Afghanistan

Mon Nov 12, 2018 - Kremlin: US Special Adviser to Afghanistan Plans Moscow Trip as Taliban Gains Ground
Farsnews

After years of struggle against the Taliban in Afghanistan, US special advisor Zalmay Khalilzad is planning to visit Russia to discuss a peace settlement, his Russian counterpart Zamir Kabulov said on Monday.

I’ve known Khalilzad for a long time. We’ll meet again – he is planning to visit us,” Kabulov told reporters, adding that the parties may discuss the launch of direct talks between the US-backed government in Kabul and the Taliban if Khalilzad is “ready to do it”, RT reported.

The Russian official stressed that Moscow supports the “regionalist approach” to a peace settlement in the war-torn nation and doesn’t seek competition with the US in Afghanistan, but at the same time can’t just stand by and “idly observe” the ongoing deterioration of the situation on the ground.

A Taliban delegation recently flew to Moscow to hold separate discussions on the ways to end the conflict in the country.

In recent years, US officials became more receptive to the idea of direct peace talks with the Taliban.

“This is not going to be won militarily. This is going to a political solution,” General Austin S. Miller, who lead the NATO mission in Afghanistan, admitted last week. Khalilzad, meanwhile, reportedly met with Taliban officials in Qatar last month.

Despite the US’ decade-long efforts to quell the militants, Afghanistan has seen an upsurge in Taliban activity in recent years. The US government’s own estimates indicate that the Washington-backed government in Kabul has uncontested control of just over 57 percent of the country, while a recent BBC study revealed that the jihadists are “openly active” in about 70 percent of the nation.

Heroin production has skyrocketed, and frequent terror attacks continue to claim the lives of Afghan servicemen and civilians.


Tue Nov 13, 2018 - Report: US Mulls Asking for Delay in Afghan Elections to Help Jolt Taliban Talks
Farsnews

The Donald Trump administration is considering asking the Afghan government to hold off on its upcoming presidential elections to allow Washington to attempt to end the 17-year war against the Taliban, The Wall Street Journal reported.

People briefed on the discussions told the Wall Street Journal that pressing for a delay to the elections, currently set for April, is one of several options US officials are considering.

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was reported to have raised the idea, but the move is seen as contradictory with DC’s long-promoted rhetoric of a free democracy in Afghanistan.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who will seek a second five-year term in the vote, has already opposed the idea.

“Based on the free election, complete inclusive election, people will decide on their future leadership,” Ghani said last week.

The Taliban so far has refused to negotiate with Ghani, who has offered to start talks with the terrorist group without preconditions.

The United States asking Afghanistan to postpone elections would potentially cause a rift between the two countries. Kabul relies on Washington for financial and military support, giving the US significant influence, but Afghan leaders would make the ultimate decision.

The Trump administration hopes a suspension could finally bring about peace talks with the Taliban, which officials fear could be stalled by the political turmoil that often occurs around Afghan elections.

President Trump has long grumbled over America’s continued presence in Afghanistan, threatening to pull soldiers out before reluctantly announcing a new strategy in August 2017. The strategy increased US troop levels by several thousand, to a force of roughly 14,000, but so far has not produced the results the administration wanted.

The administration earlier this year began direct talks with the Taliban as Trump’s plan has floundered.

The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) recently found that the Afghan government only controls about 55 percent of the country's districts. The percentage is the lowest recorded since SIGAR began tracking it in 2015.

Khalilzad has reportedly said that he probably has six to 12 months to come up with a new solution to end the war.

He is set to meet next week with Taliban leaders in Doha, Qatar, and may also speak with members in Dubai, according to the Journal.


Mon Nov 12, 2018 - Afghanistan Deploys More Forces to Ghazni to Contain Taliban as Kabul Hit by Suicide Attack
Farsnews

13970216000784_Test_PhotoI.jpg


The Afghan government sent additional forces to the Hazara-populated areas of Southeastern Ghazni Province, which has been under attack by the Taliban militant group for several days.

The troops, including special forces, were deployed on Monday to the Jaghori and Malistan districts of Ghazni, where fighters with the local Shia Hazara community are helping government forces in their battle against the Taliban militants, Asia News reported.

We have sent more reinforcements to Jaghori and Malistan districts,” including 40 intelligence officers and 35 members of the security forces, Afghan Army chief of staff General Mohammad Sharif Yaftali said.

“As part of a bigger plan, we are also sending more ground forces and will soon start a big operation in Ghazni,” he added.

The deployment took place after the Taliban inflicted heavy casualties on Afghan forces during heavy clashes in Ghazni and the western regions of the country, according to officials.

About 25 Afghan commandos were reportedly killed by the Taliban in Ghazni late on Sunday, while 50 security forces lost their lives in similar clashes in Farah Province.

Yaftali confirmed to reporters that Afghan forces had suffered casualties, without giving more details.

Ghazni – which was briefly overrun by the Taliban in August – is strategically important as it is located on a highway connecting the capital Kabul to the major southern city of Kandahar. It is also a gateway into the mountainous central province of Hazarajat, also home mainly to Shia Hazara people.

The stepped-up violence in Ghazni prompted protests in Kabul late Sunday and on Monday morning, when hundreds of Shia Hazaras took to the streets demanding better security in the troubled region.

As the demonstration was underway on Monday, a bomb attack hit a security checkpoint near the site of the rally in central Kabul, an area that also hosts the finance and justice ministries and is close to the presidential palace.

The blast has occurred near Pashtunistan Square in Kabul’s city centre, the TOLO news broadcaster reported on Monday, adding that it was allegedly carried out by a suicide bomber.

Following the explosion, an Interior Ministry Spokesman told the 1TV that there are casualties, but the exact number of the casualties is currently unknown. According to the Pajhwok news agency, 8 were killed and 6 more wounded in the explosion.

According to the broadcaster 1TV, the Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.


Wed Nov 14, 2018 - Taliban Commander among 32 Killed, Wounded in Faryab Clashes, Airstrikes
Farsnews

At least thirty two militants including a local commander of the Taliban were killed or wounded during the clashes and airstrikes in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan.

The 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan Military in the North in a statement said clashes broke out between the security forces and Taliban militants in Kalik village of Qaisar district, leaving at least 18 militants dead, including one of their local commanders Mullah Khal Mirza,

The statement further added that the security forces also received air support and as a result at least 14 militants also sustained injuries.

According 209th Shaheen Corps, at least five vehicles and fifteen various types of weapons of the militants were also destroyed during the clashes and airstrikes.

Faryab is among the relatively volatile provinces in North of Afghanistan where the Taliban militants and other groups are actively operating in some of its districts and often carry out terrorist related activities.
 
TALIBAN KILLS 26 AFGHAN SOLDIERS IN NEW ATTACK IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN

On November 14, Taliban fighters stormed a military base and a checkpoint of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP) in the district of Qalay-I-Zal in the northern province of Kunduz.

According to the Taliban official news agency, Voice of Jihad, 26 personnel of the ANA and the ANP were killed and many others were injured in the attack. An armored vehicle was also destroyed by the Afghan group’s fighters.

The Taliban said that the attack in Qalay-I-Zal was a part of its spring offensive, codenamed “Operation al-Khandagh”, which was launched on April 25 in response to Washington’s decision to increase the US military presence in Afghanistan.

Last week, 11 Afghan policemen were supposedly killed in a similar attack by the Taliban in the northern province of Badghis. These attacks are a part of the Afghan group’s plan to expand its control in the northern part of the war torn country.


BRIEF LOOK AT MILITARY SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN ON NOVEMBER 15, 2018 (MAP UPDATE)

The Taliban continues its advance on positions of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police across the country. The most intense clashes are currently ongoing in northern and central Afghanistan. According to reports from variou ssources, over 80 pro-government fighters died in clashes with the Taliban during the past 48 hours.

15nov_Afganistan.jpg
 
TALIBAN KILLS SCORES OF AFGHAN POLICEMEN IN NEW ATTACK IN FARAH

On November 15, the Taliban launched a surprise attack on a key center of the Afghan National Police (ANP) in the district of Pusht Rod in the western province of Farah as a part of its spring offensive, codenamed “Operation al-Khandagh.”

“The center was completely overrun, killing 35 policemen including commander Khaksar and commander Jabbar, arresting 2 others and destroying a tank and 5 ranger pickups,” a press release by the Taliban news agency, Voice of Jihad, reads.​

Members of Farah provincial council confirmed to the Afghan TOLO News TV that 40 personnel of the ANP were killed in an attack by the Taliban. The local officials also revealed that 60 other policemen have surrendered to the Afghan group.

Last May, Afghan government forces, backed by the NATO, repelled a large-scale attack of the Taliban on the capital of Farah. However, the government has not done much to counter the growing influence of the Afghan group in the province, since then.
 
TALIBAN FIGHTERS ATTACK GHAZNI CAPITAL, AFGHAN ARMY RETALIATES WITH AIRSTRIKES

On November 16, Taliban fighters stormed two checkpoints of the Afghan National Army (ANA) around the capital of the central province of Ghazni, according to the Afghan group news agency, Voice of Jihad.

The Taliban claimed that its fighters killed more than eleven Afghan soldiers and injured nine others in the course of the attack. Several light weapons were also captured.

Meanwhile, Col. Fazul Khuda Ibrahimkhail, a spokesman for the ANA, told the Afghan Bakhta News Agency (BNA) that the army and the Afghan Air Force attacked several positions of the Taliban in the districts of Andar and Qara Bagh in Ghazni. As a result, more than 20 fighters of the Afghan group were killed.

Despite Afghan government forces’ efforts, the Taliban is still capable of conducting successful attacks in central Afghanistan. The Afghan group is likely attempting to establish full control of some vital highways in the region, especially the ones leading to the capital, Kabul.
 
November 16, 2018 - US Peace Envoy seeks to reassure Kabul it won't be blocked from talks
U.S. peace envoy seeks to reassure Kabul it won't be blocked from talks | Reuters


Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani (R) and U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, (L) meet in Kabul, Afghanistan November 10, 2018. Picture taken November 10, 2018. Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS

The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan is trying to reassure the U.S.-backed government in Kabul that it will not be shut out of a peace process with the Taliban, after it complained of being side-lined from talks, officials said on Friday.

The U.S. envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, wants representatives of Afghan society to join talks aimed at ending the 17-year war between the Western-backed government and the Islamist Taliban, who were ousted from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001.

Khalilzad, an Afghan-born U.S. diplomat, met Taliban leaders in Qatar last month to try to push talks forward but the Taliban have long rejected direct talks with the elected government, led by President Ashraf Ghani.

“Ghani and many Afghan politicians felt that the U.S. was shutting them out of the peace talks,” said a close aide to Ghani.

“Khalilzad cleared the differences by meeting top Afghan politicians, civil society members and women to prove that U.S. will not isolate Afghans during next round of peace talks,” he said.

Ghani’s office declined to comment.

The Taliban are fighting to expel foreign forces and defeat the Western-backed government.

The United States has for years resisted getting involved in direct talks with the militants, saying the process must be “Afghan-owned and Afghan-led”.

The Taliban last month presented demands to Khalilzad that included a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the release of senior Taliban from jails in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In October, Pakistan released one of the co-founders of the Taliban and another high-ranking commander.

No date has been announced for another round of talks but the Taliban have stepped up their attacks on government forces, inflicting hundreds of casualties over recent weeks in assaults in different parts of the country.

A senior government official in Kabul said Khalilzad wanted Afghan society represented in talks.

“Ambassador Khalilzad met men and women from all walks of the Afghan society to bring them together as a stakeholder in talks with the Taliban,” the government official said.

The emphasis on “Afghan society” appeared aimed at persuading the Taliban to accept an Afghan delegation that does not officially represent the government.

Two Taliban officials in Afghanistan said they would continue engagement with Khalilzad, but would not say if their leaders would accept an Afghan delegation.

“We’re watching every diplomatic move of the U.S. officials. We’ll continue our fight until the U.S. accepts our demands,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman.


Fri Nov 16, 2018 - NSC Orders Afghan Forces to Increase Raids against Taliban
Farsnews

13970722000936_Test_PhotoI.jpg


The Office of the National Security Council of Afghanistan (NSC) has ordered the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) to increase raids against the Taliban militants.

According to a statement released by NSC, the enemies of the country have sustained heavy casualties in face to face fight and due to the sacrifices of the National Defense and Security Forces due to which the enemies have changed their fighting strategy by killing innocent civilians, a move which demonstrate their (enemies) weakness, Khaama Press reported.

The statement further added that the Taliban group continues to wage an imposed war as the Afghan nation struggles with the drought and cold weather which has added in the difficulties of the people besides inflicting losses on them.

The Office of the National Security Council also added that the National Defense and Security Forces have been instructed to increase raids against the Taliban across the country in a bid to ensure the safety of the people and reduce the casualties of the security forces.

This comes as the Taliban militants have increased their insurgency across the country which has claimed the lives of several innocent civilians besides inflicting heavy casualties on security forces.


Sat Nov 17, 2018 - NDS Special Forces Conduct Raids on 5 ISIL's Compounds in Nangarhar
Farsnews

13970420000202_Test_PhotoI.jpg


The Special Forces of the Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security (NDS), conducted raids on five compounds of the ISIL in Eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The provincial government media office in a statement said the raids were conducted in Achin district, Khaama Press reported.

The statement further added at least 20 ISIL militants were killed during the raids and all five compounds of the terror group were destroyed.

According to Nangarhar governor’s office, a commander of the terror group and orchestrator of ISIL attacks was also among those killed.

The militants were involved in planning and coordinating attacks in Jalalabad city and other parts of Nangarhar province using the five compounds which were destroyed during the operation.

The NDS Special Forces and local residents did not suffer casualties during the operations, the provincial government added in its statement.
 
November 19, 2018 - Taliban say No Pact struck with US over Deadline to End Afghan War
Taliban say no pact struck with U.S. over deadline to end Afghan war | Reuters


U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, talks with local reporters at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan November 18, 2018. U.S embassy/Handout via Reuters

A three-day meeting between the Taliban and the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan to pave the way for peace talks ended with no agreement, the militant group said a day after the diplomat declared a deadline of April 2019 to end a 17-year-long war.

Afghanistan’s security situation has worsened since NATO formally ended combat operations in 2014, as Taliban insurgents battle to reimpose strict Islamic law following their overthrow in 2001 at the hands of U.S.-led troops.

Leaders of the hardline Islamist group met U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad at their political headquarters in Qatar last week for the second time in the past month, said spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid.

“These were preliminary talks and no agreement was reached on any issue,” he said in a statement on Monday.

Taliban leaders had not accepted any deadline set by the U.S. to wrap up talks, three Taliban officials added.

The U.S embassy in Kabul declined to comment.

Khalilzad, an Afghan-born US diplomat authorized by U.S. President Donald Trump’s government to lead peace negotiations with the Taliban, on Sunday said he hoped to cut a peace deal with the group by April 20.

That deadline coincides with the date set for presidential elections in Afghanistan.

Two senior U.S. officials confirmed that the second round of peace talks ended last week and the Taliban expected Khalilzad to visit Qatar for a meeting before the end of 2018.

“The second round of talks went on for three days. This clearly proves that both sides are exercising patience and caution during their diplomatic engagement,” a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.

But Khalilzad’s public statement that the Taliban believe they will “not win militarily” angered senior members of the group, who warned U.S. officials against mixed messages that could muddle the peace process.

“We were astonished to see Khalilzad’s statement in Kabul on Sunday. He wrongly quoted us, saying that the Taliban admitted that militarily we would not succeed,” said a senior Taliban member in Afghanistan.

Another senior member said Khalilzad’s strategy to declare a deadline showed how desperate the U.S. was to withdraw foreign forces. “Taliban leaders have not agreed to any deadline because we are winning on all fronts,” he added.

The Taliban “are not losing” in Afghanistan, Gen. Joseph Dunford, the top U.S. military officer, said last week.

“We used the term stalemate a year ago and, relatively speaking, it has not changed much,” he told a security forum.

The NATO-led Resolute Support mission involves 41 nations contributing more than 12,000 soldiers, equipment and training for Afghan forces.

The Taliban have strengthened their grip over the past three years, with the government in Kabul controlling just 56 percent of the country, down from 72 percent in 2015, a U.S. government report showed this month.

Diplomats and political analysts in Kabul have labeled Khalilzad a man “in hurry” who must include Afghan politicians and officials from neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Iran before the third round of talks.

“Khalilzad’s hasty approach could lead to an epic disaster,” said a senior Western diplomat in Kabul. “The Taliban would trust him only if he did not speak on their behalf.”
 
AFGHAN GOVERNMENT CREATED 6,000-STRONG FORCE TO STOP TALIBAN ADVANCE IN GHAZNI PROVINCE

19nov_Afganistan.jpg

Over the past few days, the Kabul government has created a 6,000-strong force to stop the Taliban advance in the Afghan province of Ghazni. According to pro-government sources, this force has already retook control of the Malistan district. However, clashes between pro-government forces and the Taliban are still ongoing in the province.

In the province of Logar, over 12 pro-government fighters were reportedly killed in the recent clashes with the Taliban. In the Nawa district northeast of Kabul, 7 pro-government fighters were killed and 2 others were wounded.


'US does not intend to leave Afghanistan' (video - 01:18)

John Steppling, a political commentator, believes the US does not intend to leave Afghanistan because of its mineral resources and strategic location.
 
At least 43 killed in Kabul blast near wedding hall – Afghan ministry

At least 43 people have been killed in a blast that took place near a wedding hall in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the country’s health ministry has said.

The blast took place as attendees gathered to celebrate Eid Milad, an Islamic holiday marking the birthday of the prophet Mohammed.


More than 80 other people were injured in the explosion, officials say. A ministry spokesman told Afghan news network Tolo News that the blast was a suicide bombing.


Wedding halls are popular targets for militants in Afghanistan. Last November, a suicide bomber killed over 14 people when he detonated himself outside a Kabul wedding hall, as supporters of a local governor gathered for a political event inside.

While no militant group has yet taken responsibility, Monday’s blast comes as Afghanistan’s ongoing 17-year conflict tips in favor of the Taliban.

NATO’s Resolute Support commander, Gen. Austin Scott Miller, told NBC News this month that the Taliban more than likely will not be defeated, and that the country needs a “political solution.”


The crowd targeted on Monday was primarily made up of religious scholars and clerics, a ministry spokesman said. The Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorist group has previously targeted “tyrant clerics” who side with the country’s US-backed government.

The group carried out a suicide bombing at a gathering of such clerics in June, killing at least seven people.


Afghanistan Still A Priority for Washington: CENTCOM

Major General Michael Langley, United States Central Command Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy, has said that Afghanistan still remains the center of attention for Washington.

Speaking to a panel of experts at the United States Institute for Peace, Langley said that the condition-based strategy for Afghanistan is necessary and that the Taliban must engage in talks with the Afghan government.

“Let me be clear, Afghanistan remains the center of our attention. We know victory will require a political reconciliation. We know that condition-based strategy is necessary, and we know that the Taliban must engage in talks with the Afghan government,” Langley.

Meanwhile, panelists also said that the only solution to the conflict in Afghanistan is negotiations and talks. However they said that the Taliban are facing internal differences regarding the group’s endorsement of peace.

“Within the Taliban organization broadly speaking sort of three camps, when you talk about sort of the future of the organization in Afghanistan, for one you have got the more pragmatic side that is willing to at least attend discussions on a role for the Taliban in a stable political order in Afghanistan, on the other side the spectrum you have is those more extremist views that are happy to continue the fight until foreign forces are out of the country and even until perhaps the Taliban is once again the dominant political actor in Afghanistan. Now the third group I think are those that are if not more pragmatic than generally realistic in understanding that a stable Afghanistan is going to have to include the Taliban but also many other players,” said Jason Campbell, former country director for Afghanistan, office of the secretary of defense.

“The larger question we face here is whether bringing the Taliban, or a faction of the Taliban back into political settlement is going to really end the war,” said Dr. Orzala Ashraf Nemat, chairperson of Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU).

Talks with the Taliban have been dominating the political arena over the past seventeen years. But recent peace efforts indicate that these talks have now entered a critical phase.
 
At least 43 killed in Kabul blast near wedding hall – Afghan ministry

At least 43 people have been killed in a blast that took place near a wedding hall in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the country’s health ministry has said.

The blast took place as attendees gathered to celebrate Eid Milad, an Islamic holiday marking the birthday of the prophet Mohammed.


November 12, 2018 - Islamic State claims explosion in Kabul
Islamic State claims explosion in Kabul | Reuters

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Monday’s explosion in the Afghan capital, Kabul, according to the group’s news agency, Amaq

A suicide bomber blew himself up near a police checkpoint, killing at least six people, including policemen.


I suspect the Islamic State (ISIS - ISIL) is involved in this bombing - not the Taliban?

November 20, 2018 - Suicide Bomber kills over 50 at Religious Event in Kabul
Suicide bomber kills over 50 at religious event in Kabul | Reuters


Afghan security forces arrive at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

A suicide bomber blew himself up in a banqueting hall where Islamic religious scholars had gathered in the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, killing more than 50 people, three government officials said.

Najib Danish, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said more than 80 other people had been injured.

“A suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a wedding hall where Islamic religious scholars had gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the Prophet Mohammad’s birth,” Danish said.

The banquet room is in the Uranus wedding hall, a complex housing several large reception rooms near Kabul airport.

“Hundreds of Islamic scholars and their followers had gathered to recite verses from the holy Quran to observe the Eid Milad-un-Nabi festival at the private banquet hall,” said a spokesman for Kabul police.

Officials at Kabul’s Emergency Hospital said 30 ambulances had rushed to the scene and over 40 people were critically wounded.

Both the Sunni Taliban militant group and a local Islamic State affiliate have in the past attacked religious scholars aligned with the government — who have decreed that suicide attacks are forbidden by Islam.

But the Taliban said in a statement that “our men were not involved in the Kabul blast and we condemn the loss of human lives”.

The radical Sunni militant group Islamic State has mostly focused its major attacks on Afghan soil on Shi’ite Muslim sites of worship, regarding Shi’ites as heretics.

President Ashraf Ghani called Tuesday’s attack “un-Islamic” and “unforgivable”. He declared Wednesday a day of mourning.

Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by Islamist militants since most NATO combat troops withdrew in 2014.

Despite diplomatic efforts to end the 17-year war, in recent months the security situation has deteriorated sharply.

The Kabul government now controls only 56 percent of Afghan territory, down from 72 percent in 2015, according to a U.S. government report issued this month.


Tue Nov 20, 2018 - Taliban Says 'No Agreement' Reached with US on Afghan War Ending
Farsnews

Taliban leaders rejected a deadline of April 2019 to end the long-running war in Afghanistan, Reuters reported Monday.

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who is representing Washington in negotiations to end the war, told the news outlet in a statement that the two sides held preliminary talks, and that no agreement was reached "on any issue".


Tue Nov 20, 2018 - Trump Pledges to End Foreign Aid to Pakistan, Afghanistan over Bin Laden Inaction
Farsnews

13970829000172_PhotoI.jpg


US President Donald Trump promised to cut aid to countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan that “do nothing for us”, and has accused Pakistan of sheltering Osama bin Laden since 9/11.

Of course we should have captured Osama Bin Laden long before we did. I pointed him out in my book just BEFORE the attack on the World Trade Center,” Trump tweeted on Monday, seemingly hinting that he knew bin Laden was bad news before 9/11, RT reported.

“President Clinton famously missed his shot. We paid Pakistan Billions of Dollars & they never told us he was living there. Fools!” he noted.

We no longer pay Pakistan the $Billions because they would take our money and do nothing for us, Bin Laden being a prime example,
Afghanistan being another,” he continued, stating that “they were just one of many countries that take from the United States without giving anything in return. That’s ENDING!”

The Trump administration has already cut almost $800 million off its $1.3 billion yearly military aid to Islamabad this year, arguing that the Pakistani government has not done enough to clamp down on Taliban extremists operating within its borders.

In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Trump said the Pakistanis “don’t do a damn thing for us”, again mentioning their alleged complicity in sheltering Osama bin Laden.

"But living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there," Trump stressed, adding that "and we give Pakistan $1.3 billion a year...[bin Laden] lived in Pakistan, we're supporting Pakistan, we're giving them $1.3 billion a year. I ended it because they don't do anything for us, they don't do a damn thing for us".

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan responded to Trump on Monday, reminding the US president that Pakistan aided the US in the War on Terror, suffering human and economic losses of its own in the process.

“Instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the US should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140,000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops & reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before,” Khan continued.

While the Pakistani government denied knowledge of bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad, former President Barack Obama - who oversaw the raid that killed bin Laden in 2011 - said afterwards that there was “some sort of support network for bin Laden inside of Pakistan”. Former Pakistani Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar told an Indian TV network in 2015 that Pakistani leadership knew that bin Laden was in Pakistan all along.

Whatever Pakistan’s responsibility, Trump’s threat to cut off aid is a familiar one from the president, who has operated a transactional approach to foreign policy since taking office. One month beforehand, Trump threatened to cut off or reduce aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, for failing to stop caravans of migrants from streaming toward the US border.

As for Trump’s claim that he predicted bin Laden’s involvement before 9/11, that statement is partly true at best. Bin Laden was already well-known for his role in bombing US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in the 1990s, and Trump described him in his 2000 book, ‘The America We Deserve’ as a “shadowy figure” that the US needed to strategize against.


Mon Nov 19, 2018 - Taliban’s Red Unit Fighters, Militants Suffer Heavy Casualties in Clashes with Afghan Army
Farsnews

13970708000388_Test_PhotoI.jpg


The fighters of the Red Unit of Taliban and several other militants suffered casualties in Afghan army's operations and airstrikes in Eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan Military in the East in a statement said the 02 unit of the Afghan military in Nangarhar conducted operations with the support of the Air Forces in Khogyani district, leaving at least 30 militants dead, Khaama Press reported.

The statement further added at least three Taliban militants also sustained injuries during the same operations and airstrikes.

In the meantime, the 201st Silab Corps said a number of the Red Unit fighters of the Taliban group are also among those killed.

The anti-government armed militant groups including Taliban have not commented regarding the report so far.

Nangarhar has been among the relatively calm provinces in East of Afghanistan but the security situation in some of its remote districts has deteriorated during the recent years.
 
Nov. 21, 2018 - Afghans try to identify group behind attack on Clerics, Toll climbs to 55
Afghans try to identify group behind attack on clerics, toll climbs to 55 | Reuters


A policeman stands guard outside a hall where a suicide bomb attack happened in Kabul, Afghanistan November 21, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

Afghan authorities were struggling on Wednesday to identify the group behind a suicide bomb attack that killed at least 55 people attending a gathering of religious scholars in Kabul after the Taliban denied any responsibility.

The victims included religious delegates from various parts of the country, invited by the Afghan Ulema Council to celebrate the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad on Tuesday.

Without knowing who was behind the attack, it was unclear whether the aim was simply to undermine President Ashraf Ghani’s government, or whether it was part of a strategy to keep the pressure on his government and its Western allies while they pursued talks with the Taliban, to end the 17-year long war.

“As of now we don’t know which militant outfit could be behind the attack. Investigations are at a preliminary stage,” said a senior security official who was at the blast site on Wednesday morning to collect forensic evidence.

The council, the country’s largest religious organization, brought together scholars from the Sunni sect, but it was uncertain whether the attack could have had a sectarian dimension.

Though Sunni themselves, Taliban and Islamic State fighters have targeted religious scholars aligned with the Afghan government in the past.

This time, the Taliban quickly denied its involvement and condemned the attack on religious preachers and scholars.

Last week, Taliban leaders met U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad at their political headquarters in Qatar in an effort to pave the way for peace talks. The three-day meeting was the second in the past month.

Slideshow (8 Images)
Afghans try to identify group behind attack on clerics, toll climbs to 55 | Reuters
 
November 22, 2018 - Trump hints could make first visit to Afghanistan
Trump hints could make first visit to Afghanistan | Reuters



U.S. President Donald Trump hinted on Thursday he may visit Afghanistan, scene of one of America's longest wars but a country he has yet to visit almost two years into his presidency.

Delivering a Thanksgiving holiday message by teleconference to troops in Afghanistan, Trump told a U.S. Air Force general he would see him back in the United States, before adding: “Or maybe I’ll even see you over there. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Recent U.S. commanders-in-chief have routinely visited troops in active war zones. Trump has come under criticism for failing to do so, though Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise trip to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan last December to visit troops.

By this point in his presidency, former President Barack Obama had made a trip to Iraq and two to Afghanistan. Former President George W. Bush traveled to Afghanistan twice and Iraq four times during his two terms in office.

Trump was criticized when he scrapped a planned visit to a major U.S. military cemetery during a visit to Paris this month because his helicopter was grounded by bad weather during a trip that marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One.

Back in Washington on Veterans Day, he failed to visit Arlington National Cemetery, saying later that he was “extremely busy”” but admitting that he should have.

Asked by a reporter whether he would visit a war zone, Trump said: “At the appropriate time, we’ll be doing some very interesting things.”

He was then asked whether he knew the timing: “I do, but can’t tell you. You’re the last people I can tell,” he told reporters. Presidential trips to war zones are normally cloaked in secrecy for security reasons, revealed only when the commander in chiefs have landed, and sometimes only after they have safely left the region.

Responding to criticism that phoning the troops on Thanksgiving was not enough, Trump defended his actions, arguing that he had hiked spending on the military and veterans.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday was asked by reporters whether he thought Trump should visit troops in war zones.

“The president is the commander in chief and he decides where he needs to go. There are times I don’t want him in certain locations to be frank with you, for his security and the troops’ security,” Mattis said.

The United States has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, serving in the NATO-led Resolute Support training and advisory mission as well as in separate counter-terrorism operations against militant groups like Islamic State.

U.S. troops arrived in Afghanistan in 2001 as part of the campaign to topple the Taliban following the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.

Slideshow (3 Images)
Trump hints could make first visit to Afghanistan | Reuters


November 22, 2018 - Trump says US in 'very strong' negotiations in Afghanistan
Trump says U.S. in 'very strong' negotiations in Afghanistan | Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States was “in very strong” peace negotiations in Afghanistan but he did not known whether they would be successful.

“I really think the people of Afghanistan ... are tired of fighting,” Trump told reporters after delivering a Thanksgiving holiday message to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, scene of one of America’s longest-ever wars.

“We are talking about peace and we’ll see if that happens ... We have negotiations going on. I don’t know that they are going to be successful, probably they’re not. Who knows? They might be, they might not be.”

Trump was speaking after Taliban leaders met with U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad at their political headquarters in Qatar last week for the second time in the past month.

Khalilzad said on Sunday he hoped to reach a peace deal by April 20, a deadline that coincides with the date set for presidential elections in Afghanistan.

However, the Taliban said their three-day meeting with Khalilzad to pave the way for peace talks ended with no agreement on any issue and they had not accepted any deadline set by the United States to wrap up talks.

Khalilzad’s public statement that the Taliban believe they will “not win militarily” apparently angered senior members of the group, who warned U.S. officials against mixed messages that could muddle the peace process.

Two senior U.S. officials confirmed this week that a second round of peace talks ended last week and the Taliban expected Khalilzad to visit Qatar for a meeting before the end of 2018.
 
US service member killed in Afghanistan – NATO

A US service member has been killed in Afghanistan, NATO-led Resolute Support mission has confirmed. The person has become the eighth American combat fatality this year, according to Reuters.

The identity of the victim has not been immediately disclosed and will be shared after the required military procedures are complete.

More than 2,400 US troops have died in the 17-year war, while the goal to defeat the Taliban, Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), and Al-Qaeda is still far from being achieved.

Despite the fact that major combat operations were wrapped up years ago, a US contingent along with allied Western troops are still present in the country with the stated mission “to train and assist local forces.”

However, the Taliban, which operates in vast parts of the country and considers the American presence an “invasion,” has repeatedly said it will not engage in any meaningful peace process until US troops are withdrawn.

“We will not tolerate a single US soldier in Afghanistan,” Sher Mohammad Abbas, the head of the Taliban delegation, said at the international meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow.


TALIBAN ADVANCES IN FARYAB. AFGHAN GOVERNMENT FORCES ABANDON THEIR POSITIONS

On November 23, the Taliban announced that its fighters had captured 4 checkpoints of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP) in the districts of Almar and Gurziwan in the northern province of Faryab following successful attacks.

12 personnel of the ANA and the NAP, including an officer named “Habibullah,” were reportedly killed during the attacks. Taliban fighters also captured an armored vehicle along with loads of weapons and ammunition.

Few hours after the attack, the Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad reported that the ANA and the ANP had withdrawn from 6 other checkpoints in Almar. The news agency also revealed that a commander of Afghan government forces in Gurziwan, named “Haji Muhammad Salih,” defected on Novmber 22 and joined the Taliban along with 19 of his fighters.

According to the Taliban, the attacks in Almar and Gurziwan were a part of its spring offensive, codenamed “Operation al-Khandagh.” The offensive was launched on April 25 in response to Washington’s decision to increase the US military presence in Afghanistan.
 
[U]sToRmR1dR[/U] Today at 8:55 AM
US service member killed in Afghanistan – NATO

A US service member has been killed in Afghanistan, NATO-led Resolute Support mission has confirmed. The person has become the eighth American combat fatality this year, according to Reuters.
~~~

Sanitized Western version:

November 24, 2018 - US Service Member killed in Afghanistan: NATO
U.S. service member killed in Afghanistan: NATO | Reuters

13961124000851_Test_PhotoI.jpg


KABUL - A U.S. service member was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement, bringing the U.S. combat death toll this year to eight.

The identity of the service member and details about the incident will be shared at a later stage, said Debra Richardson spokesperson for the Resolute Support in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon says there are about 14,000 U.S. service members in Afghanistan. The U.S. military’s mission is focused mainly on guiding and aiding Afghan forces battling the Taliban, which was ousted from power in 2001.

More than 2,400 U.S. forces have died in the 17-year-old war, America’s longest conflict.


Sat Nov 24, 2018 - Two Killed in Kandahar after Afghan Military Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing
Farsnews

13960807001309_Test_PhotoI.jpg


Kandahar police chief said the Afghan Army helicopter had been carrying troops at the time of the emergency landing.

At least two people were killed and two others were wounded after a helicopter made an emergency landing on Saturday, officials at the Ministry of Defense (MoD) confirmed, TOLOnews reported.

Despite earlier reports of no casualties, an MoD spokesman, Jawed Ghafoor, confirmed the two people were killed and two others were wounded when an Afghan Air Force helicopter made an emergency landing in Maruf district of Kandahar province.

Earlier, Kandahar police chief Tadin Khan said the helicopter made an emergency landing in the district, adding that "the helicopter was transferring troops from the (provincial) center to the district.” He said there had been no casualties but the helicopter caught fire.

No further details have been provided. However, the Taliban tweeted that their fighters had shot down the helicopter.


November 24, 2018 - Senior Cleric in Afghanistan's top Religious body killed
Senior cleric in Afghanistan's top religious body killed | Reuters

KABUL - A leader of Afghanistan’s highest religious body was assassinated in Kabul on Saturday, a senior interior ministry official said, an attack that came four days after 55 religious scholars were killed in a suicide attack in the capital.

Mawlawi Abdul Basir Haqqani, the leader of Kabul Ulema Council was shot dead. His body was found near a residential area of Kabul, a senior police official said on conditions of anonymity.

Haqqani’s murder comes when members of the council are coping with the aftermath of a devastating suicide attack that killed 55 religious scholars and wounded over 90 men who had gathered in a banquet hall in Kabul to celebrate the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad.

Afghanistan’s Ulema Council is a government-funded, but autonomous body of religious clerics. It was set up after the fall of the Taliban in 2002 and has a presence across 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Haqqani was leading the Kabul chapter of the council.

As of 2018, the council had more than 2,500 members — religious scholars and clerics, both Sunni and Shi’ite.

Their role is mainly to perform religious ceremonies, advise the government on matters of Islamic jurisprudence. Members of the council have supported a peaceful solution to the Afghan war, but the Taliban views them as “religious puppets of the Western-backed government”.


November 23, 2018 - Suicide Blast at Afghanistan Mosque kills at least 26 gathered to pray
Suicide blast at Afghanistan mosque kills at least 26 gathered to pray | Reuters



A suicide blast at a mosque in an army base in eastern Afghanistan on Friday killed at least 26 people and wounded 50, security officials in the area said, although there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

One security official said the victims had gathered for Friday prayers at the mosque in the Ismail Khel district of Khost province.

All those killed in the suicide attack were working for the Afghan security forces, said Captain Abdullah, a military spokesman in Khost, who goes by only one name.

The Taliban, who are waging a war to oust the Western-backed Afghan government and expel foreign forces from Afghanistan, have launched a series of high-profile attacks Taliban against Afghan security forces in recent weeks.

Hundreds of Afghan security guards have been killed, their checkpoints destroyed and weapons seized by the hardline Islamist fighters.

Friday’s attack came three days after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a gathering of religious scholars in Kabul, the capital.

Officials said 55 scholars marking the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad were killed and more than 90 injured in the blast in a banquet hall.


November 24, 2018 - Islamic State claims responsibility for blast at Afghanistan Mosque
Islamic State claims responsibility for blast at Afghanistan mosque | Reuters


FILE PHOTO: Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers stand guard at the gate of an army base after a suicide blast in Khost province, Afghanistan November 23, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an explosion at a mosque in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province that killed and wounded scores of people, its Amaq news agency reported on Saturday.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an explosion at a mosque in Afghanistan’s eastern Khost province that killed and wounded scores of people, its Amaq news agency reported on Saturday.

“Around 50 of the Afghan army were killed and 110 were wounded when a martyr blew himself up on Friday,” the agency said.

Security officials in the area said on Friday that the blast at a mosque in an army base had killed at least 26 people and wounded 50.


(Comment: Looks like the Islamic State (ISIS-ISIL) has been busy with co-ordinate attacks in Afghan and northwestern Pakistan?)

November 24, 2018 - Islamic state claims responsibility for Pakistan Market suicide bombing
Islamic state claims responsibility for Pakistan market suicide bombing | Reuters

Islamic State on Saturday claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack a day earlier in northwestern Pakistan, the group’s Amaq news agency said.

It said the bomber had targeted Shi’ite Muslims in a market in Orakzai and put the death toll at 57. A government official on Friday said at least 25 people had been killed and 20 wounded.


Sat Nov 24, 2018 - Young Taliban Fighter Surrenders to Afghan Forces after Killing 4 Comrades
Farsnews

13970901000505_Test_PhotoI.jpg


A young Taliban militant killed his comrades and surrendered to Afghan forces in Northern Faryab province of Afghanistan, the Afghan Military said.

According to a statement released by 209th Shaheen Corps, the incident took place in Almar district, Khaama Press reported.

The statement further added that a young Taliban fighter Gul Aqa surrendered to the Afghan forces after opening fire on his comrades, leaving four dead and two wounded.

The anti-government armed militant groups including Taliban have not commented regarding the incident so far.

Faryab is among the relatively volatile provinces in North of Afghanistan where the Taliban militants and other groups are actively operating in some of its districts and often carry out terrorist related activities.


Sat Nov 24, 2018 - Up to 290,000 People Displaced in Afghanistan in Current Year
Farsnews

A report by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) showed that countrywide conflict displacements in Afghanistan is now touching over 289,867 in Afghanistan which the report says is quite concerning.

The report titled OCHA’s Displacement Tracking System showed that a total of 289,867 people have been verified as having been displaced by conflict in 2018 which shows an increase of 6,635 on the previous week’s total, TOLOnews reported.

Overall, the number of people displaced so far is 33% less than the same period last year (431,871), the report said.

According to the report, 60 to 70 percent of people in Malistan and Jaghori districts of Ghazni province have been displaced from their homes as a result of war and violence.

The report says that 930 families (6,510 individuals approximately) arrived in Bamiyan City following clashes in Jaghori and Malistan districts.

Moreover, the number of IDPs from Malistan and Jaghori in Ghazni City had reached 2,660 families (15,820 people) as of 16 November 2018, the report said.

According to presidential delegation’s information, about 60%-70% of the population are displaced from Jaghori and Malistan following the armed clash, the report added.

The report said that IDPs continue to arrive in cities of Ghazni, Bamiyan and Kabul.

The Afghan government officials meanwhile said they continue their efforts to help the displaced families – especially those of Ghazni province.

“We are covering the displaced people for 72 hours from our emergency budget. We provide them food and other stuff until they are settled in some areas,” said Ahmad Tamim Azimi, spokesman for Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA).

“There were bombardments and rockets were fired in our area. We took some of our goods from the war zone… Nothing left for us,” said Gul Agha, member of a displaced family from Ghazni.

“Government should at least show us our way if it does not want to take action to help us,” said Mohammad Ali, member of a displaced family from Ghazni.

“Our school was destroyed, our homes were destroyed. We cannot go to school,” said Ezatullah, a resident of Ghazni.

Based on the UN report, the situation is also worse in the eastern and western parts of the country.

“Nangarhar authorities reported of approximately 1,028 families (7,196 people) displaced due to the intra-NSAG clashes in Khogyani District. Majority of these people have been displaced within the district with the remaining moved to Surkhrod, Behsud and Jalalabad city. OCHA organized an OCT meeting in Nangarhar on 14 November and constituted joint assessment teams to conduct needs assessment and respond to the immediate needs of IDPs,” said the report.
 
Sun Nov 25, 2018 - ISIL's Spokesman Killed in Afghan Special Forces' Operation in Nangarhar
Farsnews

The spokesman for the ISIL terrorist group was killed during the operations of the Afghan Special Forces in the Eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan Military in the East in a statement said the ISIL Spokesman Sharafat Shafaq was killed in Deh Bala district, Khaama Press reported.

The statement further added that Shafaq was also the head of media wing of the terrorists group who was also spreading propaganda in favor of the group, mainly aimed at recruiting militants for the terrorist group from the other parts of the country.

The ISIL loyalists have not commented regarding the killing of the group’s spokesman so far.

Nangarhar has been among the relatively calm provinces in East of Afghanistan but the security situation in some of its remote districts has deteriorated during the recent years.

This comes as the Afghan military in the East said last week that 51 ISIL militants have been killed during the operations in Haska Mina district.
 
11.26, 2018 - Afghan Militia Commander released after Arrest sparks Protests
Afghan militia commander released after arrest sparks protests | Reuters

An Afghan militia commander arrested over allegations of serious human rights abuses was released on Monday following two days of protests in which dozens of police were wounded, officials said.

Alipur, an anti-Taliban commander from the mainly Shi’ite Hazara minority, was detained in Kabul weeks after an earlier attempt to arrest him in the western province of Ghor ended in a shootout in which at least 12 people were killed.

His arrest set off two days of protests in which dozens of police were wounded by rocks, at least eight security checkpoints and recruiting centers were burned and 19 vehicles damaged, according to the interior ministry.

“A consultation meeting took place today and it was agreed to release him if he guarantees that he won’t break the law again,” said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Alipur’s release, as President Ashraf Ghani flew to Geneva to attend a United Nations-sponsored development conference on Afghanistan, was confirmed by the office of Vice President Sarwar Danish.


The decision to let Alipur go underlines the struggle Afghanistan’s Western-backed government has had in reining in politically-connected militia commanders that operate outside its control. It also highlights the risk of fragmentation along ethnic and sectarian lines in Afghanistan, even as hopes have been raised of a possible start to peace talks with the Taliban.

“It is very sad to see people like Alipur bailed out and the government succumbing to pressure,” one security official said.

“It is going to turn into a pattern where even if the security forces arrest a wanted criminal, the government just frees them,” he said. “Security forces will lose faith in the government.”

Alipur, known widely as “Commander Sword”, was accused of serious abuses mainly against ethnic Pashtuns in the Maidan Wardak region, west of Kabul.

However like many other militia strongmen, he has enjoyed high-level political backing that enabled him to defy attempts to arrest him. He also has wide support among Hazaras, many embittered by what they see as government inaction following a string of attacks on Shi’ite targets by the radical Sunni Islamic State group.


Tue Nov 27, 2018 - Three US Service Members Killed in Afghanistan
Farsnews

13960322001430_PhotoI.jpg


Three US service members were killed and three wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated on Tuesday near the central Afghan city of Ghazni.

"Three US service members were killed and three wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated November 27 near Ghazni city. One American contractor was also wounded. The wounded service members and contractor were evacuated and are receiving medical care," the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement, World News reported.

According to the statement, the injured soldiers have already been evacuated and received medical care.

No terrorist group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The deaths are the latest in a growing toll on US forces in Afghanistan following the death of an army Ranger following an operation against al-Qaeda militants in Nimruz province on Saturday. Resolute Support announced that the soldier had been accidentally shot by a member of Afghan partner forces.

The city was overrun by a large Taliban force earlier this year before being driven off by Afghan and US forces after days of heavy fighting.

The US, alongside with NATO, has been present in Afghanistan in the form of the Resolute Support Mission. As of July, the mission comprised over 16,000 personnel from 39 NATO member states and partner countries.


11.27, 2018 - Three US Service Members killed in Afghanistan blast
Three U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan blast | Reuters

Three U.S. service members were killed and three wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated on Tuesday near the central Afghan city of Ghazni, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement.

A U.S. civilian contractor was also wounded in the blast and was receiving treatment with the other wounded, the statement said, giving no further details.

The deaths are the latest in a growing toll on U.S. forces in Afghanistan following the death of an army Ranger following an operation against al Qaeda militants in Nimruz province on Saturday. Resolute Support said the soldier had been accidentally shot by a member of Afghan partner forces.

There was no word on the circumstances of the blast but Ghazni has been one of the most heavily fought over areas of Afghanistan this year.

The city was overrun by a large Taliban force earlier this year before being driven off by Afghan and U.S. forces after days of heavy fighting.


Tue Nov 27, 2018 - Sixteen Militants Killed, Wounded in Nawid-25 Operations in Balkh Province
Farsnews

13970322000793_Test_PhotoI.jpg


At least sixteen militants were killed or wounded during a raid conducted by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan.

The 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan Military in the North in a statement said the raid was conducted in Chahar Bolak district as part of the ongoing Nawid-25 operations, Khaama Press reported.

The statement further added at least six militants were killed and ten others were wounded during the raid in Zekzek and Nawarid Zekzek villages of the district.

According to 209th Shaheen Corps, the Afghan forces also discovered a BM-1 warhead and a landmine during the raid which were later defused.

The anti-government armed militants including Taliban have not commented regarding the raid so far.

Balkh was among the relatively calm provinces in North of Afghanistan but the security situation in some of its districts has started to deteriorate during the recent years.

The anti-government armed militants are active in some remote districts of Balkh where they occasionally conduct terrorist related activities.
 
Back
Top Bottom