Afghanistan

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09.06.2018 - Russian Foreign Minister Decries Reported Austrian War Crimes in Afghanistan
Russian Foreign Ministry Decries Reported Australian War Crimes in Afghanistan

Moscow condemns the reported war crimes committed by Australian servicemen during their mission in Afghanistan, urging the authorities to launch an objective investigation and hold those responsible to account, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a Saturday statement.

"We condemn such acts by the Australian military. We urge the authorities of Australia and Afghanistan to conduct an independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the committed crimes and hold those responsible to account," the statement read.

The ministry also cited the July 9, 2017 report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) disclosing several cases of murders committed by Australian servicemen in Afghanistan, including the shooting of a boy in Kandahar Province in 2012. According to the ministerial statement, nobody has been held to account for the crimes.

Australia supports the NATO-led Resolute Support mission to train, advise and assist Afghan troops.

On Thursday, The Sydney Morning Herald said, citing a confidential defense inquiry, that some soldiers of the Australian elite special forces had allegedly committed war crimes between 2001 and 2016, and were suspected of "unsanctioned and illegal application of violence" and "disregard for human life and dignity" during their mission in Afghanistan.

The allegations are currently under investigation, conducted by Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in Australia Paul Brereton, according to the newspaper.


25.05.2018 - 'Mostly Failed': SIGAR Slams US 16-Year Effort to Stabilize Afghanistan
'Mostly Failed': SIGAR Slams US 16-Year Effort to Stabilize Afghanistan

The United States has failed to stabilize Afghanistan despite 16 years of occupation and billions invested in stability programs, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a report. "Between 2001 and 2017, US government efforts to stabilize insecure and contested areas in Afghanistan mostly failed," the report said on Thursday.

The US Defense Department and USAID, the report added, during this time period spent around $4.7 billion on so-called "stabilization" initiatives, but the projects failed to improve Afghan government capacity and performance and in many cases were counterproductive.

"The effort to legitimize the government was undermined when the very Afghans brought in to lead the efforts themselves became sources of instability as repellent as (if not more repellent than) the Taliban," the report said.

In addition, transition of control in prioritized districts was made before Afghans were able to protect local populations, allowing the Taliban to fill a void in newly vacated territory, the report explained.

The Taliban menace now extends beyond Afghanistan, according to Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, who said on Thursday that an estimated 20,000 militants in the northern part of Afghanistan pose a threat to neighboring Central Asian nations.

 

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12.06.2018 - Five Policemen Killed in Taliban Car Bomb Attach in Afghanistan - Reports
Five Policemen Killed in Taliban Car Bomb Attack in Afghanistan - Reports

Five Afghan police officers were killed in a coordinated attack by the Taliban movement on a security forces compound in Afghanistan's southeastern Ghazni province on the first day of the ceasefire between the government forces and the militants declared by the authorities, the Khaama Press News Agency reported.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the Taliban members detonated an improvised explosive device placed inside an armored vehicle in the Moqor district, the outlet reported, citing provincial governor’s spokesman Arif Noori.

Apart from the Afghan security officers, 10 Taliban militants were killed in clashes, which began after the blast, the reports added.

The nine-day ceasefire, timed to Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the month of Ramadan, was unilaterally declared by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani last week.

Taliban responded to the move by declaring a three-day truce starting on Friday.

Also here:
Tue Jun 12, 2018 - Taliban Militants Attack Police HQs in Afghanistan Despite Truce
Farsnews


11.06.2018 - 27 People Killed, Up to 50 Wounded in 4 Attacks in Afghanistan Amid Ceasefire
27 People Killed, Up to 50 Wounded in 4 Attacks in Afghanistan Amid Ceasefire

At least 19 civilians have been injured and 15 security personnel killed in three separate attacks in Afghanistan, the Pajhwok Afghan News agency reported. According to the TOLO broadcaster, 12 more Afghans have been killed and 31 injured in a fourth attack, a suicide bombing in the south of the Afghan capital.

An attack on a local education department in the Afghan city of Jalalabad in eastern Nangarhar province took place at around 10 a.m. (05:30 GMT), on Monday leaving at least 10 civilians injured, the Pajhwok Afghan News agency reported citing the governor’s spokesman Attaullah Khogyani.

One of the attackers was reportedly killed by a blast of the explosive device he had detonated while three other assailants were shot by the security forces.

In a separate incident, 15 Afghan security personnel were killed by the radical Taliban movement in Kunduz province, the same agency reported. Moreover, another attack on Monday in the Chaparhar district of Nangarhar province reportedly claimed the lives of 14 civilians.

This attack, however, was not the last one in the string of incidents Monday. At about 1:00 p.m. local time (08:30 GMT) an explosion happened next to the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) in the Darulaman area of Kabul. According to the preliminary data, the blast occurred while employees were leaving the ministry's building, killing 12 and wounding 31 more.

The attacks took place ahead of the ceasefire between the Afghan government and the Taliban movement, timed to Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the month of Ramadan. The truce was announced by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday and supported by the Taliban on Saturday. Ghani said the ceasefire would not prevent the security forces from carrying out their operations against the Daesh terror group.

Although no official date of the ceasefire had been announced, local press outlets indicated Tuesday as the first day of the truce.


Tue Jun 12, 2018 - 28 Killed, 40 Injured in 3 Separate Attacks in Afghanistan
Farsnews

At least 28 people were killed and 40 injured in three separate attacks in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province, Nangarhar province and in Kabul city on Monday.

In Kabul alone, a suicide bomber killed 13 and wounded more than 25 at the entrance to Afghanistan's Rural Development Ministry, according to Tolo news.

The attack in the Qala-i-Zal district of Northern Kunduz province claimed the lives of some 15 Afghan security personnel, Pajhwork reported.

It was reportedly carried out by the Taliban, despite the militants earlier announcing a ceasefire.

A separate blast that rocked a fair in the Chaparhar district of Eastern Nangarhar province left at least 14 injured, according to Public Health Director Najibullah Kamawal, as quoted by Pajhwok.


Mon Jun 11, 2018 - Russian FM: Moscow to Continue Efforts to Involve Taliban in Direct Negotiations with Kabul
Farsnews

Following the meeting of CSTO foreign ministers on Monday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow will continue efforts to involve the radical Taliban movement in direct talks with Kabul, adding though that those efforts have failed so far.

According to Russia’s top diplomat, "together with normalizing the military situation in Afghanistan" heads of ministries supported Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s call for a direct dialogue with the Taliban members, TASS reported.

"Russia has long advocated for this kind of dialogue, the Taliban members are part of the Afghanistan’s society. Provided that they abandon a military approach to defending their interests, they should be made direct participants of the political process," he stated.

"So far the Taliban members have not demonstrated readiness to this kind of dialogue, but we will continue our efforts, particularly on the back of today’s agreements between the CSTO foreign ministers," Lavrov stressed.

 

[angelburst29]

Interesting power-play between the Taliban and the US? The Taliban has expressed interest in the American's "presenting themselves at the negotiating table” with the intent of getting the US to withdraw it's troops out of Afghanistan.

A statement by the Taliban has wrapped up an unprecedented three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday period with the Afghan government, declared on June 9.

13.06.2018 - Taliban vows 'Bright Future' for Afghanistan When US Troops Leave
Taliban Vows 'Bright Future' for Afghanistan When US Troops Leave

In a statement dated June 13, the Afghanistan-based Taliban* radical movement called on “American invaders” to leave the country and claimed it had liberated “vast areas” of the country. The Taliban’s chief, Haibatullah Akhunzada, has called for talks with the US, saying as quoted by Reuters that “if the American officials truly believe in a peaceful end to the Afghan imbroglio, then they must present themselves at the negotiating table.”

Hainatullah Akkunzada has also assured the Afghan people of “a bright future for our country accompanied by peace and prosperity”.

He has blasted the United States’ decision to move its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem. According to him, the US move “further exposes the absolute hatred of American officials towards Islam.”

On June 9, the Taliban announced a surprise three-day truce over Eid al-Fitr, a religious holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. At the time, the group said it would halt offensives during the holiday period, with foreign forces and operations against them being excluded from the ceasefire.

The move came after the Afghan government had enforced a unilateral weeklong ceasefire with the Taliban during Eid. The government’s decision followed a meeting of senior Afghan clerics in Kabul, who had issued a ruling against suicide bombings, one of which killed 14 people at the entrance to the clerics’ peace tent.

According to the latest quarterly report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the local government controls or influences 56.3% of the country’s territory, with the remaining 43.7% of districts either being held by the Taliban or contested. *The Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia.


13.06.2018 - Taliban Troop Strength Surges in Afghanistan Despite US Bombing Campaign
Taliban Troop Strength Surges in Afghanistan Despite US Bombing Campaign

A top Afghan commander has said that 77,000 Taliban militants are battling the Afghan government – more than double the estimates from US and Afghan officials about insurgent strength.

The apparent surge of militants, although refuted by some, would also reflect poorly on the US' bombing campaign, which has ramped up since March, Sputnik News reported.

"It is proven that 77,500 enemies, of whom 5,000 are foreign fighters and 3,000 are Daesh militants, are carrying out activities against our country's peace and stability," Afghan General Laal Jan Zaheer told Tolo News for a story published June 11.

NATO's Resolute Support Mission, under which the United States operates in the country, said in January that determining the number of Taliban forces in Afghanistan is limited to "informal assessments and conjecture, as there is no formal tracking or census mechanism."

In September, 2017, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) noted that "Resolute Support estimated there were between 25,000 and 35,000 full and part-time Taliban fighters in Afghanistan at the end of the quarter."

However, more recent, albeit unofficial, estimates come close to Zaheer's whopping 77,500 figure. Sputnik News reported in February that some US and Afghan military officials were pegging the Taliban's strength to be at least 60,000.

The same month, Dawlat Waziri, then-spokesperson for Afghanistan's Defense Ministry, told Stars & Stripes that between 40,000 and 60,000 Taliban are "always active" in the country.

According to a May 1 report from SIGAR, insurgents either controlled, influenced or contested 43.7 percent of the country (29.2 percent contested and 14.5 percent influenced by the Taliban or under their control).

In a speech at NATO's headquarters in Brussels on Friday, the top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, stated, "The Taliban are no longer fighting to gain new ground in Afghanistan. They are fighting to inflict casualties and get attention. They are now fighting to improve their bargaining position."

But come June 12, that's not how it has played out. In the Faryab Province, militants overran the Kohistan district and killed its governor, Abdul Rahman Panah, and more than a dozen soldiers. Faryab has been contested for more than a year and the Taliban claimed responsibility for that offensive, along with another in Sar-e Pul Province that claimed the lives of more than a dozen security forces overnight.

Five security officials were also slain Tuesday by a suicide bomber in the eastern province of Ghazni, however, the Taliban has not claimed to have conducted it. A spokesman for the governor of Ghazni did blame the group, however.

The incursions came despite a ceasefire agreement between the insurgent group and the Afghan government that was to take place during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr (June 14 and 15), which celebrates the end of Ramadan fasting, Sputnik News reported.
The Afghan government on Saturday unilaterally announced a ceasefire lasting from June 12 to June 20. The insurgents had said that ceasefire would not include foreign forces, ostensibly American ones.


Back-dated 08.02.2018 - Transfer of Force: US Redirects Air Power from Iraq and Syria to Afghanistan
Transfer of Force: US Redirects Air Power from Iraq and Syria to Afghanistan

With the virtual defeat of Daesh as a territory-holding entity in Iraq and Syria, the US has begun to transfer air combat resources from those countries into Afghanistan as part of the Trump administration’s focus on gaining ground against militant groups there.

Air Force Maj. Gen. James Hecker, commander of NATO Air Command-Afghanistan, said that the wartorn Central Asian country "has become CENTCOM's [US Central Command] main effort thanks to the recent successes in Iraq and Syria. "This has allowed CENTCOM to shift more assets our way."

Transferred assets arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday, including MQ-9 Reaper drones, A-10C Thunderbolt II ground attack jets and combat search-and-rescue squadrons. Improved air power in Afghanistan is a cornerstone of the new administration's strategy there.

But the ultimate American strategy in Afghanistan is to transfer combat responsibilities from CENTCOM and NATO to local security forces. "While US air power is destroying Taliban support elements in the deep fight, Afghan A-29 [Super Tucano light jet fighters] and MD-530 helicopters provide quick, lethal support to Afghan ground forces in the close fight," Hecker said. "This growth has already started but is going to continue."

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) conducted more than 2,000 air strikes in 2017, according to Hecker. In the same year, USAF reported that they conducted 4,361 strikes, more than the amount launched in 2015 and 2016 combined.

When you look at the totals of who's doing the most shooting, [the AAF is] roughly double compared to what the coalition air force is doing," Hecker said.

The benefit of an emboldened air campaign against the Taliban is that it allows the US to more easily strike at the the "behind-the-scenes" operations that prop up the militant group: the training camps, control centers and opioid production plants that form the backbone of the Taliban's economic operations.

He added that his goal was to triple the strength of the AAF by 2020 by introducing new hardware like 32 AC-208 attack aircraft and dozens of UH-60 Black Hawk assault helicopters. Hecker also said USAF will eventually double their number of A-29s from 12 units to 25.

At present, the majority of Afghan air strikes are done via the MD-530F Cayuse Warrior light attack helicopter, usually to support ground troops. "When an MD-530 is in direct support [of ground forces] and shoots rockets… that counts as a strike mission," Hecker said.

While the Black Hawk is far more advanced than the AAF's existing gunships, such as the MD-530 and the Russian-built Mil Mi-17 "Hip" helicopters, that may work to its detriment. The Black Hawk's technical manuals are complicated, which could prove a major stumbling block in a country with one of the world's lowest literacy rates. The MD-530 and Mi-17 are also cheaper to repair and replace.

In addition to the intensified air campaign, the US has increased their troop commitment in Afghanistan by transferring an unknown number of US soldiers previously stationed in Iraq.

 

[angelburst29]

General Atomics, A US defense contracting company, was awarded a $39.6 million contract from the US military to operate their MQ-9 Reaper drones in Afghanistan, the US Navy announced Tuesday.

22.06.2018 - Reaper Drones to Surveil Afghanistan Under New Pentagon $39 Million Contract
Reaper Drones to Surveil Afghanistan Under New Pentagon $39 Million Contract

Contract personnel with General Atomics will fly and maintain the drones in support of a US Marine Corps unit. They'll be used for reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence gathering purposes but will not be armed with weapons.

It isn't clear how many drones are involved in the deal.

They'll be working closely with the Marines Task Force Southwest, where the troops are on an advise and assist mission in support of Afghan forces in the southern violence-stricken Helmand and Nimruz provinces on the border with Pakistan.

According to The Drive, who first reported on the finalized contract, General Atomics workers will "almost certainly" operate the drones from ground control stations in Yuma, Arizona, while other contractors on the ground in Afghanistan will take care of landings and takeoffs in what the US refers to as "remote-split" operations.

The Drive notes that the US has many times employed contractors to conduct aerial surveillance in Afghanistan, but the deal with General Atomics underscores the resurgence of American operations in the country under US President Donald Trump's new game plan.

Sputnik News reported Wednesday that the US in 2018 is on pace to shatter other years in terms of aerial weapons deployments in Afghanistan. By the start of May, more bombs had been dropped on Afghanistan than have been between January and May of any other year on record, for which data only exists back to 2009. Such missions would be impossible without a sophisticated surveillance network, which the contract with General Atomics will only expand.

 

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The US has spent $8.6 billion since 2001 fighting drug production in Afghanistan; however, the country remains the world's largest producer of opium and the production keeps growing. Hanif Daneshyar, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics, told Sputnik how the money allocated to fight drugs was being spent.

05.07.2018 - Where Did $8.2 Billion in US Aid to Fight Opiates in Afghanistan Go?
Where Did $8.2 Billion in US Aid to Fight Opiates in Afghanistan Go?

Hanif Daneshyar: Many countries have helped the Afghan government in its fight against narcotics and the United States has provided much-needed support, but SIGAR (Special Inspector General of Afghanistan Reconstruction) declaring the US spent $8.6 billion in Afghanistan on the fight against drugs? In the organization's activities, there was no coordination with the government of Afghanistan or the Ministry of Counter Narcotics on how to use this budget and plan spendings.

We can confirm the $300 million that the United States has contributed to the fight against drugs in Afghanistan, but SIGAR's statement that $8.6 billion was spent in coordination with the Afghan government we can't confirm.

Sputnik: According to SIGAR's 2017 report, in Afghanistan, 328,000 hectares of land was used for opium poppy cultivation, up 63 percent compared to the previous year (2016); this is the highest rate since 2002.

Hanif Daneshyar: This is due to two factors: the high demand for Afghan drugs around the world and the easy transit of narcotics within the region.

Sputnik: The SIGAR report says that out of the amount of opium produced in Afghanistan last year, 900 tons of pure, export -
quality heroin can be produced, which could serve as an incentive for the expansion of combat zones throughout Afghanistan.

Hanif Daneshyar: In Afghanistan, more than 328,000 hectares of land are suitable for the cultivation of opium poppy. Most of the drug production is in Helmand province. The number of factories there is increasing. Other unsecured provinces include Badghis (the most insecure province in recent years), Farah, Uruzgan, Kandahar, Faryab, Nangarhar and Badakhshan. We have serious issues in these provinces.

Sputnik: The latest statistics on narcotics production in the country for 2017 is as follows: South of the country — 60%, West of the country — 17%, North — 13%, East of the country — 7%, Northeast — 3% and Central Afghanistan — 0.4 %. About
10 provinces that were previously poppy-free, this year also found themselves drawn into the production and trafficking of drugs.

Hanif Daneshyar: I will add to this data that in 2016 the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics conducted a study in partnership with the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and found that there an estimated 2.9 to 3.6 million drug users in Afghanistan. The first category of 1.2-1.4 million people in Afghanistan were identified as addicts and in need of serious treatment.

The second category are those who occasionally do drugs and their family members and friends, while the third category are those that have been deemed beyond salvation. Afghanistan can help cure addiction in only 40,000 people per year.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in 2017 the total volume of drugs produced in Afghanistan and Colombia has increased dramatically in comparison with previous years.

 

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The US and its allies began a military operation in Afghanistan in 2001. It ended on December 28, 2014, but on January 1, 2015, the alliance announced a new mission in the country, called Resolute Support, to train and assist the Afghan security forces.

07.07.2018 - Insider Attack in S Afghanistan Kills 1 US Serviceman, Injures 2 Others - NATO
Insider Attack in S Afghanistan Kills 1 US Serviceman, Injures 2 Others - NATO

According to a statement by the NATO Resolute Support mission, the two US service members wounded in the "insider attack" are in "stable" condition. The name of the fallen service member will be withheld until next of kin were informed.

Last May the alliance stated that an American service member had been killed during an operation in the eastern part of Afghanistan.

In the end of June, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani announced the end to a fragile ceasefire agreement between the government and the Taliban. The struggle in the war-torn country has continued, as, according to the report issued in May, government forces control about 39 percent of the country, with roughly half of Afghanistan contested by the Taliban and other militant groups.

 

[angelburst29]

Moscow accused the US military of being the chief sponsor of Taliban militants in Afghanistan, saying that during the active presence of US-led NATO forces in the country, the production and distribution of narcotics had drastically surged there.

Sat Jul 14, 2018 - Russia: US Supporting Taliban in Afghanistan
Farsnews

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Russian had limited contacts with the Taliban but stressed that this was meant to ensure the safety of Russian citizens in the country and to support the stalled Afghan national conciliation process, responding to earlier US claims that Russia was collaborating with the Takfiri militants - what the official said was meant to mask America's own “sponsorship of the Taliban” in Afghanistan, Asia News reported.

She added that there was already evidence of US sponsorship of Taliban and emphasized that several probes conducted by special committees of the US Congress testified to that.

Instances of this, Zakharova said, were reports that acknowledged certain portions of US weapons that had been reported “stolen” or fallen into “wrong hands” had in fact reached the Taliban.

The official recalled a 2016 report by then US defense secretary in which he had revealed that 1.5 million items of American weaponry had disappeared in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Zakharova emphasized that armaments written off by the Pentagon as inventory losses could be used to equip “an entire army".

US sponsorship of terrorism in Afghanistan has also been underlined by the country’s previous President Hamid Karzai, who accused the US last November of collaborating with the Deash (ISIS or ISIL) terror group in his country.

The Russian Foreign Ministry official also reiterated that constant US claims against Russia were meant to conceal Washington's own political-military failures across Afghanistan.

Zakharova emphasized that during the massive invasion of Afghanistan by NATO and American forces under the pretense of ‘war on terror,’ the country had become a focal point for the production and distribution of narcotics while the threat of terrorism was never eliminated in the war-ravaged nation.

A US-led military force invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as a response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist incidents in New York and Washington, vowing to oust the Taliban regime ruling over the country and bringing peace and stability to the nation. The massive military occupation lasted until December 28, 2014, when the mostly Western military forces withdrew most of its troops and announced the conclusion of the combat mission.

In 2015, the US-led NATO initiated a new mission, code-named "Resolute Support", which the announced objective of providing training assistance to Afghanistan’s security forces. Nevertheless, the still ongoing mission has failed to bring any sort of peace, security or stability to the Asian country.

This is while the Taliban and its newly-emerging terrorism rival, Daesh – which is gaining growing influence in Afghanistan with thousands of militant forces – continue to control more than half of Afghanistan's territory, according to official figures.

The Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman further blamed the unstable situation across the Middle East and North Africa, as well as a surge in international terrorism on "the NATO member states' military gambles".


Fri Jul 13, 2018 - Afghanistan: Over 100 Militants Killed in Paktia Operations
Farsnews

Paktia police on Friday claimed that more than 100 Taliban militants were killed in military operations carried out by government forces in Paktia province on Thursday.

The two military operations were supported by the Afghan Air Force, Paktia police said in a statement on Friday, TOLOnews reported.

The statement said one of the operations was carried out in Machalgho area in Ahmad Abad district in the province in which 55 Taliban militants were killed and many others wounded. The statement said many members of Taliban’s Red Unit and their commanders are among those killed in the operation.

A large number of weapons and ammunition was destroyed in the operation, the statement said.

Another military operation, the statement said, was conducted in Shamozai, Patak, Haibatkhail and Yamanikhail villages in Zurmat district of Paktia in which 46 Taliban militants were killed.

Ayub, also known as Karamat, a former designated district governor of Taliban and Musa, a commander of the group were among those killed in the military operation.

Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry said airstrikes in Ahmad Abad district in Paktia left 33 Taliban and 17 others wounded. The ministry added that 77 Taliban militants were killed in airstrikes in Zurmat district and eight others were wounded.

The ministry said seven commanders of the Taliban were among those killed in the airstrikes.

Taliban has rejected claims of high casualty toll on their fighters, claiming that airstrikes and operations in Paktia and Nangarhar provinces have left dozens of civilians dead and wounded.

 

[angelburst29]

An explosion has been reported in the Afghan capital Kabul, near the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, a police spokesman said.

15.07.2018 - Multiple Casualties in Suicide Blast Near Afghan Ministry in Kabul - Police
Multiple Casualties in Suicide Blast Near Afghan Ministry in Kabul - Police

According to reports, the suicide bomber targeted the gate of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development in Darulaman as staff members were leaving.

Spokesman at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development Fraidoon Azhand has confirmed the attack and said that seven people have been killed and 15 wounded.

Apparently a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at the gate of our ministry. The target was our staff, who were leaving to their homes," he said.

Earlier, in June, a suicide bomber blew himself up as ministry workers were taking a bus home during the holy month of Ramadan, leaving 13 people dead and 31 injured.

Hundreds of people were killed and hundreds more injured last month in a series of attacks by different terrorist groups all over the country.

 

[angelburst29]

At least five Taliban militants including one of their commanders were killed in a night raid conducted in Eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

Wed Jul 25, 2018 - Afghanistan: Taliban Commander, Four Comrades Killed in Nangarhar Night Raid
Farsnews

The provincial government media office in a statement said the raid was conducted late on Tuesday night in the vicinity of Khogyani district, Khaama Press reported.

The statement further added that the Special Forces of the Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security (NDS), conducted a night operation in Nakar Khel area of the district on Tuesday night, leaving a Taliban commander and his comrades dead.

Another suspected militant was also arrested during the operation on charges of having links with the anti-government militants, the statement said.

The security personnel and local residents did not suffer any casualty during the operation, the provincial government said, adding that some weapons and munitions were also destroyed during the operation.

Nangarhar has been among the relatively calm provinces since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 but the anti-government militants have been attempting to expand their foothold in this province during the recent years.

 

[angelburst29]

US Defense Secretary James “Mad Dog” Mattis doesn’t have much of a reputation for openness with the media, but what little he had is rapidly dwindling, leaving the American public out of the loop as the Department of Defense (DOD) escalates attacks in Afghanistan and President Donald Trump threatens Iran.

27.07.2018 - Silent War: Pentagon Sidelines Mdia as it Ramps Up Afghan Bombing Campaign
Silent War: Pentagon Sidelines Media as It Ramps Up Afghan Bombing Campaign

Mattis has refused to appear in on-camera press conferences at the Pentagon since April, Politico reports. He's apparently making good on his warning to reporters complaining about access back in August 2017 that he "could make it a lot more rigid, trust me."

Meanwhile, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White hasn't been to a filmed presser since May.

The Pentagon has also been tight lipped about Mattis' public appearances. Public appearances used to be announced in advance; lately, they haven't been, making it difficult for DOD beat reporters to both keep tabs on him and show up to hear him out or maybe ask a question.


Dan Lamothe ✔ @DanLamothe

Ten hours after President Trump threatens Iran in all caps, the Pentagon discloses it will not be holding its Monday media gaggle. Again. Advertised as occurring just about every Monday. Reality is much different, especially when there are hot-button issues to address.
9:42 AM - Jul 23, 2018

Mattis spoke with reporters Tuesday at a press conference with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, which was announced by the State Department but was not mentioned in the daily schedule the DOD sends to media.

Two nights prior, Trump issued his late night, all-caps ultimatums to Iran, leaving many wondering whether the US might attack. The next day, the Pentagon cancelled its Monday press gaggle.


Missy Ryan @missy_ryan

Also, according to the @StateDept, Mattis is taking part today in a US-Australia forum in California, but DOD has not disclosed his participation anywhere that I have seen.

Dan Lamothe ✔ @DanLamothe

Ten hours after President Trump threatens Iran in all caps, the Pentagon discloses it will not be holding its Monday media gaggle. Again. Advertised as occurring just about every Monday. Reality is much different, especially when there are hot-button issues to address.
10:11 AM - Jul 23, 2018

Earlier in July, reporters sparred with Pentagon briefers during a conference about the location for a new command. One reporter asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley about a terrorist attack in Afghanistan that killed an American soldier, but the DOD press officer jumped in to tell the reporter they were only taking questions about the new compound. Another reporter opened with a question about the command but continued: "we don't have an opportunity to see you enough, Gen. Milley," and then asked a question about NATO. She was also rebuffed.

The hush-hush posturing isn't because of the old military adage "loose lips sink ships," according to Defense One executive editor Kevin Baron, who has covered the Pentagon for a decade. He placed the blame for the decline in access on Trump's war on the press, which the president has called "the enemy of the people."

In the Trump era, it seems everything is political, and anyone tangentially related to the president could be next on the chopping block. "The military leaders are doing everything they can to keep the military out of politics, and in trying to do that, they're keeping themselves out of the press, or they're being told to stay out of the press," Baron told Politico.

Baron said that the reporters who strayed from the topic of Milley's presser did eventually get answers to their questions — behind closed doors and "invisible to the cable news watcher in chief," according to Politico.

One reporter was incensed. "This idea that a four-star general is only going to speak on the topics that he wants to talk about, absolutely not. You are sending other people's children into harm's way. You have to answer for that," he raged.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon's 2018 taxpayer-funded budget leaped a whopping 15.5 percent over 2017, totaling $94 billion, Sputnik news reported.

Another told Politico that editors at his news outlet are responding by sending reporters to the Pentagon on increasingly rare occasions. "It's just a waste of time," he said.

The decline comes at a time of grave importance, as the 17-year war in Afghanistan is reaching new heights, according to available data. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has kept comprehensive data on US sorties and munitions deployed by US aircraft in the country since 2009. The year that saw the most was 2011; however, 2018 is so far outpacing it.

Silent War: Pentagon Sidelines Media as It Ramps Up Afghan Bombing Campaign

June Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report.

By the end of June 2011, US aircraft had dropped 2,458 bombs in the country that year. By the same month in 2018, that number was
2911.

Meanwhile, the US military dropped 44,096 bombs in total in 2017 — Trump's first year as president. Obama dropped 31,000 in his last year in office and dropped an average of 345 bombs per day during his presidency. That figure for his predecessor, George W. Bush, is 24.

Trump's first year figure breaks down to 121 bombs a day, or one every 12 minutes. If the ramping up of bombings in Afghanistan is any indication of global deployments, 2018 will be a very wild ride — one of which we'll be largely ignorant, should the Pentagon continue to keep its lips sealed.

 

[angelburst29]

Jul.25.2018 - Watchdog says U.S. wasted more than $15 billion in past 11 years in Afghanistan - In response to a request from lawmakers, the Special Inspector General calculated a huge figure, but says it may only be "a portion" of the waste.
Watchdog: More than $15 billion wasted in past 11 years in Afghanistan

The watchdog charged with tracking government spending in Afghanistan has released its first estimate of the total amount of money wasted there — a staggering $15.5 billion over 11 years — but says even that figure is probably "only a portion."

In response to a request from three congressman in 2017, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) began tallying the waste and fraud in the U.S. effort to rebuild the country.

After 10 months of research, SIGAR sent a letter back to the congressmen that estimated the waste at $15.5 billion between SIGAR's inception in 2008 and Dec. 31, 2017, or 29 percent of the spending it audited. In the letter, obtained by NBC News, Special Inspector General John Sopko describes the figure as "likely … only a portion of the total waste, fraud, abuse and failed efforts."

One of the three congressmen who requested the calculation, Rep. Walter Jones, R.-N.C., called Afghanistan a "black hole" for taxpayer money. "The American people deserve a better understanding of where their money is going," said Jones.

Click here to read the letter

SIGAR noted that more than $4 billion dollars intended for "stabilization programs" in Afghanistan instead led to "exacerbated conflicts, enabled corruption and bolstered support for insurgents".

And the $7.3 billion spent to stem the Afghan drug trade has done very little to stop the "production and exportation of illicit drugs," according to SIGAR, which notes that opium production is now "at the highest levels since 2002."

The report comes as the Taliban has continued to gain ground on the battlefield against the U.S.-backed Afghan government and as the Trump administration has launched a diplomatic bid to end the war.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has expressed skepticism about continuing the American troop presence in the country. The U.S. has now had troops in Afghanistan for 17 years. Trump considered pulling out U.S. forces in his first year in office before reluctantly agreeing to extending and expanding the mission after a protracted internal debate.

Aware of Trump's impatience with the war, U.S. commanders and diplomats are now eager to make progress with peace talks. Officials told NBC News that the president could pull the plug on the American commitment with little notice.

During administration deliberations on the issue last year, Trump's then-chief strategist Steve Bannon favored withdrawing U.S. troops and replacing them with private contractors. The unorthodox idea — strongly opposed by the Pentagon — was floated by Erik Prince, founder of the private security firm once known as Blackwater that had U.S. government security contracts in Iraq. Prince's sister, Betsy DeVos, is Trump's education secretary.

 

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1024859847559442432

https://twitter.com/x/status/1024892932837392384

Taliban Surge Routs ISIS in Northern Afghanistan
Aug. 1, 2018

https://twitter.com/x/status/1025959613940867072

On August 4, the Taliban claimed that its fighters killed nine U.S. service members and injured two others in the central province of Parwan. According to the Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad, the service members were killed when Taliban fighters targeted their vehicles with IEDs in the district of Bagram.

The Afghan group’s news agency added that Taliban fighters managed to block the Kabul-Bamyan highway in the district of Syagard after the attacks.

The U.S. Army in Afghanistan has not commented on the Taliban’s claims yet. Usually this means that the claims are false. However, more details may surface in the upcoming hours.

Last month, two U.S. service members, Sergeant First Class Christopher Andrew Celiz and Corporal Joseph Maciel, were killed in Afghanistan. While Celiz lost his life during a military operation, Maciel was killed in what was described as an “insider attack” by a rogue soldier of the Afghan National Army (ANA).

According to the Pentagon, 2,372 U.S. service members have been killed since the beginning of the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan. With no visible end for the crisis in the war-torn country, the number will likely continue to grow.

Reuters: IS claims responsibility for terror attack in mosque in eastern Afghanistan
August 05, 1:42 UTC+3
39 people were killed and at least 80 were injured
TASS, August 5. The terror organization Islamic State (IS, outlawed in Russia) has claimed responsibility for the attack committed in a Shia mosque in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, in which 39 people were killed and at least 80 were injured, Reuters reported on Saturday.

The tragic incident took place in the city of Gardez in the Paktia Province. Two terrorists attacked believers in the mosque. One of them set off a bomb, while the other opened fire on the believers. The armed guards of the mosque eliminated the terrorist.

Taliban Neutralizes ISIS In Afghanistan’s Jawzjan In Large-Scale Operation
02.08.2018 -
On August 1, the Taliban announced that its fighters cleared the northern province of Jawzjan from ISIS after a successful large-scale military operation, which lasted for several days. According to the Afghan group, the operation was launched from its positions in Jawzjan and in the neighboring provinces of Faryab and Saripul.

The Taliban news agency Voice of Jihad said that Taliban fighters killed 153 fighters of ISIS and seriously injured 100 others during the operation. Furthermore, 134 terrorists were captured.

A day later, Jawazjan’s governor, Lotfullah Azizi, announced that ISIS was defeated in the province and revealed that 250 fighters of the terrorists group surrendered themselves and their weapons to government forces.

“Today we don’t have anyone under the name of Daesh [ISIS] in Jawzjan, some of them were killed during the battles with the Taliban and some others were eliminated as a result of air strikes by the security forces. Over 250 of them have surrendered to the government along with their weapons,” said Azizi, according to the Afghan TOLO TV.​

The Taliban said that the top commander of ISIS in Jawzjan, “Habiburrahman Rehbar,” and the local Mufti of the terrorist group, “Neamat and Sibghatullah,” were among the terrorists who surrendered to government forces.

Habiburrahman, who is accused of enslaving and raping dozens of women, said that the Afghan government has pledged to maintain their security and that they will not be prosecuted.

“The government has made us certain promises, the government has said that we will join the peace process, if the government wants, we will be hired,” Habiburrahman said.​

When asked about the crimes, which were committed by him and his men, Habiburrahman denied his involvement and said: “If someone comes up with evidence to prove this, we are prepared that perpetrators be served justice.”

The Taliban criticized the Afghan government’s deal with the remaining fighters of ISIS in Jawzjan. Moreover, the Afghan group accused the NATO of carrying out airstrikes on its fighters during their operation against the terrorist group.

While the deal with Habiburrahman prevented a larger battle in Jawzjan, it remains questionable. Allowing such terrorists to escape justice is a serious threat to the security of the province and the country as a whole.

 

[angelburst29]

A US air raid on Tuesday in Eastern Logar province mistakenly hit friendly forces and killed several Afghan police officers, according to reports.

Wed Aug 08, 2018 - US Airstrike Hits Afghan Forces, Kills Friendly Troops
Farsnews

Afghan security forces had been battling the Taliban for 10 days in Logar’s Azra district when American airpower was called on, Mohammad Qaseem Sidiqi, a provincial council member, told Stars and Stripes.

The police had set up a line of defense to protect the district center, he said, adding that “but sadly, when the foreign forces’ helicopters arrived, their bombs hit them instead of the enemy”.

The strike killed 12 police officers, according to Abdul Wali Wakeel, another provincial council member from Azra district. Before the strike, another eight policemen and two civilians were killed in clashes with the Taliban, he added.

Foreign forces should not repeat the mistake they made early this morning,” Wakeel said Tuesday, stating that "if they continue to be careless, it could create a much bigger problem”.
Per Nasrat Rahimi, spokesperson for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said the incident took place after Afghan forces called on US officials for back up. However, communication was somehow mixed up, and US forces targeted the wrong location.

"[Afghan officials] called in air support, but unfortunately foreign forces mistakenly bombed their position," Rahimi said.

US officials have confirmed that an airstrike took place, but have yet to say whether the operation amounted to killing friendly forces, Stars and Stripes reported.

"At this time, I can confirm that US Forces-Afghanistan did conduct a strike in support of Afghan operations and in defense of Afghan forces in Azra district, Logar province, early this morning," Lieutenant Colonel Martin O'Donnell, the spokesperson for the US military in Afghanistan, told the publication.

"Foreign forces should not repeat the mistake they made early this morning," Wakeel told the publication. "If they continue to be careless, it could create a much bigger problem."

The US military continues to investigate an airstrike last month in Northern Kunduz province that local officials claim killed up to 14 civilians.

The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 with the express aim of toppling the Taliban. Now, some 17 years on, the militant group rules supreme in the war-torn country and the US has shown interest more than ever in negotiating with the militants.

Recently, the Daesh militant group has taken advantage of the lawlessness in Afghanistan and stepped up its terror attacks in the war-torn state after losing its bases in Iraq and Syria.

 

[angelburst29]

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed a Muslim Eid holiday ceasefire announcement by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, saying that Washington is ready to facilitate direct peace talks between the authorities and the Taliban.

19.08.2018 - Pompeo Welcomes Ceasefire Announcement Between Afghan Government, Taliban
Pompeo Welcomes Ceasefire Announcement Between Afghan Government, Taliban

Afghan President declared the latest ceasefire in a televised broadcast on Sunday on the condition that the Taliban reciprocated.

"I once again announce a ceasefire from tomorrow until the prophet's birthday provided that the Taliban reciprocate," Ashraf Ghani said in a statement quoted by AFP.

The announcement of the three-month ceasefire followed a week of a violent fighting across the country which saw the Taliban launch a massive assault against the provincial capital Ghazni.

"The last ceasefire in Afghanistan revealed the deep desire of the Afghan people to end the conflict, and we hope another ceasefire will move the country closer to sustainable security," Mike Pompeo said in a statement quoted by AFP. "The United States and our international partners support this initiative by the Afghan people and the Afghan government, and we call on the Taliban to participate," Pompeo said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Taliban reportedly promised to release hundreds of Afghan prisoners, but did not respond to Kabul's unilateral declaration of ceasefire. Particularly, the Taliban militants said that they would release the prisoners so that "they can share the happiness of Eid [Eid-al-Adha, an Islamic holiday, Festival of Sacrifice], with their families and friends," according to the TOLOnews broadcaster.

On June 7, Ghani declared a unilateral ceasefire with the Taliban from June 11 to June 19 to mark Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. On June 17, the Afghan president prolonged the ceasefire for another 10 days. The radical movement ceased hostilities for three days of the Eid truce but rejected the government's request to prolong the ceasefire.

On Sunday, Taliban militants have taken control of Bilchiragh District in Faryab province in the northwest of Afghanistan. The Taliban movement also seized Sainia base, which hosted 76 government troops, a spokesman for Shaheen Camp, Mohammad Hanif Rezaee, told Sputnik earlier this week. According to media reports, at least 18 Afghan troops were killed and 12 were injured during the attack on the base.


19.08.2018 - Bolton Open to Hiring For-Profit Mercenaries in Washington's 17-Year Afghan War
Bolton Open to Hiring For-Profit Mercenaries in Washington’s 17-Year Afghan War

White House national security adviser John Bolton stated on Sunday that he is interested in a proposal by Erik Prince - founder of private military company Blackwater - to shift the prosecution of the 17-year US war in Afghanistan away from the Pentagon to private mercenaries.

Bolton — an appointee of US President Donald Trump like Blackwater founder Prince's sister US Secretary of Education Betsy Devos — made his remarks earlier during an ABC.com weekly news program.

The top White House advisor's comments follow reports that Trump has allowed for the possibility of placing for-profit mercenary companies in charge of shoring up the increasingly unpopular US-supported Afghan government of former American citizen Ashraf Ghani, instead of using armed Pentagon ‘advisors.'

Asked about the likelihood of mercenaries prosecuting America's many wars abroad, Bolton averred, saying only that, "there are always a lot of discussions," cited by The Hill.

"I'm always open to new ideas," the noted warhawk added, however, although he was careful not to second-guess his boss. "I'm not going to comment on what [Trump's] thinking is. That'll ultimately be the president's decision," he quickly noted.

Trump is said to be interested in Prince's offer to privatize the US war in Afghanistan, according to reports.

The Trump White House would, under Prince's pitch, replace US troops and advisors in Afghanistan with well-armed private military contractors who would purportedly answer to an as-yet-unspecified liaison on Capitol Hill.

Noting the significant ethical and security concerns resulting from the use of for-profit mercenaries acting as heavily-armed representatives for the Trump administration, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council flatly denied the reports, stating to NBC News that "no such proposal from Erik Prince is under consideration," cited by The Hill.

Nonetheless, Prince has asserted to NBC News that he will soon launch a full-scale media blitz to promote his mercenary agenda in Afghanistan, and that Trump and his cabinet will be in his cross hairs.


19.08.2018 - Done with 17 years of US 'Help': Homegrown Afghan Peace Movement Takes Root
Done With 17 Years of US ‘Help’: Homegrown Afghan Peace Movement Takes Root

A US-led coalition in Afghanistan finished its combat mission in December 2014, marking the formal end of the longest war in American history.

Since then, US troops have remained in the country acting in a supervisory role, training Afghan soldiers and offering military assistance when requested.

New efforts for peace in the nation comes in the wake of clashes between the US-supported Afghan security forces and members of the Taliban radical group in the Qara Bagh district of the country's east-central Ghazni province on Friday, killing at least 120.

An Afghan people's peace movement, has sprung up in the country, decrying almost two decades of war at the hands of Washington and it's appointed supervisors.

An Afghan people's peace movement, has sprung up in the country, decrying almost two decades of war at the hands of Washington and it's appointed supervisors.

Abdul Malik Hamdard, a computer teacher, along with 50 other peace activists, described to the Washington Post spending three days walking barefoot along a highway from Kabul, the country's capital, as a form of protest and a means to draw attention to ongoing killings.

"War kills Afghan people every day," Hamdard said, adding, "we will walk from Kabul to Mazar for peace," referring to Mazar-e Sharif, a city 200 miles north of Kabul, cited by the Washington Post.

The peace marchers formed their group in the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand after a bombing March. In the beginning, the group organized peaceful protests in local Helmand.

In May and June, eight members of the group expanded their call to action by walking over 300 miles to the country's capital in an attempt to persuade the US-supported government to end its war with the Taliban. They gained members along the way, garnering an additional 100 marchers by the time they reached their destination.

In Kabul, the activists set up tents outside various embassies, including that of Pakistan and the US. They met with diplomats, as well as with Afghan officials, including Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, urging an end to the 17-year war.

Those meetings with officials were futile, and the activists set out again, with more than half walking barefoot.

"I told [diplomats and government officials] that Afghans have lost trust in you entirely. You only made promises, in 17 years. We have not seen practical steps towards peace," Mohammad Iqbal Khaybar, the 27-year-old leader of the movement, told the Washington Post.

"Afghanistan is a good place without war. War is ugly," Mohammad Seraj, 55, said. "We want peace at any cost."

Following the lead of the Helmand peace movement, other similar groups have emerged in other areas of the country, staging rallies and sit-ins. While Ghani has commended activist efforts, Taliban officials have referred to their efforts as conspiracies.

 

[angelburst29]

Aug 24, 2018 - Moscow records ‘NATO-AIRSPACE’ WEAPONS DROP TO ISIS by ‘BLACK’ helicopters
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT: Moscow records 'NATO-AIRSPACE' WEAPONS DROP TO ISIS by 'BLACK' helicopters - Fort Russ

In this major development, it has been revealed to FRN that ISIS has been now recorded receiving a weapons drop from ‘unmarked’ helicopters. Serious questions are raised by the Russian Foreign Ministry on the delivery of arms and ammunition to the ISIS terrorist organization close to the Afghanistan border with other Central Asian states.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that Russia has registered helicopters of unknown origin delivering weapons to forces of ISIS and other jihadist organizations in Afghanistan.

The revelation was made by the spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zacharova. She said:

“We again draw attention to the flights of unknown helicopters in northern Afghanistan that deliver arms and ammunition to Islamic State [ISIS] fighters and Taliban militants,” ​

“According to Afghan media reports, as well as local residents, such flights have recently been recorded in Sari-Pul province,” the ministry spokesman said.

Ms. Zacharova also stressed that neither the Afghan army nor NATO forces are examining these flights, adding that flights are taking place near the Afghanistan border with Central Asian countries. She continued:

“There is a question: who is behind these flights, who supplies terrorists with weapons and creates their bases near the southern border of the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (international organization of the former Soviet republics) and why this is happening in the Afghan airspace, which is controlled by NATO forces?” ​

This information from the Russian Foreign Ministry is only a few days before the start of the Afghanistan peace talks to be held in Moscow next September.

As it becomes seemingly evident that the Taliban will resume control of the country whenever US-led NATO forces leave Afghanistan, Russia and China who have relations with the group will surely have access to the trillion+ dollar worth of natural resources in the country while the US will be left out. It is most likely that ISIS will be utilized again to serve US interests just as they were suppose to in Syria by toppling President Bashar al-Assad, but ultimately failed.


23.08.2018 - Russia Registers Helicopters, Delivering Arms to Afghan Militants - Moscow
Russia Registers Helicopters, Delivering Arms to Afghan Militants – Moscow

Earlier in the day, Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Sibghatullah Ahmadi told Sputnik that Kabul had decided not to attend the Moscow-format consultations on Afghanistan in September.

"We draw attention again to the flights of unidentified helicopters in the north of Afghanistan, delivering weapons and ammunition to local Daesh militants and Taliban* fighters, who are cooperating with the Daesh* terrorist group. According to the statements by the Afghan media and local residents, such flights have recently been recorded in the province of Sari-Pul," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

She also noted that neither the Afghan military nor NATO forces had addressed those flights, which were carried out close to the borders of Central Asian countries.

"There is a question – who is behind those flights, who provides weapons for the terrorists and creates their bases close to the southern borders of the CIS countries, and why does this occur in Afghan airspace controlled by NATO forces?" Zakharova added.

These statements come just a few weeks before the start of Moscow-format consultations on Afghanistan, slated to be held in September.

Terrorists in Syria
Addressing questions about the current situation in Syria, Zakharova accused Washington of collaborating with various militant groups in order to create "faux state structures" in the region.

"Neither the Syrian authorities nor the UN have access to the largest camp of temporarily displaced people [Rukban] near the Syrian border with Jordan," the diplomat said. "Among the civilians trapped there, several hundred Daesh militants, as well as al-Nusra militants, who have heavy weapons, are hidden, using civilians as human shields. Unfortunately, all this is happening, and we have factual information that confirms these reports, with the knowledge of the US military that controls the 55-kilometer zone around its illegal base at al-Tanf in Syrian territory."

The US has occupied a 54 km zone around the US military base at At-Tanf, where the US-led coalition has been training Syrian armed opposition forces. The situation at the nearby US-controlled Rukban refugee camp has been called a "humanitarian disaster" and is estimated to contain upwards of 60,000 refugees.

The US-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against Daesh targets in Syria since 2014. The coalition's operations have not been approved neither by Damascus nor by the UN.


23.08.2018 - Moscow Invited Taliban to Talks to Bring 'Collective Call for Peace' - FM
Moscow Invited Taliban to Talks to Bring 'Collective Call for Peace' - FM

Russia is hoping that representatives of the Kabul government will attend the consultations on Afghanistan in Moscow on September 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

The invitation of Taliban representatives to the Moscow meeting is aimed at bringing the collective call to peace in Afghanistan directly to the armed Afghan opposition… We are counting on the participation of representatives of Kabul in the meeting of the Moscow format, which will be held on September 4," the statement said.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry earlier announced that it would participate in the "Moscow-format" consultations on Afghanistan only if the Taliban agreed to direct talks with representatives of the Afghan government on the sidelines of this event.

"The Afghan government delegation, if the Taliban movement shows at some time willingness to hold direct peace talks, whether in the format of Moscow or in some third place, with sincere intention and deep commitment to peace will take part [in the talks]," the ministry said.

On Tuesday, Russia said it had invited officials from 12 countries, including the US, to attend the Moscow-format consultations on Afghanistan. Moscow also confirmed that the Taliban movement expected to participate in the upcoming conference. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow format aims to "end the fratricidal war and to establish a peaceful and independent Afghan state free of terrorism and drug threat."