Kabul

Five civilians were killed after their vehicle was hit by a rocket in Afghanistan's central province of Wardak, Afgan officials said.

The passengers were on their way from central Daikundi province to the capital Kabul when the incident took place around the city of Maidan Shahr, local councillors Ahmad Jafari and Hajar Mirzayee said.

The Taliban warned on Aug. 4 of more attacks targeting Afghan government leaders, a day after the defence minister escaped an assassination attempt and as the insurgents fought to take control of a string of besieged cities across the country.

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In a phone call on July 30, Turkish and Afghan defense ministers discussed the security of Hamid Karzai International Airport, Turkish authorities said.

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In a statement, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said Hulusi Akar and his Afghan counterpart Bismillah Khan Mohammadi also addressed the regional security and bilateral relations.

Afghan authorities on July 23 imposed a night-time curfew across 31 of the country's 34 provinces to curb surging violence unleashed by a sweeping Taliban offensive in recent months, the interior ministry said.

With the last U.S. forces on the way out of Afghanistan, U.S. President Joe Biden assured President Ashraf Ghani of U.S. diplomatic and humanitarian support on July 23 as Taliban advances piled pressure on the U.S.-backed government in Kabul.

"A new era is beginning in Afghanistan and in the region, with Turkey standing with the United States and NATO. The United States has decided to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan and wants the Kabul airport to continue operating," said the first man of Turkey.

By Yannis Kartalis

Exactly 47 years after Turkey's first invasion of Cyprus, Ankara for the 20 July anniversary is planning a second "invasion", not military this time but by dispatching a huge contingent comprised of Turkey's governmental, military, and party leadership, headed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

U.S. troops were sent to Afghanistan by George W. Bush in 2001, with the aim of destroying the training camps for al-Qaeda terrorists after the terrorist attacks on September 11.
Since leaving the White House in 2009 after two terms, Bush has rarely commented on the moves of three later presidents, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and now Joe Biden, the Voice of America reported.

He handed over the duty during a solemn ceremony in Kabul, which brought the United States one step closer to the final end of the longest war in the history of America.
The handover took place as Taliban forces continued to march and occupy territories throughout Afghanistan.

Sixteen members of an Afghan family have been stranded at Istanbul Airport for three weeks after escaping their country amid ongoing negotiations on the specific mechanisms of achieving lasting peace between the Afghan government and Taliban after U.S. troops permanently pull out by September.