Afghanistan could descend into another civil war if the West fails to “engage” with the Taliban, Pakistan’s foreign minister has told Sky News. Shah Mahmood Qureshi warned of potential “anarchy” and a resurgent threat of terrorism as he criticised the West’s exit strategy, saying there was a failure to listen to Pakistan‘s concerns about ending
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The UK is in talks with the Taliban to ensure Britons can safely leave Afghanistan, the government has said. Its special representative for Afghan transition, Simon Gass, has met senior members of the hardline Islamist group in Doha, Qatar. They also discussed safe passage for Afghans who have worked with the UK over the last
A TV presenter was surrounded by Taliban fighters carrying AK-47s while he conducted an interview with one of the group’s commanders. A video shows Mirwais Haidari Haqdoost from Afghanistan TV sitting at a desk, with a row of Taliban soldiers behind him holding their guns close to their chests and pointing towards the floor. He
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan the focus has been on the evacuation effort, as people scramble to leave a country which has been grappling with war for two decades. Western forces have now left the country and thoughts will turn to what a post-Western Afghanistan will look like, with the Taliban in control.
Multiple rockets fired at Kabul airport have been intercepted by a missile defence system, a US official has told Reuters news agency. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official said up to five rockets were fired, although it was not clear if all were brought down by the defence system. The official said initial
A drone has destroyed a vehicle which was carrying “a substantial amount of explosive material” and heading to Kabul airport, US officials have confirmed. A military official said the strike on Sunday caused “significant secondary explosions”. He added: “US military forces conducted a self-defence unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike today on a vehicle in Kabul, eliminating an
In an otherwise forgettable corner of western Germany, you drive round a corner and find yourself in America, complete with planes, jeeps and a lot of soldiers. Ramstein Air Base is the biggest part of a cluster of American facilities. Together, they make up the biggest community of Americans outside the United States. This is
The last remaining UK troops have been flown out of Kabul airport, ending Britain’s 20-year campaign in Afghanistan. It comes as the last dedicated flight purely for the evacuation effort left the Afghan capital last night – ahead of the 31 August deadline set by Joe Biden for American forces to withdraw. Operation Pitting has
The US has killed an Islamic State “planner” in retaliation for Thursday’s suicide bombing in Kabul. Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for US Central Command, said the US military had conducted a drone strike against an Islamic State member in Afghanistan’s Nangahar Province, which borders Pakistan. The strike killed one person and there were no known
Two British men and the teenage child of a third UK national were among those killed in the terror attack outside Kabul airport yesterday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said. Some 95 mostly Afghans, and 13 US troops, died in the suicide bombing, which was claimed by ISIS-K, an offshoot of the so-called Islamic State
The UK’s evacuation mission at Kabul’s airport has “a matter of hours” left and no more people will be called forward, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said. Mr Wallace told Sky News the effort was into its “final hours” after the closure of the main processing centre at the Baron Hotel near the airport. He
Joe Biden has warned those behind the attacks at Kabul’s airport on Thursday: “We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt you down and make you pay.” The US President was speaking after it emerged that 13 US service personnel were among the 72 people killed after two blasts and a gunfight
A major manhunt is under way in Thailand for a former senior police officer who allegedly killed a drugs suspect in custody while trying to extort money from him. Warrants were issued for the arrest of seven officers for murder after a video emerged of a man suffocating after plastic bags were put over his
A British Army surgeon has told of using his skills as a new father to settle a baby passed over barbed wire at Kabul airport, as an “unexpectedly high number” of children are being handed over to troops. Footage of the newborn girl being handed over the wall to US Marines at Hamad Karzai International
The UK’s evacuation flights from Afghanistan may have to stop this week after Boris Johnson failed to secure an extension to a US deadline for all western forces to leave. The Guardian newspaper reported late on Tuesday that the last Royal Air Force aircraft carrying Afghans to safety from Kabul airport could even be in
The G7 group of nations has agreed a “roadmap” for future engagement with the Taliban and will insist on the “safe passage” of people who want to leave Afghanistan beyond 31 August, Boris Johnson has said. The prime minister was speaking after a virtual G7 summit about the evacuation of people from Afghanistan. Mr Johnson