Just a day after a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-four-dead-20-injured-in-car-bomb-explosion-in-ghazni-238783">suicide attack targeted Afghanistan`s Ghazni</a>, another explosive-laden car detonated in the province`s Ab Band district early Sunday morning, a local source told Sputnik.

"The car bombing occurred today early morning in Ab Band District in Ghazni province early morning close to an Afghan forces base," the source said.

The casualty figure is yet to be confirmed. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that the incident has caused massive casualties and damages to the base.&nbsp;

On Saturday, another Taliban-perpetrated attack saw an explosive-laden vehicle targeting the district, killing at least three policemen and wounding 12 others. 
&nbsp;

Just a day after a suicide attack targeted Afghanistan`s Ghazni, another explosive-laden car detonated in the province`s Ab Band district early Sunday morning, a local source told Sputnik.

Just a day after a suicide attack targeted Afghanistan`s Ghazni, another explosive-laden car detonated in the province`s Ab Band district early Sunday morning, a local source told Sputnik. "The car bombing occurred today early morning in Ab Band District in Ghazni province early morning close to an Afghan forces base," the source said. The casualty figure is yet to be confirmed. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that the incident has caused massive casualties and damages to the base. On Saturday, another Taliban-perpetrated attack saw an explosive-laden vehicle targeting the district, killing at least three policemen and wounding 12 others.

Another explosive-laden vehicle detonates in Afghanistan's Ghazni

At least three police officers were killed and a dozen more wounded Saturday when a Taliban suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed, US-made armoured vehicle into a compound in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.

The pre-dawn blast took place as violence rages across Afghanistan, even though the US is leading a push for a peace deal with the Taliban, with a new round of talks expected in the coming days.

According to Aref Noori, the spokesman for Ghazni province, Saturday's attack targeted the police headquarters compound in Ghazni's Ab Band district.

"A Humvee vehicle was driven into the compound and blown up. Three police officers have been killed and 12 wounded," he told AFP, adding the vehicle had been captured from Afghan forces.

Ahmad Khan Sirat, the provincial police spokesman, told AFP the police headquarters building had also been partially damaged in the attack, which was claimed by the Taliban.

The attack came hours after another Taliban assault in Ghazni province late on Friday, this time in Khogyani district, which left at least three security forces dead including the district police chief, Noori said.

The Taliban have increased their attacks across the country at the peak of their "fighting season". The US, too, has stepped up air strikes this year.

On Thursday, a series of bombings in the capital Kabul claimed by the Taliban and the Islamic State group's Afghanistan branch killed at least 10 people and wounded scores more.

The bombings come as Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, is expected to resume a new round of talks with the Taliban in Doha.

At least three police officers were killed and a dozen more wounded Saturday when a Taliban suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed, US-made armoured vehicle into a compound in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.

At least three police officers were killed and a dozen more wounded Saturday when a Taliban suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed, US-made armoured vehicle into a compound in eastern Afghanistan, officials said. The pre-dawn blast took place as violence rages across Afghanistan, even though the US is leading a push for a peace deal with the Taliban, with a new round of talks expected in the coming days. According to Aref Noori, the spokesman for Ghazni province, Saturday's attack targeted the police headquarters compound in Ghazni's Ab Band district. "A Humvee vehicle was driven into the compound and blown up. Three police officers have been killed and 12 wounded," he told AFP, adding the vehicle had been captured from Afghan forces. Ahmad Khan Sirat, the provincial police spokesman, told AFP the police headquarters building had also been partially damaged in the attack, which was claimed by the Taliban. The attack came hours after another Taliban assault in Ghazni province late on Friday, this time in Khogyani district, which left at least three security forces dead including the district police chief, Noori said. The Taliban have increased their attacks across the country at the peak of their "fighting season". The US, too, has stepped up air strikes this year. On Thursday, a series of bombings in the capital Kabul claimed by the Taliban and the Islamic State group's Afghanistan branch killed at least 10 people and wounded scores more. The bombings come as Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, is expected to resume a new round of talks with the Taliban in Doha.

At least three killed in Taliban attack on police base

Direct talks between the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/trump-khan-discuss-afghanistan-terrorism-in-first-meeting-237953">Afghan government and the Taliban </a>could begin in Norway within the next two weeks, officials and sources said Saturday, marking a potentially crucial step in efforts to end the war.

The Taliban have so far refused to speak to the government of President Ashraf Ghani, which they see as illegitimate, except for at a recent summit where Ghani officials attended in a "personal capacity".

"We are preparing for direct talks," said Abdul Salam Rahimi, the state minister for peace affairs, noting that the government would be represented by a 15-member delegation.

"We are working with all sides and hope that in the next two weeks the first meeting will take place in a European country."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-afghanistan-agree-to-accelerate-afghan-peace-talks-238502">US, Afghanistan agree to accelerate Afghan peace talks</a>

He did not specify where the summit might take place, but diplomatic sources told AFP the talks were scheduled to begin in Oslo on August 7. The sources said the international community and the Afghan government were still awaiting word from the Taliban.

Ghani and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed in a telephone call Wednesday that "now is the time to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the war in Afghanistan", according to a joint statement.

US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who is leading a push to forge a peace deal with the Taliban, has spent the past several days in Kabul, where he met with Ghani and US officials.

He is expected to fly to Doha next week for what would be an eighth round of direct US-Taliban talks. The two foes claim progress in reaching a deal that would end America's nearly 18-year military involvement in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

Washington has said it wants to see a deal inked by September 1, but any deal requires the Taliban to talk to Kabul.

'Personal capacity'

The apparent development comes after Taliban negotiators sat with Afghan representatives at a so-called intra-Afghan dialogue brokered by Germany in Doha this month.

The Afghan stakeholders had agreed to attend in a "personal capacity" so the Taliban can continue to insist it is not talking directly to the Kabul administration.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP any new talks would only begin after a deal has been forged with the US, and he reiterated the insurgents' long-held position that they would "not talk to the Kabul administration as a government".

Rahimi said the next delegation would include some of those who went to Doha, as well as religious scholars, women and other members of civil society.

Meanwhile, the war rages across Afghanistan, with the Taliban, the US and Afghan forces all fighting at an increased tempo.

At least three police officers were killed and a dozen more wounded Saturday when a Taliban suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed, US-made armoured vehicle into a compound in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.

On Thursday, three blasts rocked Kabul, killing at least 10 people and wounding scores more, even as US and Afghan officials pledged to speed up their efforts to reach a negotiated settlement.

Direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban could begin in Norway within the next two weeks, officials and sources said Saturday, marking a potentially crucial step in efforts to end the war.

Direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban could begin in Norway within the next two weeks, officials and sources said Saturday, marking a potentially crucial step in efforts to end the war. The Taliban have so far refused to speak to the government of President Ashraf Ghani, which they see as illegitimate, except for at a recent summit where Ghani officials attended in a "personal capacity". "We are preparing for direct talks," said Abdul Salam Rahimi, the state minister for peace affairs, noting that the government would be represented by a 15-member delegation. "We are working with all sides and hope that in the next two weeks the first meeting will take place in a European country." Also read: US, Afghanistan agree to accelerate Afghan peace talks He did not specify where the summit might take place, but diplomatic sources told AFP the talks were scheduled to begin in Oslo on August 7. The sources said the international community and the Afghan government were still awaiting word from the Taliban. Ghani and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed in a telephone call Wednesday that "now is the time to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the war in Afghanistan", according to a joint statement. US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who is leading a push to forge a peace deal with the Taliban, has spent the past several days in Kabul, where he met with Ghani and US officials. He is expected to fly to Doha next week for what would be an eighth round of direct US-Taliban talks. The two foes claim progress in reaching a deal that would end America's nearly 18-year military involvement in Afghanistan. Washington has said it wants to see a deal inked by September 1, but any deal requires the Taliban to talk to Kabul. 'Personal capacity' The apparent development comes after Taliban negotiators sat with Afghan representatives at a so-called intra-Afghan dialogue brokered by Germany in Doha this month. The Afghan stakeholders had agreed to attend in a "personal capacity" so the Taliban can continue to insist it is not talking directly to the Kabul administration. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP any new talks would only begin after a deal has been forged with the US, and he reiterated the insurgents' long-held position that they would "not talk to the Kabul administration as a government". Rahimi said the next delegation would include some of those who went to Doha, as well as religious scholars, women and other members of civil society. Meanwhile, the war rages across Afghanistan, with the Taliban, the US and Afghan forces all fighting at an increased tempo. At least three police officers were killed and a dozen more wounded Saturday when a Taliban suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed, US-made armoured vehicle into a compound in eastern Afghanistan, officials said. On Thursday, three blasts rocked Kabul, killing at least 10 people and wounding scores more, even as US and Afghan officials pledged to speed up their efforts to reach a negotiated settlement.

Talks between Afghanistan government, Taliban could happen within two weeks in Norway: Officials

A Report On The New Video Released By Taliban Which Justifies 9/11 Attacks. Trump may boast of his deal-clinching abilities. But one deal that he is over-seeing is looking dicey. Amidst the ongoing Afghanistan peace talks, Taliban releases a new video justifying the 9/11 attacks. What's more, Taliban calls the 9/11 attacks as a slap to the U.S. Here's more on the video.

Gravitas: Taliban releases a new video justifying 9/11 attacks

The body of a Croatian soldier killed in a Taliban-claimed suicide car bomb attack in Kabul landed back in his native country on Friday, media reported.

Josip Briski, 27, was a member of a Croatian contingent deployed in Afghanistan as part of a US-led mission.

He was killed on Wednesday when a suicide attacker hit his convoy, injuring two other Croatian soldiers, Croatia's Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic said.

A US Air Force plane brought Briski's coffin draped in the red, white and blue Croatian flag to Zagreb airport where it received military honours, Croatia's Hina news agency reported.

President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic attended the airport ceremony along with other ministers, NATO representatives and family members.

A commemoration is scheduled for Friday in the capital Zagreb and the soldier's funeral will be held on Saturday.&nbsp;

Two other Croatian soldiers were wounded in the attack in Kabul. They were said to have serious but not life-threatening injuries, Krsticevic said on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Violence in Afghanistan has flared in recent weeks as the United States leads an effort to forge a peace deal with the Taliban after nearly 18 years of war.

About 100 Croatian soldiers are deployed in Afghanistan as part of the US Resolute Support Mission. Coalition soldiers help train and advise their Afghan partners.&nbsp;

The body of a Croatian soldier killed in a Taliban-claimed suicide car bomb attack in Kabul landed back in his native country on Friday, media reported. Josip Briski, 27, was a member of a Croatian contingent deployed in Afghanistan as part of a US-led mission.

The body of a Croatian soldier killed in a Taliban-claimed suicide car bomb attack in Kabul landed back in his native country on Friday, media reported. Josip Briski, 27, was a member of a Croatian contingent deployed in Afghanistan as part of a US-led mission. He was killed on Wednesday when a suicide attacker hit his convoy, injuring two other Croatian soldiers, Croatia's Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic said. A US Air Force plane brought Briski's coffin draped in the red, white and blue Croatian flag to Zagreb airport where it received military honours, Croatia's Hina news agency reported. President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic attended the airport ceremony along with other ministers, NATO representatives and family members. A commemoration is scheduled for Friday in the capital Zagreb and the soldier's funeral will be held on Saturday. Two other Croatian soldiers were wounded in the attack in Kabul. They were said to have serious but not life-threatening injuries, Krsticevic said on Wednesday. Violence in Afghanistan has flared in recent weeks as the United States leads an effort to forge a peace deal with the Taliban after nearly 18 years of war. About 100 Croatian soldiers are deployed in Afghanistan as part of the US Resolute Support Mission. Coalition soldiers help train and advise their Afghan partners.

Croatian soldier killed in Kabul attack returns home

The United States and Afghanistan said Thursday they have agreed to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the conflict in the war-ravaged country.

In a joint statement, Washington and Kabul said the agreement had been reached in a telephone call between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday.

Ghani had asked for clarifications following President Donald Trump's remark that the United States could easily win the war in Afghanistan but didn't "want to kill 10 million people."

Pompeo assured Ghani that "there has been no change to President Trump's South Asia strategy, including US commitment to a conditions-based drawdown" of troops, the statement said.

It said Pompeo and Ghani had agreed that "now is the time to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the war in Afghanistan."

General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Washington's special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, had been sent to Kabul to "discuss in detail the next steps on the road to peace," the statement said.

Khalilzad is then expected to head to Doha to resume talks with the Taliban.

He has held several meetings with the Islamist militants in the past year, the most recent being on July 9, also in Doha.

But the major hurdle has so far been the Taliban's refusal to negotiate directly with the Afghan government.

At least 10 people -- including several women and a child -- were killed and scores more wounded by a series of blasts that rocked the Afghan capital Thursday ahead of the election season.

The Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility for the first two blasts, while the Taliban claimed the third. US and Afghan security officials, however, blamed the Taliban for all three explosions.

The United States and Afghanistan said Thursday they have agreed to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the conflict in the war-ravaged country. In a joint statement, Washington and Kabul said the agreement had been reached in a telephone call between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday.

The United States and Afghanistan said Thursday they have agreed to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the conflict in the war-ravaged country. In a joint statement, Washington and Kabul said the agreement had been reached in a telephone call between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday. Ghani had asked for clarifications following President Donald Trump's remark that the United States could easily win the war in Afghanistan but didn't "want to kill 10 million people." Pompeo assured Ghani that "there has been no change to President Trump's South Asia strategy, including US commitment to a conditions-based drawdown" of troops, the statement said. It said Pompeo and Ghani had agreed that "now is the time to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the war in Afghanistan." General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Washington's special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, had been sent to Kabul to "discuss in detail the next steps on the road to peace," the statement said. Khalilzad is then expected to head to Doha to resume talks with the Taliban. He has held several meetings with the Islamist militants in the past year, the most recent being on July 9, also in Doha. But the major hurdle has so far been the Taliban's refusal to negotiate directly with the Afghan government. At least 10 people -- including several women and a child -- were killed and scores more wounded by a series of blasts that rocked the Afghan capital Thursday ahead of the election season. The Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate claimed responsibility for the first two blasts, while the Taliban claimed the third. US and Afghan security officials, however, blamed the Taliban for all three explosions.

US, Afghanistan agree to accelerate Afghan peace talks

India on Thursday called&nbsp;Pakistan to take "credible and irreversible action" against terrorism after Pakistan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-will-not-allow-armed-militia-in-the-country-imran-khan-238076">Prime Minister Imran Khan</a> admitted&nbsp;Pakistan terror groups operated in Kashmir.

Ravish Kumar, spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs said:&nbsp;"It's a glaring admission by Pakistani leadership. This&nbsp;is not the first time, Pakistan and Pakistani leadership have owned up to the presence of terrorist, training camps of terrorist and terrorist who are being sent to India to create acts of terrorism. It is also a public knowledge among the international community."

Watch Video:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/pak-prime-minister-imran-khan-on-sponsoring-terror-238350/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Calling on Islamabad to take "credible and irreversible action" on terror groups on its territory, the foreign ministry spokesman said, "since Pak PM has acknowledged the presence of training camps, he has acknowledged that terrorist are&nbsp;being trained and sent to fight in Kashmir...they should make sure that safe havens and terror sanctuaries that exist in Pakistan should be neutralised. Pakistan has taken half-hearted steps to please the international community which are meant for the consumption of certain people"

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan during his US had said at an event,"We are disarming all armed militias...You cannot disarm because the police is incapable of disarming these (terror) groups. They are trained, these people have experience of fighting in Afghanistan, some in Kashmir."

India has been calling Pakistan to take action on terror groups for years but Islamabad hasn't changed its policy and supported terror. And it is just not New Delhi, Kabul has also called on Islamabad to rein in terror groups.&nbsp;

Afghanistan last week released audio of terrorist based in Pakistan who planned the Kandahar terror attack that killed 12 people. 
&nbsp;

India on Thursday called Pakistan to take "credible and irreversible action" against terrorism after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan admitted Pakistan terror groups operated in Kashmir.

India on Thursday called Pakistan to take "credible and irreversible action" against terrorism after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan admitted Pakistan terror groups operated in Kashmir. Ravish Kumar, spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs said: "It's a glaring admission by Pakistani leadership. This is not the first time, Pakistan and Pakistani leadership have owned up to the presence of terrorist, training camps of terrorist and terrorist who are being sent to India to create acts of terrorism. It is also a public knowledge among the international community." Watch Video: Calling on Islamabad to take "credible and irreversible action" on terror groups on its territory, the foreign ministry spokesman said, "since Pak PM has acknowledged the presence of training camps, he has acknowledged that terrorist are being trained and sent to fight in Kashmir...they should make sure that safe havens and terror sanctuaries that exist in Pakistan should be neutralised. Pakistan has taken half-hearted steps to please the international community which are meant for the consumption of certain people" Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan during his US had said at an event,"We are disarming all armed militias...You cannot disarm because the police is incapable of disarming these (terror) groups. They are trained, these people have experience of fighting in Afghanistan, some in Kashmir." India has been calling Pakistan to take action on terror groups for years but Islamabad hasn't changed its policy and supported terror. And it is just not New Delhi, Kabul has also called on Islamabad to rein in terror groups. Afghanistan last week released audio of terrorist based in Pakistan who planned the Kandahar terror attack that killed 12 people.

After Pak's admission on terror groups in Kashmir, India calls Imran-led government to take 'credible and irreversible action'

The Taliban have justified the 9/11 attack and blamed America's policy for it. The group has released new footage. The footage was shared online by the American website Long War Journal.

Taliban justifies 9/11 attack, blames US for 9/11

US officials are scrambling to defuse a diplomatic crisis after President Donald Trump's remarks that he could win the Afghan War in just 10 days by wiping out the country.

The talks that US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, held with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Tuesday were tense, said a US media report. Khalilzad is set to resume talks with the Taliban in a bid to clinch a deal by September - a priority for the Trump presidency going into an election year.

President Ghani's government has already asked Washington to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghan-government-seeks-clarification-of-donald-trumps-remarks-on-wiping-out-afghanistan-237909">clarify Trump's remarks</a>. A line from the statement released by the president's house in Kabul read, "The Afghan nation has not and will never allow any foreign power to determine its fate."

Incidentally, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/you-cant-wipe-roof-of-the-world-hamid-karzai-slams-trumps-statement-on-afghanistan-238078">Trump's remarks</a> drew a strong reaction from the Taliban too which continues to oppose direct talks with President Ghani's government. "Trump's policy that he does not want to play the role of a police officer in Afghanistan and that this war against an entire nation cannot be won so long as they are alive is something positive. However, his claim that he can wipe out Afghanistan, kill 10 million Afghans and win this war through such a method is irresponsible and we condemn it in the strongest terms," a Taliban spokesperson said.

Watch: Trump caught lying again

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/trump-pm-modi-asked-me-to-meditate-on-kashmir-issue-trump-caught-lying-again-238097/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Trump's other remark on Kashmir, made during the same meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, also caused a diplomatic flutter and miffed New Delhi. While offering to mediate in the Kashmir issue, Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a similar appeal when he met him.

India was quick to dismiss that claim. India's Ministry of External Affairs said no such request was ever made by PM Modi and that Kashmir remains a bilateral issue.

New Delhi believes that Trump is in a hurry to pull out US troops from Afghanistan and call an end to the Afghan War. And he wants to keep Pakistan in good humour so that it can make the Taliban to agree to a peace deal.

Washington knows only too well the linkages that exist between the Pakistani state and the Taliban.

The only time a US government official came close to answering a question about Trump's remarks about PM Modi and Kashmir was during a media interaction with the US President's chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow. A journalist asked Kudlow whether the president made up his remarks.

"The President does not make anything up. That's a very rude question in my opinion. I am going to stay out of that. It's outside of my lane. It's for Mr (US National Security Adviser John) Bolton, Mr (US Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo and the President, so I am not going to comment on that. President does not make things up," said Kudlow.

But a former US diplomat Nicholas Burns, who played a key role in the India-US civil nuclear deal during the George Bush government, said that it is embarrassing for a US President to "make things up".

US officials are scrambling to defuse a diplomatic crisis after President Donald Trump's remarks that he could win the Afghan War in just 10 days by wiping out the country.

US officials are scrambling to defuse a diplomatic crisis after President Donald Trump's remarks that he could win the Afghan War in just 10 days by wiping out the country. The talks that US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, held with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Tuesday were tense, said a US media report. Khalilzad is set to resume talks with the Taliban in a bid to clinch a deal by September - a priority for the Trump presidency going into an election year. President Ghani's government has already asked Washington to clarify Trump's remarks. A line from the statement released by the president's house in Kabul read, "The Afghan nation has not and will never allow any foreign power to determine its fate." Incidentally, Trump's remarks drew a strong reaction from the Taliban too which continues to oppose direct talks with President Ghani's government. "Trump's policy that he does not want to play the role of a police officer in Afghanistan and that this war against an entire nation cannot be won so long as they are alive is something positive. However, his claim that he can wipe out Afghanistan, kill 10 million Afghans and win this war through such a method is irresponsible and we condemn it in the strongest terms," a Taliban spokesperson said. Watch: Trump caught lying again Trump's other remark on Kashmir, made during the same meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, also caused a diplomatic flutter and miffed New Delhi. While offering to mediate in the Kashmir issue, Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a similar appeal when he met him. India was quick to dismiss that claim. India's Ministry of External Affairs said no such request was ever made by PM Modi and that Kashmir remains a bilateral issue. New Delhi believes that Trump is in a hurry to pull out US troops from Afghanistan and call an end to the Afghan War. And he wants to keep Pakistan in good humour so that it can make the Taliban to agree to a peace deal. Washington knows only too well the linkages that exist between the Pakistani state and the Taliban. The only time a US government official came close to answering a question about Trump's remarks about PM Modi and Kashmir was during a media interaction with the US President's chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow. A journalist asked Kudlow whether the president made up his remarks. "The President does not make anything up. That's a very rude question in my opinion. I am going to stay out of that. It's outside of my lane. It's for Mr (US National Security Adviser John) Bolton, Mr (US Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo and the President, so I am not going to comment on that. President does not make things up," said Kudlow. But a former US diplomat Nicholas Burns, who played a key role in the India-US civil nuclear deal during the George Bush government, said that it is embarrassing for a US President to "make things up".

As US fights fire over Donald Trump's comments, experts say embarrassing for a US President to 'make things up'

"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies &amp; deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!"

That was President Donald Trump on January 1, 2018.

Less than 17 months later, after meeting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the White House for 30 minutes, Trump changed his policy, position and pronouncements on Pakistan.&nbsp;

He now wants the world to believe that Pakistan is not to blame for what it did. Instead, it is Trump’s predecessors who are to blame for Pakistan’s duplicity, deceit and depredations, for they did not command Pakistan’s respect. In other words, Trump does not hold Pakistan’s policies, its fomenting terrorism and sustaining the Taliban responsible for the fraught situation in Afghanistan and the region.

After his pow-wow with Khan, Trump said that Pakistan can do a tremendous amount with regard to Afghanistan. He also said: I could win that war within a week, I don’t want to kill 10 million people. Afghanistan could be wiped off the face of the earth. I don’t want to go that route.”

These remarks have caused shock and revulsion, especially in Afghanistan and India. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has asked Trump to clarify his remarks.

Bizarre as the remarks sound, they are laced with intent and purpose, and constitute policy. A policy to dump New Delhi and deny India its stakeholder role in Afghanistan; undermine the elected government and people of Afghanistan; and, in concert with Pakistan, prop up the Taliban as “good terrorists”.

Thus has the US reversed its 20-year-old policy on Afghanistan?&nbsp;Washington now believes that Pakistan will help it get out of Afghanistan, which would be handed over to Pakistan and its proxy, the Taliban.

(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools.

"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" That was President Donald Trump on January 1, 2018. Less than 17 months later, after meeting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the White House for 30 minutes, Trump changed his policy, position and pronouncements on Pakistan. He now wants the world to believe that Pakistan is not to blame for what it did. Instead, it is Trump’s predecessors who are to blame for Pakistan’s duplicity, deceit and depredations, for they did not command Pakistan’s respect. In other words, Trump does not hold Pakistan’s policies, its fomenting terrorism and sustaining the Taliban responsible for the fraught situation in Afghanistan and the region. After his pow-wow with Khan, Trump said that Pakistan can do a tremendous amount with regard to Afghanistan. He also said: I could win that war within a week, I don’t want to kill 10 million people. Afghanistan could be wiped off the face of the earth. I don’t want to go that route.” These remarks have caused shock and revulsion, especially in Afghanistan and India. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has asked Trump to clarify his remarks. Bizarre as the remarks sound, they are laced with intent and purpose, and constitute policy. A policy to dump New Delhi and deny India its stakeholder role in Afghanistan; undermine the elected government and people of Afghanistan; and, in concert with Pakistan, prop up the Taliban as “good terrorists”. Thus has the US reversed its 20-year-old policy on Afghanistan? Washington now believes that Pakistan will help it get out of Afghanistan, which would be handed over to Pakistan and its proxy, the Taliban. (Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

WION Edit: US, Pak want to bury hatchet in Afghan people’s back

Three Croatian soldiers were seriously wounded in Kabul on Wednesday when their vehicle was hit by a Taliban suicide attacker, officials and the insurgents said.&nbsp;

Croatia has about 100 troops deployed in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/could-win-afghanistan-war-in-a-week-or-ten-days-but-chose-not-to-do-so-says-donald-trump-in-meeting-with-pakistan-pm-imran-khan-237798">Afghanistan</a> as part of NATO's US-led Resolute Support mission, where coalition soldiers are helping train and advise local partners.

According to Croatian defence minister Damir Krsticevic, a suicide bomber was thought to have targeted the troops' armoured vehicle in the attack Wednesday morning.

"One soldier was seriously injured and his life is endangered," Krsticevic told reporters in Zagreb. He described the other two soldiers' wounds as serious but not life-threatening.

Croatian General Kresimir Tuskan said the troops had been working as part of a British-led special operations advisory group.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said the blast had come from a car bomb.

The Taliban, who often exaggerate or misrepresent claims, said one of its "martyrdom" attackers had killed or wounded a "large number" of CIA officers by detonating a car packed with explosives.

Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz told AFP that no Afghan police or civilians were wounded.

Violence in Kabul and across Afghanistan has flared up in recent weeks even as the US is leading an effort to try to forge a peace deal with the Taliban after nearly 18 years of war.

Both Afghan forces and the Taliban claim to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other and large numbers of civilians are being killed each week. 
&nbsp;

Three Croatian soldiers were seriously wounded in Kabul on Wednesday when their vehicle was hit by a Taliban suicide attacker, officials and the insurgents said.

Three Croatian soldiers were seriously wounded in Kabul on Wednesday when their vehicle was hit by a Taliban suicide attacker, officials and the insurgents said. Croatia has about 100 troops deployed in Afghanistan as part of NATO's US-led Resolute Support mission, where coalition soldiers are helping train and advise local partners. According to Croatian defence minister Damir Krsticevic, a suicide bomber was thought to have targeted the troops' armoured vehicle in the attack Wednesday morning. "One soldier was seriously injured and his life is endangered," Krsticevic told reporters in Zagreb. He described the other two soldiers' wounds as serious but not life-threatening. Croatian General Kresimir Tuskan said the troops had been working as part of a British-led special operations advisory group. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said the blast had come from a car bomb. The Taliban, who often exaggerate or misrepresent claims, said one of its "martyrdom" attackers had killed or wounded a "large number" of CIA officers by detonating a car packed with explosives. Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz told AFP that no Afghan police or civilians were wounded. Violence in Kabul and across Afghanistan has flared up in recent weeks even as the US is leading an effort to try to forge a peace deal with the Taliban after nearly 18 years of war. Both Afghan forces and the Taliban claim to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other and large numbers of civilians are being killed each week.

Three Croatian soldiers wounded in Taliban attack in Kabul

Afghanistan's badly stretched police are taking heavy casualties as attempts build to set up peace talks with Taliban militants, prompting a move to pull back from vulnerable outposts across the country.

US advisers have for years pushed commanders to abandon isolated checkpoints that serve little purpose beyond showing a presence but which act as a magnet for attacks by mobile Taliban fighters, increasingly armed with night-vision equipment.

Following a change at the top of the interior ministry last year, officials say 6,452 police outposts and checkpoints all over Afghanistan are being assessed as part of efforts to reduce losses and cut the rate of desertion by police who feel abandoned by their commanders.

Abdul Moqim Abdulrahimzai, director-general of operations and plans at the interior ministry, said more than 210 police outposts and checkpoints had been closed in 17 provinces and another 200 had been identified for closure.

"These remote outposts did not contribute to security and were sitting ducks, a soft target for the Taliban to pick on them," Abdulrahimzai said.

"...Those areas will not be abandoned but will remain under our close surveillance and we will respond to security threats when needed," he said.

Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the Defence Ministry, said the government was also planning to merge several small, remote army outposts into larger bases.

The government no longer issues detailed casualty figures but officials say around half of the tens of thousands of losses suffered over the years were at isolated checkpoints.

Over the last three years, the 200 outposts identified for closure suffered 5,000 attacks that killed 2,260 police and wounded 3,601, according to an interior ministry document seen by Reuters.

At just one outpost in a remote area of the southern province of Helmand, more than 300 police were killed during dozens of insurgent attacks in the same period.

President Ashraf Ghani said last year 28,000 police and soldiers had been killed since 2015, with US commanders warning that such losses are unsustainable. US officers estimate that forces operating mainly from checkpoints suffer around double the level of casualties as forces on manoeuvre.

The issue has gained renewed importance as the Taliban negotiate with the United States over a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops as a first step towards opening full peace talks with the Afghan government.

At the same time, apparently aiming to strengthen their negotiating position, the Taliban have stepped up attacks on security forces, which have been heavily dependent on US air support and intelligence.

A mixture of institutional inertia, lack of training and a fear of being seen to abandon ground to the Taliban has helped keep hundreds of ineffective checkpoints open, observers say.

Some police commanders also use highway checkpoints to levy illegal tolls from motorists and Abdulrahimzai said a number of checkpoints along the highway connecting the capital Kabul to the strategic southern province of Kandahar had been removed because the police extorted money from truck drivers.

As the pullback continues, however, officials must persuade the public that it means more than just abandoning ground to the Taliban.

"Since the checkpoints have been removed, the Taliban usually come on the road and stop cars for inspection," said Mohammad Aref, a taxi driver who travels the Kabul-Kandahar highway every day.

"At least the checkpoints gave us a sense of security. Now there is none."

Afghanistan's badly stretched police are taking heavy casualties as attempts build to set up peace talks with Taliban militants, prompting a move to pull back from vulnerable outposts across the country.

Afghanistan's badly stretched police are taking heavy casualties as attempts build to set up peace talks with Taliban militants, prompting a move to pull back from vulnerable outposts across the country. US advisers have for years pushed commanders to abandon isolated checkpoints that serve little purpose beyond showing a presence but which act as a magnet for attacks by mobile Taliban fighters, increasingly armed with night-vision equipment. Following a change at the top of the interior ministry last year, officials say 6,452 police outposts and checkpoints all over Afghanistan are being assessed as part of efforts to reduce losses and cut the rate of desertion by police who feel abandoned by their commanders. Abdul Moqim Abdulrahimzai, director-general of operations and plans at the interior ministry, said more than 210 police outposts and checkpoints had been closed in 17 provinces and another 200 had been identified for closure. "These remote outposts did not contribute to security and were sitting ducks, a soft target for the Taliban to pick on them," Abdulrahimzai said. "...Those areas will not be abandoned but will remain under our close surveillance and we will respond to security threats when needed," he said. Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the Defence Ministry, said the government was also planning to merge several small, remote army outposts into larger bases. The government no longer issues detailed casualty figures but officials say around half of the tens of thousands of losses suffered over the years were at isolated checkpoints. Over the last three years, the 200 outposts identified for closure suffered 5,000 attacks that killed 2,260 police and wounded 3,601, according to an interior ministry document seen by Reuters. At just one outpost in a remote area of the southern province of Helmand, more than 300 police were killed during dozens of insurgent attacks in the same period. President Ashraf Ghani said last year 28,000 police and soldiers had been killed since 2015, with US commanders warning that such losses are unsustainable. US officers estimate that forces operating mainly from checkpoints suffer around double the level of casualties as forces on manoeuvre. The issue has gained renewed importance as the Taliban negotiate with the United States over a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops as a first step towards opening full peace talks with the Afghan government. At the same time, apparently aiming to strengthen their negotiating position, the Taliban have stepped up attacks on security forces, which have been heavily dependent on US air support and intelligence. A mixture of institutional inertia, lack of training and a fear of being seen to abandon ground to the Taliban has helped keep hundreds of ineffective checkpoints open, observers say. Some police commanders also use highway checkpoints to levy illegal tolls from motorists and Abdulrahimzai said a number of checkpoints along the highway connecting the capital Kabul to the strategic southern province of Kandahar had been removed because the police extorted money from truck drivers. As the pullback continues, however, officials must persuade the public that it means more than just abandoning ground to the Taliban. "Since the checkpoints have been removed, the Taliban usually come on the road and stop cars for inspection," said Mohammad Aref, a taxi driver who travels the Kabul-Kandahar highway every day. "At least the checkpoints gave us a sense of security. Now there is none."

Afghan police pull back from isolated outposts as losses mount

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaking at the US Institute of Peace said he will be<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghan-government-seeks-clarification-of-donald-trumps-remarks-on-wiping-out-afghanistan-237909"> meeting with the Taliban </a>and "will try his best" for the Taliban to talk to the Afghan government.

"I will meet the Taliban and I will try my best to get them to talk to the Afghan government," Khan said during an appearance at the US Institute of Peace, news wire Reuters reported.

PM Imran Khan added that the&nbsp;Taliban delegation had wanted to meet him a few months back but he did not because of opposition from the Afghan government.

The Pakistan prime minister had met President Trump earlier at the White House where the two leaders discussed ways to end the conflict in Afghanistan.

"I think Pakistan is going to help us out to extricate ourselves," Trump had said while meeting PM Imran Khan at the White House. "We hope that in the coming days we will be able to urge the Taliban to speak to the Afghan government and come to a settlement, a political solution," Imran Khan told reporters later.

Meanwhile, the US State Department said US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan and to Qatar, where he will resume talks with the Taliban, from July 22 to August 1.

President Trump had created a virtual firestorm when he declared that he could win the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/could-win-afghanistan-war-in-a-week-or-ten-days-but-chose-not-to-do-so-says-donald-trump-in-meeting-with-pakistan-pm-imran-khan-237798">Afghan war in "a week or ten days"</a> during his meeting at the White House.

"We have been there (Afghanistan) for 19 years, and we've acted as policemen, not soldiers and again if we wanted to be soldiers it would be over in 10 days -&nbsp;one week to 10 days if we wanted to. But I have not chosen that," Trump said.

The US president, however, added that he hoped in the coming days the US will be able to "urge the Taliban to speak to the Afghan government and come to a settlement -&nbsp;a political solution."

Later on Tuesday, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo called on Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Pakistan House in Washington DC. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Foreign secretary Sohail Mehmood and ambassador of Pakistan to USA Asad Majeed Khan were present during the meeting.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaking at the US Institute of Peace said he will be meeting with the Taliban and "will try his best" for the Taliban to talk to the Afghan government.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaking at the US Institute of Peace said he will be meeting with the Taliban and "will try his best" for the Taliban to talk to the Afghan government. "I will meet the Taliban and I will try my best to get them to talk to the Afghan government," Khan said during an appearance at the US Institute of Peace, news wire Reuters reported. PM Imran Khan added that the Taliban delegation had wanted to meet him a few months back but he did not because of opposition from the Afghan government. The Pakistan prime minister had met President Trump earlier at the White House where the two leaders discussed ways to end the conflict in Afghanistan. "I think Pakistan is going to help us out to extricate ourselves," Trump had said while meeting PM Imran Khan at the White House. "We hope that in the coming days we will be able to urge the Taliban to speak to the Afghan government and come to a settlement, a political solution," Imran Khan told reporters later. Meanwhile, the US State Department said US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan and to Qatar, where he will resume talks with the Taliban, from July 22 to August 1. President Trump had created a virtual firestorm when he declared that he could win the Afghan war in "a week or ten days" during his meeting at the White House. "We have been there (Afghanistan) for 19 years, and we've acted as policemen, not soldiers and again if we wanted to be soldiers it would be over in 10 days - one week to 10 days if we wanted to. But I have not chosen that," Trump said. The US president, however, added that he hoped in the coming days the US will be able to "urge the Taliban to speak to the Afghan government and come to a settlement - a political solution." Later on Tuesday, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo called on Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Pakistan House in Washington DC. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Foreign secretary Sohail Mehmood and ambassador of Pakistan to USA Asad Majeed Khan were present during the meeting.

Will meet the Taliban and get them to talk to Afghan government, says Imran Khan at US Institute of Peace

Taliban attacks police HQ in Kandahar as violence continues in Afghanistan. Violence continues to be the norm in Afghanistan amidst peace talks. Taliban attacked a police HQ in Kandahar yesterday. They also opened fire on policemen. Today a bomb attack killed 8 people in Kabul. Palki summarises.

Gravitas: Afghanistan: Peace talks amid more bloodshed

The path to peace in Afghanistan has been a bumpy ride. Acts of violence continue. So what is the status of the peace talks? What will the future look like for Afghanistan government, Taliban and the U.S.? Here's a report.

Gravitas: A bumpy road to Afghan peace

Afghan government forces mistakenly killed seven civilians, including children, in an attack on militants south of the capital, a provincial official said on Monday, the latest victims of a war undiminished by peace talks.

Government forces, have been facing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/wion-edit-taliban-us-violence-for-upper-hand-in-afghan-deal-237189">Taliban</a> attacks across much of the country, and have responded with airstrikes aimed at killing insurgent leaders, even as US and Afghan representatives have been negotiating with the militants in Qatar.

The seven civilians, including women and children, were killed in Logar province, just south of Kabul, on Sunday night said Hasib Stanekzai, a member of Logar's provincial council. Six people were wounded, he said.

Provincial police confirmed the attack on militants by government forces but said they were investigating the casualties.

"According to our initial information a number of militants were killed or wounded, but local people gathered in the area, claiming that a house belonging to a Kuchi family had been bombed, causing civilian casualties," said Shahpor Ahmadzai, a spokesman for Logar police.

Kuchi is nomadic herders, but some now live in permanent settlements.

Ahmadzai, who said police were investigating, also said foreign force was involved in the attack on the militants. Officials with Afghanistan's NATO force were not immediately available to confirm or deny their involvement in the operation.

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-has-no-military-solution-says-pakistan-prime-minister-imran-khan-in-us-diaspora-address-237567&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjKiM2hvsjjAhUIPo8KHbTxBNIQFjAAegQIBRAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw13XcLzzXPbUvinqsOphqlU">Afghan forces</a>, backed by US advisers, have in recent months stepped up their airstrikes and raids to the highest levels since 2014.

The latest phase of Afghanistan's war - which began when US-backed forces overthrew the Taliban following September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States - has intensified despite the most sustained peace talks of the war.

The United Nations has repeatedly expressed concern about civilian casualties, which reached their highest level last year since detailed accounting began nearly a decade ago.

The war claimed 3,804 civilian lives in 2018, that included 927 children, both figures all-time highs, representing an 11% increase in civilian deaths compared with 2017, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in February.

Afghan government forces mistakenly killed seven civilians, including children, in an attack on militants south of the capital, a provincial official said on Monday, the latest victims of a war undiminished by peace talks.

Afghan government forces mistakenly killed seven civilians, including children, in an attack on militants south of the capital, a provincial official said on Monday, the latest victims of a war undiminished by peace talks. Government forces, have been facing Taliban attacks across much of the country, and have responded with airstrikes aimed at killing insurgent leaders, even as US and Afghan representatives have been negotiating with the militants in Qatar. The seven civilians, including women and children, were killed in Logar province, just south of Kabul, on Sunday night said Hasib Stanekzai, a member of Logar's provincial council. Six people were wounded, he said. Provincial police confirmed the attack on militants by government forces but said they were investigating the casualties. "According to our initial information a number of militants were killed or wounded, but local people gathered in the area, claiming that a house belonging to a Kuchi family had been bombed, causing civilian casualties," said Shahpor Ahmadzai, a spokesman for Logar police. Kuchi is nomadic herders, but some now live in permanent settlements. Ahmadzai, who said police were investigating, also said foreign force was involved in the attack on the militants. Officials with Afghanistan's NATO force were not immediately available to confirm or deny their involvement in the operation. Afghan forces, backed by US advisers, have in recent months stepped up their airstrikes and raids to the highest levels since 2014. The latest phase of Afghanistan's war - which began when US-backed forces overthrew the Taliban following September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States - has intensified despite the most sustained peace talks of the war. The United Nations has repeatedly expressed concern about civilian casualties, which reached their highest level last year since detailed accounting began nearly a decade ago. The war claimed 3,804 civilian lives in 2018, that included 927 children, both figures all-time highs, representing an 11% increase in civilian deaths compared with 2017, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in February.

Afghan forces kill seven civilians in attack on militants

US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan on Sunday to finalise US-Taliban peace agreement possibly by September 1 that would pave way for ending two decades of insurgency in the war-torn country, government sources said on Saturday.

Khalilzad on Friday had held talks with Indian Ambassador to US Harsh Vardhan Shringla on the matter and said that he considers India to be an important partner in this endeavour, and the one that can add value to the process.

The envoy expressed optimism about the timely outcome of the peace process, albeit added that some ground was yet to be covered, especially on the peace agreement between the rival factions in Afghanistan, sources added.

The Taliban and the US are getting closer to a deal centred around the latter's promise to withdraw its troops from the war-torn country.

Khalilzad had recently concluded the seventh round of talks with the Taliban in Doha, and termed them as "most productive".

The Taliban have consistently refused to hold direct talks with President Ashraf Ghani's government, denouncing it as a puppet administration.

An earlier round of intra-Afghan talks, which were to be held in April, was called off after the Taliban did not agree on the list of Kabul officials who were supposed to attend the peace talks.

The group, however, recently agreed to hold talks with a delegation of 50 members from the Afghan political elites, civil society members, youths and journalists in Qatar`s capital city of Doha.&nbsp;

US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan on Sunday to finalise US-Taliban peace agreement possibly by September 1 that would pave way for ending two decades of insurgency in the war-torn country, government sources said on Saturday.

US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan on Sunday to finalise US-Taliban peace agreement possibly by September 1 that would pave way for ending two decades of insurgency in the war-torn country, government sources said on Saturday. Khalilzad on Friday had held talks with Indian Ambassador to US Harsh Vardhan Shringla on the matter and said that he considers India to be an important partner in this endeavour, and the one that can add value to the process. The envoy expressed optimism about the timely outcome of the peace process, albeit added that some ground was yet to be covered, especially on the peace agreement between the rival factions in Afghanistan, sources added. The Taliban and the US are getting closer to a deal centred around the latter's promise to withdraw its troops from the war-torn country. Khalilzad had recently concluded the seventh round of talks with the Taliban in Doha, and termed them as "most productive". The Taliban have consistently refused to hold direct talks with President Ashraf Ghani's government, denouncing it as a puppet administration. An earlier round of intra-Afghan talks, which were to be held in April, was called off after the Taliban did not agree on the list of Kabul officials who were supposed to attend the peace talks. The group, however, recently agreed to hold talks with a delegation of 50 members from the Afghan political elites, civil society members, youths and journalists in Qatar`s capital city of Doha.

Zalmay Khalilzad to visit Afghanistan to finalise US-Taliban peace deal possibly by September 1

An explosion struck Afghan University in Kabul killing at least six while twenty-seven others were injured, news agency Reuters reported.

Twenty-seven&nbsp;others were also injured in the explosion, news agency Reuters reported.

The explosion occurred outside an entrance of Kabul University while a number of students were waiting to attend their exam.

Two vehicles also caught fire, a report by Tolonews said.

Kabul Police said in a statement that the explosion was due to a magnetic IED placed in the area.&nbsp;

A police team defused a second bomb placed near the explosion site, Kabul police spokesman Faramarz Firdaws said.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/at-least-12-dead-in-taliban-attack-on-afghan-police-headquarters-236974">Years of conflict have left Afghanistan </a>strewn with landmines, unexploded mortars, rockets and homemade bombs -- and many are picked up by curious children.

According to the United Nations, almost 4,000 civilians -- including more than 900 children -- were killed in Afghanistan last year, with another 7,000 wounded, making it the deadliest year to date for civilians in Afghanistan's conflict.

The Taliban and a group of Afghans met for a historic summit in the Qatari capital Doha last week, as part of US-led peace talks, where they pledged to reduce civilian casualties to "zero".

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

An explosion struck Afghan University in Kabul killing at least six while twenty-seven others were injured, news agency Reuters reported. Twenty-seven others were also injured in the explosion, news agency Reuters reported.

An explosion struck Afghan University in Kabul killing at least six while twenty-seven others were injured, news agency Reuters reported. Twenty-seven others were also injured in the explosion, news agency Reuters reported. The explosion occurred outside an entrance of Kabul University while a number of students were waiting to attend their exam. Two vehicles also caught fire, a report by Tolonews said. Kabul Police said in a statement that the explosion was due to a magnetic IED placed in the area. A police team defused a second bomb placed near the explosion site, Kabul police spokesman Faramarz Firdaws said. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Years of conflict have left Afghanistan strewn with landmines, unexploded mortars, rockets and homemade bombs -- and many are picked up by curious children. According to the United Nations, almost 4,000 civilians -- including more than 900 children -- were killed in Afghanistan last year, with another 7,000 wounded, making it the deadliest year to date for civilians in Afghanistan's conflict. The Taliban and a group of Afghans met for a historic summit in the Qatari capital Doha last week, as part of US-led peace talks, where they pledged to reduce civilian casualties to "zero". (With inputs from agencies)

Afghanistan: Six killed, 27 injured in blast near Kabul University

On #WionEdit, Palki analyses the Afghanistan peace talks and summarises the battle for power between the Taliban and the U.S. She also takes a look at what the future could look like for all the parties in Afghanistan.

WION Edit: Analysing the Afghanistan peace talks

The current spiral of violence in Afghanistan unleashed by the Taliban and the United States is, by all accounts, for gaining the upper hand when a peace deal is concluded.&nbsp;Therefore, the killings may be taken to hint at the US and Taliban being close to a peace agreement - enforcing a ceasefire, US troop withdrawal and a new (Taliban) government - before the national election scheduled to be held in September. Such a view is reinforced by recent developments including the two-day meeting in Doha on July 7-8 followed by the four-country conference in China. The four countries that constitute the core group to drive forward the Afghan peace process are the US, Russia, China and Pakistan.

The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad followed up the proposals discussed in Doha with the core group at its meeting in China. The seventh round of talks led by Khalilzad in Doha is the first where the representatives of the Taliban, as well as official Afghanistan - 60 of them -, met for the first time across a conference table. Hitherto, the Afghan government had shunned the violent Taliban; and, the latter, for its part, scorned the government as a puppet regime of the Americans. The hostile line dividing the two was overcome by all representatives attending the Doha talks in their individual capacity.

This helped Khalilzad take forward decisively his four-point agenda of a ceasefire, intra-Afghan dialogue, procedure for withdrawal and democracy and respect for human rights from Doha to Beijing. The result, endorsed by the four-country core group, is a basic roadmap for Afghanistan’s future based on democracy and human rights (with emphasis on women’s rights). This indicates a softening of the Taliban’s hitherto tough line.

The outcome of the Doha and China meetings show that India, which has been kept out of the core group, would be relegated to a lesser role despite the $3 billion it has invested in Afghanistan for development purposes.

(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

The current spiral of violence in Afghanistan unleashed by the Taliban and the United States is, by all accounts, for gaining the upper hand when a peace deal is concluded.

The current spiral of violence in Afghanistan unleashed by the Taliban and the United States is, by all accounts, for gaining the upper hand when a peace deal is concluded. Therefore, the killings may be taken to hint at the US and Taliban being close to a peace agreement - enforcing a ceasefire, US troop withdrawal and a new (Taliban) government - before the national election scheduled to be held in September. Such a view is reinforced by recent developments including the two-day meeting in Doha on July 7-8 followed by the four-country conference in China. The four countries that constitute the core group to drive forward the Afghan peace process are the US, Russia, China and Pakistan. The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad followed up the proposals discussed in Doha with the core group at its meeting in China. The seventh round of talks led by Khalilzad in Doha is the first where the representatives of the Taliban, as well as official Afghanistan - 60 of them -, met for the first time across a conference table. Hitherto, the Afghan government had shunned the violent Taliban; and, the latter, for its part, scorned the government as a puppet regime of the Americans. The hostile line dividing the two was overcome by all representatives attending the Doha talks in their individual capacity. This helped Khalilzad take forward decisively his four-point agenda of a ceasefire, intra-Afghan dialogue, procedure for withdrawal and democracy and respect for human rights from Doha to Beijing. The result, endorsed by the four-country core group, is a basic roadmap for Afghanistan’s future based on democracy and human rights (with emphasis on women’s rights). This indicates a softening of the Taliban’s hitherto tough line. The outcome of the Doha and China meetings show that India, which has been kept out of the core group, would be relegated to a lesser role despite the $3 billion it has invested in Afghanistan for development purposes. (Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

WION Edit: Taliban, US violence for upper hand in Afghan deal

The Taliban gave "permission" Friday for a Swedish aid group to reopen its clinics west of Kabul after the insurgents ordered the facilities' closure over a controversial Afghan army raid.

Afghan officials have said little about the raid in Wardak province the night of July 8-9, when commandos allegedly killed at least four people including a lab worker, a guard, and two caregivers.

In the wake of the assault on the clinic, run by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, the Taliban ordered the agency to close 42 of its 77 facilities.

In a statement, the insurgents had said the closure was ordered due to "some problems" and that the Swedish aid group "did not remain impartial".

The Taliban went on to blame the raid on both Afghan and US forces.

The group reversed its decision Friday, saying their "health commission has given them permission restart their operations".

The SCA had condemned the clinic raid through a press release, calling it a gross violation of international humanitarian law.

The group said it had immediately begun re-opening clinics and asking staff to report for work.

The US military has declined to comment on the incident, referring a query to the Afghan defence ministry.

Fawad Aman, a ministry spokesman, told AFP that an investigation was ongoing, but noted that Taliban militants often hide in people's homes and sometimes use hospitals as a shield during clashes with security forces

The Taliban have previously closed health clinics and banned polio vaccination campaigns in areas under their control.

In some places, insurgents and religious leaders tell communities that vaccines are a Western conspiracy aiming to sterilise Muslim children, or that such programmes are an elaborate cover for Western or Afghan government spies.

Last year, the Taliban warned the International Committee of the Red Cross that the group would no longer protect its workers.

The Taliban gave "permission" Friday for a Swedish aid group to reopen its clinics west of Kabul after the insurgents ordered the facilities' closure over a controversial Afghan army raid.

The Taliban gave "permission" Friday for a Swedish aid group to reopen its clinics west of Kabul after the insurgents ordered the facilities' closure over a controversial Afghan army raid. Afghan officials have said little about the raid in Wardak province the night of July 8-9, when commandos allegedly killed at least four people including a lab worker, a guard, and two caregivers. In the wake of the assault on the clinic, run by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, the Taliban ordered the agency to close 42 of its 77 facilities. In a statement, the insurgents had said the closure was ordered due to "some problems" and that the Swedish aid group "did not remain impartial". The Taliban went on to blame the raid on both Afghan and US forces. The group reversed its decision Friday, saying their "health commission has given them permission restart their operations". The SCA had condemned the clinic raid through a press release, calling it a gross violation of international humanitarian law. The group said it had immediately begun re-opening clinics and asking staff to report for work. The US military has declined to comment on the incident, referring a query to the Afghan defence ministry. Fawad Aman, a ministry spokesman, told AFP that an investigation was ongoing, but noted that Taliban militants often hide in people's homes and sometimes use hospitals as a shield during clashes with security forces The Taliban have previously closed health clinics and banned polio vaccination campaigns in areas under their control. In some places, insurgents and religious leaders tell communities that vaccines are a Western conspiracy aiming to sterilise Muslim children, or that such programmes are an elaborate cover for Western or Afghan government spies. Last year, the Taliban warned the International Committee of the Red Cross that the group would no longer protect its workers.

Swedish charity can re-open Afghan clinics: Taliban

At least eight people were killed and dozens more wounded Friday when a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-two-killed-10-injured-in-blast-near-kabul-university-237024">bomb detonated near a major university in Kabul</a> while students were waiting to take an exam, officials said.

The blast comes amid an unending wave of violence across Afghanistan, where civilians are being killed every day in the country's gruelling conflict, now in its 18th year.

The Taliban denied any involvement in Friday's blast, which took place near the southern entrance to Kabul University, an official with the interior ministry's media office told AFP.

Health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said the death toll had reached eight, with another 33 injured.

"Wounded patients have been receiving the required medical and surgical treatment," he said on Twitter.

The heavily militarised Afghan capital remains one of the highest-profile targets for both the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State group, with both regularly launching devastating attacks that often kill and maim civilians.

Bahar Mehr, the interior ministry official, said five people had been killed including a traffic police officer.

"The wounded were law students gathered for (an examination). We do not know how many students had gathered there," he said.

The blast had been caused by a sticky bomb, he said, a common threat in Kabul where criminals and insurgents often slap explosives under vehicles.

Local media reports said police had been pursuing the vehicle when it detonated.&nbsp;

"The university and the examination ceremony were not the target of the attack, and we are investigating," Firdaws Faramarz, Kabul police spokesman, told TV network TOLO.

Last week, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack at a wedding ceremony in Nangarhar province.

The hardline Sunni extremists have a growing footprint in Afghanistan and the United States wants to leave a counter-terrorism force in the country to tackle them in the event of a peace deal with the Taliban.

At least eight people were killed and dozens more wounded Friday when a bomb detonated near a major university in Kabul while students were waiting to take an exam, officials said.

At least eight people were killed and dozens more wounded Friday when a bomb detonated near a major university in Kabul while students were waiting to take an exam, officials said. The blast comes amid an unending wave of violence across Afghanistan, where civilians are being killed every day in the country's gruelling conflict, now in its 18th year. The Taliban denied any involvement in Friday's blast, which took place near the southern entrance to Kabul University, an official with the interior ministry's media office told AFP. Health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said the death toll had reached eight, with another 33 injured. "Wounded patients have been receiving the required medical and surgical treatment," he said on Twitter. The heavily militarised Afghan capital remains one of the highest-profile targets for both the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State group, with both regularly launching devastating attacks that often kill and maim civilians. Bahar Mehr, the interior ministry official, said five people had been killed including a traffic police officer. "The wounded were law students gathered for (an examination). We do not know how many students had gathered there," he said. The blast had been caused by a sticky bomb, he said, a common threat in Kabul where criminals and insurgents often slap explosives under vehicles. Local media reports said police had been pursuing the vehicle when it detonated. "The university and the examination ceremony were not the target of the attack, and we are investigating," Firdaws Faramarz, Kabul police spokesman, told TV network TOLO. Last week, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack at a wedding ceremony in Nangarhar province. The hardline Sunni extremists have a growing footprint in Afghanistan and the United States wants to leave a counter-terrorism force in the country to tackle them in the event of a peace deal with the Taliban.

Afghanistan: Death toll in blast near Kabul University mounts to 8, dozens wounded

Taliban fighters detonated a car bomb at a gate of police headquarters in the Afghan city of Kandahar on Thursday, killing several people and wounding at least 60, police and medical officials and the Taliban said.

At least 12 killed in Taliban attack in Afghanistan's Kandahar

At least 12 people were killed and scores more wounded Thursday when the Taliban attacked a police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar, officials and the insurgents said.

The assault comes amid a series of peace talks between Washington and the Taliban that both sides say are making progress, but which so far have yielded no reduction in violence in the gruelling Afghan conflict.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said the afternoon attack in Afghanistan's second-largest city started with a car bomb, then saw gunmen storm the police compound.

"A number of mujahideen equipped with heavy and small arms breached the headquarters and launched their operations inside," he said.

Baheer Ahmadi, the Kandahar governor's spokesman, told AFP that 12 people had been killed, including nine civilians and three police officers. Another 89 were wounded, he added.

Police chief Tadin Khan said the car bomb was followed by two other explosions.

"The fighting is over now. Some vehicles were burnt. Now the Afghan army and US helicopters are hovering in the area," he told AFP.

Hayatullah Hayat, the provincial governor for Kandahar, said Afghan security forces had launched a "clean-up operation" to see if any attackers were remaining.

Pictures on social media showed a huge plume of smoke rising over Kandahar, and Hayat said about six trucks carrying commercial goods had burnt.&nbsp;

The assault comes just one day after two Afghan soldiers -- who were really Taliban operatives -- fatally shot an Afghan colonel in Ghazni province.

At least 12 people were killed and scores more wounded Thursday when the Taliban attacked a police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar, officials and the insurgents said.

At least 12 people were killed and scores more wounded Thursday when the Taliban attacked a police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar, officials and the insurgents said. The assault comes amid a series of peace talks between Washington and the Taliban that both sides say are making progress, but which so far have yielded no reduction in violence in the gruelling Afghan conflict. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said the afternoon attack in Afghanistan's second-largest city started with a car bomb, then saw gunmen storm the police compound. "A number of mujahideen equipped with heavy and small arms breached the headquarters and launched their operations inside," he said. Baheer Ahmadi, the Kandahar governor's spokesman, told AFP that 12 people had been killed, including nine civilians and three police officers. Another 89 were wounded, he added. Police chief Tadin Khan said the car bomb was followed by two other explosions. "The fighting is over now. Some vehicles were burnt. Now the Afghan army and US helicopters are hovering in the area," he told AFP. Hayatullah Hayat, the provincial governor for Kandahar, said Afghan security forces had launched a "clean-up operation" to see if any attackers were remaining. Pictures on social media showed a huge plume of smoke rising over Kandahar, and Hayat said about six trucks carrying commercial goods had burnt. The assault comes just one day after two Afghan soldiers -- who were really Taliban operatives -- fatally shot an Afghan colonel in Ghazni province.

At least 12 dead in Taliban attack on Afghan police headquarters

There is movement towards peace in Afghanistan – or at least towards an end to the American military ordeal there, which has lasted for almost 18 years.

US officials and representatives of the Taliban insurgents have held seven rounds of direct talks in the tiny Gulf state of Qatar since last October, and they are getting close to a deal.

During a visit to Afghanistan last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration hoped for “a peace deal before September 1st.”

This prospect is not getting much attention because everybody is worried that Trump is about to blunder his way into a new and much bigger war with next-door Iran, but it really could happen. American troops could all be gone from Afghanistan 18 months from now.

The real question is: How long after that will it be before the Taliban are back in power?

When a great power loses a war with a much weaker enemy in a very much poorer country, it can’t actually admit defeat. That’s just too humiliating. So the local victors often have to let the great-power loser save face by giving it a “decent interval” (in Henry Kissinger’s deathless phrase) after the great power’s troops pull out before they collect their winnings.

How long is a ‘decent interval’? Generally around three years. That’s how long North Vietnam waited after US troops left South Vietnam (1972) before overrunning the South (1975). It’s how long it took after Russian troops left Afghanistan (1989) before their puppet government in Kabul was destroyed (1992) – although a civil war between rival Islamist groups prevented the Taliban from occupying the capital until four years later.

And it’s probably about how long the Taliban will have to wait after US troops leave Afghanistan this time (say late 2020, just before the US election), before they are formally back in power in Kabul (2023?).

There’s still a lot of killing going on in Afghanistan – around 20 civilians killed or wounded on an average day, at least twice that number of government troops, and large numbers of Taliban too – but the Taliban have won.

Even with huge US air support, the more-or-less elected government that the United States created in Kabul has lost control of one-third of Afghanistan since American and other Western troops pulled out of ground combat roles in 2014. Another third of the country is government-controlled by day, Taliban-run at night.

If the remaining 14,000 US troops and their associated air power leave, it’s game over for President Ashraf Ghani’s ‘puppet’ government (as the Taliban call it). The US implicitly recognises this reality, because it’s only American diplomats, not official Afghan government representatives, who are negotiating with the Taliban in Qatar.&nbsp;

A few Afghan officials were allowed to be present at the last round of the Qatar peace talks ‘in a personal capacity’, but they weren’t negotiating anything. Ghani’s government will have to accept whatever deal the United States makes, knowing perfectly well that they are being abandoned. After that, they will have no options left except to steal as much as they can, and then get out before the roof falls in.

And how will the White House justify selling out its Afghan allies and dependants to itself? Without any great difficulty, if the ‘Nixon Tapes’ are any guide. The key conversation between President Richard Nixon and his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger in August 1972, when they were deciding to rat on South Vietnam, was recorded on the White House system and subsequently made public during the ‘Watergate’ scandal:&nbsp;

Nixon: “Can we have a viable foreign policy if a year from now or two years from now, North Vietnam gobbles up South Vietnam? That’s the real question.”

Kissinger: “(Yes), if it looks as if it’s the result of South Vietnamese incompetence. If we now sell out in such a way that, say, within a three- to four-month period, we have pushed (them) over the brink...it won’t help us all that much. So we’ve got to find some formula that holds the thing together a year or two... after which — after a year, Mr. President, Vietnam will be a backwater. If we settle it, say, this October, by January ‘74 no one will give a damn.”

It worked for Nixon and Kissinger, and it can work for Trump and Pompeo too. They may not be as clever or as cunning, but they are just as ruthless.&nbsp;

The pull-out won’t come back to bite them politically, either, because the Taliban were never interested in attacking the United States. (That was al-Qaeda.)

The only losers in the settlement will be the Afghans, who have to live under Taliban rule again. But that was always going to happen in the end. 
 
(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-a-decent-afghan-interval-2772649">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp;

There is movement towards peace in Afghanistan – or at least towards an end to the American military ordeal there, which has lasted for almost 18 years. US officials and representatives of the Taliban insurgents have held seven rounds of direct talks in the tiny Gulf state of Qatar since last October, and they are getting close to a deal.

There is movement towards peace in Afghanistan – or at least towards an end to the American military ordeal there, which has lasted for almost 18 years. US officials and representatives of the Taliban insurgents have held seven rounds of direct talks in the tiny Gulf state of Qatar since last October, and they are getting close to a deal. During a visit to Afghanistan last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration hoped for “a peace deal before September 1st.” This prospect is not getting much attention because everybody is worried that Trump is about to blunder his way into a new and much bigger war with next-door Iran, but it really could happen. American troops could all be gone from Afghanistan 18 months from now. The real question is: How long after that will it be before the Taliban are back in power? When a great power loses a war with a much weaker enemy in a very much poorer country, it can’t actually admit defeat. That’s just too humiliating. So the local victors often have to let the great-power loser save face by giving it a “decent interval” (in Henry Kissinger’s deathless phrase) after the great power’s troops pull out before they collect their winnings. How long is a ‘decent interval’? Generally around three years. That’s how long North Vietnam waited after US troops left South Vietnam (1972) before overrunning the South (1975). It’s how long it took after Russian troops left Afghanistan (1989) before their puppet government in Kabul was destroyed (1992) – although a civil war between rival Islamist groups prevented the Taliban from occupying the capital until four years later. And it’s probably about how long the Taliban will have to wait after US troops leave Afghanistan this time (say late 2020, just before the US election), before they are formally back in power in Kabul (2023?). There’s still a lot of killing going on in Afghanistan – around 20 civilians killed or wounded on an average day, at least twice that number of government troops, and large numbers of Taliban too – but the Taliban have won. Even with huge US air support, the more-or-less elected government that the United States created in Kabul has lost control of one-third of Afghanistan since American and other Western troops pulled out of ground combat roles in 2014. Another third of the country is government-controlled by day, Taliban-run at night. If the remaining 14,000 US troops and their associated air power leave, it’s game over for President Ashraf Ghani’s ‘puppet’ government (as the Taliban call it). The US implicitly recognises this reality, because it’s only American diplomats, not official Afghan government representatives, who are negotiating with the Taliban in Qatar. A few Afghan officials were allowed to be present at the last round of the Qatar peace talks ‘in a personal capacity’, but they weren’t negotiating anything. Ghani’s government will have to accept whatever deal the United States makes, knowing perfectly well that they are being abandoned. After that, they will have no options left except to steal as much as they can, and then get out before the roof falls in. And how will the White House justify selling out its Afghan allies and dependants to itself? Without any great difficulty, if the ‘Nixon Tapes’ are any guide. The key conversation between President Richard Nixon and his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger in August 1972, when they were deciding to rat on South Vietnam, was recorded on the White House system and subsequently made public during the ‘Watergate’ scandal: Nixon: “Can we have a viable foreign policy if a year from now or two years from now, North Vietnam gobbles up South Vietnam? That’s the real question.” Kissinger: “(Yes), if it looks as if it’s the result of South Vietnamese incompetence. If we now sell out in such a way that, say, within a three- to four-month period, we have pushed (them) over the brink...it won’t help us all that much. So we’ve got to find some formula that holds the thing together a year or two... after which — after a year, Mr. President, Vietnam will be a backwater. If we settle it, say, this October, by January ‘74 no one will give a damn.” It worked for Nixon and Kissinger, and it can work for Trump and Pompeo too. They may not be as clever or as cunning, but they are just as ruthless. The pull-out won’t come back to bite them politically, either, because the Taliban were never interested in attacking the United States. (That was al-Qaeda.) The only losers in the settlement will be the Afghans, who have to live under Taliban rule again. But that was always going to happen in the end. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

US-Taliban peace talks: The only losers in the settlement will be Afghans

The Taliban have shut down dozens of health facilities run by a Swedish aid group in a move affecting thousands of people, especially women and children, the agency said Wednesday.

Doctors and hospitals have been frequently targeted by both sides during the country's decades-long conflict, and this latest loss follows a raid by Afghan security forces on a clinic last week that left four people dead.

The closures have hit Wardak province west of Kabul, where the Taliban have shuttered 42 of the 77 health facilities being run by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, the aid group said in a statement.

"Due to this closure, an estimated number of over 5,700 patients are affected on a daily basis," it said.

Denying people medical treatment and health services in this way "is an obvious violation of human rights and international humanitarian law", Society for Cultural Anachronism's (SCA) country director Sonny Mansson said.

"We demand immediate reopening of all health facilities for the people and we strongly urge all parties involved in conflict to refrain from such actions which deliberately put civilian lives at risk."

The Taliban have not issued any statement, but the militants have previously closed down health clinics and banned polio vaccination campaigns in areas under their control. 
&nbsp;

The Taliban have shut down dozens of health facilities run by a Swedish aid group in a move affecting thousands of people, especially women and children, the agency said Wednesday.

The Taliban have shut down dozens of health facilities run by a Swedish aid group in a move affecting thousands of people, especially women and children, the agency said Wednesday. Doctors and hospitals have been frequently targeted by both sides during the country's decades-long conflict, and this latest loss follows a raid by Afghan security forces on a clinic last week that left four people dead. The closures have hit Wardak province west of Kabul, where the Taliban have shuttered 42 of the 77 health facilities being run by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, the aid group said in a statement. "Due to this closure, an estimated number of over 5,700 patients are affected on a daily basis," it said. Denying people medical treatment and health services in this way "is an obvious violation of human rights and international humanitarian law", Society for Cultural Anachronism's (SCA) country director Sonny Mansson said. "We demand immediate reopening of all health facilities for the people and we strongly urge all parties involved in conflict to refrain from such actions which deliberately put civilian lives at risk." The Taliban have not issued any statement, but the militants have previously closed down health clinics and banned polio vaccination campaigns in areas under their control.

Taliban shuts dozens of health clinics in Afghan province

By Ali Wardak

Getting justice in Afghanistan is a complicated business. Two main justice systems – state laws based on the civil law tradition and Islamic jurisprudence – combine with non-state institutions, such as traditional village jirgas (circles) or shuras (councils), to resolve local disputes and deal with offences.

Since the collapse of the Taliban regime, the US alone has spent well over a billion dollars rebuilding and reforming Afghanistan’s state justice sector, influenced by the Western system of retributive justice. But the failure to engage with Afghanistan’s own tradition of restorative justice and to understand its multiplicity of justice providers has undermined true reform.

It has instead resulted in a justice system that doesn’t have the full capacity to address the complex needs of all the Afghan people. And it has allowed others, including the Taliban judiciary – who have a select and narrow interpretation of Sharia – to step into the vacuum. This can lead to situations where people’s rights – especially women – are unprotected or infringed.

A “hybrid model” that instead forges links between state and non-state providers could provide justice that is more accessible, affordable and inclusive – and one with better oversight of those involved, and which would reduce human rights violations.

In 2007, out of research and a report for the UN Development Programme (UNDP), I developed such a model. The idea was to create complementary links between the existing state justice system, various non-state justice providers, and women’s/human rights units, each acting as a check and balance on the others.

Although vested interest of powerful Afghan politicians delayed the translation of this hybrid model into practice, it has now partially resulted in a draft law – the Law on Conciliatory Jirga’s in Civil Disputes – which is currently waiting to be approved by the new Afghan parliament.

Women’s rights

Research has shown that non-state justice providers (especially jirgas and shuras) are perceived as more accessible, trusted, less corrupt and speedier in resolving disputes than the state courts. But these male-only institutions exclude women, are sometimes influenced by warlords, and their decisions are not officially recorded. Most of these non-state justice institutions also variously violate human rights, for example in their use of baad, a centuries-old practice in which an offender’s female relative is given in marriage to a male family member of a victim.

A hybrid framework not only creates a collaborative dialogue between various state and non-state justice providers, but also empowers women through raising awareness of their rights and supporting spaces for contestation. Human rights units can provide disputants with help and advice in selecting the right institution for their case and can also check justice decisions are consistent with women’s and human rights principles. These units can also be empowered to examine issues relating to domestic violence, past human rights abuses and war crimes.

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) units would handle minor criminal offences and any civil cases. Their decisions would be checked by the closest state justice institution to ensure that decisions didn’t violate Afghanistan’s law and/or the fundamental principles of Islamic Sharia. Decisions that failed to be endorsed on either human rights grounds or by a concerned state court, would be revised or referred to the state justice system for adjudication. But all serious criminal cases would fall exclusively under the remit of the state justice system.

A challenging time 
 
It took more than a decade to get the idea of a hybrid model of justice accepted in Afghanistan. Senior judges saw it as a threat to their exclusive authority over all cases and disputes within the state judicial system. They also saw the 2007 UNDP report recommendations as a possible diversion of international aid to non-state justice providers. The report was initially banned by Afghanistan’s Supreme Court.

But strong support from international organisations including the US Institute of Peace, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and some national and international institutions in Afghanistan led to the implementation of programmes that trained traditional local mediators, promoted legal awareness and women’s rights and resulted in more coordination between non-state actors and the state justice system.

Success of these programmes induced Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice to revisit the hybrid model and these programmes may be the reason behind the increasing rejection of the practise of baad in Afghanistan. The UNDP report suggested that 28% of people saw baad was “always” or “sometimes” an outcome of jirga/shura decision making in 2007, recent research reveals that this practice now rarely happens.

I have now also been working with Conciliation Resources, an international peace organisation, to see how the hybrid model can be used to engage traditional and religious institutions using their established practical experience of resolving local conflict to contribute to peacemaking in Afghanistan.

The Palestine connection 
 
The hybrid model could also work in other places where multiple state and non-state justice institutions exist. Hebron University’s Mutaz Qafisheh and I recently found that the state alone cannot provide effective justice for all Palestinian children. As in Afghanistan, many people see the justice provided by key non-state providers as more speedy and accessible.

But, as we also found in Afghanistan, these are also often male-dominated providers that prioritise community over individual rights. For example, it is makhateer (traditional male mediators/community leaders) and mosleheen (male conciliators) who often decide what is good for the community, and whose judgments sometimes violate the rights of young offenders or victims, and especially girls.

As a result of this work, Swiss children’s charity Terre des hommes – which provides professional support to the Palestinian state juvenile justice system and legal/social support for children in conflict with law – is now using our idea of a hybrid model in its juvenile justice policy in the Palestinian Territories.

Justice is especially complex in countries where multiple providers exist – and whether official or unofficial, many of these are here to stay. Rather than impose one top-down retributive system, it is prudent to harness the many positive aspects of local traditional, religious and other existing non-state justice providers and link them to the state justice system in meaningful ways. This form of hybridity helps to prevent human rights violation, and promises to provide more accessible, affordable, effective and restorative justice for all. 
 
(Ali Wardak is Professor of Criminology, University of South Wales) 
 
(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/afghanistan-how-to-widen-access-to-justice-109381">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

By Ali Wardak Getting justice in Afghanistan is a complicated business. Two main justice systems – state laws based on the civil law tradition and Islamic jurisprudence – combine with non-state institutions, such as traditional village jirgas (circles) or shuras (councils), to resolve local disputes and deal with offences.

By Ali Wardak Getting justice in Afghanistan is a complicated business. Two main justice systems – state laws based on the civil law tradition and Islamic jurisprudence – combine with non-state institutions, such as traditional village jirgas (circles) or shuras (councils), to resolve local disputes and deal with offences. Since the collapse of the Taliban regime, the US alone has spent well over a billion dollars rebuilding and reforming Afghanistan’s state justice sector, influenced by the Western system of retributive justice. But the failure to engage with Afghanistan’s own tradition of restorative justice and to understand its multiplicity of justice providers has undermined true reform. It has instead resulted in a justice system that doesn’t have the full capacity to address the complex needs of all the Afghan people. And it has allowed others, including the Taliban judiciary – who have a select and narrow interpretation of Sharia – to step into the vacuum. This can lead to situations where people’s rights – especially women – are unprotected or infringed. A “hybrid model” that instead forges links between state and non-state providers could provide justice that is more accessible, affordable and inclusive – and one with better oversight of those involved, and which would reduce human rights violations. In 2007, out of research and a report for the UN Development Programme (UNDP), I developed such a model. The idea was to create complementary links between the existing state justice system, various non-state justice providers, and women’s/human rights units, each acting as a check and balance on the others. Although vested interest of powerful Afghan politicians delayed the translation of this hybrid model into practice, it has now partially resulted in a draft law – the Law on Conciliatory Jirga’s in Civil Disputes – which is currently waiting to be approved by the new Afghan parliament. Women’s rights Research has shown that non-state justice providers (especially jirgas and shuras) are perceived as more accessible, trusted, less corrupt and speedier in resolving disputes than the state courts. But these male-only institutions exclude women, are sometimes influenced by warlords, and their decisions are not officially recorded. Most of these non-state justice institutions also variously violate human rights, for example in their use of baad, a centuries-old practice in which an offender’s female relative is given in marriage to a male family member of a victim. A hybrid framework not only creates a collaborative dialogue between various state and non-state justice providers, but also empowers women through raising awareness of their rights and supporting spaces for contestation. Human rights units can provide disputants with help and advice in selecting the right institution for their case and can also check justice decisions are consistent with women’s and human rights principles. These units can also be empowered to examine issues relating to domestic violence, past human rights abuses and war crimes. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) units would handle minor criminal offences and any civil cases. Their decisions would be checked by the closest state justice institution to ensure that decisions didn’t violate Afghanistan’s law and/or the fundamental principles of Islamic Sharia. Decisions that failed to be endorsed on either human rights grounds or by a concerned state court, would be revised or referred to the state justice system for adjudication. But all serious criminal cases would fall exclusively under the remit of the state justice system. A challenging time It took more than a decade to get the idea of a hybrid model of justice accepted in Afghanistan. Senior judges saw it as a threat to their exclusive authority over all cases and disputes within the state judicial system. They also saw the 2007 UNDP report recommendations as a possible diversion of international aid to non-state justice providers. The report was initially banned by Afghanistan’s Supreme Court. But strong support from international organisations including the US Institute of Peace, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and some national and international institutions in Afghanistan led to the implementation of programmes that trained traditional local mediators, promoted legal awareness and women’s rights and resulted in more coordination between non-state actors and the state justice system. Success of these programmes induced Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice to revisit the hybrid model and these programmes may be the reason behind the increasing rejection of the practise of baad in Afghanistan. The UNDP report suggested that 28% of people saw baad was “always” or “sometimes” an outcome of jirga/shura decision making in 2007, recent research reveals that this practice now rarely happens. I have now also been working with Conciliation Resources, an international peace organisation, to see how the hybrid model can be used to engage traditional and religious institutions using their established practical experience of resolving local conflict to contribute to peacemaking in Afghanistan. The Palestine connection The hybrid model could also work in other places where multiple state and non-state justice institutions exist. Hebron University’s Mutaz Qafisheh and I recently found that the state alone cannot provide effective justice for all Palestinian children. As in Afghanistan, many people see the justice provided by key non-state providers as more speedy and accessible. But, as we also found in Afghanistan, these are also often male-dominated providers that prioritise community over individual rights. For example, it is makhateer (traditional male mediators/community leaders) and mosleheen (male conciliators) who often decide what is good for the community, and whose judgments sometimes violate the rights of young offenders or victims, and especially girls. As a result of this work, Swiss children’s charity Terre des hommes – which provides professional support to the Palestinian state juvenile justice system and legal/social support for children in conflict with law – is now using our idea of a hybrid model in its juvenile justice policy in the Palestinian Territories. Justice is especially complex in countries where multiple providers exist – and whether official or unofficial, many of these are here to stay. Rather than impose one top-down retributive system, it is prudent to harness the many positive aspects of local traditional, religious and other existing non-state justice providers and link them to the state justice system in meaningful ways. This form of hybridity helps to prevent human rights violation, and promises to provide more accessible, affordable, effective and restorative justice for all. (Ali Wardak is Professor of Criminology, University of South Wales) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

How to widen access to justice in Afghanistan

Twenty-two Taliban terrorists and one civilian were killed in a counter-terrorism operation launched by the Special Operation Forces of Afghan National Police in the country's eastern province of Logar, the country's Ministry of Interior Affairs said on Tuesday.

The special operation also included airstrikes, conducted on Monday night on Taliban hideouts situated in the Kamalkhil village of the Mohammad Agha district, reported Xinhua News Agency.

While the ministry says that one child was killed and a woman sustained injuries after their home was hit by a shelling launched by Taliban terrorists, the locals claim that as many as five civilians were killed and 11 others sustained injuries as a result of the airstrikes.

Twenty-two Taliban terrorists and one civilian were killed in a counter-terrorism operation launched by the Special Operation Forces of Afghan National Police in the country's eastern province of Logar, the country's Ministry of Interior Affairs said on Tuesday.

Twenty-two Taliban terrorists and one civilian were killed in a counter-terrorism operation launched by the Special Operation Forces of Afghan National Police in the country's eastern province of Logar, the country's Ministry of Interior Affairs said on Tuesday. The special operation also included airstrikes, conducted on Monday night on Taliban hideouts situated in the Kamalkhil village of the Mohammad Agha district, reported Xinhua News Agency. While the ministry says that one child was killed and a woman sustained injuries after their home was hit by a shelling launched by Taliban terrorists, the locals claim that as many as five civilians were killed and 11 others sustained injuries as a result of the airstrikes.

Afghanistan: 22 Taliban terrorists, 1 civilian killed in counter terrorism operation

As the September 1 deadline to conclude talks with Taliban close in, United States of America, China, Russia and Pakistan have come together to hammer out a peace deal with the Taliban. This new strategic alignment on Afghanistan is causing India a great deal of discomfort. Not only it leaves India out of the decision-making loop, United States-led talks have not even accommodated concerns expressed by the Indian authorities.

India, in past 18 years, gained immense goodwill in Afghanistan after investing in schools, dams, infrastructure projects and electoral process. Post-2001, the US-led invasion pushed Taliban out of Afghanistan and ensured take over of Kabul by northern alliance which subsequently established control over major parts of the country. Ironically, India's position of advantage was heavily compromised by the unilateral talks which the US undertook with the Taliban. Not only it discredited the functional government with which India has deep ties, it also left the present Kabul dispensation out of loop.

Americans want to exit Afghanistan quickly. It is for this reason that the US engaged Taliban despite continuous attack by them on the present government. US special envoy on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, after conclusion of Doha talks with the Taliban, briefed both Russian and Chinese officials.

Subsequently, Pakistani officials were invited for talks in Beijing where all four countries released a statement on the conclusion of two-day meeting between four nations. The statement acknowledged importance of Pakistan in facilitating peace in Afghanistan. To top it all, former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai who is supposed to have close ties with India became a facilitator of Taliban talks in both Beijing and Moscow.

India, however, has been insisting that elections in Afghanistan must be held on schedule. This demand of India has not cut much ice with Amercian counterparts who want the elections to be postponed so that peace talks can quickly conclude.

Today, India is neither on the table where political negotiation with Taliban is taking place, nor it has been able to impress big powers with its concerns. Pakistan, through the ban on its airspace, has cut India from Afghanistan, imposing economic costs and making a political point of its indispensibility. Critics back at home believe that what matters in the end, though, is not India's diplomatic presence at various peace initiatives, but New Delhi's quiet but sustained engagement with all Afghan political formations.

As the September 1 deadline to conclude talks with Taliban close in, United States of America, China, Russia and Pakistan have come together to hammer out a peace deal with the Taliban.

As the September 1 deadline to conclude talks with Taliban close in, United States of America, China, Russia and Pakistan have come together to hammer out a peace deal with the Taliban. This new strategic alignment on Afghanistan is causing India a great deal of discomfort. Not only it leaves India out of the decision-making loop, United States-led talks have not even accommodated concerns expressed by the Indian authorities. India, in past 18 years, gained immense goodwill in Afghanistan after investing in schools, dams, infrastructure projects and electoral process. Post-2001, the US-led invasion pushed Taliban out of Afghanistan and ensured take over of Kabul by northern alliance which subsequently established control over major parts of the country. Ironically, India's position of advantage was heavily compromised by the unilateral talks which the US undertook with the Taliban. Not only it discredited the functional government with which India has deep ties, it also left the present Kabul dispensation out of loop. Americans want to exit Afghanistan quickly. It is for this reason that the US engaged Taliban despite continuous attack by them on the present government. US special envoy on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, after conclusion of Doha talks with the Taliban, briefed both Russian and Chinese officials. Subsequently, Pakistani officials were invited for talks in Beijing where all four countries released a statement on the conclusion of two-day meeting between four nations. The statement acknowledged importance of Pakistan in facilitating peace in Afghanistan. To top it all, former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai who is supposed to have close ties with India became a facilitator of Taliban talks in both Beijing and Moscow. India, however, has been insisting that elections in Afghanistan must be held on schedule. This demand of India has not cut much ice with Amercian counterparts who want the elections to be postponed so that peace talks can quickly conclude. Today, India is neither on the table where political negotiation with Taliban is taking place, nor it has been able to impress big powers with its concerns. Pakistan, through the ban on its airspace, has cut India from Afghanistan, imposing economic costs and making a political point of its indispensibility. Critics back at home believe that what matters in the end, though, is not India's diplomatic presence at various peace initiatives, but New Delhi's quiet but sustained engagement with all Afghan political formations.

As US, Russia, China and Pakistan come together for talks with Taliban, India left out

At least 11 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded Monday after their vehicle hit a bomb in southern Afghanistan that officials told AFP had been planted by the Taliban.

The deaths come just one week after Taliban and Afghan officials unveiled a "roadmap for peace" in which they pledged to eliminate civilian casualties.

Monday's incident occurred around 2:00 pm (0930 GMT) when a vehicle carrying many passengers hit a roadside bomb planted by the Taliban, provincial police chief Tadin Khan said.

It was not immediately clear if the victims had been travelling in a bus or in the back of a large truck.

"In the blast, 11 people were martyred and 34 others were wounded. Women and children are among the victims," Khan said.&nbsp;

Afghan military spokesman Ahmad Sadiq Esa confirmed the toll, while Kandahar governor Hayatullah Hayat said 13 were killed.

No group claimed immediate responsibility. The Taliban did not immediately comment.

Kandahar is considered the birthplace of the Taliban, who still control some parts of the province.

Insurgents often use roadside bombs and landmines to target Afghan security forces -- but the lethal weapons also inflict heavy casualties on civilians.

Years of conflict have left Afghanistan strewn with landmines, unexploded mortars, rockets and homemade bombs -- and many are picked up by curious children.

According to the United Nations, almost 4,000 civilians -- including more than 900 children -- were killed in Afghanistan last year, with another 7,000 wounded, making it the deadliest year to date for civilians in Afghanistan's conflict.

The Taliban and a group of Afghans met for a historic summit in the Qatari capital Doha last week, as part of US-led peace talks, where they pledged to reduce civilian casualties to "zero". 
&nbsp;

At least 11 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded Monday after their vehicle hit a bomb in southern Afghanistan that officials told AFP had been planted by the Taliban.

At least 11 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded Monday after their vehicle hit a bomb in southern Afghanistan that officials told AFP had been planted by the Taliban. The deaths come just one week after Taliban and Afghan officials unveiled a "roadmap for peace" in which they pledged to eliminate civilian casualties. Monday's incident occurred around 2:00 pm (0930 GMT) when a vehicle carrying many passengers hit a roadside bomb planted by the Taliban, provincial police chief Tadin Khan said. It was not immediately clear if the victims had been travelling in a bus or in the back of a large truck. "In the blast, 11 people were martyred and 34 others were wounded. Women and children are among the victims," Khan said. Afghan military spokesman Ahmad Sadiq Esa confirmed the toll, while Kandahar governor Hayatullah Hayat said 13 were killed. No group claimed immediate responsibility. The Taliban did not immediately comment. Kandahar is considered the birthplace of the Taliban, who still control some parts of the province. Insurgents often use roadside bombs and landmines to target Afghan security forces -- but the lethal weapons also inflict heavy casualties on civilians. Years of conflict have left Afghanistan strewn with landmines, unexploded mortars, rockets and homemade bombs -- and many are picked up by curious children. According to the United Nations, almost 4,000 civilians -- including more than 900 children -- were killed in Afghanistan last year, with another 7,000 wounded, making it the deadliest year to date for civilians in Afghanistan's conflict. The Taliban and a group of Afghans met for a historic summit in the Qatari capital Doha last week, as part of US-led peace talks, where they pledged to reduce civilian casualties to "zero".

Bomb blast kills 11 in Afghanistan's Kandahar

A senior UN official in Afghanistan has called on government offices to adopt policies of "zero tolerance" toward sexual harassment, amid a swirling scandal that has seen women allege routine misconduct in the corridors of power.

The controversy erupted in May when General Habibullah Ahmadzai, a former security advisor to President Ashraf Ghani, alleged that some members of Ghani's administration were trading government positions for sexual favours.

The attorney general's office is investigating the matter, and Ghani's spokesman has rejected Ahmadzai's claims as "completely false and baseless".

But several women have spoken out in the media with their own allegations, and stories of inappropriate behaviour by male officials are commonplace in Kabul.

Women's rights have made some significant steps since the fall of the Taliban nearly two decades ago: out of 320 parliamentary seats, roughly a quarter are held by women.

But despite these gains, harassment, abuse and violence remain commonplace.

Richard Bennett, the head of human rights for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, on Sunday addressed a conference in Kabul that included a discussion about a potential law aimed at ending violence against women.

"The issue of harassment in the workplace is of huge concern to Afghan women, primarily because it can eventually lead to a sexual assault," Bennett said, according to prepared remarks provided Monday.&nbsp;

"This should be a concern for everyone: police, prosecutors, judicial officials and civil society."

Bennett said he was strongly encouraging the attorney general's office and other bodies to develop and implement a comprehensive "zero tolerance" policy regarding the harassment of women in the workplace.

"It will send the signal that harassment of women and girls will not be tolerated and will be punished," he said.

Sarwar Danish, Afghanistan's second vice president, called on prosecutors to "seriously investigate" the reports at a press conference on Sunday.

"If the allegations are proved, after the investigation these people should be exposed. Such crimes are not acceptable to the Afghan government."

A senior UN official in Afghanistan has called on government offices to adopt policies of "zero tolerance" toward sexual harassment, amid a swirling scandal that has seen women allege routine misconduct in the corridors of power.

A senior UN official in Afghanistan has called on government offices to adopt policies of "zero tolerance" toward sexual harassment, amid a swirling scandal that has seen women allege routine misconduct in the corridors of power. The controversy erupted in May when General Habibullah Ahmadzai, a former security advisor to President Ashraf Ghani, alleged that some members of Ghani's administration were trading government positions for sexual favours. The attorney general's office is investigating the matter, and Ghani's spokesman has rejected Ahmadzai's claims as "completely false and baseless". But several women have spoken out in the media with their own allegations, and stories of inappropriate behaviour by male officials are commonplace in Kabul. Women's rights have made some significant steps since the fall of the Taliban nearly two decades ago: out of 320 parliamentary seats, roughly a quarter are held by women. But despite these gains, harassment, abuse and violence remain commonplace. Richard Bennett, the head of human rights for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, on Sunday addressed a conference in Kabul that included a discussion about a potential law aimed at ending violence against women. "The issue of harassment in the workplace is of huge concern to Afghan women, primarily because it can eventually lead to a sexual assault," Bennett said, according to prepared remarks provided Monday. "This should be a concern for everyone: police, prosecutors, judicial officials and civil society." Bennett said he was strongly encouraging the attorney general's office and other bodies to develop and implement a comprehensive "zero tolerance" policy regarding the harassment of women in the workplace. "It will send the signal that harassment of women and girls will not be tolerated and will be punished," he said. Sarwar Danish, Afghanistan's second vice president, called on prosecutors to "seriously investigate" the reports at a press conference on Sunday. "If the allegations are proved, after the investigation these people should be exposed. Such crimes are not acceptable to the Afghan government."

United Nations calls for 'zero tolerance' on sexual harassment in Afghanistan workplace

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