majority society. It is not unusual for people to stare and hurl insults, says Zahra, who began running a year ago and has already completed two marathons and a half marathon. "I just laugh at them," she says dismissively. The marathons take place in safer cities, such as Bamiyan or Mazar-i-Sharif. For those in war-torn Kabul, where bombs and suicide attacks are frequent, training sessions start at daybreak even through the colder months when temperatures fall below zero and the air thickens with smoke from wood and coal stoves. Minivans, whose male drivers double as chaperones for the team, collect the girls and women from their homes and drive them to relatively safe running spots. As the sun peeks over the mountains that surround Kabul, the runners -- wearing tracksuits and headscarves or stretchy bandanas over their hair begin their workout with the men in tow. Running at their own pace, the girls and women smile and giggle even as their noses run and lungs burn from Kabul's cold, dry and dusty air. "I feel good when I'm running," says Marmar, 17, who has won three races and finished second twice in the two years she has been competing. "My family wants me to be a professional (runner). I am proud of myself. So is my family. 'It changed my life' Free to Run started in 2014, the brainchild of Canadian human rights lawyer and ultrarunner Stephanie Case. The non-profit organisation aims to empower girls and women in conflict zones through sports like running, hiking, skiing, cycling and kayaking. So far it has more than 380 members in Afghanistan. Recruiting girls and women to the team is hard. While the early-morning starts may deter some, the biggest challenge is getting permission from families, says Kubra, Free to Run's country programme manager. "Families are worried about the security situation and won't let their girls join the team," she explains. And many think it is not appropriate for girls to run, "especially in an open place". For that reason, many of the runners are from the Hazara ethnic group, which is widely considered to be the most open and progressive in Afghanistan. "I feel powerful when I run," says Jamila, 18, whose family is "open-minded" and encourages her to exercise. "Running gives me a good feeling, I forget all my stress." Around one-third of the team are serious runners, training for marathons and ultra-marathons in Afghanistan and abroad, including Mongolia and Sri Lanka. Others turn up to training sessions when they can, appearing to enjoy catching up with their friends as much as the physical exercise. As well as building fitness, Kubra says running has helped the girls and women manage anxiety and develop self-confidence. On a recent hike in the mountains, they cheerfully walked or ran as they listened to music, sang, chatted and took selfies. "It changed my life," says Fatima, 26, who began running seven months ago after sensing "something was missing in my life". "I feel healthy," she says. "I want to encourage (other girls) to run. This is the easiest sport just run and feel free."

I feel powerful: Afghanistan women find freedom in running

Campaigning for Afghanistan's long-delayed parliamentary elections kicks off Friday, as a crescendo of deadly violence and claims of widespread fraud fuel debate over whether the vote will go ahead.

More than 2,500 candidates will contest the October 20 poll, which is seen as a test run for next year's presidential vote and a key milestone ahead of a UN meeting in Geneva where Afghanistan is under pressure to show&nbsp;progress on "democratic processes".

But preparations for the ballot, which is more than three years late, have been in turmoil for months, despite UN-led efforts to keep Afghan organisers on track.

Bureaucratic inefficiency, allegations of industrial-scale fraud and now an&nbsp;eleventh-hour pledge for biometric verification of voters threaten to derail the election and any hope of a credible result.

It will be "highly flawed", a Western diplomat admitted to AFP this week, reflecting falling expectations across Kabul's international community, which is providing most of the funding for the elections.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has insisted voting will go ahead, with or without the biometric machines that have been demanded by opposition groups to prevent people from voting more than once.

Only 4,400 out of the 22,000 German-made machines ordered have been delivered to Afghanistan, officials said.

"They have promised (biometric verification) and they may do it, but will it be successful in dispelling the concerns? I'm doubtful," Afghanistan Analysts Network researcher Ali Yawar Adili told AFP.

"It may create a bigger mess."

The list of candidates, which has been trimmed to 2,565 after 35 were expelled, are competing for 249 seats in the lower house, whose members are widely derided as corrupt and ineffective.

Most MPs are seeking re-election. But hundreds of political first-timers -- including the offspring of former warlords, entrepreneurs and journalists -- are also contesting the vote.

"Parliament is supposed to be the house of the people. Instead, it has become a place for mafia networks, corruption, and those who work for their own interests," said former TV journalist Maryam Sama, 26, who is running in Kabul province.

"If anyone can bring real change, it is the young people." Afghanistan's demographics should, in theory, favour younger candidates -- the country is ranked as one of the youngest and fastest growing in the world.

But they face a formidable challenge from the old guard, who have long dominated the political landscape through tribal and ethnic connections and deep pockets.

Traditional attitudes are also stacked against the younger hopefuls in a country where elders are respected and listened to.

"Old politicians, ethnic and religious power brokers regard themselves as the rightful and exclusive owners of politics and have the power and resources," said Naeem Ayubzada, director of Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan.

The international community is pushing hard for the vote to happen before November's ministerial meeting in Geneva, which the United Nations says is a "crucial moment" for the Afghan government and its foreign partners to demonstrate progress.

But a wave of deadly violence across the country in recent months has raised concerns that parliamentary elections could end up being a bloody rehearsal for the presidential vote scheduled for April.

Some 54,000 members of Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces will be responsible for protecting more than 5,000 polling centres on election day.&nbsp;

More than 2,000 polling centres that were supposed to open will be closed for security reasons.

It is a daunting task as the Taliban and the Islamic State group, which have vowed to disrupt the ballot, ramp up attacks across the country.

"Elections are not about NATO but about Afghan people," Cornelius Zimmermann, NATO's senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, told a recent meeting of Afghan security officials.

Allegations of massive fraud in the voter registration process that saw nearly nine million people sign up are also disrupting the process.

Campaigning for Afghanistan's long-delayed parliamentary elections kicks off Friday, as a crescendo of deadly violence and claims of widespread fraud fuel debate over whether the vote will go ahead.

Campaigning for Afghanistan's long-delayed parliamentary elections kicks off Friday, as a crescendo of deadly violence and claims of widespread fraud fuel debate over whether the vote will go ahead. More than 2,500 candidates will contest the October 20 poll, which is seen as a test run for next year's presidential vote and a key milestone ahead of a UN meeting in Geneva where Afghanistan is under pressure to show progress on "democratic processes". But preparations for the ballot, which is more than three years late, have been in turmoil for months, despite UN-led efforts to keep Afghan organisers on track. Bureaucratic inefficiency, allegations of industrial-scale fraud and now an eleventh-hour pledge for biometric verification of voters threaten to derail the election and any hope of a credible result. It will be "highly flawed", a Western diplomat admitted to AFP this week, reflecting falling expectations across Kabul's international community, which is providing most of the funding for the elections. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has insisted voting will go ahead, with or without the biometric machines that have been demanded by opposition groups to prevent people from voting more than once. Only 4,400 out of the 22,000 German-made machines ordered have been delivered to Afghanistan, officials said. "They have promised (biometric verification) and they may do it, but will it be successful in dispelling the concerns? I'm doubtful," Afghanistan Analysts Network researcher Ali Yawar Adili told AFP. "It may create a bigger mess." The list of candidates, which has been trimmed to 2,565 after 35 were expelled, are competing for 249 seats in the lower house, whose members are widely derided as corrupt and ineffective. Most MPs are seeking re-election. But hundreds of political first-timers -- including the offspring of former warlords, entrepreneurs and journalists -- are also contesting the vote. "Parliament is supposed to be the house of the people. Instead, it has become a place for mafia networks, corruption, and those who work for their own interests," said former TV journalist Maryam Sama, 26, who is running in Kabul province. "If anyone can bring real change, it is the young people." Afghanistan's demographics should, in theory, favour younger candidates -- the country is ranked as one of the youngest and fastest growing in the world. But they face a formidable challenge from the old guard, who have long dominated the political landscape through tribal and ethnic connections and deep pockets. Traditional attitudes are also stacked against the younger hopefuls in a country where elders are respected and listened to. "Old politicians, ethnic and religious power brokers regard themselves as the rightful and exclusive owners of politics and have the power and resources," said Naeem Ayubzada, director of Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan. The international community is pushing hard for the vote to happen before November's ministerial meeting in Geneva, which the United Nations says is a "crucial moment" for the Afghan government and its foreign partners to demonstrate progress. But a wave of deadly violence across the country in recent months has raised concerns that parliamentary elections could end up being a bloody rehearsal for the presidential vote scheduled for April. Some 54,000 members of Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces will be responsible for protecting more than 5,000 polling centres on election day. More than 2,000 polling centres that were supposed to open will be closed for security reasons. It is a daunting task as the Taliban and the Islamic State group, which have vowed to disrupt the ballot, ramp up attacks across the country. "Elections are not about NATO but about Afghan people," Cornelius Zimmermann, NATO's senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, told a recent meeting of Afghan security officials. Allegations of massive fraud in the voter registration process that saw nearly nine million people sign up are also disrupting the process.

Afghan election campaigning kicks off 

A bomb explosion in Afghanistan's Laghman province on Sunday led to&nbsp;injuries of at least eleven civilians on Sunday.

The injured includes five woman, two children and four men.

The injured people have been moved to the hospital for treatment.&nbsp;

The authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion and have deployed a team at the explosion site.

Though the province is&nbsp;comparatively&nbsp;peaceful in the country, Taliban militants and Islamic State are active in few remote parts of the province.

The United Nations recently expressed concern and outrage over the frequent terror attacks in the country.

Twin suicide blasts, claimed by the ISIS, in the Afghan capital Kabul killed 25 people, including 10 journalists earlier this week. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

The United Nations recently expressed concern and outrage over the frequent terror attacks in the country

A bomb explosion in Afghanistan's Laghman province on Sunday led to injuries of at least eleven civilians on Sunday. The injured includes five woman, two children and four men. The injured people have been moved to the hospital for treatment. The authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion and have deployed a team at the explosion site. Though the province is comparatively peaceful in the country, Taliban militants and Islamic State are active in few remote parts of the province. The United Nations recently expressed concern and outrage over the frequent terror attacks in the country. Twin suicide blasts, claimed by the ISIS, in the Afghan capital Kabul killed 25 people, including 10 journalists earlier this week. (With inputs from ANI)

11 wounded in Laghman explosion in Afghanistan

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday reiterated the need for achieving regional security and stability for attaining lasting peace in South Asia.

The call was made during the bilateral meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Afghanistan President Ashraf in Kabul, according to media reports.

Abbasi is on a one-day visit to Afghanistan, having arrived earlier on Friday.

During the meet, the Pakistani Prime Minister discussed a variety of issues such as counter-terror cooperation, the regional situation in South Asia, repatriation of Afghan refugees, combating drug production and bilateral trade and power projects among others with the Afghan President.

Abbasi also extended an invitation to Ghani to visit Pakistan soon. The former is expected to hold talks with Afghanistan Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah and other officials.

The Pakistan Prime Minister is accompanied by Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and National Security Advisor (NSA) Nasser Khan Janjua.

Ghani received Abbasi and the delegation at the Afghan Presidential Palace and was accorded a guard of honour.

Abbasi's visit to Afghanistan follows an invitation by Ghani. It comes in the light of Pakistan backing Ghani's peace offering to the Taliban.

Earlier this week, a high-level Pakistani delegation, headed by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua visited Afghanistan to hold talks with Afghan authorities on the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), in an effort to improve the relations between the two countries.

Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have remained frosty in recent times due to the terrorist activities of the Taliban and Haqqani Network carried out in the former's land. Afghanistan contests that the two groups are supported by Pakistan and it does very little to stop them.

Pakistan has urged Afghanistan to stop the blame game and asked for its co-operation in combating terrorism, as well as ensuring lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

In February, the Afghan President had made a peace offer to the Taliban in the Kabul Process Conference, which also included the recognition of the militant group as a political entity.

However, the group is yet to respond to Ghani's offer.

&nbsp

The call was made during the bilateral meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Afghanistan President Ashraf in Kabul

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday reiterated the need for achieving regional security and stability for attaining lasting peace in South Asia. The call was made during the bilateral meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Afghanistan President Ashraf in Kabul, according to media reports. Abbasi is on a one-day visit to Afghanistan, having arrived earlier on Friday. During the meet, the Pakistani Prime Minister discussed a variety of issues such as counter-terror cooperation, the regional situation in South Asia, repatriation of Afghan refugees, combating drug production and bilateral trade and power projects among others with the Afghan President. Abbasi also extended an invitation to Ghani to visit Pakistan soon. The former is expected to hold talks with Afghanistan Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah and other officials. The Pakistan Prime Minister is accompanied by Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and National Security Advisor (NSA) Nasser Khan Janjua. Ghani received Abbasi and the delegation at the Afghan Presidential Palace and was accorded a guard of honour. Abbasi's visit to Afghanistan follows an invitation by Ghani. It comes in the light of Pakistan backing Ghani's peace offering to the Taliban. Earlier this week, a high-level Pakistani delegation, headed by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua visited Afghanistan to hold talks with Afghan authorities on the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), in an effort to improve the relations between the two countries. Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have remained frosty in recent times due to the terrorist activities of the Taliban and Haqqani Network carried out in the former's land. Afghanistan contests that the two groups are supported by Pakistan and it does very little to stop them. Pakistan has urged Afghanistan to stop the blame game and asked for its co-operation in combating terrorism, as well as ensuring lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. In February, the Afghan President had made a peace offer to the Taliban in the Kabul Process Conference, which also included the recognition of the militant group as a political entity. However, the group is yet to respond to Ghani's offer.

Pakistan, Afghanistan call for regional security, stability

Last week, the Afghan air force dropped its first laser-guided missile on a Taliban compound in Farah, the western Afghan province that has seen increasing fighting since the beginning of the year.

The strike was an important milestone for the air force that underlined the growing importance of Farah, where hundreds of Taliban fighters have appeared since US-backed Afghan forces stepped up operations in neighbouring Helmand province.

Over the past month, Taliban fighters have delivered a series of blows to government forces, helped, according to officials in the area, by neighbouring Iran, which shares a long, porous border with the province.

In one recent week, 180 soldiers and police were killed and hundreds wounded, according to a senior security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said weekly death tolls for security forces in the province could reach as high as 250.

The provincial governor stepped down in January blaming political interference and civilians say the situation has become worse.

"We don`t know the reason for the escalation of violence but I can say people are very scared and people in the city haven`t slept in peace for months because of the fighting," said Abdullah, a shopkeeper in Farah city who said he now struggles to pay the rent on his shop.

"There are many people in the same situation. Thousands of young people are jobless, they either join the Taliban or cross the border to Iran to find a living."

The problem underlines broader challenges facing the Kabul government and its US allies, which last year announced a strategy to force the Taliban to the negotiating table through a mix of air strikes and stepped-up assistance to Afghan forces.

This month, Afghan forces, backed by US air power and close assistance from US advisers, began a fresh operation dubbed Maiwand 12, to hit the Taliban in the insurgency hotspots of Marjah and Nad Ali districts of Helmand province.

As operations have increased in Helmand, Western officials acknowledge that the pressure has pushed militants to Farah.&nbsp

But they say the insurgent focus on areas far from former battlegrounds where they had threatened the government show the problems they are facing.&nbsp

"Taliban offensives in these remote areas represent a significant lowering of ambition after their failure to take any provincial capitals in 2017," US Navy Captain Tom Gresback, spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support coalition, said in an emailed statement.

US aircraft recently began bombing "drug factories" in opium-rich Helmand, but local leaders and officials in Kabul say the Taliban will fight hard to avoid losing control of smuggling routes, which bring in millions of dollars for the insurgency.

"There are hundreds of fighters who move back and forth between Farah and Helmand," the Afghan security official said.

"There is a route for smuggling opium and heroin from Helmand to Farah and finally Iran and the Taliban and the smugglers will always fight to protect. It is tens of millions of dollars."

The US ambassador to Afghanistan, Robert Bass, told the BBC this month that Iran was providing logistical support to the Taliban, an accusation rejected by Tehran.

Iran has always denied interfering in Afghanistan but Afghan officials say it has multiple interests as well as its general hostility to the United States.&nbsp

They say it fears dams in Farah could slow the flow of water into Iran and has suspicions about a planned Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline.

"There is only one reason behind this: Iran`s interference which provides the insurgents weapons and tries to hamper the TAPI project," said provincial council member Dadullah Qaneh.

"There are many people in the same situation. Thousands of young people are jobless, they either join the Taliban or cross the border to Iran to find a living."

Last week, the Afghan air force dropped its first laser-guided missile on a Taliban compound in Farah, the western Afghan province that has seen increasing fighting since the beginning of the year. The strike was an important milestone for the air force that underlined the growing importance of Farah, where hundreds of Taliban fighters have appeared since US-backed Afghan forces stepped up operations in neighbouring Helmand province. Over the past month, Taliban fighters have delivered a series of blows to government forces, helped, according to officials in the area, by neighbouring Iran, which shares a long, porous border with the province. In one recent week, 180 soldiers and police were killed and hundreds wounded, according to a senior security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said weekly death tolls for security forces in the province could reach as high as 250. The provincial governor stepped down in January blaming political interference and civilians say the situation has become worse. "We don`t know the reason for the escalation of violence but I can say people are very scared and people in the city haven`t slept in peace for months because of the fighting," said Abdullah, a shopkeeper in Farah city who said he now struggles to pay the rent on his shop. "There are many people in the same situation. Thousands of young people are jobless, they either join the Taliban or cross the border to Iran to find a living." The problem underlines broader challenges facing the Kabul government and its US allies, which last year announced a strategy to force the Taliban to the negotiating table through a mix of air strikes and stepped-up assistance to Afghan forces. This month, Afghan forces, backed by US air power and close assistance from US advisers, began a fresh operation dubbed Maiwand 12, to hit the Taliban in the insurgency hotspots of Marjah and Nad Ali districts of Helmand province. As operations have increased in Helmand, Western officials acknowledge that the pressure has pushed militants to Farah. But they say the insurgent focus on areas far from former battlegrounds where they had threatened the government show the problems they are facing. "Taliban offensives in these remote areas represent a significant lowering of ambition after their failure to take any provincial capitals in 2017," US Navy Captain Tom Gresback, spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support coalition, said in an emailed statement. US aircraft recently began bombing "drug factories" in opium-rich Helmand, but local leaders and officials in Kabul say the Taliban will fight hard to avoid losing control of smuggling routes, which bring in millions of dollars for the insurgency. "There are hundreds of fighters who move back and forth between Farah and Helmand," the Afghan security official said. "There is a route for smuggling opium and heroin from Helmand to Farah and finally Iran and the Taliban and the smugglers will always fight to protect. It is tens of millions of dollars." The US ambassador to Afghanistan, Robert Bass, told the BBC this month that Iran was providing logistical support to the Taliban, an accusation rejected by Tehran. Iran has always denied interfering in Afghanistan but Afghan officials say it has multiple interests as well as its general hostility to the United States. They say it fears dams in Farah could slow the flow of water into Iran and has suspicions about a planned Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline. "There is only one reason behind this: Iran`s interference which provides the insurgents weapons and tries to hamper the TAPI project," said provincial council member Dadullah Qaneh.

As Afghan forces squeeze in Helmand, Taliban focus shifts

A car bomb killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more who had gathered to watch a wrestling match in southern Afghanistan on Friday, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which went off outside the match venue in Lashkar Gah - capital of the province of Helmand - in front of a crowd that included local lawmakers.

The attack, which followed a suicide blast in Kabul on Wednesday that was claimed by Islamic State, underlined the continued threat of violence across much of Afghanistan with the approach of spring, when fighting tends to pick up.

Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the driver of the car detonated his bomb after he was prevented from entering the venue. He said at least 14 people had been killed and at least 47 wounded. The casualties included children.

Italian aid group Emergency, which runs a major trauma hospital in the city, said 35 wounded had been brought in as well as four who were dead on arrival.

The Taliban controls large areas of Helmand, source of much of Afghanistan`s opium crop. But government forces, backed by heavy US air strikes, have succeeded in preventing Lashkar Gah from falling and have made advances in some districts.

The city, which came under threat from the insurgents last year, had been relatively quiet in recent months following offensives by security forces and fighting has shifted to other provinces including neighbouring Farah on the border with Iran.

The blast occurred as Afghans were celebrating the victory of their national cricket team in a match that qualified them for next year`s World Cup.

President Ashraf Ghani has offered to hold peace talks with the Taliban but there has so far been little sign the insurgents are willing to end their fight to drive out foreign forces and reestablish their version of strict Islamic law.

Separately, Afghan Special Forces arrested a French woman among a group of Islamic State fighters captured in the northern province of Jowzjan, an official from the National Directorate of Security said.

If confirmed, the woman would be a rare example of a European militant fighter in Afghanistan. While many foreign fighters have been active in the country, most are from neighbouring countries like Pakistan or Uzbekistan.

Although there has been concern that foreign fighters from the Middle East could turn up in Afghanistan following the defeats inflicted on Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, US and Afghan officials say there has been very little firm evidence.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which went off outside the match venue in Lashkar Gah - the capital of the province of Helmand - in front of a crowd that included local lawmakers

A car bomb killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more who had gathered to watch a wrestling match in southern Afghanistan on Friday, officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which went off outside the match venue in Lashkar Gah - capital of the province of Helmand - in front of a crowd that included local lawmakers. The attack, which followed a suicide blast in Kabul on Wednesday that was claimed by Islamic State, underlined the continued threat of violence across much of Afghanistan with the approach of spring, when fighting tends to pick up. Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the driver of the car detonated his bomb after he was prevented from entering the venue. He said at least 14 people had been killed and at least 47 wounded. The casualties included children. Italian aid group Emergency, which runs a major trauma hospital in the city, said 35 wounded had been brought in as well as four who were dead on arrival. The Taliban controls large areas of Helmand, source of much of Afghanistan`s opium crop. But government forces, backed by heavy US air strikes, have succeeded in preventing Lashkar Gah from falling and have made advances in some districts. The city, which came under threat from the insurgents last year, had been relatively quiet in recent months following offensives by security forces and fighting has shifted to other provinces including neighbouring Farah on the border with Iran. The blast occurred as Afghans were celebrating the victory of their national cricket team in a match that qualified them for next year`s World Cup. President Ashraf Ghani has offered to hold peace talks with the Taliban but there has so far been little sign the insurgents are willing to end their fight to drive out foreign forces and reestablish their version of strict Islamic law. Separately, Afghan Special Forces arrested a French woman among a group of Islamic State fighters captured in the northern province of Jowzjan, an official from the National Directorate of Security said. If confirmed, the woman would be a rare example of a European militant fighter in Afghanistan. While many foreign fighters have been active in the country, most are from neighbouring countries like Pakistan or Uzbekistan. Although there has been concern that foreign fighters from the Middle East could turn up in Afghanistan following the defeats inflicted on Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, US and Afghan officials say there has been very little firm evidence.

Car bomb rips through crowd at Afghan wrestling match

&nbsp;An explosion killed at least three tribal elders and wounded two when it hit a hotel in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Tuesday, officials said.

The cause of the blast was not immediately clear and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the explosion went off on the second floor of a hotel where tribal elders were staying. The elders were in Jalalabad for a meeting about a new electronic identity cards being introduced by the central government.

Jalalabad is capital of Nangarhar province, on the border with Pakistan, where an affiliate of Islamic State has established a stronghold in recent years.

The movement has claimed several attacks in Jalalabad, most recently last month when it targeted an office of the Save the Children aid group in the city.

The cause of the blast was not immediately clear and there was no immediate claim of responsibility

An explosion killed at least three tribal elders and wounded two when it hit a hotel in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Tuesday, officials said. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the explosion went off on the second floor of a hotel where tribal elders were staying. The elders were in Jalalabad for a meeting about a new electronic identity cards being introduced by the central government. Jalalabad is capital of Nangarhar province, on the border with Pakistan, where an affiliate of Islamic State has established a stronghold in recent years. The movement has claimed several attacks in Jalalabad, most recently last month when it targeted an office of the Save the Children aid group in the city.

Three killed in blast in Afghan city Jalalabad

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack that hit Afghanistan&rsquo;s eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday, according to the militant group&rsquo;s news agency Amaq, though it did not provide immediate evidence for the claim.

Amaq said the operation involved a car bomb and three other attacks that targeted British, Swedish, and Afghani government institutions in Jalalabad, without providing further details.

Gunmen stormed an office of aid agency Save the Children and battled security forces surrounding the building, killing at least two people and wounding 12, officials said.

Gunmen stormed an office of aid agency Save the Children and battled security forces surrounding the building, killing at least two people and wounding 12, officials said

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack that hit Afghanistan’s eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday, according to the militant group’s news agency Amaq, though it did not provide immediate evidence for the claim. Amaq said the operation involved a car bomb and three other attacks that targeted British, Swedish, and Afghani government institutions in Jalalabad, without providing further details. Gunmen stormed an office of aid agency Save the Children and battled security forces surrounding the building, killing at least two people and wounding 12, officials said.

Islamic State claims attack on Jalalabad in Afghanistan

Al-Qaeda&#39;s slain chief Osama bin Laden had shifted to Afghanistan to supervise a plot to assassinate Pakistan&#39;s former premier Benazir Bhutto and then military dictator Pervez Musharraf, a media report said today.

Citing intelligence gathered by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the News reported that the explosives to execute this plot were provided by the courier of bin Laden.

Bhutto was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack during an election campaign rally on December 27, 2007, outside the Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi. The revelation comes exactly on the 10th anniversary of Bhutto&#39;s assassination.

This information was provided to the Interior Ministry in December 2007 by the Army and the ISI in three reports and the letters obtained from the bin Laden&#39;s residence.

In these secret intelligence reports, the ministry was warned that bin Laden had issued orders to kill then-President Musharraf, Pakistan People&#39;s Party&#39;s chief Bhutto and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Fazlur Rehman, the paper said.

The most important letter by the ISI to the Interior Ministry was written on December 19, 2007; the letter was directed to the Interior Ministry&rsquo;s then-director coordination of the Crisis Management Cell Colonel Muhammad Imran Yaqub, the paper said, citing the documents.

The letter, titled &#39;President Musharraf, Benazir Bhutto and Fazlur Rehman&#39;s murder plan&#39;, signed by Lt Col (retd) Zaigham Islam Butt for DG Intelligence said bin Laden has issued the order to kill Musharraf, Bhutto and Rehman.

&quot;He (Osama bin Laden) has planned to send his courier, who is a national of Pakistan and a resident of Multan, named Musa Tariq, through Waziristan with explosives to be used in executing the murder plots. On coming Sunday &mdash; which is December 22 &mdash; this person will be in the area of Dera Ismail Khan,&quot; the letter read.

&quot;Osama bin Laden is personally supervising this entire plan and for this reason, he has shifted to Afghanistan,&quot; read the last three lines of the letter.

The ISI had requested the interior ministry to make urgent security arrangements, the paper said, adding that this information was so important that the copies of this letter were also dispatched to the Military Intelligence Directorate, GS Branch and General Headquarters, Rawalpindi.

After receiving the letter, the General Staff Branch of the Military Operations Directorate of General Headquarters, on the next day &mdash; December 20, 2007 &mdash; sent a letter to then- interior secretary Syed Kamal Shah.

Six days before Bhutto&#39;s assassination, another letter was issued with the signature of then-chief of the general staff Lt-Gen Salahuddin Satti&#39;s Lt-Col Staff Khurram Shahzad, warning about the terror plot.

Following the assassination of Bhutto, a short letter was sent to bin Laden after two days.

&quot;We have taken revenge for our brothers and sisters of Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid,&quot; read the letter which was recovered from bin Laden&#39;s home.

Bin Laden was killed by US Navy Seals in a covert raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011.

Bhutto was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack during an election campaign rally on December 27, 2007

Al-Qaeda's slain chief Osama bin Laden had shifted to Afghanistan to supervise a plot to assassinate Pakistan's former premier Benazir Bhutto and then military dictator Pervez Musharraf, a media report said today. Citing intelligence gathered by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the News reported that the explosives to execute this plot were provided by the courier of bin Laden. Bhutto was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack during an election campaign rally on December 27, 2007, outside the Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi. The revelation comes exactly on the 10th anniversary of Bhutto's assassination. This information was provided to the Interior Ministry in December 2007 by the Army and the ISI in three reports and the letters obtained from the bin Laden's residence. In these secret intelligence reports, the ministry was warned that bin Laden had issued orders to kill then-President Musharraf, Pakistan People's Party's chief Bhutto and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Fazlur Rehman, the paper said. The most important letter by the ISI to the Interior Ministry was written on December 19, 2007; the letter was directed to the Interior Ministry’s then-director coordination of the Crisis Management Cell Colonel Muhammad Imran Yaqub, the paper said, citing the documents. The letter, titled 'President Musharraf, Benazir Bhutto and Fazlur Rehman's murder plan', signed by Lt Col (retd) Zaigham Islam Butt for DG Intelligence said bin Laden has issued the order to kill Musharraf, Bhutto and Rehman. "He (Osama bin Laden) has planned to send his courier, who is a national of Pakistan and a resident of Multan, named Musa Tariq, through Waziristan with explosives to be used in executing the murder plots. On coming Sunday — which is December 22 — this person will be in the area of Dera Ismail Khan," the letter read. "Osama bin Laden is personally supervising this entire plan and for this reason, he has shifted to Afghanistan," read the last three lines of the letter. The ISI had requested the interior ministry to make urgent security arrangements, the paper said, adding that this information was so important that the copies of this letter were also dispatched to the Military Intelligence Directorate, GS Branch and General Headquarters, Rawalpindi. After receiving the letter, the General Staff Branch of the Military Operations Directorate of General Headquarters, on the next day — December 20, 2007 — sent a letter to then- interior secretary Syed Kamal Shah. Six days before Bhutto's assassination, another letter was issued with the signature of then-chief of the general staff Lt-Gen Salahuddin Satti's Lt-Col Staff Khurram Shahzad, warning about the terror plot. Following the assassination of Bhutto, a short letter was sent to bin Laden after two days. "We have taken revenge for our brothers and sisters of Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid," read the letter which was recovered from bin Laden's home. Bin Laden was killed by US Navy Seals in a covert raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011.

Osama Bin Laden moved to Afganistan to supervise plot to assassinate Benazir Bhutto, say reports

China, an economic giant, has started the move to revitalise the ancient Silk Road. Its ambitious Belt and Road (B&amp;R) initiative, which includes plans for a Silk Road economic belt and the 21st-century maritime Silk Road, aims to connect continental Asia, Europe and Africa. The project has an estimated investment requirement of $5 trillion in infrastructure across 65 countries.

A major B&amp;R investment in South Asia is the $46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which connects the city of Kashgar in Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region of China to Pakistan&rsquo;s Gwadar Port. An important part of the CPEC is the reconstruction and upgrading of the Karakorum Highway, a 1,300 km paved roadway across the Karakoram Mountains connecting Kashgar to Abbottabad. The highway, which first opened to traffic in 1986, serves as an important trade and transit corridor between China and Pakistan. It has shortened the distance between China and the Middle East from 15,900 km via the Malacca Strait to a 3,700 km land route through the Khunjarab pass.

Between China, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, inside the Pamir Knot, lies the Wakhan corridor. This strip of land sandwiched between the four countries was created as a buffer between the territories of British India and Tsarist Russia in the 19th century, which was then formally demarcated between the Kingdom of Afghanistan and the Chinese People&rsquo;s Republic in November 1963.

The Wakhan corridor has historically been an important transit path of the ancient Silk Road route. According to Alexander Farhad, in the fourth and fifth centuries, the passes across the Pamir led Chinese pilgrims to the Buddhist centres in today&rsquo;s Afghanistan and India and were used by Persian merchants to sell their goods in the Chinese market.

Nazif Shahrani, in his The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan: Adaptation to Closed Frontiers and War, maintains that until the collapse of Mughal Empire in India, Wakhan was one of the main routes for traders and merchants between India, China and major cities like Bactria and Bukhara in modern-day Afghanistan and Central Asia. It was due to the rapidly developing use of sea routes by Westerners to reach India and China in the late 15th century that the importance of the ancient Silk Road from Rome to China went into decline.

Geographic complexity

Given the geography of the Pamir Mountains, building infrastructure in the Wakhan could be difficult and costly. However, there are many instances of projects that have been successfully completed in the similar and even more geographically complex terrains of the region. The Karakorum Mountains, into which the Karakorum Highway was built (using 1960s and 1970s technology, taking 20 years to complete), and the Pamir Mountains where the Wakhan corridor lies are in the same area with similar topography.

A nutshell comparison of these areas indicates that the feasibility of infrastructure in Wakhan is increasingly viable given the road and tunnel-building technologies available in China today. The cost of the 400 km Wakhan project would be trivial compared to the $794-million upgrade of the Karakorum Highway or the $4.2 billion for the 1,600 km China-Tibet railway that opened in 2006. If such mega projects could be built on the roof of the world way back in the late 1970s and early 2000s, there is no reason to perceive geographic complexity as a barrier to building connectivity via Wakhan.

According to a report, the trilateral agreement was signed in Dushanbe to connect Tajikistan and Pakistan via the Durah Pass during the tenure of Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan&rsquo;s president from 1992 to 1996, after a feasibility survey to assess the best possible route that could connect Tajikistan and Pakistan. Although the decision has not yet found a practical implementation, all the countries have independently built infrastructures approaching the corridor in their respective territories over the past decade.

These recent developments &mdash; which include the Lowari Tunnel Project, the first phase of the Chitral-Tajikistan highway completed in 2017; the five bridges over the Panj River constructed since 2002; a road built west of Wakhan by the Chinese military in 2009; and roads connecting Ishkashim-Baharak to Faizabad and onward to Afghanistan&rsquo;s ring road and the port of Hairatan &mdash; imply that all the countries are implicitly keen to develop this route. These recent improvements have made the possibility and prospect of building infrastructure through Wakhan itself much more feasible.

What is currently missing is an initiative to open borders and collaborate. While geographical complexity has not been a barrier to the development of the infrastructure in Wakhan, security concerns and regional political play seem to be the major roadblocks on the way to the development of Wakhan.

Local concerns

China&rsquo;s main security concern has been from the separatist movement in its Xinjiang autonomous region. The movement of terrorist groups and the possibility of them building links with Xinjiang separatists was enough of an impetus for Beijing to keep the border closed for decades. However, these concerns seem to be fading away due to China&rsquo;s massive investments in the Xinjiang region, where employment opportunities and improving living standards have brought more stability and peace.

Moreover, India, Afghanistan&rsquo;s close regional ally, may not be happy with Kabul joining the CPEC. India opposes the Belt and Road initiative because of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, through which the CPEC passes, is a disputed territory between Delhi and Islamabad and it has blocked India&rsquo;s direct access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Instead, India has invested in the trilateral Chabahar project with Iran and Afghanistan to compete with the CPEC. More importantly, India&rsquo;s concern might be that the opening of Wakhjir pass, along with the already-opened Khunjarab pass, will give China the upper hand by enhancing its geopolitical and geo-economic dominance in the region.

However, countries around the Wakhan corridor have good economic ties and mutual interest for further cooperation with each other. The geo-strategically important Wakhan route, if built, would be the most efficient and the shortest possible bridge in the region. This would further strengthen trade and personal contacts. Chinese investment in Afghanistan to date stands as the largest foreign investment in the country.

Three Chinese state-owned companies have invested in Afghanistan&rsquo;s lucrative mining sector after it was opened to foreign investors in 2007. Afghanistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Mining and Petroleum signed the contract with a consortium of Chinese state-owned companies &mdash; the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) and Jiangxi Copper Company Limited (JCCL) &mdash; for the exploitation of the Mes Aynak, the world&rsquo;s second-largest copper deposits, in Logar province in 2008.

The other major Chinese investment in Afghanistan is in hydrocarbons. Based on a contract signed in 2011, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and its Afghan partner, Watan Oil and Gas, secured the exploration, development and production of the three blocks of hydrocarbon deposits of Amu Darya basin in Sar-e-Pol and Faryab provinces of Afghanistan.

According to data by the Afghan Central Statistic Organisation, bilateral trade between China and Afghanistan has surged from $432 million in 2008-09 to $1.09 billion in 2016-17, an increase of 153 per cent. Given this upsurge, the future of economic cooperation seems promising. This is further encouraged by connectivity that was recently established between the two countries with the opening of a railway in 2016. Similarly, Tajikistan and Pakistan have close economic and trade relations between themselves and also with Afghanistan (discussed here, here and here), which will benefit further from better and shorter trade routes among them.

Neighbours with benefits

There are three main advantages of building infrastructure through Wakhan corridor.

First, the inhabitants of the Pamir Knot &mdash; encompassing Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan, Wakhan District in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, Kashgar in Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan &mdash; share a common history, culture, religion and geography.

People in this enclave have been isolated from wider civilisations for centuries. Moreover, the border areas among these four countries are widely underdeveloped and economically insecure. Their primary sources of livelihood have been livestock husbandry and, to some extent, agriculture. According to a 2008 report, the literacy rate in Wakhan district hardly reaches 5 per cent.

The foremost advantage of building infrastructure in this region would be to bring change in the life and livelihood of the local population. Their access to markets and cities would help them sell their products, get access to education and find alternative sources of income. Regional investment in infrastructure and trade would provide locals with reliable sources of employment, rejuvenating these people&rsquo;s historical ties to the ancient Silk Road.

Second, connecting the bordering countries and facilitating economic integration through better infrastructure would lead to more stability and security in the region. Better customs controls and the deployment of border guards, as well as control of the illegal cross-border trafficking, would encourage legal exchange and cooperation.

Indirectly, the integration of the border areas would strengthen local development and lead to an increase in the economic well-being of the local population, which would lead to more secure and stabilised border regions.

Finally, linking the Wakhan corridor to the Karakorum Highway would provide the shortest route for China to reach its mega projects in Afghanistan, and for the Afghans to access the vast Chinese market. The north-south expansion of the corridor would help landlocked Tajikistan to get access to Pakistan&rsquo;s ports, allowing the Pakistanis to reach the resource-rich Central Asian republics by traversing Afghanistan through the shortest possible route.

If built, the Wakhan corridor would be the least costly trade route between China, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan compared to the current alternatives. This should compel the four countries to transform this land buffer into a bridge between them.

Currently, CPEC benefits Pakistan and China, but it can be easily extended to include Afghanistan and Tajikistan. If the Wakhan route is connected to the CPEC, it would undoubtedly boost trade and transform the economic outlook for the entire region.

Political bottlenecks and security fears should not hold back economic progress and regional prosperity. It would be in the best interest of the region as a whole to develop more projects like CPEC and Chabahar, with regional integration and economic cooperation in mind. These megaprojects, linked together in good faith, could reinforce and facilitate trade and transit in the region with the lowest possible costs and numerous benefits.

This <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/wakhan-corridor-china-pakistan-afghanistan-tajikistan-world-trade-news-81661/" rel="nofollow">article</a> has been originally published in <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/" rel="nofollow">Fair Observer</a>.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Image Credit: Iryna Hromotska

The connection of Wakhan route to the CPEC would undoubtedly boost trade and transform the economic outlook for the entire region

China, an economic giant, has started the move to revitalise the ancient Silk Road. Its ambitious Belt and Road (B&R) initiative, which includes plans for a Silk Road economic belt and the 21st-century maritime Silk Road, aims to connect continental Asia, Europe and Africa. The project has an estimated investment requirement of $5 trillion in infrastructure across 65 countries. A major B&R investment in South Asia is the $46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which connects the city of Kashgar in Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region of China to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port. An important part of the CPEC is the reconstruction and upgrading of the Karakorum Highway, a 1,300 km paved roadway across the Karakoram Mountains connecting Kashgar to Abbottabad. The highway, which first opened to traffic in 1986, serves as an important trade and transit corridor between China and Pakistan. It has shortened the distance between China and the Middle East from 15,900 km via the Malacca Strait to a 3,700 km land route through the Khunjarab pass. Between China, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, inside the Pamir Knot, lies the Wakhan corridor. This strip of land sandwiched between the four countries was created as a buffer between the territories of British India and Tsarist Russia in the 19th century, which was then formally demarcated between the Kingdom of Afghanistan and the Chinese People’s Republic in November 1963. The Wakhan corridor has historically been an important transit path of the ancient Silk Road route. According to Alexander Farhad, in the fourth and fifth centuries, the passes across the Pamir led Chinese pilgrims to the Buddhist centres in today’s Afghanistan and India and were used by Persian merchants to sell their goods in the Chinese market. Nazif Shahrani, in his The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan: Adaptation to Closed Frontiers and War, maintains that until the collapse of Mughal Empire in India, Wakhan was one of the main routes for traders and merchants between India, China and major cities like Bactria and Bukhara in modern-day Afghanistan and Central Asia. It was due to the rapidly developing use of sea routes by Westerners to reach India and China in the late 15th century that the importance of the ancient Silk Road from Rome to China went into decline. Geographic complexity Given the geography of the Pamir Mountains, building infrastructure in the Wakhan could be difficult and costly. However, there are many instances of projects that have been successfully completed in the similar and even more geographically complex terrains of the region. The Karakorum Mountains, into which the Karakorum Highway was built (using 1960s and 1970s technology, taking 20 years to complete), and the Pamir Mountains where the Wakhan corridor lies are in the same area with similar topography. A nutshell comparison of these areas indicates that the feasibility of infrastructure in Wakhan is increasingly viable given the road and tunnel-building technologies available in China today. The cost of the 400 km Wakhan project would be trivial compared to the $794-million upgrade of the Karakorum Highway or the $4.2 billion for the 1,600 km China-Tibet railway that opened in 2006. If such mega projects could be built on the roof of the world way back in the late 1970s and early 2000s, there is no reason to perceive geographic complexity as a barrier to building connectivity via Wakhan. According to a report, the trilateral agreement was signed in Dushanbe to connect Tajikistan and Pakistan via the Durah Pass during the tenure of Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan’s president from 1992 to 1996, after a feasibility survey to assess the best possible route that could connect Tajikistan and Pakistan. Although the decision has not yet found a practical implementation, all the countries have independently built infrastructures approaching the corridor in their respective territories over the past decade. These recent developments — which include the Lowari Tunnel Project, the first phase of the Chitral-Tajikistan highway completed in 2017; the five bridges over the Panj River constructed since 2002; a road built west of Wakhan by the Chinese military in 2009; and roads connecting Ishkashim-Baharak to Faizabad and onward to Afghanistan’s ring road and the port of Hairatan — imply that all the countries are implicitly keen to develop this route. These recent improvements have made the possibility and prospect of building infrastructure through Wakhan itself much more feasible. What is currently missing is an initiative to open borders and collaborate. While geographical complexity has not been a barrier to the development of the infrastructure in Wakhan, security concerns and regional political play seem to be the major roadblocks on the way to the development of Wakhan. Local concerns China’s main security concern has been from the separatist movement in its Xinjiang autonomous region. The movement of terrorist groups and the possibility of them building links with Xinjiang separatists was enough of an impetus for Beijing to keep the border closed for decades. However, these concerns seem to be fading away due to China’s massive investments in the Xinjiang region, where employment opportunities and improving living standards have brought more stability and peace. Moreover, India, Afghanistan’s close regional ally, may not be happy with Kabul joining the CPEC. India opposes the Belt and Road initiative because of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, through which the CPEC passes, is a disputed territory between Delhi and Islamabad and it has blocked India’s direct access to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Instead, India has invested in the trilateral Chabahar project with Iran and Afghanistan to compete with the CPEC. More importantly, India’s concern might be that the opening of Wakhjir pass, along with the already-opened Khunjarab pass, will give China the upper hand by enhancing its geopolitical and geo-economic dominance in the region. However, countries around the Wakhan corridor have good economic ties and mutual interest for further cooperation with each other. The geo-strategically important Wakhan route, if built, would be the most efficient and the shortest possible bridge in the region. This would further strengthen trade and personal contacts. Chinese investment in Afghanistan to date stands as the largest foreign investment in the country. Three Chinese state-owned companies have invested in Afghanistan’s lucrative mining sector after it was opened to foreign investors in 2007. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mining and Petroleum signed the contract with a consortium of Chinese state-owned companies — the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) and Jiangxi Copper Company Limited (JCCL) — for the exploitation of the Mes Aynak, the world’s second-largest copper deposits, in Logar province in 2008. The other major Chinese investment in Afghanistan is in hydrocarbons. Based on a contract signed in 2011, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and its Afghan partner, Watan Oil and Gas, secured the exploration, development and production of the three blocks of hydrocarbon deposits of Amu Darya basin in Sar-e-Pol and Faryab provinces of Afghanistan. According to data by the Afghan Central Statistic Organisation, bilateral trade between China and Afghanistan has surged from $432 million in 2008-09 to $1.09 billion in 2016-17, an increase of 153 per cent. Given this upsurge, the future of economic cooperation seems promising. This is further encouraged by connectivity that was recently established between the two countries with the opening of a railway in 2016. Similarly, Tajikistan and Pakistan have close economic and trade relations between themselves and also with Afghanistan (discussed here, here and here), which will benefit further from better and shorter trade routes among them. Neighbours with benefits There are three main advantages of building infrastructure through Wakhan corridor. First, the inhabitants of the Pamir Knot — encompassing Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan, Wakhan District in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, Kashgar in Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan — share a common history, culture, religion and geography. People in this enclave have been isolated from wider civilisations for centuries. Moreover, the border areas among these four countries are widely underdeveloped and economically insecure. Their primary sources of livelihood have been livestock husbandry and, to some extent, agriculture. According to a 2008 report, the literacy rate in Wakhan district hardly reaches 5 per cent. The foremost advantage of building infrastructure in this region would be to bring change in the life and livelihood of the local population. Their access to markets and cities would help them sell their products, get access to education and find alternative sources of income. Regional investment in infrastructure and trade would provide locals with reliable sources of employment, rejuvenating these people’s historical ties to the ancient Silk Road. Second, connecting the bordering countries and facilitating economic integration through better infrastructure would lead to more stability and security in the region. Better customs controls and the deployment of border guards, as well as control of the illegal cross-border trafficking, would encourage legal exchange and cooperation. Indirectly, the integration of the border areas would strengthen local development and lead to an increase in the economic well-being of the local population, which would lead to more secure and stabilised border regions. Finally, linking the Wakhan corridor to the Karakorum Highway would provide the shortest route for China to reach its mega projects in Afghanistan, and for the Afghans to access the vast Chinese market. The north-south expansion of the corridor would help landlocked Tajikistan to get access to Pakistan’s ports, allowing the Pakistanis to reach the resource-rich Central Asian republics by traversing Afghanistan through the shortest possible route. If built, the Wakhan corridor would be the least costly trade route between China, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan compared to the current alternatives. This should compel the four countries to transform this land buffer into a bridge between them. Currently, CPEC benefits Pakistan and China, but it can be easily extended to include Afghanistan and Tajikistan. If the Wakhan route is connected to the CPEC, it would undoubtedly boost trade and transform the economic outlook for the entire region. Political bottlenecks and security fears should not hold back economic progress and regional prosperity. It would be in the best interest of the region as a whole to develop more projects like CPEC and Chabahar, with regional integration and economic cooperation in mind. These megaprojects, linked together in good faith, could reinforce and facilitate trade and transit in the region with the lowest possible costs and numerous benefits. This article has been originally published in Fair Observer. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity). Image Credit: Iryna Hromotska

Opinion: Wakhan corridor brings China, Pakistan & Afghanistan closer

The Afghanistan government <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pakistan-set-to-restart-afghan-peace-process-without-india-21220">has called off a meeting with a Pakistan delegation which deals </a>with the&nbsp;implementation of a transit treaty on trade as the Kabul government wants India to be included in the deal, a report said.

The Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/no-indian-troops-in-afghan-because-of-pak-considerations-us-21020">Coordination Authority(APTTCA) is a crucial trade body</a> whose responsibility is to ensure smooth implementation of the trade treaty between the two countries.&nbsp;

The agreement was signed in 1950 to allow Afghanistan to import duty-free goods through Karachi and allow it access to Lahore and Karachi harbour.

The intention of the pact was to deny Afghanistan land or sea route to India to export goods.

A report in Pakistan&#39;s Dawn said Afghan officials want India to be &quot;part of the bilateral and trilateral transit trade pact&quot;.

The Afghan government has begun to realise limitless opportunities in trade potential with India and is now looking to find ways open a space for New Delhi in its future dealings with Pakistan.

However, Pakistan does not want India to be directly included in the deal even though its trade with Afghanistan has fallen significantly in the past two years.

Pakistan officials cite the frequent closing of the Afghan-Pakistan border as the major reason behind the decline in trade, Dawn reported.

However, Reuters yesterday quoted a Pakistan border commander saying that the government intended to create a &quot;Berlin wall-style&quot; border wall to deny militants from entering the country.

&quot;(A border wall) was there in Germany, it is in Mexico. It is all over the world &ndash; why not in Afghanistan and Pakistan?&quot; said Col. Muhammad Usman, commander of Pakistan&#39;s Frontier Corps paramilitary force in Chaman. &nbsp;

The move is attributed to the Trump effect - creating border walls to safeguard domestic interests.

Pakistan on its part has been trying hard to get Afganistan on its side, a report in Dawn said on Tuesday that foreign minister Khawaja Asif had told VOA Urdu in Washington that he intends to bring the Taliban and the Afghan government to the negotiating table through the quadrilateral peace process.

The move was once again aimed at isolating India.&nbsp;

The Quadrilateral Cooperation Group comprising of Afghanistan, the United States, China and Pakistan hopes to meet in Muscat, Oman next week to take steps to end the Afghan war.

Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority was meant to deny Afghanistan land or sea route to India to export goods.

The Afghanistan government has called off a meeting with a Pakistan delegation which deals with the implementation of a transit treaty on trade as the Kabul government wants India to be included in the deal, a report said. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority(APTTCA) is a crucial trade body whose responsibility is to ensure smooth implementation of the trade treaty between the two countries. The agreement was signed in 1950 to allow Afghanistan to import duty-free goods through Karachi and allow it access to Lahore and Karachi harbour. The intention of the pact was to deny Afghanistan land or sea route to India to export goods. A report in Pakistan's Dawn said Afghan officials want India to be "part of the bilateral and trilateral transit trade pact". The Afghan government has begun to realise limitless opportunities in trade potential with India and is now looking to find ways open a space for New Delhi in its future dealings with Pakistan. However, Pakistan does not want India to be directly included in the deal even though its trade with Afghanistan has fallen significantly in the past two years. Pakistan officials cite the frequent closing of the Afghan-Pakistan border as the major reason behind the decline in trade, Dawn reported. However, Reuters yesterday quoted a Pakistan border commander saying that the government intended to create a "Berlin wall-style" border wall to deny militants from entering the country. "(A border wall) was there in Germany, it is in Mexico. It is all over the world – why not in Afghanistan and Pakistan?" said Col. Muhammad Usman, commander of Pakistan's Frontier Corps paramilitary force in Chaman. The move is attributed to the Trump effect - creating border walls to safeguard domestic interests. Pakistan on its part has been trying hard to get Afganistan on its side, a report in Dawn said on Tuesday that foreign minister Khawaja Asif had told VOA Urdu in Washington that he intends to bring the Taliban and the Afghan government to the negotiating table through the quadrilateral peace process. The move was once again aimed at isolating India. The Quadrilateral Cooperation Group comprising of Afghanistan, the United States, China and Pakistan hopes to meet in Muscat, Oman next week to take steps to end the Afghan war.

Afghanistan cancels trade meet with Pak, wants to include India

US defence secretary James Mattis and India&#39;s <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pakistan-suspends-talks-with-us-in-protest-against-trumps-fiery-comment-19632">defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman met today to discuss the future of Indo-US ties </a>in the backdrop of continuing crisis in Afganistan and global terrorism.

Mattis who is on a two-day visit to India intends to set the ball rolling on Afganistan, last month<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-national-assembly-passes-resolution-rejecting-trumps-hostile-statements-19694"> US President Trump while laying down his administration&#39;s</a> policy on the troubled country had requested India&#39;s help to defeat the forces of terror.

India&#39;s defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: &quot;India will expand development activities but will not have boots on the ground in Afghanistan.&quot;

Expanding on Indo-US ties, India&#39;s defence minister added, &quot;Cooperation in defence equipment has grown steadily over the past years, US is now a leading state-of-the-art defence equipment supplier to India.&quot;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/trumps-safe-haven-for-terrorist-remark-we-want-peace-stability-in-afghanistan-says-pakistan-19330">Taking a swipe at Pakistan, India&#39;s defence minister said</a>, &quot;We both(India &amp; US) recognise the importance of holding those who use terror as state policy to account and to dismantle infrastructure that supports terror.&quot;

Echoing India&#39;s feelings, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said,&quot;There can be no tolerance of terror safe havens as global leaders India-US resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge.&quot;

&quot;Our two countries recognise the threat that global terrorism poses to people throughout the world,&quot; Mattis added.

On Afganistan, the US defence secretary said, &quot;We value India&#39;s invaluable contribution to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote Afghanistan&#39;s democracy, safety and security.&quot;

&quot;We appreciate India&#39;s leadership in the Indian Ocean and seek to work together to build a resilient regional architecture,&quot;&nbsp;US defence secretary said.

Mattis who is on a two-day visit to India intends to set the ball rolling on Afganistan, last month US President Trump while laying down his administration's policy on the troubled country had requested India's help to defeat the forces of terror.

US defence secretary James Mattis and India's defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman met today to discuss the future of Indo-US ties in the backdrop of continuing crisis in Afganistan and global terrorism. Mattis who is on a two-day visit to India intends to set the ball rolling on Afganistan, last month US President Trump while laying down his administration's policy on the troubled country had requested India's help to defeat the forces of terror. India's defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: "India will expand development activities but will not have boots on the ground in Afghanistan." Expanding on Indo-US ties, India's defence minister added, "Cooperation in defence equipment has grown steadily over the past years, US is now a leading state-of-the-art defence equipment supplier to India." Taking a swipe at Pakistan, India's defence minister said, "We both(India & US) recognise the importance of holding those who use terror as state policy to account and to dismantle infrastructure that supports terror." Echoing India's feelings, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said,"There can be no tolerance of terror safe havens as global leaders India-US resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge." "Our two countries recognise the threat that global terrorism poses to people throughout the world," Mattis added. On Afganistan, the US defence secretary said, "We value India's invaluable contribution to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote Afghanistan's democracy, safety and security." "We appreciate India's leadership in the Indian Ocean and seek to work together to build a resilient regional architecture," US defence secretary said.

'There can be no tolerance of terror safe havens', says US defence secretary James Mattis in India

A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in Kabul.

Kabul police spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid told AFP a suicide bomber &quot;detonated himself inside the mosque&quot;. The interior ministry confirmed a &quot;terrorist attack&quot; had taken place.

At least 14 civilians have been killed, Afghanistan&#39;s interior ministry said.

Police officials told Reuters a suicide bomber detonated himself at the gate.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Witnesses reported a blast followed by gunfire, according to a Kabul police official, Reuters reported.

The area has been cordoned off by the police, Afganistan&#39;s tolo news said.

Witnesses reported a blast followed by gunfire, according to a Kabul police official.

A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in Kabul. Kabul police spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid told AFP a suicide bomber "detonated himself inside the mosque". The interior ministry confirmed a "terrorist attack" had taken place. At least 14 civilians have been killed, Afghanistan's interior ministry said. Police officials told Reuters a suicide bomber detonated himself at the gate. Witnesses reported a blast followed by gunfire, according to a Kabul police official, Reuters reported. The area has been cordoned off by the police, Afganistan's tolo news said.

Kabul: Suicide blast in mosque, at least 14 people killed

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-clears-way-for-troop-increase-in-afghanistan-19283">Reacting to President Trump&#39;s Afganistan strategy</a>, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said today his country would like to &quot;see effective and immediate US military efforts to eliminate sanctuaries harbouring terrorists on Afghan soil&quot;.

This is the first time the Pakistan Prime Minister has reacted after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-warns-pakistan-will-pay-for-harbouring-terrorists-19282">US President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that his administration</a> could &quot;no longer be silent about Pakistan&rsquo;s safe haven&quot;.

&quot;We would like to see effective and immediate US&nbsp;military efforts to eliminate sanctuaries harbouring terrorists and miscreants on Afghan soil, including those responsible for fomenting terror in Pakistan,&quot; the Prime Minister&#39;s office said in a statement.

&quot;The Afghan war cannot be fought in Pakistan,&quot; the Prime Minister&#39;s office added.

Pakistan&#39;s foreign ministry had earlier said it wanted &quot;peace and stability in Afganistan&quot;. The ministry said Pakistan continued to desire to work with the International Community to &quot;eliminate the menace of terrorism&quot;.

Pakistan&#39;s foreign minister Khawaja Asif had said that the US should not use Pakistan as a &quot;scapegoat&quot; for its failures in America&#39;s long&nbsp;war in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

After Trump&#39;s new Afganistan policy, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/air-strikes-on-taliban-terror-groups-in-pakistan-on-table-us-secretary-of-state-19364">US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson refused to rule out</a> the use of military action, involving air strikes, on terror groups in Pakistan. He also indicated cutting off Pakistan&#39;s status as a privileged military ally if Islamabad doesn&#39;t crack down on the Taliban and other extremist groups. 
&nbsp;

Pakistan's foreign ministry had earlier said it wanted "peace and stability in Afganistan"

Reacting to President Trump's Afganistan strategy, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said today his country would like to "see effective and immediate US military efforts to eliminate sanctuaries harbouring terrorists on Afghan soil". This is the first time the Pakistan Prime Minister has reacted after US President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that his administration could "no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe haven". "We would like to see effective and immediate US military efforts to eliminate sanctuaries harbouring terrorists and miscreants on Afghan soil, including those responsible for fomenting terror in Pakistan," the Prime Minister's office said in a statement. "The Afghan war cannot be fought in Pakistan," the Prime Minister's office added. Pakistan's foreign ministry had earlier said it wanted "peace and stability in Afganistan". The ministry said Pakistan continued to desire to work with the International Community to "eliminate the menace of terrorism". Pakistan's foreign minister Khawaja Asif had said that the US should not use Pakistan as a "scapegoat" for its failures in America's long war in Afghanistan. After Trump's new Afganistan policy, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson refused to rule out the use of military action, involving air strikes, on terror groups in Pakistan. He also indicated cutting off Pakistan's status as a privileged military ally if Islamabad doesn't crack down on the Taliban and other extremist groups.

Afghan war cannot be fought in Pakistan: PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

At least 35 people were killed after a Taliban suicide attacker detonated a car bomb in the western part of Kabul today.

The suicide bomber targeted government personnel. At least three vehicles and several shops were destroyed in the blast.

&quot;When the Taliban entered the hospital they killed 35, all civilians,&quot; spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi told AFP, without specifying if they were patients or staff.

&quot;This is a cruel crime against humanity,&quot; he added.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility in a statement to the media for the suicide attack.

Afganistan has witnessed a series of attacks in the past three months with the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/car-bomb-in-kabul-kills-at-least-24-interior-ministry-18220"> Taliban targeting government building</a> and military personnel including foreign embassy personnel.

Kabul has accounted for at least 20 per cent of all civilian casualties this year, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/multiple-casualties-as-car-bomb-hits-bank-in-south-afghanistan-officials-17154">including at least 150 people killed in a massive truck bomb attack at the end of May</a>, according to United Nations figures.

Prime Minister Modi&#39;s office condemned&nbsp;the Kabul attack and expressed sympathy towards the victim&#39;s families. PM Modi in his tweet said: &quot;We stand in solidarity with people and government of Afghanistan.&quot;

&nbsp;

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Strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Kabul. My heart goes out to the victim&#39;s families: PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi">@narendramodi</a>
&mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/889433545126453248">July 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

At least three vehicles and several shops were destroyed in the blast

At least 35 people were killed after a Taliban suicide attacker detonated a car bomb in the western part of Kabul today. The suicide bomber targeted government personnel. At least three vehicles and several shops were destroyed in the blast. "When the Taliban entered the hospital they killed 35, all civilians," spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi told AFP, without specifying if they were patients or staff. "This is a cruel crime against humanity," he added. The Taliban has claimed responsibility in a statement to the media for the suicide attack. Afganistan has witnessed a series of attacks in the past three months with the Taliban targeting government building and military personnel including foreign embassy personnel. Kabul has accounted for at least 20 per cent of all civilian casualties this year, including at least 150 people killed in a massive truck bomb attack at the end of May, according to United Nations figures. Prime Minister Modi's office condemned the Kabul attack and expressed sympathy towards the victim's families. PM Modi in his tweet said: "We stand in solidarity with people and government of Afghanistan." Strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Kabul. My heart goes out to the victim's families: PM @narendramodi — PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 24, 2017 × We stand in solidarity with people and government of Afghanistan in their fight against terrorism: PM @narendramodi — PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 24, 2017 ×

Car bomb attack in Kabul, at least 35 killed; Taliban claims responsibility

Taliban militants wearing Afghan army uniforms killed at least 50 soldiers in a gun and suicide attack at a base in northern Afghanistan, the US military said, as the extremists ramp up their campaign against beleaguered government forces.

Two of the attackers blew themselves up and seven were killed in the assault near Mazar-i-Sharif city on Friday which lasted several hours and targeted soldiers at a mosque and dining facility, the Afghan defence ministry said.&nbsp;

One of the assailants was detained.&nbsp;

A US military spokesman said &quot;more than 50&quot; Afghan soldiers were killed in the attack claimed by the Taliban, while Afghan officials put the death toll at eight with 11 wounded.&nbsp;

General John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan, praised Afghan commandos for bringing the &quot;atrocity to an end&quot;.

The latest deadly attack against an Afghan military site underscores rising insecurity in the war-torn country as it braces for an intense fighting season in the spring.

Afghan security forces, beset by killings, desertions and non-existent &quot;ghost soldiers&quot; on the payroll, have been struggling to beat back insurgents since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014. 
According to US watchdog SIGAR, casualties among Afghan security forces soared by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed.

Nicholson in February told the US Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington that he needed &quot;a few thousand&quot; more troops to help train and assist the Afghan forces.

The US has around 8,400 troops in the country with about another 5,000 from NATO allies assisting a much larger Afghan force in the war against the Taliban and other Islamist militants.Several military helicopters hovered over the base during Friday`s attack and ambulances later took away the bodies of the victims, an AFP correspondent said.&nbsp;

The facility in Balkh province is home to the Afghan army`s 209th Corps.&nbsp;

The last major attack against a military site was in early March when gunmen disguised as doctors stormed the Sardar Daud Khan hospital -- the country`s largest military hospital -- in Kabul, killing dozens.

Afghan officials put the death toll at 50, but security sources and survivors told AFP more than 100 were killed in the brazen and savage attack.

The Islamic State group claimed it was behind the operation -- hours after the more powerful Taliban denied responsibility for the raid.&nbsp;

That assault came a week after 16 people were killed in simultaneous Taliban suicide assaults on two security compounds in the capital.

More than a third of Afghanistan is outside government control and many regions are fiercely contested by various insurgent groups, as Kabul`s repeated bids to launch peace negotiations with the Taliban have failed.

Earlier this month the US military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb on Islamic State group hideouts in eastern Afghanistan, killing nearly a hundred militants.

The attack triggered global shockwaves, with some condemning the use of Afghanistan as what they called a testing ground for the weapon, and against a militant group that is not considered as big a threat as the resurgent Taliban. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The attack occurred near a mosque on the military base near Mazar-i-Sharif

Taliban militants wearing Afghan army uniforms killed at least 50 soldiers in a gun and suicide attack at a base in northern Afghanistan, the US military said, as the extremists ramp up their campaign against beleaguered government forces. Two of the attackers blew themselves up and seven were killed in the assault near Mazar-i-Sharif city on Friday which lasted several hours and targeted soldiers at a mosque and dining facility, the Afghan defence ministry said. One of the assailants was detained. A US military spokesman said "more than 50" Afghan soldiers were killed in the attack claimed by the Taliban, while Afghan officials put the death toll at eight with 11 wounded. General John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan, praised Afghan commandos for bringing the "atrocity to an end". The latest deadly attack against an Afghan military site underscores rising insecurity in the war-torn country as it braces for an intense fighting season in the spring. Afghan security forces, beset by killings, desertions and non-existent "ghost soldiers" on the payroll, have been struggling to beat back insurgents since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014. According to US watchdog SIGAR, casualties among Afghan security forces soared by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed. Nicholson in February told the US Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington that he needed "a few thousand" more troops to help train and assist the Afghan forces. The US has around 8,400 troops in the country with about another 5,000 from NATO allies assisting a much larger Afghan force in the war against the Taliban and other Islamist militants.Several military helicopters hovered over the base during Friday`s attack and ambulances later took away the bodies of the victims, an AFP correspondent said. The facility in Balkh province is home to the Afghan army`s 209th Corps. The last major attack against a military site was in early March when gunmen disguised as doctors stormed the Sardar Daud Khan hospital -- the country`s largest military hospital -- in Kabul, killing dozens. Afghan officials put the death toll at 50, but security sources and survivors told AFP more than 100 were killed in the brazen and savage attack. The Islamic State group claimed it was behind the operation -- hours after the more powerful Taliban denied responsibility for the raid. That assault came a week after 16 people were killed in simultaneous Taliban suicide assaults on two security compounds in the capital. More than a third of Afghanistan is outside government control and many regions are fiercely contested by various insurgent groups, as Kabul`s repeated bids to launch peace negotiations with the Taliban have failed. Earlier this month the US military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb on Islamic State group hideouts in eastern Afghanistan, killing nearly a hundred militants. The attack triggered global shockwaves, with some condemning the use of Afghanistan as what they called a testing ground for the weapon, and against a militant group that is not considered as big a threat as the resurgent Taliban. (AFP)

Taliban storm military camp near Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan, more than 50 killed

A security guard has shot dead a diplomat in the Afghan consulate in Pakistan&#39;s southern city of Karachi, officials say.

The consulate&#39;s third secretary was killed by a private guard, who had been arrested, police official Saqib Ismail said, adding that the guard was an Afghan national and using his automatic weapon.

Another police official, deputy Inspector general Azad Khan, told reporters off camera that the shooting appeared to be the result of a personal dispute.

Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal confirmed the shooting on his official Facebook account.

&nbsp;

 
<centre><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wWapMGE6Kf0" width="854"></iframe><centre></centre></centre>

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The diplomat was a third secretary in the consulate who was killed by a private guard with an automatic weapon

A security guard has shot dead a diplomat in the Afghan consulate in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi, officials say. The consulate's third secretary was killed by a private guard, who had been arrested, police official Saqib Ismail said, adding that the guard was an Afghan national and using his automatic weapon. Another police official, deputy Inspector general Azad Khan, told reporters off camera that the shooting appeared to be the result of a personal dispute. Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal confirmed the shooting on his official Facebook account. (Reuters)

Afghan diplomat shot in Pakistan

The International Criminal Court in The Hague on Monday said in a report there was &quot;reasonable basis to believe&quot; that US forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan and CIA detention establishments in 2003 and 2004.&nbsp;

The prosecutors wrote &quot;Members of US armed forces appear to have subjected at least 61 detained persons to torture,&quot; and that Central Intelligence Agency officials are believed to have tortured 27 more.&nbsp;

The prosecutor&#39;s office, headed by Fatou Bensouda said it will decide soon whether to conduct a full investigation.&nbsp;

&quot;These alleged crimes were not the abuses of a few isolated individuals,&quot; the report stated.&nbsp;

&quot;They appear to have been committed as part of approved interrogation techniques in an attempt to extract &#39;actionable intelligence.&quot;

After the September 11, 2001 attack, the US waged a war against Al Qaeda and Taliban and invaded large parts of Afghanistan where their stronghold was believed to be.&nbsp;

CIA facilities in Poland, Lithuania and Romania, were centres where people arrested in Afghanistan were sent to.&nbsp;

The report found that the Taliban, Afghan government were also part of these crimes.&nbsp;

The US is not a member of ICC so it does not come under the jurisdiction of the court. However, Afghanistan, Lithuania, Poland and Romania are, giving it jurisdiction over crimes committed within their boundaries.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Prosecutors wrote 'Members of US armed forces' appeared to have tortured at least 61 detainees and the CIA another 27 elsewhere

The International Criminal Court in The Hague on Monday said in a report there was "reasonable basis to believe" that US forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan and CIA detention establishments in 2003 and 2004. The prosecutors wrote "Members of US armed forces appear to have subjected at least 61 detained persons to torture," and that Central Intelligence Agency officials are believed to have tortured 27 more. The prosecutor's office, headed by Fatou Bensouda said it will decide soon whether to conduct a full investigation. "These alleged crimes were not the abuses of a few isolated individuals," the report stated. "They appear to have been committed as part of approved interrogation techniques in an attempt to extract 'actionable intelligence." After the September 11, 2001 attack, the US waged a war against Al Qaeda and Taliban and invaded large parts of Afghanistan where their stronghold was believed to be. CIA facilities in Poland, Lithuania and Romania, were centres where people arrested in Afghanistan were sent to. The report found that the Taliban, Afghan government were also part of these crimes. The US is not a member of ICC so it does not come under the jurisdiction of the court. However, Afghanistan, Lithuania, Poland and Romania are, giving it jurisdiction over crimes committed within their boundaries. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Hague prosecutors: US forces may have committed war crimes in Afghanistan

The senior US commander in Afghanistan will have greater freedom to strike at the Taliban under broad new powers approved last month by President Barack Obama, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said today. 
 
Carter, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said the powers granted to General John Nicholson would allow &quot;much more efficient use and effective use of the forces we have here as well as the Afghan forces.&quot; 
 
Under the authorities previously granted to Nicholson, who commands both the NATO-led Resolute Support mission and a separate US counter-terrorism mission, his forces could generally only intervene against the Taliban when Afghan government troops requested emergency assistance. 
 
&quot;It obviously, to me, makes a lot more sense to be doing it the way we&#39;re doing it now,&quot; Carter said at a joint news conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. 
 
Afghan forces seek combat assistance&nbsp; 
 
Carter&#39;s visit comes days after Obama shelved plans to cut the US force in Afghanistan nearly in half by year&rsquo;s end, opting instead to keep 8,400 troops there through to the end of his presidency in January. 
 
Afghan forces, fighting largely on their own since the NATO-led force ended most combat operations in 2014, have frequently asked for more combat assistance from their allies, particularly for close air strikes. 
 
US forces have already used the broader authority granted to their commanders to conduct air strikes against Taliban targets in southern Afghanistan. 
 
Carter, who met both Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah as well as senior U.S. military commanders, said it was &quot;critical&quot; that the national unity government formed after disputed elections in 2014 maintained stability. 
 
Ghani thanked the United States as well as other NATO allies who last week pledged to maintain support for Afghanistan. He also praised Afghan forces, who he said had been &quot;standing tall&quot; since the departure of foreign combat forces. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

New powers granted to US commander would allow "much more efficient use" of US troops, Afghan forces, said Ash Carter

The senior US commander in Afghanistan will have greater freedom to strike at the Taliban under broad new powers approved last month by President Barack Obama, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said today. Carter, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said the powers granted to General John Nicholson would allow "much more efficient use and effective use of the forces we have here as well as the Afghan forces." Under the authorities previously granted to Nicholson, who commands both the NATO-led Resolute Support mission and a separate US counter-terrorism mission, his forces could generally only intervene against the Taliban when Afghan government troops requested emergency assistance. "It obviously, to me, makes a lot more sense to be doing it the way we're doing it now," Carter said at a joint news conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Afghan forces seek combat assistance Carter's visit comes days after Obama shelved plans to cut the US force in Afghanistan nearly in half by year’s end, opting instead to keep 8,400 troops there through to the end of his presidency in January. Afghan forces, fighting largely on their own since the NATO-led force ended most combat operations in 2014, have frequently asked for more combat assistance from their allies, particularly for close air strikes. US forces have already used the broader authority granted to their commanders to conduct air strikes against Taliban targets in southern Afghanistan. Carter, who met both Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah as well as senior U.S. military commanders, said it was "critical" that the national unity government formed after disputed elections in 2014 maintained stability. Ghani thanked the United States as well as other NATO allies who last week pledged to maintain support for Afghanistan. He also praised Afghan forces, who he said had been "standing tall" since the departure of foreign combat forces. (Reuters)

US troops in Afghanistan can now strike Taliban more easily: Pentagon Chief

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