Kabul - A Taliban spokesman said Thursday the insurgents were still holding two Western hostages, as officials stayed tight-lipped over the outcome of an apparent prisoner swap announced by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier this week.

Afghan National Army Force came under fire at a post in Logar Province last Tuesday. The Afghans called in US air support. However, the US support attacked and destroyed the outpost killing 4 Afghan soldiers and wounding another six.

Kabul - Preliminary results from Afghanistan's presidential election have been delayed for a second time, election officials announced Wednesday, a postponement likely to fuel more political uncertainty and fraud allegations.

Kabul - Two Western hostages of the Taliban, who are expected to be freed in a prisoner swap for three militants, will be released only when the insurgents "reach their destination", a spokesman for the Islamist group said Wednesday.

Kabul - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced Tuesday that three high-ranking Taliban prisoners would be released, in an apparent exchange for two Western hostages who were kidnapped by the insurgents in 2016.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair General Mark Milley predicted that US troops would stay in Afghanistan for several more years. This is the first such estimate since President Trump refused to accept a peace plan in principle negotiated with the Taliban.

Jalalabad - The Islamic State group's Afghan branch has been "defeated" in one of the key eastern provinces where it first sought to establish a stronghold, a top Afghan security official said Sunday.

Kabul - Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah called Sunday for a halt to a recount of the recent presidential election, saying he would not accept "fraud-marked" results.

Kabul - Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah dismissed Tuesday a new peace proposal by his election rival President Ashraf Ghani as an unrealistic "wishlist", and again questioned the validity of thousands of votes from recent polls.

The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has issued a new report that estimates that the US has spent $132 billion on Afghan economic development since 2002.

Kabul - The Taliban should call a one-month ceasefire to prove they still control their forces, Afghanistan's national security advisor said Tuesday, amid signs the US wants to rekindle talks with the insurgents.

Kabul - Zalmay Khalilzad, the US envoy who led talks with the Taliban until negotiations collapsed last month, was in Kabul on Sunday meeting with top Afghan officials including President Ashraf Ghani.

Kabul - Preliminary results from Afghanistan's presidential elections have been delayed for nearly a month, officials announced Sunday, a lengthy postponement likely to stoke political uncertainty and allegations of fraud.

Kabul - China has invited a Taliban delegation to attend an "intra-Afghan" conference in Beijing, a militant spokesman said Wednesday, after a prospective deal between the United States and the insurgents collapsed last month.

Washington - Pentagon officials are quoted by NBC news as claiming they are engaged in prudent planning for a quick withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan should US President Trump decide to do so.

Kabul - Afghans should not misconstrue America's sudden and contentious withdrawal from parts of Syria as a precursor to a similar move in Afghanistan, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday.

Kabul - European Union officials called Sunday for a ceasefire in Afghanistan, saying the breakdown in US-Taliban talks presented an opportunity to push for a truce, as the US defense secretary made an unexpected visit to Kabul.

Kabul - US Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrived in Kabul on Sunday for an unannounced visit to meet with US troops and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Kabul - European Union officials called Sunday for a ceasefire in Afghanistan, saying the breakdown in talks between the US and the Taliban presented an opportunity to push anew for a truce.

Jalalabad - Villagers searched for the bodies of their loved ones on Saturday in the rubble of a mosque in eastern Afghanistan that collapsed in a blast during Friday prayers, killing 70 people including dozens of children, officials said.