The Afghan government faces an existential crisis unless the military offensive by the Taliban movement (banned in Russia) is reversed, the US Defense Department said on Thursday in its quarterly report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

Although Turkey is not a participant in the so-called Extended Troika format, Ankara's interest in facilitating the intra-Afghan peace process bring it to the negotiating table, Russia's special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said on Thursday

The Turkish contingent in Afghanistan will not assume any combat duty other than self-defense, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Pinar Kara said on Thursday

Kabul and other areas of Afghanistan are experiencing a blackout after armed hostilities damaged power lines in the northeastern province of Baghlan, energy company DABS said on Tuesday