UN Security Council condemns attacks on Afghan civilians

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council condemned deliberate attacks on civilians in Afghanistan and all instances of terrorism “in the strongest terms” on Tuesday, while declaring its opposition to restoration of rule by the Taliban. In a press statement...

Pakistan army completes 90% of fence along Afghan border

TORKHAM, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s military said Tuesday it has completed 90% of a fence being constructed along the border with Afghanistan, vowing to complete the project this summer. Pakistan says it is constructing the fence to prevent cross-border militant...

Afghan official: Acting defense minister targeted in attack

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A powerful explosion rocked an upscale neighborhood of Afghanistan's capital Tuesday in an attack that apparently targeted the country's acting defense minister. At least 10 people were wounded, a health official said. Several smaller...

Taliban take much of provincial capital in south Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban pressed ahead with their advances in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, capturing nine out of 10 districts of the Helmand provincial capital, residents and officials said. Afghan government forces launched airstrikes, backed by the U.S., in a desperate...

US expands Afghan refugee program as Taliban violence rises

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Monday expanded its efforts to assist at-risk Afghan citizens flee Taliban violence as fighting intensifies ahead of the U.S. military pullout at the end of the month. The State Department said it is widening the scope of...

Afghan president seeks defense of cities as Taliban advance

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan president on Monday blamed the American troops' speedy pullout for the worsening violence in his country and said that his administration would now focus on protecting provincial capitals and major urban areas in the face of the rapidly advancing...

US expands Afghanistan refugee program to include aid workers, journalists as Taliban violence rises ahead of pullout

Afghan official: mortar attack in Kandahar kills 5 people

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A mortar shell struck a taxi in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province on Sunday, killing at least five civilians including two children, an Afghan official said. Provincial police spokesman Jamal Naser Barekzai blamed the Taliban for the...

Hospital bombed in southern Afghanistan as battles rage

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The owner of a private hospital in Afghanistan said the Afghan air force bombed the facility on Saturday, killing one person and injuring three others. He said the hospital was targeted because the military erroneously believed Taliban fighters were being treated...

Biden signs bill to fund Capitol security, Afghan visas

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday signed emergency legislation that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war. ...