Afghan forces battle to defend major cities from Taliban offensive

KABUL:Afghan forces battled on Monday to stop a first major city from falling to the Taliban following weekend offensives by the insurgents on urban centres in a sharp escalation. Taliban fighters assaulted at least three provincial capitals overnight, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Herat after a weekend of heavy fighting that saw thousands of civilians flee the advancing militants.

Fighting raged in Helmand’s provincial capital Lashkar Gah, where the Taliban launched coordinated attacks on the city centre and its prison — just hours after the government announced the deployment of hundreds of commandos to the area.

Clashes have intensified since early May, with the insurgents capitalising on the final stages of the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces after almost 20 years.

Related Asia - Pacific News

Flag of Afghanistan hoisted near the Pakistan Parliament building

New Delhi, August 2. A group of youths hoisted the Afghan flag on a building on Lake View in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Sunday, prompting Pakistani security agencies to be on high alert. Other buildings of national importance, including the Parliament House, are very close to the build....

China grapples with a surge of COVID-19 cases amid its “zero-tolerance approach”

BEIJING:China is grappling with a sudden surge of the COVID-19 cases in as many as 15 cities in five provinces, including capital Beijing, all linked to Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province. As per official media, it is the most extensive domestic spread after the virus outbreak in Wuhan i....

Myanmar's military extends emergency for two years

YANGON:Myanmar's military ruler has named himself prime minister and announced to extend the state of emergency for two years. The military government named itself the caretaker government and Gen. Min Aung Hlaing the prime minister. Min Aung Hlaing repeated a pledge to restore democracy and h....

Chinese FM meets with Afghan Taliban's political chief

BEIJING:Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday met with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of Afghanistan's Taliban. The Afghan Taliban, as a critical military and political force in the country, is expected to play an important role in the peace, reco....

India needs to drop food supplies over the starving Tamil homeland in the north-east of Sri Lanka: Tamils for Biden

(FAST MAIL NEWS ) -Tamils want to name the next food drop by India “Operation Eagle 2” or "Operation Poomalai 2." Tamils are suffering without enough food due to the Sinhalese military occupation, Chinese incursion, and Covid-19 lock down. Because of the economic crisis o....

Top News