Ashraf Ghani

The Taliban and Afghanistan’s president have announced a three-day cease-fire ahead of a major Islamic holiday that begins Sunday to mark the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is not without risk but “looks very promising.” Ahead of a formal announcement of the seven-day “reduction in violence” deal, Esper said it was time to give peace a chance...

The United States and the Taliban have agreed to a temporary truce that, if successful, would open the way for a deal that would bring American troops home from Afghanistan and end 18 years of war

Afghanistan’s election commission said the president has won a second term, earning 50.64% of a preliminary vote count announced Sunday, but his opponents can still challenge the result.

The Sept. 28 presidential poll results have been repeatedly delayed amid accusations of misconduct and technical problems with counting ballots.

The Taliban on Tuesday freed an American and an Australian held hostage since 2016 in exchange for three top Taliban figures — a move that the insurgent group asserted could help rekindle talks to end Afghanistan’s 18-year war. The hostages — American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks — were released in an area of southern Afghanistan heavily controlled by...

Presidential elections are over, and Afghanistan now faces a period of uncertainty and possible political chaos. Saturday’s vote was marred by violence, Taliban threats and widespread allegations of mismanagement and abuse. It was the fourth time Afghans have gone to the polls to elect a president since 2001 when the U.S.-led coalition ousted a regressive Taliban regime. The latest election...

President Donald Trump’s weekend tweet canceling secret meetings at Camp David with the Taliban and Afghan leaders just days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is the latest example of a commander in chief willing to take a big risk in pursuit of a foreign policy victory only to see it dashed. What had seemed like an imminent...

The suicide bomber stood in the middle of the dancing, clapping crowd as hundreds of Afghan children and adults celebrated a wedding in a joyous release from Kabul’s strain of war. Then, in a flash, he detonated his explosives-filled vest, killing dozens — and Afghanistan grieved again. The local Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack in the...

The death toll from an attack against the Kabul office of the Afghan president’s running mate and former chief of the intelligence service climbed to at least 20 people on Monday, an official said. Around 50 other people were wounded in Sunday’s attack against the Green Trend party headquarters, which lasted hours and included a gunbattle between security forces and...

Afghan forces launched a lightning operation in northern Kunduz province on Monday, rescuing 149 people, including women and children, abducted by the Taliban just hours earlier, officials said. By mid-afternoon, fighting was still underway in the area to free 21 remaining hostages, officials added. The operation was a boost for Afghan forces, which have struggled to contain a resurgent Taliban...

The Taliban is likely to keep up its recent surge of violence in advance of scheduled parliamentary elections in October but Western-backed Afghan defenses will not break, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Thursday. In his most detailed comments on the Taliban’s assault on the eastern city of Ghazni since it began Aug. 10, Mattis said the Taliban had six...

A suicide bomber carried out an attack near the Kabul airport Sunday, killing 14 people and narrowly missing Afghanistan’s vice president, who was returning home after living in Turkey for over a year, security officials said. The blast occurred near Kabul International Airport shortly after the convoy of the controversial vice president had just left the airport, Interior Ministry spokesman...

The Afghan Taliban announced a three-day cease-fire over the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, a first for the group, following an earlier cease-fire announcement by the government. A statement released Saturday by the Taliban said that they would defend themselves in case of any attack. They say foreign forces are excluded from the...

The Afghan Taliban announced a three-day cease-fire over the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, a first for the group, following an earlier cease-fire announcement by the government. A statement released Saturday by the Taliban said that they would defend themselves in case of any attack. They say foreign forces are excluded from the...

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday called on the Taliban to take part in peace talks to “save the country,” offering security and incentives such as passports to insurgents who join the negotiations. Ghani spoke at the 2nd Kabul Process Conference attended by representatives from more than 20 countries and international organizations. “We will consider the Taliban’s view in the...

An ISIS suicide bomber struck a Shiite cultural center in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least 41 people and underscoring the extremist group’s growing reach in Afghanistan even as its self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria has been dismantled. The attack may have targeted the pro-Iran Afghan Voice news agency housed in the two-story building. The Sunni extremists of ISIS...

The Taliban fired six rockets at Afghanistan’s main airport Wednesday, intending to kill Defense Secretary James Mattis, NBC News reported. But Mattis, visiting unannounced with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, had left the airport in Kabul hours before the rockets hit, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said. No one was hurt in the attack. Two Taliban commanders told NBC News on...

President Trump addressed members of the military and the country as he laid out his plans for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.

A Taliban suicide bomber killed 24 people in a horrific early morning assault in a neighborhood where prominent politicians reside, causing residents and analysts to question the government’s ability to protect Afghanistan’s capital. Another 42 people were injured in the attack that took place during morning rush hour as government employees and students made their way to work and school....

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Friday made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan to consult with military commanders and deliver a pre-holiday pep talk to U.S. troops. It is Carter’s last planned trip to Afghanistan before handing off his Pentagon responsibilities to his designated successor, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis. Carter is scheduled to meet later in the day with...