Afghanistan

[PRITAM DASS SHARMA]

Australian aid worker believed kidnapped in Afghanistan. 

[PRITAM DASS SHARMA]

U.S. embassy in Kabul urges Americans to be vigilant after attempted kidnapping.

[PRITAM DASS SHARMA]

अफ़ग़ानिस्तान: दो बसों और एक टैंकर की टक्कर, तीनों वाहनों में लगी

[SHANDAL]

[PRITAM DASS SHARMA]

Pakistani ex-prime minister's son rescued in Afghanistan

[PRITAM DASS SHARMA]

   Taliban Announce Replacement Leader


This is an act of faith. The Taliban's former leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, recently killed by a U.S. drone strike, was known for encouraging the group into military action - and he was thought to be an obstacle to recent attempts at peace with the Afghan government. But the Taliban have changed direction with Mansour's successor, choosing religious leader Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, a somewhat obscure deputy of the group. While little is known about his proclivities toward peace, the announcement came as the Taliban staged a suicide attack outside Kabul, killing 10.

[PRITAM DASS SHARMA]

US Approves Broader Military Role in Afghanistan


They're targeting the Taliban. President Obama has approved an expanded military presence in the war-torn country, but only in very specific instances. While U.S. soldiers won't make daily patrols with Afghan troops, they can now be brought in to "proactively support" local security forces tackling major Taliban offensives - as can airstrikes, which were previously banned except in self-defense situations. Meanwhile, Obama has yet to issue a decision on the plan to bring home nearly half of the 9,800 U.S. troops still in Afghanistan by the start of 2017.

[PRITAM DASS SHARMA]

Global Refugee Population Reaches Record 65 Million

The winds of war are at their backs. Conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia exacerbated the world's refugee problem in 2015 to the point where 65.3 million people - up from 60 million in 2014 - had fled war zones seeking better lives. The United Nations refugee agency's Global Trends Report noted that Lebanon, Turkey and many European countries are struggling to deal with the influx. Filippo Grandi, the high commissioner for refugees, urged action to stop such wars, warning, "If you don't solve problems, problems will come to you."

[PRITAM DASS SHARMA]

Suicide Bombings Kill Dozens in Kabul

They're targeting the police. Recently graduated cadets were on their way back from a training center in Wardak province when two suicide bombers hit their buses, killing at least 30 officers and civilians. The  Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack, which mirrors another bus bombing they perpetrated in Kabul just 10 days ago that killed 14 Nepali security guards. Dozens more have reportedly been injured in today's bombings, which affected three separate buses, and the death toll is expected to rise.

[Baljit]