Supreme Court lifted group’s ‘terrorist’ designation in April, as Moscow seeks normalisation in bid for regional clout. Russia has accepted the credentials of a new ambassador of Afghanistan as part of an ongoing drive to build friendly relations with the country’s Taliban authorities, which seized power as United States troops withdrew from the country four…
President Donald Trump’s sweeping new travel ban came into effect early Monday immediately after midnight, barring citizens from a dozen nations from entering the United States and reviving a divisive measure from his first term. The move is expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on…
Trump says his executive order banning and restricting foreign visitors is in the interest of US ‘national security’. United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing a full travel ban on people from 12 countries and restricting the citizens of seven other countries, the White House said. The banned countries include Afghanistan,…
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged India and Pakistan to work with each other to de-escalate tensions after last week’s Islamist militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, the State Department said. Rubio spoke separately with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while expressing support to India in combating extremism and urging Pakistan to cooperate…
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban states that the U.S. Special Envoy for Prisoner Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, visited Kabul and held talks with Amir Khan Muttaqi regarding the release of prisoners. Zia Ahmad Takal, Deputy Spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced the meeting on…
The US may place a “very big bounty” on the top leaders of the Taliban, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, adding he was hearing that the Taliban held more American hostages than previously reported. “Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported,” Rubio said in a post on…
Donald Trump’s top national security advisor said flatly Sunday that Hamas militants will never again govern Gaza. “They cannot be a terrorist organization any longer, and they will never govern Gaza. Period,” Mike Waltz said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Waltz, a former member of Congress and veteran of two combat tours in Afghanistan,…
The Taliban’s foreign office said they saw India as a “significant regional and economic partner” after meeting with its most senior foreign ministry official, the highest level talks with Delhi since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai on Wednesday. Afghanistan’s…
Hundreds of veterans and current and former US officials want President-elect Donald Trump to preserve US special visa and resettlement programs for Afghans at risk of retribution for working for the United States during the 20-year war against the Taliban, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters. The letter, signed by the veterans, officials and others, will be sent to…
A US Army veteran who drove a truck into a crowd of New Year’s Day revelers had pledged allegiance to ISIS, but acted alone in the attack that killed at least 14 people, the FBI said on Thursday. The suspect, who was shot dead at the scene after firing at police, has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar,…
Iranian bank cards can now be used in Russia, state television reported, as the two countries linked their banking systems in the latest bid to counteract sanctions. Iranian banks have been excluded since 2018 from the SWIFT international financial messaging service, which governs the vast majority of transactions worldwide. The move is part of a…
ISLAMABAD: Speaker of the Federal Council of the Russian Federation, Valentina Matvienko, stated that the Russian parliamentary delegation’s visit to Islamabad would enhance the development cooperation between Russia and Pakistan. Speaking to the Senate of Pakistan at the invitation of Chairman Syed Yosuf Raza Gillani, she highlighted the long-standing cordial relations between the two nations, saying…
At least 10 police officers were killed in a “terrorist attack” in an area of southeastern Iran long plagued by unrest, local media reported on Saturday. They were killed during an attack on “police vehicles” in Sistan-Baluchistan province’s Taftan county, the Mehr and Tasnim news agencies reported, without saying how it was carried out. No…
An Afghan man was arrested in Oklahoma for allegedly plotting an election day “terrorist attack,” the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday. The man, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, living in Oklahoma City after entering the US in 2021 on a special immigrant visa, was plotting the attack in the name of ISIS, according to the…
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday underscored the considerable potential in Pakistan-Russia relations, emphasising the importance of boosting economic ties and increasing cultural and educational exchanges, as well as enhancing cooperation in energy, trade, and regional connectivity. Dar, who is also the country’s foreign minister, made these remarks while addressing a joint press briefing…
