Tag

“They said, ‘We don’t have arms”.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday that at least 39 civilians – including eight children – had been killed in Russian air strikes in Syria since Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Acting provincial Gov. Hamidullah Daneshi said most of the insurgents had fled the city and that those still standing their ground appeared to be what he called “foreigners”, non-Afghans who have been boosting Taliban forces in the north of the country for a few...

A United States air strike on a hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz on Saturday killed 16 people, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) said, claiming the facility was repeatedly bombarded for more than 30 minutes after Washington was informed.

Heavy fighting raged inside the key northern Afghan city of Kunduz for a third day yesterday as government forces, backed by US air strikes, battled Taliban insurgents who had scored one of their boldest successes in 14 years of war.

“Small guerrilla forces remain in various neighborhoods”.

In August the Taliban seized the district of Musa Qala in Helmand and were only driven back by Afghan forces days later, after 24 US airstrikes.

“The Taliban have taken the city but our forces are still putting up resistance in some areas”, Kunduz police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini told AFP news agency, adding that the defenders were still waiting for reinforcements from Kabul.

When Afghan President Ashraf Ghani took office a year ago, he called on the Taliban and other insurgent groups to join peace talks and end the bloodshed in the country.

It is to be kept in mind that Mullah Mansoor took the charge of Afghan Taliban after the confirmation of death of founding leader of Taliban, Mullah Omar in July.

The main opposition to Mansoor was from Omar’s son and brother, Mullah Yaqub and Mullah Abdul Manan, who announced their allegiance to Mansoor Tuesday according to Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.

At least four people have been killed and dozens injured in a Taliban suicide auto bomb attack on the outskirts of Kabul, said police.

“The gunmen stopped two vehicles, lined up all the male passengers and shot them dead”, said Jafar Haidari, the governor of Zari district in Balkh.

Reports say the blast took place in the Macrorayon locality of downtown Kabul, when a suicide vehicle bomb was set off targeting the foreign forces convoy.

“The company extends its thoughts and prayers to all involved and to their families and loved ones”, the company said in a statement.