AFGHANISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

Taliban call on US to be ‘sincere partner’ in talks


The Taliban in Afghanistan on Saturday called on the U.S. to remain “a sincere partner” in the negotiation process for peace. In a message attributed to the group’s leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban blamed the Afghan government for... More

Afghan peace marchers take cease-fire plea directly to Taliban


For almost a year, Taliban leaders in Afghanistan have consistently rejected calls for a cease-fire by officials working to negotiate peace. So a group of grass-roots Afghan activists is going to try asking them in person. Members of... More

US envoy Khalilzad discusses Afghan peace in visit to Pakistan


US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, visited Pakistan Sunday at the beginning of his 16-day multi-nation trip that will also take him to Qatar for another round of peace negotiations with the Taliban. Officials said Khalilzad... More

Afghans are meeting again but it could be in Germany this time


Another round of intra-Afghan talks could take place in Germany in late June, the head of the Afghan Jamiat-e Islami Party said on Thursday. Atta Mohammad Nur said the exact date and place were not fixed during three... More

Deadly suicide blast hits Afghan military academy


Afghan police say a suicide bomb blast near a military training academy in Kabul has killed at least six security personnel and injured 16 other people. The Interior Ministry confirmed Thursday's bombing at the entrance gate of Marshal... More

Taliban says progress made at Afghan talks in Moscow


A Taliban official says "decent progress" has been made at talks with a group of senior Afghan politicians in Moscow, but there is no breakthrough and further talks would be needed, Russian news agencies reported. The Taliban delegation,... More

USAF stepped up air campaign in Afghanistan in March


The US Air Force (USAF) released more munitions over Afghanistan in March than in the same month in previous years since at least 2008, according to US Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT). Recently released data shows that USAF... More

Taliban co-founder emerges as the group’s new public face in Moscow peace...


When members of the Taliban and Afghan politicians met Tuesday in the Russian capital for talks aimed at ending the war in their country, one face in particular stood out: Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the... More

Why is Russia so invested in the Afghan peace process?


An Afghan Taliban delegation met with key political figures of Afghanistan in Moscow in an event organized by Russia marking the 100 years of bilateral relations between the two countries. The delegation included Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar,... More

Taliban say “occupation” must end for Afghan peace as delegates meet in...


A Taliban delegation met a group of senior Afghan politicians in Moscow on Tuesday, insisting that international forces must leave Afghanistan for peace to be agreed, amid gathering diplomatic efforts to end the 18-year war. The delegation, led... More

US military helicopter destroyed after hard landing in Afghanistan


Passengers and crew aboard a US military helicopter were injured when the chopper they were travelling in was destroyed during a "hard landing" in Afghanistan, a US official said Saturday. According to Colonel David Butler, a spokesman for... More

Afghanistan’s president is defying critics to stay put and run for re-election...


He has become the president who won’t leave the palace. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s five-year term in office expired last week, but he’s conducting business as usual. Eager to make history as a peacemaker and further his agenda... More

Germany in push to resurrect Afghan talks with Taliban

Germany, a leading donor and member of the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan, has been talking with the Taliban and the Afghan government in an effort to restart peace talks to end 18 years of conflict, officials said. While... More

Deadly air raids kill civilians in Afghanistan: UN


Air raids in Afghanistan's southern Helmand and eastern Kunar provinces have killed at least 14 civilians, the UN said on Thursday. Seven children were among those killed in the attacks that took place in Helmand's Gereshk and Kunar's... More

Quest for English communication skills leads Afghan women journalists to India


They travelled the road less taken, chose to endure all hardships to break the stigma and re-write the norms. Some of them left their families at a young age, some of them lost their colleagues to violence,... More

Crime trumps Terrorism; war-torn Afghanistan problems increases


In central Kabul last month, two men stabbed a teenager and left him for dead before escaping on a motorcycle  – a brazen attack amid a rising tide of killings and kidnappings as war-scarred residents complain of... More

Peace has eventually become possible in Afghanistan: Chinese FM


The Afghan people have never been so close to peace as today despite that uncertainties still exist in the war-torn country, China Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday, calling for inclusive dialogue among Afghans, according to... More

5,000 terrorists amassed in Afghanistan close to CIS border: Russian FSB chief


An Islamic State offshoot has amassed around 5,000 militants in northern Afghanistan on the border of post-Soviet republics of Central Asia, the director of Russia’s FSB has warned, adding that many of them have fought in Syria. “Especially... More

Inching towards Afghan reconciliation


The most recent round of intense negotiations between the United States and the Taliban reflects how serious all parties are about achieving peace in Afghanistan. The fact that the talks in Doha continued into the first week... More

US, Taliban blame each other for acting against Afghan peace


Taliban and American military officials have taken to social media to accuse each other of acting against peace building efforts in conflict-torn Afghanistan. The spar between the two adversaries via Twitter comes as American and representatives of the... More

US strikes kill 17 policemen in south Afghanistan, say officials


United States airstrikes killed 17 policemen by mistake during a battle with insurgents in the country's southern Helmand province, Afghan and US military officials said on Friday. Attaullah Afghan, head of the provincial council, said the airstrikes took... More

COLUMN

Shame and defame: Using hybrid warfare against Chairman NAB

The major reason for the dismal economic situation of the country is corruption and the feudal-type nepotism that sustained it over decades has infested the state and its institutions. Making money from kickbacks by bureaucrats and politicians who are in a position of power, selling jobs and stealing public... More

Yangon’s smart metres: A step towards creating a smart city

Yangon city is introducing state of the art smart metres to control the electricity supply, monitor its usage and bill costumers in parts of the city – in one automated system. “It’s a step towards making Yangon a smart city and improving and extending e-government throughout Myanmar,” Myo Aung... More

India falls in line with others on Afghanistan

After swinging its Iran policy from ‘no dictate from the U.S.’ and compliance only with the U.N sanctions to completely ditching their purchase of oil from Iran and principally following the U.S. policy of isolating and crippling Iran’s economy, India has now also made a major change in its... More

Court ticks off Bangladesh Central Bank for being blatantly pro-rich

Bangladeshi farmers are facing a massive problem with their rice harvest facing low demand and a steep fall in prices. The distressing situation has led some farmers to burn their crops in anger. People are aghast that the agriculture sector can be in such a situation in what is billed... More

Effects of Saffron surge in West Bengal

Bengal and its poll outcome were clearly the sub-text to the 2019 Indian elections, if the main text was whether BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi could come back to power. The BJP is back in power in India and the country is set to witness another term of Modi. In... More

VIDEO-INTERVIEW

video

Exclusive Interview with Bhutan’s Prime Minister


“I will request PM Sheikh Hasina to support us with some (medical) specialists that will be an immediate help for Bhutan” Dr.Lotay Tshering Prime Minister of Bhutan Bhutan’s Prime Minister, Dr. Lotay Tshering, is set to visit Bangladesh on 12th... More

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All offices of the South Asian Monitor will remain close on June 04-07, 2019, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.

There will be no publication of South Asian Monitor during this period.

South Asian Monitor wishes its readers and patrons a very happy Eid.

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