Afghanistan

Afghanistan blasts wound dozens on Independence Day
A man caries a wounded person to the hospital after a blast in Jalalabad, Afghanistan August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Parwiz

A series of bombings struck restaurants and public squares on Monday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 66 people, officials said, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.

Afghanistan blasts wound dozens on Independence Day
A member of Afghan security forces runs after a blast in Jalalabad, Afghanistan August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Parwiz

A series of bombings struck restaurants and public squares on Monday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 66 people, officials said, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.
 
Analyst: Graham’s ‘warning’ was actually a threat from the Deep State against Afghan withdrawal
PressTV?
US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) talks with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a rally with fellow Democrats before voting on H.R. 1, or the People Act, on the East Steps of the US Capitol on March 08, 2019 in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)

Senator Graham’s warning to Trump to not reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan “looks like a threat on behalf of the Deep State” against the president, Don DeBar has said.

Monday, August 26, 2019 - US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s warning to Donald Trump to not reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan “looks like a threat on behalf of the Deep State” against the president, American journalist and political commentator Don DeBar has said.

In an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, the senator from the South Carolina said the US troop level should not go below 8,600, arguing that a large-scale withdrawal from the war-torn country could pose a grave threat to US national security.

“Mr. President, if you don't have a counter-terrorism force left behind, even if you've got a deal with the Taliban — which I doubt, but you might — they don't have the capability or will to protect the American homeland,” Graham said.

"I am concerned that the president, in his desire to get out, is going to make the same mistake that President Obama did in Iraq," he added.

Asked by CBS host Margaret Brennan how many US troops should remain in Afghanistan, Graham said: “The number is gonna be around 8,600. To go below that I think would be really risky.”

Graham claimed that the US troops in Afghanistan are an "insurance policy against another 9/11," alleging that the September 11, 2001 terror attacks took place because the US was not focused on Afghanistan.

The US currently has about 13,000 troops in Afghanistan.

PressTV-Sen. Graham warns Trump not to pull out of Afghanistan
Commenting to Press TV on Monday, Debar said, "This looks more like a threat than anything else to me, a threat by Graham on behalf of the deep state against Trump, lest he dare think about fulfilling his campaign promise to put an end to these permanent wars. In essence, he's saying that Langley created ISIS (Daesh) to thwart a pullout from Iraq and they're ready to do the same in Afghanistan".

"Now this has to be considered in the context of a power struggle between Trump and his circle on one hand, and the proponents of these wars on the other,
and that against the timeline of the 2020 election and his second term if Trump gets reelected,” he added.

“Next year, they need him to keep their seats. Ask Senator Ted Cruz about that. After that, it's all about impeachment votes in the Senate,” he said.

“Now consider the role Graham is trying to play, but in that context - think about the bloc of votes he represents in the Senate. And
what he is doing in essence is telegraphing to Trump: ‘Hey, maybe you can pull out right now, but we can start that war any time, either during the election to tag you with another ISIS, or afterwards, and will impeach you at will after the election,” he noted.


Trump has repeatedly advocated for bringing US troops back from Afghanistan, putting him at odds with hawkish Republican lawmakers like Graham.

PressTV-Trump says US role in Afghanistan 'ridiculous' police force
PressTV-Trump says US role in Afghanistan 'ridiculous' police force
US president describes American military role in Afghanistan as a "ridiculous" police force.


US officials have held several rounds of direct negotiations with the Taliban to pull out American forces in exchange for concessions. The militant group says it does not recognize the government in Kabul.

The negotiations in the Qatari capital take place almost 18 years after the US military invaded Afghanistan to overthrow a ruling Taliban regime.

American forces have since remained bogged down in Afghanistan through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now, Donald Trump.

Both Trump and the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates have said "they would bring the troops home", but Graham said Sunday, "They're all wrong".

Graham said he is "concerned" that Trump is going to "make the same mistake that President Obama did in Iraq" by pulling out the troops.

"You may get a peace deal with the Taliban, but you'll never get a peace deal with al Qaeda or ISIS (Daesh)," Graham said.
 
Russia says ready to be guarantor for any Afghan peace deal between U.S. and Taliban
FILE PHOTO: Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova listens during the annual news conference of the Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) in Moscow, Russia January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Russia is ready to be a guarantor of any peace deal for Afghanistan agreed between the United States and the Taliban, the Russian foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Taliban says near agreement on U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan
FILE PHOTO: U.S. military advisers from the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade sit at an Afghan National Army base in Maidan Wardak province, Afghanistan August 6, 2018.  REUTERS/James Mackenzie/File Photo

The Taliban said on Wednesday it was close to an agreement with U.S. officials on a deal that would see U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan in exchange for a Taliban promise that the country would not become a haven for international militants.

Taliban kill 14 pro-government militia in Afghanistan: officials
Taliban militants killed at least 14 members of a pro-government militia in Afghanistan on Wednesday, said officials, as Taliban and U.S. officials near a deal aimed at ending the 18-year war.
 
'Afghanistan will always be under the US occupation,' says Trump.

29.08.2019
 
Top challenger of Afghan president says ready to quit elections for peace
FILE PHOTO: Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah speaks at the India-Afghanistan international trade and investment show, in Mumbai, India, September 12, 2018. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's main challenger in a election next month has said he is ready to abandon his bid for power for the sake of peace, raising more questions about prospects for an election the Taliban have vowed to block.

U.S. says 'premature' to discuss future Afghan counterterrorism mission
FILE PHOTO: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford arrives to testify before a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on the proposed FY2020 budget for the Defense Department on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2019. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo

The top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday it was too early to talk about the future of U.S. counterterrorism forces in Afghanistan, as U.S and Taliban forces appear close to an agreement to end the 18-year war.
 
U.S. service member killed in combat in Afghanistan
August 30, 2019 - A U.S. service member was killed in Afghanistan during combat operations, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement on Friday, as the United States seeks to reach a negotiated end to the nearly 18-year-old war.

Trump says U.S. has good negotiations with Taliban but no deal yet
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., before his departure to Camp David, August 30, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the United States had good negotiations going on with the Taliban but had not yet reached a deal with the Islamist group on U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In Trump's team, misgivings emerge over any deal with Taliban in Afghanistan: U.S. officials
FILE PHOTO: U.S. envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad speaks during a debate at Tolo TV channel in Kabul, Afghanistan April 28, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani/File Photo

As negotiators work to nail down an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, misgivings have grown among some Trump administration officials and lawmakers that it will erode the United States' ability to thwart attacks from there, U.S. officials said.
 
Oh, I'm lov-ing it! This just made my day! Hope it's a hint ... of better things to come?

(BTW John, with the College kids going back for 1st semesters, I hear there's plenty of new entry level openings at McDonald's?)


Sat. Aug 31 2019 - Report: Bolton Excluded from Afghan Policy Decisions After Irritating Trump
Report: Bolton Excluded from Afghan Policy Decisions After Irritating Trump

White House National Security Advisor John Bolton has been kept out of any discussions related to the ongoing US-Taliban negotiations because of his opposition to diplomacy has irritated President Donald Trump, US media reported.:dance:

Bolton has called for an expanded military presence in Afghanistan and also opposed Trump's efforts to negotiate with North Korea and any potential engagement with Iran,The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing unnamed officials.

The ninth round of talks between the United States and the Taliban movement in the Qatari capital of Doha entered its eighth day on Thursday. The parties have been negotiating a potential deal that calls for the extraction of US forces in exchange for Taliban counterterror assurances.

Earlier, Trump told reporters that US-Taliban negotiations were going well but no deal has been reached "yet".

After the peace deal is signed, inter-Afghan talks between the Taliban and other political movements are reportedly expected to begin.

The Taliban also reportedly insisted, however, that the Afghan authorities should participate in the talks not as a government but as a political movement.

The US-Taliban talks come ahead of the September presidential election in Afghanistan. The Taliban has threatened to disrupt the election, while the government has vowed to safeguard the democratic process.

On Thursday, Trump vowed the United States would leave 8,600 troops in Afghanistan regardless of the outcome of the talks.

Taliban Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied recent reports about what was agreed during peace talks with US officials in Qatar, saying everyone should wait for the negotiations to end.

"Some social media broadcast some material about a peace agreement of Qatar talks. These materials … are not original. Hopefully no one should broadcast about this before the last discussions," he noted.

Another Taliban spokesman announced this week that the negotiators were closing in on a peace deal that will ensure an end to the 18-year war in Afghanistan.

The US launched its so-called Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in October 2001, a month after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

Taliban, Afghan forces clash in northern Afghan city amid peace talks with U.S.
Taliban forces attacked the northern Afghan city of Kunduz on Saturday, setting off hours of gun battles, even as U.S. negotiators move closer to finalizing a deal with the insurgents for the withdrawal of American troops from the country.

Aug 30 2019 - Trump: 8,600 US Troops Will Stay in Afghanistan
Trump: 8,600 US Troops Will Stay in Afghanistan

Trump announced the possible drawdown on Thursday morning in an interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade. Even if an agreement is reached with the Taliban militants, there would be no complete reduction of the military personnel. Rather the presence of US troops in the country – now at around 14,000 – will be cut by nearly 40 percent.

“We're going down to 8,600 and then we make a determination from there,” Trump said. Additional cuts could come later, but not a complete withdrawal.

Aug 29 2019 - Russia Concerned About West's Double Standards in Relation to Daesh in Afghanistan
Russia Concerned About West's Double Standards in Relation to Daesh in Afghanistan

Undoubtedly, fight against terrorism should be free of double standards... There is alarming information... that some Western colleagues have double standards in relation to this terrorist organisation banned by the UN Security Council and try to use them to accomplish their unilateral geopolitical tasks in Afghanistan," Lavrov told a press conference after talks with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Sputnik reported.

The Foreign Minister also commented on US President Donald Trump 's call on Russia and other regional powers, including India, to step up the fight against Daesh in Afghanistan.

"Fight against terrorism and drug trafficking that funds it — all of this is in the focus of our position on Afghanistan. And the goal of all our efforts, which we have undertaken in both the Moscow format and Russia-US-China format — we would like to involve other countries in the work [in this format], including India, Pakistan, and Iran — all of these efforts are aimed at facilitating a political settlement that would be accepted by all ethnic, religious and political groups and that would be based on broad national consensus, while eliminating threat of terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking from Afghanistan", Lavrov added.
 
Taliban claim blast in Afghan capital as draft peace deal agreed
The Taliban claimed responsibility for a car bomb explosion that rocked the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, killing at least five people and wounding dozens more and shaking windows and doors in houses several kilometers away from the blast.

U.S., Taliban near Afghanistan deal, fighting intensifies in north
FILE PHOTO: U.S. envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad speaks during a debate at Tolo TV channel in Kabul, Afghanistan April 28, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani/File Photo

U.S. and Taliban negotiators are close to a deal that would open the way for peace in Afghanistan, a top U.S. official said on Sunday, as the insurgents followed their weekend assault on the strategic center of Kunduz by attacking a second northern city.

U.S. to withdraw 5,000 troops from Afghanistan, close bases: U.S. negotiator
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani meets with U.S. special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in Kabul, Afghanistan September 2, 2019. Afghan Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS
The United States would withdraw almost 5,000 troops from Afghanistan and close five bases within 135 days under a draft peace accord agreed with the Taliban, the chief U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Monday.

Afghan president wants U.S. to share details of draft deal with all leaders: spokesman
FILE PHOTO: Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani speaks during a consultative grand assembly, known as Loya Jirga, in Kabul, Afghanistan April 29, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday told the U.S envoy for Afghanistan to share details of a draft deal between the U.S. and Taliban with all Afghan leaders, the president's spokesman said.
 
Commenting to Press TV on Monday, Debar said, "This looks more like a threat than anything else to me, a threat by Graham on behalf of the deep state against Trump, lest he dare think about fulfilling his campaign promise to put an end to these permanent wars. In essence, he's saying that Langley created ISIS (Daesh) to thwart a pullout from Iraq and they're ready to do the same in Afghanistan".

"Now this has to be considered in the context of a power struggle between Trump and his circle on one hand, and the proponents of these wars on the other,
and that against the timeline of the 2020 election and his second term if Trump gets reelected,” he added.

Checking local news and weather this morning, noticed this question on the right side-bar ...

Forecast

What Do You Think?

According to a NY Times report, Senior White House advisors have proposed secretly expanding the CIA's presents in Afghanistan if International forces begin to withdraw, but CIA and military officials have reservations. Do you think the CIA's presents in Afghanistan should be expanded?

0 - Absolutely
0 - Possibly
0 - Not at all
0 - No opinion

Comment - Could one view this question - as "an open omission" that the CIA is heavily entrenched in Afghanistan and that it is - the CIA that has a heavy hand in stalling and blocking Trump's Presidential Order's to foster a Peace Agreement and withdraw troops?

Aug 30 2019 - Trump: 8,600 US Troops Will Stay in Afghanistan
Trump announced the possible drawdown on Thursday morning in an interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade. Even if an agreement is reached with the Taliban militants, there would be no complete reduction of the military personnel. Rather the presence of US troops in the Country - now at around 14,000 – will be cut by nearly 40 percent.

"We're going down to 8,600 and then we make a determination from there,” Trump said. Additional cuts could come later, but not a complete withdrawal.

And close five (5) military bases ...

U.S. to withdraw 5,000 troops from Afghanistan, close bases: U.S. negotiator
The United States would withdraw almost 5,000 troops from Afghanistan and close five bases within 135 days under a draft peace accord agreed with the Taliban, the chief U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Monday.

Comment - So what does that tell us - that over eight thousand military personnel in Afghanistan are under "the direct supervision of the CIA"? Is it also a subtle open omission - that the CIA are the main supporting and supervising force - behind Daesh and it's activities? Is this what is meant by Russia's reference "as double standards"?


~~~
CIA intervention?
Taliban claim blast in Afghan capital as draft peace deal agreed
Afghan policemen inspect the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, September 3, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani
The Taliban claimed responsibility for a car bomb explosion that rocked the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, killing at least five people and wounding dozens more and shaking windows and doors in houses several kilometers away from the blast.

Deadly Taliban attack in Afghan capital casts shadow on peace deal
Injured men receive treatment at the hospital after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, September 3, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

A Taliban attack on a housing complex used by international organizations in the Afghan capital, Kabul, late on Monday killed at least 16 people and angered local residents who demanded the heavily fortified compound be moved.
 
Full U.S. pullout from Afghanistan could ignite 'total civil war': ex-U.S. envoys
FILE PHOTO: U.S. military advisers from the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade work with Afghan soldiers at an artillery position on an Afghan National Army base in Maidan Wardak province, Afghanistan August 6, 2018. REUTERS/James Mackenzie/File Photo
Nine former US Ambassadors on Tuesday warned that Afghanistan could collapse in a "total civil war" if President Donald Trump withdraws all U.S. forces before the Kabul government and the Taliban conclude a peace settlement.

“A major troop withdrawal must be contingent on a final peace,” the nine wrote on the website of the Atlantic Council, a think tank. “The initial U.S. drawdown should not go so far or so fast that the Taliban believe they can achieve military victory.”

The nine, including five former ambassadors to Kabul, a former special envoy to Afghanistan and a former deputy secretary of State, issued their warning a day after U.S. chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad announced a draft accord with the Taliban for an initial drawdown of nearly 5,000 U.S. troops.

Trump has made clear his impatience to withdraw all US forces and end America's longest war, which began with a U.S. invasion triggered by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that al Qaeda launched from then Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

Khalilzad said Trump must approve the draft before it can be signed.
 
Taliban claim blast in Afghan capital as draft peace deal agreed
The Taliban claimed responsibility for a car bomb explosion that rocked the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, killing at least five people and wounding dozens more and shaking windows and doors in houses several kilometers away from the blast.

The Kabul residents of the P9 district took to the streets following a deadly Taliban attack, and blocked the highway east of Kabul, demanding foreign troops to be removed from the area.

03.09.2019

03.09.2019
 
Official says 16 dead, 119 hurt in Taliban attack in Kabul
1738936-1933059385.jpg

(AFP)
KABUL: Sept. 3, 2019 - The death toll from a late-night Taliban suicide attack in the Afghan capital rose to 16 civilians on Tuesday, with 119 people wounded, an official said. Angry Kabul residents climbed over the wall into the international compound, which has been targeted frequently, and set part of it on fire.

Thick smoke rose from the Green Village, home to several international organizations and guesthouses and often a target of attacks — a peril to nearby local residents as well.

Nearby homes were shredded and the concrete blast wall, on the western side of the compound, had buckled. A large crater was left in the street.

The Taliban continue such attacks even as a US envoy says the militant group has reached a deal “in principle” with the US on ending America’s longest war, including a troop withdrawal that the Taliban already portray as their victory.

He said the attack was a response to raids by US and Afghan forces on civilians in other parts of the country. While he acknowledged there should be less harm to civilians, he said they shouldn’t be living near such an important foreign compound.

Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said some 400 foreigners had been rescued after the suicide bomber targeted the compound late on Monday. Five attackers were shot and killed by security forces after the bomber detonated a tractor packed with explosives, he said.

Kabul ‘concerned’ about US-Taliban deal, seeks clarification
1740591-1007204764.jpg

Smoke rises from the site of an attack after a massive explosion the night before near the Green Village in Kabul on September 3, 2019. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP)

September 04, 2019 - KABUL: The Afghan government expressed doubts Wednesday about a prospective deal between the US and the Taliban, saying officials need more information about the risks it poses.

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in Kabul this week, when he shared with Afghan officials an agreement “in principle” Washington has forged with the Taliban that would lead to a pull-out of American troops.

As U.S. outlines draft Taliban deal, Pentagon chief provides few details
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper holds his first news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., August 28, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Wednesday he would limit his comments on talks between the United States and Taliban because negotiations were still ongoing "in some ways," even as details of a draft deal have been publicly announced by President Donald Trump and a senior U.S. diplomat.

Afghan government has concerns about U.S.-Taliban peace deal
A member of the Afghan security force stands in front of a poster of Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani in Kabul, Afghanistan September 2, 2019.REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

The Afghan government has concerns about the draft peace agreement reached between U.S. and Taliban negotiators and wants further clarification, President Ashraf Ghani's main spokesman said on Wednesday.
 
Taliban suicide bomber kills at least 10 civilians, two NATO troops in Kabul
A wounded man receives treatment at a hospital after a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan September 5, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani
A Taliban suicide blast in the center of Kabul killed at least 10 civilians and two NATO soldiers on Thursday, destroying cars and shops in an area near the headquarters of Afghanistan's international military force and the U.S. embassy.

Serbia raps Croatia over treatment of Afghan migrants
Migrants from Afghanistan have lunch at the camp for refugees and migrants in the Belgrade suburb of Krnjaca, Serbia, September 3, 2019.  REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Serbia's refugee agency has accused Croatian border police of torturing a 16-year-old Afghan refugee and of denying him and 15 other migrants traveling with him their right to claim asylum in the European Union.
 
Sep 05 2019 - Report: Pompeo 'Declines' to Sign Afghan Deal :deadhorse:
Report: Pompeo 'Declines' to Sign Afghan Deal

While the US and Taliban are close to a peace deal to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has declined to sign the Afghan peace deal, TIME Magazine reported.

The fragile peace negotiations between Washington and the Taliban may have hit a snag, as the US secretary of state has reportedly refused to sign on to a draft of the peace deal as it currently stands, according to a new report by Time Magazine.

On Monday, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, who is in Kabul after wrapping up Doha talks, told TOLOnews that the US and the Taliban have reached an agreement in principle and it is closed, but added that the document is not final until US President Donald Trump approves it.

Sep 05 2019 - Afghan Gov't Voices Serious Doubts About US-Taliban Deal
Afghan Gov't Voices Serious Doubts About US-Taliban Deal

The Afghan government announced it has serious doubts about a draft peace agreement recently reached between United States and Taliban negotiators and wants further clarification.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s Spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter Wednesday that while the Kabul administration supports any progress in an eventual peace process, it wants to prevent any negative consequences, presstv reported.

“The Afghan government is also concerned and we, therefore, would like further clarity on this document to completely analyze its dangers and negative consequences and avoid the dangers,” the spokesman noted.

The statement is Kabul's first such reaction to the prospective deal that Washington forged with the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha on Monday.

US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born US diplomat, is expected to hold a series of meetings with Afghan and NATO officials to explain the draft agreement, which must still be approved by US President Donald Trump before it can be signed.

Trump was due to look at the proposed pact this week. If the IS President and Taliban leaders approve the draft deal, it could be signed and announced any day.
 
Pentagon chief says U.S. working toward 'good deal' with Taliban
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper holds a news conference with French Defense Minister Florence Parly (not pictured) at the residence of French Defense Minister in Paris, France, September 7, 2019. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that while it was seeking a political agreement with the Taliban, Washington would not accept just any deal after a wave of violence cast a shadow over its talks with the insurgent group.

Taliban kidnap six Afghan journalists
Taliban kidnapped six Afghan journalists working for private and government media organizations in eastern Paktia province, government officials and Taliban said on Saturday.

Spike in Taliban attacks 'unhelpful' to Afghan peace push: U.S. general
FILE PHOTO: Angry Afghan protesters burn tires and shout slogans at the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan September 3, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani/File Photo

A spike in attacks by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan has been "particularly unhelpful" to peace efforts there, a senior U.S. military commander cautioned on Saturday as he visited neighboring Pakistan, where many Taliban militants are based.
 
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