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Tag: taliban

  • Pakistan’s defense minister says that there is now ‘open war’ with Afghanistan

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    Pakistan’s defense minister early Friday said that his country had run out of “patience” and now considers itself in an “open war” with neighboring Afghanistan after both sides launched strikes following what Islamabad described as an Afghan cross-border attack.In a post on X, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces and expected the Taliban to focus on the welfare of the Afghan people and regional stability. Instead, he alleged, the Taliban had turned Afghanistan “into a colony of India,” gathered militants from around the world and begun “exporting terrorism.”Video above: Shiite Muslims take part in a rally to condemn Israeli strikes on Iran “Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said. There has been no reaction from Afghan government officials to Asif’s comments.Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring India of backing the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban, allegations New Delhi denies.His remarks came hours after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, as well as in Kandahar in the south and Paktia province in the southeast, according to Pakistani officials and Afghanistan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. Pakistan says the strikes were in retaliation for Afghan cross-border attacks.The escalation comes months after Qatar and Turkey mediated a ceasefire between the two sides.Both governments have issued sharply differing casualty claims and said they inflicted heavy losses on the other. The claims could not be independently verified.Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said overnight that 55 Pakistani soldiers had been killed, including some whose bodies were taken into Afghanistan, and that “several others were captured alive.” It said eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 wounded. The ministry said it destroyed 19 Pakistani army posts and two bases and that the fighting ended around midnight, about four hours after it began Thursday.Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three wounded.Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied that any Pakistani soldiers had been captured. In a post on X, he said at least 133 Afghan fighters were killed and more than 200 wounded. He also said 27 Afghan posts were destroyed and nine fighters captured. He did not specify where the casualties occurred but said additional losses were estimated in strikes on military targets in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar.In Islamabad, two senior security officials said Afghan forces at some border posts had raised white flags, a gesture typically interpreted as a request to halt firing. The officials said Pakistani forces were continuing what they described as a strong retaliatory response to “unprovoked aggression” by the Afghan Taliban and had destroyed several key Taliban posts along the border.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.Asif also accused the Taliban government of denying Afghans basic human rights, including rights for women that he said are guaranteed under Islam, without providing details or evidence.He said Pakistan had tried to maintain stability both directly and through friendly countries. “Today, when attempts were made to target Pakistan with aggression, by the grace of God, our armed forces are giving a decisive response,” he said.Authorities in Pakistan said dozens of Afghan refugees who were waiting to return home from the northwestern Torkham border have been taken back to safer places following the eruption of clashes.Pakistan launched a sweeping crackdown in Oct. 2023 to expel migrants without documents, urging those in the country to leave of their own accord to avoid arrest and forcible deportation and forcibly expelling others. Iran also began a crackdown on migrants at around the same time.Since then, millions have streamed across the border into Afghanistan, including people who were born in Pakistan decades ago and had built lives and created businesses there.Last year alone, 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan, the U.N. refugee agency has said, with nearly 80,000 having returned so far this year.Afghan reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, Eduardo Castillo in Beijing and Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, also contributed to this story.

    ISLAMABAD, Islamabad Capital Territory —

    Pakistan’s defense minister early Friday said that his country had run out of “patience” and now considers itself in an “open war” with neighboring Afghanistan after both sides launched strikes following what Islamabad described as an Afghan cross-border attack.

    In a post on X, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces and expected the Taliban to focus on the welfare of the Afghan people and regional stability. Instead, he alleged, the Taliban had turned Afghanistan “into a colony of India,” gathered militants from around the world and begun “exporting terrorism.”

    Video above: Shiite Muslims take part in a rally to condemn Israeli strikes on Iran

    “Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said. There has been no reaction from Afghan government officials to Asif’s comments.

    Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring India of backing the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban, allegations New Delhi denies.

    His remarks came hours after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, as well as in Kandahar in the south and Paktia province in the southeast, according to Pakistani officials and Afghanistan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. Pakistan says the strikes were in retaliation for Afghan cross-border attacks.

    The escalation comes months after Qatar and Turkey mediated a ceasefire between the two sides.

    Both governments have issued sharply differing casualty claims and said they inflicted heavy losses on the other. The claims could not be independently verified.

    Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said overnight that 55 Pakistani soldiers had been killed, including some whose bodies were taken into Afghanistan, and that “several others were captured alive.” It said eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 wounded. The ministry said it destroyed 19 Pakistani army posts and two bases and that the fighting ended around midnight, about four hours after it began Thursday.

    Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three wounded.

    Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied that any Pakistani soldiers had been captured. In a post on X, he said at least 133 Afghan fighters were killed and more than 200 wounded. He also said 27 Afghan posts were destroyed and nine fighters captured. He did not specify where the casualties occurred but said additional losses were estimated in strikes on military targets in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar.

    In Islamabad, two senior security officials said Afghan forces at some border posts had raised white flags, a gesture typically interpreted as a request to halt firing. The officials said Pakistani forces were continuing what they described as a strong retaliatory response to “unprovoked aggression” by the Afghan Taliban and had destroyed several key Taliban posts along the border.

    The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

    Asif also accused the Taliban government of denying Afghans basic human rights, including rights for women that he said are guaranteed under Islam, without providing details or evidence.

    He said Pakistan had tried to maintain stability both directly and through friendly countries. “Today, when attempts were made to target Pakistan with aggression, by the grace of God, our armed forces are giving a decisive response,” he said.

    Authorities in Pakistan said dozens of Afghan refugees who were waiting to return home from the northwestern Torkham border have been taken back to safer places following the eruption of clashes.

    Pakistan launched a sweeping crackdown in Oct. 2023 to expel migrants without documents, urging those in the country to leave of their own accord to avoid arrest and forcible deportation and forcibly expelling others. Iran also began a crackdown on migrants at around the same time.

    Since then, millions have streamed across the border into Afghanistan, including people who were born in Pakistan decades ago and had built lives and created businesses there.

    Last year alone, 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan, the U.N. refugee agency has said, with nearly 80,000 having returned so far this year.

    Afghan reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, Eduardo Castillo in Beijing and Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, also contributed to this story.

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  • American Dennis Coyle marks 1 year of detention in Afghanistan

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    Monday marks one year since Dennis Coyle, a 64-year-old academic from Colorado, was taken by force from his Kabul apartment by the Taliban. His abduction came just six days after another American, Ryan Corbett, was released at the start of President Trump’s second term.

    Coyle, who spent nearly two decades in Afghanistan conducting language research, is being held by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence in near-solitary confinement with no charges filed, according to his family. Coyle’s capture so soon after Corbett’s release illustrates the ongoing risks faced by Americans in Afghanistan, even those with long-standing legal status and deep ties to local communities.

    Undated photo of Dennis Coyle, an American who is has been detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban since Jan. 26, 2025.

    Family of Dennis Coyle


    “Dennis is a gentle, soft-spoken man who always listens deeply to others, often over a comforting cup of hot green tea, embodying the Afghan cultural emphasis of hospitality and respectful presence,” Molly Long, one of Coyle’s sisters, told CBS News. “In his nearly two decades in Afghanistan, Dennis faithfully honored the Afghan cultural values of hospitality and kindness.” 

    Coyle’s mother, Donna, 83, and his three sisters, Molly, Amy and Patti, have said the isolation has been crushing. He has missed births, family celebrations, and everyday moments. According to the family, Coyle is confined to a basement room, where he must ask permission to use the bathroom.

    “This past year has been incredibly challenging for our family, as we’ve become entangled in the abhorrent practice of hostage diplomacy amid my brother’s wrongful detainment by the Taliban since January 27, 2025,” Long said. “We are deeply grateful for the broad bipartisan support we’ve received for President Trump to wield the formidable strength of the United States — as he has done so effectively in securing the release of over 90 hostages in Gaza, Venezuela, and around the world — to bring our brother home.” 

    “Our family is thankful and comforted that the president has personally committed to addressing this matter and taking a strong position on it, and we look forward to seeing Dennis again soon,” Long said.

    Two Taliban officials insist Coyle is in good health and his “rights as a prisoner are protected.” They also claim formal court proceedings in his case would begin “soon.” 

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an interview in which Coyle’s case was raised last week, President Trump said he would “take a very strong position on it,” without elaborating further.

    sistersdennis.jpg

    Undated photo of American Dennis Coyle with his sisters. Coyle has been detained by the Taliban since Jan. 26, 2025.

    Photo provided by Dennis Coyle’s family


    Last June, the U.S. government officially designated Coyle as wrongfully detained under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, a status that unlocks select government tools and elevates the priority of efforts to secure his release.

    “The Taliban should immediately release Dennis Coyle and all Americans detained in Afghanistan and end its practice of hostage diplomacy,” the State Department told CBS News in a statement. “We remind all Americans — do not travel to Afghanistan. The Taliban has detained Americans for years and the U.S. Government cannot guarantee your safety.”

    The United States does not recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government and lacks a diplomatic presence in the country, complicating release negotiations that are often conducted by Qatar as an intermediary on behalf of the U.S.

    A Qatari official declined to comment on any involvement in mediating Coyle’s case.

    Acknowledging Coyle’s detention, Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told CBS News, “Negotiations have indeed taken place and are ongoing; however, both sides have not yet reached a final conclusion.”  

    “The Afghan government remains committed to what has been discussed with the United States. It should also be noted that Afghans have been wrongly detained by the United States and continue to be held there. Their fate, as well as the suffering of their families, is similar to that experienced by others in detention.”

    “These talks should lead to concrete results and a final conclusion, ensuring that prisoners from both sides are released,” Mujahid said. 

    The Biden administration held negotiations with the Taliban to swap Americans detained in Afghanistan for Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, a Guantanamo Bay detainee alleged to have been an associate of Osama bin Laden, but the talks ultimately fell through. U.S. officials proposed releasing Rahim in exchange for George Glezmann, Ryan Corbett and Afghan-American Mahmoud Habibi, who was abducted in 2022, while the Taliban countered by seeking Rahim and two others while denying it held Habibi.

    With the help of Qatari negotiators, Corbett and another American, William McKenty, were released last January in exchange for a Taliban figure who had been imprisoned for life on drug trafficking charges. Glezmann and another American, Faye Hall, were released in March, followed by a fifth American, Amir Amiri, who was freed last September. 

    Another senior Taliban official who spoke with CBS News on condition of anonymity referred to Rahim and claimed the U.S. offered a timeframe of three to six months for releasing Rahim. “When we released U.S. citizens last time, the U.S. committed to releasing the last Afghan detainee from Guantanamo. We have already made many concessions. That is enough.”

    In addition to Coyle, at least one other American — a former U.S. army soldier whose purpose for traveling to Afghanistan is unclear — is believed to be currently held by the Taliban. 

    The State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Habibi’s return. 

    “We are not aware of Habibi’s current status and we [have] not arrested him,” the second senior Taliban official told CBS News.

    During the first Trump administration, the U.S. took steps to normalize relations with the Taliban, including troop withdrawal agreements and increased diplomatic contacts. Last September, President Trump expressed interest in regaining access to Bagram Air Base, underscoring a desire to maintain strategic leverage in Afghanistan, while Taliban officials have signaled interest in deeper engagement with the U.S.

    That engagement has stalled to an extent as the U.S. has implemented sweeping restrictions that include suspending visa issuance and entry for Afghan nationals under recent national security proclamations, tightening vetting, and pausing processing of virtually all Afghan immigration and asylum applications. The moves have significantly reduced legal pathways for Afghans seeking entry or resettlement in the U.S. 

    The domestic policy debate intensified following a November 2025 shooting in Washington, D.C., in which an Afghan national evacuated to the U.S. after the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan allegedly killed a National Guardsman and wounded another. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, previously served for several years in Afghanistan’s elite “Zero Units,” paramilitary forces that operated under CIA direction.

    Still, the Taliban and the United States remain in contact, Taliban sources said, noting former U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad visited Kabul earlier this month. White House counterterrorism advisor Seb Gorka and special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler traveled to Afghanistan to broker Amiri’s release in September.

    “We are very clear that we will not offer any further goodwill gestures,” one of the senior Taliban officials told CBS News.

    Last September, the Trump administration created the State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention designation to target countries or groups that hold Americans without legal justification. Modeled after the state sponsors of terrorism designation, the measure would give the State Department authority to impose sanctions, export controls and travel restrictions on nationals of designated countries that detain Americans for political leverage, and to restrict where U.S. passports may be used. To date, no countries have been designated.

    Coyle’s family has launched FreeDennisCoyle.com to coordinate advocacy and share updates. 

    In:

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  • He risked his life for American soldiers in Afghanistan. Would America let him in?

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    CHICAGO — Barely half an hour had passed since the flight landed at O’Hare International Airport, and the Army combat veteran’s palms were already sweating.

    Spencer Sullivan, 38, situated himself at the front of a crowd of people waiting near the exit for international arrivals. He knew it could be hours before his friend got through customs.

    Still, he said, “I’ve been waiting so long for this moment. I don’t want to miss it.”

    It had been just over 13 years since Sullivan, who now works in corporate development, first began helping his former interpreter in Afghanistan petition for a visa to live in the U.S.

    The process had been full of big hopes and bigger letdowns. Then, after they finally secured the visa in September, an Afghan immigrant was accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington.

    In the politicized aftermath, Sullivan wondered: Would his friend get in?

    Abdulhaq Sodais, left, and Spencer Sullivan have breakfast at a hotel in Skokie, Ill., a day after Sodais’ arrival in the U.S.

    After the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, teenage Abdulhaq Sodais enrolled in English classes with the goal of becoming an interpreter for coalition forces. Nearly a decade later in 2010, employment records show he was contracted by Mission Essential, one of the largest companies that supplied interpreters in Afghanistan to Western forces.

    Sodais, 33, and Sullivan, then a platoon leader, met two years later at a military base in the remote Zabul Province.

    Together they would go on intel-gathering missions, talking to village leaders, scouting unfamiliar terrain and observing the Taliban from hilltops, where Sodais interpreted their radio transmissions for Sullivan in real time.

    In December 2012, Sullivan returned to the U.S., though he and Sodais stayed in touch. The following year, the blast of an improvised explosive device left Sodais with a concussion and a bulging spinal disk. He returned to his parents’ home in Herat to recover.

    After his convalescence, he said, his supervisor told him to take a dangerous road back to the Zabul base — a day’s drive for a journey commonly traveled by air. Afraid it would be a suicide mission, he declined to take the land route and was fired for job abandonment.

    The denial of his first Special Immigrant Visa application soon followed.

    Those visas offer a pathway to citizenship for Afghans who were employed by the U.S. government or its private contractors. In establishing the program, federal officials acknowledged a moral obligation to protect allies who risked their lives to help the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.

    More than 50,000 such visas have been approved since 2009, according to the State Department.

    One requirement is “faithful and valuable service to the U.S. government.” Applicants denied visas are often deemed to have failed that provision, though interpreters and advocates have said the smallest inconsistency could trigger a denial. Over the next few years, Sodais said, three more visa applications would be denied.

    In a Nov. 23, 2014, recommendation letter, Sullivan, by then an Army captain, wrote that granting Sodais a visa “is the least that can be done in order to express America’s gratitude for his services.”

    “On multiple missions in enemy controlled villages, his life was threatened by local nationals in support of the Taliban for his assistance of [coalition] forces,” Sullivan wrote. “Abdulhaq did not cover his face while on mission, leaving him recognizable to Taliban informants, further endangering his life.”

    He was rehired by Mission Essential in 2014, but fired again in 2016, with a civilian contractor writing in his file that he had an “incompatible skill set with [the] unit’s mission.” She accused him — falsely — Sodais says, of checking his personal Facebook at the office.

    Mission Essential later told The Times that he was terminated by the military for poor performance but that it had no record of the incident he referred to.

    Sodais said he was confronted by his local mullah, or Muslim clergy leader, in 2015 for working with Western armed forces. The mullah said he was labeled an infidel, and his death had been sanctioned by the Taliban. He went into hiding at his parents’ home.

    Then, in July 2017, the Taliban killed Sayed Sadat, another interpreter who had worked with the platoon Sullivan had led. Devastated by the news, Sullivan reached out to Sodais, asking if he was OK.

    Sodais had gotten a new phone and didn’t reply. Sullivan, who now wears a metal memorial band with Sadat’s name and date of death, feared Sodais also was dead.

    two men walk in a wooded park

    Abdulhaq Sodais and Spencer Sullivan walk through a park in Bremen, Germany, in 2021. Sodais fled Afghanistan for Germany, and Sullivan worked for years to get him a visa to travel to the U.S.

    (Peter Dejong / Associated Press)

    What Sullivan didn’t know was that Sodais had fled Afghanistan and arrived in Germany in 2018 after seven months of travel with smugglers by land.

    After his first German asylum claim was rejected, a lawyer told Sodais he needed more evidence to back up his claims of working for the U.S. So, that Christmas Eve, he messaged Sullivan asking for photos from their missions together. He told Sullivan that if he couldn’t find safety and stability, he would take his own life before the Taliban could.

    Sullivan had been wracked with guilt since Sadat’s death and vowed to help. He sent the photos Sodais requested, wrote a letter of support and helped him navigate German bureaucracy. He even flew to Germany from his home in Virginia in 2019 to offer encouragement.

    But the asylum process moved slowly. By March 2021, Sodais, overwhelmed by fear of deportation, became deeply depressed and attempted suicide. At a psychiatric hospital, medical records show, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

    That August, as the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, Sullivan returned to Germany to help Sodais prepare for his final asylum appeal hearing.

    The verdict arrived a month later. He’d won.

    Sodais found succeeding in German society difficult. He felt a palpable sense of discrimination and was laid off from various contract jobs, including as a forklift operator and an aid helping special needs children on and off school buses.

    While Sullivan was happy his friend had found safety, he was disappointed that the country he had served continued to reject his requests for a visa.

    “He should be in America,” he said at the time. “We failed him.”

    In the meantime, life continued. Sodais married another Afghan refugee, Weeda Faqiri, in 2022. Sodais’ and Sullivan’s families met for the first time in 2022 when Sullivan, his wife and son visited Germany.

    Also that year, Sodais said, he won a $15,000 legal judgment against Mission Essential over lack of medical care after the explosive device blast more than a decade earlier.

    He and Sullivan decided to write a book about Sodais’ life and their friendship. “Not Our Problem: The True Story of an Afghan Refugee, an American Promise, and the World Between Them” is scheduled to publish in April.

    Last year, Sodais decided to make a final pitch to the U.S. government. On Feb. 4 came a reply unlike the others: “Approval of Appeal for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program.”

    people reach for food at a shared meal at a Kabob restaurant

    Abdulhaq Sodais and his wife, Weeda Faqiri, share their first meal in the United States at a restaurant in Chicago on Dec. 17.

    On Sept. 25, Sodais was issued a visa valid for just over five months, until March 3. Overjoyed, he and Faqiri, 26, began planning their move.

    Two months later, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was charged in the shooting that killed Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounded Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24.

    Lakanwal, who pleaded not guilty, entered the U.S. in 2021 through a Biden administration program for Afghans in the wake of the military withdrawal, and his asylum application was approved in April. In Afghanistan, he served in a counterterrorism unit operated by the CIA.

    After the shooting, the Trump administration enacted sweeping restrictions to legal immigration programs, including halting visa applications for Afghans and others.

    Worried that further restrictions could follow, Sullian called Sodais and told him there were likely two options: stay permanently in Germany, or attempt to move immediately to the U.S.

    Sodais chose the move.

    Sullivan learned that RefugeeOne, a Chicago-based group that aids refugees, could help. Using money from their book advance, Sullivan booked Sodais and Faqiri flights from Munich to Chicago, arriving Dec. 17.

    The night before their trip, the Trump administration announced a new proclamation titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.” Under that order, even Afghans who had secured Special Immigrant Visas — people like Sodais — could be denied entry into the U.S.

    Sullivan panicked.

    “Well, this confirms our decision to get them here as fast as possible,” he said that night. “This is a deliberate dismantling of the SIV program, one brick at a time.”

    Then he learned the proclamation wouldn’t take effect until Jan. 1. The panic subsided a little.

    A woman is taken into custody by Border Patrol agents

    A woman is taken into custody by Border Patrol agents after she was accused of using her vehicle to block their vehicles while they were patrolling in a shopping center in Niles, Ill., on Dec. 17.

    (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

    On the day of Sodais’ arrival, Border Patrol leaders returned to Chicago for a fresh round of immigration raids and patrolled a neighborhood near the hotel where he and Faqiri would be staying.

    Sullivan said he would put himself physically between Sodais and immigration agents. He was half-joking, but it underscored the political moment.

    After Sodais’ plane landed, Sullivan knew he had seen one of his WhatsApp messages because of the two blue checkmarks next to it. But others were unread. Had he been denied entry?

    “After so many disappointments over the years, it’s hard to believe that anything’s going to go right,” Sullivan said, later admitting that “I was convinced they were cuffed face-down on the linoleum somewhere.”

    Spencer Sullivan, left, guides Abdulhaq Sodais to a parking garage at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Dec. 17.

    Spencer Sullivan, left, guides Abdulhaq Sodais to a parking garage at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Dec. 17.

    The arrival of three giddy RefugeeOne employees lifted the mood. After years of serving mostly Afghans, Syrians and Ukrainians, they hadn’t picked up an arriving refugee since January, said Emily Parker, who oversees contract compliance.

    Parker said a private donor had paid for Sodais and Faqiri to stay a week in a hotel. They qualified for food stamps, three months of rental assistance, cash assistance and four months of Medicaid, a welcome provision because Sodais still suffers back pain from the explosion.

    On the other side of the arrivals door, Sodais and Faqiri were stuck in a winding line with hundreds of other foreigners. Sodais later said they were nervous — they had been questioned for an hour in Munich and nearly just as long on their layover in Lisbon.

    When they finally got to the front, the customs officer asked what Sodais did for work in Afghanistan. Sodais said he had been an interpreter for U.S. forces. Great, he recalled the agent replying, before welcoming them through.

    At 5:24 p.m., Sullivan’s phone rang. Sodais had exited through a different door, so Sullivan rushed to another part of the airport and pointed excitedly when their eyes locked.

    “You made it!” Sullivan said, pulling his friend in for a bear hug as they both sobbed.

    Without Sullivan, Sodais told the RefugeeOne workers, he would never have made it to the U.S.

    “He saved my life.”

    Abdulhaq Sodais, right, listens to Adriano Gasparini, a housing manager with RefugeeOne, after viewing potential apartments.

    Abdulhaq Sodais, right, listens to Adriano Gasparini, a housing manager with RefugeeOne, after viewing potential apartments in Chicago.

    The next morning, Parker conducted an intake interview with Sodais to determine potential job placements and explain the services her organization would provide. She said Sodais had technically entered the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident, and his green card should arrive in the mail within a few months.

    “That’s how it works with SIVs,” she said. “They’re already 100 steps ahead of any asylee or other refugee.”

    Sullivan let out a deep breath. “In my mind, we were playing a long gamble on the courts challenging the executive orders, so that’s good news,” he said.

    Sodais, who had applied for the visa with only Sullivan’s help and no lawyer, was also pleasantly surprised.

    “This is very exciting for me, because I heard Donald Trump say he stopped everything about refugees,” he said.

    a man looks out of a living room window

    Spencer Sullivan looks out of a living room window in a potential apartment for Abdulhaq Sodais and his wife in Chicago.

    After dinner — the couple’s first Chicago tavern-style pizza — Sullivan offered Faqiri a box to save her last slice, and she hesitated. Sodais gently explained that in Afghanistan, it’s not cultural norm to take food home from restaurants.

    “I just realized something,” Sullivan said. “You’re going to be my interpreter for the rest of our lives.”

    Sodais shot back a knowing smile.

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    Andrea Castillo

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  • Suicide bombers in northwest Pakistan kill at least 3 at security force headquarters

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    Two suicide bombers attacked the headquarters of a security force in northwestern Pakistan on Monday morning, killing at least three officers, police and rescue officials said.

    The attack took place in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, said city Police Chief Saeed Ahmad.

    He said one attacker detonated his explosives at the main gate of the provincial headquarters of the Federal Constabulary, while the second bomber was shot and killed by officers near the parking area.

    He said a swift response by security forces prevented more casualties and the situation was quickly brought under control.

    No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

    However, the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, have been blamed for similar previous assaults in the country, which has witnessed a surge in militant attacks.

    The attacks have strained ties between Islamabad and Afghanistan’s Taliban government, with Pakistan accusing the Pakistani Taliban of operating freely inside Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

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  • Pakistan says ceasefire hinges on Afghanistan curbing armed groups

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    Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that his country’s fragile ceasefire agreement with Afghanistan depends on whether the latter reins in armed groups attacking across their shared border.

    “Everything hinges on this one clause,” said Asif in an interview with news agency Reuters on Monday, after the two countries reached a ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar and Turkiye the previous day.

    The truce followed a week of deadly border clashes that saw relations plummet to their lowest point since Afghanistan’s Taliban returned to power after the exit of US and NATO troops from the country in 2021.

    The fighting was triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul control fighters from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella of several armed groups commonly known as the Pakistan Taliban, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.

    “Anything coming from Afghanistan will be [a] violation of this agreement,” said Asif, who led the talks with his Afghan counterpart Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob. He said that the written agreement stipulated there would not be any incursions.

    The minister said that TTP operated “in connivance” with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, an allegation that the latter has denied. Afghanistan accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation and sheltering ISIL (ISIS)-linked fighters to undermine its stability and sovereignty.

    Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, said that under the terms of the agreement, “neither country will undertake any hostile actions against the other, nor will they support groups carrying out attacks against the Government of Pakistan”.

    Mujahid said the countries had agreed on refraining “from targeting each other’s security forces, civilians, or critical infrastructure”.

    The Pakistan Taliban, which has been waging a war for years against Islamabad in a bid to overthrow the government, has accelerated attacks in recent months to target Pakistan’s military.

    Pakistan security officials said the military carried out air strikes on the Afghan capital Kabul, including one on October 9 in an attempt to kill Pakistan Taliban leader Noor Wali Mehsud, though he later appeared in a video showing he was alive.

    “We were being attacked. Our territory was being attacked. So we just did tit for tat. We were paying them in the same coin,” Asif said.

    “They are in Kabul. They are everywhere. Wherever they are, we will attack them. Kabul is not, you know, a no-go area.”

    The next round of talks is scheduled to be held in Istanbul on October 25 to evolve a mechanism on how to enforce the agreement, Asif said.

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  • Afghans on humanitarian parole now face deportation under Trump

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    Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, some 200,000 Afghans have found refuge in the U.S. Most were given “”humanitarian parole”” to stay in the country. But the Trump administration has ended those protections and many now face deportation back to Afghanistan, where they fear Taliban retribution. Washington Post reporter John Woodrow Cox joins to discuss one such case.

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  • Among the Talibros

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    Three hostages kneel in front of a camera, their hands tied behind their backs and their heads covered with black plastic bags that obscure their faces. Looming behind them is a group of bearded, glowering militants, dressed in tunics and turbans, some holding assault rifles.

    “We have one message for America,” the man standing in the middle says, with one hand resting on the shoulder of the kneeling figure in front of him, the other hand jabbing the air to emphasize his speech. To people of a certain age, this scene is immediately recognizable. The intense stares, the polemical script, the stillness of the kneeling bodies—it was all eerily reminiscent of the videos of Daniel Pearl and James Foley being beheaded by Islamic figures.

    Thankfully, this video took a different turn. The speaker removes the bag from the face of the man kneeling before him, who then proceeds to flash a Hollywood smile and give an emphatic thumbs-up. “Welcome to Afghanistan!” he says straight into the camera, after which a montage of Westerners posing for pictures in mountain glens and doing pullups on the barrels of tank guns starts to play.

    Yosaf Aryubi, an Afghan American in his late twenties, made the video as an advertisement for his travel agency, Raza Afghanistan, which organizes tours of the country. Aryubi, who splits his time between Afghanistan and California, plays the role of would-be executor, while Jake Youngblood Dobbs, an American travel influencer who was on a tour with Raza at the time, is the ersatz victim whom Aryubi unveils. The video is simultaneously a provocative advertisement for Aryubi’s company—as well as an encouragement for tourists to visit Afghanistan. The pro-Taliban social-media account @afghanarabc shared the post, indicating at least a bit of an official imprimatur for Aryubi’s stunt. (The account has also shared other English-language videos, including a clip from Tucker Carlson’s show, in which he positively contrasts Afghanistan’s punitive drug-treatment programs to those in America.)

    I hate to admit it, but when I first saw this video a couple of months ago, it made me laugh. The tonal whiplash gave it a nonsensical, dark irony, like something an especially cynical Tim Robinson would create. Youngblood and others even have an affectionate nickname for their hosts: Talibros. The dudes-rock montage that followed the execution sketch had some genuinely funny bits. Some guys are fooling around with an assault rifle that has “Property of U.S. Govt” etched on its side. “It’s an American souvenir,” someone jokes. “Oh, it’s not even on safety right now,” the white tourist holding the gun says before the entire group bursts out in the familiar laughter of a group of guys who are doing something stupid and dangerous and, therefore, hilarious.

    Still, the opening scene stuck with me, and, in the weeks that followed, I began to interpret it as something less funny and more sinister. Filmed beheadings were indelible images of the wars of my childhood and adolescence in the two-thousands, graphic pieces of contraband we sought out on bootleg websites. I felt queasy thinking back to those videos, a vivid response that I suspect was the goal of this crop of young influencers. Aryubi’s irreverent references to years of violence in Afghanistan are part of a growing library of irony-soaked travel content that simultaneously asks viewers to stop believing everything the mainstream media tells them about the country while also instructing them not to take what the influencers say too seriously. Call it Frommer’s for edgelords. Several other content creators have spent time travelling through Afghanistan, glowingly sharing stories about how men can still be men, given the Taliban’s preservation of traditional values. A few poke fun at Western assumptions of how women are treated in the country. The wildly popular American YouTuber Addison Pierre Maalouf—better known as Arab to his nearly two million subscribers—toured Afghanistan last winter. In one video, he and his companions visit a women’s market.

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    T. M. Brown

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  • German minister: Talks with Taliban on deportations ‘well advanced’

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    Discussions between Germany and the Taliban on deportations of offenders to Afghanistan are “well advanced,” Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Thursday.

    In a debate in the German parliament, Dobrindt said “technical discussions” recently took place in Kabul with employees from his ministry.

    “I want to tell you that these talks are well advanced and we will continue along this path consistently,” the minister told lawmakers in Berlin. “Criminals have no place in Germany. We will regularly deport them to Afghanistan.”

    Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration has pledged to step up deportations since taking office in May.

    Contacts with the Taliban are controversial, as the German government does not officially maintain diplomatic relations with the Islamist organization, which returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

    The group is internationally isolated due to its disregard for human rights and women’s rights in particular.

    Since 2021, Afghan criminals have been deported from Germany on two occasions with the help of Qatar.

    According to Dobrindt, one issue in the Kabul talks was whether it would be possible to regularly deport people to Afghanistan using scheduled flights as well as chartered ones.

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  • Today in History: September 27, Taliban take power in Afghanistan

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    Today is Saturday, Sept. 27, the 270th day of 2025. There are 95 days left in the year.

    Today in history:

    On Sept. 27, 1996, the Taliban, the extremist Islamic movement in Afghanistan, drove the government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani out of Kabul, the capital, and executed former President Najibullah.

    Also on this date:

    In 1779, John Adams was named by Congress to negotiate the Revolutionary War’s peace terms with Britain.

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    The Associated Press

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  • British couple freed by Taliban hug daughter as family express ‘immense relief’

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    A British couple freed by the Taliban after being detained for nearly eight months have emotionally reunited with their daughter, sharing hugs after landing in Qatar.

    Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, who lived in Afghanistan for nearly two decades, were on their way home when they were stopped on 1 February.

    The couple were released on Friday morning through Qatari mediation, and later landed in Doha where they were met by their daughter. After medical checks they will travel to the UK, despite their long-term home being in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province.

    The Taliban said the pair had broken Afghan laws and were released after judicial proceedings – but has never disclosed the reason for their detention.

    There were emotional scenes in Doha as the couple’s daughter, Sarah Entwistle, met her parents as they stepped off of the plane. They shared long hugs before walking together towards the airport building.

    Shortly after landing in Doha, the couple were seen greeting Qatari and British representatives.

    Mrs Reynolds said it was “wonderful to be here”, and told Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency that she and her husband are Afghan citizens and looked forward to returning to Afghanistan “if we can”.

    She added that they had been treated “very well”.

    In a statement, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he welcomed the “long-awaited news”, and their release would be of huge relief to the Mr and Mrs Reynold’s four children.

    He also paid tribute to the “vital role played by Qatar, including The Amir, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani” in their release.

    Peter Reynolds hugs his daughter Sarah [AFP via Getty Images]

    Before her parents landed, Ms Entwistle told reporters she most recently spoke to them last Saturday and they were “ready to come home”.

    Earlier, the family said they were “overwhelmed with gratitude and relief” at the couple’s release.

    They said it was “a moment of immense joy”, adding in a statement that they were “deeply thankful to everyone who played a role in securing their release”.

    “While the road to recovery will be long as our parents regain their health and spend time with their family, today is a day of tremendous joy and relief.”

    The family paid particular tribute to the “unwavering support” of the Qatari mediators, as well as the diplomatic efforts of the UK government and the support of the US and the UN.

    Peter and Barbie Reynolds married in Kabul in 1970 and spent the past 18 years running a charitable training programme that had been approved by local Taliban officials when the armed group reclaimed power in 2021.

    They have been described by family as having a lifelong love of Afghanistan, typified by their decision to remain there after the authoritarian regime seized control in August 2021, when many other Westerners left.

    Their release follows months of public lobbying by their family, who have described the harrowing conditions of their detention.

    The couple’s son, Jonathan Reynolds, said in July that his father had been suffering serious convulsions and his mother was “numb” from anaemia and malnutrition.

    “My dad was chained to murderers and criminals,” he said at the time, adding that they had at one point been held in a basement for six weeks without sunlight.

    Reacting to the news of their release on Friday, Mr Reynolds told BBC Breakfast: “I cannot wait to put my arms around them and give them a hug.”

    Ms Entwistle previously said her father had suffered a mini-stroke, while the UN warned that without medical care the couple were at risk of irreparable harm.

    Just six days ago, an American woman who was detained with them and subsequently released told the BBC they had been “literally dying” in prison and that “time is running out”.

    Faye Hall, who was let go two months into her detention, highlighted that the elderly couple’s health had deteriorated rapidly while in prison.

    A Qatari official told the BBC the couple were moved from Kabul’s central prison to a larger facility with better conditions during the final stage of negotiations over their release.

    Barbie and Peter Reynolds pose for a picture in Afghanistan

    The pair have a lifelong love of Afghanistan, family say [Handout]

    The official also said the Qatari embassy in Kabul had provided them with medication, access to a doctor and means of communicating with their family while in prison.

    Taliban officials maintained they received adequate medical care in prison and their human rights were respected.

    The UK does not recognise the Taliban government and closed its embassy in Kabul when the group returned to power.

    The Foreign Office says support for British nationals in Afghanistan is therefore “severely limited” and advises against all travel to the country.

    A Taliban official said Peter and Barbie Reynolds were handed over to the UK’s Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Richard Lindsay, who was pictured with the couple aboard their flight to Qatar.

    The UK’s Middle East minister Hamish Falconer said he was relieved that the pair had now been freed, adding: “I look forward to them being reunited with their family soon.”

    He said the UK had “worked intensively” to secure their release, while Qatar “played an essential role in this case, for which I am hugely grateful”.

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  • Taliban claim an agreement reached with U.S. envoys on a prisoner swap as they seek better ties

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    The Taliban said Saturday they had reached an agreement with U.S. envoys on an exchange of prisoners as part of an effort to normalize relations between the United States and Afghanistan.

    They gave no details of an actual detainee swap and the White House did not comment on the meeting in Kabul or the results described in a Taliban statement.

    The Taliban released photographs from their talks, showing their foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, with President Trump’s special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler, as well as Zalmay Khalilzad, who served as the U.S. special envoy for Afghan peace during the first Trump administration.

    In this photo released by the Taliban Foreign Ministry Press Service, Amir Khan Muttaqi, left, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban government, meets with Adam Boehler, the U.S. president’s special envoy for Detainee Affairs, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025.

    Taliban Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP


    On the issue of prisoners, Boehler “confirmed that the two sides would undertake an exchange of detainees,” the Taliban statement said. No information was provided on how many people are being held in each country, their identities or the reasons and circumstances of their imprisonment.

    The meeting came after the Taliban, in March, released U.S. citizen George Glezmann, who was abducted while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist. He was the third detainee freed by the Taliban since Mr. Trump took office.Shortly after, American citizen Faye Hall was freed by the Taliban after being detained on charges of using a drone without authorization.

    While answering reporter’s questions in Tel Aviv on Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. envoys have been having conversations with the Taliban for some time, but didn’t confirm the details of any agreement.

    “[Boehler] went there to explore what’s possible,” Rubio said. “Obviously, it’ll be the president’s decision in terms of any trades or any exchanges, but we most certainly want any Americans or anyone being unlawfully detained to be released.”

    The talks came after the Taliban sharply criticized Mr. Trump’s new travel ban that bars Afghans from entering the United States.

    “Comprehensive discussions were held on ways to develop bilateral relations between the two countries, issues related to citizens, and investment opportunities in Afghanistan,” the Taliban said.

    The statement added that the U.S. delegation also expressed condolences over the devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan late last month, which is believed to have killed at least 2,200 people.

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  • Afghan diplomat Zakia Wardak resigns after being accused of smuggling almost $2 million worth of gold into India

    Afghan diplomat Zakia Wardak resigns after being accused of smuggling almost $2 million worth of gold into India

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    New Delhi  —Afghanistan’s top diplomat in India resigned days after she was reportedly caught by airport authorities smuggling nearly $2 million worth of gold into the country. Zakia Wardak, the Afghan Consul-General in India’s financial capital Mumbai, posted a statement on social media announcing her resignation.

    Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi shut down in November, more than two years after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul following the collapse of the Western-backed government, leaving Wardak as the country’s most senior representative in India.

    “It is with great regret that I announce my decision to step away from my role at the Consulate and Embassy in India, effective May 5, 2024,” Wardak said Saturday.

    zakia-wardak-afghanistan.jpg
    A file photo posted to her X account in 2018 shows Afghan diplomat Zakia Wardak, who resigned on May 5, 2024 from her role as Afghanistan’s top diplomat in India after reports claimed she had been caught smuggling almost $2 million worth of gold into the country.

    Zakia Wardak/X


    Indian media reports said Wardak was stopped last month by financial intelligence authorities at Mumbai airport on arrival from Dubai, along with her son, carrying about 55 pounds of gold. She was not arrested because of her diplomatic immunity, the reports said, but the gold — worth around $1.9 million — was confiscated.

    Wardak’s resignation leaves thousands of Afghan nationals, including students and businessmen, without any consular representation in India. Most foreign nations, including India, do not officially recognize Afghanistan’s Taliban government, but acknowledge it as the de facto ruling authority.

    In many Afghan missions, diplomats appointed by the former government have refused to cede control of embassy buildings and property to representatives of the Taliban authorities.

    Wardak said in the statement that she had “encountered numerous personal attacks and defamation” over the past year.

    Such incidents “have demonstrated the challenges faced by women in Afghan society,” she added, making no explicit reference to the gold allegations.

    The Taliban has asserted full control over around a dozen Afghan embassies abroad — including in Pakistan, China, Turkey and Iran.

    Others operate on a hybrid system, with the ambassador gone but embassy staff still carrying out routine consular work such as issuing visas and other documents.

    Most countries evacuated their missions from Kabul as the Taliban closed in on the Afghan capital in August 2021, although a handful of embassies — including Pakistan, China and Russia — never shut and still have ambassadors in Kabul.

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  • Taliban Fast Facts | CNN

    Taliban Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the Taliban, a Sunni Islamist organization operating primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    The group’s aim is to impose its interpretation of Islamic law on Afghanistan and remove foreign influence from the country.

    Taliban, in Pashto, is the plural of Talib, which means student.

    Most members are Pashtun, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

    Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada has been the Taliban’s supreme leader since 2016.

    Reclusive leader Mullah Mohammed Omar led the Taliban from the mid-1990s until his death in 2013.

    The exact number of Taliban forces is unknown.

    1979-1989 – The Soviet Union invades and occupies Afghanistan. Afghan resistance fighters, known collectively as mujahedeen, fight back.

    1989-1993 – After the Soviet Union withdraws, fighting among the mujahedeen erupts.

    1994 – The Taliban forms, comprised mostly of students and led by Mullah Mohammed Omar.

    November 1994 – The Taliban take control of the city of Kandahar.

    September 1996 – The capital, Kabul, falls to the Taliban.

    1996-2001 – The group imposes strict Islamic laws on the Afghan people. Women must wear head-to-toe coverings, are not allowed to attend school or work outside the home and are forbidden to travel alone. Television, music and non-Islamic holidays are banned.

    1997 – The Taliban issue an edict renaming Afghanistan the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The country is only officially recognized by three countries: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

    1997- Omar forges a relationship with Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, who then moves his base of operations to Kandahar.

    August 1998 – The Taliban capture the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, gaining control of about 90% of Afghanistan.

    October 7, 2001 – Less than a month after terrorists linked to al Qaeda carry out the 9/11 attacks, American and allied forces begin an invasion of Afghanistan called Operation Enduring Freedom.

    December 2001 – The Taliban lose its last major stronghold as Kandahar falls. Hamid Karzai is chosen as interim leader of Afghanistan.

    November 3, 2004 – Karzai is officially elected president of Afghanistan.

    December 2006 – Senior Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani is killed in an airstrike by the United States.

    December 11, 2007 – Allied commanders report that Afghan troops backed by NATO have recaptured the provincial town of Musa Qala from Taliban control.

    October 21, 2008 – Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal confirms that Saudi Arabia hosted talks between Afghan officials and the Taliban in September. It is reported that no agreements were made.

    April 25, 2011 – Hundreds of prisoners escape from a prison in Kandahar by crawling through a tunnel. The Taliban take responsibility for the escape and claim that 541 prisoners escaped, while the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force says the number is 470.

    September 10, 2011 – Two Afghan civilians are killed, and 77 US troops are wounded in a truck bombing at the entrance of Combat Outpost Sayed Abad, an ISAF base in Afghanistan’s Wardak province. The Taliban claim responsibility.

    September 13, 2011 – Taliban militants open fire on the US embassy and ISAF headquarters in central Kabul. Three police officers and one civilian are killed.

    February 27, 2012 – The Taliban claim responsibility for a suicide bombing near the front gate of the ISAF base at the Jalalabad airport in Afghanistan. At least nine people are killed and 12 are wounded in the explosion. The Taliban say the bombing is in retaliation for the burning of Qurans by NATO troops.

    June 18, 2013 – An official political office of the Taliban opens in Doha, Qatar’s capital city. The Taliban claim they hope to improve relations with other countries and head toward a peaceful solution in Afghanistan.

    September 21, 2013 – A Pakistani official announces that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the founding members of the Taliban, has been released from prison. Baradar had been captured in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2010.

    May 31, 2014 – The United States transfer five Guantánamo Bay detainees to Qatar in exchange for the release of US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. It is believed Bergdahl was being held by the Taliban and the al Qaeda-aligned Haqqani network in Pakistan. The detainees released are Khair Ulla Said Wali Khairkhwa, Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Nori, Abdul Haq Wasiq and Mohammad Nabi Omari.

    July 29, 2015 – An Afghan government spokesman says in a news release that Taliban leader Omar died in April 2013 in Pakistan, citing “credible information.” A spokesman for Afghanistan’s intelligence service tells CNN that Omar died in a hospital in Karachi at that time.

    September 28, 2015 – Taliban insurgents seize the main roundabout in the Afghan provincial capital of Kunduz, then free more than 500 inmates at the prison.

    December 21, 2015 – A police official says Taliban forces have taken almost complete control over Sangin, a strategically important city in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

    May 21, 2016 – Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour is killed in an airstrike in Pakistan.

    May 25, 2016 – The Taliban name Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new leader. He is a senior religious cleric from the Taliban’s founding generation.

    January 25, 2017 – The Taliban release an open letter to newly elected US President Donald Trump. The letter calls on Trump to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan.

    April 21, 2017 – The Taliban attack a northern army base in Afghanistan, killing or wounding more than 100 people.

    July 25, 2017 – CNN reports it has exclusive videos that suggest the Taliban have received improved weaponry in Afghanistan that appears to have been supplied by the Russian government. Moscow categorically denies arming the Taliban.

    August 3, 2017 – Taliban and ISIS forces launch a joint attack on a village in northern Afghanistan, killing 50 people, including women and children, local officials say.

    January 27, 2018 – An attacker driving an ambulance packed with explosives detonates them in Kabul, killing 95 people and injuring 191 others, Afghan officials say. The Taliban claim responsibility.

    February 28, 2018 – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says the government is willing to recognize the Taliban as a legitimate political party as part of a potential ceasefire agreement.

    April 12, 2018 – At least 14 people, including a district governor, are killed and at least five are injured in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan’s southeastern Ghazni province.

    June 7, 2018 – In a video message, Ghani announces that Afghan forces have agreed to a ceasefire with the Taliban between June 12 and June 21. The proposed truce coincides with the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, the period during which Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

    June 15-17, 2018 – The three-day-old ceasefire between the Taliban, Afghan forces and the NATO-led coalition is marred by two deadly attacks. ISIS, which did not participate in the truce, claims responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Nangarhar province that kills at least 25 people, including Taliban members and civilians. A second suicide bombing is carried out near the Nangarhar governor’s compound, killing at least 18 people and injuring at least 49. There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the second attack.

    August 10, 2018 – The Taliban launch an attack on the strategic Afghan city of Ghazni, south of the capital Kabul, seizing key buildings and trading fire with security forces. At least 16 people are killed and 40 are injured, most are Afghan security forces.

    October 13, 2018 – The Taliban issues a statement announcing that the group met with the US envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, to discuss the conflict in Afghanistan. The United States does not confirm that the meeting occurred.

    November 9, 2018 – In Moscow, Taliban representatives participate in talks with diplomats from Russia, Pakistan, India and other countries, as well as officials from the Afghan government. The United States sends a diplomat from its embassy in Moscow as an observer.

    January 22, 2019 – Authorities say at least 12 members of the Afghan military were killed and another 28 injured when the Taliban carried out a suicide attack on a military base in the central province of Maidan Wardak.

    January 28, 2019 – Officials from the United States and the Taliban announce they have agreed to a framework that could end the war in Afghanistan. The framework for peace would see the Taliban vow to prevent the country from being used as a hub for terrorism in return for a US military withdrawal. An Afghan source close to the negotiations tells CNN that while a ceasefire and US withdrawal were both discussed, neither side came to final conclusions.

    January 30, 2019 – In its quarterly report to the US Congress, the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction declares the Taliban expanded its control of territory in 2018 while the Afghan government lost control of territory. In October 2018, the Afghan government controlled just 53.8% of districts in the country, according to the report. The insurgency made gains to control 12.3% of districts while 33.9% of districts were contested.

    February 5-6, 2019 – Talks are held in Moscow between Taliban leaders and politicians from the government of Afghanistan.

    March 12, 2019 – Peace talks between representatives from the United States and the Taliban end without a finalized agreement. Khalilzad, the main American negotiator, says that progress has been made and the talks yielded two draft proposals.

    September 7-8, 2019 – Trump announces that Taliban leaders were to travel to the Unites States for secret peace talks over the weekend but that the meeting has been canceled and he has called off peace talks with the militant group entirely. Trump tweets that he scrapped the meeting after the Taliban took credit for an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed a dozen people, including an American soldier.

    November 28, 2019 – On a surprise trip to Afghanistan for a Thanksgiving visit with US troops, Trump announces that peace talks with the Taliban have restarted.

    February 29, 2020 – The United States and the Taliban sign a historic agreement which sets into motion the potential of a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. The “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” outlines a series of commitments from the United States and the Taliban related to troop levels, counterterrorism and the intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at bringing about “a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.”

    August 9, 2020 – Afghanistan’s grand assembly of elders, the consultative Loya Jirga, passes a resolution calling for the release of the last group of some 5,000 Taliban prisoners, paving the way for direct peace talks with the insurgent group. The release of the 400 prisoners is part of the agreement signed by the US and the Taliban in February.

    April 14, 2021 – US President Joe Biden formally announces his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan before September 11, 2021, deeming the prolonged and intractable conflict in Afghanistan no longer aligns with American priorities.

    August 15, 2021 – After the Taliban seize control of every major city across Afghanistan, in just two weeks, they take control of the presidential palace in Kabul. A senior Afghan official and a senior diplomatic source tell CNN that Ghani has left the country.

    August 30, 2021 – The last US military planes leave Afghanistan.

    September 7, 2021 – The Taliban announce the formation of a hardline interim government for Afghanistan. Four men receiving senior positions in the government had previously been detained by the United States at Guantánamo Bay, and were released as part of a prisoner swap for Bergdahl in 2014.

    November 30, 2021 – New research released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) details “the summary execution or enforced disappearance” of 47 former members of the Afghan National Security Forces who had surrendered or were apprehended by Taliban forces between August 15 and October 31. A Taliban deputy spokesman rejects the HRW report, saying that the Taliban established a general amnesty on their first day of power in Afghanistan.

    December 27, 2021 – The Taliban says it has dissolved Afghanistan’s election commission as well as its ministries for peace and parliamentary affairs, further eroding state institutions set up by the country’s previous Western-backed governments.

    February 11, 2022 – Biden signs an executive order allowing $7 billion in frozen assets from Afghanistan’s central bank to eventually be distributed inside the country and to potentially fund litigation brought by families of victims of the September 11 terror attacks. The Taliban has claimed rights to the funds, which include assets like currency and gold, but the United States has declined access to them after Afghanistan’s democratic government fell. The United States has not recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.

    March 23, 2022 – The Taliban prevents girls above the 6th grade in Afghanistan from making their much-anticipated return to school. They are told to stay at home until a school uniform appropriate to Sharia and Afghan customs and culture can be designed, the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency reported. The Taliban originally said that schools would open for all students – including girls – after the Afghan new year, which is celebrated on March 21, on the condition that boys and girls were separated either in different schools or by different learning hours.

    November 13, 2022 – The Taliban orders judges in Afghanistan to fully impose their interpretation of Sharia Law, including potential public executions, amputations and flogging, a move experts fear will lead to a further deterioration of human rights in the impoverished country.

    December 20, 2022 – The Taliban government suspends university education for all female students in Afghanistan.

    December 24, 2022 – The Taliban administration orders all local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to stop their female employees from coming to work, according to a letter by the Ministry of Economy sent to all licensed NGOs.

    June 15, 2023 – The United Nations releases a report saying that since re-taking control of the country,the Taliban has committed “egregious systematic violations of women’s rights,” by restricting their access to education and employment and their ability to move freely in society.

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  • Mass. marijuana shops pay towns hefty fees. Why that might change. – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    Mass. marijuana shops pay towns hefty fees. Why that might change. – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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    … Monday. 
    Under current state law, marijuana establishments must pay a community … the costs imposed by the marijuana establishment.  
    “Reasonably related” means there … offset the operation of a marijuana establishment. Those costs could include …

    Original Author Link click here to read complete story..

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  • Hamid Karzai Fast Facts | CNN

    Hamid Karzai Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here is a look at the life of Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan.

    Birth date: December 24, 1957

    Birth place: Kandahar, Afghanistan

    Father: Abdul Ahad Karzai, politician

    Mother: Mother’s name unavailable publicly

    Marriage: Zinat Quraishi Karzai (1999-present)

    Children: daughter’s name unavailable publicly, 2016; Howsi, 2014; Malalai, 2012; Mirwais, 2007

    Education: Himachal University, India, master’s degree in Political Science

    A member of the Popalzai clan, part of the larger Pashtun tribe.

    Karzai was educated in India and is fluent in several languages, including English, Pashto, Dari and Urdu.

    His grandfather, Khair Mohammad Khan, served as deputy speaker of the Afghan Parliament.

    His father held high level posts in the government of King Mohammed Zahir Shah.

    1979 – After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Karzai and his father flee to Pakistan.

    1992-1993 – After the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, Karzai serves as deputy foreign minister in the government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani.

    Mid-1990s – Briefly aligns himself with the Taliban.

    1996 – Declines an invitation to become Taliban ambassador to the United Nations.

    1999 – Karzai’s father is murdered in Quetta, Pakistan, allegedly by the Taliban.

    October 2001 – Slips into Afghanistan from Pakistan, to incite an uprising against the Taliban.

    November 2001 – Is rescued by US forces during a skirmish with Taliban fighters.

    December 2001 – Karzai is chosen as interim leader of Afghanistan.

    December 5, 2001 – Is slightly injured by an errant US bomb.

    December 22, 2001 – Is inaugurated as interim president in Kabul.

    January 2002 – Visits the United States and the United Nations. Is an honored guest at US President George W. Bush’s State of the Union address.

    June 13, 2002 – At the Loya Jirga, Karzai is named president of Afghanistan for a two-year term.

    September 5, 2002 – Survives an assassination attempt in his hometown of Kandahar.

    November 3, 2004 – Is officially elected president of Afghanistan.

    December 7, 2004 – Is inaugurated president of Afghanistan.

    September 18, 2005 – First open parliamentary elections in 30 years.

    April 27, 2008 – Narrowly escapes an assassination attempt at a military parade in Kabul.

    March 29, 2009 – After the date of the presidential election is moved to August 2009, the Afghan Supreme Court rules that Karzai will remain in office for three months after his official term ends in May.

    August 20, 2009 – Afghanistan holds its second presidential election. Karzai wins by a landslide amid widespread allegations of low voter turnout, intimidation and fraud.

    October 31, 2009 – A run-off election is canceled when Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah drops out, leaving Karzai as the only candidate and winner by default.

    November 19, 2009 – Karzai is sworn in for a second term as president of Afghanistan.

    May 12, 2010 – Meets with US President Barack Obama at the White House.

    July 20, 2010 – Announces he would like to see Afghan security forces take the lead on military operations in Afghanistan by 2014.

    January 26, 2011 – Inaugurates the National Assembly, ending a political standoff between Karzai and the parliament. The inauguration comes four months after a nationwide election that critics said was marked by extensive fraud.

    September 29, 2014 – Steps down as president.

    June 2015 – Travels to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    February 5, 2019 – Travels to Moscow for a two-day conference to meet with members of the Taliban and other key Afghan figures to set the stage for peace negotiations.

    December 2, 2021 – Following the Taliban takeover in August, in a BBC interview, Karzai calls the Taliban “brothers” and urges Afghans who have left Afghanistan to return. Karzai also urges the United States to return to help the Afghan people. Karzai says he has held conversations concerning when Afghan women and girls would return to school and work.

    December 3, 2022 – Leaves Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Karzai reportedly faced travel restrictions. He is expected to visit the United Arab Emirates then Germany.

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  • Boyband star who injured himself in the army in a Taliban trap is now £5m CBD oil firm pioneer – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    Boyband star who injured himself in the army in a Taliban trap is now £5m CBD oil firm pioneer – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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    A former boyband singer who was injured in Afghanistan after becoming an army officer has grown a £5million company by selling the formula that eased his pain.

    Farard Darver, a Green Beret Commando, suffered a leg injury after his vehicle hit a Taliban trap and though he carried on serving, he was permanently affected.

    The 45-year-old tried everything for his aching leg and finally happened upon CBD oil that helped him manage the pain.

    He was so impressed with the healing effects that he gave up a promotional opportunity to colonel and a full army pension so he could leave the military and invest everything he had into his start-up.

    Healthcare International Research Ltd was launched in 2019 – just prior to the Covid pandemic – selling two brands; HEMPE for health and wellness and MotherSage, for beauty and skincare.

    Farard Darver has grown a £5million company by selling the formula that eased pain

    Darver was commissioned into the Royal Logistic Corps and ultimately became a Green Beret Commando

    Darver was commissioned into the Royal Logistic Corps and ultimately became a Green Beret Commando

    Farard Darver in Afghanistan - he suffered a leg injury after his vehicle hit a Taliban trap

    Farard Darver in Afghanistan – he suffered a leg injury after his vehicle hit a Taliban trap

    Darver (centre) in boyband Men2B - after school he became a boyband member

    Darver (centre) in boyband Men2B – after school he became a boyband member

    Darver (left) in boyband Area 4 - as a boyband member he hit the charts

    Darver (left) in boyband Area 4 – as a boyband member he hit the charts 

    He now sells two brands; HEMPE for health and wellness and MotherSage, for beauty and skincare

    He now sells two brands; HEMPE for health and wellness and MotherSage, for beauty and skincare

    Farard has already turned down eye-watering offers for the company and has gained investment from…

    Original Author Link click here to read complete story..

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  • Putin claims Western weapons for Ukraine have been sold to the Taliban

    Putin claims Western weapons for Ukraine have been sold to the Taliban

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    Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday claimed without evidence that some Western weapons intended for Ukraine have been sold to the Taliban on the illegal arms market.

    Putin made the accusation during a meeting with members of the Russian Civic Chamber while discussing what he characterized as a high level of corruption in the Ukrainian government.

    According to Reuters, Jürgen Stock, the head of Interpol, warned last year that a portion of the steady stream of guns and heavy arms being provided to Ukraine for its defenses against Putin’s invading forces could end up being purchased by organized crime groups on the international arms market. However, Ukrainian officials have maintained they keep a close watch on weapons sent from Western allies.

    But Putin said some weapons sent to Kyiv’s military have already been sold because, according to him, “everything is for sale” in Ukraine.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday is shown during a meeting with the Russian Civic Chamber in Moscow. During the meeting, Putin claimed without proof that Western weapons sent to Ukraine have been sold to the Taliban.
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    “Now they say: Weapons are getting into the Middle East from Ukraine. Well, of course they are, because they are being sold,” Putin said, according to a Reuters translation of his comments. “And they are being sold to the Taliban, and from there, they go onto wherever.”

    Newsweek reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian ministries of foreign affairs via email for comment Friday night.

    TASS, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, also reported on Putin’s claim about Western weapons being bought by the Taliban. Putin reportedly went on at length about Ukraine and his accusations of corruption there.

    “In Russia, we have plenty of problems. We, in Russia, and in the entire world are fighting corruption, but corruption in Ukraine has taken on a life of its own—there is nothing like it in the world, you can take it from me,” he said, according to TASS.

    The Russian president—who has been accused of rigging national elections and keeping tight control over what is reported by his country’s media—then claimed former Ukrainian leaders used to quote prices to him for the cost of getting things done.

    “Believe me, I had close contacts with [Ukraine’s] former leaders—they buy everything: The vote in the Supreme Court, the vote in the Constitutional Court. Buy!” he said, per TASS.

    Putin reportedly added: “This coming from the highest officials! I was taken aback! I said: ‘This is how you do things here?’ [And the answer was]: ‘Well, yes, this is the way it is here.’”

    While admitting that there is a level of corruption in Russia, Putin described the situation as worse in Ukraine.

    “The scope is different: There [in Ukraine], corruption is actually legal,” he said.