Afghan officials say at least 43 people were killed after militants stormed government offices in the eastern part of the capital Kabul, triggering an hours-long gun battle.
Experts say the United States' reported decision to withdraw up to half its troops from Afghanistan would have significant ramifications for security, possible peace talks with the Taliban, and Washington's ties with Kabul.
A spokesman for Afghanistan's president downplayed the impact that a potential U.S. troop withdrawal would have on security, while top Afghan military officials warned about the danger to the country's undertrained and poorly equipped forces.
U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a "significant" withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, U.S. news media are reporting, with some quoting unnamed officials as saying the decision has already been made.
Pashtun tribal leaders criticized the security forces for raiding their homes in the Khyber Pass.
Ongoing fighting between government forces and the Taliban insurgents has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes in a restive northern Afghan province.
Afghanistan is by far the world's deadliest hot spot, with 44,655 fatalities so far this year.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he will review the case of a former U.S. Army officer charged with murder for the 2010 killing of a man he suspected of being a Taliban bomb-maker in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's Zabul Province is impoverished and deeply conservative. It is also a Taliban stronghold.
Islamabad has lodged a formal protest with Tehran about an attack by militants who killed six Pakistani paramilitary troops as they were patrolling a mountainous area near the Iranian border.
At least 31 people were killed in insurgent attacks across Kabul, Kunduz, and Kandahar provinces on December 11, Afghan officials say.
Hosna Jalil, 26, has made history as the first Afghan woman to be appointed as a deputy minister in the Interior Ministry. But her critics say she is too young and inexperienced to be a leader in the country's crucial security apparatus.
Load more