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Afghanistan current affairs, news, discussion and update

Khafee

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Just read that one of Taliban leaders either in Pakistan or Afghanistan has surrendered to the authority.


TTP commander surrenders to security forces
By Our Correspondent
Published: January 15, 2018


1609151-asad-1516008636-934-640x480.jpg

Asad Mansoor. PHOTO: EXPRESS

PESHAWAR: A Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander of the Hakimullah Mehsud group surrendered to the security forces, sources privy to the developments told The Express Tribune on Monday.

The commander, Asad Mansoor, turned himself in to security forces in Dera Ismail Khan District, sources said. A security official confirmed the development and added that the commander had surrendered to the security forces some three weeks back.
However, details of his surrender still remained unclear.

The name of the surrendered commander resembles that of the spokesperson of the TTP’s breakaway faction Jamatul Ahrar, Asad Mansoor, but he has sent an email sent to media outlets denying that he had laid down arms.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1609151/1-ttp-jua-spokesperson-asad-mansoor-surrenders-security-forces/
 

Hithchiker

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Is TTA a legitimate movement or a terrorist group mind my ignorance.
Its a terrorist group attributed to thousands of innocent killing, suicide bombs , attacks on mosques and schools in Pakistan..They are declared terrorist..and own there killings
 

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4 dead, 12 injured in terror attack on Afghan children's relief office
By Sara Shayanian
Jan. 24, 2018

(UPI) -- At least four people died and 12 were injured in an Islamic State terror attack on the Save the Children office in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on Wednesday.

Four gunman stormed the office, located in the Nangarhar province, with one suicide car bomber detonating his explosives at the gate of the building -- making way for the rest to enter.

Attaullah Khogyani, a provincial government spokesman, said security forces stormed the compound.

A police officer was killed in the attack along with three Save the Children workers. One insurgent was also killed by police while another was still fighting, Khogyani said.

Nearly 46 people in the compound, many of whom hid in a safe room in the building, were rescued.

In an official statement from Save the Children, the organization confirmed "three staff members were killed" in their office attack.

"We have temporarily suspended our operations across the country following today's events, however we remain fully committed to helping the most deprived children of Afghanistan."

The organization said they were "shocked and appalled at the violence, carried out against our staff in Afghanistan who are dedicated humanitarians, committed to improving the lives and wellbeing of millions of children across the country."

The Swedish Ambassador to Afghanistan, Tobias Thyberg, condemned the attack on Twitter.

"Attacking those who risk their lives to bring development and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan is an unacceptable crime against international law and an affront to the people of Afghanistan and their friends," Thyberg said. "Our thoughts go out to #Jalalabad."

The Taliban distanced themselves from the attack, but the Islamic State claimed responsibility Wednesday.

The Save the Children Fund -- an international non-governmental organization that promotes children's rights -- provides relief and support to children in developing countries.

The charity organization has been working in Afghanistan since 1976 and helps more than 700,000 children in the country.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-...-childrens-relief-office/2021516793857/?nll=1
 

Khafee

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Fear of Taliban, Large number of Afghan soldiers deserting Army: Report
31 Jan, 2018

KABUL - The Afghan President has recently spoken to a foreign journalist and displayed the Stockholm syndrome. He was quoted to have said that ANA (Afghan National Army) would collapse in six months’ time if the USA left Afghanistan . Whom does he think he is addressing to?

The Afghans don’t tire of self-boasting and bragging to be the ‘toughest’ fighters and ‘freedom’ lovers. And yet, their President is trying to woo the Americans to stay in Afghanistan for some more time and throw some more dollars. Strange for all the chest thumping of Afghans!

President Ashraf Ghani has been grossly optimistic about six months’ time since all independent observers of the Afghan affairs conclude that Afghanistan’s security apparatus is in no shape to take responsibility of providing security to the Afghan people. The reason for this incompetence is not very hard to find. An ordinary Afghan is a brave and sturdy person. He can transform to be an excellent soldier par excellence. But rampant corruption, nepotism and poor standards of leadership in ANA have made it a laughing stock of the world.

US military aid which is meant for the Afghan army is routinely sold off to the same insurgents against whom it was meant to be used

It is no surprise then that the US administration is feeling the heat. In latest audit report of SIGAR (Special Inspector General on Afghan Reconstruction) auditor John Spoko has been extremely critical of the Afghan administration in general and their defence and security apparatus in particular. He lamented publicly saying, “It appears insurgents are at the end of our supply chain”.

These remarks were a reference to reports emerging in international media outlets that Afghan generals and senior officers had been selling weapons, food and fuel to the Taliban for money and bribes. A starving and under-equipped army cannot be expected to do any better than what it is doing.

This hurts the Afghan security in many ways. The US assistance which is destined for operational needs of the Afghan army is sold off to the same insurgents against whom it was meant to be used. That leaves the Taliban well stocked and armed, and they don’t need any external supplier of arms and ammunition. Moreover, this sold out stuff doesn’t stop at weapons and fuels but includes rations as well.

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai had categorically accused the Americans of conspiring with the ISIL. He is not an ordinary ill-informed person. He was the Afghan president from 2001 till 2013.

The country transitioned to democracy under his watch. When he says something, it is a serious business. He also alleged that gross human rights violations were carried out by the Afghan and allied forces during his time in the presidential palace and that he had been trying his best to stem these abuses. This is no off the cuff remark by a lowly government official. This is the former president of Afghan republic.

According to Karzai, the Afghan people were sick and tired of the war and wanted to handle their affairs themselves. Why does the USA not grant this wish of Afghan people to them?

The world is its right to ask as to how President Ashraf Ghani expects to gain from the US stay in Afghanistan even after 17 years.

If the Afghan security forces have not come up to any worthy standards in 17 years of training by international experts and generous assistance of nearly $65bn, how long would it take for Ashraf Ghani and his team to establish a credible defence and security establishment?

It is time for President Ashraf Ghani to focus inwards for bringing peace to Afghanistan . He must cut down on his favourite pastime of accusing Pakistan of all the ills of his country. He should mean business and demand accountability of his security team.

ANA has astronomical desertion rates when compared to any modern national army. The 27 percent of recruits desert within 18 months of joining the force. These desertions are accentuated by poor leadership, corrupt generals, and mounting casualties due to inadequate training and lack of equipment.

The US auditors had identified nearly 23,500 ‘ghost’ soldiers in the Afghan army. These ghost soldiers were drawing regular salaries and benefits but were not available when it came to fighting. After the performance audit reports were made public, the Afghan authorities came under pressure and started to put their own house to some degree.

The Afghan soldiers and officers, visiting the USA for training are the highest in numbers of deserters (nearly 47 percent) seeking asylum in the USA.

https://timesofislamabad.com/31-Jan...mber-of-afghan-soldiers-deserting-army-report
 

Indus Falcon

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Greed is not a good thing. When you share, life becomes easier. Without PA, the US is doomed in Afgh.

IF they want to stick around in Afgh they should kick out the drug lords/ Northern alliance in Kabul, transfer all Afghan Army personnel to the Afghan Navy, and make a deal with PA. Let them handle security for 33% of the over/under ground mineral rights. The US can have the other 33%, and the remaining 34% will go towards the cost of maintaining security, economic and infra development.
 

Khafee

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Greed is not a good thing. When you share, life becomes easier. Without PA, the US is doomed in Afgh.

IF they want to stick around in Afgh they should kick out the drug lords/ Northern alliance in Kabul, transfer all Afghan Army personnel to the Afghan Navy, and make a deal with PA. Let them handle security for 33% of the over/under ground mineral rights. The US can have the other 33%, and the remaining 34% will go towards the cost of maintaining security, economic and infra development.

Afghan Navy?
 

I.R.A

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Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai had categorically accused the Americans of conspiring with the ISIL. He is not an ordinary ill-informed person. He was the Afghan president from 2001 till 2013.

The country transitioned to democracy under his watch. When he says something, it is a serious business. He also alleged that gross human rights violations were carried out by the Afghan and allied forces during his time in the presidential palace and that he had been trying his best to stem these abuses. This is no off the cuff remark by a lowly government official. This is the former president of Afghan republic.

He is just trying to save his own rear now, making such statements makes him look like I was on your side. We know the past, what happened so he is just afraid of that.


It is time for President Ashraf Ghani to focus inwards for bringing peace to Afghanistan . He must cut down on his favourite pastime of accusing Pakistan of all the ills of his country. He should mean business and demand accountability of his security team.


He should ....... but can he? He is working with people like Rasheed Dostam and Abdul Raziq etc ....... these thugs control their private armies, Ghani even if by some miracle, he wanted to he cannot.


transfer all Afghan Army personnel to the Afghan Navy,


That is a very valid observation ........ it highlights the strategic importance of Chahbahar and the kind of people (naval active high ranking official) our neighbor has been sending to assist ANA etc. No wonder ANA couldn't perform well without water in Afghanistan. The training didn't match the purpose. “¡¡“


Pakistan should be very watchful of ISIS, no matter what they shouldn't be able to get stronghold in Afghanistan at all ...... they are geniuses and I won't be surprised if they come up with a miniature portable nuke device. Afghanistan is rich in Uranium .... the rest of technicalities well nobody asks relevant questions ..... Iraq is enough to confirm that.
 

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https://www.military.com/daily-news...-remote-afghanistan.html#.WnivSuk_QdY.twitter

the_wakhan_corridor_of_badakhshan_province_in_northern_afghanistan.png

The Wakhan Corridor of Badakhshan province in northern Afghanistan, where witnesses have reported seeing Chinese and Afghan troops on joint patrols. (AFP photo/Gohar Abbas)
Agence France Presse 3 Feb 2018By Allison Jackson with Gohar Abbas in the Wakhan Corridor
Worried about militants sneaking into a restive Chinese region from war-torn Afghanistan, Beijing is in talks with Kabul over the construction of a military base, Afghan officials say.
The army camp will be built in Afghanistan's remote and mountainous Wakhan Corridor, where witnesses have reported seeing Chinese and Afghan troops on joint patrols.

The freezing, barren panhandle of land -- bordering China's tense Xinjiang region -- is so cut off from the rest of Afghanistan that many inhabitants are unaware of the Afghan conflict, scraping out harsh but peaceful lives.
However, they retain strong links with neighbors in Xinjiang and, with so few travelers in the region, local interest in the Chinese visitors has been high, residents told AFP on a recent visit there.
China's involvement in the base comes as President Xi Jinping seeks to extend Beijing's economic and geopolitical clout.
The Chinese are pouring billions of dollars into infrastructure in South Asia. With Afghanistan's potential to destabilize the region, analysts said any moves there would be viewed through the prism of security.
Beijing fears that exiled Uighur members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) are passing through the Wakhan into Xinjiang to carry out attacks.
It also worries that Islamic State group militants fleeing Iraq and Syria could cross Central Asia and Xinjiang to reach Afghanistan, or use the Wakhan to enter China, analysts say.
Afghan and Chinese officials discussed the plan in December in Beijing, but details are still being clarified, Afghan defense ministry deputy spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh said.
"We are going to build it (the base) but the Chinese government has committed to help the division financially, provide equipment and train the Afghan soldiers," he told AFP recently.
A senior Chinese embassy official in Kabul would only say Beijing is involved in "capacity-building" in Afghanistan.
NATO's U.S.-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan declined to comment. But U.S. officials have previously welcomed China's role in Afghanistan, noting they share the same security concerns.
Joint patrols
Members of the Kyrgyz ethnic minority in Wakhan told AFP in October they had been seeing Chinese and Afghan military patrols for months.
"The Chinese army first came here last summer and they were accompanied by the Afghan army," said Abdul Rashid, a Kyrgyz chief, adding that he had seen vehicles flying Chinese flags.
The Afghan army arrived days earlier "and told us that the Chinese army would be coming here", he said, adding: "We were strictly told not to go near them or talk to them and not to take any photos."
Rashid's account was confirmed by other Kyrgyz, including another chief Jo Boi, who said the Chinese military spent almost a year in Wakhan before leaving in March 2017.
Both Chinese and Afghan officials deny the claims, with China's defense ministry telling AFP that the "Chinese army is not engaged in any military operation in the Wakhan Corridor".
With little access to the corridor, Kabul provides almost no services to those who live there -- but the Chinese, Boi said, have been bringing "a lot of food and warm clothes".
"They are very good people, very kind," he told AFP.
After their March visit, he said, they returned in June for roughly a month. "Since then they come every month... to distribute food."
Economic interests
China fears militancy could threaten its growing economic interests in the region, Ahmad Bilal Khalil, a researcher at the Kabul-based Center for Strategic and Regional Studies, told AFP.
"They need to have a secure Afghanistan," he said, estimating Beijing had provided Kabul with more than $70 million in military aid in the past three years.
It recently flagged the possibility of including Afghanistan in the $54-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) linking western China to the Indian Ocean via Pakistan.
"The anti-terrorism motivation is an important one but it's not as important as the bigger move to boost the CPEC," said Willy Lam, a political analyst in Hong Kong.
Kabul is also keen for Beijing to have a "more active role", Andrew Small, author of The China-Pakistan Axis, told AFP.
It hopes China will use its "special relationship" with Islamabad to encourage the Pakistani military, who wield significant influence over Afghanistan's insurgents, to "force the Taliban into peace talks", Small said.
"In the end China has vastly greater financial power than anyone else. So having them engaged... may end up being critical to the country's basic economic viability," he said.

This article was written by Allison JACKSON with Gohar ABBAS in the Wakhan Corridor from Agence France Presse and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
 

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Officials Say Suicide Bomber Kills 2 in Afghan Capital
24 Feb 2018

KABUL -- A suicide bomber killed at least two and wounded seven in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group in the diplomatic area of Afghanistan's capital on Saturday, and at least 18 soldiers died in an attack on a checkpoint by Taliban insurgents in the country's west, authorities said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the Kabul attack took place in the Shash Darak area near NATO headquarters and not far from the U.S. Embassy. Danish said the initial casualty count could rise.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility in a statement on its website.

In western Farah province, at least 18 soldiers were killed when their checkpoint came under attack by Taliban insurgents, said Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Defense Ministry. He said two other soldiers were wounded in the attack in the Bala Buluk district.

Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the checkpoint attack in a statement.

Meanwhile, an Afghan official said at least three security personnel were killed in separate suicide bombing attacks in southern Helmand province.

Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor in Helmand, said a car bomber early Saturday was shot by Afghan army soldiers but his vehicle managed to reach the entrance of the army base in Nad Aali district, killing two soldiers and wounding another.

In a second suicide bombing attack near another military base in Helmand's capital city Lashkar Gah, one security person was killed and seven civilians wounded, Zwak said.

Ahmadi also claimed Taliban responsibility for both suicide attacks in Helmand.

The resurgent Taliban and the newer IS affiliate have been blamed for increased violence in Afghanistan after U.S. and NATO forces concluded combat missions in 2014 that began after the 9-11 attacks in the U.S.

On Jan. 27, a Taliban attacker drove an ambulance filled with explosives into the heart of the city, killing at least 103 people and wounding as many as 235.

The Taliban claimed the ambulance attack, as well as an attack a week earlier in which militants stormed a luxury hotel in Kabul, killing 22 people, including 14 foreigners, and setting off a 13-hour battle with security forces.

The recent attacks have underscored the weaknesses of Afghan security forces more than 16 years after the U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban.

They also raise questions about President Donald Trump's strategy for winning America's longest war, which was announced in August but has changed little on the ground. That strategy was based on ramping up military pressure on the Taliban to eventually force them into peace talks with the government.

https://www.military.com/daily-news...ay-suicide-bomber-kills-2-afghan-capital.html
 

Khafee

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Afghan Army on run as Taliban kill 35 soldiers in simultaneous attacks on NDS Headquarters, Army Base
24 Feb, 2018

afghan-army-on-run-as-taliban-kill-35-soldiers-in-simultaneous-attacks-on-nds-headquarters-arm...jpg



KABUL: At least 23 people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in multiple suicide bombings and attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said, the latest in a series of assaults in the war-torn country.
In the biggest attack, Taliban militants stormed an army base in the western province of Farah overnight, killing at least 18 soldiers.

"Last night a big group of militants attacked an army base in Bala Buluk district of Farah. Unfortunately, we lost 18 soldiers, two soldiers were wounded. We have sent more reinforcements to the area," defence ministry spokesman Daulat Wazir said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Deputy provincial governor Younus Rasooli said the authorities had sent a fact-finding delegation to Bala Buluk to investigate the assault.

In another attack, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the diplomatic area of Kabul during the morning rush hour, killing at least three people and wounding five others, deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP.
"At around 8:30 am, a suicide bomber on foot, well-dressed with a necktie on, was identified at a checkpoint. He blew up his explosives, killing three and wounding five others," he said, updating an earlier toll.

A security source who requested not to be named said the explosion happened near a compound belonging to the National Directorate of Security (NDS), the Afghan intelligence agency. The NDS compound is located near the NATO headquarters and the US embassy.
"I was driving nearby when I heard a big explosion, the windows of my car were smashed. I saw several wounded people on the street near me," a witness told Tolonews TV adding that security forces had since swarmed the area, closing off the main road leading to the attack site.

In December, a suicide attacker on foot blew himself up near the same compound, killing at least six civilians.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack in Kabul, which in recent months has become one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians.

Since mid-January, militants have stormed a luxury hotel, bombed a crowded street and raided a military compound in the capital, killing more than 130 people as the city remains on high alert fearing further violence.

*- Car bombings -* In two other attacks on Saturday in volatile southern Helmand province, suicide car bombs killed at least two soldiers and wounded more than a dozen others, officials said.

In the first incident, militants used a Humvee to attack an army base in Nad Ali district but the vehicle was destroyed when soldiers identified it and hit it with a rocket propelled grenade, provincial spokesman Omar Zawak told AFP.

"Unfortunately, two soldiers were killed in the attack and seven wounded," he said.

The Nad Ali attack was followed by a second suicide car bombing in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah that wounded seven people.
The attack was against an NDS compound and near a police headquarters in the city, Helmand police spokesman Salaam Afghan told AFP.

The Taliban claimed both attacks in Helmand.

Militants including the Taliban and the Islamic State group have stepped up their attacks on beleaguered Afghan troops and police in recent months, sapping morale already hit by desertions and corruption.

Afghan soldiers have taken what the UN describes as "shocking" casualties since international forces ended their combat role at the end of 2014, though troop casualty figures are no longer released. Agencies

https://timesofislamabad.com/24-Feb...taneous-attacks-on-nds-headquarters-army-base
 

Khafee

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Afghanistan Unveils Plans for Controversial Militia Force
By Ayaz Gul
February 22, 2018

Afghanistan's ministry of defense has announced the creation of a new militia force comprising about 36,000 men to defend areas that military-led operations have cleared of Taliban insurgents.

The move comes despite long-running accusations of rights abuses against the existing Afghan Local Police, which consists of local militias trained and paid by the U.S. military.

Defense Ministry spokesman, Dawlat Waziri, said in a brief statement the new force will consist of 7,500 officers of the Afghan National Army, or ANA, and 28,500 other personnel. The recruitments will be made from Afghan government-controlled areas where they ultimately will be deployed after undergoing military training to keep insurgents from staging a comeback.

He emphasized that the new Afghan militia force being raised will work under the direct command and control of the defense ministry. Waziri did not say when the recruiting process will begin.

Patricia Gossman, senior Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, has swiftly criticized the announcement, saying accountability of forces operating outside the normal ANA structure has been a persistent problem.

"What remains unclear is whether these recruits would come from existing militia forces, and if so, how the [Afghan] ministry would ensure that they would be held accountable," noted Gossman told VOA.

The New York-based watchdog has been closely monitoring and documenting past allegations of rights violations against Afghan militias.

'Oversight mechanisms' go unexplained

Gossman notes that Afghan authorities have not explained what kind of "oversight mechanisms" will be put in place to hold members of the new militia force responsible in instances of abuses against civilian population. Allegations against ALP members included sexual abuse of boys.

"What lessons has the Defense Ministry learned from the problems with the ALP? No one has really answered these questions," she added.

Afghan officials maintain, however, that by placing the new militia force under the army's control will help prevent the abuse and misuse of authority.

Thursday's announcement comes amid fierce clashes between Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents across the country, with both sides claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties on their opponents.

The Taliban controls or contests about 44 percent of the Afghan territory and insurgents continue to stage deadly attacks against government forces.

Under U.S. President Donald Trump's new Afghan war strategy, American forces have stepped up airstrikes against insurgent targets, hoping the battlefield pressure will push the Taliban to the negotiating table for talks with the Afghan government to end the conflict.

The insurgent group has vowed to resist the pressure, though, and to intensify battlefield attacks in the coming spring fighting. The Afghan conflict killed and wounded more than 10,000 civilians while pro-government forces reportedly lost about 10,000 personnel in 2017.

https://www.voanews.com/a/afghanistan-militia-force/4265987.html
 
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