THIS year, Western troops will withdraw from Afghanistan after 13 years of war.

Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-1989

At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured when a powerful car bomb exploded outside the Indian Embassy in the busy centre of Kabul as commuters arrived for work today, officials said.

Afghan authorities are investigating a mass grave believed to contain the bodies of more than 500 soldiers of the Afghan communist regime toppled in 1992, the Interior Ministry said today.

Twelve years after Soviet fighters were forced to withdraw in humiliation, armed Russian troops are back in Afghanistan, raising curiosity and some anxiety in the capital over the possible role of international peacekeepers.

The collapse of Taliban rule in Kabul means it’s movie time again.

The opposition alliance in northern Afghanistan reviewed its forces today and pledged to launch an attack against the Taliban without waiting for US military action.