A top Afghan military commander has ordered residents to leave the besieged city of Lashkar Gah in southern Afghanistan as the army prepared a major offensive to flush out Taliban fighters after three days of heavy fighting. The Taliban have seized control of much of rural Afghanistan since foreign forces began the last stage of their withdrawal in May, but are now focused on capturing provincial capitals, where they are meeting stiffer resistance. Fighting is raging for Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand province, with the United Nations saying at least 40 civilians were killed in the last 24 hours. General Sami Sadat, commander of the 215 Maiwand Afghan […]
The Taliban has pushed further into Lashkargar – the capital of Afghanistan’s Helmand province. There has been heavy fighting there and frequent air raids in the city since Saturday. Communications are largely cut off. It is one of the many cities under attack from the Taliban. Al Jazeera’s Charlotte Bellis reports from Kabul. – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/ – Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/ – Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
Afghanistan’s western city of Herat is under intense pressure from the Taliban with heavy fighting in recent days. The armed group took control of the road to the airport and flights into the city ceased on Wednesday. Al Jazeera’s Charlotte Bellis has the latest from Kabul, Afghanistan. – Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish – Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera – Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/ #AlJazeeraEnglish #Afghanistan #Taliban
There has been a spike in the number of Afghans fleeing the country. The UN says at this rate, 1.5 million may leave by the end of the year. As Al Jazeera’s Charlotte Bellis reports from Kabul, many are leaving everything behind. – Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish – Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera – Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/ #AlJazeeraEnglish #Afghanistan #AfghanExodus
The Afghan Taliban says it has seized control of the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan. But the Afghan government is denying the armed group’s claims. It says its forces repelled the group’s fighters. The Spin Boldak border crossing connects the city of Kandahar directly with Pakistan and is a strategically important supply line for goods. Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder joins us live from Islamabad, Pakistan with the latest updates. – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/ – Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/ – Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/ #Afghanisatn #Taliban #SpinBoldak
The highest ranking United States military official in Afghanistan has handed over his command at an official ceremony in Kabul. General Austin Miller’s departure comes as the Taliban makes rapid gains across the country. Thousands of people have been displaced by fighting and many are desperately trying to leave the country in search of a better life. Al Jazeera’s Priyanka Gupta reports. – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/ – Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/ – Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
Taliban fighters have continued their offensive in northern Afghanistan, making their first assault on a provincial capital since the United States and NATO drawdown began. The Taliban says it briefly took control of Qala-e-Naw in Baghdis for the first time since 2001. Afghanistan’s defence ministry says its forces have killed more than 2,000 Taliban fighters this week, yet are still losing significant territory. Al Jazeera’s Charlotte Bellis reports. – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/ – Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/ – Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
Tajikistan is deploying thousands of reserve soldiers to protect its border with Afghanistan where the Taliban has been fast capturing more territory. The Afghan government in Kabul has said that the areas recently seized by the Taliban will soon be retaken in a counteroffensive. Over the last six days, the Taliban took control of 36 districts, or 10 percent of the country. This was the picture on Monday. The Taliban has doubled the number of districts it controls since May 1 when US forces started their final withdrawal, a move now more than 90 percent complete. Al Jazeera’s Andrew Chappelle reports. – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/ – Find us […]
The Taliban has made significant territorial gains in Afghanistan in the past weeks, as US forces count down to their final withdrawal. Fighters have captured Panjwai in Kandahar, the group’s birthplace and former stronghold, and are inching closer to the regional capital, Kandahar city. Panjwai is the fifth district in Kandahar province to fall to the armed group in recent weeks as the Taliban offensive gains momentum. They claim to have seized more than 100 out of nearly 400 districts in the country, with a strong presence in the north. Al Jazeera’s Homara Choudhary reports. – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/ – Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/ – Check our […]
The United Nations’ special representative for Afghanistan has warned of increased instability after recent military gains by the Taliban. On Monday, its fighters captured the Imam Sahib district in northern Kunduz province. Violence has escalated since the United States announced plans to withdraw its troops by September. Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays reports. – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/ – Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/ – Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/ #Afghanistan #Kunduz #Taliban
