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The United States has removed multimillion-dollar bounties on leaders of Afghanistan’s feared Haqqani militant network, including the current Taliban interior minister, the State Department and the Taliban government said.The Haqqani network was responsible for some of the deadliest attacks during the decades-long war in Afghanistan.The men remain on Washington’s list of “specially designated global terrorists” but the bounty price has been scrapped.Taliban interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told AFP that Washington had “cancelled rewards” for Sirajuddin Haqqani — who also heads the Haqqani network — as well as other key leaders, Abdul Aziz Haqqani and Yahya Haqqani.Sirajuddin Haqqani had long been one of Washington’s most important targets, with a $10 million bounty on his head.The US State Department said that “the three persons named remain designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), and the Haqqani Network remains designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a SDGT”.But while the wanted page remains active, the bounty on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) website has been removed.”It is the policy of the United States to consistently review and refine Rewards for Justice reward offers,” a State Department spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday.- ‘Largely symbolic’ -The bounty cancellation came days after the first visit by US officials to Afghanistan since President Donald Trump returned to office, and the announcement afterwards of the release of a US citizen by Taliban authorities.US-based Afghan political analyst Abdul Wahed Faqiri told AFP that the bounty removal is likely “largely symbolic” but a way for the United States to “give credit to Sirajuddin Haqqani”, seen as an emerging more moderate “alternative”. Media reports talk of increasing tensions between the “pragmatic” Haqqani figures and a more hardline circle around Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who vie for influence within the government.Despite the US bounty and international travel bans, Sirajuddin Haqqani has travelled outside Afghanistan multiple times since the Taliban government swept back to power in 2021.The government in Kabul is not recognised by any country and has expressed hopes for “a new chapter” with Trump’s administration.Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban during his first term in office, that paved the way for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and their return to power. 

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed a scandal over leaked plans for Yemen air strikes as a “witch hunt” and defended his embattled Pentagon chief amid calls by Democrats for him to quit.Republican Trump lashed out after the Atlantic Magazine published the transcript of messages accidentally shared with its editor in a chat group of senior US officials on Signal, a commercially available messaging app.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed details in the chat including the times of strikes on Iran-backed Huthi rebels and the type of aircraft, missiles and drones used, before the attacks actually happened, the Atlantic said.”Hegseth is doing a great job, he had nothing to do with this,” Trump said when asked by AFP in the Oval Office whether Hegseth should consider his position over the scandal.”How do you bring Hegseth into this? Look, look it’s all a witch hunt,” added Trump, who was taking questions after announcing new tariffs on foreign-made cars.Trump repeated his insistence that no classified information was shared in the breach, and added that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz “took responsibility” for the error.It was Waltz who mistakenly added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat, sparking what has been dubbed “Signalgate” in the biggest scandal since Trump returned to power in January.- ‘Resign in disgrace’ -The magazine initially withheld the details of the attack plans, but finally published them on Thursday after White House had insisted that no classified details were involved and attacked Goldberg as a liar.The White House and a string of officials involved in the chat lined up to try to downplay the story as the pressure mounted.Hegseth, visiting Hawaii, himself said the exchange on March 15 involved “No names. No targets.”US Vice President JD Vance, who fired a rifle on a shooting range while visiting a Marines base near Washington, said the Atlantic had “overplayed” what happened.Only Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted that there had been a “big mistake,” while highlighting his own limited role.Democrats have trained much of their fire on Hegseth, a former Fox News contributor and veteran.”The secretary of defense should be fired immediately if he’s not man enough to own up to his mistakes and resign in disgrace,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told MSNBC.Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth said Trump should sack all the officials in the chat and called Hegseth a “liar” who “could’ve gotten our pilots killed.”Meanwhile Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was seeking an independent report from the Trump administration.- ‘Anti-Trump hater’ -The Atlantic said the texting was done barely half an hour before the first US warplanes took off to hit the Huthis on March 15 — and two hours before the first target was expected to be bombed.”1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)”, Hegseth writes, referring to US Navy jet fighters, before adding that “Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME.””1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets).”Hegseth wrote also writes about the use of US drones and Tomahawk cruise missiles.A short time later, Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing that US forces had identified the target “walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed.”Peppered with questions at a daily press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Goldberg as an “anti-Trump hater.”Elon Musk, the billionaire running a huge government cost-cutting drive for Trump, had offered “technical experts” to find out how he was added to the chat, she added.Trump’s comments came as Huthi media said late Wednesday that new US strikes had hit the rebel-held capital Sanaa, after earlier reporting 19 American raids elsewhere in  Yemen. His administration has stepped up attacks on the Huthi rebels in response to constant attempts to sink and disrupt shipping through the strategic Red Sea. The Huthis claim they are acting in solidarity with Gaza amid Hamas’s war on Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Wednesday to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas did not release hostages, while the militant group warned they would return “in coffins” if Israel did not stop bombing the Palestinian territory.Just over a week since its military resumed operations following a January truce, Israel said two projectiles were fired from the Gaza Strip, with one intercepted and the other landing near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.The rocket fire came as rare protests against Hamas by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were held for a second consecutive day, with demonstrators chanting slogans against the Islamist movement and calling for an end to the war.Israel’s resumption of intense bombardment and ground operations across Gaza shattered weeks of relative calm brought by a fragile ceasefire, and militants returned to launching rocket attacks days later.According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, 830 people have been killed in the territory since Israel restarted its strikes on March 18. No deaths have been reported on the Israeli side.The United Nations said on Wednesday that the renewed Israeli operations had displaced 142,000 people in just seven days, and warned of dwindling supplies amid Israel’s blocking of aid.On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military would “soon operate with full force in additional areas of Gaza” and send out more evacuation orders.Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee later issued evacuation warnings for residents in several areas in and around Gaza City.”Terrorist organisations are returning to and firing rockets from populated areas… For your safety, head south of Wadi Gaza toward the known shelters,” he said in a post on X.Israeli officials say the new operations are meant to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages following a stalemate in talks with mediators on extending the truce — in which 33 Israeli captives were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.Israel wanted an extension of the truce’s initial phase, while Hamas demanded talks on a second stage that was meant to lead to a permanent ceasefire.- ‘Random bombardment’ -Netanyahu told parliament that “the more Hamas persists in its refusal to release our hostages, the stronger the pressure we will exert”.”This includes the seizure of territories, along with other measures I will not elaborate here,” he added.Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.”Every time the (Israeli) occupation attempts to retrieve its captives by force, it ends up bringing them back in coffins,” Hamas said in a statement.The group said it was “doing everything possible to keep the occupation’s captives alive”, but that “the random Zionist bombardment is endangering their lives”.Gal Gilboa-Dalal, an Israeli survivor of the 2023 attack whose brother was taken hostage, told AFP he “constantly” imagines their reunion.”This moment felt closer than ever and unfortunately, it’s drifting away from me again,” he said. His brother Guy Gilboa-Dalal was taken from a music festival near the Gaza border and last seen in a video shared by Hamas last month.”We are fighting here against a terrorist organisation that only understands force,” Gal Gilboa-Dalal said.”On the other hand, I am terrified that these bombings and this operation… will endanger the hostages there. There’s no way to know what the terrorists might do to them or if a missile might accidentally hit them,” he added.- ‘We are tired’ -The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 50,183 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry.In northern Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinians gathered for a second day of anti-Hamas protests, chanting “Out, out, Hamas out!””We do not want Hamas! We are tired,” said protester Muayed Zahir, who took part in a rally in Gaza City. Another protest took place in nearby Beit Lahia.Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007 after winning a Palestinian election the year before. No vote has been held since.Levels of discontent towards Hamas in Gaza are difficult to gauge, in part because of its intolerance for public expressions of dissent.Fatah, the movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, has called on Hamas to “step aside from governing” Gaza to safeguard the “existence” of Palestinians in the war-battered territory.

Global stock markets mostly slipped Wednesday as investors readied for an announcement on auto tariffs from US President Donald Trump. In New York, all three major indices closed lower, while the CBOE Volatility Index — Wall Street’s so-called “fear gauge” — jumped seven percent, reflecting market jitters.”It’s the continuation of worries regarding the tariffs and the …

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Huthi media said late Wednesday that new US strikes had hit the rebel-held capital Sanaa, after earlier reporting 19 American raids elsewhere in  Yemen. “A series of strikes by the US aggression have hit the south and north of the capital,” the Al-Masirah channel said, without providing further details.The station had earlier reported 17 raids by the United States “on the Saada governorate”, on top of two more on Amran.The Iran-backed rebels’ news agency, Saba, said “the American aggression targeted the Oncology Hospital building in Saada”.The hospital, which Huthi media said was under construction, was also hit last week.The rebel health ministry said two civilians were wounded in the latest hospital attack, which they described as “a full-fledged war crime”.Early on Wednesday, a Huthi military spokesperson said the group targeted “enemy warships in the Red Sea, led by the US aircraft carrier (USS Harry S.) Truman” blamed for the Yemen strikes.The rebels also claimed a drone attack on Tel Aviv, but did not specify when it occurred. Israel did not report such an attack.Washington announced a military offensive against the Huthis on March 15, promising to use overwhelming force until the group stopped firing on vessels in the key shipping routes of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.That day saw a wave of US air strikes that officials said killed senior Huthi leaders, and which the rebels’ health ministry said killed 53 people.Since then, Huthi-held parts of Yemen have witnessed near-daily attacks that the group has blamed on the United States, with the rebels announcing the targeting of US military ships and Israel.The Huthis began targeting shipping vessels after the start of the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with Palestinians, but paused their campaign when a ceasefire took effect in Gaza in January.Earlier this month, they threatened to renew attacks in the vital maritime trade route over Israel’s aid blockade on the Palestinian territory, triggering the first US strikes on Yemen since President Donald Trump took office in January.Last week, Trump threatened to annihilate the Huthis and warned Tehran against continuing to aid the group.