Afghanistan

[angelburst29]

Four top security officials in Afghanistan's government resigned on Saturday, according to sources in the country's government.

Sun Aug 26, 2018 - Afghanistan's Defense, Interior Ministers Resign
Farsnews

Afghanistan's minister of defense, minister of interior as well as two other high-ranking security officials have resigned from their posts, Reuters reported quoting sources in the government.

An official in Afghanistan presidential office was quoted as saying that they had received four resignations by two ministers and two senior security officials.

The resignations of Defence Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami, Interior Minister Wais Barmak and the head of the National Directorate of Security Masoom Stanekzai came after National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar also quit his post.

The security officials referred to the security situation as the main reason for their resignation, the sources reported.

Afghanistan has been in a state of long-standing armed conflict between the government and a number of terrorist groups, which carry out attacks all over the war-torn country.


Sun Aug 26, 2018 - Afghanistan: Emir of Daesh Killed in Nangarhar Province
Farsnews

The emir of Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group was killed in an airstrike conducted in Eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

Informed sources in the National Directorate of Security said the ISIS Khurasan emir, identified as Saad Arhabi, was killed in Khogyani district on Saturday night, Khaama Press reported.

The sources further added that Arhabi, also famous as Abu Syed Orakzai, was killed along with nine other ISIS group members who were with him.

According to the sources, the airstrike was carried out in the vicinity of Jungle village of Khogyani district.

The provincial governor’s spokesman, Ataullah Khogyani, also confirmed the killing of Saad Arhabi and said he was originally a resident of Orakzai Agency and appointed as the ISIS Khurasan emir after the killing of Haseeb Logari.

In the meantime, the provincial government media office, in a statement said the US unmanned aerial vehicles also carried out airstrikes in the vicinity of Ghani Khel district.

The statement further added that the airstrikes left at least three ISIS Khurasan militants dead while three others sustained injuries.

According to the governor’s office, a commander of the terror group identified as Musafir was among those killed in the airstrikes.

The anti-government armed militant and terrorist groups including ISIS Kurasan loyalists have not commented regarding the report so far.

 

[Ant22]

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."

I found a follow up report on this on RT:

Peace talks with Taliban in Moscow postponed – Afghan president’s office

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s office said on Monday that Russia had agreed to postpone multilateral peace talks with the Taliban. The statement came a week after the insurgents accepted an invitation to go to Moscow for a September 4 summit. Russia has not declared a postponement. A senior official in Ghani’s office told Reuters that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had spoken with Ghani by phone and assured him the summit dates “will be changed to ensure Afghanistan’s participation.” Last week, Afghanistan and the US both declined Moscow’s invitation.

I article presents an interesting analysis:

Moscow’s Afghan Conference Is Postponed: Undignified Defeat Or Strategic Delay? - Eurasia Future

The abrupt postponement of next week’s Afghan conference in Moscow might look like an undignified Russian defeat in the face of a dangerous American provocation this morning, but it’s actually a strategic delay intended to make the outcome more fruitful by potentially including Kabul in this framework.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier today and postponed the next round of the Moscow peace process on the war-torn country which was supposed to have originally been held next week.

The meeting was supposed to have been the continuation of previous gatherings aimed at streamlining an Afghan-led solution to this long-running conflict, though it hit a snag after the US and Kabul both declined to attend and India is was reportedly undecided about the level of representation to send to the meeting. These were important diplomatic hurdles that threatened to hamper the overall effectiveness of this regional meeting, which would have diminished the immediate political effect of Russia getting the Taliban to participate in the event.

It’s partially because of Moscow’s success at getting the armed opposition to attend, however, that Washington refused to take part because it believed that Russia is legitimizing the political aspirations of the group that it’s been fighting for almost 17 years. Following its patron’s lead, Kabul said that it wouldn’t go either unless the Taliban held bilateral talks with its representatives on the sidelines of the gathering, something that it’s refused to do out of principle because it considers them to be American puppets. India, for its part, didn’t want to imperil its rapidly developing strategic relations with both the US and Afghanistan by sending a high-level delegation to Moscow under these tense circumstances, yet it also didn’t want to snub Russia by pulling out of the event and resultantly accelerating the already fast-moving Russian-Pakistani rapprochement, which is why its participation would have probably been more symbolic than substantial.

Given the prevailing state of affairs, the now-postponed get-together would have pretty much only functioned as a “meet-and-greet” between the Taliban and the attendees, some of whom such as the Pakistanis, Russians, and Uzbeks already have differing levels of pragmatic political contact with the group while others like the Kazakhs would have entered into formal working relations with them for what might have been the very first time. The expected result would have therefore elevated the Taliban’s diplomatic capital by “rehabilitating” it as a responsible member of the Eurasian community, especially in the security sense of being a formidable bulwark against ISIS-K.

The postponement of the forthcoming round of the Moscow peace process on Afghanistan obviously had something to do with this morning’s false flag provocation, though it’s still unclear what the exact relationship to it actually is. As it stands, it appears as though Russia’s top diplomat got a hold of Ghani and the two sides frankly discussed what happened, especially in terms of the US’ intention to sabotage next week’s previously planned talks. It might have been throughout the course of this conversation that Moscow and Kabul reached a pragmatic understanding with one another to delay the event as they continued negotiations over the Afghan government’s possible participation in the future.

This is a probable interpretation of events given the wording of Kabul’s statement on the matter, which said that “President Ashraf Ghani spoke by phone with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and an agreement was reached on postponing the events related to the meeting in the Moscow format. Both countries are jointly preparing to hold this meeting.”

Therefore, while a superficial reading of the situation might suggest that the US did indeed succeed in its goal to undermine next week’s conference, it could never have thought that this outcome would backfire on it by actually being a strategic delay that might end up bringing Russia and Afghanistan closer as a result.

DISCLAIMER: The author writes for this publication in a private capacity which is unrepresentative of anyone or any organization except for his own personal views. Nothing written by the author should ever be conflated with the editorial views or official positions of any other media outlet or institution.

There is a link in the article above which I felt deserved to be posted here:

While Everyone Was Watching Syria, The US Tried To Stage A False Flag In Afghanistan - Eurasia Future

While the world was waiting with bated breath to see whether the US would really stage yet another chemical weapons false flag attack in Syria, Washington tried to pull a fast one in Afghanistan by manufacturing a fake crisis between Russia and the Taliban.

It’s no secret that the US fears the consequences of Russia’s newly pragmatic approach towards the Taliban so it was only a matter of time before it tried to manufacture a fake crisis between them in order to undermine Moscow’s peacemaking efforts in Afghanistan, and next week’s multilateral meeting in the Russian capital pushed the US to act. Although Washington and Kabul’s refusal to participate in this event will deprive it of any immediate political significance, its long-term importance is that it contributes to Moscow’s efforts to gradually rebrand the Taliban as a legitimate armed opposition movement by providing them with an international venue for constructively interacting with regional diplomats.

This in and of itself will herald in a sea change in political attitudes towards this group by breaking its diplomatic isolation and enabling it to be perceived as a responsible Eurasian actor, especially in the anti-security domain against ISIS-K. For this reason, it’s in the US’ interests to stop next week’s gathering from taking place, or at the very least, to engineer a crisis between Russia and the Taliban that would lead to the latter’s refusal to participate in the event, ergo the false flag attack that just took place in Afghanistan.

Reports began streaming in Monday morning about a suspected Russian or Tajik airstrike in northern Afghanistan against Taliban militants who had supposedly shot at the latter’s border guards, which would have been a serious development in more ways than one if it was actually true. The Taliban are a national resistance/liberation movement and aren’t known to have any international expansionist aspirations, so attacking Tajik forces would have signaled an inexplicable change in policy. Not only that, but the retaliatory Russian or Tajik airstrikes would have represented the Moscow-led CSTO’s first-ever military activity in Afghanistan. Furthermore, this predictable response to any hypothetical Taliban aggression would have torpedoed next week’s talks and been counterproductive for both parties.

Russia expectedly denied that anything of the sort had happened, though it remains unclear whether there was a kinetic engagement of any sort along the border or if the entire story was completely made up. A couple explanations are therefore plausible, and in any order, they’re that:

* nothing happened whatsoever and the entire narrative is a 100% psy-op;

* the Taliban really was bombed near the border but it was US or Afghan forces that did it;

* ISIS-K (including Taliban defectors to the group) was bombed by US or Afghan forces but they’re pretending that it was the Taliban that was hit and Russian or Tajik forces that carried it out.


It’s unlikely that the whole thing is a fabrication because otherwise it would have a zero chance of success in undermining next week’s meeting in Moscow unless its true purpose was to shape international perceptions and propagate the infowar narrative that Russia is falling into “mission creep”.

What probably happened is that US or Afghan forces hit either Taliban or ISIS-K positions (the latter possibly comprised of fresh Taliban defectors who the group might not have even been aware at the time had switched sides) near the Tajik border and attempted to take advantage of the fog of war by striking them with cruise missiles from what might have appeared to the militants to be the direction of the former Soviet frontier. That’s the only explanation that would generate enough uncertainty that the Taliban might have been manipulated into thinking that they were struck by the CSTO and therefore reconsider their participation in next week’s event.

Because of Russia’s publicly acknowledged political contacts with the Taliban, as well as the much stronger ties in this regard that its newfound Pakistani partner enjoys with the group , Moscow would have likely been able to sort out any potential misunderstanding with them prior to delivering its public denial of the Mainstream Media narrative. The lack of any prior consultations would have risked the possibility of the Taliban issuing its own statement that might have been partially influenced by this US psy-op, though that hasn’t been the case and therefore confirms that the group didn’t fall for the trap. It also testifies to the growing trust between both sides, too.

So long as nothing changes – which is doubtful but can’t theoretically be ruled out – then the US’ latest false flag attempt in Afghanistan can be considered a failure, though the very fact that it was undertaken in the first place caught all observers off guard after the highly publicized “bait-and-switch” with Syria. It was obvious that the US was going to try to undermine next week’s Moscow meeting one way or another, though few could have predicted that it would do so through these false flag means, but that just goes to show that Syria isn’t the only New Cold War battlefield nowadays where Washington is resorting to such tactics even if it stands a much greater chance of success there.


DISCLAIMER: The author writes for this publication in a private capacity which is unrepresentative of anyone or any organization except for his own personal views. Nothing written by the author should ever be conflated with the editorial views or official positions of any other media outlet or institution.

 

[angelburst29]

I found a follow up report on this on RT:

Peace talks with Taliban in Moscow postponed – Afghan president’s office

I article presents an interesting analysis:

Moscow’s Afghan Conference Is Postponed: Undignified Defeat Or Strategic Delay? - Eurasia Future

The abrupt postponement of next week’s Afghan conference in Moscow might look like an undignified Russian defeat in the face of a dangerous American provocation this morning, but it’s actually a strategic delay intended to make the outcome more fruitful by potentially including Kabul in this framework.

It’s partially because of Moscow’s success at getting the armed opposition to attend, however, that Washington refused to take part because it believed that Russia is legitimizing the political aspirations of the group that it’s been fighting for almost 17 years.

Therefore, while a superficial reading of the situation might suggest that the US did indeed succeed in its goal to undermine next week’s conference, it could never have thought that this outcome would backfire on it by actually being a strategic delay that might end up bringing Russia and Afghanistan closer as a result.

There is a link in the article above which I felt deserved to be posted here:

While Everyone Was Watching Syria, The US Tried To Stage A False Flag In Afghanistan - Eurasia Future

While the world was waiting with bated breath to see whether the US would really stage yet another chemical weapons false flag attack in Syria, Washington tried to pull a fast one in Afghanistan by manufacturing a fake crisis between Russia and the Taliban.

* nothing happened whatsoever and the entire narrative is a 100% psy-op;

* the Taliban really was bombed near the border but it was US or Afghan forces that did it;

* ISIS-K (including Taliban defectors to the group) was bombed by US or Afghan forces but they’re pretending that it was the Taliban that was hit and Russian or Tajik forces that carried it out.

It’s unlikely that the whole thing is a fabrication because otherwise it would have a zero chance of success in undermining next week’s meeting in Moscow unless its true purpose was to shape international perceptions and propagate the infowar narrative that Russia is falling into “mission creep”.

Great reporting, Ant22!

Focusing on your last link, the title is very appropriate, in explaining several events coming together to help mask a US false-flag. After being in Afghanistan for 17 years and counting, the Pentagon's Industrial Complex and Military establishment are too entrenched in the Country - to watch their aspirations disintegrate - with any form of Peace Deal formulated by Russia.

I suspect, this "staged" False Flag in Afghanistan is followed by an earlier attack on two policemen in the center of Moscow that occurred on August 23, near the Russian Foreign Ministry, with a fire then reported on the fourth floor of a Russian Central Bank (again) in the center of the city, on the same day.

23.08.2018 - 2 Policemen Attacked Near Diplomatic Properties in Moscow: One Wounded - Police
2 Policemen Attacked Near Diplomatic Properties in Moscow: One Wounded - Police

24.08.2018 - WATCH Gun Attack on Moscow Police Near Russian Foreign Ministry
WATCH Gun Attack on Moscow Police Near Russian Foreign Ministry

24.08.2018 - Russian Central Bank Ablaze in Moscow (Photo - video)
Russian Central Bank Ablaze in Moscow (PHOTO, VIDEO)

This Afghan False Flag might have been planned, as a trigger or pretext to another False Flag in Syria with chemical weapons? By news accounts, the stage has been set for a chemical attack using chlorine.

27.08.2018 - Top Afghan Official Rejects Claims About Supplying Arms to Daesh - Reports
Top Afghan Official Rejects Claims About Supplying Arms to Daesh - Reports

20 27.08.2018 - Russian MoD Denies Strike on Taliban Militants on Afghan-Tajik Border
Russian MoD Denies Strike on Taliban Militants on Afghan-Tajik Border

Sun Aug 26, 2018 - Russian MoD: Chemical Attack May Be Staged in Syria in 2 Days, as ‘Foreign Specialists’ Arrive
Farsnews

26 August، 2018 - Nasrallah: West preparing to stage new chemical incident in Idleb
Nasrallah: West preparing to stage new chemical incident in Idleb – Syrian Arab News Agency

25 August، 2018 - Russian MoD: Terrorists readying chemical attack in Idleb to justify new aggression on Syria
Russian MoD: Terrorists readying chemical attack in Idleb to justify new aggression on Syria – Syrian Arab News Agency

25 August، 2018 - Ryabkov: Moscow warns Washington and its allies of taking any new reckless steps in Syria
Ryabkov: Moscow warns Washington and its allies of taking any new reckless steps in Syria – Syrian Arab News Agency

Adding to the Afghan False Flag event, over night increase in Ceasefire violations in Idlib - on the heels of a major offensive by Syrian and Russian Military forces.

27.08.2018 - Russia Registered Ceasefire Violations in 13 Locations in Syrian Idlib Province
Russia Registered Ceasefire Violations in 13 Locations in Syrian Idlib Province

Along with US forces and the SDF have begun extracting crude oil from al-Tanak oilfield from Syria's second largest energy field in Eastern Deir Ezzur.

Sun Aug 26, 2018 - US Forces, Allied Militia Start Extracting Crude from Syria's Second Largest Oilfield
Farsnews

Plus, least we forget the plans - the Pentagon and Blackwater have for Afghanistan - in the near future ...

21.08.2018 - Blackwater Founder Hopes Bolton Embraces Plan for Privatizing Afghan War
Blackwater Founder Hopes Bolton Embraces Plan for Privatizing Afghan War

 

[Ant22]

Great reporting, Ant22!

Focusing on your last link, the title is very appropriate, in explaining several events coming together to help mask a US false-flag. After being in Afghanistan for 17 years and counting, the Pentagon's Industrial Complex and Military establishment are too entrenched in the Country - to watch their aspirations disintegrate - with any form of Peace Deal formulated by Russia.

I suspect, this "staged" False Flag in Afghanistan is followed by an earlier attack on two policemen in the center of Moscow that occurred on August 23, near the Russian Foreign Ministry, with a fire then reported on the fourth floor of a Russian Central Bank (again) in the center of the city, on the same day.

Thank you angelburst29, coming from you it certainly is a great compliment. Although I must admit that while you are connecting the dots I'm still largely discovering them.

Meanwhile the fake news campaign on Russia is still running rampant, this time from Reuters:

Russian MoD Denies Strike on Taliban Militants on Afghan-Tajik Border

The information from the British news agency Reuters about the alleged air strikes by Russian planes on Taliban militants in the northeast border area of Afghanistan does not correspond to reality, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Russian military aircraft did not carry out any combat missions near border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

According to Khalil Asir, an Afghan government official, the bombing started after two Tajik border guards were killed in a clash with the Taliban. Eight Taliban insurgents were killed and six others were wounded in the bombing, he added.

The Taliban has confirmed that there was a clash in the area and that it was followed by an airstrike.

Russia and Tajikistan have not yet commented on the incident.

Afghanistan's government forces have been waging operations against Daesh* and the Taliban* movement for years, with the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces conducting joint counterterrorist operations across the country.

Nevertheless, the bloodshed in Afghanistan continues.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) and the Taliban are terrorist groups, banned in Russia

 

[angelburst29]

A US soldier was killed and another wounded on Monday in what appears to be the continuation of a series of insider attacks against Pentagon forces deployed in Afghanistan, according to a spokesperson for the US military command.

Tue Sep 04, 2018 - ‘Insider Attack’: US Soldier Killed in Afghanistan, Sixth in 2018
Farsnews

The name and rank — as well as the details of the tragic incident — of the US soldier was not released, although the Pentagon reported that this is the sixth American killed in Afghanistan in 2018, cited by Reuters.

Monday's killing follows the insider killing of a US service-member in July in the Southern province of Uruzgan; shot dead by an armed member of the Afghan military.

"The sacrifice of our service member […] is a tragic loss," US General Scott Miller remarked , cited by Reuters.

Miller had taken over the reins of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan on the previous day.

Commonly referred to as ‘green on blue' attacks, insider attacks by armed Afghan soldiers on American soldiers and officers have remained a fixture of the 17-year US war in the Middle Eastern nation.

The US military command in Afghanistan reported that the wounded soldier was stable but withheld name and rank.


Tue Sep 04, 2018 - Founder of Afganistan Haqqani Militant Network Dead
Farsnews

According to a statement released by the Taliba, Mawlavi Jalaluddin Haqqani died of illness he was suffering during the recent years, Khaama Press reported.

The Taliban group has not disclosed further information regarding the death of Mawlavi Jalalauddin Haqqani.

Haqqani network was formed in the late 1970s by Jalaluddin Haqqani. The group is allied with al-Qaida and the Afghan Taliban and cooperates with other terrorist organizations in the region.

The network is accused of staging numerous cross-border attacks from their base in North Waziristan, including the 19-hour siege at the US Embassy in Kabul in September 2011.

It is considered the most lethal insurgent group targeting the NATO-led coalition security forces and Afghan personnel in Afghanistan.

 

[angelburst29]

Thu Sep 06, 2018 - ISIL Claims Deadly Bombings in Afghanistan's Capital City
Farsnews

The ISIL has claimed responsibility behind the deadly bombings in Kabul that left scores of people dead or wounded.

The group in a statement said the first attack was carried out by a suicide bomber named Sabir al-Khurasani while the second attack was carried out using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeting the gathering of people, including journalists,
Khaama Press reported.
The group also claimed that the attack has left more than 150 people dead or wounded.

Taliban Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement had earlier said the group has no links with the recent attack in Kabul city, claiming that Taliban strongly condemns attack on ordinary civilians.

The security officials and the Ministry of Public Health say that the death toll from the back to back explosions in Dasht Barchi area has reached to at least 21 people.

The first explosion took place at around 6pm local time after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a wrestling club.

The second blast took place almost 40 minutes after people had gathered in the area to help the victims.

The officials are saying that the two back to back explosions have also left more than 70 people wounded.


Thu Sep 06, 2018 - Airstrike Targets Taliban Leader’s Compound in Afghanistan's Faryab Province
Farsnews

An airstrike was carried out on Taliban leader’s compound in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan, leaving several militants dead or wounded.

The 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan Military in the North said the airstrike was carried out in the vicinity of Sayad Koh area in Sherin Tagab district, Khaama Press reported.

A statement by 209th Shaheen Corps said at least 13 militants were killed in the airstrike and four others sustained injuries.

The compound used by the Taliban leader Qari Rahmatullah was also destroyed in the airstrike, the statement by 209th Shaheen Corps added.

The 209th Shaheen Corps said at least 7 militants were killed and 3 others sustained injuries during a separate clash in Zoryan area of Qaisar district.

At least two Afghan soldiers also sustained injuries during the clashes with the Taliban militants, the statement added.

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

The security situation in northern Faryab province has deteriorated during the recent years amid ongoing efforts by the anti-government armed militants to expand their insurgency activities in key northern provinces.

 

[angelburst29]

September 7, 2018 - Mattis Makes Surprise Visit to Afghanistan
Mattis makes unannounced visit to Afghanistan

Jim Mattis at NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Kabul on Sept. 7, 2018 Photographer: Thomas Watkins/AFP via Getty Images

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made an unannounced stop in Afghanistan on Friday as the U.S. seeks to bolster President Ashraf Ghani’s efforts to reach a cease-fire and eventual peace agreement with the Taliban.

Mattis arrived at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul after a trip to Delhi, where he and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo met with their Indian counterparts.

Mattis’s visit comes days after a new U.S. commander, Army General Austin Miller, took over as head of U.S. and allied forces in America’s longest war. U.S. troops first attacked Afghanistan in late 2001 following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when the country was ruled by the Taliban. Miller acknowledged the toll the 17-year conflict has taken at his swearing-in ceremony.

“The world recognizes that Afghanistan cannot be a safe haven for terrorism,” Miller said Sept. 2. “The world recognizes that we cannot fail. I know this has been a long fight and it has been generational. For us, for the Afghan people.”

Mattis last visited Afghanistan in March, when he met with Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul.

While President Donald Trump has long chafed at the continuing U.S. presence in Afghanistan, he authorized Mattis to send additional troops to the country last year. About 14,000 U.S. troops are now in Afghanistan, down from a peak of about 100,000 during the Obama administration.

But those forces haven’t been able to bring stability to Afghanistan, despite appropriating about $126 billion for Afghanistan relief and reconstruction, including $78 billion for security. According to a July 31 report by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Afghan forces are continuing to lose ground as targeted terrorist attacks rise and poppy cultivation reaches record levels.

Among the more recent attacks, a suicide bomber on Wednesday struck at a wrestling club in the western region of Afghan capital and a second suicide car bomb near the club killed at least 20 people and injured 70 others, including some Afghan journalists. About 50 people people were killed last month in a suicide attack inside an Afghan classroom in Kabul.

As of Sept. 4, the Pentagon says 2,351 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan since hostilities began, with about 20,000 wounded.


September 7, 2018 - Mattis, in Afghanistan, tries Fostering Reconciliation as Security Worsens
Mattis, in Afghanistan, tries fostering reconciliation as security...

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during an unannounced visit to Kabul on Friday to discuss prospects for peace talks with the Taliban and the country’s deteriorating security situation ahead of upcoming elections.

Mattis was accompanied by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine General Joseph Dunford, who earlier in the week had gone to Islamabad with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on a mission to reset testy relations with Pakistan’s new government.

The United States has withheld $800 million of military aid from Pakistan this year, having accused Islamabad of turning a blind eye to, or helping, Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network fighters who stage attacks in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies doing so.

The United States is a year into its latest attempt to step up pressure on the Taliban by increasing air strikes and sending thousands more troops to train and advise the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).

Meeting Ghani in his presidential palace, the U.S. officials discussed progress to end the 17-year-old war, which has become America’s longest conflict.

“They discussed peace process, positive impact of the South Asia strategy, reforms in ANDSF, upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, counter-terrorism and dialogue with Pakistan,” Ghani’s official spokesman said in a tweet after the meeting.

Mattis and Dunford also met U.S. Army General Scott Miller assumed command of NATO forces in Afghanistan on Sunday.

As yet, there is little sign yet of Afghanistan becoming more secure and stable before a parliamentary election next month and a presidential election in April.

During recent weeks, the Taliban killed hundreds of soldiers and police and briefly seized the strategic city of Ghazni in a high profile assault.


9.07.2018 - Mattis makes surprise visit to Afghanistan (Video)
Mattis makes surprise visit to Afghanistan amid violence

 

[angelburst29]

Afghan media are facing growing pressure to cut back coverage of militant attacks following the death of two television reporters who were among 20 killed in an attack on a sports club in Kabul last week.

September 10, 2018 - Afghan Media under Pressure after Journalist Deaths
Afghan media under pressure after journalist deaths

Following an explosion in April that killed nine reporters, photographers and cameramen covering an attack, Afghanistan has been the deadliest country in the world for journalists this year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

On Wednesday, Samim Faramarz, a reporter for Tolo News, and cameraman Ramiz Ahmadi were killed by a car bomb apparently targeting first responders and journalists as they were covering a suicide attack at a wrestling club in Kabul.

Their deaths came two and a half years after seven Tolo TV employees were killed by a Taliban suicide attacker who rammed a car bomb into a bus driving them home from the station.

Media coverage of attacks had already been noticeably reduced following the deadly blast in April and last week’s incident is likely to restrict coverage further, said Lotfullah Najafizada, head of Tolo News.

“The space is shrinking,” he told Reuters. “We have lost colleagues in four separate attacks in two years alone. That demonstrates that the media is under immense pressure.”

Afghanistan’s vibrant media sector has been one of the comparatively few undisputed success stories in the years following the overthrow of the Taliban, with the appearance of stations like Tolo as well as an array of competitors including 1TV, Ariana News, Shamshad TV and Khurshid TV.

With international media presence in Afghanistan sharply reduced since the withdrawal of international troops in 2014, domestic media outlets have filled the gap but their work has become increasingly difficult.

“You have a lot of no-go areas, there is a long list of things you cannot do,” Najafizada said.

Already large parts of the countryside, much of which is under the control of the Taliban, are out of bounds for journalists, who have been regarded with suspicion and sometimes outright hostility by the insurgents.

As the major cities still controlled by the government become increasingly dangerous, there would be more restrictions on coverage, less access and less support, he said.

“This is certainly creating another layer of restrictions for a free press which is worrying.”

For the journalists and media workers themselves, the growing roll call of colleagues killed while working is an increasingly oppressive fact of life.

“It has been proved to the world that Afghanistan is not a safe place for people of Afghanistan and for journalists,” said Soraya Amiri, a Tolo News producer.

“This is a clear and bitter fact that we have to believe and accept.”


September 11, 2018 - Afghan Taliban prepare for new Peace Talks with US: sources
Afghan Taliban prepare for new peace talks with U.S.: sources

The Taliban are preparing to send a delegation for further talks with U.S. officials about ending the conflict in Afghanistan, two officials involved with the process said on Tuesday, adding that the meeting could address a possible prisoner swap.
The two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Taliban leaders were meeting to discuss the makeup of the three- or four-person delegation and the subjects to be discussed.

They said the Taliban would like to discuss an exchange of prisoners and could hold another meeting soon if the United States showed seriousness in talks by releasing prisoners.

“This meeting will determine the future talks and we would see if the U.S. is serious and sincere in negotiation,” one of the officials involved said.

“We would hand over a list of prisoners languishing in jails across Afghanistan. If they set free our prisoners then we would meet again for another great cause.”

If confirmed, the meeting would follow an earlier round of talks in Doha in July, where Taliban officials met Alice Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia at the U.S. State Department.

The Taliban delegation at the planned upcoming meeting would be led by the head of the group’s Qatar-based political office, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanakzai, the officials said.

However they said the high command was planning to replace Stanakzai, who has been serving as interim head, with a new permanent head of the Qatar office.

“You may know Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanakzai was deputed in the Qatar office on acting charge basis. The top leadership is now planning to appoint someone else in his place,” one said.

Hopes that peace talks to end the 17-year conflict in Afghanistan have stuttered in recent months, following the failure to agree a repeat of the unprecedented Eid ceasefire in June which saw unarmed Taliban fighters mingling with security forces in Kabul and other cities.

Over the past year, the United States has stepped up air strikes against the Taliban and boosted training for Afghan forces. However U.S. officials say the goal is to reach a negotiated, Afghan-led settlement to end the war.

On the Taliban side, the assault on the strategic city of Ghazni last month that killed hundreds of soldiers, police and civilians underlined the insurgents’ determination to increase pressure on the Western-backed government in Kabul.

 

[angelburst29]

The Islamic State terrorist organization (Daesh) is on the rise in war-torn Afghanistan, and the group's numbers could soon grow to up to 10,000 members in the country, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia warned during a Security Council meeting on Monday.

17.09.2018 - Number of Daesh Terrorists in Afghanistan Could Grow to 10,000 - Envoy to UN
Number of Daesh Terrorists in Afghanistan Could Grow to 10,000 - Envoy to UN

"At the focus of our close attention is a surge of terrorist activity by the Afghan wing of ISIL [Daesh terror group*], whose ranks are growing largely due to foreign fighters with battlefield experience in Syria and Iraq," Nebenzia said. "According to our information, the number of ISIL adherents may reach 10,000 individuals."

Nebenzia noted that Russia is troubled by the Daesh’s attempts to reach an agreement with the Taliban and other organizations in an effort to coordinate operations. Contacts have strengthened between Daesh and representatives of the Islamic Turkistan movement, he added.

Nebenzia also said that it is necessary to proactively leverage the UN Security Council’s sanctions mechanisms, and pointed out that Russia advocates for additional barriers to preempt terrorist activity in the country by targeting individual and entities complicit in Daesh operations.

The fight against Daesh in Afghanistan would be far more effective if regional and international efforts were brought together, Nebenzia said.

Afghanistan has long been suffering from an unstable security situation. The government has been fighting the Taliban, which has been waging a war against Kabul for almost two decades, and against Daesh.


(Comment - The New Daesh Headquarters?)
17.09.2018 - NATO to Build Massive Command-and-Control Center in Afghanistan's Capital
NATO to Build Massive Command-and-Control Center in Afghanistan’s Capital

Almost 17 years after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, NATO is now bidding a contract to build a large, concrete command-and-control center in Kabul, the country’s capital and largest city.

According to a NATO procurement document, the complex is expected to consist of more than 800 work spaces, Stars and Stripes reported Monday. The structure is planned to be a three-story, 120,000-square-foot concrete building. However, according to officials, additional details cannot be released during the bidding and design phase of the project, Stripes and Stripes reported Monday.

Earlier this summer, a permanent passenger terminal and control tower were built at NATO's helicopter landing zone in Kabul due to an increase in air traffic and security concerns amid heightened violence in the capital.

"This project was accomplished rapidly… due to the significant increase of helicopter flights at [Resolute Support] RS HQ, which made the previous provisional arrangements untenable," the NATO Support and Procurement Agency said in a July statement.


15.09.2018 - Five People Killed in Military Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan - Reports
Five People Killed in Military Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan - Reports

Five people were killed in a crash of a military helicopter in the province of Farah, the west of Afghanistan, the 1TV broadcaster reported.

All the servicemen on board, including four passengers and a pilot, were killed in the crash, the 1TV broadcaster reported, citing governor of the Khaki Safed district Mohammad Navrozi.

According to the governor of the Khaki Safed district, the helicopter was fired at by the Taliban* militants.

However, the provincial governor's spokesman Naser Mehri denied it, saying the helicopter crashed due to a technical malfunction, and not as a result of a Taliban attack.

Earlier in September, a Moldovan MI-8 MTV helicopter belonging to the Valan International Cargo Charter carrier, crashed in the Afghan northern province of Balkh, with two crew members and 10 passengers killed.

 

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October 4, 2018 - US Soldier killed in combat in Afghanistan
U.S. soldier killed in combat in Afghanistan | Reuters

A U.S. soldier was killed in fighting in Afghanistan, a senior U.S. general said on Thursday, bringing the American combat death toll this year to seven service members.

U.S. General Joseph Votel, speaking to Pentagon reporters in Washington, declined to offer details, citing the need to notify the soldier’s family. The Pentagon says there are about 14,000 U.S. service members in Afghanistan. More than 2,400 U.S. forces have died in the 17-year-old war, America’s longest conflict.

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.

President Donald Trump has expressed scepticism about America’s involvement in the war. Critics warn his military cannot promise to defeat the Taliban anytime soon or overcome Afghanistan’s vast political divisions and entrenched corruption.

Although Trump administration officials emphasize efforts to broker a peace agreement with the Taliban, many U.S. officials are not sure a meaningful deal can be reached as long as the Taliban believe they are in a relative position of strength.

U.S.-backed Afghan forces, meanwhile, have sustained heavy losses fighting the Taliban. Votel said he believed the number of Afghan military casualties had risen this year against last year, despite increasing U.S. support under Trump.

“It is my understanding that it (the number of Afghan casualties) is increasing,” Votel said.

Votel compared of the Afghan force to a soldier with a bloody nose, who was still standing and fighting.


04.10.2018 - Resolute Support: US Soldier killed in Afghanistan, incident under investigation
Resolute Support: US Soldier Killed in Afghanistan, Incident Under Investigation

A US soldier belonging to the NATO mission in Afghanistan has been killed in combat, the alliance's Resolute Support said in a press release.

"One US service member assigned to the NATO Resolute Support mission was killed in Afghanistan on October 4," the release said.

Resolute Support and United States Forces-Afghanistan Commanding General Scott Miller said forces on the ground remain committed to their mission.

The name of the soldier will not be released for at least 24 hours after the family is notified, the release said.

The security situation in Afghanistan has recently been deteriorating with clashes and attacks by militants erupting practically every day in different parts of the country, which claim lives of police officers, servicemen, security personnel and civilians.


05.10.2018 - Afghan forces kill 4 Taliban Militants in Western Herat Province - Reports
Afghan Forces Kill 4 Taliban Militants in Western Herat Province - Reports

Afghan security forces have defused 60 landmines and killed four militants from the Taliban movement in the country's western Herat province, as Pajhwok news agency reported on Thursday, citing local authorities.

The landmines were found in a Taliban arms depot in Herat's Shindand district, according to the Pajhwok news agency.

The killed militants were experts in making and planting explosive devices, the agency reported.

 

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October 12, 2018 - Taliban restore Red Cross Security Guarantee in Afghanistan
Taliban restore Red Cross security guarantee in Afghanistan | Reuters

The Taliban have reinstated a security guarantee in Afghanistan for the International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC), two months after withdrawing safe passage for the neutral humanitarian agency, the militant group and an ICRC official said on Friday.

A meeting in the Taliban’s Qatar-based political office between its leaders and agency officials ended with the renewal of a pact allowing the agency to continue to provide, and expand, medical aid to all parties harmed by warfare.

“The security agreement...is once again reinstated and calls on all mujahideen to grant access...and provide security for the personnel and equipment of this organization,” the Taliban said in a statement, referring to its members.

The Taliban leadership in Doha discussed the humanitarian situation and security concerns before renewing the pledge, said Andrea Catta Preta, the ICRC’s spokeswoman in the Afghan capital.

“We told the Taliban leaders about our support to all prisoners in Afghanistan jails, we explained our medical programs,” she added. “Finally, we reached an understanding.”

In August, the Taliban had accused the Red Cross of failing to provide adequate medical aid to prisoners on a hunger strike in Kabul’s Pul-e Charkhi prison and withdrew the security cover.

The decision forced the ICRC to suspend several emergency programs in Afghanistan, where it has had a presence for three decades and about 1,000 staff. Last year it scaled back operations after attacks killed seven of its staff.

The ICRC treats all parties harmed by warfare and does not take sides. It operates in Taliban-controlled areas with guarantees of safety and helps to repatriate bodies from both sides after fighting between the militants and the Afghan army.


Fri Oct 12, 2018 - Several Dead as Airstrikes Target Gathering of Taliban Leaders in Wardak
Farsnews

Several Taliban militants including their high ranking leaders were killed during the operations of the Afghan armed forces in Central Maidan Wardak province.

The Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security (NDS), in a statement said the intelligence operatives conducted a special operation in Syedabad district with the support of the air forces, Khaama Press reported.

The statement further added that 21 militants including some high ranking leaders of the Taliban and Haqqani network were killed during the operations.

The key Taliban leaders killed during the operations include Taliban’s shadow intelligence chief Mawlavi Naqibullah also famous as Majid, Taliban leader in charge of looking after the disabled militants Mawlavi Abdul Rahman, Haqqani network leader Mawlavi Saif Ur Rehman, Mawlavi Samad, Taliban’s shadow district chief for Syedabad, Taliban’s commander for Tangi area of Syedabad Mawlavi Syedullah, and Taliban commander in charge of a group of 15 militants Mullah Naqib, NDS said.

At least 15 other militants were also killed during the operations and 2 others sustained injuries, NDS added in its statement.

The statement also added that the operations were conducted while the militants were busy planning their future attacks.


Fri Oct 12, 2018 - Taliban Militants, Civilians Suffer Heavy Casualties in Premature Car Bomb Explosion
Farsnews

At least nineteen people, including Taliban militants and ordinary civilians, were killed or wounded in a premature car bomb explosion in Northern Faryab province of Afghanistan.

The 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan Military in the North in a statement said the incident has taken place in the vicinity of Khwaja Namosi Bazar, leaving at least ten militants and five civilians dead, Khaama Press reported.

The statement further added that the Taliban militants were looking to detonate the car bomb in Maimana city to target security forces or the electoral campaigns.

However, the 209th Shaheen Corps said the car bomb went prematurely as the militants were transporting it to the city, leaving ten militants dead and four others wounded.

According to the 209th Shaheen Corps, at least five civilians also lost their lives in the explosion.

The anti-government 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 are actively operating in some of its districts and often carry out terrorist related activities.


Thu Oct 11, 2018 - UN: +8,000 Afghan Civilian Killed, Injured in 2018
Farsnews

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that at least 8,050 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first nine months of 2018.

The UNAMA said in a report issued on Wednesday that the figure in 2018 saw slight increase compared to the same period a year earlier, when there were 8,084 casualties, with deaths this year increasing five percent to 2,798 and injuries decreasing three percent to 5,252, World News reported.

"As there can be no military solution to the fighting in Afghanistan, the United Nations renews its call for an immediate and peaceful settlement to the conflict," Tadamichi Yamamoto, the top UN official in Afghanistan, stated.

Afghan people still face insecurity 17 years after the United States and its allies invaded the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror.


Wed Oct 10, 2018 - Taliban Commander Leading Group of 50 Militants Killed in Faryab Airstrike
Farsnews

A Taliban local commander who was in charge of a group of at least 50 militants was killed in an airstrike in Northern Faryab province of Afghanistan.

The 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan Military in the North in a statement said the airstrike was carried out at around 12:20am on Wednesday, Khaama Press reported.

The statement further added that the airstrike left at least seven militants dead, including a Taliban commander who was in charge of a group of at least 50 militants.

According to 209th Shaheen Corps, the airstrike was carried out in the vicinity of Shakh area of Qaisar district.

The Taliban commander killed in the airstrike has been identified as Mullah Daud Taimani, the 209th Shaheen Corps added in its statement.

 

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Iran Warns of Spread of Terrorism in Afghanistan

Farsnews

Sarmadi made the remarks in a meeting with Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)'s 17th summit in Dushanbe on Friday.

During the meeting, the two high-ranking officials studied the latest developments in bilateral ties, stressing the need to strengthen them.

Sarmadi referred to the security situation of the region and transfer of terrorists from Iraq and Syria to Afghanistan, and said, "We consider Afghanistan's security as our own security and we will not spare any assistance to confront them (the terrorist groups)."

Elsewhere, he underscored Iran's resistance against the sanctions imposed by the US President Donald Trump's administration, dismissing unilateralism in the world.

The US and certain regional states have been witnessed attempting to transfer the terrorists from Iraq and Syria to Afghanistan after their failures in the two countries.

In relevant remarks in February, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami in a phone conversation with his Afghan counterpart Tariq Shah Bahrami warned that Washington was implementing plots to transfer the ISIL terrorist group to Afghanistan.

During the conversation, General Hatami voiced regret over the death of hundreds of innocent Afghan people in the recent terrorist attacks, stressing, "Iran has always been concerned about foreign plots against the Afghan people."

He said that the Americans had created the ISIL to use them in Iraq and Syria, and added, "The US attempted to take the ISIL out of the battlefield after its heavy defeats in the two countries and transfer them to Afghanistan to justify its presence in Afghanistan with their shameless crimes."

General Hatami warned that the US was pursuing plans to increase military forces in Afghanistan, and said establishment of security in Afghanistan was possible only through the regional states' positive approach and use of their common capacities to fight against terrorism.

 

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Taliban Ambushes Afghan And NATO Forces In Helmand

On October 13, the Taliban ambushed a convoy of Afghan government forces and the NATO in the district of Marjah in the southern province of Helmand, according to the Afghan group news agency Voice of Jihad. The convoy was reportedly on its way to lift the siege of a nearby military base.

Voice of Jihad said that during the ambush five armored vehicles were destroyed with 13 IEDs, which had been planted by Taliban fighters. As a result, 16 personnel of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP) were killed.

Earlier this week, Afghan Air Force (AAF) warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on Taliban gatherings and positions in Helmand killing and injuring 40 elements of the Afghan group. The new ambush may be a response to the AAF airstrikes.

Taliban stepped up its operations in southern Afghanistan lately, especially in Helmand and Zabul. By doing so, the Afghan group is trying to secure its smuggling routes on the Afghan-Pakistani border.


Taliban Captures Afghanistan’s Southeastern City: Spokesman - Tasnim News Agency

Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan’s southeastern city of Khoshamand in Paktika Province has fallen into the hands of the militant group.

In a statement released on Saturday, Mujahid said that Khoshamand was seized by Taliban forces following an attack on the headquarters of police in the city.

In the attack, the police chief of the city and 10 security forces were killed, six others were injured, and another six were captured by the Taliban militants, according to the statement.

He also said two members of the Taliban were killed and four others were injured in the clash with the police forces.

The development came as the US envoy for Afghanistan peace efforts arrived in Kabul on Saturday after meeting Taliban leaders in Qatar in an effort to find a way to end the 17-year-old war in the country, three Afghan officials said.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born US adviser, met with Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday and briefed him about his 10-day tour of four countries conducted in a bid to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, Reuters reported.

A senior member of the Taliban confirmed that Khalilzad met the Taliban leadership on Friday in Doha.

"Both sides discuss prospects of peace and the US presence in Afghanistan," said the official, requesting anonymity.


PressTV-Taliban agrees to continue talks with US

Afghan militant group Taliban have announced they will continue the so-called peace talks with the United States, insisting however that no tangible agreement has been reached in a first round of meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement on Saturday that continuing with the talks was mutually agreed in the Doha meeting a day earlier between representatives of the group and delegation led by veteran US diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad.

“Both sides spoke (about) an end to the occupation and a peaceful solution to the Afghan issue ... Both sides agreed to continue meeting in the future,” said Mujahid, without elaborating.

Other Taliban sources described the Friday discussions as “detailed”, saying head of Taliban’s Qatar office Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanakzai, led the group’s delegation to the talks.

“It was an introductory meeting in which an eight-member US delegation held a detailed meeting with members of our political office,” a senior Taliban member said.

Another Taliban official, requesting anonymity, said the talks were focused on US military presence in Afghanistan, which the militants say is a main impediment to peace.

It said Khalilzad, an Afghan-born US diplomat and a former Washington envoy to Kabul, had requested a six-month ceasefire to be announced by the Taliban before parliamentary polls on October 20.

A Taliban source said the group asked in return for a mechanism that would lead to the release of militants from Afghan jails.

“Neither side agreed to accept the other’s demands immediately, but they agreed to meet again and find a solution to the conflict,” said the source, adding that Khalilzad had called for the formation of special committees that could facilitate the release of prisoners.

Reports said Khalilzad was in Kabul on Saturday to brief Afghan President Ashraf Ghani about his 10-day tour of four countries, namely Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, that could play a role in peace efforts on Afghanistan.

However, Washington, which appointed Khalilzad special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, did not confirm his meeting with the Taliban in Doha. It only said in a statement that “All citizens of Afghanistan must be a part of this reconciliation process”, clearly a sign that Washington was approving of the talks with a group that has been its main enemy in Afghanistan for the past 17 years.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to topple a government led by the Taliban. The administration of US President Donald Trump is struggling to find a way out of the costly conflict as the Taliban has managed to reassert itself in several provinces by taking control of key areas.

Kabul blames Taliban for the bulk of more than 8,000 deaths in Afghanistan since the start of 2018. It says the group has also managed to dissuade people from participating in the upcoming general elections.

 

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'US Agrees to Discuss Troop Pullout': Claim Afghan Taliban Officials

Reports coming after a Friday meeting in Doha, Qatar, between US diplomats and top Afghan Taliban officials suggest that Washington has agreed to discuss bringing its troops home and end America’s 17-year war in Afghanistan.

During Friday's preliminary talks, US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad discussed with the Taliban conditions to bring about the end of the US's 17-year war in Afghanistan, according to two ranking Taliban officials speaking on condition of anonymity, as reported by Al Jazeera.

"Six US delegates arrived in Doha to have a meeting with our [Taliban] leaders [and] agreed to discuss all issues, including the pullout of foreign troops," an unnamed Afghan Taliban official stated.

"But it was a preliminary meeting and all issues were discussed in general, not in detail," the anonymous Taliban official asserted, adding that additional talks are expected in upcoming months, cited by Al Jazeera.

Taliban demands for a peaceful resolution of almost two decades of conflict in Afghanistan at the hands of the US include the complete pullout of all American military personnel, including contract mercenaries, as well as the lifting of sanctions against its leaders, freedom for imprisoned Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, and the creation and recognition of its official political party.

Following Friday's exploratory talks, Khalilzad and other US officials refused to comment on progress between the two belligerents, according to Al Jazeera.

US officials, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells, previously met with Taliban officials in Qatar in July.

Appointed in September as US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Khalilzad has in recent months met with representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Afghanistan in a bid to forge a path to peace.

The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as a reaction to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, with the mission lasting until December 28, 2014. In 2015, NATO initiated a new mission, Resolute Support, aimed at training Afghan security forces. Nevertheless, seemingly endless US operations have shown limited effectiveness at establishing an enduring peace in Afghanistan.

 

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Afghanistan unlikely to revise security agreement with US, says Russian diplomat

According to Zamir Kabulov, the presence of contingents from the US and NATO countries in Afghanistan hardly helps to stabilize the situation in the region

Kabul is unlikely to revise at the moment an agreement on security with Washington regulating the stationing of US troops in the Islamic republic, Zamir Kabulov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s second Asia department and special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, said in an interview with TASS on Tuesday.

"As far as we know, the Afghan parliament has not voted as of yet to revise the above security agreement with the US. We only know that many parliamentarians are in favor of that," the diplomat said.

"The reason behind this is that this treaty regulating the stationing of American troops in Afghanistan in practice does not contribute in any way to stabilization of the situation in the country. However, it would seem that the Afghan side will hardly go to the length of reviewing this agreement," he added.

According to Kabulov, although the presence of contingents from the US and NATO countries in Afghanistan prevents the military situation from collapsing, it in no way helps to stabilize the situation in the region. "That is why we are confident that it is necessary to stop relying on power politics towards the armed opposition, that Washington and its Western allies are advancing at the moment, but to give a boost to political and diplomatic efforts towards an early start of a dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia)," the diplomat stressed.


Taliban attacks kill, wound dozens of Afghan forces

Taliban militants in Afghanistan have killed and wounded dozens of Afghan police forces, including a provincial police chief, in heavy fighting in the northern and central parts of the country, just ahead of parliamentary polls that the militants have vowed to disrupt.

Clashes took place in the Darah Sof Payan district of northern Samangan Province on Monday night, killing 11 police officers — including the province’s Police Chief General Khawani Tahari — and wounding 30 others, said Provincial Council member Naqibullah Tataar on Tuesday.

Fifteen more local police forces were also taken hostage by the militants during the battle, which began in the Zerki Village of the district, Tataar added.

He said that the militants also seized a large quantity of armaments, military vehicles, and equipment.

Local press reports cited Samangan’s police spokesman Mohammad Moniir Rahimi as saying that the Taliban terrorists, who claimed responsibility for the attacks, also suffered heavy casualties. He said 14 Taliban militants were killed and 16 were wounded.


No confirmation yet missing Soviet pilot found in Afghanistan, says diplomat

According to aerlier reports, the pilot was allegedly downed in 1987

Rumors a missing Soviet air pilot has been found alive in Afghanistan have not been confirmed for now, Russia’s special presidential representative for Afghanistan, director of the Foreign Ministry’s Asian Department Zamir Kabulov, has told TASS.

"Regrettably, there has been no confirmation a Soviet air pilot who went missing in Afghanistan in 1987 has been found," Kabulov said.

On May 31, the chief of the joint commission for POW affairs of the Russian Defense Ministry, co-chairman of the Russian-US commission on POWS and MIAs, Valery Vostrotin, said that a Soviet air pilot, listed missing in Afghanistan in 1987, had been found alive.