DUBAI – The United States will deploy a guided-missile destroyer and state-of-the-art fighter jets to help defend the United Arab Emirates after a series of missile attacks by Yemeni rebels, a US statement said Wednesday. The deployment, to “assist the UAE against the current threat”, follows a phone call between Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and … Read more
TOKYO: Japan will extend measures barring almost all new foreign arrivals until the end of February and reopen mass-vaccination centres as it battles an Omicron-fuelled coronavirus surge, the government said Tuesday. “We will keep the current border control policy until the end of February while taking necessary measures from a humanitarian viewpoint and considering the … Read more
Aqina is a border crossing with rail service connecting Afghanistan to Turkmenistan, and onward to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Europe. It is an essential trading point linking Afghanistan with the countries to the west. A handful of local businessmen who met to drink tea complained about the worsened business situation. They said their business had … Read more
WASHINGTON: US special operations forces have been quietly training Taiwanese troops for months, a move which China warned Friday could cause “serious harm” to relations between Washington and Beijing. A contingent of around 20 special operations and conventional forces has been conducting the training for less than a year, the Pentagon official, who declined to … Read more
The Taliban are close to forming their government, naming Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, as the country’s supreme leader, a Taliban official told The New York Times. The announcement, which will also lay out key appointments to the communications and interior ministries, may come as soon as Thursday, the Times said, citing the official who requested anonymity. … Read more
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has cautioned the West of the serious consequences of abandoning Afghanistan which could result in civil war and economic collapse. In an interview with Sky News, the foreign minister stressed upon the West to engage with Taliban because otherwise, Afghanistan could descend into another chaos. He said it “will give … Read more
Rockets flew across the Afghan capital on Monday as the United States raced to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan, with the evacuation of civilians all but over and terror attack fears high. President Joe Biden has set a deadline of Tuesday to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan, drawing to a close his nation’s longest … Read more
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden once again defended his administration’s handling of withdrawal from Afghanistan, denying America’s allies questioning the country’s credibility over the ongoing chaotic evacuation. “This is one of the largest, most difficult air lifts in history, and the only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far … Read more
KABUL: Normality has returned to Kabul, capital of Afghanistan as the Taliban on Tuesday urged the government employees to return to work, two days after the group took control of the capital. Declaring a general amnesty, the Taliban urged all to start routine life with confidence. It also urged women to join its government. Taliban … Read more
TALUQAN: Taliban have captured Warsaj district, the last bastion of the Afghan government in northern Takhar province and further consolidated their position in the northern region, an elder of the district Hajji Abdul Malik said on Saturday. “Warsaj district collapsed to the Taliban fighters on Friday evening and the security forces based there retreated to … Read more
DOHA: Representatives of countries taking part in the Doha international meeting on Afghanistan called on the Afghan warring parties to expedite the peace process, reach a political settlement and comprehensive ceasefire as quickly as possible, stressing their rejection of any government-imposed by force. Issued after the final session of the meeting, a joint statement made … Read more
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani blamed US ‘abrupt’ decision to withdraw its troops for the country’s deteriorating security, Al Jazeera reported. Presenting his security plan before Parliament on Monday, Ghani said the situation in the war-torn nation will be “under control within six months”, adding that the US has pledged its full support. “The reason for … Read more
Deeming negotiated settlement to be the only solution for the Afghan conflict, Prime Minister Imran Khan remarked that the ‘US has really messed it up in Afghanistan’. In an interview with Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) ‘Newshour’ on Tuesday, a primetime television programme, the premier emphasized that the best choice was a negotiated political settlement to … Read more
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei said that Tehran will not interfere in Baghdad’s relations with the US. But he warned that he will never forget the US killing of Soleimani. According to details, Ayatollah Khamenei talked to Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi n the Iranian capital during his first trip abroad since taking office. Iranian supreme … Read more
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has approved the release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners to work on the security of the peace deal signed between the US and Taliban. All prisoners are required by the presidential decree to submit “a written guarantee to not return to the battlefield”. Taliban has decided to hand over 1,000 government troops … Read more
The US President Donald Trump is being mocked over his threats to attack the cultural sites of Iran. The US President had given threats to attack the cultural sites of Iran. Donald Trump mentioned that the troops can attack 52 recognized Iranian targets that are among the cultural sites. He said that they will be … Read more
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the death of the outlawed ISIS chief Abu-Bakr Al-Baghdadi a turning point in the fight against terrorism. According to the details, Turkish president said in a tweet that his country will continue its struggle to end terrorism in the future. Turkey has paid a heavy price for fighting against … Read more
