Afghanistan

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AP) — Militants affiliated with the Islamic State group stormed a prison in eastern Afghanistan in a daylong siege that left at least 39 people dead, including the assailants, and freed nearly 400 of their fighters before security forces restored order, a government official said Monday.

The attack underscored that the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan is still a formidable presence, and it highlighted the challenges ahead as U.S. and NATO forces begin to withdraw following Washington’s peace deal with the Taliban.

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A gunbattle between Islamic State fighters and Afghan security forces raged at a prison in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Monday, with at least 24 people killed after the militants’ overnight assault led to a mass jailbreak.

The attack began on Sunday evening with car bomb detonated at the entrance to the prison, and there were numerous other blasts heard as the IS gunmen opened fire on security guards.

KABUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- At least eight civilians were killed and 30 others wounded when a car bomb explosion took place in Afghanistan's eastern Logar province on Thursday evening, spokesman of the Interior Ministry confirmed.

"The incident occurred at 7:40 p.m. local time in Sharwal Square of Pul-e-Alam city, capital of Logar. The initial information indicated that eight civilians were martyred and 30 wounded," spokesman Tariq Arian tweeted.

Several children were among the victims.

KABUL, July 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States welcomed a new ceasefire between Afghanistan’s government and Taliban insurgents, and voiced hope that they can quickly open talks.

“I welcome the announcements of an Eid ceasefire. Afghans deserve to celebrate the holiday in peace,” said Ross Wilson, the top US diplomat stationed in Kabul.

“I look forward to both sides fulfilling their commitments and moving quickly to intra-Afghan negotiations,” he wrote on Twitter.

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban wants all private companies and aid organisations operating in Afghanistan to register with the hardline Islamists, officials from the group said.

The order was issued last week and comes as the Afghan government and Taliban officials prepare to engage in intra-Afghan talks aimed at ending the fighting in the war-torn country.

HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan government forces killed 45 people, including civilians, in airstrikes against Taliban fighters in a western province bordering Iran on Wednesday, drawing condemnation from the U.S. envoy trying to start peace talks involving all sides.

“In Herat, photos and eyewitness accounts suggest many civilians including children are among the victims of an Afghan airstrike. We condemn the attack and support an investigation,” U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter, adding that the United States also “deplored” recent Taliban attacks.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The intensive care unit at the Afghan capital’s premier hospital for COVID-19 patients is a medical nightmare — and a stark warning how the country’s war-ravaged health care system risks collapsing.

Family members, without protective equipment and only a few wearing face masks, help care for the patients lying in hospital beds. They say they have no choice because there are not enough nurses and other medical staff.

KABUL/MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Reuters) - Taliban militants clashed with security forces following a car bomb blast at a government compound in northern Afghanistan on Monday, killing ten people and wounding dozens more, officials said.

The attack took place at a government facility in Samangan province’s capital Aybak close to an office of the National Security Directorate, the main intelligence agency.

“It’s a complex attack that started with a car bomb,” said Mohammad Sediq Azizi, a spokesman for the provincial government.

NILI, Afghanistan, July 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 16 people including 12 militants and four policemen have been killed as clash erupted in Pato district of the relatively peaceful central Daikundi province in Afghanistan on Sunday, deputy to provincial police chief Naqibullah Malistani said.

A group of Taliban militants, according to the official, stormed security checkpoints in Tamzan area of Pato district early Sunday morning, triggering heavy battle and forcing the militants to flee after leaving 12 bodies behind.

KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb attached to a vehicle killed two members of Afghanistan’s independent human rights commission in Kabul on Saturday, the group said, as violence in the country rises despite a U.S.-brokered peace process.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said in a statement that 24-year-old donor coordinator Fatima Khalil and 41-year-old driver Ahmad Jawed Folad were killed by an explosive device while in an AIHRC vehicle on the way to its office on Saturday.