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Afghanistan after the US withdrawal

Afghanistan after the US withdrawal
US President Joe Biden committed to withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan by August 31, 2021. The deadline was set after the Taliban took control of the country, seizing the capital city of Kabul as the Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani dissolved on August 15. The Biden administration had initially announced a full withdrawal of troops by 11 September 2021 – 20 years after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Taliban security personnel stand guard at the scene of the attack in Kabul. Photo: AFP
Afghanistan: All stories

China urges Taliban to tighten security after suicide attack on restaurant in Kabul

Militant group Isis-K claimed responsibility for the attack in the Afghan capital, says it has placed Chinese nationals on its target list.

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Central Asia

Afghan boy, 13, executes family’s killer in echoes of worst days of Taliban rule

Gun violence in the US

National Guard shooting suspect pleads not guilty to murder from hospital bed

Gun violence in the US

Trump orders review of immigrant visas after National Guard attack

The sweeping new policy follows Wednesday’s attack in Washington by an Afghan national that has caused one death.

A makeshift memorial in Washington a day after two National Guard members were shot. Photo: Reuters
Gun violence in the US

National Guard member dies as Afghan attacker’s past CIA link emerges

Shooting suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal is a former member of a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit who entered the US under a special programme.

Pakistan

Can mediators prevent war between Afghanistan, Pakistan as tensions spike?

Prolonged proxy warfare could create space for terrorist groups such as Isis-K to regenerate and plot overseas attacks, analysts warn.

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Pakistan

Afghan, Pakistani negotiators to strengthen truce in Istanbul

Islamabad has repeatedly accused its Afghan neighbour of ‘harbouring’ groups it views as ‘terrorist’, primarily the Pakistani Taliban, which Kabul denies.

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif (right) and Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob shake hands after signing a ceasefire agreement in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday. Photo: AP
Pakistan

Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to ceasefire after deadly fighting

Mediated by Qatar and Turkey, the truce came into effect immediately and is intended to pause hostilities that killed dozens and injured hundreds.

US-China relations

Trump’s Afghan airbase gambit unites India, Pakistan and China in opposition

At Moscow talks, regional rivals joined Russia and Iran in rejecting US president’s bid to reclaim Bagram airbase from the Taliban.

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Afghanistan

Mobile and internet restored in Afghanistan after Taliban-ordered cut

The 48-hour outage caused chaos, disrupting finance, trade and online learning.

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An Afghan man speaks on a mobile phone in Kabul on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Taliban

US citizen released by Afghanistan’s Taliban after visit by envoy

The foreign ministry identified the prisoner as Amir Amiri and said he had been handed over to Adam Boehler, US special envoy on hostages.

US citizen Amir Amiri, second from left, poses before boarding a plane in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday after being released from an Afghan prison. With him, from right, is Deputy Assistant to the US President Sebastian Gorka, an unidentified Qatari diplomat, Charge d’Affaires of the Qatari embassy in Afghanistan Dr Mirdef al-Qashouti, centre, and, US Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler. Photo: Qatar Foreign Ministry via AP
US-China relations

Beijing leads push against Trump’s bid to reclaim Afghan airbase

In a joint statement, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan call for ‘respect’ for Afghan sovereignty to counter US military presence.

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Central Asia

Trump demands Bagram airbase, ‘not possible’ Taliban says

Trump threatened punishment against Afghanistan if the base was not returned, four years after it was abandoned by US troops in a deal he brokered.

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US-China relations

Does Trump’s push for Afghan air base risk inflaming US-China rivalry?

US leader says he wants to regain control of Bagram Air Base because of its proximity to Chinese nuclear facilities in Xinjiang.

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Bagram Air Base is located less than 800km from Afghanistan’s border with China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Photo: AP
Donald Trump

Trump says ‘bad things’ will happen if Afghanistan does not return Bagram base

The US president has often lamented the loss of access to the facility, noting its proximity to China.

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Afghan soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint outside Bagram airbase, on the day the last of American troops vacated it in July 2021. Photo: Reuters
Afghanistan

Taliban free UK couple held for months in Afghanistan on undisclosed charges

There has been no explanation for the detention of Peter and Barbie Reynolds, aged 80 and 75, who remained after the Taliban seized power.

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China's military weapons

Trump vows US push to reclaim key Afghan air base, ties it to China

Trump has repeatedly stressed the base’s strategic value and alleged it was under Chinese control, a claim Afghan authorities have denied.

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Earthquakes

Taliban asks world for help in wake of deadly Afghanistan earthquake

China among nations ready to provide disaster relief as the Taliban-ruled country struggles with a sharp drop in foreign aid.

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A Taliban military helicopter transports injured victims after an earthquake in Kunar, Afghanistan on Monday/ Photo: EPA
Afghanistan

China calls for joint patrols on Afghan border and counterterror cooperation

Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasises Beijing’s security concerns on a trip to Kabul, focusing on the Wakhan Corridor that borders Xinjiang.

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Belt and Road Initiative

Chinese Foreign Minister visits Afghanistan for 3-way talks involving Pakistan

Wang Yi’s visit held against backdrop of intensive trade and security discussions between Kabul and Islamabad, a sign of warming relations.

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Afghanistan

Taliban investigates death threats against UN’s Afghan women

A new UN report is the first official confirmation of death threats against Afghan women working in the humanitarian sector.

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Afghan burqa-clad women sit on a street in Kandahar in July. Photo: AFP
China-Afghanistan relations

Old fears dog China-backed Afghan copper mine as work gains pace after 17 years

Taliban rulers value ‘demonstrative effect’ of project but have yet to make good on security or governance pledges, observer in China says.

The Mes Aynak project, awarded to state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation in 2008, has been delayed by challenges including security issues, archaeological remains and landmines, and the lack of infrastructure. Photo: AFP
Afghanistan

Afghan women take the lead, one tour at a time

Tourism is a fledgling industry in Afghanistan, with annual visitors in the low thousands, but guided package tours are increasing.

War and conflict

Opinion | For war-ravaged youth, education is an anchor in the chaos, not a luxury

Education systems adapted to local conditions are strategic, long-term investments in community resilience. It must be treated as a frontline intervention in a crisis.

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Taliban

Taliban urged to release elderly UK couple before they ‘die in custody’

Barbie Reynolds, 76, and husband Peter, 80, have been held for over five months without charge.

Taliban fighters on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan. File photo: Reuters
Britain

UK reveals secret US$1.1 billion resettlement of thousands of Afghans

The programme, protected by a superinjunction, resettled at-risk Afghans, including those who helped UK forces, due to fears of Taliban retaliation after a data breach.

Afghan refugees, fleeing the capital of Kabul, arrive at Pristina International airport in Kosovo in August 2021. Photo: AFP
Central Asia

Afghanistan border ‘emergency’ as thousands deported from Iran: UN

In late May, Iran said undocumented Afghans must leave the country by July 6, potentially impacting four of the six million Afghans living in Iran.

Russia

Russia becomes first country to recognise Taliban government of Afghanistan

The Taliban government had seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war.

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