Abdullah's team threatened on Sunday to pull out of presidential election process, saying it was suspicious about the work of both the electoral commissions.

Afghan people won't elect the Taliban even a dogcatcher if they take part in an election, President Ashrhaf Ghani said on Saturday.

Nine drug addicts were shot dead in Afghan capital Kabul last night, police said on Sunday.

NATO is ready to adjust its presence in Afghanistan if the Taliban reduces violence in the country, chief of the alliance said on Friday.

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed hope that the Taliban can be persuaded to accept terms which do not predicate the end of the existing government in Afghanistan.

The United States and the Taliban will sign a peace agreement on February 29 after a seven-day reduction of violence, according to reports.

Eight civilians were killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Saturday, an official said.

There is no political will to prosecute powerful perpetrators of sexual assaults in Afghanistan, the Human Rights Watch said on Thursday, citing two recent cases.

At least six people have been killed and several others were missing after avalanches in Afghanistan's central Daikundi province, officials said on Thursday.

Nicholas Kay, NATO's newly appointed senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, has expressed hope that Afghan team for negotiation with the Taliban is formed as soon as possible.