Category: Kabul

US Embassy in Afghanistan Tells Staff to Destroy ‘Sensitive Material’

U.S. Embassy staff in Kabul have been ordered to destroy sensitive documents and other materials in the midst of significant advances made by the Taliban in recent days, according to an excerpt of the memo sent out to employees. The memo said that garrison facilities “will provide destruction support” on a daily basis “until further…


Germany to Reduce Embassy Staff in Kabul, Fly out Staff and Helpers

BERLIN—Germany will reduce its embassy staff in Kabul to the bare minimum and increase security measures at the compound, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday, echoing similar announcements by the United States and other Western governments. “The government’s crisis coordination team also decided to bring forward charter flights that were originally planned for the…


Pentagon: Quick Taliban Gains ‘Deeply Concerning’

A spokesperson for the Department of Defense (DOD) said that most U.S. troops will arrive in Kabul by the end of the weekend, adding that some troops have already arrived. “We have noted with great concern the speed with which they have been moving,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters, referring to the Taliban having…


UN Warns Any Fighting in Kabul Would Be Catastrophic for Civilians

NEW YORK—The United Nations said on Thursday it is particularly concerned about a shift in fighting in Afghanistan to urban areas, warning that if a Taliban offensive reaches the capital Kabul it would have a “catastrophic impact on civilians.” The Taliban terrorist group claimed control over the third largest city, Herat, on Thursday and appeared…


Taliban Take 10th Afghan Provincial Capital, Squeezing Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan—The Taliban captured a strategic provincial capital near Kabul on Thursday, the 10th the terrorists have taken in a weeklong sweep across Afghanistan just weeks before the end of the American military mission there. Seizing Ghazni cuts off a crucial highway linking the Afghan capital with the country’s southern provinces, which similarly find themselves…


Taliban Takes Key Northern Afghan Cities as Battles Rage On

KABUL, Afghanistan—Taliban terrorist seized most of the capital of northern Afghanistan’s key Kunduz province on Sunday, and took another neighboring provincial capital after a monthlong siege. The advances were the latest in a series of blows to government forces as U.S. troops complete their pullout after nearly two decades in the country. The terrorists planted…


US Embassy in Kabul Urges Americans to Leave Afghanistan Immediately

The U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, urged all Americans to leave the country amid an increase in fighting, saying those Americans should not “rely on U.S. government flights.” “The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options. Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist…


Blast in Afghan Capital as Taliban Claim Attack on Minister’s Compound

KABUL—A blast near the office of Afghanistan’s main security agency wounded three people on Wednesday hours after a bomb and gun attack on a minister’s compound brought surging Taliban violence to the capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the late Tuesday car bomb and gun attack on the home of acting Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi….


Afghan School Blast Toll Rises to 68, Families Bury Victims

KABUL—The death toll from a bomb attack outside a school in the Afghan capital Kabul has risen to 68, officials said on Sunday, with doctors struggling to care for 165 injured victims and families searching desperately for missing children. Explosions on Saturday evening shook the neighbourhood of Dasht-e-Barchi, home to a large community of Shi’ites…


Roaring Tanker Fire Kills 7, Injures 14 in Afghan Capital

KABUL, Afghanistan—A searing blaze that roared through dozens of fuel tankers on the northern edge of the Afghan capital of Kabul killed seven people and injured 14 others, the Interior Ministry said Sunday. Investigators were combing through the tankers that lay in smoldering ruins and a gas station caught in the flames that lit up…