BAGRAM, Afghanistan: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson renewed US support for Afghanistan in a surprise visit Monday, days after the Taliban launched a spate of attacks they described as a “message” to America.
Tillerson is only the second member of Donald Trump’s Cabinet to visit the war-torn country since the US president’s pledge in August to stay the course in America’s longest war and send more troops.
His unannounced trip comes after one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory as the Taliban attacked multiple security installations and Daesh bombed a mosque in the Afghan capital.
The visit of America’s top diplomat to Afghanistan was preceded by several rockets fired into Kabul on Monday morning by militants, but there were no casualties.
The meeting between Tillerson, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah took place at the heavily protected Bagram Airfield, America’s largest base in the country.
Tillerson reaffirmed the US commitment to working with the Kabul government and regional partners “to achieve peace in Afghanistan and deny safe havens to terrorists who threaten that goal,” the US embassy said on Twitter.
“Clearly we have to continue to fight against the Taliban, against others, in order for them to understand they will never win a military victory,” Tillerson told reporters after the meeting.
It was Tillerson’s first trip to Afghanistan as secretary of state and comes several weeks after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also paid an unannounced visit.
During Mattis’ visit last month Taliban militants fired multiple rockets toward Kabul’s international airport in an attack that killed one person and wounded 11 others.
The closed-door talks Monday covered Ghani’s reform program, anti-corruption strategy and preparations for parliamentary elections due to take place next year.
Trump “has declared that we are here to stay until we can secure a process of reconciliation and peace,” Tillerson said, adding: “It’s not an unlimited commitment.”
The US has vowed to deploy more than 3,000 additional troops, on top of the 11,000 already in Afghanistan, to train and advise Afghan security forces as part of a new strategy outlined by Trump in August.
A spokesman for the Taliban told AFP last week the recent spate of attacks was “a clear message... The enemy who thought they had scared us with the new Trump strategy have now been given a lesson.”
The Taliban has been rampant since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat forces at the end of 2014. Trump’s open-ended commitment to put more American boots on the ground and a surge in US airstrikes has further fueled the insurgency.
Tillerson is due to fly to Pakistan on Tuesday where he will pressure Islamabad to take action on the support Taliban and other “terrorist organizations” receive in the country.
Pakistan needs to “take a clear-eyed view of the situation that they are confronted with in terms of the number of terrorist organizations that find safe haven inside” the country, Tillerson said.
“We want to work closely (with) Pakistan to create a more stable and secure Pakistan as well,” he said.
In August Tillerson warned an angry Pakistan that it could lose its status as a privileged military ally if it continued giving safe haven to Afghan militant groups.
Islamabad has long denied Washington’s accusation it is helping the Taliban, adding that the claim belittles the thousands of lives it has lost and billions it has spent in fighting militancy.
As one of 16 “Non-NATO Major Allies,” Pakistan benefits from billions of dollars in aid and has access to some advanced US military technology banned from other countries.
For his part, Ghani reiterated his support for the US strategy, saying it would result in “a positive change in the region,” according to a statement issued by the presidential palace.
But in a thinly veiled attack on Pakistan, Ghani said “all partners should play their roles with honesty.”
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US Secretary of State in surprise visit to Afghanistan
US Secretary of State in surprise visit to Afghanistan
Human rights situation in Colombia is backsliding, UN warns as nation heads into elections
The annual report on Colombia’s human rights situation highlights a surge in attacks on rural communities by rebel groups and drug traffickers
Murders of human rights defenders increased by 9 percent last year
BOGOTA: Colombia is at risk of “reverting to the serious human rights situation” it faced before a peace deal with the nation’s largest rebel group improved security conditions, the United Nations warned Thursday, adding that an uptick of violence in rural areas could also “undermine” the nation’s upcoming elections.
The annual report on Colombia’s human rights situation highlights a surge in attacks on rural communities by rebel groups and drug traffickers as they fight over territory abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia following their 2016 peace deal with Colombia’s government.
According to the report, the number of people displaced by violence in Colombia increased by 85 percent in 2025 from the year before, with approximately 94,000 people forced to flee their homes.
Murders of human rights defenders increased by 9 percent last year alongside a 12 percent increase in the number of lockdowns imposed by armed groups on rural communities. During the lockdowns, villagers are banned from hunting or tending to their farms. Schools and businesses are also forced to shut down in small towns, disrupting the livelihoods of civilians.
“This report is an early warning,” said Scott Campbell, the Colombia representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. “There are a number of indicators that we are trying to draw attention to in order to prevent further degradation” of the human rights situation in Colombia.
While human rights violations in Colombia are not as numerous as they were at the height of the nation’s conflict with the FARC rebels — when an average of 300,000 people were displaced by violence each year — the report says that Colombia’s government has to take firmer actions to protect civilians from illegal groups.
One problem that persists is the forced recruitment of children by rebel groups that now use social media platforms to lure kids into their ranks.
Although the UN confirmed 150 cases of forced recruitment in 2025, the report notes this is likely an undercount, because many families are afraid to denounce these cases for fear of retaliation.
The administration of left-wing President Gustavo Petro, a former member of Colombia’s M-19 guerrilla group, has tried to reduce violence in Colombia by staging peace negotiations with the nation’s remaining rebel groups under a strategy known as “total peace.”
But often, the report notes, ceasefires between the Colombian government and rebel groups have failed to reduce attacks on civilians.
“We think it is very important that the government push for remedies to that,” Campbell said.
As Colombia prepares for upcoming elections, the report warns of a risky environment for political candidates. Last year alone, there were 18 murders of political leaders in Colombia and 126 attacks against them.
In June, conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe was shot in the head during a rally in Bogota, marking the first attack against a Colombian presidential candidate in three decades. Uribe died from his injuries two months later.
“Violence and conflict, including the emergence of pre-electoral violence, have generated greater risks for the free and safe exercise of certain civil and political rights” the report said.
On March 8, Colombia will elect a new Senate and House of Representatives, with candidates competing to fill more than 300 congressional seats.
That will be followed up by a presidential election in May, in which at least half a dozen candidates are expected to run.
To improve the human rights situation in Colombia, the report said that the next administration must focus on the full implementation of the 2016 peace pact with FARC rebels.
While some parts of the deal have been implemented — including the FARC’s disarmament and the creation of a transitional justice system — others remain unfulfilled.
One of those is the creation of an agrarian jurisdiction to resolve conflicts over land. Schemes that could lure farmers away from growing coca, the base ingredient for cocaine, also require further implementation.
“It’s crucially important at this juncture ahead of elections to make sure that the current government and the future government take concrete actions to make sure that Colombia moves forward,” Campbell said.
He added that the 2016 peace deal provides a “road map” to a “Colombia of sustainable peace and respect for human rights.”
Murders of human rights defenders increased by 9 percent last year
BOGOTA: Colombia is at risk of “reverting to the serious human rights situation” it faced before a peace deal with the nation’s largest rebel group improved security conditions, the United Nations warned Thursday, adding that an uptick of violence in rural areas could also “undermine” the nation’s upcoming elections.
The annual report on Colombia’s human rights situation highlights a surge in attacks on rural communities by rebel groups and drug traffickers as they fight over territory abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia following their 2016 peace deal with Colombia’s government.
According to the report, the number of people displaced by violence in Colombia increased by 85 percent in 2025 from the year before, with approximately 94,000 people forced to flee their homes.
Murders of human rights defenders increased by 9 percent last year alongside a 12 percent increase in the number of lockdowns imposed by armed groups on rural communities. During the lockdowns, villagers are banned from hunting or tending to their farms. Schools and businesses are also forced to shut down in small towns, disrupting the livelihoods of civilians.
“This report is an early warning,” said Scott Campbell, the Colombia representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. “There are a number of indicators that we are trying to draw attention to in order to prevent further degradation” of the human rights situation in Colombia.
While human rights violations in Colombia are not as numerous as they were at the height of the nation’s conflict with the FARC rebels — when an average of 300,000 people were displaced by violence each year — the report says that Colombia’s government has to take firmer actions to protect civilians from illegal groups.
One problem that persists is the forced recruitment of children by rebel groups that now use social media platforms to lure kids into their ranks.
Although the UN confirmed 150 cases of forced recruitment in 2025, the report notes this is likely an undercount, because many families are afraid to denounce these cases for fear of retaliation.
The administration of left-wing President Gustavo Petro, a former member of Colombia’s M-19 guerrilla group, has tried to reduce violence in Colombia by staging peace negotiations with the nation’s remaining rebel groups under a strategy known as “total peace.”
But often, the report notes, ceasefires between the Colombian government and rebel groups have failed to reduce attacks on civilians.
“We think it is very important that the government push for remedies to that,” Campbell said.
As Colombia prepares for upcoming elections, the report warns of a risky environment for political candidates. Last year alone, there were 18 murders of political leaders in Colombia and 126 attacks against them.
In June, conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe was shot in the head during a rally in Bogota, marking the first attack against a Colombian presidential candidate in three decades. Uribe died from his injuries two months later.
“Violence and conflict, including the emergence of pre-electoral violence, have generated greater risks for the free and safe exercise of certain civil and political rights” the report said.
On March 8, Colombia will elect a new Senate and House of Representatives, with candidates competing to fill more than 300 congressional seats.
That will be followed up by a presidential election in May, in which at least half a dozen candidates are expected to run.
To improve the human rights situation in Colombia, the report said that the next administration must focus on the full implementation of the 2016 peace pact with FARC rebels.
While some parts of the deal have been implemented — including the FARC’s disarmament and the creation of a transitional justice system — others remain unfulfilled.
One of those is the creation of an agrarian jurisdiction to resolve conflicts over land. Schemes that could lure farmers away from growing coca, the base ingredient for cocaine, also require further implementation.
“It’s crucially important at this juncture ahead of elections to make sure that the current government and the future government take concrete actions to make sure that Colombia moves forward,” Campbell said.
He added that the 2016 peace deal provides a “road map” to a “Colombia of sustainable peace and respect for human rights.”
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