Afghanistan has so far reported seven confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. But the war-torn country is bracing for more as thousands of Afghans return home from Iran each day.
Marvin Weinbaum counts disagreements between Afghan elites, the Taliban’s unwillingness to follow through on vague counterterrorism and power-sharing promises, and the possibility of Washington walking away from its longest war as several of the major obstacles to lasting peace in Afghanistan.
The Afghan government has offered to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners, saying it is "impossible" to release more, as demanded by the Taliban to start peace talks envisaged under a deal with the United States.
The United States has warned the Taliban on March 10 that the current level of violence by the militants “is unacceptable” to advancing the peace process as the UN Security Council supported a U.S.-led effort to end Afghanistan’s nearly two-decade old war.
Iran says the novel coronavirus has killed 54 more people in the country, raising the death toll to 291.
Afghanistan's incumbent president and his main political challenger have both sworn themselves in as president.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington is for a "unified and sovereign Afghanistan" and opposes "any action to establish a parallel government," hours after the country's president and his main election rival held dual and competing inauguration ceremonies on March 9.
A U.S. official says U.S. forces have begun leaving Afghanistan under the first phase of an initial troop withdrawal required under the newly signed U.S.-Taliban peace agreement.
Both Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival, Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, have declared themselves president in competing ceremonies held in Kabul on March 9.
Both Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival, Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, were preparing to declare themselves president in parallel ceremonies in Kabul slated for March 9.
The Taliban says talks scheduled this week with Afghanistan’s government are unlikely to take place on time because of plans by two rivals for the Afghan presidency to conduct parallel swearing-in ceremonies.
The Taliban says its peace pact with the United States does not alter the status of the insurgent group’s supreme leader as the “lawful ruler” of Afghanistan, saying he is duty-bound by religion to establish an “Islamic government” after foreign “occupation” troops exit the country.
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