SPIN BOLDAK, March 22: Afghan government forces killed 16 Taliban insurgents after surrounding them in mountains near the border with Pakistan, an Afghan army officer said on Wednesday. Four more Taliban fighters were killed on Wednesday after they fired rocket-propelled grenades at a convoy comprising Afghan and foreign troops in the central province of Uruzgan, a defence ministry spokesman said.

In Quetta, a provincial minister of Balochistan contradicted Afghanistan’s claim that the people killed in Spin Boldak were Taliban.

He said that the unfortunate people were innocent civilians who had gone there to attend Nauroz celebrations.— Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Budget concerns
Updated 01 Jun, 2026

Budget concerns

Mistaking IMF compliance for sound economic management is what is driving the economy into deeper stagnation.
Gaza’s tragedy
01 Jun, 2026

Gaza’s tragedy

HISTORY may record this as one of the most brazen deceptions of our time. President Donald Trump’s so called Board...
New sports policy
01 Jun, 2026

New sports policy

BETTER sense has prevailed with a new national sports policy set to be rolled out, thus preventing a clash between...
The heat ahead
Updated 31 May, 2026

The heat ahead

Planning for hotter conditions is increasingly becoming a question of public health, economic resilience and public safety.
Dimming hopes
31 May, 2026

Dimming hopes

THE National Assembly opposition leader’s recent warning should give the ruling parties some pause. Once again, ...
No Tobacco Day
31 May, 2026

No Tobacco Day

THIS year’s World No Tobacco Day theme, announced by the WHO last October, is ‘Unmasking the appeal —...