Kabul: Afghan lawmakers on Friday voiced alarm that their air force was depleted in the face of a Taliban offensive as they asked the United States to finalize assistance ahead of a troop withdrawal. In virtual talks this week with the US Congress, an Afghan delegation said it appealed for quick action on aircraft maintenance and munitions supplies as President Joe Biden prepares

Kabul: The Biden administration is working with the Congress to offer more visas to Afghan nationals who risk being targeted by the re-emergent Taliban for assisting US forces during the two-decade war there. The legislative push comes as officials rush to evacuate thousands of Afghans to neighboring countries before the withdrawal of US forces is completed next month. Representative Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat,

Kabul: For 20 years in Afghanistan, Afghan nationals lent assistance to the military operations led by American service personnel. With operations in that country closing out by the end of August, the U.S. government has made plans to move those civilians and their families to other locations. As part of "Operation Allies Refuge," by the end of the month the US is expected

Kabul: US Central Command announced that it has completed more than 95 percent of the entire withdrawal process. The DoD has retrograded the equivalent of approximately 984 C-17 loads of material out of Afghanistan and have turned nearly 17,074 pieces of equipment to the Defense Logistics Agency for disposition. The 17,074 pieces of equipment comprise almost entirely federal excess personal property. Most of this

Kabul: General Scott Miller, who has commanded US and NATO troops in Afghanistan since 2018, earlier Monday handed over command of any remaining US operations in Afghanistan to US Central Command chief General Frank McKenzie, who will oversee the end of the withdrawal from his headquarters in Florida, and listed out his out priorities for the region. While the Biden administration has said the

Kabul: Pentagon officials are watching the Taliban's sweeping advances in Afghanistan "with deep concern" and are encouraging its Afghan partners to "step up" and defend their country amid the pullout of US forces, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said on Sunday. Kirby told Fox News that the Pentagon was "not unmindful" of the situation. "We're certainly watching with deep concern the deteriorating security situation

Kabul: Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Friday described the Taliban's "concerning" advancement in Afghanistan as the US military pulls troops out of the country after 20 years. Government officials on Friday dismissed the Taliban's claim that it had taken control of 85% of territory in Afghanistan, saying it was part of a propaganda campaign, according to Reuters. "What we have seen is a

Kabul: The withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan actually means that the United States has recognized the failure of its twenty-year-long mission in this country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. "The United States is not merely withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, it is doing that having actually recognized the failure of its twenty-year-long mission," he said during a lecture at

Kabul: Following the safe and orderly drawdown of forces and equipment from Afghanistan by the end of August, the US Defense Department plans to maintain robust over-the-horizon capability if needed, the Pentagon press secretary said on Tuesday, adding that the withdrawal of troops is now almost 90 percent complete. John F. Kirby held a press briefing and said that the DOD is in active

Kabul: The Taliban has plans to present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government side as soon as next month, a spokesperson for the group told Reuters even as they make major territorial gains in the country. "The peace talks and process will be accelerated in the coming days and they are expected to enter an important stage, naturally it will be about