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The Taliban has appointed Mohammad Hasan Akhund, a close aide to the group’s late founder Mullah Omar, as head of Afghanistan’s new caretaker government, weeks after it took control of the country in a rapid offensive. The list of cabinet members announced by chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday was dominated by members of the group’s old guard, with no women included. Abdul Ghani Baradar

Kabul, Sept 6: The Taliban has taken complete control of Panjshir province, the last area in Afghanistan held by rebel forces, says the group’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid. Pictures on social media on Monday showed Taliban members standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir provincial governor’s compound. There was no immediate word from Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the opposition group

Kabul, Sept 5: Over 600 Taliban fighters have been killed in Afghanistan's northeastern province of Panjshir, Sputnik reported quoting the Afghan rebel forces on Saturday. "About 600 Taliban have been liquidated in various districts of Panjshir since morning. More than 1,000 Taliban have been captured or surrendered themselves," the rebel forces' spokesperson Fahim Dashti tweeted. The spokesperson

Kabul, Aug 31: The sound of celebratory gunfire was heard across Kabul early Tuesday after the Pentagon and Taliban separately confirmed that the last US troops had left Afghanistan, ending a two-decade-long war. The Taliban declared Afghanistan is a “free and sovereign” nation as it hailed the exit of US troops after 20 years of occupation, describing their departure as a “historic moment”.

Kabul, Aug 31: Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has said that the defeat of the United States in Afghanistan was a “lesson” for the invaders, hours after the last American troops left the South Asian country. Asked to comment about the end of the 20-year occupation of Afghanistan, Mujahid said on Tuesday, “The departure of the occupiers from Afghanistan is a very great joy for Afghans, and

Kabul, Aug 30: As many as five rockets were fired at Kabul's international airport but were intercepted by a missile defense system, a US official told Reuters, as the United States' nears the complete withdrawal of its troops from the city. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the rockets were fired early Monday morning Kabul time, though it was unclear if all were brought

Kabul, Aug 29: The US has carried out a drone strike against a vehicle of suicide bombers linked to the Afghan ISIL affiliate (anti-Taliban group) that intended to target the Kabul airport, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said. “Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material,” CENTCOM spokesperson Bill Urban said. In what

Washington, Aug 29: President Joe Biden vowed to keep up airstrikes against the so called Islamic extremist group whose suicide bombing at the Kabul airport killed scores of Afghans and 13 American service members. Another terror attack, he said, is “highly likely” this weekend as the US winds down its evacuation. The Pentagon said the remaining contingent of US forces at the airport, now

Kabul, Aug 28: The US conducted a drone strike against an Islamic State target in Afghanistan on Saturday, as the airlift of those desperate to flee moved into a fraught final stage with fresh terror attack warnings and encroaching Taliban forces primed to take over Kabul airport. US forces overseeing the evacuation have been forced into closer security cooperation with the Taliban to prevent any

In his first comments on Kashmir, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has said that Pakistan and India should sit together to resolve all their outstanding issues because both are neighbours and their interests are linked to each other. Mujahid made the remarks during a wide-ranging interview with Pakistani TV channel ARY News. On Jammu and Kashmir, Zabihullah said New Delhi needs to have a