FLORIDA: The death toll in the deadly attack on a gay nightclub in Florida city of the United States has climbed to at least 50 amid reports that the attacker was an Afghan-American. The city’s mayor Buddy Dyer has said a ‘state of emergency’ has been declared following the deadly attack. The suspect has been identified as Omar Mateen who ...

A clash is underway among the Afghan and Pakistani border guards in Torkham gate amid reports that the incident erupted over the installation of a gate by Pakistan. Provincial governor’s spokesman in Nangarhar confirmed the incident but said further details regarding the clash would be released later. Another local official however confirmed that the Afghan forces prevented the Pakistani border ...

A Pakistani senator has voiced concerns regarding the presence of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, claiming that the continued presence of the US forces is a serious threat to regional stability. Senator Sirjul Haq, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami, has said the move by President Barack Obama was condemnable to grant broader role for the US forces in Afghanistan. He was ...

KABUL: The Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah has said Pakistan must take practical steps against the Haqqani terrorist network and the Taliban group in its soil. The Office of the Chief Executive said the issue was raised during a meeting with the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson. Emphasizing on the right stance of Afghanistan in fight ...

KABUL: Cultural figures, writers, historians and officials expressed serious concerns over the dramatic move of Iran and Turkey to enlist Masnavi Ma’Navi, collection of renowned Afghan poet Jalal-ud-din Mohammad Balkhi in UNESCO as a common heritage of Iran and Turkey. The attempt of Iran has sparked criticism in Afghanistan because Mawlana Rumi neither born nor lived in Iran. According to ...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz has said the United States is a ‘selfish friend’, claiming that the country is favoring Pakistan whenever its self-interest matters. Aziz made the remarks as he was speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Office of Pakistan on Thursday, according to the local media reports. He also touched on the issue of ...

The leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist network Ayman al-Zawahiri has pledged allegiance to the newly-appointed supreme leader of the Taliban group Mawlavi Haibatullah Akhundzada. Al-Zawahiri in a 14 minute recording has said “As leader of the al Qaeda organization for jihad, I extend my pledge of allegiance once again, the approach of Osama to invite the Muslim nation to ...

The US President Barack Obama has approved broader role for the US military to assist the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) to fight the Taliban-led insurgency. According to reports, the broader role granted to the US military will allow them to accompany Afghan forces and assist them more proactively on the battlefield. US defense officials have said the ...

US: The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said a stable and peaceful Afghanistan is a shared objective of both India and the United States. Modi made the remarks during a speech in the joint meeting of the US Congress during his visit to the country. “A commitment to rebuild a peaceful, and stable and prosperous Afghanistan our shared objective,” ...

  DUBAI. Modi and Qatar’s ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who visited India in March 2015, signed seven agreements to strengthen ties, according to the official Twitter account of India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Vikas Swarup. Modi also met Qatari businessmen and encouraged them to invest more in India, calling it “a land of opportunity”. Qatar is one of ...