Taliban leader on Sunday urged Afghans to plant more trees as the militant organisation gears up for the beginning of the annual fighting season.&nbsp;

In a rare public remark,&nbsp;Haibatullah Akhundzada posted the message on the group&#39;s website, saying: &quot;The Mujahideen and beloved countrymen must join hands in tree plantation and not hold back any effort in this regard.&quot;

Akhundzada further eulogised about the importance of trees: &quot;(They play) an&nbsp;important role in environmental protection, economic development and beautification of earth.&quot;

Akhundzada took over the reins of Taliban after his predecessor Akhtar Mansour and the second-in-command were killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan last May.&nbsp;

Sediq Sediqqi, the interior ministry spokesman, responded by saying the&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;should stop planting bombs instead.&nbsp;

&quot;They should stop planting IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) that are killing so many innocent Afghans including children and women daily&quot;, he said on his Twitter account.&nbsp;

Afghan civilian casualties in 2016 were the highest recorded by the UN, with nearly 11,500 non-combatants killed or wounded.

More than 3,500 children were among the victims, a &quot;disproportionate&quot; increase of 24 percent in one year, the UN said in a recent report.

Afghanistan last year also saw the highest recorded civilian casualties caused by pressure-plate IEDs in a single year, according to the world body.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Sediq Sediqqi, the interior ministry spokesman, responded by saying the?Taliban?should stop planting bombs instead

Taliban leader on Sunday urged Afghans to plant more trees as the militant organisation gears up for the beginning of the annual fighting season. In a rare public remark, Haibatullah Akhundzada posted the message on the group's website, saying: "The Mujahideen and beloved countrymen must join hands in tree plantation and not hold back any effort in this regard." Akhundzada further eulogised about the importance of trees: "(They play) an important role in environmental protection, economic development and beautification of earth." Akhundzada took over the reins of Taliban after his predecessor Akhtar Mansour and the second-in-command were killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan last May. Sediq Sediqqi, the interior ministry spokesman, responded by saying the Taliban should stop planting bombs instead. "They should stop planting IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) that are killing so many innocent Afghans including children and women daily", he said on his Twitter account. Afghan civilian casualties in 2016 were the highest recorded by the UN, with nearly 11,500 non-combatants killed or wounded. More than 3,500 children were among the victims, a "disproportionate" increase of 24 percent in one year, the UN said in a recent report. Afghanistan last year also saw the highest recorded civilian casualties caused by pressure-plate IEDs in a single year, according to the world body. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Taliban calls on Afghans to plant trees as 'Spring offensive' looms

Eight local policemen were killed by their colleagues after they were poisoned in their base in southern Afghanistan, officials said Saturday, in a latest so-called &quot;insider attack&quot;.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident, which happened in the Nawshar district of southern Zabul province late on Friday, as the militants escalate a deadly winter campaign of violence.

&quot;The infiltrators first poisoned their colleagues and then shot them dead,&quot; provincial spokesman Gul Islam Seyal told AFP, adding that the attackers fled the area taking all the weapons and munitions from the base.

The governor of Zabul Bismillah Afghanmal said they had launched an investigation into the incident. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a message to the media that the group&#39;s &quot;infiltrators&quot; carried out the attack.

So-called insider attacks -- when Afghan soldiers and police turn their guns on their colleagues or on international troops -- have been a major problem during the more than 15-year-long war.

Such attacks have sapped morale and caused deep mistrust within security ranks.

In a similar incident last month, an Afghan policeman linked to the Taliban shot dead 11 of his colleagues at a checkpoint in the neighboring Helmand province.

And last September, two Afghan soldiers with suspected Taliban links killed at least 12 of their comrades as they slept in the volatile northern province of Kunduz.

(AFP)

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident, which occurred in southern Afghanistan

Eight local policemen were killed by their colleagues after they were poisoned in their base in southern Afghanistan, officials said Saturday, in a latest so-called "insider attack". The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident, which happened in the Nawshar district of southern Zabul province late on Friday, as the militants escalate a deadly winter campaign of violence. "The infiltrators first poisoned their colleagues and then shot them dead," provincial spokesman Gul Islam Seyal told AFP, adding that the attackers fled the area taking all the weapons and munitions from the base. The governor of Zabul Bismillah Afghanmal said they had launched an investigation into the incident. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a message to the media that the group's "infiltrators" carried out the attack. So-called insider attacks -- when Afghan soldiers and police turn their guns on their colleagues or on international troops -- have been a major problem during the more than 15-year-long war. Such attacks have sapped morale and caused deep mistrust within security ranks. In a similar incident last month, an Afghan policeman linked to the Taliban shot dead 11 of his colleagues at a checkpoint in the neighboring Helmand province. And last September, two Afghan soldiers with suspected Taliban links killed at least 12 of their comrades as they slept in the volatile northern province of Kunduz. (AFP)

Eight Afghan policemen poisoned by colleague

The top US military commander for the Middle East warned Thursday that the United States would need more troops on the ground in Afghanistan to stave off a resurgent Taliban.

General Joseph Votel, who heads US Central Command (Centcom), told the Senate Armed Forces Committee he was currently working on a new strategy to break the war out of a stalemate.

&quot;I do believe it will involve additional forces to ensure that we can make the advise-and-assist mission more effective,&quot; he said.

US-led forces have been fighting in Afghanistan for 16 years, making it already longest-ever war for the United States.

The question of whether to double down in the seemingly endless conflict is set to be one of the first major military strategy questions of President Donald Trump&#39;s term.&nbsp;

General John Nicholson, who commands NATO forces in Afghanistan, said last month he needs thousands more troops to break the stalemate.

According to Votel, the question of reinforcing US troops in the country is being discussed &quot;right now&quot; between the US military and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Trump has yet to lay out a detailed new strategy for Afghanistan, but during the campaign he reluctantly accepted that US troops would remain.

His predecessor&nbsp;Barack Obama&nbsp;had pledged to pull US troops out of Afghanistan, but proved unable to follow through on the promise faced with the Taliban resurgence.

The NATO alliance has 13,300 troops in Afghanistan, about half of them American, assisting a much larger Afghan force in a war against the Taliban and other Islamist militants.

The&nbsp;United States has a total of 8,400 military personnel in the country, when including the special forces battling Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group independently from the NATO mission.

Afghan government police and armed forces now take the lead in the battle against the Taliban, which was forced from power in Kabul after the 2001 US-led invasion.

But the Afghans are facing mounting casualties -- their losses in 2016 were up by a third over 2015, with 6,785 killed in the first 10 months of the year -- and losing ground.

Last year was also particularly deadly for Afghan civilians: a UN report found that 11,500 were killed or injured, the most since it began keeping records in 2009.&nbsp;

At least 38 people died Wednesday when gunmen disguised as doctors stormed Afghanistan&#39;s largest military hospital&nbsp;in attack an claimed by IS jihadists who are making inroads into the war-battered country.

The assault came just a week after 16 people were killed in simultaneous Taliban suicide assaults on two security compounds in Kabul.

(AFP)

General Joseph Votel, the top US military commander for the Middle East, said more troops were needed to end the 16-year-old conflict

The top US military commander for the Middle East warned Thursday that the United States would need more troops on the ground in Afghanistan to stave off a resurgent Taliban. General Joseph Votel, who heads US Central Command (Centcom), told the Senate Armed Forces Committee he was currently working on a new strategy to break the war out of a stalemate. "I do believe it will involve additional forces to ensure that we can make the advise-and-assist mission more effective," he said. US-led forces have been fighting in Afghanistan for 16 years, making it already longest-ever war for the United States. The question of whether to double down in the seemingly endless conflict is set to be one of the first major military strategy questions of President Donald Trump's term. General John Nicholson, who commands NATO forces in Afghanistan, said last month he needs thousands more troops to break the stalemate. According to Votel, the question of reinforcing US troops in the country is being discussed "right now" between the US military and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Trump has yet to lay out a detailed new strategy for Afghanistan, but during the campaign he reluctantly accepted that US troops would remain. His predecessor Barack Obama had pledged to pull US troops out of Afghanistan, but proved unable to follow through on the promise faced with the Taliban resurgence. The NATO alliance has 13,300 troops in Afghanistan, about half of them American, assisting a much larger Afghan force in a war against the Taliban and other Islamist militants. The United States has a total of 8,400 military personnel in the country, when including the special forces battling Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group independently from the NATO mission. Afghan government police and armed forces now take the lead in the battle against the Taliban, which was forced from power in Kabul after the 2001 US-led invasion. But the Afghans are facing mounting casualties -- their losses in 2016 were up by a third over 2015, with 6,785 killed in the first 10 months of the year -- and losing ground. Last year was also particularly deadly for Afghan civilians: a UN report found that 11,500 were killed or injured, the most since it began keeping records in 2009. At least 38 people died Wednesday when gunmen disguised as doctors stormed Afghanistan's largest military hospital in attack an claimed by IS jihadists who are making inroads into the war-battered country. The assault came just a week after 16 people were killed in simultaneous Taliban suicide assaults on two security compounds in Kabul. (AFP)

More troops needed in Afghanistan to stave off Taliban: US military

Four suicide bombers struck Pakistan on Wednesday, killing six people and unnerving citizens whose growing sense of security has been shaken by multiple Taliban blasts this week.

The latest assault happened in the north-western city of Peshawar, said police, after a bomber rode a motorcycle into a van carrying several judges which&nbsp;was travelling through an upmarket neighbourhood.

&quot;It was a suicide attack,&quot; senior police official Sajjad Khan said.

Khan said the van driver was killed in the attack, which was claimed by the umbrella group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or Pakistani Taliban).&nbsp;Five people - including at least four judges, three of them female - were injured, he added.

Earlier in the day, two suicide bombers launched an assault on a government compound in the Mohmand tribal region in the north-west, killing five people and wounding seven. One was shot dead before he could detonate the bomb while the other blew himself up at the gate of the compound, local officials said.

Later, police said, another suicide bomber blew himself up when security forces surrounded him during a search operation in the area.&nbsp;Wednesday&#39;s attacks came two days after a powerful suicide bombing rocked the Punjab provincial capital Lahore, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens more.

Also on Monday, two members of a bomb disposal unit were killed in Quetta, the capital of restive Balochistan province, when a device they were defusing went off. It was unclear if the Quetta bomb was related to the other attacks.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed the attacks in Lahore and Mohmand. Last week the group vowed a fresh wave of assaults on government installations.

Spokesman for both Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and the main TTP warned the attacks would continue.&nbsp;The deadly assaults prompted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to convene a security review with the powerful military chief and senior government officials.

They &quot;reiterated the national resolve of complete physical and ideological annihilation of terrorism and extremism&quot;, according to a statement from the PM&#39;s office.

(AFP)

&nbsp;

Peshawar was hit by suicide attacks including in the restive Balochistan province, unnerving citizens shaken by attacks this week

Four suicide bombers struck Pakistan on Wednesday, killing six people and unnerving citizens whose growing sense of security has been shaken by multiple Taliban blasts this week. The latest assault happened in the north-western city of Peshawar, said police, after a bomber rode a motorcycle into a van carrying several judges which was travelling through an upmarket neighbourhood. "It was a suicide attack," senior police official Sajjad Khan said. Khan said the van driver was killed in the attack, which was claimed by the umbrella group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or Pakistani Taliban). Five people - including at least four judges, three of them female - were injured, he added. Earlier in the day, two suicide bombers launched an assault on a government compound in the Mohmand tribal region in the north-west, killing five people and wounding seven. One was shot dead before he could detonate the bomb while the other blew himself up at the gate of the compound, local officials said. Later, police said, another suicide bomber blew himself up when security forces surrounded him during a search operation in the area. Wednesday's attacks came two days after a powerful suicide bombing rocked the Punjab provincial capital Lahore, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens more. Also on Monday, two members of a bomb disposal unit were killed in Quetta, the capital of restive Balochistan province, when a device they were defusing went off. It was unclear if the Quetta bomb was related to the other attacks. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed the attacks in Lahore and Mohmand. Last week the group vowed a fresh wave of assaults on government installations. Spokesman for both Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and the main TTP warned the attacks would continue. The deadly assaults prompted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to convene a security review with the powerful military chief and senior government officials. They "reiterated the national resolve of complete physical and ideological annihilation of terrorism and extremism", according to a statement from the PM's office. (AFP)

Suicide bombers strike Pakistan, 6 killed

After alleged Islamic State gunmen killed six Red Cross employees on Wednesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) decided to temporarily suspend operations in Afghanistan. &nbsp;

The group, made of eight employees, was delivering emergency relief for people affected by heavy snowfall in the north of the country. Two of them are still missing. &nbsp;

A massive snowstorm buried swathes of the country under 3 metres of snow, causing at least 100 victims. &nbsp;

&quot;As we speak our operations are on hold indeed, because we need to understand what exactly happened before we can hopefully resume our operations,&quot; ICRC director of operations Dominik Stillhart told Reuters in Geneva. &nbsp;

&quot;We also need and want to mark what is a horrible incident, which came as a huge shock for all our staff, first and foremost in Afghanistan but also to respect the families,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;These staff members were simply doing their duty, selflessly trying to help and support the local community,&quot; ICRC president Peter Maurer said.&nbsp;

The ICRC described the attack as &quot;the worst against us&quot; in 20 years of humanitarian activity in the country. In a report regarding their 2016 activities, the ICRC stated that increasing security issues were making it difficult to deliver aid in many parts of the country.&nbsp;

In mid December a Spanish ICRC employee along with three Afghan colleagues were abducted at a gunpoint between Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz, in northern Afghanistan. The local staff was immediately released, but the Spanish national was held captive for a month. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;Daesh (the Arabic name for the Islamic State) is very active in that area,&quot; said Lotfullah Azizi, provincial governor of Jowzjan, where the Red Cross emomplyees were operating. This could be a change of scenario in Afghanistan, a country where the Islamic State seems to be more and more active.&nbsp;

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said his group was not involved in the attack and promised that Taliban members would &quot;put all their efforts into finding the perpetrators&quot;.&nbsp;

The ICRC decision testimonies once again how terrorism hit primarily the local population of the area where it operates. Afghanistan is the ICRC&#39;s fourth largest humanitarian program in the world.&nbsp;

Afghanistan is a country at war: the United Nations issued on Monday a report claiming that as many as &nbsp;3,498 civilians were killed and 7,920 wounded in the conflict in 2016. The number of children killed and injured in Afghanistan spiked 24 per cent in 2016, with 923 killed and 2,589 injured.&nbsp;

The Red Cross, as many other organisations, plays a fundamental role in healing and bringing aid to all the people hit by a constant war. It often operates in extreme conditions, but it has the mandate to guarantee the maximum level of safety for its employee.&nbsp;

The decision to hold on to the operations will ultimately hit all the people who were receiving their aid, often civilians without any active role in the conflict.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
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The decision comes amid rising security threats in a country where 3,498 civilians died in conflict in 2016, according to UN

After alleged Islamic State gunmen killed six Red Cross employees on Wednesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) decided to temporarily suspend operations in Afghanistan. The group, made of eight employees, was delivering emergency relief for people affected by heavy snowfall in the north of the country. Two of them are still missing. A massive snowstorm buried swathes of the country under 3 metres of snow, causing at least 100 victims. "As we speak our operations are on hold indeed, because we need to understand what exactly happened before we can hopefully resume our operations," ICRC director of operations Dominik Stillhart told Reuters in Geneva. "We also need and want to mark what is a horrible incident, which came as a huge shock for all our staff, first and foremost in Afghanistan but also to respect the families," he said. "These staff members were simply doing their duty, selflessly trying to help and support the local community," ICRC president Peter Maurer said. The ICRC described the attack as "the worst against us" in 20 years of humanitarian activity in the country. In a report regarding their 2016 activities, the ICRC stated that increasing security issues were making it difficult to deliver aid in many parts of the country. In mid December a Spanish ICRC employee along with three Afghan colleagues were abducted at a gunpoint between Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz, in northern Afghanistan. The local staff was immediately released, but the Spanish national was held captive for a month. "Daesh (the Arabic name for the Islamic State) is very active in that area," said Lotfullah Azizi, provincial governor of Jowzjan, where the Red Cross emomplyees were operating. This could be a change of scenario in Afghanistan, a country where the Islamic State seems to be more and more active. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said his group was not involved in the attack and promised that Taliban members would "put all their efforts into finding the perpetrators". The ICRC decision testimonies once again how terrorism hit primarily the local population of the area where it operates. Afghanistan is the ICRC's fourth largest humanitarian program in the world. Afghanistan is a country at war: the United Nations issued on Monday a report claiming that as many as 3,498 civilians were killed and 7,920 wounded in the conflict in 2016. The number of children killed and injured in Afghanistan spiked 24 per cent in 2016, with 923 killed and 2,589 injured. The Red Cross, as many other organisations, plays a fundamental role in healing and bringing aid to all the people hit by a constant war. It often operates in extreme conditions, but it has the mandate to guarantee the maximum level of safety for its employee. The decision to hold on to the operations will ultimately hit all the people who were receiving their aid, often civilians without any active role in the conflict. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

International Red Cross Committee pauses Afghanistan operations after six employees killed, two missing

The death rate among Afghan security forces soared last year, as the Kabul government&#39;s overall control of the country dropped significantly, an official US watchdog said in a report Wednesday.

The grim new statistics paint a picture of a beleaguered nation still in the grips of a widespread security crisis, despite many years and billions of dollars spent building up Afghanistan&#39;s army and police forces.&nbsp;

According to the US government&#39;s Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), 6,785 Afghan soldiers and police officers were killed between January 1 and November 12, with another 11,777 wounded.

That&#39;s an increase of about 35 per cent from all of 2015, when some 5,000 security forces were killed.

Afghan police and army units took over from NATO the task of providing security for the country in 2015.

Their first year was something of a disaster, the nadir coming when the regional capital Kunduz in northern Afghanistan was briefly captured by the Taliban.

US and NATO officials had been hoping the Afghans would fare better in 2016, but clearly the security situation remains perilous.

The Pentagon, however, insists the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) are improving and points to successful efforts to repel Taliban attacks on regional capitals.

Most of the fatalities among the ANDSF came from &quot;direct-fire&quot; assaults, meaning local troops were directly attacked by the Taliban and other insurgent groups, instead of dying in roadside bomb and mine blasts.

In addition to the high death rate in the ANDSF, the report also found that the number of Afghan districts under insurgent control or influence is increasing.

US Forces Afghanistan reported that about 57.2 per cent of the country&#39;s 407 districts were under Afghan government control or influence as of November 15, the report states.

That marks a drop of 6.2 per centage points from the 63.4 per cent reported in late August, and a nearly 15-point drop since November 2015.

A Western observer who has lived in Afghanistan for years told AFP that the provinces under Taliban control could ultimately split from those held by the Kabul government.&nbsp;

&quot;Everybody here thinks this country will collapse in a matter of two or three years,&quot; he said.

The report also found civilian casualties remain high.

According to a UN body, there were 8,397 conflict-related civilian casualties between January 1 and September 30, a slight drop compared to the same period in 2015.

The report also cites an Asia Foundation survey last year that found only 29.3 per cent of respondents nationwide felt their country was moving in the right direction, down from 36.7 per cent in 2015.

&quot;This represents the lowest level of optimism recorded since the survey began in 2004,&quot; the SIGAR report notes.

The Taliban have been especially active in Helmand province, a global centre for opium production, which is on the rise.

And Afghanistan has long grappled with government corruption and embezzlement.&nbsp;

 
(AFP)

6,785 Afghan soldiers and police officers were killed between January 1 and November 12, a 35 per cent from all of 2015

The death rate among Afghan security forces soared last year, as the Kabul government's overall control of the country dropped significantly, an official US watchdog said in a report Wednesday. The grim new statistics paint a picture of a beleaguered nation still in the grips of a widespread security crisis, despite many years and billions of dollars spent building up Afghanistan's army and police forces. According to the US government's Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), 6,785 Afghan soldiers and police officers were killed between January 1 and November 12, with another 11,777 wounded. That's an increase of about 35 per cent from all of 2015, when some 5,000 security forces were killed. Afghan police and army units took over from NATO the task of providing security for the country in 2015. Their first year was something of a disaster, the nadir coming when the regional capital Kunduz in northern Afghanistan was briefly captured by the Taliban. US and NATO officials had been hoping the Afghans would fare better in 2016, but clearly the security situation remains perilous. The Pentagon, however, insists the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) are improving and points to successful efforts to repel Taliban attacks on regional capitals. Most of the fatalities among the ANDSF came from "direct-fire" assaults, meaning local troops were directly attacked by the Taliban and other insurgent groups, instead of dying in roadside bomb and mine blasts. In addition to the high death rate in the ANDSF, the report also found that the number of Afghan districts under insurgent control or influence is increasing. US Forces Afghanistan reported that about 57.2 per cent of the country's 407 districts were under Afghan government control or influence as of November 15, the report states. That marks a drop of 6.2 per centage points from the 63.4 per cent reported in late August, and a nearly 15-point drop since November 2015. A Western observer who has lived in Afghanistan for years told AFP that the provinces under Taliban control could ultimately split from those held by the Kabul government. "Everybody here thinks this country will collapse in a matter of two or three years," he said. The report also found civilian casualties remain high. According to a UN body, there were 8,397 conflict-related civilian casualties between January 1 and September 30, a slight drop compared to the same period in 2015. The report also cites an Asia Foundation survey last year that found only 29.3 per cent of respondents nationwide felt their country was moving in the right direction, down from 36.7 per cent in 2015. "This represents the lowest level of optimism recorded since the survey began in 2004," the SIGAR report notes. The Taliban have been especially active in Helmand province, a global centre for opium production, which is on the rise. And Afghanistan has long grappled with government corruption and embezzlement. (AFP)

Fatalities soar among Afghan forces as government loses ground to Taliban: US watchdog

At least 13 journalists were killed in Afghanistan in 2016 &mdash; the deadliest year on record for journalists in the country and making it the second-most dangerous for reporters in the world after Syria.

A report by the Afghan Journalists&#39; Safety Committee (AJSC), released on Thursday, also said the Taliban was behind at least 10 of the deaths.

&quot;This increase in violence against journalists has turned Afghanistan into the second most dangerous country for journalists in the world, after Syria,&quot; Najib Sharifi, chairman of the committee, told reporters on Thursday.&nbsp;

The report noted that a shift in the Taliban&#39;s policy towards the media was the &quot;main driver of the increase in the level of threats and deadly violence against journalists&quot;.

In January last year, seven employees of popular TV channel Tolo, often critical of the insurgents, were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul in what the militant group said was revenge for &quot;spreading propaganda&quot; against them.

It was the first major attack on an Afghan media organisation since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 and spotlighted the dangers faced by media workers in Afghanistan as the security situation worsens amid a growing wave of militant attacks.

In June, American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator were killed in a rocket attack by the Taliban in southern Helmand province.

&#39;101 cases of violence against media, government forces responsible for most&#39;

The committee also found 101 cases of violence against the media in 2016, a 38 per cent increase from 2015. It said the figures highlighted the threat faced by a media workers who put their lives on the line to report events in their war-torn country.

The report also said that a majority of the violent incidents against journalists were carried out by government forces, with the European Union criticising the &quot;alarming&quot; trend.

&quot;The government should do its utmost to bring perpetrators of threats, attacks and killing of journalists to justice,&quot; the EU delegation to Afghanistan said in a statement.

Twenty-eight journalists and media workers have been killed in the past five years in Afghanistan, the report stated. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

A report by the Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee said 2016 was the deadliest year for journalists in Afghanistan

At least 13 journalists were killed in Afghanistan in 2016 — the deadliest year on record for journalists in the country and making it the second-most dangerous for reporters in the world after Syria. A report by the Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee (AJSC), released on Thursday, also said the Taliban was behind at least 10 of the deaths. "This increase in violence against journalists has turned Afghanistan into the second most dangerous country for journalists in the world, after Syria," Najib Sharifi, chairman of the committee, told reporters on Thursday. The report noted that a shift in the Taliban's policy towards the media was the "main driver of the increase in the level of threats and deadly violence against journalists". In January last year, seven employees of popular TV channel Tolo, often critical of the insurgents, were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul in what the militant group said was revenge for "spreading propaganda" against them. It was the first major attack on an Afghan media organisation since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 and spotlighted the dangers faced by media workers in Afghanistan as the security situation worsens amid a growing wave of militant attacks. In June, American journalist David Gilkey and his Afghan translator were killed in a rocket attack by the Taliban in southern Helmand province. '101 cases of violence against media, government forces responsible for most' The committee also found 101 cases of violence against the media in 2016, a 38 per cent increase from 2015. It said the figures highlighted the threat faced by a media workers who put their lives on the line to report events in their war-torn country. The report also said that a majority of the violent incidents against journalists were carried out by government forces, with the European Union criticising the "alarming" trend. "The government should do its utmost to bring perpetrators of threats, attacks and killing of journalists to justice," the EU delegation to Afghanistan said in a statement. Twenty-eight journalists and media workers have been killed in the past five years in Afghanistan, the report stated. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Afghanistan world's most dangerous place for journalists after Syria

At least seven civilians, including a woman and three children, were killed when their truck hit a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said.

The villagers were travelling from Pacheer Agam district to a nearby village in Nangarhar province, Hijratullah Rahmani district governor of Pacheer Agam told AFP.

&quot;Unfortunately, in the blast, seven civilians, including a woman and three children were killed and one wounded,&quot; he said.

No-one claimed responsibility, but the interior ministry in a statement blamed &quot;enemies of peace and stability,&quot; a term Afghan officials use to refer to Taliban.

Nangarhar is also home to Islamic State group fighters, who are trying to expand their presence in Afghanistan by winning over sympathizers, recruiting followers and challenging the Taliban on their own turf.

Afghan civilians are paying a heavy price for the escalating conflict across the country. A total of 2,562 civilians were killed and another 5,835 wounded in the first nine months of 2016, according to a UN report.

Last week, over 50 people, mostly civilians, were killed in multiple Taliban bombings across Afghanistan.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

No-one has claimed responsibility, but the interior ministry blames Taliban for the attack

At least seven civilians, including a woman and three children, were killed when their truck hit a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said. The villagers were travelling from Pacheer Agam district to a nearby village in Nangarhar province, Hijratullah Rahmani district governor of Pacheer Agam told AFP. "Unfortunately, in the blast, seven civilians, including a woman and three children were killed and one wounded," he said. No-one claimed responsibility, but the interior ministry in a statement blamed "enemies of peace and stability," a term Afghan officials use to refer to Taliban. Nangarhar is also home to Islamic State group fighters, who are trying to expand their presence in Afghanistan by winning over sympathizers, recruiting followers and challenging the Taliban on their own turf. Afghan civilians are paying a heavy price for the escalating conflict across the country. A total of 2,562 civilians were killed and another 5,835 wounded in the first nine months of 2016, according to a UN report. Last week, over 50 people, mostly civilians, were killed in multiple Taliban bombings across Afghanistan. (AFP)

Seven civilians dead in Afghanistan bomb blast

Senior Taliban leaders confirmed on Tuesday they had released a new video showing a kidnapped American-Canadian family, including two young boys born in captivity while held by the feared Haqqani network.

The video showed for the first time the two sons of Canadian Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman, a US&nbsp;citizen. Coleman, 31, was pregnant when the couple were abducted in 2012 inside Afghanistan while on a backpacking trip.

A Canadian spokesman said the government was reviewing the video, while US&nbsp;officials would not immediately comment.

In the video, Coleman begs for an end to their &quot;Kafkaesque nightmare&quot; and is critical of both the American and Canadian governments and the family&#39;s Haqqani captors.

&quot;We understand both sides hate us and are content to leave us and our two surviving children in these problems,&quot; she said.

&quot;But we can only ask and pray that somebody will recognise the atrocities these men carry out against us as so-called retaliation in their ingratitude and hypocrisy.&quot;

The two young boys - who, along with their parents, appeared healthy - fidgeted on their father&#39;s lap as Coleman added: &quot;My children have seen their mother defiled.&quot;

Two senior Taliban members based in Afghanistan told Reuters by telephone that the video had been uploaded by the radical Islamist insurgents, who are fighting to topple the US-backed government in Kabul.

One said the video came from the Haqqani network - a close affiliate of the Afghan Taliban - and it had been delivered to both US&nbsp;and Canadian officials before being posted on YouTube late on Monday night.

He said the Haqqani network is demanding the release of three of its senior members - including the brother and maternal uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is deputy leader of the Afghan Taliban.

Coleman&#39;s reference to her two &quot;surviving children&quot; was unexplained. She appealed to both President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump to make a deal with their captors.

&quot;They want money, power, friends. You must give them these things before progress can be made.&quot;

Michael O&#39;Shaughnessy, spokesman for the Canadian Department of Global Affairs, said officials were studying the video.

&quot;We are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of Joshua Boyle, Caitlan Coleman and their young children and call for their unconditional release,&quot; he said.

US&nbsp;officials declined to comment on the new video but referred reporters to statements made by State Department spokesman John Kirby after the last video of the couple released in late August.

In those statements, Kirby called for the family&#39;s &quot;immediate release on humanitarian grounds&quot; and said the US&nbsp;would &quot;continue to work aggressively&quot; to bring all American hostages home.

 
(Reuters)

Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman were abducted in 2012 in Afghanistan while on a backpacking trip. Coleman was pregnant at the time

Senior Taliban leaders confirmed on Tuesday they had released a new video showing a kidnapped American-Canadian family, including two young boys born in captivity while held by the feared Haqqani network. The video showed for the first time the two sons of Canadian Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman, a US citizen. Coleman, 31, was pregnant when the couple were abducted in 2012 inside Afghanistan while on a backpacking trip. A Canadian spokesman said the government was reviewing the video, while US officials would not immediately comment. In the video, Coleman begs for an end to their "Kafkaesque nightmare" and is critical of both the American and Canadian governments and the family's Haqqani captors. "We understand both sides hate us and are content to leave us and our two surviving children in these problems," she said. "But we can only ask and pray that somebody will recognise the atrocities these men carry out against us as so-called retaliation in their ingratitude and hypocrisy." The two young boys - who, along with their parents, appeared healthy - fidgeted on their father's lap as Coleman added: "My children have seen their mother defiled." Two senior Taliban members based in Afghanistan told Reuters by telephone that the video had been uploaded by the radical Islamist insurgents, who are fighting to topple the US-backed government in Kabul. One said the video came from the Haqqani network - a close affiliate of the Afghan Taliban - and it had been delivered to both US and Canadian officials before being posted on YouTube late on Monday night. He said the Haqqani network is demanding the release of three of its senior members - including the brother and maternal uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is deputy leader of the Afghan Taliban. Coleman's reference to her two "surviving children" was unexplained. She appealed to both President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump to make a deal with their captors. "They want money, power, friends. You must give them these things before progress can be made." Michael O'Shaughnessy, spokesman for the Canadian Department of Global Affairs, said officials were studying the video. "We are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of Joshua Boyle, Caitlan Coleman and their young children and call for their unconditional release," he said. US officials declined to comment on the new video but referred reporters to statements made by State Department spokesman John Kirby after the last video of the couple released in late August. In those statements, Kirby called for the family's "immediate release on humanitarian grounds" and said the US would "continue to work aggressively" to bring all American hostages home. (Reuters)

Alleged Taliban video shows sons born in captivity to kidnapped American-Canadian couple

A British soldier who cited Shakespeare after killing an injured Taliban fighter could be home on bail in time for Christmas, three years after being found guilty of murder in a landmark conviction.

The case of Alexander Blackman, who was identified only as &quot;Marine A&quot; during his trial, has fascinated and divided public opinion in Britain.&nbsp;

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<h5>&#39;There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil ... It&#39;s nothing you wouldn&#39;t do to us,&#39; said Blackman, paraphrasing Shakespeare&#39;s &#39;Hamlet&#39; after shooting the fighter at close range with a 9mm pistol</h5>
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On September 15, 2011, the 42-year-old Royal Marine shot a Taliban fighter who had been seriously injured by fire from an Apache helicopter in Helmand province.

&quot;There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil ... It&#39;s nothing you wouldn&#39;t do to us,&quot; said Blackman, paraphrasing Shakespeare&#39;s &quot;Hamlet&quot; after shooting the fighter at close range with a 9mm pistol.

&quot;Obviously this doesn&#39;t go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention,&quot; he said to his fellow Royal Marines, in reference to international law governing the treatment of prisoners of war.&nbsp;

Footage of the incident was captured on a camera mounted onto the helmet of one of the soldiers, and two years later Blackman was convicted of murder by a court martial.

The case was the first time since the Second World War that a British soldier was convicted of a murder carried out on the battlefield.&nbsp;

&quot;You treated that Afghan man with contempt and murdered him in cold blood,&quot; judge Jeff Blackett told Blackman in December 2013 as the soldier was given a life sentence with a 10-year minimum.&nbsp;

&quot;By doing so you have betrayed your corps and all British service personnel who have served in Afghanistan, and you have tarnished their reputation,&quot; Blackett added.

The conviction was supported by Britain&#39;s then chief of defence staff, Nicholas Houghton, who said: &quot;Murder is murder, this is a heinous crime.&quot;

But now Blackman is making a bid for freedom, with a court hearing in London on Wednesday set to decide if he will be granted bail.

&#39;Icing on the cake&#39;&nbsp;

The soldier&#39;s legal team ultimately aims to overturn the conviction and have the crime lessened to manslaughter, following a Royal Navy review which suggests Blackman was suffering from post-traumatic stress at the time of the shooting.&nbsp;

Blackman has denied murder and claimed he shot the Taliban fighter once the insurgent was already dead.&nbsp;

His wife, Claire Blackman, told the BBC she hoped to have her husband home for Christmas.

&quot;Bail would be the icing on the cake,&quot; she said.

Dozens of veterans are due to gather on Wednesday outside the Royal Courts of Justice to call for &quot;Justice for Marine A, abandoned by the government,&quot; according to a poster.

Blackman&#39;s supporters include Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan, who said the soldier had been &quot;thrown to the wolves by cowards&quot;.

MP Richard Draw and author Frederick Forsyth have promised to pay the &pound;200,000 bail.

The Daily Mail newspaper has also campaigned against the murder conviction.

&quot;Did a man who for 13 years risked his life defending his country, often in the most appalling environment... really deserve to be tried for murder and thrown in jail like a common criminal?&quot; the right-wing newspaper wrote.

Beyond the &quot;Marine A&quot; case, British tabloids have campaigned against former soldiers facing trial for alleged crimes committed while on duty.

They received support from Prime Minister Theresa May, who in October promised to &quot;put an end to the industry of vexatious claims that has pursued those who served in previous conflicts&quot;.

(AFP)

He shot a Taliban fighter who had been seriously injured by fire from an Apache helicopter, then quoted Shakespeare

A British soldier who cited Shakespeare after killing an injured Taliban fighter could be home on bail in time for Christmas, three years after being found guilty of murder in a landmark conviction. The case of Alexander Blackman, who was identified only as "Marine A" during his trial, has fascinated and divided public opinion in Britain. 'There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil ... It's nothing you wouldn't do to us,' said Blackman, paraphrasing Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' after shooting the fighter at close range with a 9mm pistol × On September 15, 2011, the 42-year-old Royal Marine shot a Taliban fighter who had been seriously injured by fire from an Apache helicopter in Helmand province. "There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil ... It's nothing you wouldn't do to us," said Blackman, paraphrasing Shakespeare's "Hamlet" after shooting the fighter at close range with a 9mm pistol. "Obviously this doesn't go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention," he said to his fellow Royal Marines, in reference to international law governing the treatment of prisoners of war. Footage of the incident was captured on a camera mounted onto the helmet of one of the soldiers, and two years later Blackman was convicted of murder by a court martial. The case was the first time since the Second World War that a British soldier was convicted of a murder carried out on the battlefield. "You treated that Afghan man with contempt and murdered him in cold blood," judge Jeff Blackett told Blackman in December 2013 as the soldier was given a life sentence with a 10-year minimum. "By doing so you have betrayed your corps and all British service personnel who have served in Afghanistan, and you have tarnished their reputation," Blackett added. The conviction was supported by Britain's then chief of defence staff, Nicholas Houghton, who said: "Murder is murder, this is a heinous crime." But now Blackman is making a bid for freedom, with a court hearing in London on Wednesday set to decide if he will be granted bail. 'Icing on the cake' The soldier's legal team ultimately aims to overturn the conviction and have the crime lessened to manslaughter, following a Royal Navy review which suggests Blackman was suffering from post-traumatic stress at the time of the shooting. Blackman has denied murder and claimed he shot the Taliban fighter once the insurgent was already dead. His wife, Claire Blackman, told the BBC she hoped to have her husband home for Christmas. "Bail would be the icing on the cake," she said. Dozens of veterans are due to gather on Wednesday outside the Royal Courts of Justice to call for "Justice for Marine A, abandoned by the government," according to a poster. Blackman's supporters include Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan, who said the soldier had been "thrown to the wolves by cowards". MP Richard Draw and author Frederick Forsyth have promised to pay the £200,000 bail. The Daily Mail newspaper has also campaigned against the murder conviction. "Did a man who for 13 years risked his life defending his country, often in the most appalling environment... really deserve to be tried for murder and thrown in jail like a common criminal?" the right-wing newspaper wrote. Beyond the "Marine A" case, British tabloids have campaigned against former soldiers facing trial for alleged crimes committed while on duty. They received support from Prime Minister Theresa May, who in October promised to "put an end to the industry of vexatious claims that has pursued those who served in previous conflicts". (AFP)

British soldier who killed Taliban fighter divides UK

When Pakistani shopkeeper Abdur Rahim&#39;s phone rang in mid-October, he was shocked to hear the voice of a senior militant commander demanding protection money from him and his fellow traders in the Swat Valley.

The menacing call was taken seriously in a northern pocket of the country where Pakistani Taliban insurgents took partial control in 2007, before being ousted two years later in a major military operation hailed as a telling blow against Islamist violence.

Locals fear that recent threats of extortion and a spate of targeted killings earlier this year mark an attempt by the Taliban to regain a foothold in the picturesque, mountainous area they once ruled with an iron fist.

Western powers, including the United States which has thousands of troops fighting other militant groups across the nearby border in Afghanistan, want to see jihadi networks along the frontier crushed.

During the Oct. 19 conversation, Mullah Akhtar, a commander close to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah, ordered Rahim to collect money from 15,000 members of the Swat Traders&#39; Federation, of which he is president.

But in a tense exchange, Rahim refused to cooperate, and told Akhtar militants were not welcome in Swat.

According to Rahim, Akhtar boiled over with rage: &quot;I will blow you up, so that even the doctors won&#39;t be able to find the pieces.&quot;

Since the call, Rahim&#39;s life has changed.

Speaking to Reuters in Swat&#39;s main town of Mingora, he stood flanked by two armed policemen, while plainclothed officers keep a watchful eye in the background. CCTV cameras monitor his home.

Motives unclear

Representatives of the militant movement could not be reached for comment on their tactics in Swat Valley; some residents believe demands for money and a rise in attacks in the first half of the year are signs of desperation.

Attacks have been a part of life there since 2010, including the attempted assassination of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai in 2012, but in recent months the murders have stopped after a series of arrests by police.

The Taliban have also struggled to build ideological support after their bloody two-year rule that saw them impose a harsh version of Islamic law on the valley&#39;s 2 million residents.

The group remains active elsewhere, however, particularly in southern Baluchistan province, where a faction of the Taliban and Islamic State have claimed responsibility for a series of bomb and gun attacks that have killed more than 180 people.

The Pakistani military will be desperate to keep the Taliban out of Swat, the first sizeable region outside lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan to fall to the militants.

The army&#39;s publicity wing did not respond to requests for comment on the situation in the area.

The military has been on alert for signs of a Taliban resurgence as it seeks to rebuild civilian institutions and win over the local population as a bulwark against radical ideology.

A force of more than 4,000 Pakistani soldiers is stationed in Swat, and last month the army began constructing a permanent garrison.

&quot;It (Swat) was always shown as the example of a successful military operation,&quot; said Zahid Hussain, a security analyst. &quot;But the main challenge is to hold that area, and to now establish a civilian authority.&quot;

Neutralising support networks

While officials tout the recent drop in assassinations by the Taliban as progress, locals on the group&#39;s hit-list are less sanguine.

Powerful tribal leaders, especially those who worked with anti-Taliban peace committees, say they are in danger.

Fazal Wahab, for example, walks through Mingora&#39;s bustling market hiding a pistol under his coat and wearing a black anti-pollution face mask to hide his identity.

&quot;I have received no support of any kind from the army,&quot; said Wahab, who has faced Taliban death threats for years due to his work.

But local officials say security has improved.

More than 2,000 Taliban fighters from Swat have been driven into mountainous areas on the Afghan side of the border nearby, according to officials.

Police in Swat said TTP assassins used little-trodden mountain passes between Afghanistan&#39;s Nuristan and Pakistan&#39;s Chitral regions to sneak into the valley.

&quot;It&#39;s not difficult for one or two people to slip through,&quot; said Akhtar Hayat Khan, Swat&#39;s police chief.

Khan said several intelligence-led swoops on local facilitators had disrupted the Taliban&#39;s support network and limited the threat. In July, police arrested at least 12 people across the valley suspected of aiding attacks.

&quot;Dog eat dog&quot;

Local traders applauded Rahim&#39;s stand against the Taliban, but some were not sure if they would follow his example if faced with demands for protection money themselves.

&quot;If we get a call, then what can we do? We will bear the decision like a stone on our hearts, but we have no choice,&quot; said Nisar Ahmed.

Rahim is steadfast in his resistance. Recently he started breeding dogs, widely considered unclean in Islam, for his own protection.

&quot;I used to hate keeping dogs. But you need to keep a dog to fight a dog,&quot; he said. &quot;They (the Taliban) are hungry now. And like a dog bites a man out of hunger, they&#39;re biting, too.&quot;

(Reuters)

The Pakistani Taliban partially controlled Swat from 2007 to 2009, before being ousted by the military

When Pakistani shopkeeper Abdur Rahim's phone rang in mid-October, he was shocked to hear the voice of a senior militant commander demanding protection money from him and his fellow traders in the Swat Valley. The menacing call was taken seriously in a northern pocket of the country where Pakistani Taliban insurgents took partial control in 2007, before being ousted two years later in a major military operation hailed as a telling blow against Islamist violence. Locals fear that recent threats of extortion and a spate of targeted killings earlier this year mark an attempt by the Taliban to regain a foothold in the picturesque, mountainous area they once ruled with an iron fist. Western powers, including the United States which has thousands of troops fighting other militant groups across the nearby border in Afghanistan, want to see jihadi networks along the frontier crushed. During the Oct. 19 conversation, Mullah Akhtar, a commander close to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah, ordered Rahim to collect money from 15,000 members of the Swat Traders' Federation, of which he is president. But in a tense exchange, Rahim refused to cooperate, and told Akhtar militants were not welcome in Swat. According to Rahim, Akhtar boiled over with rage: "I will blow you up, so that even the doctors won't be able to find the pieces." Since the call, Rahim's life has changed. Speaking to Reuters in Swat's main town of Mingora, he stood flanked by two armed policemen, while plainclothed officers keep a watchful eye in the background. CCTV cameras monitor his home. Motives unclear Representatives of the militant movement could not be reached for comment on their tactics in Swat Valley; some residents believe demands for money and a rise in attacks in the first half of the year are signs of desperation. Attacks have been a part of life there since 2010, including the attempted assassination of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai in 2012, but in recent months the murders have stopped after a series of arrests by police. The Taliban have also struggled to build ideological support after their bloody two-year rule that saw them impose a harsh version of Islamic law on the valley's 2 million residents. The group remains active elsewhere, however, particularly in southern Baluchistan province, where a faction of the Taliban and Islamic State have claimed responsibility for a series of bomb and gun attacks that have killed more than 180 people. The Pakistani military will be desperate to keep the Taliban out of Swat, the first sizeable region outside lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan to fall to the militants. The army's publicity wing did not respond to requests for comment on the situation in the area. The military has been on alert for signs of a Taliban resurgence as it seeks to rebuild civilian institutions and win over the local population as a bulwark against radical ideology. A force of more than 4,000 Pakistani soldiers is stationed in Swat, and last month the army began constructing a permanent garrison. "It (Swat) was always shown as the example of a successful military operation," said Zahid Hussain, a security analyst. "But the main challenge is to hold that area, and to now establish a civilian authority." Neutralising support networks While officials tout the recent drop in assassinations by the Taliban as progress, locals on the group's hit-list are less sanguine. Powerful tribal leaders, especially those who worked with anti-Taliban peace committees, say they are in danger. Fazal Wahab, for example, walks through Mingora's bustling market hiding a pistol under his coat and wearing a black anti-pollution face mask to hide his identity. "I have received no support of any kind from the army," said Wahab, who has faced Taliban death threats for years due to his work. But local officials say security has improved. More than 2,000 Taliban fighters from Swat have been driven into mountainous areas on the Afghan side of the border nearby, according to officials. Police in Swat said TTP assassins used little-trodden mountain passes between Afghanistan's Nuristan and Pakistan's Chitral regions to sneak into the valley. "It's not difficult for one or two people to slip through," said Akhtar Hayat Khan, Swat's police chief. Khan said several intelligence-led swoops on local facilitators had disrupted the Taliban's support network and limited the threat. In July, police arrested at least 12 people across the valley suspected of aiding attacks. "Dog eat dog" Local traders applauded Rahim's stand against the Taliban, but some were not sure if they would follow his example if faced with demands for protection money themselves. "If we get a call, then what can we do? We will bear the decision like a stone on our hearts, but we have no choice," said Nisar Ahmed. Rahim is steadfast in his resistance. Recently he started breeding dogs, widely considered unclean in Islam, for his own protection. "I used to hate keeping dogs. But you need to keep a dog to fight a dog," he said. "They (the Taliban) are hungry now. And like a dog bites a man out of hunger, they're biting, too." (Reuters)

Taliban demands for cash stir fears of comeback in Pakistan's Swat Valley

Representatives from nearly 40 countries and leading groupings like the European Union are in the Indian holy city of Amritsar in Punjab to attend the Heart of Asia - Istanbul process, aimed at exploring ways to effectively deal with the threat of terrorism in the region.&nbsp;

The annual conference is deliberating on various challenges facing Afghanistan, including the&nbsp;revival of a peace process in the country, which is facing the resurgence of Taliban.&nbsp;

The conference will be jointly inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday.&nbsp;

The ministerial conference begins amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and India. Adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz will travel to India tomorrow.&nbsp;

India had earlier ruled out any bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the conference, saying the &quot;atmosphere of continued terror&quot; proved to be a major hindrance.&nbsp;

Ahead of the conference, both India and Afghanistan had called terror emanating from Pakistan as the &quot;greatest threat&quot; to regional peace and stability. Both the countries are pressing hard for adopting the counter-terror framework at the conference.&nbsp;

Today, senior officials of all 14 countries, including India, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan were deliberating on a vast range of issues facing the region, including its complex security scenario, and dealing with the&nbsp;threat of terrorism, radicalisation, and extremism.

Issues like enhancing Afghanistan&#39;s connectivity with South and Central Asian countries to boost trade were being discussed at the senior officials&#39; meeting which was co-chaired by India&#39;s foreign secretary S Jaishankar and Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Hikmat Khaleel Karzai.

They will also finalise the text for tomorrow&#39;s ministerial conference and deliberate on its declaration which will have a&nbsp;substantial portion on terrorism.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

Pushing for a counter-terror framework, India & Afghanistan called terror emanating from Pakistan the 'greatest threat' to the region

Representatives from nearly 40 countries and leading groupings like the European Union are in the Indian holy city of Amritsar in Punjab to attend the Heart of Asia - Istanbul process, aimed at exploring ways to effectively deal with the threat of terrorism in the region. The annual conference is deliberating on various challenges facing Afghanistan, including the revival of a peace process in the country, which is facing the resurgence of Taliban. The conference will be jointly inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday. The ministerial conference begins amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and India. Adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz will travel to India tomorrow. India had earlier ruled out any bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines of the conference, saying the "atmosphere of continued terror" proved to be a major hindrance. Ahead of the conference, both India and Afghanistan had called terror emanating from Pakistan as the "greatest threat" to regional peace and stability. Both the countries are pressing hard for adopting the counter-terror framework at the conference. Today, senior officials of all 14 countries, including India, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan were deliberating on a vast range of issues facing the region, including its complex security scenario, and dealing with the threat of terrorism, radicalisation, and extremism. Issues like enhancing Afghanistan's connectivity with South and Central Asian countries to boost trade were being discussed at the senior officials' meeting which was co-chaired by India's foreign secretary S Jaishankar and Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Hikmat Khaleel Karzai. They will also finalise the text for tomorrow's ministerial conference and deliberate on its declaration which will have a substantial portion on terrorism. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Heart of Asia conference begins with focus on tackling terror

Taliban has killed 23 civilians after they lost 29 of their fighters in an abortive attack on police checkpoints in southern Afghanistan, police said on Friday.

&quot;The Taliban insurgents have launched coordinated attacks on police checkpoints in Nesh district of Kandahar yesterday (Thursday), and they faced resistance from Afghan forces,&quot; Kandahar police said in a press statement, news agency AFP reported.

&quot;Following the Taliban attack, 29 Taliban fighters were killed and a number of others sustained injuries, and large numbers of weapons and ammunition were confiscated from them,&quot; the statement said.

&quot;The brutal enemy after suffering defeat against Afghan forces, took their revenge by killing 23 civilians including five children and two women,&quot; it added.

According to AFP, the police statement said that the Taliban had sought refuge in the homes of civilians and killed them after they opposed the insurgents.

Nesh district police commander Niaz Mohammed &nbsp;told AFP that the attacks occurred on Wednesday and Thursday.

&quot;After their defeat, the Taliban wanted to hide in the houses and when the civilians showed their opposition, the Taliban killed them,&quot; he said.

&quot;Six members of a policeman&#39;s family were among the victims. In total 23 people (civilians) were killed.&quot;

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi rejected the claims as false while talking to AFP.

Nesh district borders the Uruzgan province, a major opium producer and has a high Taliban presence. But its population is known to be pro-government and insurgents rarely intervene there.

With the onset of winter, the security situation has eased on most fronts in recent weeks after a particularly brutal fighting season which left nearly &nbsp;2,600 civilians dead and another 5,800 wounded in the first nine months of the year, according to the UN.

The Afghan military has also suffered at least 2,000 casualties since January, AFP reported. A record half million people have been displaced by fighting.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Taliban lost 29 of their fighters in Nesh. Police say to avenge the defeat Taliban insurgents killed 23 civilians, including five children

Taliban has killed 23 civilians after they lost 29 of their fighters in an abortive attack on police checkpoints in southern Afghanistan, police said on Friday. "The Taliban insurgents have launched coordinated attacks on police checkpoints in Nesh district of Kandahar yesterday (Thursday), and they faced resistance from Afghan forces," Kandahar police said in a press statement, news agency AFP reported. "Following the Taliban attack, 29 Taliban fighters were killed and a number of others sustained injuries, and large numbers of weapons and ammunition were confiscated from them," the statement said. "The brutal enemy after suffering defeat against Afghan forces, took their revenge by killing 23 civilians including five children and two women," it added. According to AFP, the police statement said that the Taliban had sought refuge in the homes of civilians and killed them after they opposed the insurgents. Nesh district police commander Niaz Mohammed told AFP that the attacks occurred on Wednesday and Thursday. "After their defeat, the Taliban wanted to hide in the houses and when the civilians showed their opposition, the Taliban killed them," he said. "Six members of a policeman's family were among the victims. In total 23 people (civilians) were killed." Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi rejected the claims as false while talking to AFP. Nesh district borders the Uruzgan province, a major opium producer and has a high Taliban presence. But its population is known to be pro-government and insurgents rarely intervene there. With the onset of winter, the security situation has eased on most fronts in recent weeks after a particularly brutal fighting season which left nearly 2,600 civilians dead and another 5,800 wounded in the first nine months of the year, according to the UN. The Afghan military has also suffered at least 2,000 casualties since January, AFP reported. A record half million people have been displaced by fighting. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Taliban kill 23 civilians in Afghanistan after losing fighters: Police

The number of people displaced by conflict in Afghanistan this year has surpassed half a million people, the United Nations reported on Wednesday, the highest number since it began tracking such statistics in 2008.

More than 515,800 people have been internally displaced by fighting in 2016, surpassing the previous record of about 471,000 set last year, according to the UN&nbsp;Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Violence has spread around the country as the Western-backed government battles Taliban and other insurgent groups.

The Taliban are estimated to control or contest nearly a third of the country, and casualties among civilians and the security forces are near record highs.

Tens of thousands of Afghans have sought asylum in Europe and other areas, but many have been forced to return home.

This year, more than 600,000 Afghan refugees who had been living in Pakistan were pressured to return, adding to a potentially long-term burden carried by aid agencies and the Afghan government.

&quot;I am concerned these record figures show not just an alarming number of new IDPs, but a longer term crisis where increasing numbers of families in Afghanistan are facing prolonged displacement,&quot; U.N. humanitarian coordinator Mark Bowden said in a statement, referring to internally displaced people.

&quot;We must collectively rethink the manner in which we provide assistance and ensure that vulnerable displaced families not just receive lifesaving, emergency humanitarian assistance, but support that delivers a real opportunity for IDPs to rebuild their lives for the long-term.&quot;

The United Nations says it has received a little over half of the $152 million in emergency funding it needs to address the immediate needs of internally displaced people in Afghanistan.

(Reuters)

Thousands have sought asylum in Europe and other areas as the West-backed government battles Taliban and other insurgent groups

The number of people displaced by conflict in Afghanistan this year has surpassed half a million people, the United Nations reported on Wednesday, the highest number since it began tracking such statistics in 2008. More than 515,800 people have been internally displaced by fighting in 2016, surpassing the previous record of about 471,000 set last year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Violence has spread around the country as the Western-backed government battles Taliban and other insurgent groups. The Taliban are estimated to control or contest nearly a third of the country, and casualties among civilians and the security forces are near record highs. Tens of thousands of Afghans have sought asylum in Europe and other areas, but many have been forced to return home. This year, more than 600,000 Afghan refugees who had been living in Pakistan were pressured to return, adding to a potentially long-term burden carried by aid agencies and the Afghan government. "I am concerned these record figures show not just an alarming number of new IDPs, but a longer term crisis where increasing numbers of families in Afghanistan are facing prolonged displacement," U.N. humanitarian coordinator Mark Bowden said in a statement, referring to internally displaced people. "We must collectively rethink the manner in which we provide assistance and ensure that vulnerable displaced families not just receive lifesaving, emergency humanitarian assistance, but support that delivers a real opportunity for IDPs to rebuild their lives for the long-term." The United Nations says it has received a little over half of the $152 million in emergency funding it needs to address the immediate needs of internally displaced people in Afghanistan. (Reuters)

UN: Conflict displaced record number of Afghans in 2016

After two winters without snow, Kabul residents are anxiously scouring the hills for the first flakes, wary that the depletion of this major source of water further fuels instability in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

Historically speaking, a snowless year is highly unusual for this ancient capital, built 1,500 metres (5,000 feet) above sea-level in the foothills of the Hindu Kush. &quot;Kabul can be without gold, but not without snow&quot;, according to a local proverb. But as the world gets warmer, that is changing.

&quot;Countrywide, in the last decade nearly every year has seen either flooding or drought,&quot; Mohammad Salim, an expert at the United Nations Development Programs agency said. &quot;And if the current trends continue, droughts will become the new normal.&quot;&nbsp;

The mountainous land-locked country was classed in 2012 as among the most vulnerable to climate change, a worldwide problem that is the subject of a UN conference in Marrakesh this week. And it is here that the knock-on effects of global warming will be keenly felt.

Around 80 per cent of Afghanistan&#39;s economy is based on agriculture. Afghan farmers depend on reliable, year-round sources of surface water from melting snow on mountains to irrigate their crops and water their livestock. But only ten per cent of the country&#39;s land is still farmable because of the impact of recent climate-related disasters, Salim says.

That increasingly leaves rural folk in a desperate situation, says Kazim Hamayun, the deputy director of Afghanistan&#39;s National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA).

&quot;If they lose their jobs due to drought, they will join the militancy&quot; of the Taliban, he said.

&nbsp;

Hit and run 

&quot;Being a landlocked country, besides terrorism, climate change is a big challenge for Afghanistan.&quot;

&quot;Snow has decreased dramatically and the landscape is not made to absorb rain water. Droughts and land degradation can contribute to terrorism. It disrupts the social order,&quot; Hamayun&nbsp;added.

The Taliban&#39;s insurgency, which they have waged since being ousted from power in 2001 by a US-led coalition, has lately expanded to multiple provinces and beyond the traditional &quot;season&quot; that begins with the spring melt and ends with the first heavy falls of snow.

Last year, the fighting continued into winter as less snow made it easy for insurgents to remain mobile and conduct hit-and-run attacks in northern and central Afghanistan.

Consecutive droughts have plagued Afghanistan since the mid 1990s, hitting farmers in central provinces such as Bamiyan, where the water that drains from the Hindu Kush range is running low. &nbsp;

&quot;When I was child, I remember it was impossible to travel in winter in Bamiyan due to heavy snow. People could only travel on the roads by donkeys. But for the last three years the roads are open, the wells are dry and that is a huge problem,&quot; said Sayed Daoud Mosavi, Afghanistan&#39;s Director of Agriculture Projects.

He added people had stopped cultivating potatoes, one of the main crops in Bamiyan, in at least two districts due to lack of water.

&nbsp;

Record year

After two successive record-breaking years, 2016 is shaping up to be the hottest ever. According to Famine Early Warning Systems, a US-funded organisation that provides analysis on drought and food insecurity, there is a likelihood for &quot;average to below-average precipitation across much of Afghanistan&quot; during the wet season that began in October and lasts till May. &nbsp;

Shakir Majeedi, the deputy planning director for the ministry of agriculture and livestock, said the country was getting less snowfall each year due to climate change, making life difficult for some farmers.

&quot;The changes (in the climate) have made a lot of farmers food-insecure. It is too soon to predict this year&#39;s weather, but we hope to have enough snow and rain,&quot; he said.

(AFP)

Recent climate-related disasters have left only 10% of the country farmable. When farmers lose their jobs, they join the Taliban

After two winters without snow, Kabul residents are anxiously scouring the hills for the first flakes, wary that the depletion of this major source of water further fuels instability in war-ravaged Afghanistan. Historically speaking, a snowless year is highly unusual for this ancient capital, built 1,500 metres (5,000 feet) above sea-level in the foothills of the Hindu Kush. "Kabul can be without gold, but not without snow", according to a local proverb. But as the world gets warmer, that is changing. "Countrywide, in the last decade nearly every year has seen either flooding or drought," Mohammad Salim, an expert at the United Nations Development Programs agency said. "And if the current trends continue, droughts will become the new normal." The mountainous land-locked country was classed in 2012 as among the most vulnerable to climate change, a worldwide problem that is the subject of a UN conference in Marrakesh this week. And it is here that the knock-on effects of global warming will be keenly felt. Around 80 per cent of Afghanistan's economy is based on agriculture. Afghan farmers depend on reliable, year-round sources of surface water from melting snow on mountains to irrigate their crops and water their livestock. But only ten per cent of the country's land is still farmable because of the impact of recent climate-related disasters, Salim says. That increasingly leaves rural folk in a desperate situation, says Kazim Hamayun, the deputy director of Afghanistan's National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA). "If they lose their jobs due to drought, they will join the militancy" of the Taliban, he said. Hit and run "Being a landlocked country, besides terrorism, climate change is a big challenge for Afghanistan." "Snow has decreased dramatically and the landscape is not made to absorb rain water. Droughts and land degradation can contribute to terrorism. It disrupts the social order," Hamayun added. The Taliban's insurgency, which they have waged since being ousted from power in 2001 by a US-led coalition, has lately expanded to multiple provinces and beyond the traditional "season" that begins with the spring melt and ends with the first heavy falls of snow. Last year, the fighting continued into winter as less snow made it easy for insurgents to remain mobile and conduct hit-and-run attacks in northern and central Afghanistan. Consecutive droughts have plagued Afghanistan since the mid 1990s, hitting farmers in central provinces such as Bamiyan, where the water that drains from the Hindu Kush range is running low. "When I was child, I remember it was impossible to travel in winter in Bamiyan due to heavy snow. People could only travel on the roads by donkeys. But for the last three years the roads are open, the wells are dry and that is a huge problem," said Sayed Daoud Mosavi, Afghanistan's Director of Agriculture Projects. He added people had stopped cultivating potatoes, one of the main crops in Bamiyan, in at least two districts due to lack of water. Record year After two successive record-breaking years, 2016 is shaping up to be the hottest ever. According to Famine Early Warning Systems, a US-funded organisation that provides analysis on drought and food insecurity, there is a likelihood for "average to below-average precipitation across much of Afghanistan" during the wet season that began in October and lasts till May. Shakir Majeedi, the deputy planning director for the ministry of agriculture and livestock, said the country was getting less snowfall each year due to climate change, making life difficult for some farmers. "The changes (in the climate) have made a lot of farmers food-insecure. It is too soon to predict this year's weather, but we hope to have enough snow and rain," he said. (AFP)

In Afghanistan, climate change fuels insurgency

The death toll from a powerful Taliban truck bombing at the German consulate in Afghanistan&#39;s Mazar-i-Sharif city rose to at least six Friday, with more than 100 others wounded in a major militant assault.

The Taliban said the bombing late Thursday, which tore a massive crater in the road and overturned cars, was a &quot;revenge attack&quot; for US air strikes this month in the volatile province of Kunduz that left 32 civilians dead. The explosion, followed by sporadic gunfire, reverberated across the usually tranquil northern city, shearing off the facades of nearby buildings and blowing out windows several miles away.

&quot;The suicide attacker rammed his explosives-laden car into the wall of the German consulate,&quot; local police chief Sayed Kamal Sadat told AFP.

All German staff from the consulate were unharmed, according to the foreign ministry in Berlin. The city&#39;s hospitals received six dead bodies, including two killed by bullets, said local doctor Noor Mohammad Fayez.

At least 128 others were wounded, some of them critically and many with shrapnel injuries, he added.

Deputy police chief Abdul Razaq Qadri gave a death toll of seven, including two motorcyclists who were shot dead by German forces close to the consulate after they refused to heed their warning to stop. A suspect had also been detained near the diplomatic mission on Friday morning, Qadri added.

&quot;The consulate building has been heavily damaged,&quot; the German foreign ministry said in a statement. &quot;Our sympathies go out to the Afghan injured and their families.&quot;

A diplomatic source in Berlin said Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had convened a crisis meeting soon after the attack. &quot;There was fighting outside and on the grounds of the consulate,&quot; a ministry spokesman said. &quot;Afghan security forces and Resolute Support (NATO) forces from Camp Marmal (German base in Mazar-i-Sharif) are on the scene.&quot;

Afghan special forces cordoned off the consulate, previously well-known as Mazar Hotel, after the explosion as helicopters flew over the site and ambulances with wailing sirens rushed to the area. The carnage underscores worsening insecurity in Afghanistan as Taliban insurgents ramp up nationwide attacks despite repeated government attempts to jump-start stalled peace negotiations.&nbsp;

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the &quot;barbaric&quot; attack, calling it a crime against humanity.

America&#39;s longest war&nbsp;

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the &quot;martyrdom attack&quot; on the consulate had left &quot;tens of invaders&quot; dead. The insurgents routinely exaggerate battlefield claims.&nbsp;

Posting a Google Earth image of the consulate on Twitter, Mujahid said the assault was in retaliation for American air strikes in Kunduz.

US forces conceded last week that its air strikes &quot;very likely&quot; resulted in civilian casualties in Kunduz, pledging a full investigation into the incident. The strikes killed several children and triggered impassioned protests in Kunduz city, with the victims&#39; relatives parading mutilated bodies of dead children piled into open trucks through the streets.

They came after a Taliban assault left two American soldiers and three Afghan special forces soldiers dead near Kunduz city. Civilian casualties caused by NATO forces have been one of the most contentious issues in the 15-year campaign against the insurgents, prompting strong public and government criticism.

The country&#39;s worsening conflict has prompted US forces to step up air strikes to support their struggling Afghan counterparts, fuelling the perception that they are increasingly being drawn back into the conflict. The latest attack in Mazar-i-Sharif comes just two days after a bitter US presidential election.

Afghanistan got scarcely a passing mention in the election campaign -- even though the situation there will be an urgent matter for the new president.

President-elect Donald Trump is set to inherit America&#39;s longest war with no end in sight.

(AFP)

The consulate in Afghanistan's northern Mazar-i-Sharif city was hit by a truck bomb

The death toll from a powerful Taliban truck bombing at the German consulate in Afghanistan's Mazar-i-Sharif city rose to at least six Friday, with more than 100 others wounded in a major militant assault. The Taliban said the bombing late Thursday, which tore a massive crater in the road and overturned cars, was a "revenge attack" for US air strikes this month in the volatile province of Kunduz that left 32 civilians dead. The explosion, followed by sporadic gunfire, reverberated across the usually tranquil northern city, shearing off the facades of nearby buildings and blowing out windows several miles away. "The suicide attacker rammed his explosives-laden car into the wall of the German consulate," local police chief Sayed Kamal Sadat told AFP. All German staff from the consulate were unharmed, according to the foreign ministry in Berlin. The city's hospitals received six dead bodies, including two killed by bullets, said local doctor Noor Mohammad Fayez. At least 128 others were wounded, some of them critically and many with shrapnel injuries, he added. Deputy police chief Abdul Razaq Qadri gave a death toll of seven, including two motorcyclists who were shot dead by German forces close to the consulate after they refused to heed their warning to stop. A suspect had also been detained near the diplomatic mission on Friday morning, Qadri added. "The consulate building has been heavily damaged," the German foreign ministry said in a statement. "Our sympathies go out to the Afghan injured and their families." A diplomatic source in Berlin said Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had convened a crisis meeting soon after the attack. "There was fighting outside and on the grounds of the consulate," a ministry spokesman said. "Afghan security forces and Resolute Support (NATO) forces from Camp Marmal (German base in Mazar-i-Sharif) are on the scene." Afghan special forces cordoned off the consulate, previously well-known as Mazar Hotel, after the explosion as helicopters flew over the site and ambulances with wailing sirens rushed to the area. The carnage underscores worsening insecurity in Afghanistan as Taliban insurgents ramp up nationwide attacks despite repeated government attempts to jump-start stalled peace negotiations. President Ashraf Ghani condemned the "barbaric" attack, calling it a crime against humanity. America's longest war Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the "martyrdom attack" on the consulate had left "tens of invaders" dead. The insurgents routinely exaggerate battlefield claims. Posting a Google Earth image of the consulate on Twitter, Mujahid said the assault was in retaliation for American air strikes in Kunduz. US forces conceded last week that its air strikes "very likely" resulted in civilian casualties in Kunduz, pledging a full investigation into the incident. The strikes killed several children and triggered impassioned protests in Kunduz city, with the victims' relatives parading mutilated bodies of dead children piled into open trucks through the streets. They came after a Taliban assault left two American soldiers and three Afghan special forces soldiers dead near Kunduz city. Civilian casualties caused by NATO forces have been one of the most contentious issues in the 15-year campaign against the insurgents, prompting strong public and government criticism. The country's worsening conflict has prompted US forces to step up air strikes to support their struggling Afghan counterparts, fuelling the perception that they are increasingly being drawn back into the conflict. The latest attack in Mazar-i-Sharif comes just two days after a bitter US presidential election. Afghanistan got scarcely a passing mention in the election campaign -- even though the situation there will be an urgent matter for the new president. President-elect Donald Trump is set to inherit America's longest war with no end in sight. (AFP)

Afghanistan: At least 6 killed, over 100 injured in Taliban attack on German consulate

The death rate among Afghan security forces is surging far above last year&#39;s levels, a US government watchdog said today, and slew of social gains in the war-torn nation is also eroding.

Afghan forces are nearing the end of their second year providing security across their war-torn country, after NATO moved into an advisory and training role, and the toll on the local forces has been devastating.

2015 was a terrible year, with an estimated 5,000 killed and another 15,000 wounded, primarily by the Taliban.

But the death toll this year is already much worse: From January 1 through August 19, a total of 5,523 Afghan service members were killed, according to a quarterly report from the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

An additional 9,665 members were wounded during the same period, the report found.

Violence from the Taliban and other insurgent groups typically spikes over the summer during the &quot;fighting season.&quot;

But increasingly, militants continue launching attacks throughout the year, meaning the death rate will likely rise further still.

&quot;The most immediate challenge to the US reconstruction effort, and to the viability of the Afghan nation state, remains the armed insurgency pursued by the Taliban and other factions,&quot; the inspector general, John Sopko, said in the report.

US Army General John Nicholson, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, warned a week ago that basic leadership failures in many Afghan police and military units were helping drive casualty rates higher.

Still, SIGAR found, morale within the ranks appears good, with three-quarters of recruits saying they have received good care and 90 percent satisfied with their pay.

The report also found that gains in key social areas such as poverty, unemployment, women&#39;s rights and the education gender gap have all eroded this year.

&quot;Deep-rooted cultural traditions and a persistent insurgency continue to threaten the physical safety and health of Afghan women and hold them back from entering public life,&quot; the report states.

The Afghan government still only has full control of two-thirds of the country&#39;s population of 30 million.

Ten per cent is in Taliban hands, and the rest is still being fought over.

This summer&#39;s fighting saw the Taliban try at least seven times to seize a provincial capital, as they did in Kunduz last year.

The Afghans managed to repel these thanks to NATO support, easier rules for the United States to strike targets and the growing confidence of the Afghan air force.&nbsp;

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

A total of 5,523 service members have been killed between January 1 and August 19 this year, which is higher than the death toll of 2015

The death rate among Afghan security forces is surging far above last year's levels, a US government watchdog said today, and slew of social gains in the war-torn nation is also eroding. Afghan forces are nearing the end of their second year providing security across their war-torn country, after NATO moved into an advisory and training role, and the toll on the local forces has been devastating. 2015 was a terrible year, with an estimated 5,000 killed and another 15,000 wounded, primarily by the Taliban. But the death toll this year is already much worse: From January 1 through August 19, a total of 5,523 Afghan service members were killed, according to a quarterly report from the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). An additional 9,665 members were wounded during the same period, the report found. Violence from the Taliban and other insurgent groups typically spikes over the summer during the "fighting season." But increasingly, militants continue launching attacks throughout the year, meaning the death rate will likely rise further still. "The most immediate challenge to the US reconstruction effort, and to the viability of the Afghan nation state, remains the armed insurgency pursued by the Taliban and other factions," the inspector general, John Sopko, said in the report. US Army General John Nicholson, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, warned a week ago that basic leadership failures in many Afghan police and military units were helping drive casualty rates higher. Still, SIGAR found, morale within the ranks appears good, with three-quarters of recruits saying they have received good care and 90 percent satisfied with their pay. The report also found that gains in key social areas such as poverty, unemployment, women's rights and the education gender gap have all eroded this year. "Deep-rooted cultural traditions and a persistent insurgency continue to threaten the physical safety and health of Afghan women and hold them back from entering public life," the report states. The Afghan government still only has full control of two-thirds of the country's population of 30 million. Ten per cent is in Taliban hands, and the rest is still being fought over. This summer's fighting saw the Taliban try at least seven times to seize a provincial capital, as they did in Kunduz last year. The Afghans managed to repel these thanks to NATO support, easier rules for the United States to strike targets and the growing confidence of the Afghan air force. (AFP)

Afghanistan: Surge in military death rate erodes social gains

An airstrike by the United States and Afghan forces struck the home of a Taliban commander in Afghanistan&#39;s Nangarhar provinces, causing several civilian casualties, government and the Taliban&nbsp;said.

A police official said that the strike was carried out by an unmanned aircraft and killed four people inside the house, Reuters reported.

The strike targeted the home of Mawlawi Mohammad Alam, a Taliban commander in the Sherzad district, Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor said. He said that though there were casualties, he could not confirm numbers, Reuters reported.

The Taliban said in a statement two civilians were killed and more than 30 injured in the airstrike carried out on Mohammad Alam&#39;s home by American and Afghan forces. A ground attack preceded the airstrike.

A dozen wounded civilians, among them seven children and five women, were taken to the local hospital. Four of them are in a critical condition, Najibullah Kamawal, the director of provincial health services told Reuters.

On Friday, US forces carried out a strike in Sherzad in defence of &quot;friendly forces&quot;, a spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in Kabul. He gave no details of the strike but said that civilian casualties would be investigated.

&quot;We take all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and will work with our Afghan partners to review all related material,&quot; Brigadier General Charles Cleveland said in an emailed statement.

The United States has carried out many raids against the Islamic State and al Qaeda militants in eastern Afghanistan. New combat rules, issued this year, have given U.S. commanders greater scope of attacking Taliban militants, pushing up the number of airstrikes sharply, Reuters reports.

Last Sunday, two al Qaeda leaders were killed in an airstrike in the neighbouring province of Kunar, Reuters reported.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

A police official said the strike was carried out by an unmanned aircraft and killed four people inside the house

An airstrike by the United States and Afghan forces struck the home of a Taliban commander in Afghanistan's Nangarhar provinces, causing several civilian casualties, government and the Taliban said. A police official said that the strike was carried out by an unmanned aircraft and killed four people inside the house, Reuters reported. The strike targeted the home of Mawlawi Mohammad Alam, a Taliban commander in the Sherzad district, Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor said. He said that though there were casualties, he could not confirm numbers, Reuters reported. The Taliban said in a statement two civilians were killed and more than 30 injured in the airstrike carried out on Mohammad Alam's home by American and Afghan forces. A ground attack preceded the airstrike. A dozen wounded civilians, among them seven children and five women, were taken to the local hospital. Four of them are in a critical condition, Najibullah Kamawal, the director of provincial health services told Reuters. On Friday, US forces carried out a strike in Sherzad in defence of "friendly forces", a spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in Kabul. He gave no details of the strike but said that civilian casualties would be investigated. "We take all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and will work with our Afghan partners to review all related material," Brigadier General Charles Cleveland said in an emailed statement. The United States has carried out many raids against the Islamic State and al Qaeda militants in eastern Afghanistan. New combat rules, issued this year, have given U.S. commanders greater scope of attacking Taliban militants, pushing up the number of airstrikes sharply, Reuters reports. Last Sunday, two al Qaeda leaders were killed in an airstrike in the neighbouring province of Kunar, Reuters reported. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Afghanistan: US-backed airstrike at Taliban leader's home causes civilian casualties

By Taha Siddiqui

&nbsp;

Three suicide bombers entered a police training academy in the garrison city of Quetta in Pakistan on Monday at about 11:30 pm and wreaked havoc, killing more than 60 fresh recruits.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

A battle between the security forces led by Pakistan Army and the assailants ensued and&nbsp;lasted for nearly five hours. The Pakistan Army managed to clear the area, killing one bomber while the other two detonated themselves.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Islamic State claimed the attack through its news agency, posting a photo of the three bombers. &nbsp;However, WION correspondent also received an email from the Pakistani Taliban&rsquo;s Karachi faction that also claimed the attack.&nbsp;Earlier, the Pakistan Army on its official site had&nbsp;said that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Aalmi was behind the attack&ndash; a group known to have links with another militant outfit al Qaeda.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Security experts are of the view that there is nothing new about conflicting claims&nbsp;as many militants work for different outfits but cooperate with each other during such terror attacks.

&nbsp;

Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel&nbsp;met Prime Minister Nawaz&nbsp;Sharif at a high-level security meeting where the law and order situation of the restive Balochistan province, home to many notorious militant organisations, was discussed.&nbsp;Reports also suggest that militants from the Afghan Taliban have taken a refuge in the province.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Besides the foreign militant groups, local ethnic population has also been waging a war against the Pakistani state for the last three decades as the Baloch people demand a separate state.

&nbsp;

The province grabbed headlines in the&nbsp;recent months after the India Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s Independence Day speech where he raised the issue of Balochistan.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

China, Pakistan&rsquo;s so-called all-weather friend, is heavily investing in the province in exchange of access to the Gwadar seaport in the region.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

However, amid the worsening law and order situation in the province, analysts are skeptical if the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) can become a reality one day.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In August, a suicide bombing at a Quetta hospital claimed by the Pakistani Taliban had killed 73 people, including some members of the city&#39;s lawyer community, who had gone there to mourn the fatal shooting of a colleague.

&nbsp;

In the wake of spate in terror attacks in Pakistan in the past two months, questions are being raised about the country&rsquo;s counter-terrorism policy.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Several militant groups, especially those engaged in regional conflicts, continue to exist on Pakistani soil.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&ldquo;You see them operating all around us. Everywhere. They openly hold rallies, and congregations, and put banners across the cities&hellip; So where is the zero tolerance policy and the National Action Plan?&rdquo; says senator Rubina Khalid, who belongs to Pakistan People&rsquo;s Party, which leads the opposition in the parliament.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The National Action Plan was established by government of Pakistan in 2015 following 2014 Peshawar school attack that had left more than 130 children dead. The plan aims to crack down on terrorism.

&nbsp;

Later, the government also announced a zero-tolerance militant policy, however, its implementation is questionable.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&ldquo;There is no good or bad Taliban. They are all the same. Being on [Pakistan&rsquo;s] side does not make you good &ndash; an evil is an evil,&rdquo; Khalid adds.

&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

After a spate of terror attacks in Pakistan over the past two months, questions are being raised about its counter-terrorism policy

By Taha Siddiqui Three suicide bombers entered a police training academy in the garrison city of Quetta in Pakistan on Monday at about 11:30 pm and wreaked havoc, killing more than 60 fresh recruits. A battle between the security forces led by Pakistan Army and the assailants ensued and lasted for nearly five hours. The Pakistan Army managed to clear the area, killing one bomber while the other two detonated themselves. The Islamic State claimed the attack through its news agency, posting a photo of the three bombers. However, WION correspondent also received an email from the Pakistani Taliban’s Karachi faction that also claimed the attack. Earlier, the Pakistan Army on its official site had said that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Aalmi was behind the attack– a group known to have links with another militant outfit al Qaeda. Security experts are of the view that there is nothing new about conflicting claims as many militants work for different outfits but cooperate with each other during such terror attacks. Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at a high-level security meeting where the law and order situation of the restive Balochistan province, home to many notorious militant organisations, was discussed. Reports also suggest that militants from the Afghan Taliban have taken a refuge in the province. Besides the foreign militant groups, local ethnic population has also been waging a war against the Pakistani state for the last three decades as the Baloch people demand a separate state. The province grabbed headlines in the recent months after the India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech where he raised the issue of Balochistan. China, Pakistan’s so-called all-weather friend, is heavily investing in the province in exchange of access to the Gwadar seaport in the region. However, amid the worsening law and order situation in the province, analysts are skeptical if the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) can become a reality one day. In August, a suicide bombing at a Quetta hospital claimed by the Pakistani Taliban had killed 73 people, including some members of the city's lawyer community, who had gone there to mourn the fatal shooting of a colleague. In the wake of spate in terror attacks in Pakistan in the past two months, questions are being raised about the country’s counter-terrorism policy. Several militant groups, especially those engaged in regional conflicts, continue to exist on Pakistani soil. “You see them operating all around us. Everywhere. They openly hold rallies, and congregations, and put banners across the cities… So where is the zero tolerance policy and the National Action Plan?” says senator Rubina Khalid, who belongs to Pakistan People’s Party, which leads the opposition in the parliament. The National Action Plan was established by government of Pakistan in 2015 following 2014 Peshawar school attack that had left more than 130 children dead. The plan aims to crack down on terrorism. Later, the government also announced a zero-tolerance militant policy, however, its implementation is questionable. “There is no good or bad Taliban. They are all the same. Being on [Pakistan’s] side does not make you good – an evil is an evil,” Khalid adds. (WION)

Quetta attack: Time to review good and bad Taliban policy

A three-member delegation from the Taliban&#39;s political office in Afghanistan is currently in Pakistan to hold peace talks to end Afghanistan&#39;s 15-year-long war. The meet comes close on the heels of an informal meet between&nbsp;the Taliban and&nbsp;both&nbsp;US and Afghanistan officials in Qatar, the first of the talks&nbsp;in more than a year.&nbsp;

Political officials from Qatar --&nbsp;Shahabuddin Dilawar, Jan Mohammad and Abdul Salam Hanafi --&nbsp;and some other officials will brief the Pakistani security agencies about&nbsp;the Qatar meetings, of&nbsp;which Pakistan was not a part, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

According to Reuters, a Taliban official had said&nbsp;a Pakistan security&nbsp;agency&nbsp;arrested a senior Taliban commander&nbsp;in a house raid in Quetta to express discontent at being left out of the Qatar talks.&nbsp;

&quot;We don&#39;t know what&#39;s going on, but this is second time during the past two months that Pakistani authorities raided a madrassa in Quetta to arrest senior Taliban member,&quot; the Quetta-based Taliban said.

While Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that the delegation will visit Pakistan, it&nbsp;denied that Qatar talks ever took place.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Pakistan foreign ministry said that it is not aware of any Taliban delegation visiting Pakistan.&nbsp;

Pakistan had hosted the first round of peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban, but had cancelled the second after the news broke out that&nbsp;the&nbsp;Afghan Taliban leader,&nbsp;Mullah Omar,&nbsp;had been dead for two years.&nbsp;

The Taliban had been keeping Omar&#39;s death&nbsp;a secret.&nbsp;Official statements were released in his name after his death.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The meet comes close on the heels of talks between Qatar and US and Afghan officials, of which Pakistan was not a part

A three-member delegation from the Taliban's political office in Afghanistan is currently in Pakistan to hold peace talks to end Afghanistan's 15-year-long war. The meet comes close on the heels of an informal meet between the Taliban and both US and Afghanistan officials in Qatar, the first of the talks in more than a year. Political officials from Qatar -- Shahabuddin Dilawar, Jan Mohammad and Abdul Salam Hanafi -- and some other officials will brief the Pakistani security agencies about the Qatar meetings, of which Pakistan was not a part, Reuters reported. According to Reuters, a Taliban official had said a Pakistan security agency arrested a senior Taliban commander in a house raid in Quetta to express discontent at being left out of the Qatar talks. "We don't know what's going on, but this is second time during the past two months that Pakistani authorities raided a madrassa in Quetta to arrest senior Taliban member," the Quetta-based Taliban said. While Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that the delegation will visit Pakistan, it denied that Qatar talks ever took place. The Pakistan foreign ministry said that it is not aware of any Taliban delegation visiting Pakistan. Pakistan had hosted the first round of peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban, but had cancelled the second after the news broke out that the Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, had been dead for two years. The Taliban had been keeping Omar's death a secret. Official statements were released in his name after his death. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Taliban delegation visits Pakistan for peace talks

Stressing that their &#39;hardline policy remains unchanged&#39;, the Taliban rejected reports of secret meetings with the Afghan government in a bid to resume peace talks, international news agency AFP reported today.&nbsp;

A report in Britain&#39;s Guardian newspaper on Tuesday stated that Afghan government and Taliban &quot;restarted secret peace talks in September and have held two rounds of discussions in Qatar&quot;. &nbsp;The talks were attended by Mullah Abdull Manan Akhund, brother of Taliban founder and long-time leader Mullah Omar who died in 2013, the report further said.&nbsp;

But AFP quoted Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying: &quot;The representatives of the Islamic Emirate have not met with Stanekzai or any other officials. Our stance about the negotiations has not changed. Our policy is very clear on that,&quot; Mujahid said, referring to the Taliban`s official title.&quot; &nbsp; The international news agency said that he denied any reports of talks or meetings in a statement released by the Islamic fundamentalist organisation.&nbsp;

The Taliban have long insisted on the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan as a precondition for peace talks with the government, AFP observes.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The Islamic fundamentalist organisation insisted that its 'hardline policy remains unchanged'

Stressing that their 'hardline policy remains unchanged', the Taliban rejected reports of secret meetings with the Afghan government in a bid to resume peace talks, international news agency AFP reported today. A report in Britain's Guardian newspaper on Tuesday stated that Afghan government and Taliban "restarted secret peace talks in September and have held two rounds of discussions in Qatar". The talks were attended by Mullah Abdull Manan Akhund, brother of Taliban founder and long-time leader Mullah Omar who died in 2013, the report further said. But AFP quoted Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying: "The representatives of the Islamic Emirate have not met with Stanekzai or any other officials. Our stance about the negotiations has not changed. Our policy is very clear on that," Mujahid said, referring to the Taliban`s official title." The international news agency said that he denied any reports of talks or meetings in a statement released by the Islamic fundamentalist organisation. The Taliban have long insisted on the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan as a precondition for peace talks with the government, AFP observes. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Taliban rejects reports of 'peace talks' with Afghanistan

Nepal has lifted a four-month ban on workers going to Afghanistan, which was imposed following the killings of Nepalese security guards in a Taliban attack.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The spokesperson at the ministry of labour and employment, Govinda Mani Bhurtel, told Xinhua news agency on &nbsp;Sunday that the decision was made at last week&#39;s cabinet meeting.

&nbsp;

The South Asian country&nbsp;imposed the ban on June 23 after the Taliban attack on June 20, killed 13 Nepalese and two Indian nationals who were working as guards at the Canadian Embassy in Kabul.

&nbsp;

Bhurtel said the ban was lifted under certain conditions under which Nepalese workers will be allowed to work only inside the green zone where the UN and other diplomatic agencies are present.

&nbsp;

&quot;The employer should arrange shelter for Nepalese workers around the workplace and if they have to travel outside, there should be the provision of security escort and bullet proof vehicles,&quot; Bhurtel added.

 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The ban was imposed?on June 23 ?after a?Taliban attack?killed 13 Nepalese who were?working as guards at the Canadian Embassy in Kabul

Nepal has lifted a four-month ban on workers going to Afghanistan, which was imposed following the killings of Nepalese security guards in a Taliban attack. The spokesperson at the ministry of labour and employment, Govinda Mani Bhurtel, told Xinhua news agency on Sunday that the decision was made at last week's cabinet meeting. The South Asian country imposed the ban on June 23 after the Taliban attack on June 20, killed 13 Nepalese and two Indian nationals who were working as guards at the Canadian Embassy in Kabul. Bhurtel said the ban was lifted under certain conditions under which Nepalese workers will be allowed to work only inside the green zone where the UN and other diplomatic agencies are present. "The employer should arrange shelter for Nepalese workers around the workplace and if they have to travel outside, there should be the provision of security escort and bullet proof vehicles," Bhurtel added. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Nepal lifts ban on sending workers to Afghanistan

Eight al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, who were plotting to target atomic installations and offices of intelligence agencies, were killed by Pakistani security forces in the country&#39;s relatively peaceful Punjab province, officials said today.

&nbsp;

Punjab police&#39;s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said their officials were working on the&nbsp;intelligence input that the terrorists&nbsp;were planning to attack a Shia procession near Multan district, about 350 kilometres from Lahore.

&nbsp;

CTD officials and other security agencies conducted combing operations in Shujaabad area of the district.

&nbsp;

During these operations, the CTD team learnt that the terrorists&nbsp;belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al-Qaeda had moved to Dera Ghazi Khan.

&nbsp;

&quot;Yesterday, when a CTD team raided the suspects&#39; hideout in Dera Ghazi Khan the terrorists opened fire and hurled hand-grenades. The CTD team retaliated in self-defence. When the firing stopped, eight terrorists were found dead,&quot; it said.

&nbsp;

Three terrorists&nbsp;managed to escape, officials said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the official sources said the terrorists had stored a &quot;good amount of ammunition&quot; including Kalashnikovs, hand grenades and explosives at their hideout in Tonmi Road of DG Khan.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(PTI)&nbsp;

The terrorists were plotting to target atomic installations and offices of intelligence agencies, Punjab police said

Eight al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, who were plotting to target atomic installations and offices of intelligence agencies, were killed by Pakistani security forces in the country's relatively peaceful Punjab province, officials said today. Punjab police's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said their officials were working on the intelligence input that the terrorists were planning to attack a Shia procession near Multan district, about 350 kilometres from Lahore. CTD officials and other security agencies conducted combing operations in Shujaabad area of the district. During these operations, the CTD team learnt that the terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al-Qaeda had moved to Dera Ghazi Khan. "Yesterday, when a CTD team raided the suspects' hideout in Dera Ghazi Khan the terrorists opened fire and hurled hand-grenades. The CTD team retaliated in self-defence. When the firing stopped, eight terrorists were found dead," it said. Three terrorists managed to escape, officials said. Meanwhile, the official sources said the terrorists had stored a "good amount of ammunition" including Kalashnikovs, hand grenades and explosives at their hideout in Tonmi Road of DG Khan. (PTI)

Eight terrorists killed in Pakistan's Punjab: Officials

At least 14 people were killed in a suicide car bombing attack in Afghanistan&#39;s capital of southern Helmand province as the Taliban attempted to enter Lashkargah city.

According to the local government officials, the suicide attack was carried out in the 2nd police district of the city amid ongoing clashes between the Afghan forces and the Taliban insurgents, Khaama Press reported.

Nad Ali district chief Maji Marjan said the explosion happened around 11.30am (local time) in the Mukhtar area of Lashkargah&#39;s police district 2.

Marjan added that at least 10 police officers, including his brother, and four civilians died in the bombing. The police chief warned an increase in the death toll as many people remain unaccounted for after the explosion.

A doctor at the international emergency hospital in Lashkargah said 14 bodies had been brought to the clinic, Press Trust of India reported.

However, the provincial hospital sources said at least 30 people wounded in the suicide attack were taken to the emergency hospital from the site of the incident, reported Khaama Press.

An interior ministry spokesman in Afghan capital of Kabul confirmed the attack. Sediq Sediqqi said that the Taliban had launched a large-scale attack on security checkpoints in Lashkargah on Monday.

Taliban militants breached the Afghan forces&#39; &quot;defense security belt&quot;, said Abdul Majeed Akhonzada, the deputy director of Helmand&#39;s provincial council.

However, Seddiqui expressed confidence that the Afghan security forces &quot;will soon push them back.&quot;

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the insurgents were advancing through Lashkargah, PTI reported.

Provincial officials have said the Taliban now control 85 per cent of the Helmand province, while only a year ago, the government controlled 80 per cent. The province&#39;s opium output worth an estimated $4 billion a year provides funds for the Taliban&#39;s war, making it strategically important for the terror group.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The attack was carried out in the 2nd police district of the Lashkargah city, killing 10 Afghan police officers and four civilians

At least 14 people were killed in a suicide car bombing attack in Afghanistan's capital of southern Helmand province as the Taliban attempted to enter Lashkargah city. According to the local government officials, the suicide attack was carried out in the 2nd police district of the city amid ongoing clashes between the Afghan forces and the Taliban insurgents, Khaama Press reported. Nad Ali district chief Maji Marjan said the explosion happened around 11.30am (local time) in the Mukhtar area of Lashkargah's police district 2. Marjan added that at least 10 police officers, including his brother, and four civilians died in the bombing. The police chief warned an increase in the death toll as many people remain unaccounted for after the explosion. A doctor at the international emergency hospital in Lashkargah said 14 bodies had been brought to the clinic, Press Trust of India reported. However, the provincial hospital sources said at least 30 people wounded in the suicide attack were taken to the emergency hospital from the site of the incident, reported Khaama Press. An interior ministry spokesman in Afghan capital of Kabul confirmed the attack. Sediq Sediqqi said that the Taliban had launched a large-scale attack on security checkpoints in Lashkargah on Monday. Taliban militants breached the Afghan forces' "defense security belt", said Abdul Majeed Akhonzada, the deputy director of Helmand's provincial council. However, Seddiqui expressed confidence that the Afghan security forces "will soon push them back." A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the insurgents were advancing through Lashkargah, PTI reported. Provincial officials have said the Taliban now control 85 per cent of the Helmand province, while only a year ago, the government controlled 80 per cent. The province's opium output worth an estimated $4 billion a year provides funds for the Taliban's war, making it strategically important for the terror group. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Suicide car bomb attack kills 14 in Afghanistan's Helmand province

Seven Afghan army soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash today in northern Baghlan province, ANI reported.&nbsp;

Afghanistan defence ministry spokesman, Dawlat Waziri said three soldiers and four crew members died. The crash occurred due to a technical problem, he added.&nbsp;

&quot;Around 4am, two M-17 helicopters were supplying a base in Qorghan Tepa of Baghlan, and one of them caught fire due to technical failure and crashed,&quot;&nbsp;

However, Taliban&nbsp;in a statement to the media said the helicopter was shot down by the group&#39;s fighters.&nbsp;

The helicopter was carrying supplies for a military base when it crashed in Dand-e-Ghori district.&nbsp;

The Taliban attempted to overrun Baghlan capital, Pul-e Khumri, but were pushed back by Afghan forces.&nbsp;

(WION)

The country's defence ministry has however said that the chopper crashed due to a technical fault

Seven Afghan army soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash today in northern Baghlan province, ANI reported. Afghanistan defence ministry spokesman, Dawlat Waziri said three soldiers and four crew members died. The crash occurred due to a technical problem, he added. "Around 4am, two M-17 helicopters were supplying a base in Qorghan Tepa of Baghlan, and one of them caught fire due to technical failure and crashed," However, Taliban in a statement to the media said the helicopter was shot down by the group's fighters. The helicopter was carrying supplies for a military base when it crashed in Dand-e-Ghori district. The Taliban attempted to overrun Baghlan capital, Pul-e Khumri, but were pushed back by Afghan forces. (WION)

Seven dead as Afghan military helicopter 'shot down' by Taliban

Mohammad Anwar arrived in Pakistan as a child more than 35 years ago but is leaving as a father, his family among the thousands of uprooted Afghan refugees &quot;returning&quot; to a war-torn homeland many of them have never seen.&nbsp;Anwar, disbelieving and grief-stricken, has packed the bric-a-brac of a lifetime onto a truck wildly painted in baroque colours but says he is leaving his heart and soul in Peshawar, the city that sheltered him for decades.

&quot;We can&#39;t forget the time we passed here, we were treated like brothers,&quot; he tells AFP. &quot;Insha&#39;Allah, we will come here again, this time with passports.&quot;

Pakistan has provided safe haven for decades for millions like Anwar, who fled Afghanistan with his family when he was just seven&nbsp;years&nbsp;old, after the Soviet invasion of 1979.&nbsp;But as the fight against the Soviets morphed into civil war, Taliban rule, the US invasion and the grinding conflict in Afghanistan today, even Pakistan&#39;s famed hospitality has run out.

Pakistan hosts 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees, according to UNHCR, making it the third-largest refugee hosting nation in the world. A UNHCR official said the agency also estimates a further one million unregistered refugees are in the country.&nbsp;Since 2009, Islamabad has repeatedly pushed back a deadline for them to return, but fears are growing that the latest cutoff date in March 2017 will be final.&nbsp;Meanwhile, refugees are increasingly worried about their future in Pakistan amid a security crackdown against undocumented foreigners.&nbsp;

The anxiety, combined with a UN decision to double its cash grant for voluntary returnees from $200 to $400 per individual in June, has seen the flow of refugees over the border become a torrent.&nbsp;More than 200,000 have crossed this year, the vast majority since July,&nbsp;including nearly 98,000 in September alone, says UNHCR.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Tears, trucks at Torkham

Anwar fills out documents at a UNHCR centre outside Peshawar crammed with men in Afghan caps and turbans. Children lie on the floor as mothers in veils fan themselves in the steamy heat.&nbsp;They face an uncertain future in an Afghanistan still at war and already overwhelmed by so many people fleeing fighting that officials warn of a humanitarian crisis.

But first they will pass the Torkham frontier, a mountainous outpost where,&nbsp;until this year&nbsp;border &quot;controls&quot; were more of a suggestion, and thousands crossed each day with impunity.

When AFP visited recently a gleaming new gate, constructed in June and reinforced by two kilometres of barbed wire,&nbsp;travellers funnelled&nbsp;through customs queues and scanning machines.

Pakistani pride in the new facilities contrasted with tearful Afghan refugees piling their trucks high, not just with household goods, but cattle, tree trunks and scraps that could help build even a mud hut once they reach Afghanistan.&nbsp;

&quot;We spent our best time here,&quot; 45-year-old Khair Muhammad, returning after 36 years with 21 members of his family, told AFP tearfully. His truck was loaded with beds, fans, wood, utensils, and a cow and her calf.&nbsp;&quot;We never thought, never even imagined that we would return in such circumstances,&quot; said 29-year-old Inamullah Khan.

&nbsp;

End of the road

With a resurgent Taliban in control of roughly one-third of Afghanistan&#39;s districts, many returning refugees will travel no further than Kabul.

Among them is Abdhur Rahman, who left for Pakistan 30 years ago, fleeing a province which is now buffeted by Taliban attacks.&nbsp;He returns aged 70, grey turbanned with his white beard curling over his chest, patriarch of a family of 25.&nbsp;

But the former peasant and anti-Soviet fighter from Paktia in the east will find little support in the overstretched capital. Kabul already has one of the highest population growth rates in the region: some 1,200 people every day, says European Union ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin.

The UN put the number of displaced people in the city last month at 265,000, and in 2013 the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) documented 53 informal settlements, little more than timber clinging to the side of mountains with neither water nor electricity.

Abdhur Rahman speaks soberly of his last days in Pakistan.&nbsp;&quot;The police harassed us, they cut the water and electricity in the camp... it was better to leave,&quot; he says.

But another returnee, Sayed Karim, has lived for months in Kabul &quot;without water, no school, no doctor&quot;.&nbsp;Trapped in limbo with the gates at Torkham closed and his home province of Baghlan roiled by fighting, he remembers his days as a teacher in the refugee camp in Pakistan.&nbsp;

&quot;In Pakistan we had good work. A good life,&quot; he says.&nbsp;

(AFP)

Pakistan was a safe haven for millions of Afghans who fled after the 1979 Soviet invasion. Now they're finding that returning home is hard

Mohammad Anwar arrived in Pakistan as a child more than 35 years ago but is leaving as a father, his family among the thousands of uprooted Afghan refugees "returning" to a war-torn homeland many of them have never seen. Anwar, disbelieving and grief-stricken, has packed the bric-a-brac of a lifetime onto a truck wildly painted in baroque colours but says he is leaving his heart and soul in Peshawar, the city that sheltered him for decades. "We can't forget the time we passed here, we were treated like brothers," he tells AFP. "Insha'Allah, we will come here again, this time with passports." Pakistan has provided safe haven for decades for millions like Anwar, who fled Afghanistan with his family when he was just seven years old, after the Soviet invasion of 1979. But as the fight against the Soviets morphed into civil war, Taliban rule, the US invasion and the grinding conflict in Afghanistan today, even Pakistan's famed hospitality has run out. Pakistan hosts 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees, according to UNHCR, making it the third-largest refugee hosting nation in the world. A UNHCR official said the agency also estimates a further one million unregistered refugees are in the country. Since 2009, Islamabad has repeatedly pushed back a deadline for them to return, but fears are growing that the latest cutoff date in March 2017 will be final. Meanwhile, refugees are increasingly worried about their future in Pakistan amid a security crackdown against undocumented foreigners. The anxiety, combined with a UN decision to double its cash grant for voluntary returnees from $200 to $400 per individual in June, has seen the flow of refugees over the border become a torrent. More than 200,000 have crossed this year, the vast majority since July, including nearly 98,000 in September alone, says UNHCR. Tears, trucks at Torkham Anwar fills out documents at a UNHCR centre outside Peshawar crammed with men in Afghan caps and turbans. Children lie on the floor as mothers in veils fan themselves in the steamy heat. They face an uncertain future in an Afghanistan still at war and already overwhelmed by so many people fleeing fighting that officials warn of a humanitarian crisis. But first they will pass the Torkham frontier, a mountainous outpost where, until this year border "controls" were more of a suggestion, and thousands crossed each day with impunity. When AFP visited recently a gleaming new gate, constructed in June and reinforced by two kilometres of barbed wire, travellers funnelled through customs queues and scanning machines. Pakistani pride in the new facilities contrasted with tearful Afghan refugees piling their trucks high, not just with household goods, but cattle, tree trunks and scraps that could help build even a mud hut once they reach Afghanistan. "We spent our best time here," 45-year-old Khair Muhammad, returning after 36 years with 21 members of his family, told AFP tearfully. His truck was loaded with beds, fans, wood, utensils, and a cow and her calf. "We never thought, never even imagined that we would return in such circumstances," said 29-year-old Inamullah Khan. End of the road With a resurgent Taliban in control of roughly one-third of Afghanistan's districts, many returning refugees will travel no further than Kabul. Among them is Abdhur Rahman, who left for Pakistan 30 years ago, fleeing a province which is now buffeted by Taliban attacks. He returns aged 70, grey turbanned with his white beard curling over his chest, patriarch of a family of 25. But the former peasant and anti-Soviet fighter from Paktia in the east will find little support in the overstretched capital. Kabul already has one of the highest population growth rates in the region: some 1,200 people every day, says European Union ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin. The UN put the number of displaced people in the city last month at 265,000, and in 2013 the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) documented 53 informal settlements, little more than timber clinging to the side of mountains with neither water nor electricity. Abdhur Rahman speaks soberly of his last days in Pakistan. "The police harassed us, they cut the water and electricity in the camp... it was better to leave," he says. But another returnee, Sayed Karim, has lived for months in Kabul "without water, no school, no doctor". Trapped in limbo with the gates at Torkham closed and his home province of Baghlan roiled by fighting, he remembers his days as a teacher in the refugee camp in Pakistan. "In Pakistan we had good work. A good life," he says. (AFP)

Afghan refugees return to uncertain future in alien homeland

Taliban fighters have made their way into the centre of the Afghan city of Kunduz on Monday, seising the central intersection where their flag was raised a year earlier in what was then the their biggest success of the 15-year conflict, Reuters reported.

Witnesses and police have told Reuters that the insurgents who entered the city in the early hours today were attacking the police headquarters and the governor&#39;s compound, even as some officials were seen fleeing tot the airport.&nbsp;

Unverified footage posted by the Afghan Taliban on social media shows fighters in Kunduz describing how they had captured army strong points and taken prisoners during a day of fighting, Reuters reported.

The fighters are reported to have slipped through a defensive security line that was set up around Kunduz, entering the city from four directions before clashes broke out, witnesses told Reuters.

Police spokesman Mahfozullah Akbari told Reuters that &nbsp;security forces were preparing to drive out the fighters, who had infiltrated the Khak Kani area in the city&#39;s southwest.

&quot;The Taliban are inside some civilian houses and we have to carry out operations very carefully,&quot; he said.

The attack on Kunduz comes in only a day before an international donors&#39;&nbsp;conference in Brussels, where&nbsp;donors are &nbsp;expected to pledge about $3&nbsp;billion a year&nbsp;for Afghanistan through 2020.

Government forces in Afghanistan are reported to have control of&nbsp;no more than two-thirds of the country.

(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

Some officials were reportedly seen fleeing to the airport

Taliban fighters have made their way into the centre of the Afghan city of Kunduz on Monday, seising the central intersection where their flag was raised a year earlier in what was then the their biggest success of the 15-year conflict, Reuters reported. Witnesses and police have told Reuters that the insurgents who entered the city in the early hours today were attacking the police headquarters and the governor's compound, even as some officials were seen fleeing tot the airport. Unverified footage posted by the Afghan Taliban on social media shows fighters in Kunduz describing how they had captured army strong points and taken prisoners during a day of fighting, Reuters reported. The fighters are reported to have slipped through a defensive security line that was set up around Kunduz, entering the city from four directions before clashes broke out, witnesses told Reuters. Police spokesman Mahfozullah Akbari told Reuters that security forces were preparing to drive out the fighters, who had infiltrated the Khak Kani area in the city's southwest. "The Taliban are inside some civilian houses and we have to carry out operations very carefully," he said. The attack on Kunduz comes in only a day before an international donors' conference in Brussels, where donors are expected to pledge about $3 billion a year for Afghanistan through 2020. Government forces in Afghanistan are reported to have control of no more than two-thirds of the country. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Taliban gain foothold in Afghanistan's Kunduz

At least 11 people were killed in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan&rsquo;s southern province of Helmand on Saturday, news agencies reported.

&quot;They were travelling in Bolan, an area on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, around mid-day. Their vehicle touched off an improvised explosive device (IED),&quot; Xinhua news agency quoted an official as saying.

According to Xinhua, the official blamed Taliban militants for planting the IED.

Taliban has been using IEDs to target security forces but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians, according to military officers, Xinhua said.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

 
&nbsp;

Authorities blame Taliban for the blast in Afghanistan?s southern province of Helmand today

At least 11 people were killed in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand on Saturday, news agencies reported. "They were travelling in Bolan, an area on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, around mid-day. Their vehicle touched off an improvised explosive device (IED)," Xinhua news agency quoted an official as saying. According to Xinhua, the official blamed Taliban militants for planting the IED. Taliban has been using IEDs to target security forces but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians, according to military officers, Xinhua said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Afghanistan: 11 dead in powerful roadside explosion

A US air raid has killed eight Afghan policemen in the country&#39;s volatile south, officials said on Monday, in the first apparent &quot;friendly fire&quot; incident since American forces were granted greater powers to strike at insurgents. 
 
The incident occurred on Sunday in the Tali area of Uruzgan province, where the Taliban recently attempted to overrun the capital city Tarin Kot in a major security breach. 
 
&quot;The first airstrike killed one policeman. When other policemen came to help, they came under a second air strike, killing seven of them,&quot; Rahimullah Khan, Uruzgan highway police commander, told AFP. 
 
Mohammad Sediq, a policeman who survived the attack said their forces were &quot;engaged in close fighting&quot; with the Taliban when they were bombed. 
 
The NATO command centre in Kabul confirmed US warplanes had conducted an air strike in the area, but said they targeted individuals posing a threat to Afghan forces. 
 
&quot;US forces conducted two airstrikes against individuals firing on our Afghan partners in Tarin Kot on 18 September,&quot; NATO spokesman Charles Cleveland said in a statement. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t have any further information on who those individuals might have been or why they were attacking (Afghan) forces. US, coalition, and Afghan forces have the right to self-defence, and in this case were responding to an immediate threat.&quot; 
 
NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but US forces got more power in June to strike at the insurgents as President Barack Obama vowed a more aggressive campaign. 
 
The new authority gave the US-led NATO troops greater latitude to order airstrikes in support of Afghan troops. 
 
Earlier this month, Afghan forces backed by US air strikes mounted an offensive to flush out Taliban insurgents encircling Tarin Kot. 
 
Afghan forces repelled the attack hours later, bolstered by reinforcements. 
 
(AFP)

'The first airstrike killed one policeman. When other policemen came to help, they came under a second airstrike,' police said

A US air raid has killed eight Afghan policemen in the country's volatile south, officials said on Monday, in the first apparent "friendly fire" incident since American forces were granted greater powers to strike at insurgents. The incident occurred on Sunday in the Tali area of Uruzgan province, where the Taliban recently attempted to overrun the capital city Tarin Kot in a major security breach. "The first airstrike killed one policeman. When other policemen came to help, they came under a second air strike, killing seven of them," Rahimullah Khan, Uruzgan highway police commander, told AFP. Mohammad Sediq, a policeman who survived the attack said their forces were "engaged in close fighting" with the Taliban when they were bombed. The NATO command centre in Kabul confirmed US warplanes had conducted an air strike in the area, but said they targeted individuals posing a threat to Afghan forces. "US forces conducted two airstrikes against individuals firing on our Afghan partners in Tarin Kot on 18 September," NATO spokesman Charles Cleveland said in a statement. "We don't have any further information on who those individuals might have been or why they were attacking (Afghan) forces. US, coalition, and Afghan forces have the right to self-defence, and in this case were responding to an immediate threat." NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but US forces got more power in June to strike at the insurgents as President Barack Obama vowed a more aggressive campaign. The new authority gave the US-led NATO troops greater latitude to order airstrikes in support of Afghan troops. Earlier this month, Afghan forces backed by US air strikes mounted an offensive to flush out Taliban insurgents encircling Tarin Kot. Afghan forces repelled the attack hours later, bolstered by reinforcements. (AFP)

Now, US air raid kills eight Afghan policemen: Officials

Taliban&#39;s surprise attack today triggered clashes within the capital of Afghanistan`s central province of Uruzgan, one of the top poppy-cultivating provinces in the country, threatening government offices as the leadership fled to the airport, officials said. 
 
As the insurgents stormed into Tarin Kot, a city of about 70,000 people, a pitched battle ensued in the region prompting urgent calls from officials for reinforcements and air support, after the militants toppled security posts on the outskirts to breach the city gates. 
 
Unfolding of attack&nbsp; 
 
The surprise attack left authorities in control only of Tirin Kot&#39;s police headquarters, which the Taliban were besieging since the morning hours, according to the provincial spokesman, Doost Mohammad Nayab, according to Indian news agency PTI. &nbsp; 
 
All the checkpoints around the city were overrun or destroyed, Nayab said elaborating about the attack. He did not provide a casualty toll but said he feared that the city will soon completely fall to the insurgents.&nbsp; 
 
The militants fought their way to within a few hundred metres of the governor&#39;s compound and police headquarters, provincial police chief Wais Samim was quoted as saying by Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
However, within hours, the Afghan ministry of defense said the Taliban had been repelled from Tirin Kot.&nbsp; 
 
In a statement online, the Taliban said their fighters had entered the city and overrun at least seven checkpoints as well as the prison, with city officials taking the prisoners as &quot;hostages&quot; and fleeing to the airport. 
 
&quot;Street to street clashes are currently taking place against the enemy inside the city,&quot; the statement said. 
 
The militant offensive, and the apparent government collapse in some areas, was reminiscent of the Taliban&#39;s speedy but brief capture of Kunduz city last year, the first time the group had seized a provincial capital since after losing power in 2001. 
 
Following the attack, leaders in Uruzgan had retreated to the airport, which houses an Afghan military base, a police official told Reuters pleading anonymity.&nbsp; 
 
Shah Hussain Murtazawi, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, said reinforcements had arrived in Tarin Kot. 
 
&quot;Uruzgan will not turn into a terrorists&#39; safe heaven,&quot; he said. 
 
Blame game&nbsp; 
 
In separate phone interviews with Reuters, security officials were already assigning blame for the apparent collapse of the defences. 
 
Police chief Samim said many of the city officers had made deals with the Taliban and left their checkpoints without a fight, while another police official accused the province&#39;s senior leadership of abandoning the city. 
 
Late on Wednesday, the Taliban released a statement promising government forces protection if they surrendered peacefully. 
Abdul Karim, head of the Uruzgan provincial council told the city&#39;s prison had fallen to the advancing militants, but its occupants had previously been transferred to the airport.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

A pitched battle ensued in Tarin Kot, capital of Uruzgan following the attack that was reminiscent of Taliban's Kunduz capture last year

Taliban's surprise attack today triggered clashes within the capital of Afghanistan`s central province of Uruzgan, one of the top poppy-cultivating provinces in the country, threatening government offices as the leadership fled to the airport, officials said. As the insurgents stormed into Tarin Kot, a city of about 70,000 people, a pitched battle ensued in the region prompting urgent calls from officials for reinforcements and air support, after the militants toppled security posts on the outskirts to breach the city gates. Unfolding of attack The surprise attack left authorities in control only of Tirin Kot's police headquarters, which the Taliban were besieging since the morning hours, according to the provincial spokesman, Doost Mohammad Nayab, according to Indian news agency PTI. All the checkpoints around the city were overrun or destroyed, Nayab said elaborating about the attack. He did not provide a casualty toll but said he feared that the city will soon completely fall to the insurgents. The militants fought their way to within a few hundred metres of the governor's compound and police headquarters, provincial police chief Wais Samim was quoted as saying by Reuters. However, within hours, the Afghan ministry of defense said the Taliban had been repelled from Tirin Kot. In a statement online, the Taliban said their fighters had entered the city and overrun at least seven checkpoints as well as the prison, with city officials taking the prisoners as "hostages" and fleeing to the airport. "Street to street clashes are currently taking place against the enemy inside the city," the statement said. The militant offensive, and the apparent government collapse in some areas, was reminiscent of the Taliban's speedy but brief capture of Kunduz city last year, the first time the group had seized a provincial capital since after losing power in 2001. Following the attack, leaders in Uruzgan had retreated to the airport, which houses an Afghan military base, a police official told Reuters pleading anonymity. Shah Hussain Murtazawi, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, said reinforcements had arrived in Tarin Kot. "Uruzgan will not turn into a terrorists' safe heaven," he said. Blame game In separate phone interviews with Reuters, security officials were already assigning blame for the apparent collapse of the defences. Police chief Samim said many of the city officers had made deals with the Taliban and left their checkpoints without a fight, while another police official accused the province's senior leadership of abandoning the city. Late on Wednesday, the Taliban released a statement promising government forces protection if they surrendered peacefully. Abdul Karim, head of the Uruzgan provincial council told the city's prison had fallen to the advancing militants, but its occupants had previously been transferred to the airport. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Taliban's surprise attack forces government officials to flee provincial capital in Afghanistan

A video featuring a US and a Canadian citizen held hostage by the Taliban has been released by the hardline group to pressure the Afghan government not to execute a senior Taliban leader, according to multiple reports.&nbsp; 
 
A senior Taliban member, according to Reuters news agency, spoke on the conditions of anonymity saying that Taliban wants Afghan government to avert the death sentence on militant leader Anas Haqqani, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani and founder of the feared Haqqani network.&nbsp; 
 
US and Canadian officials have said they are aware of the video of Caitlan Coleman, a a 30-year-old US citizen and her 33-year-old Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, who were kidnapped in 2012 while on a backpacking trip, The Reuters reported.&nbsp; 
 
In the video, Coleman, who was pregnant at the time of being abducted and gave birth to two children while in captivity, appeals to the governments of US and Canada to change the policies of the Afghan government.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Our captors are terrified of the thought of their own mortality approaching, and are saying that they will take reprisals on our family. They will execute us, women and children included, if the policies of the Afghan government are not overturned. And therefore we ask Canada and the United States, and that we will - our family - will be able to live safely,&quot; Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News quotes her as saying. &nbsp; 
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<h5>In the video, Coleman, who was pregnant at the time of being abducted and gave birth to two children while in captivity, appeals to the governments of US and Canada to change the policies of the Afghan government.&nbsp;</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=n the video, Coleman, who was pregnant at the time of being abducted and gave birth to two children while in captivity, appeals to the governments of US and Canada to change the policies of the Afghan government.?" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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The video, according to ABC News, is the first glimpse of the couple since 2014, when her parents released two short video clips of them speaking in captivity. &nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;&quot;The Haqqanis are ticked off,&quot; a counterterrorism official familiar with hostage recovery operations told ABC NEWS.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, US state department spokesman John Kirby said the United States was concerned about the welfare of the couple and their family and &quot;continue to urge for their immediate release on humanitarian grounds.&quot; 
 
He also added that the United States was &quot;regularly engaged with the governments of both Afghanistan and Pakistan at the highest levels to emphasise our commitment to seeing our citizens return safely to their families.&quot; 
 
The Haqqanis is a militant Islamist group affiliated with the Taliban that is known for kidnappings and high profile attacks in cities like Kabul.&nbsp; 
 
Anas Haqqani is currently on trial in Afghanistan and faces the death sentence. Afghan media reported on Tuesday that he had probably been sentenced to death in a preliminary procedure that is not public but there has been no official confirmation or comment. The preliminary ruling would not in any case be definitive until a final verdict in the case is issued. 
 
In May, Afghanistan hanged six Taliban prisoners on deathrow following a suicide attack that killed more than 60 people in Kabul. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

A senior Taliban leader has said the hardline group wants Afghan government to avert the death sentence on militant leader Anas Haqqani

A video featuring a US and a Canadian citizen held hostage by the Taliban has been released by the hardline group to pressure the Afghan government not to execute a senior Taliban leader, according to multiple reports. A senior Taliban member, according to Reuters news agency, spoke on the conditions of anonymity saying that Taliban wants Afghan government to avert the death sentence on militant leader Anas Haqqani, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani and founder of the feared Haqqani network. US and Canadian officials have said they are aware of the video of Caitlan Coleman, a a 30-year-old US citizen and her 33-year-old Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, who were kidnapped in 2012 while on a backpacking trip, The Reuters reported. In the video, Coleman, who was pregnant at the time of being abducted and gave birth to two children while in captivity, appeals to the governments of US and Canada to change the policies of the Afghan government. "Our captors are terrified of the thought of their own mortality approaching, and are saying that they will take reprisals on our family. They will execute us, women and children included, if the policies of the Afghan government are not overturned. And therefore we ask Canada and the United States, and that we will - our family - will be able to live safely," Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News quotes her as saying. In the video, Coleman, who was pregnant at the time of being abducted and gave birth to two children while in captivity, appeals to the governments of US and Canada to change the policies of the Afghan government. The video, according to ABC News, is the first glimpse of the couple since 2014, when her parents released two short video clips of them speaking in captivity. "The Haqqanis are ticked off," a counterterrorism official familiar with hostage recovery operations told ABC NEWS. Meanwhile, US state department spokesman John Kirby said the United States was concerned about the welfare of the couple and their family and "continue to urge for their immediate release on humanitarian grounds." He also added that the United States was "regularly engaged with the governments of both Afghanistan and Pakistan at the highest levels to emphasise our commitment to seeing our citizens return safely to their families." The Haqqanis is a militant Islamist group affiliated with the Taliban that is known for kidnappings and high profile attacks in cities like Kabul. Anas Haqqani is currently on trial in Afghanistan and faces the death sentence. Afghan media reported on Tuesday that he had probably been sentenced to death in a preliminary procedure that is not public but there has been no official confirmation or comment. The preliminary ruling would not in any case be definitive until a final verdict in the case is issued. In May, Afghanistan hanged six Taliban prisoners on deathrow following a suicide attack that killed more than 60 people in Kabul. (WION with inputs from agencies)

New Taliban hostage video aims to 'pressurise Afghan government over militant execution'

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