Latest News
Blinken defends US withdrawal from Afghanistan in House appearance

Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as an ending of the country’s longest war that freed resources for other conflicts, in testimony in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
“Our adversaries, including Russia, would have been delighted if we had doubled down and remained stuck in Afghanistan for another 20 years,” Blinken told a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, in what is likely his final public testimony to lawmakers before leaving office next month, Reuters reported.
Blinken’s appearance came after a long dispute with the Republican-led committee over when he would testify about one of the darkest incidents of Democratic President Joe Biden’s presidency.
Republican Representative Michael McCaul, the panel’s chairman, blasted the administration for the deaths of 13 Americans in a suicide attack at Kabul’s airport in August 2021 and for thousands of Afghans who worked with U.S. forces who could not be evacuated as the the Islamic Emirate took over.
“You ignored warnings of collapse from your own personnel,” McCaul said.
Blinken said every American who wanted to leave Afghanistan has been given the opportunity to leave and thousands of Afghans have been resettled internationally, although Washington remains committed to helping those who remain.
House Foreign Affairs and the State Department had wrangled over Blinken’s appearance for months. Panel Republicans voted in September – weeks before the presidential election – to recommend the top U.S. diplomat be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena.
The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war became intensely politicized during the campaign pitting Republican President-elect Donald Trump against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump, who returns to the White House on Jan. 20, has vowed to go after those responsible for the withdrawal. During his campaign, he said he would ask for the resignation of every senior official “who touched the Afghanistan calamity.”
Democrats have insisted much of the blame for the war’s messy end – less than seven months into Biden’s presidency – rests with Trump, who began the withdrawal process by signing a deal with Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate in 2020.
McCaul also announced during the hearing that Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, had agreed to brief the committee on Dec. 17.
McCaul released a report on Sept. 8 on a Republican investigation of the Afghanistan withdrawal, blasting Biden’s administration for failures surrounding the evacuation. Panel Democrats also released their own investigation.
Latest News
Senior Iranian diplomat in Kabul for talks with Muttaqi

Acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Amir Khan Muttaqi on Thursday met with senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official Mohammad Reza Bahrami Taqanaki for talks on bilateral relations, water issues, Afghan refugees and recent developments.
According to a statement issued by Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, Muttaqi told the Iranian official that bilateral relations were expanding and emphasized that both countries should make the most of the existing opportunities.
Bahrami Taqanaki, who is Iran’s new Assistant Minister and Director General for South Asian Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, said in turn that after the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Kabul, a new chapter in bilateral relations has opened up.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appointed Bahrami Taqanaki, a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in regional affairs, to the post in February.
Bahrami Taqanaki has served two terms as Iran’s ambassador to Afghanistan. He also held key consular positions, serving as Iran’s Consul General in Jalalabad during the Islamic Emirate’s previous rule and in Kandahar in 2002.
Latest News
IEA clarifies annual payout for victims of Afghanistan’s 20-year war
Mujahid said that last year, 12.5 billion afghanis was budgeted and distributed to support these people.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has clarified reports of an annual payout for families of war victims saying the money is for the families of mostly all victims who died during the war with the United States.
Mujahid said the annual payout of 12.5 billion afghanis (AFN) was not only for the families of deceased IEA fighters but also for the families of deceased security force members from the former government, as well as orphans and widows of civilians killed, and disabled people.
Mujahid said that last year, 12.5 billion afghanis was budgeted and distributed to support these people.
This comes after a number of media outlets published reports over the past two days of an interview with Zabihullah Mujahid. The reports stated that 12 billion afghanis has been allocated annually to the families of the Islamic Emirate’s fallen soldiers, who died during the 20-year war.
International Sports
IPL 2025: Sunday’s KKR vs LSG match pushed out to Tuesday
Sunday will now be a single-header match day, opposed to the usual double-header schedule.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) announced Wednesday that Match 19 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has been rescheduled and will be played on Tuesday, April 8 at 2:30 pm Kabul time.
The match was originally scheduled to take place this Sunday, April 6.
Sunday will now be a single-header match day, opposed to the usual double-header schedule. Sunrisers Hyderabad will play Gujarat Titans at 6 pm Kabul time as originally scheduled.
However, two matches will be played on Tuesday, April 8. First up will be KKR vs LSG, followed by the Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings.
Wednesday’s match
Wednesday, April 2, saw Punjab Kings cruise to an 8-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants after a dominant all-round performance.
A disciplined bowling effort restricted LSG to 171/7 at home before PBKS chased it down in style.
Player-of-the-Match Prabhsimran Singh (69 off 34), skipper Shreyas Iyer (52* off 30), and Nehal Wadhera (43* off 25) powered the visitors to a flawless finish, keeping them unbeaten in the league.
This convincing win propelled PBKS to second place in the points table, boosting their confidence for the games ahead.
Thursday’s match
Today, Thursday April 3, will see Kolkata Knight Riders take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The match will start at 6 pm Kabul time. Once again, Ariana Television will broadcast this thrilling event live across Afghanistan.
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