Police: Death toll in Afghan capital mosque bombing now 21
Afghanistan Mourners carry the body of a victim of a mosque bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 18. A bombing at a mosque in Kabul during evening prayers on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded over two dozen, an eyewitness and police said. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (Ebrahim Noroozi)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — A bombing at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul during evening prayers killed at least 21 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded at least 33, eyewitnesses and police said Thursday. Last week, the IS claimed responsibility for killing a prominent Taliban cleric at his religious center in Kabul. Khalid Zadran, the spokesman for Kabul's police chief, gave the figures to The Associated Press for the bombing at the Sunni mosque.
wftv.comBombing at Kabul mosque kills 10, including prominent cleric
Afghanistan Mourners carry the body of a victim of a mosque bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 18. A bombing at a mosque in Kabul during evening prayers on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded over two dozen, an eyewitness and police said. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (Ebrahim Noroozi)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — A bombing at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul during evening prayers on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded at least 27, an eyewitness and police said. Last week, the IS claimed responsibility for killing a prominent Taliban cleric at his religious center in Kabul. Mujahid had turned against the Taliban over the past year, after opposing decisions made by Taliban leaders in Kabul.
wftv.comBombing at Kabul mosque kills 10, including prominent cleric
Afghanistan This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo) (Uncredited)ISLAMABAD — (AP) — A bombing at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul during evening prayers on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded at least 27, an eyewitness and police said. Last week, the IS claimed responsibility for killing a prominent Taliban cleric at his religious center in Kabul. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also condemned the explosion and vowed that the “perpetrators of such crimes will soon be brought to justice and will be punished." Mujahid had turned against the Taliban over the past year, after opposing decisions made by Taliban leaders in Kabul.
wftv.comTaliban urge ex-Afghan military pilots to stay, serve nation
A top Taliban official on Wednesday urged former Afghan military pilots to remain in the country, saying they were protected by a national amnesty and would not face arrest. The comments by chief government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid came amid reports that more than 140 U.S.-trained Afghan pilots and crew members left Tajikistan in a U.S.-brokered evacuation Tuesday, three months after they sought refuge there from a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Afghan air force pilots played a key role, alongside their U.S. counterparts, in the 20-year war against Taliban insurgents that ended with the departure of foreign troops in late August.
news.yahoo.comBiden: Russia and China 'didn't show up'
President Biden, speaking at the end of the G-20 summit in Rome, said China and Russia 'didn't show up' on climate change commitments. Russia and China are sending senior officials to the two weeks of climate meetings in Glasgow, Scotland. (Nov. 1)
news.yahoo.comTaliban delegation lands in Turkey for 1st high-level talks
ANKARA, Turkey — (AP) — A high-level delegation of Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers has arrived in Turkey for talks with Turkish officials, the Foreign Ministry announced Thursday. The meetings in the capital of Ankara would be first between the Taliban and senior Turkish government officials after the group seized control of Afghanistan. The visiting delegation is led by Amir Khan Mutaqi, the acting foreign minister, according to a Taliban spokesman. The Taliban threatened to ban the airlines on Thursday unless they reduce costs, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted. The cost of a one-way PIA ticket from Kabul to Islamabad costs around $2,500, up from $300 before the Taliban seized power in August.
wftv.comTaliban official: At least 100 dead, wounded in Afghan blast
Afghanistan People view the damage inside of a mosque following a bombing in Kunduz, province northern Afghanistan, Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. A powerful explosion in the mosque frequented by a Muslim religious minority in northern Afghanistan on Friday has left several casualties, witnesses and the Taliban's spokesman said. (AP Photo/Abdullah Sahil) (Abdullah Sahil)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — A Taliban police official says at least 100 people have been killed and wounded in a mosque explosion targeting Shiite Muslims in northern Afghanistan. The blast occurred in a Shiite mosque in Kunduz province during the weekly Friday prayer service at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque when members of the Shiite religious minority typically come in large numbers for worship. Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Shiite mosque was the target and that a “large number” of worshippers were killed and wounded.
wftv.comBlast at Afghan mosque kills many, witnesses and Taliban say
KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — A powerful explosion in a mosque frequented by a religious minority group in northern Afghanistan on Friday has left several casualties, witnesses and the Taliban's spokesman said. The blast occurred in a Shiite mosque in Kunduz province during the weekly Friday prayer service at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque when members of the Shiite religious minority typically come in large numbers for worship. Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Shiite mosque was the target and that a “large number” of worshippers were killed and wounded. He said Taliban special forces had arrived to the scene and were investigating the incident. The Taliban leadership has been grappling with a growing threat from the local Islamic State affiliate, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan.
wftv.comTaliban appointments add to all-male Afghan government team
Afghanistan Security Photo Gallery Taliban fighters talk to a detainee before transferring him to a court in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. None of the 38 new appointments announced by chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid included women. They were comprised of members drawn entirely from the Taliban with little representation of minority groups. Among the new appointments was a political deputy for the prime minister, deputy ministers, and deputy head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society. The Taliban have described their appointments as part of an interim government but have not elaborated on whether there will be elections.
wftv.comTaliban raid suspected IS hideout after bombing in capital
Afghanistan Attack Taliban fighters walk at the entrance of the Eidgah Mosque after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. A bomb exploded in the entrance of the mosque in the Afghan capital on Sunday leaving a "number of civilians dead," a Taliban spokesman said. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (Felipe Dana)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — Taliban forces raided an Islamic State affiliate's hideout in the Afghan capital and killed several insurgents, hours after a deadly bombing outside a mosque in Kabul, the Taliban said Monday. Taliban officials had gathered at the mosque to mourn the passing of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid's mother. In a statement Monday, Mujahid said Taliban forces raided an Islamic State operations center in the northern Kabul neighborhood of Khair Khana.
wftv.comBomb targets mosque in Kabul, 'a number of civilians' dead
KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — A bomb targeted the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital on Sunday leaving a “number of civilians dead,” a Taliban spokesman said. The bomb targeted the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
wftv.comBomb targets mosque in Kabul, 'a number of civilians' dead
A bomb exploded in the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital on Sunday leaving a “number of civilians dead,” a Taliban spokesman said. The bomb targeted the sprawling Eidgah Mosque in Kabul, where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who later tweeted the attack had claimed civilian lives. Taliban fighters were not been harmed in the attack, Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told the Associated Press.
news.yahoo.comTaliban name deputy ministers, double down on all-male team
Afghanistan Taliban fighters sit on the back of a pickup truck as they stop on a hillside in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (Felipe Dana)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — The Taliban expanded their interim Cabinet by naming deputy ministers Tuesday, but failed to appoint any women, doubling down on a hard-line course despite the international outcry that followed their initial presentation of an all-male Cabinet lineup earlier this month. The international community has warned that it will judge the Taliban by their actions, and that recognition of a Taliban-led government would be linked to the treatment of women and minorities. In their previous rule of Afghanistan in the late 1990s, the Taliban had barred girls and women from schools, work and public life. Mujahid bristled at international conditions for recognition, saying there was no reason for withholding it.
wftv.comFriction among Taliban pragmatists, hard-liners intensifies
The friction between pragmatists and ideologues in the Taliban leadership has intensified since the group formed a hard-line Cabinet last week that is more in line with their harsh rule in the 1990s than their recent promises of inclusiveness.
Taliban control now-quiet Kabul airport after US withdrawal
Afghanistan A U.S military aircraft is parked on the tarmac of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Wali Sabawoon) (Wali Sabawoon)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — Taliban leaders have symbolically walked across the runway at Kabul's international airport after the U.S. withdrawal, marking their victory. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban held full control of Kabul's international airport Tuesday after the last U.S. plane left its runway, marking the end of America's longest war and leaving behind a now-quiet airfield and Afghans outside it still hoping to flee the insurgents' rule. The airport had seen chaotic scenes since the Taliban blitzed across Afghanistan and took Kabul on Aug. 15. On their way out, the U.S. military warned pilots the airport was “uncontrolled” and “no air traffic control or airport service are available."
wftv.comTaliban condemn attack at Kabul airport
Donald R. Allen)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — The Taliban have condemned the attack outside Kabul’s airport, saying it occurred in an area controlled by U.S. forces. The attack was believed to be carried out by Afghanistan’s Islamic State group affiliate, which is separate from and more radical than the Taliban. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Two suicide bombers and gunmen targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport Thursday, in the waning days of a massive airlift that has drawn thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Even as the area was hit, the official said evacuation flights continued to take off from Kabul airport, which Western governments earlier warned was a target. Senior U.S. officials said Wednesday's warning from the embassy was related to specific threats involving the Islamic State group and potential vehicle bombs.
wftv.comTaliban spokesman claims 'no evidence' bin Laden behind World Trade Center attacks
A Taliban spokesman claimed Wednesday that there is "no evidence" that Osama bin Laden was behind the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, despite overwhelming evidence linking the late al Qaeda leader to the planning of the incident.
news.yahoo.comWest warns of possible attack at Kabul airport amid airlift
Donald R. Allen)LONDON — (AP) — Western nations warned Thursday of a possible attack on Kabul’s airport, where thousands have flocked as they try to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the waning days of a massive airlift. Already, military cargo planes leaving Kabul airport have launched flares to disrupt any potential missile fire. The warnings come as many Afghan are fleeing the country in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Outside of a missile attack, troops have been worried about the teeming crowds outside the airport. French Prime Minister Jean Castex told French radio RTL on Thursday that “from tomorrow evening onwards, we are not able to evacuate people from the Kabul airport” due to the upcoming American withdrawal.
wftv.comBiden keeps to Kabul Aug. 31 deadline despite criticism
Biden President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Afghanistan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (Manuel Balce Ceneta)U.S. President Joe Biden is sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing a frantic airlift of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others seeking to escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The decision defies allied leaders who want to give the evacuation more time, and opens Biden to criticism that he caved to Taliban deadline demands. Pentagon officials expressed confidence the airlift can get all Americans out by next Tuesday, the deadline Biden had set long before the Taliban completed their takeover. He also said the military would have to start moving troops and their equipment out of Kabul several days prior to Aug. 31 in order to be out entirely by then.
wftv.comBiden keeps to Kabul Aug. 31 deadline despite criticism
Biden President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Afghanistan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (Manuel Balce Ceneta)U.S. President Joe Biden is sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing a frantic airlift of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others seeking to escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The decision defies allied leaders who want to give the evacuation more time, and opens Biden to criticism that he caved to Taliban deadline demands. Pentagon officials expressed confidence the airlift can get all Americans out by next Tuesday, the deadline Biden had set long before the Taliban completed their takeover. He also said the military would have to start moving troops and their equipment out of Kabul several days prior to Aug. 31 in order to be out entirely by then.
wftv.comTaliban insist on airlift deadline amid new report of abuses
A senior U.S. official said President Joe Biden is also committed to the deadline, though European leaders had pressed for more time. The announcements set the stage for a chaotic endgame a day after the CIA director met with a top Taliban top leader in Kabul. The Taliban will take over security at the airport after the planned U.S. pullout, Mujahid said. Mujahid, meanwhile, pushed back on the idea that Afghans need to flee, arguing that the Taliban have brought peace and security to the country. Reflecting concerns about abuses, European leaders had hoped the U.S. would consider delaying its withdrawal to allow for more evacuations.
wftv.comG-7 leaders meet to press Biden on Afghanistan deadline
Biden President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Afghanistan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Washington. Ahead of the meeting, British defense secretary Ben Wallace said he was doubtful that Biden would agree to extend the deadline. Biden addressed the leaders for several minutes near the start of the meeting that lasted less than an hour, according to the White House. The G-7 leaders were also joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The leaders put Afghanistan as number 57 out of 70 points in their final 25-page communique -– behind Ukraine, Belarus and Ethiopia.
wftv.comThis UK College Graduate Is the Last Man Standing Against the Taliban
Mohammad Ismail via ReutersThe British-educated son of one of Afghanistan’s most revered anti-Taliban warlords is the last holdout against the Taliban, staking his claim in the Panjshir Valley about 100 miles north of Kabul. Ahmad Massoud, along with a few hundred well-equipped fighters, pilots, and Amrullah Salehl—Afghanistan’s former vice president, who has claimed the Afghan presidency after Ashraf Ghani fled on August 15—make up the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) that Massoud
news.yahoo.comEXPLAINER: How social platforms are dealing with the Taliban
As the Taliban negotiates with senior politicians and government leaders following its lighting-fast takeover of Afghanistan, U.S. social media companies are reckoning with how to deal with a violent extremist group that is poised to rule a country of 40 million people.
Afghan negotiating team warns Taliban it must resume talks
FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2020 photo, a Taliban delegation arrive to attend the opening session of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar. On Jan. 31, 2021, Rasul Talib, a member of the Afghan governments peace negotiating team warned the Taliban that if they dont resume peace talks in Qatar soon, the government could recall the team before a deal is reached. Talib said in a press conference the team is waiting for the return of the Taliban leadership to Doha, Qatar, where a second round of peace talks began this month but has made little progress. (AP Photo/ Hussein Sayed, File)KABUL – A member of the Afghan government's peace negotiating team Sunday warned the Taliban that if they don't resume peace talks in Qatar soon, the government could recall the team before a deal is reached. Meanwhile, the Afghan peace negotiating team praised President Biden’s administration for its decision to review the U.S.-Taliban peace deal, saying the deal favors the Taliban.
Official: Gunmen kill two women judges in Afghan capital
Gunmen fired on a car in northern Kabul on Sunday, killing two women judges who worked for Afghanistan's high court and wounding the driver, a court official said. It was the latest attack in the Afghan capital during peace talks between Taliban and Afghan government officials in Qatar. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)KABUL – Gunmen fired on a car in northern Kabul on Sunday, killing two women judges who worked for Afghanistan's high court and wounding the driver, a court official said. It was the latest attack in the Afghan capital during peace talks between Taliban and Afghan government officials in Qatar. The Taliban and the Afghan government earlier this month resumed peace talks in Qatar.
Afghan officials: Local journalist killed in Ghazni province
Afghan Journalist Rahmatullah Nikzad poses for photograph in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 29, 2019. Nikzad , a prominent local journalist was shot dead by unknown assailants in Afghanistan's central Ghazni province on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)KABUL – A prominent local journalist was shot dead by unknown assailants in Afghanistan's central Ghazni province on Monday — the fourth to be killed in the war-ravaged nation in just two months. Nekzad, who headed the Ghazni Journalists' Union, was well known in the area. The Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee said seven media personnel have been killed this year.
Officials: Roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan kills 14
Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said 45 people were also wounded in a late afternoon blast in Bamiyan city in Bamiyan province. Mohammad Reza Yusuofi, spokesman for the provincial police chief in Bamiyan, said there were two bombs that exploded in quick succession. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, said the group was not involved. The Islamic State group affiliate in Afghanistan has declared war on the country’s minority Shiite Muslims — and Bamiyan is a mostly Shiite province. The U.S. blamed the IS affiliate for an attack on a maternity hospital earlier this year that killed 24 new mothers and infant babies.
US envoy forges ahead with troubled Taliban peace deal
FILE - In this March 9, 2020 file photo, Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, attends Ashraf Ghani's inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. The U.S. signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February to end 19 years of war in Afghanistan. Khalilzad has sought to stress the economic benefits of the peace deal throughout his tour. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied contacts with Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, saying the insurgents were committed to the peace deal. The peace deal called for the Afghan government to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, in exchange for the Taliban releasing 1,000 government personnel.