Afghanistan

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has signed a decree to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners as a move to launch direct talks with the armed group to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan. According to a copy of the two-page decree seen by Reuters news agency late on Tuesday night, all released Taliban prisoners will have to provide "a written…

A three-member Taliban team has arrived in Kabul to begin a prisoner exchange process, which is likely to kick-start talks between the group and negotiators named by the Afghan government to end the country's 18-year war. The peace talks, known as the intra-Afghan dialogue, were envisaged in an agreement signed between the United States and…

A top United States general said on Thursday that the Taliban had to significantly reduce the number of attacks it is carrying out, after an accord it signed with the US earlier this month. "I would not consider what the Taliban is doing as consistent with any path to going forward to come to a final end state…

KABUL/ ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - An earthquake shook some buildings in Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday, witnesses said. The magnitude 4.9 quake was centered in the mountainous Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan, at a depth of 211 km (130 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Reporting by…

Editor's note: This film will be removed on April 15, 2020. It takes Sajjad and Alishah four hours to climb the Bamiyan peaks behind their village in Afghanistan - but just four minutes to glide down on their skis. The two men practice on the snowy mountainside, their skis leaving delicate tracks in the soft…

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was finally inaugurated for a second term on Monday in the capital Kabul nearly six months after the elections that were marred by vote-rigging and record low turnout. But his main political rival Abdullah Abdullah, who has also declared himself winner citing fraud in September election, organised a parallel swearing-in ceremony…

US Senate prepares to pass a bill to help fund and speed up the response to coronavirus epidemic, Kentucky senator Rand Paul has introduced an amendment that will slow down the bill’s passage – even though the amendment has no chance of passing.The bill being debated, which would provide free coronavirus testing and provisions for…

By Hamid ShaliziKABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is set to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners in coming days to pave the way for direct talks with the insurgent group aimed at ending the 18-year-long war in Afghanistan, according to a copy of the decree seen by Reuters.The two-page decree - which was signed by…

Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has called upon his countrymen "not to panic" amid a spike in coronavirus cases in the country, warning that the spread of COVID-19 was inevitable and that Pakistan cannot currently afford the economic cost of shutting down its cities. As of Wednesday, Pakistan has recorded at least 243…

Activists in Afghanistan are distributing face masks to villagers as they spread awareness of the coronavirus infection [Parwiz/Reuters] The Taliban in Afghanistan has promised safe passage to international healthcare organisations and humanitarian workers who are fighting against the coronavirus. In a statement on Wednesday, the group urged health agencies to provide medicine, send aid and the necessary equipment…