Afghanistan

[angelburst29]

At least 35 people at wedding party killed during nearby Afghan army raid

Relatives of a wedding party victims sit outside the emergency hospital gate in Helmand, Afghanistan September 23, 2019, in this still image taken from a video. Reuters TV via REUTERS

At least 35 civilians attending a wedding party were killed and 13 people wounded by explosions and gunfire during a raid by Afghan government forces on a nearby militant hideout, two officials in southern Helmand province said on Monday.

The officials said the house being used by the Taliban to train suicide bombers was located adjacent to the bride’s home that came under fire during Sunday night’s attack.

A senior Afghan Defense Ministry official said the raid was against “a foreign terrorist group actively engaged in organizing terrorist attacks”.

“During the operation, a large warehouse of the terrorists’ supplies and equipment was also demolished,” the official said.

A second Afghan Defense Ministry official said a foreign militant detonated a suicide vest that killed him and others around him, including a woman.

“The compound was being used to train men and women who were willing to become suicide bombers, we raided it. We are aware that civilians were injured in the attack,” he said.

Attaullah Afghan, a member of the Helmand provincial council member, said 35 civilians people attending the wedding party near to the attack site in the Khaksar area of Musa Qala district were killed and 13 were injured.

A second provincial council member, Abdul Majid Akhundzadah, said 40 people, all civilians.

The Defense Ministry said the Taliban hideout was also used by foreign nationals working for the hardline Islamist group.

“As a result of a joint operation in Musa Qala district of Helmand, 22 Taliban members were killed and 14 others arrested,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that five Pakistanis and one Bangladeshi national were among those arrested.

Bombing, air strikes and ground clashes between the U.S. backed Afghan forces and hardline Islamist groups have intensified following the collapse of the U.S.-Taliban talks and ahead of the presidential polls next week.

A senior U.S. defense official in Afghanistan said the operation was aimed against al Qaeda fighters but did not give any details about civilian casualties.

Sep 23 2019 - Afghan Anti-Taliban Raid Kills Some 40 Civilians at Wedding Party
Dozens of civilians lost their lives as Afghan government forces accidentally opened fire on a wedding ceremony during a raid
against a nearby Taliban hideout in the Southern province of Helmand.

Sep 21 2019 - Report: Afghan Officials Warned of Civilian Presence in Letter Days Ahead of US Drone Strike
Days before civilians were killed in a US strike, village elders in Afghanistan's Wazir Tangi area reportedly sent a letter to the governor of the country's Eastern Nangarhar province about plans to recruit 200 laborers and kids to help harvest pine nuts.

Comment: The impression I'm getting - these two incidents were "deliberately planned by the Pentagon" to create a high civilian mortality rate, as some kind of justification - to convince Trump to abandon his proposals to reduce American Troops and the military foot-print in Afghanistan? Innocent lives are being "sacrificed" to keep the Pentagon in business. The Power(s) behind the Pentagon have over-ridden Presidential Executive Privilege, granted through Constitutional Law, in determining and executing Foreign Policy and it's War practices.
Even if Trump would invoke "an Emergency Declaration of War" against a foreign State/Country, he's vested to go through a series of Congressional Legislative Protocols before official authorization is granted. There is "no U.S. official Declaration of War" against any Middle Eastern County - so why are thousands of U.S. military personnel in these Countries? Because the Pentagon established "bases" and they have been used as staging grounds for operation (and to by-pass Congressional approval). One of the reasons, Trump wants to downsize and eliminate many of the 800+ military bases around the World. It might be in Trump's best interests (and that of the American people) if Trump would authorize a Military Tribunal and start arresting some of these high ranking Military animals?

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml...)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true

 

[angelburst29]

Afghan voters defy attacks, delays to vote for president

Afghans braved the threat of militant attacks and delays at polling booths to vote in a presidential election on Saturday, a major test of the Western-backed Afghan government's ability to protect democracy despite Taliban attempts to derail the polls.

Explosion occurs near polling station in Afghan city of Kandahar
An explosion occurred near a polling station in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Saturday just an hour after voters began queuing to cast their vote to elect a new president.

Taliban worries loom as Afghanistan prepares to vote for a president

Millions of Afghans are expected to brave the threat of militant attacks to vote in a presidential election on Saturday, hoping to prevent a repeat of a bitter, fraud-marred and ultimately unresolved poll in 2014.

U.S. ambassador rebukes Afghan president over aid agency criticism

The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan rebuked the country's president on Friday for labeling Washington's aid agency "incompetent", escalating tensions between the countries over financial support on the eve of elections.

Numbed by war, generations of Afghans seek solace in voting

FILE PHOTO: Director of the National Museum of Afghanistan Omara Khan Massoudi speaks to the media as then director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor (L) listens, during a preview of the exhibition "Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World" at the British Museum in London March 1, 2011. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo

Nearly two decades ago, an Afghan man risked his life to protect the country's prized artefacts by hiding them in the basement of the central bank office in Kabul as Taliban Islamists destroyed the capital's museum.

Omara Khan Masoudi, a former director of the National Museum, witnessed the tumultuous period that led to the Soviet occupation, followed by civil war, the Taliban regime and then the still-continuing U.S.-backed war against the insurgents.

Masoudi, 71, achieved success as a custodian of Afghanistan’s historical relics but he feels anguish just before a presidential election. Leaders have failed to be guardians and defenders of the national interest, he said.

“An election is one of the main exercise of a democratic system but it has lost its meaning in Afghanistan,” Masoudi said at his residence.

Decades of war destroyed people’s lives and holding elections despite the violence is a reminder of Afghans’ ability to withstand adversity, Masoudi said.

 

[angelburst29]

Taliban, U.S. envoy in Pakistan to review broken peace talks

October 2, 2019 - Afghan Taliban officials were due in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of reviving talks for a political settlement in Afghanistan, Pakistan's foreign ministry and the insurgent group said.

The high-profile Taliban delegation was arriving as the top U.S. diplomat involved in talks with the militants, Zalmay Khalilzad, also met government officials in Islamabad.

It was not clear if the Taliban would meet Khalilzad, though one senior Pakistani government official said that might happen.

The Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the group’s founders, was due to discuss “important issues” with Pakistani officials, spokesman Suhail Shaheen said.

The visit, the latest stop on a tour of regional powers including Russia, China and Iran by Taliban officials, comes after efforts by the militants and the United States to reach a deal allowing for the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces broke down last month.

“The visit would provide the opportunity to review the progress made under U.S.-Taliban peace talks so far, and discuss the possibilities of resuming the paused political settlement process in Afghanistan,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. It said a meeting between the insurgents and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was being finalized.

Khalilzad, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, has been meeting Pakistani officials in Islamabad following discussions between Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the United States.

“These consultations follow discussions held between the United States and Pakistan during the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week,” said a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad via email.


The spokesman did not say if Khalilzad was still in Pakistan on Wednesday or if he planned to meet the Taliban officials. A top Pakistan government official told Reuters that the Taliban would likely meet Khan, and that, “we’re trying that we will convince the Taliban that the delegation also meets Zalmay Khalilzad”.

The official said the meetings would focus on attempting to convince the Taliban to include the Afghan government in the peace talks. The insurgents have previously refused to negotiate with what they call an illegitimate “puppet” regime in Kabul.

Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, said on Twitter that the Afghan government should be involved in any peace process.

“No progress will be imminent if a peace process is not owned and led by the Afghan government, he said.

Progress on Peace?
The United States has long considered Pakistani cooperation crucial to efforts to end the war in Afghanistan.

Trump last month halted the talks with the Taliban, aimed at striking a deal allowing U.S. and other foreign troops to withdraw in exchange for Taliban security guarantees, following the death of a U.S. solder and 11 others in a Taliban bomb attack in Kabul.

The Taliban delegation would inform Pakistan’s leadership of the factors that derailed the talks, said a Taliban official who declined to be identified. The Taliban also planned to follow up on Khan’s recent comment that he would try to convince Trump to resume the talks, the Taliban official said.

Baradar, the head of the delegation, was making his first known visit to Pakistan since he was released from a Pakistani jail a year ago.

Previously the coordinator of the group’s military operations in southern Afghanistan, he was arrested in 2010 by a team from Pakistani and U.S. intelligence agencies.

The U.S. and Taliban said last month, shortly before talks broke off, that they were close to reaching a deal, despite concerns among some U.S. security officials and within the Afghan government that a U.S. withdrawal could plunge the country into even more conflict and open the way for a resurgence of Islamist militant factions.

Pakistan and Taliban call for U.S. to resume Afghan peace talks

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi welcomes Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who is leading Taliban Political Commission (TPC) delegation, upon his arrival at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Islamabad, Pakistan October 3, 2019. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)/ Handout via REUTERS

ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR - Peace talks in Afghanistan must resume as soon as possible, Pakistan and the Taliban militant group urged on Thursday, after President Donald Trump broke off negotiations last month seeking to end the United States' longest war.

The United States has long considered Pakistan’s cooperation crucial to efforts to end the war in Afghanistan. “It was emphasized that reduction of violence by all parties to the conflict was necessary,” the ministry said, adding that such a step would help to speed resumption of the peace effort.

 

[angelburst29]

Blasts collapse roof at Afghan mosque, killing at least 62 at Friday prayers
KABUL Oct. 18, 2019 - Multiple explosions at a mosque in eastern Afghanistan collapsed the roof on worshippers during Friday prayers, killing at least 62 and wounding more than 100, officials said.

Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for Nangarhar province’s governor, said bombs had been placed inside the mosque in the Jawdara area of Haska Mena district.

“People using an excavator are still working to bring out the bodies and injured from under the roof,” said Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the provincial council in Nangarhar, adding that the death toll was likely to rise.

Malik Mohammadi Gul Shinwari, a tribal elder from the area, said that the mosque had been destroyed.

No group immediately claimed responsibility but the government accused Taliban insurgents, who are fighting to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster by U.S.-led forces.

Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the presidential palace, condemned what he said was a suicide bomb attack. “The Taliban and their partners’ heinous crimes continue to target civilians at the time of worship,” Sediqqi added.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban, denied responsibility.

“All witnesses say it was a mortar attack by Kabul Adm.(Administration) forces,” he said in a tweet.

The Taliban and Islamic State fighters are actively operating in parts of Nangarhar which shares a border with Pakistan in the east.

In western Herat province, six civilians were killed and five wounded when their vehicle was hit by roadside bomb, Jailani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor, said. Women and children are among the victims, Farhad added.

A U.N. report recorded 4,313 civilians killed and wounded in Afghanistan in the past three months.

Slideshow (3 Images)
Blasts collapse roof at Afghan mosque, killing at least 62 at Friday prayers

Oct 18 2019 - Blasts in Afghanistan Mosque Kill Scores of Worshippers

Scores of people have been killed and more than 100 others wounded by several blasts in a mosque in Eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, according to local officials.

Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for Nangarhar's governor, said at least 62 people had been killed by the explosions, which rocked the building in the province's Haska Mena district during Friday prayers, Al-Jazeera reported.

Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the provincial council in Nangarhar, told Reuters news agency that more than 100 others had been wounded in the incident and the death toll was likely to increase.

"The number of casualties may rise as the rescue team and people are working to bring out the bodies from the rubble," Qaderi said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts, which took place a day after the United Nations announced violence in the country had reached "unacceptable" levels.

The figures - 1,174 deaths and 3,139 wounded from July 1 until September 30 this year - represent a 42 percent increase over the same period last year. More than 40 percent of the casualties were women and children.

The UN laid the blame mainly at the feet of "anti-government elements" such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group and the Taliban, though it also documented an alarming rise in casualties caused by pro-government forces.

Both ISIL and the Taliban are active in Nangarhar province, with Afghan security forces struggling to battle both groups after the United States and NATO officially concluded their combat mission in the country four years ago.

 

[angelburst29]

Pentagon chief in Afghanistan as U.S. looks to kickstart Taliban talks

October 20, 2019 - U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday in a bid to bring talks with the Taliban back on track after President Donald Trump abruptly broke off negotiations last month seeking to end the United States' longest war.

US defense chief in Afghanistan to assess the way ahead

October 20, 2019 - Defense Secretary Mark Esper believes the US can reduce its force in Afghanistan to 8,600 without hurting the counterterrorism fight against Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group. (AP)

Pompeo says U.S. committed to Afghan peace after deadly explosions

Oct. 19, 2019 - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday Washington remained committed to peace and stability in Afghanistan as police searched for bodies in the rubble of a mosque in eastern Nangarhar province where bomb blasts killed at least 69 people.

EU calls for Afghanistan cease-fire

October 20, 2019 - EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan Roland Kobia was at a press conference in Kabul on Sunday. (File/AFP)

KABUL: European Union officials called Sunday for a cease-fire in Afghanistan, saying the breakdown in talks between the US and the Taliban presented an opportunity to push anew for a truce.

Roland Kobia, the EU ambassador to Afghanistan, said the talks’ collapse provided a chance to push for a cease-fire which would, in turn, prove a large enough change in Afghanistan for Trump to consider resuming negotiations.

“It’s the right moment and the right opportunity to maybe go one step beyond a simple reduction in violence and explore ways in which a cease-fire ... will take place,” Kobia told Kabul journalists.

“The idea is really to see how we can move the cease-fire idea forward instead of leaving it for later. ... There is an opportunity here today.”

When asked how the EU, which has only a limited footprint in Afghanistan, could leverage a cease-fire, Kobia suggested that the Taliban might return to power in “one form or another” within months so would entertain a truce to help normalize future relations with the European bloc.

“A cease-fire would be a token, a guarantee of goodwill and good preparation for the normalization of these relationships,” Kobia said.

The Taliban, for its part, has steadfastly ruled out an immediate cease-fire but last year downed weapons for a three-day truce.
Afghanistan is currently in an uneasy waiting period following the first round of presidential elections on September 28.

Results were supposed to be released Saturday but have been indefinitely delayed due to “technical issues,” the Independent Election Commission said.

Pierre Mayaudon, head of the EU delegation in Afghanistan, said a delay of a few days to finalize results was legitimate to ensure votes were fairly counted.

 

[angelburst29]

Pentagon chief in Afghanistan as U.S. looks to kickstart Taliban talks

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday in a bid to bring talks with the Taliban back on track after President Donald Trump abruptly broke off negotiations last month seeking to end the United States' longest war.

U.S. Defense Secretary Esper affirms 'longstanding commitment' to Afghanistan

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Monday that while the United States did not have a commitment to defend Syrian Kurdish fighters against Turkey, it does have a “longstanding commitment” to Afghan security forces.

... and Nancy Pelosi will be dropping by - later in the day - to help with that "commitment" of supplying all your Military needs ...

U.S. House speaker Pelosi makes unannounced visit to Afghanistan (Video)

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other senior members of Congress made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Sunday, her office said.

Pelosi, who travelled to Afghanistan after a stop in Jordan on Saturday, met President Ashraf Ghani and visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper as well as top U.S. military commanders and some of their troops, according to a statement released after the conclusion of the visit by the bipartisan delegation.

 

[goyacobol]

... and Nancy Pelosi will be dropping by - later in the day - to help with that "commitment" of supplying all your Military needs ...

@angelburst29 ,

I think you are a brilliant observer...

It is now kind of strange that the Democrats are the new neocons vs the Bolton war-hawks from the Republican side. Maybe they were always just the same STS minded side all along. What a swamp it is...

 

[angelburst29]

It is now kind of strange that the Democrats are the new neocons vs the Bolton war-hawks from the Republican side. Maybe they were always just the same STS minded side all along. What a swamp it is..

What a swamp it is ... and an inquiring mind would like to know ... why did all the swamp-rats "jump the D.C. ship" and scurry for the hot sands, for a rendezvous? Think about it, since WHEN does Nancy Pelosi make an unannounced visit ANYWHERE? It's a cover for something else? Plus, I get an impression, Trump - either knows or suspects - the swamp rats are up to something?

Take for instance, Trump's remarks to the media before VP Pence headed for Turkey - in so many words - it was a wasted trip?

Trump massively undermined Mike Pence's mission to stop Turkey's invasion of Syria, saying publicly that it's none of his business
US Vice President Mike Pence is on his way to Turkey to urge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop his offensive on Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria. But President Donald Trump undermined Pence's negotiating position on Wednesday, just as Pence was leaving, by saying that fighting in Syria is "between Turkey and Syria. It's not between Turkey and Syria and the United States."

And who was going with VP Pence - "US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, and envoy to Syria Jim Jeffrey are also part of the US delegation."

Where was Pompeo going after the meeting with Erdogan? First to Israel (to see Netanyahu) and then Brussels (NATO Headquarters).

Pompeo will travel to Jerusalem, Brussels after stop in Turkey

This coming Thursday, Oct. 24th, VP Pence has to be back in D.C. to give his speech on China ... but as of today (Tuesday), both Pence and Pompeo are still in the Middle East (Pompeo having returned from his Brussels visit). I suspect, they are in Afghanistan with Mark Esper?

Pence to deliver China policy speech next Thursday: White House official

Add Pentagon chief Mark Esper, Nancy Pelosi and Schiff.

"Pelosi, who travelled to Afghanistan after a stop in Jordan on Saturday, met President Ashraf Ghani and visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper as well as top U.S. military commanders and some of their troops".

So, what's up - with the rendezvous? Is it possible, they are planning "something stupid" before the regional summit, of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation - scheduled for 11-17 November in Santiago de Chile. APEC Summit 2019 (If it's not canceled - due to riots?)
Another thought, are these same players behind what's going on in Chile now?

 

[angelburst29]

U.S. service member killed in Afghanistan: U.S. military
A U.S. service member was killed in action in Afghanistan on Monday, the U.S. military said in a statement.

It gave no further details and withheld the name of the service member until the next of kin were informed.

More than a dozen foreign force members have been killed in Afghanistan in 2019.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for any attack on U.S. forces.

About 20,000 foreign troops, most of them American, are in Afghanistan as part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to train, assist and advise Afghan forces. Some U.S. forces carry out counter-terrorism operations against Islamist militant groups.

The United States has been in negotiations with Taliban militants over the past year on a deal under which the United States could withdraw its forces from its longest war in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.

This month, U.S. negotiators said they would take a break from the talks after the insurgents launched a suicide attack on a large U.S. base.

Afghanistan's Ghani claims narrow win in preliminary presidential vote results

Afghanistan's incumbent President Ashraf Ghani won a slim majority of votes in a Sept. 28 election, delayed preliminary results showed on Sunday, after a poll that plunged the country into political crisis and was marred by allegations of fraud.

 

[angelburst29]

There may be a second election for the Presidency, due to thousands of complaints of irregularities at the election stations. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for killing a military U.S. Force member. It's being reported, the Taliban have ambushed a government checkpoint, killing 15 - and have also, kidnapped 27 Peace activists. My understanding, the Taliban and the U.S. are still involved in talks but I sense, there will be no resolution to the main problems in Afghanistan - until the U.S. starts drawing down it's military forces and gives up it occupation of several large military bases in the Country? Trump was right - get our Troops - OUT!

Afghan election runoff likely amid thousands of complaints: officials

Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission said on Monday the election might go to a second round as it begins reviewing thousands of complaints a day after the preliminary result handed incumbent president Ashraf Ghani a narrow victory.

U.S. service member killed in Afghanistan: U.S. military
A U.S. service member was killed in action in Afghanistan on Monday, the U.S. military said in a statement.

Taliban kill U.S. force member in northern Afghanistan
The Taliban said their fighters killed a U.S. service member in Afghanistan on Monday and posted photographs of a blood-soaked backpack and the identity card of an American soldier to prove it.

Taliban kill 15 in attack on Afghan security checkpoint: local officials
Taliban militants ambushed a government checkpoint in Balkh province in Afghanistan's north, killing at least 15 members of the security forces, local officials said on Tuesday, the latest in an escalating series of insurgent attacks.

27 local peace activists abducted in western Afghanistan
Taliban militants have kidnapped 27 peace activists from a highway in Afghanistan's western Farah province, local officials and peace activists said on Wednesday.

 

[angelburst29]

The trove of U.S. “Lessons Learned” documents on Afghanistan published by the Washington Post portrays, in excruciating detail, the anatomy of a failed policy, scandalously hidden from the public for 18 years. The “Lessons Learned” papers, however, are based on the premise that the U.S. and its allies will keep intervening militarily in other countries, and that they must, therefore, learn the lessons of Afghanistan to avoid making the same mistakes in future military occupations.

SIGAR | Lessons Learned

This premise misses the obvious lesson that Washington insiders refuse to learn: underlying fault is not in how the U.S. tries and fails to reconstruct societies destroyed by its “regime changes,” but in the fundamental illegitimacy of regime change itself.

The Real Lesson of Afghanistan? Regime Change Does Not Work
The Real Lesson of Afghanistan? Regime Change Does Not Work

December 20th, 2019 - The “Lessons Learned” documents reveal the persistent efforts of three administrations to hide their colossal failures behind a wall of propaganda in order to avoid admitting defeat and to keep “muddling along,” as General McChrystal has described it. In Afghanistan, muddling along has meant dropping over 80,000 bombs and missiles, nearly all on people who had nothing to do with the crimes of September 11th, exactly as Ben Ferencz predicted.

It shouldn’t take 18 years for U.S. officials to publicly admit that there is no military solution to a murderous and unwinnable war for which the U.S. is politically and legally responsible.

 

[angelburst29]

At least 27 security personnel were killed when a military base was stormed in Afghanistan on Thursday, in one of the biggest attacks since a violence reduction agreement was signed between the United States and the Taliban last month.

Afghan military base stormed, 27 security personnel killed
March 20, 2020 - The Afghan government blamed the attack on the Taliban, with whom the United States signed a peace deal last month for an eventual pullout of foreign forces from Afghanistan in exchange for reduced violence by the militant group.

As part of the agreement, the Taliban was also supposed to begin talks with a delegation of Afghan leaders for sustained peace in the country – but the process never took off after disagreement on the release of prisoners.

Armed Taliban fighters stormed a joint military base of the Afghan National Defense Forces in the southern province of Zabul late Thursday night, according to a member of the provincial council, Haji Atta Jan Haqbayan.

The clash continued till the early hours of Friday, leaving 27 members of the Afghan forces dead, Haqbayan said, adding that the Taliban fighters left the area after capturing weapons and ammunition.

“The attack happened with the help of infiltrators,” a spokesman for the Zabul provincial governor said.

The Afghan defense ministry also said infiltrators within the Afghan forces helped carry out the attack, adding that the incident was being investigated. The defense ministry put the death toll at 17.

The government earlier on Thursday said it was ordering its forces to switch to an “active defense posture” as Taliban attacks continued.
“This heinous act of the Taliban is a clear example of their commitment for continued violence and against the Afghan peace process,” Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the Afghan president, said on Twitter.

 

[angelburst29]

This article was published early this morning on Reuters website, that Pompeo's visit was unannounced (to the public) two hours later they pulled it and updated with two other articles, neither mention that the visit was "unannounced". It was a one day trip, where he meet both men claiming to have won the recent Afghan election, then went to Qatari to meet a spokesmen for the Taliban. From the reports, the situation to enforce a Peace Plan is still in limbo because the prisoner swap is still in the talking stage. If they do come to an agreement, the next problem is dealing with two men claiming the Presidency. The whole situation sounds like everyone is dragging their feet and neither situation is moving forward, other then two weeks have pass with sides claiming to work together.

Pompeo meets Afghan political rivals during visit to Kabul

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the Afghan capital on Monday on a previously unannounced visit to try to salvage a historic deal between Washington and the Taliban, struck in February but marred by a political feud.

Slideshow (3 Images)
U.S. to reduce Afghan aid by $1 billion after Pompeo fails to break impasse

Pompeo strives to salvage stalled Afghanistan peace effort
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought on Monday to salvage a U.S.-led effort to bring peace to Afghanistan, meeting with Taliban officials at a Qatari military base after visiting Kabul to try to end a feud between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political foe.

U.S. to reduce Afghan aid by $1 billion after Pompeo fails to break impasse
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday announced a $1 billion cut in U.S. aid to Afghanistan after he failed to convince Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political foe to end a feud that has helped jeopardize a U.S.-led peace effort.

 

[angelburst29]

NATO is short on details - does not state where the 4 service members were prior to being sent to Afghanistan?

Four NATO service members arriving in Afghanistan test positive for coronavirus
Four NATO service members in Afghanistan tested positive for coronavirus shortly after entering the country, the first confirmed cases in the mission, NATO said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The service members were newly arrived in country, and were in a precautionary screening facility when they became symptomatic, were moved to isolation and were tested,” the statement said, adding that the nationalities of the people would not be released.

Around 1,500 NATO service members, most who had recently arrived in Afghanistan, were in screening facilities as a precautionary measure, NATO said.

Three US sailors on aircraft carrier test positive
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly says sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for coronavirus. The aircraft carrier at sea in Asia last made a port call 15 days ago in Vietnam.

The chief of naval operations, Adm. Michael Gilday, says there currently is no plan to pull the carrier from its mission. He says the three sailors are being removed from the ship and admitted to a Defense Department hospital.

Navy officials say those who came in contact with the trio are in isolation aboard the ship, as best they can do that while at sea. But the officials couldn’t say say how many are in isolation.


Ghani tries to play down impact of US aid cut to Afghanistan
Pledges to review austerity budget as an immediate compensatory measure.

 

[angelburst29]

A suicide bombing near Kabul, the Afghan capital, killed three people and wounded 15 on Wednesday, the interior ministry said, as violence in the war-torn nation threatens a fragile peace process.

Bombing near Afghan capital kills three amid unabated violence
April 29, 2020 - It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, amid the coronavirus pandemic and United States-led efforts for peace talks between the Taliban militia and the Afghan government.

“A suicide bomber detonated his explosives among civilians,” interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said in a statement, adding that the blast happened in the Char Asiab district of Kabul province, about 11 km (7 miles) from the capital.

More than 500 civilians die in Afghan violence in first quarter: U.N.
April 27, 2020 - More than 500 civilians were killed in Afghanistan in the first three months of the year as violence raged even after an agreement between the United States and the Taliban on withdrawing foreign forces, the United Nations said on Monday.

In all, fighting in the first three months caused 1,293 civilian casualties, of which 760 were injuries and the rest deaths, including 152 children and 60 women, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a quarterly report.

The violence increased after a Feb. 29 U.S.-Taliban pact on the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces in exchange for Taliban security guarantees. It includes a commitment by the Taliban and the Afghan government to work towards peace.