Latest News
Taliban capture Nimroz provincial capital: MP
The Zaranj city of Nimroz province fell to the Taliban on Friday afternoon, sources said.
MP Gul Ahmad Noorzad told Ariana News that the militants have captured key government compounds, including the governor’s office, police headquarters, and Nimroz prison.
He added that currently, the Afghan forces are resisting the insurgent at the provincial National Directorate of Security (NDS) office in the city.
Noorzad noted that the Taliban entered the city without any clash with the Afghan Security and Defense Forces.
The city of Zaranj is the first provincial capital that the Taliban managed to capture as the militants increased offensives across the country.
A spokesperson for Nimroz’s police, who declined to be named for security reasons, has told Reuters that the Taliban had been able to capture the city because of a lack of reinforcements from the government.
Meanwhile, footage released on social media shows that people are looting police stations and Nimroz prison after the Taliban captured parts of the city.
Video also shows that the Taliban militants captured Nimroz airport.
The insurgents have taken dozens of districts and border crossings in recent months and put pressure on several provincial capitals, including Herat in the west and Kandahar in the south, as foreign troops withdraw.
Latest News
US companies are welcome to join TAPI project: Turkmenistan’s ex-president
In an interview with Al Arabiya, former Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said international companies, including United States firms, are welcome to join the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.
Berdymukhamedov noted that while the project enjoys U.S. support, it will need to navigate longstanding regional tensions, as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India have seen outbreaks of deadly fighting over the past year.
“This project, which enjoys international support, including from the United States, possesses immense potential in meeting the growing energy needs of South Asian nations. It also opens promising avenues for accessing the emerging markets of the Asia-Pacific region, the Near East, and the Middle East,” he said.
“The TAPI project is also of paramount importance for political stability and economic prosperity, maintaining high investment attractiveness,” Berdymukhamedov added.
Turkmenistan plans to complete the first section of the pipeline, reaching the Afghan city of Herat, by the end of 2026. No plans have yet been announced to extend the project further south.
Latest News
UK’s Reform party pledges visa ban affecting Afghanistan and five other states
The British political party Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, is set to impose a blanket visa ban on Afghanistan and five other countries — including Pakistan — as part of its proposed crackdown on illegal migration and states refusing to accept deported nationals.
In a speech set for Monday, the party’s newly appointed “shadow” home secretary, Zia Yusuf, will outline plans to halt all visas for diplomats, students, workers, VIPs and tourists from Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan. Reform says these governments fail to cooperate in accepting back deported migrants and convicted criminals.
Pakistan received more than 160,000 UK visas last year, making it one of the biggest visa recipients. However, British officials say Islamabad accepts back only a small fraction of rejected asylum seekers and has resisted pressure to take back individuals convicted in high-profile criminal cases.
The move – which mirrors US President Donald Trump’s visa ban on 75 countries – would be a key element in Reform’s strategy to deport up to 288,000 illegal migrants from the UK on five charter flights a day.
On legal migration, Yusuf will say a Reform government would terminate all welfare payments to foreign nationals, including the 1.3 million currently receiving UC, up from around 900,000 in 2022.
Yusuf is expected to say that years of weak immigration enforcement have undermined public trust and that a Reform government would secure Britain’s borders and make people feel safe.
Latest News
Ex-US envoy Khalilzad condemns Pakistan air attacks on Afghanistan
He described the situation as a tragedy for both Pakistan and its neighbors, urging the Pakistani leadership to reconsider its policies and change course.
Former U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has strongly condemned Sunday’s airstrikes by Pakistan on Afghanistan. He stated that these attacks killed and wounded numerous innocent women, children, and elderly.
Khalilzad pointed to Pakistan’s long history of misgovernance, interference in minority rights, manipulation of democratic processes, and repeated military takeovers as the root causes.
He described the situation as a tragedy for both Pakistan and its neighbors, urging the Pakistani leadership to reconsider its policies and change course.
-
Latest News5 days agoAfghanistan’s Chief of Armed Forces underscores readiness and equipment for national defense
-
Latest News4 days agoAfghanistan welcomes investment and technology partnerships with India
-
Sport4 days agoAfghan Peaks founder climbs Aconcagua to promote Afghanistan’s mountain potential
-
Latest News3 days agoIndian customs seize Chinese walnuts falsely declared as Afghan
-
Business4 days agoPakistan allows re-export of stranded Afghan transit cargo
-
Latest News3 days agoPakistan’s Punjab to send home 20 more Afghans in repatriation drive
-
Latest News4 days agoPakistan signals possible air strikes as Kabul releases Pakistani soldiers in goodwill move
-
Latest News5 days agoAfghanistan welcomes Ramazan; authorities emphasize security and support for citizens
