Total:605
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2018-10-16 08:16
UN chief decries violence ahead of Afghan polls
TEHRAN - The United Nations chief has denounced violent attacks targeting electoral booths in Afghanistan as the country gears up for parliamentary elections later this week.
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2018-10-15 22:42
In a first, India and China team up to train Afghan diplomats
TEHRAN - For all the major regional players, strategic presence in Afghanistan has a deep significance for host of reasons. It is considered as a laboratory for testing each other’s power and influence in the region.
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2018-10-15 22:37
By Syed Zafar Mehdi
Afghan refugee who defied odds to become an accomplished physicist in Iran
TEHRAN - She was forced to leave her homeland as a small child, along with her family, when the country was battling civil war, much before 9/11 and the American invasion. She became a refugee at a tender age, and faced tremendous hardships while growing up. But, somehow adversities proved to be blessing in disguise for her, making her strong and giving her definite purpose and direction in life.
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2018-10-14 09:03
Afghanistan, Turkmenistan sign energy pact
TEHRAN -The energy ministers of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan signed an agreement to strengthen energy cooperation through the ambitious Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan transmission line, according to reports.
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2018-10-13 22:27
Senior Iranian diplomat meets Abdullah in Tajikistan
TEHRAN – Iran’s deputy foreign minister on Saturday met with Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
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2018-10-10 21:30
Taliban warn to disrupt polls
TEHRAN- Breaking their silence on the upcoming parliamentary polls, the Taliban on Monday issued a stern warning of disrupting the October 20 elections, adding to the anxiety of candidates and voters.
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2018-10-08 23:00
UN urges Taliban not to use IEDs
TEHRAN - The United Nations has called on insurgent groups in Afghanistan to refrain from using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in civilian areas, after it reported a sharp rise in civilian casualties caused by the explosives this year.
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2018/10/08
By Syed Zafar Mehdi
17 years of America’s disastrous Afghanistan venture
TEHRAN - On Sunday, the protracted war in Afghanistan completed 17 years. It was on October 7, 2001 the U.S. government and its allies launched the so-called ‘Operation Freedom’ apparently to topple the Taliban regime in Kabul, following the 9/11 attacks. Yet 17 years later, America’s longest war still grinds on, despite more than $2 trillion investment and thousands of casualties.
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2018-10-08 19:21
By Syed Zafar Mehdi
‘The blame for resurrecting the insurgency in Afghanistan ultimately rests with the U.S.’
TEHRAN - The war in Afghanistan, which began on October 7, 2001, completed 17 years this week. More than 17 years after invading the country, the U.S.-led international coalition has reluctantly conceded defeat to insurgent groups, after miserably failing in counter-terrorism efforts. Today, security situation remains volatile, government is in disarray, terrorists are stronger than ever, and civilians continue to pay the heavy price.
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2018-10-07 09:23
‘U.S.-Russia war moving to Afghanistan’
TEHRAN - Noting that the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia were moving toward Afghanistan, Afghanistan’s deputy foreign minister said it could have “negative repercussions” for the war-torn country.
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2018-10-06 20:49
Iran, Afghanistan discuss refugee issues
TEHRAN – Iranian Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs, Hossein Zolfaqari, has held talks with Afghan Minister of Refugees and Repatriations Hussain Alami Balkhi on the sidelines of the 69th session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme.
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2018-10-06 20:02
Guards crush armed group on Afghan border
TEHRAN – Iranian border guards on Thursday disbanded a three-member team of gunmen as they were trying to cross the country’s border with Afghanistan, local news outlets reported
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2018-10-05 17:56
Afghanistan sends Afghan-Iranian movie “Rona, Azim’s Mother” to Oscars
TEHRAN – “Rona, Azim’s Mother”, a co-production between Afghanistan and Iran, has been submitted to the 91st Academy Awards in the best foreign language film category, the Persian service of ISNA reported on Thursday.
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2018-10-03 22:30
Ghani says no to ‘foreign mercenaries’
TEHRAN - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, reacting to recent remarks made by Blackwater founder Erik Prince, has said that Afghan security forces have enough capability and have managed to save the country from “collapse”.
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2018-10-03 21:00
Afghanistan, Pakistan vow to improve ties
TEHRAN - Afghan envoy to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal called on Pakistan’s minister of state for interior affairs Shehryar Khan Afridi on Tuesday and discussed bilateral relations between the two countries.
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2018/10/03
By Syed Zafar Mehdi
Parliamentary polls another test for Afghan democracy
TEHRAN - The campaigning for October 20 Afghan parliamentary polls quietly kicked off last week. Originally slated for 2015, the election has been repeatedly deferred due to the fragile security environment and national unity government’s lack of preparedness.
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2018-10-01 23:00
Pakistan’s water-sharing pact with Afghanistan
TEHRAN - Pakistan’s leading jurist on international law, who has been appointed by Pakistan’s supreme court as an ‘amicus curiae’ to assist the court on water-related issues, says Pakistan must consider working on a bilateral water-sharing agreement with Afghanistan.
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2018-09-29 23:48
Afghan election campaigning kicks off
TEHRAN - Ahead of the much-anticipated but long-delayed parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, campaigning finally kicked off on Friday amid growing concerns of violence and electoral fraud.
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2018-09-26 23:48
Deadly U.S. air raids continue to claim civilian lives in war-torn Afghanistan
TEHRAN - The deadly air raids by the U.S.-led coalition forces continue unabated in war-torn Afghanistan. In the latest, at least 25 civilians, including women and children, were killed in two separate aerial operations in Kapisa and Maidan Wardak provinces, according to officials.
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2018-09-25 11:16
Donald Trump refuses to meet Afghan President
TEHRAN - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has reportedly cancelled his visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly (UNGA) session after Donald Trump refused to meet him, said a media report.
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2018/09/24
By Mudasir Sheikh
U.S. losing its technological and economic might
TEHRAN - According to Alibaba group co-founder Jack Ma, U.S. has spent $14.2 trillion on 13 wars during the past 30 years. Bloomberg recently reported that the U.S. spending will exceed its revenues by $804 billion in the fiscal year through September and till 2020. U.S. budget deficit is estimated to surpass $1 trillion and country’s debt has already crossed $21 trillion mark.
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2018-09-24 23:48
By Syed Zafar Mehdi
India, Pakistan, Afghanistan condemn Ahvaz attack, call for joint efforts against terrorism
TEHRAN - The deadly terror attack in Iran’s southwestern city of Ahvaz on Saturday has drawn strong condemnations from across the world, including Iran’s neighbors India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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2018-09-24 23:45
‘17 years after U.S. invaded Afghanistan, problems remains endemic’
TEHRAN - The staggering failures of the U.S. and its allies in war-ravaged Afghanistan have been documented by many global think tanks and written about by many seasoned regional observers.
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2018-09-18 09:49
15 policemen killed in clashes in Afghanistan
TEHRAN - The situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate with insurgents upping the ante across the country. In latest clashes, at least 15 police officials were killed in northwestern provinces of Baghdis and Farah.
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2018-09-18 09:44
Afghan refugees born in Pakistan to get nationality
TEHRAN - The newly-elected Pakistan government led by Imran Khan has announced that it will grant nationality to all Pakistan-born refugees of Afghan and Bangladeshi origin, ending months of suspense and speculation.
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2018-09-18 09:19
Afghan war to be deadlier than Syria this year
TEHRAN - The protracted Afghan conflict, which has entered its 17th year now, could overtake Syria as the deadliest conflict in the world this year with surging violence, according to a report in AFP.
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2018-09-18 09:17
No India-Afghanistan trade route through Pakistan
TEHRAN - Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has rejected reports that Pakistan has expressed its readiness to discuss the restoration of India-Afghanistan trade route using Pakistan’s land.
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2018-09-17 21:48
Syed Zafar Mehdi
Ban on Muharram procession in Kashmir mockery of religious freedom
TEHRAN - Muharram is the month of bereavement and remembrance. Every year, around this time, massive processions are taken out across the world to pay glowing tribute to the martyrs of Karbala. Reciting soul-stirring elegies and hymns, mourners wear black dresses and beat their chests in a spirit of devotion. They carry replicas of Imam Husain’s mausoleum in Karbala and parade the streets.
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2018-09-16 22:07
Hamoun dryness, a tragedy for southwestern Iran
TEHRAN — Hamoun wetland dryness, caused by long-term drought and low precipitation, is the major reason behind problems in southwestern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, Zia-al-din Shoaei, former head of national working group for combatting sand and dust storms has said.
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2018-09-16 21:48
Austria: Six men, Iranian included, attempt suicide in face of deportation
TEHRAN - Six men who were scheduled to be deported from Austria were brought to local hospitals in critical condition late on Friday night after apparently setting fire to their cells in a Vienna detention center.