NEW DELHI: The U.S. and the Taliban have agreed to a seven-day “reduction in violence”. The deal can potentially set the stage for a more lasting and long-sought peace deal. At NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper has said the arrangement, which he did not describe as a ceasefire, came after over […]Read More

NEW DELHI: The suspension of the SAARC process owing to hurdles placed by Pakistan has had an unintended consequence. It cut off Afghanistan’s physical access to other SAARC members. The push for BIMSTEC and sub-regional cooperation has also accentuated Kabul’s sense of isolation within the South Asian fraternity, argues Nazir Kabiri of the Biruni Institute, a […]Read More

KABUL: Afghan male and female youths modelled on Thursday in the first street fashion show in Kabul, and another show is planned for Herat province in the upcoming month to promote Afghan culture. Previous fashion shows were held indoors, not with public access. Ajmal Haqiqi, who headed up the show, said that they will hold […]Read More

President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday defended his legacy of the past five years, saying the country made significant achievements in various fields including security and counter-terrorism. Speaking on a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ghani said that five years ago there were over 140,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan—with 100,000 of them […]Read More

NEW DELHI: There is no question of India deploying troops on the ground in Afghanistan. StratNews Global has learnt there have been a couple of requests from the U.S. during recent conversations with India at the highest political level. Those appeals have been rejected outright for several reasons. The Indian Army has told the government […]Read More

There is a path to the top of even the highest mountain, says a Dari proverb. In Afghanistan, though, the road to the top of that mountain is never over till it’s finally over. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has declared the preliminary results of the September 29 Presidential vote. President Ashraf Ghani has got […]Read More

NEW DELHI: It wasn’t a tweet but a trip that rekindles talks with the Taliban. U.S. President Donald Trump, on his first visit to Afghanistan-where America is fighting and many say losing its longest war ever-has announced peace talks with the Taliban, that he called off, have restarted. In an unannounced trip, President Trump flew […]Read More