Afghanistan

[angelburst29]

I really don't envision Peace coming to Afghanistan until the U.S. gives up it's bases and moves it's Military out? After 19 years of illegal occupation - it's time to re-evaluate American intervention and it's third party status? The U.S. Military troops stationed there have been reduced to "Poppy Field nannies" overseeing the cultivation and operations of the drug trade? Not exactly - a honorable position!

Taliban step up attacks on Afghan forces since signing U.S. deal: data

The Taliban have mounted more than 4,500 attacks in Afghanistan, marking a sharp escalation in violence, in the 45 days since signing a deal with the United States that paves the way for a U.S. troop drawdown, according to data seen by Reuters.

Afghanistan likely facing coronavirus 'health disaster': U.S. watchdog
Afghanistan, beset by a poor healthcare system, malnutrition, war and other vulnerabilities, likely is facing a "health disaster" from the coronavirus, a watchdog report to the U.S. Congress warns.

Afghanistan suffers upsurge in fighting and in coronavirus

Clashes between Taliban fighters and Afghan forces intensified in northern Balkh and southern Logar province as warring sides fought to control checkpoints and the number of coronavirus cases in Afghanistan rises, officials said on Friday.

 

[angelburst29]

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and rival Abdullah Abdullah are close to resolving a standoff over last year's disputed presidential election that has threatened a U.S.-brokered peace process, both sides said on Saturday.

Afghan rivals say they're close to ending leadership feud

The feud culminated in both men declaring themselves president at parallel inauguration ceremonies in March.

A draft deal had been finalized that included proposals that Abdullah lead a high council for peace talks and have a half-share in government appointments, Fraidoon Khwazoon, a spokesman for Abdullah, said.

“In principle an agreement is reached but there are a few things that need to be finalised. We believe they are not big obstacles and will be solved,” Khwazoon said.

The dispute has sparked fears among many, including the United States, that the split was undermining momentum in peace talks with Islamist Taliban insurgents.

Ghani’s spokesman, Sediq Sediqi, had said on Twitter late on Friday that there had been progress in resolving the dispute. “Progress has been made in the ongoing negotiations and discussions on important political issues and matters to resolve them politically,” Sediqi said.

Both sides have been under international pressure to strike a deal. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Afghanistan in March for a one-day visit to try to broker an arrangement even as most travel was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We have told both sides to firm up a deal this week. If not, then aid could be hit badly in this time,” a senior Western diplomat said on Saturday.

Spokesmen for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and for Ghani declined to comment. A spokesman for Abdullah said donors had emphasised they should solve the issue but they had not been given a deadline to come to a resolution.

Pompeo had announced a $1 billion reduction in aid and threatened to slash the same amount next year to try to force Abdullah and Ghani to end their feud.

After nearly 20 years of fighting the Taliban, the United States is looking for a way to extricate itself and to achieve peace between the U.S.-backed government and the militant group.

The United States and the Taliban signed a pact on Feb. 29 that was designed to pave the way for peace talks between the militant group and the Afghan government.

But formal talks have not started because of the political feud, as well as an escalation in violence by the Taliban since the deal was reached and disagreements over a prisoner swap.

Afghanistan probes reports Iranian guards forced migrants into river (???)
Afghan officials were hunting on Sunday for Afghan migrants in a river bordering Iran after reports that Iranian border guards tortured dozens and threw them into the water to keep them out of Iran.

 

[angelburst29]

I can not realistically anticipate any real "Peace" coming to Afghanistan until "all foreign troops and mercenaries" are removed from the Country? For the last 19-20 years, the illegal occupation by the U.S., NATO and allies has decimated a once vibrant and thriving multi- cultural environment.

Gunmen disguised as police attacked a hospital in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Tuesday, killing 16 people including two newborn babies from a maternity clinic run by the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders.

Newborns among 16 dead in Kabul hospital attack; 24 killed in funeral bombing

Afghan security forces stand guard outside Dasht-e-Barchi Hospital which came under attack in Kabul, Afghanistan May 12, 2020. Mohammad Ismail

In a separate attack the same day, a suicide bomber struck the funeral of a police commander, attended by government officials and a member of parliament, in the eastern province of Nangahar, killing at least 24 people and injuring 68.
Authorities said that toll could rise.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either attack. The Taliban, Afghanistan’s main Islamist insurgency group which says it has halted attacks on cities under a U.S. troop withdrawal deal, denied involvement in both.

The Islamic State militant group operates in Nangahar and has carried out a number of high-profile attacks in Kabul in recent months. On Monday security forces arrested its regional leader in the capital.

The violence, as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic, risks derailing momentum towards U.S.-brokered peace talks between the Taliban and an Afghan government long sceptical of the insurgents’ renunciation of attacks.

“If the Taliban cannot control the violence, or their sponsors have now subcontracted their terror to other entities —which was one of our primary concerns from the beginning — then there seems little point in continuing to engage Taliban in ‘peace talks,” tweeted Hamdullah Mohib, the government’s national security advisor.

The Kabul attack began in the morning when at least three gunmen wearing police uniforms entered the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital, throwing grenades and shooting, government officials said. Security forces had killed the attackers by the afternoon.

“The attackers were shooting at anyone in this hospital without any reason. It’s a government hospital, and a lot of people bring in their women and children for treatment,” said Ramazan Ali, a vendor nearby who saw the start of the attack.

The 100-bed government-run hospital hosted a maternity clinic run by Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French name Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

MSF confirmed in a tweet that the hospital had been attacked. Just hours before it had tweeted a photo of a newborn at the clinic in his mother’s arms after being delivered safely by emergency caesarean section.

Interior and health ministry officials said that mothers, nurses and children were among the dead and wounded.

Photos from the Ministry of Interior showed two young children lying dead inside the hospital. Soldiers ferried infants out of the compound, some wrapped in blood-stained blankets. Officials said 100 people in total were rescued, including three foreign nationals.

The neighbourhood is home to many members of Afghanistan’s Hazara community, a mostly Shia Muslim minority that has been attacked by Sunni militants from Islamic State in the past, including at a Kabul ceremony commemorating the death of one of its leaders in March. Rights group Amnesty International condemned both attacks.

“The unconscionable war crimes in Afghanistan today, targeting a maternity hospital and a funeral, must awaken the world to the horrors civilians continue to face,” the group tweeted. “There must be accountability for these grave crimes.”

Foreign powers including the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey and Pakistan released statements condemning the violence.
(Comment: If these Foreign Countries "condemn" these violent acts - they should consider pulling their mercenaries and military operations out of Afghanistan and lower the risk of resentment and confrontation!)

Last week, security forces killed and arrested several members of an Islamic State cell that authorities said was responsible for several attacks in Kabul including one on a Sikh temple in March. A roadside blast in the capital on Monday, which wounded four civilians, was claimed by the group.

Afghanistan is also facing violence around the country from the Taliban, even as the United States tries to usher in peace talks after signing a troop withdrawal agreement in February with the militants. The Taliban say they are holding back from attacking urban centres and their operations are aimed at government security forces.

Slideshow (3 Images)
Newborns among 16 dead in Kabul hospital attack; 24 killed in funeral bombing

 

[angelburst29]

Newborns among 16 dead in Kabul hospital attack; 24 killed in funeral bombing

Afghan president orders troops to switch to 'offensive' stance after attacks

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Tuesday he was ordering the military to move to 'offensive mode', away from a defensive stance it had taken as part of efforts to reduce violence in the war-ravaged nation as Washington tries to broker peace talks.

 

[angelburst29]

The Pentagon continues to claim a drawdown of Troops in Afghanistan but there has been no mention - where these Troops are being re-located? I suspect, they are part of the military forces and reinforcement into Syria recently, in the past few weeks?

Drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan continuing: Pentagon
May 15, 2020 - The United States is continuing its drawdown of troops from Afghanistan and is expected to meet a timeline that had been agreed upon with the Taliban earlier this year, the Pentagon said on Friday.

Brutal Afghan attacks highlight limitations of U.S.-Taliban deal

Two brutal attacks this week laid bare major weaknesses of the U.S.-Taliban troop withdrawal pact: nothing in it obliges the Taliban to prevent such massacres and the Afghan government's ability to thwart them will only wane as U.S. troops pull out.

New date for intra-Afghan peace talks under discussion, Khalilzad says

A new date for intra-Afghan peace talks is under discussion and the United States has heard positive reports about the formation of an inclusive Afghan government, U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad said on Friday.

Afghans say Taliban behind bloodshed, reject U.S. blame of Islamic State
Afghan officials on Friday blamed the Taliban for a bloody attack on a maternity hospital in the capital, Kabul, this week, rejecting a U.S. assertion that it was carried out by Islamic State militants.

U.S. says Islamic State conducted attack on Kabul hospital

The United States on Thursday blamed Islamic State militants -- not the Taliban -- for a gruesome hospital attack in Afghanistan this week that killed two newborn babies, and it renewed calls for Afghans to embrace a troubled peace push with the Taliban insurgency.

US blames Daesh for Afghan hospital attack

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In this Feb. 8, 2019, file photo, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad pauses while speaking about the prospects for peace, at the U.S. Institute of Peace, in Washington. (AP)

A newborn baby receives treatment on Friday for the gun wound in her right leg in Kabul. She lost her mother in Tuesday’s terror attack. (AFP)

KABUL: Washington believes Daesh was behind this week’s deadly attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul, US peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Friday.

US asks Taliban, Afghan government to bring perpetrators to justice
KABUL: In the wake of two deadly attacks in Afghanistan on Tuesday, the US has asked both the government, led by President Ashraf Ghani, and the Taliban to cooperate and bring those behind the killings to justice.

In his statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo highlighted the Taliban’s denial of its involvement in the attacks, and urged both groups to work together.

“The Taliban and the Afghan government should cooperate to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said. “As long as there is no sustained reduction in violence and insufficient progress toward a negotiated political settlement, Afghanistan will remain vulnerable to terrorism.”

 

[angelburst29]

Afghan rivals say they're close to ending leadership feud

Afghan president and rival announce power sharing agreement

In this handout photograph taken on May 17, 2020 and released by Afghanistan's Office of Chief Executive, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (R) and his rival Abdullah Abdullah (L) exchange documents after signing a power-sharing deal agreement at the Presidential Palace in Kabul.. (AFP)

KABUL: May 17, 2020 - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and political rival Abdullah Abdullah have signed a power-sharing agreement two months after both declared themselves the winner of last September’s presidential election.

Ghani spokesman Sediq Sediqqi tweeted Sunday a political deal between Ghani and Abdullah had been signed in which Ghani would remain president of the war-torn nation. The deal calls for Abdullah to lead the country’s National Reconciliation High Council and some members of Abdullah’s team would be included in Ghani’s Cabinet.

The Reconciliation Council has been given the authority to handle and approve all affairs related to Afghanistan’s peace process.
Omed Maisam, a spokesman for Abdullah’s team, confirmed an agreement had been signed at the presidential palace. “A technical team will work on the implementation of the agreement and details will be shared later,” he said.

Kabul shrugs after US says troop pullout ‘on track’

Security forces stand guard outside a hospital in Kabul, which came under attack on May 12. The US has blamed Daesh for the assault.

May 16, 2020 - KABUL: Afghanistan on Saturday downplayed Washington’s claim that it was on track with a total pullout of US troops from the war-torn country, saying that Kabul was self-sufficient and the withdrawal would have no impact on local forces.

“If US troops leave Afghanistan, there will be no vacuum because the Afghan forces are in a position to conduct ground operations 100 percent. They have become self-sufficient and can perform ground offensives independently,” Fawad Aman, chief Defense Ministry spokesman, told Arab News.

However, local forces will continue to bank on US and NATO nations for some time, with “serious discussions” underway, he said.

It follows a statement by US officials in Washington on Friday, claiming that the withdrawal process was on track, despite a spike in attacks, a stalled intra-Afghan dialogue and a political stalemate.

As part of the conditions-based deal signed in February this year, the process will see the reduction of troops by 8,600, by July 15, and the abandonment of five bases in Afghanistan, media reports citing US officials said on Friday.

Additionally, by next spring, all foreign forces are expected to leave Afghanistan, ending Washington’s longest war in history after nearly 20 years of engagement, with loss of money and lives on all sides, particularly among Afghans, who have witnessed more than four decades of conflict.

“However, based on the pledges made in the peace deal, US and NATO member countries will continue to mentor Afghan forces and provide them with equipment and funding, costing billions annually until 2024,” Aman said.

US President Donald Trump had made the withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan his top priority during the 2016 election campaign.

 

[angelburst29]

Based on anonymous intelligence sources, The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal released bombshell reports alleging that Russia is paying the Taliban bounties for every U.S. soldier they can kill. The story caused an uproar in the United States, dominating the news cycle and leading presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to accuse Trump of “dereliction of duty” and “continuing his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin.” “This is beyond the pale,” the former vice-president concluded

Afghan Bounty Scandal Hits at Suspiciously Important Time for US Military
July 01st, 2020 - However, there are a number of reasons to be suspicious of the new reports. Firstly, they appear all to be based entirely on the same intelligence officials who insisted on anonymity. The official could not provide any concrete evidence, nor establish that any Americans had actually died as a result, offering only vague assertions and admitting that the information came from “interrogated” (i.e. tortured) Afghan militants. All three reports stressed the uncertainty of the claims, with the only sources who went on record — the White House, the Kremlin, and the Taliban — all vociferously denying it all.

The national security state also has a history of using anonymous officials to plant stories that lead to war. In 2003, the country was awash with stories that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, in 2011 anonymous officials warned of an impending genocide in Libya, while in 2018 officials accused Bashar al-Assad of attacking Douma with chemical weapons, setting the stage for a bombing campaign. All turned out to be untrue.

“After all we’ve been through, we’re supposed to give anonymous ‘intelligence officials’ in The New York Times the benefit of the doubt on something like this? I don’t think so,” Scott Horton, Editorial Director of Antiwar.com and author of “Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan,” told MintPress News. “All three stories were written in language conceding they did not know if the story was true,” he said, “They are reporting the ‘fact’ that there was a rumor.”

Horton continued: “There were claims in 2017 that Russia was arming and paying the Taliban, but then the generals admitted to Congress they had no evidence of either. In a humiliating debacle, also in 2017, CNN claimed a big scoop about Putin’s support for the Taliban when furnished with some photos of Taliban fighters with old Russian weapons. The military veteran journalists at Task and Purpose quickly debunked every claim in their piece.”

Others were equally skeptical of the new scandal. “The bottom line for me is that after countless (Russiagate related) anonymous intelligence leaks, many of which were later proven false or never substantiated with real evidence, I can’t take this story seriously. The intelligence ‘community’ itself can’t agree on the credibility of this information, which is similar to the situation with a foundational Russiagate document, the January, 2017 intelligence ‘assessment,’” said Joanne Leon, host of the Around the Empire Podcast, a show which covers U.S. military actions abroad.

Suspicious timing
The timing of the leak also raised eyebrows. Peace negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban are ongoing, with President Trump committing to pulling all American troops out of the country. A number of key anti-weapons of mass destruction treaties between the U.S. and Russia are currently expiring, and a scandal such as this one would scupper any chance at peace, escalating a potential arms race that would endanger the world but enrich weapons manufacturers. Special Presidential Envoy in the Department of the Treasury, Marshall Billingslea, recently announced that the United States is willing to spend Russia and China “into oblivion” in a new arms race, mimicking the strategy it used in the 1980s against the Soviet Union. As a result, even during the pandemic, business is booming for American weapons contractors.

“The national security state has done everything they can to keep the U.S. involved in that war,” remarked Horton, “If Trump had listened to his former Secretary of Defense James Mattis and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, we’d be on year three of an escalation with plans to begin talks with the Taliban next year. Instead Trump talked to them for the last year-and-a-half and has already signed a deal to have us out by the end of next May.”

“The same factions and profiteers who always oppose withdrawal of troops are enthusiastic about the ‘Bountygate’ story at a time when President Trump is trying to advance negotiations with the Taliban and when he desperately needs to deliver on 2016 campaign promises and improve his sinking electoral prospects,” said Leon.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1277281602922598401

If Russia is paying the Taliban to kill Americans they are not doing a very good job of it. From a high of 496 in 2010, U.S. losses in Afghanistan have slowed to a trickle, with only 22 total fatalities in 2019, casting further doubt on the scale of their supposed plan.

Ironically, the United States is accusing the Kremlin of precisely its own policy towards Russia in Syria. In 2016, former Acting Director of the C.I.A. Michael Morell appeared on the Charlie Rose show and said his job was to “make the Russians pay a price” for its involvement in the Middle East. When asked if he meant killing Russians by that, he replied, “Yes. Covertly. You don’t tell the world about it. You don’t stand up at the Pentagon and say, ‘We did this.’ But you make sure they know it in Moscow.”

Like RussiaGate, the new scandal has had the effect of pushing liberal opinion on foreign policy to become far more hawkish, with Biden now campaigning on being “tougher” on China and Russia than Trump would be. Considering that the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists recently set their famous Doomsday Clock — an estimation of how close they believe the world is to nuclear armageddon — to just 100 seconds to midnight, the latest it has ever been, the Democrats could be playing with fire. The organization specifically singled out U.S.-Russia conflict as threatening the continued existence of the planet. While time will tell if Russia did indeed offer bounties to kill American troops, the efficacy of the media leak is not in question.

How the Media Used the Bounty Scandal to Stop the ‘Threat’ of Peace in Afghanistan
July 02nd, 2020 - This is not a column defending Donald Trump. Across my career, I have said more positive words about the scolex family of intestinal tapeworms than I have said about Donald Trump. (Scolex have been shown to read more.)

No, this is a column about context. When The New York Times reports anonymous sources from the intelligence community say Russia paid Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers, context is very important.

Some of that context is that Mike Pompeo said, “I was the CIA director – We lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training courses.” So we know for certain that U.S. intelligence agencies lie to you and me. We saw it with WMD, and we might be seeing it again now.

But that’s not the context I’m referring to ... We could talk about the context of the fact that the Taliban does not need to be paid to kill American soldiers because their entire goal for the past twenty years has been to kill American soldiers. Paying them a bounty would be like offering the guy sleeping with your wife twenty bucks to sleep with your wife.

But that’s not the context I’m referring to ... We could talk about the fact that the U.S. has been funding the Taliban for years! Yes, we fund them, sometimes arm them, and then fight them. This is barely a secret. So for all intents and purposes, the U.S. does the same thing our corporate media is now accusing Russia of doing (with no proof).

But that’s not the context I’m referring to ... No, the context I’m referring to is how our military industrial complex (with the help of our ruling elite and our corporate media) have stopped Trump from pushing us toward the brink of peace. …Yes, the brink of peace.

Now, I’m not implying Trump is some kind of hippy peacenik. (He would look atrocious with no bra and flowers in his hair.) No, the military under Trump has dropped more bombs than under Obama, and that’s impressive since Obama dropped more bombs than ever before.

However, in certain areas of the world, Trump has threatened to create peace. Sure, he’s doing it for his own ego and because he thinks his base wants it, but whatever the reason, he has put forward plans or policies that go against the military industrial complex and the establishment war-hawks (which is 95 percent of the establishment).

And each time this has happened, he is quickly thwarted, usually with hilarious propaganda. (Well, hilarious to you and me. Apparently believable to people at The New York Times and former CIA intern Anderson Cooper.)

I know four things for sure in life. Paper beats rock. Rock beats scissors. Scissors beat paper. And propaganda beats peace. All one has to do is look at a calendar.

Trump has essentially threatened to create peace or pull U.S. troops out of a war zone in three countries – North Korea, Afghanistan, and Syria. Let’s start with Syria.

April 4, 2018: President Trump orders the Pentagon to plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

This cannot be allowed because it goes against the U.S. imperial plan. So what happens within days of Trump’s order?

April 7, 2018: Reports surface of a major chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria.

What are the odds that within days of Trump telling the Pentagon to withdraw, Bashar al-Assad decides to use the one weapon that will guarantee American forces continue attacking him? Assad may not be a chess player, but I also don’t think he ate that many paint chips as a kid. And sure enough, over the past two years we’ve now heard from four whistleblowers at the Organization for The Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) saying the so-called chemical attack didn’t happen. (Notice that the number “four” is even bigger than the numbers “one,” “two,” and “three.”)

But establishment propaganda beats peace any day and twice on Sunday. The false story succeeded in keeping America entrenched in Syria.

The DPRK
Let’s move on to North Korea. As you surely know, Donald Trump “threatened” to create peace with the hermetic country. Simply saying he would attempt such a thing sent weapons contractor stocks tumbling—one of the many reasons peace had to be stopped.

Feb 27, 2019: Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un meet in Vietnam.

The summit fails, and reports begin emerging that Mike Pompeo and John Bolton succeeded in napalming any progress.

March 15, 2019: Pompeo and Bolton deny derailing North Korea nuclear talks.

From The Nation, “There were reports from South Korea that the presence at the talks of John Bolton, Trump’s aggressively hawkish national-security adviser, helped torpedo the talks.“

But just destroying the peace talks wasn’t enough. The American people needed some good, solid propaganda to reassert the idea that Kim Jung Un was a dastardly bloodthirsty dictator.

March 30, 2019: The New York Times reports North Korea executed and purged their top nuclear negotiators.

Yes, apparently Kim Jung Un must’ve fed his top diplomats to his top alligators. Then, two months later we learn…

June 4, 2019: The fate of the North Korean negotiator “executed” after the failed summit “grows murkier” with new reports that he’s still alive.

One would have to say that his being alive does indeed make the report that he’s dead “murkier.” Within the next day or two it becomes quite clear the diplomat is very much in the land of the living. But the propaganda put forward by The New York Times and many other outlets has already done its job.

Far more people saw the reports that the man had been murdered than saw the later retraction. And to this day, the Times has not removed the initial article saying he was executed. Exactly how wrong does propaganda have to be, to warrant an online deletion? Dead versus alive is a pretty binary designation. And now we get to the outrage du jour, and it’s a bombshell!

Bounties!
May 26, 2020: Pentagon commanders begin drawing up options for an early Afghanistan troop withdrawal, following Trump’s request.

June 16, 2020: “President Donald Trump confirmed in public for the first time his administration’s plans to cut the U.S. military troop presence in Germany from its current level of roughly 35,000 to a reduced force of 25,000.” – ForeignPolicy.com

June 26, 2020: The New York Times reports Russia paid the Taliban to attack U.S. troops. (According to anonymous sources from an intelligence community that proudly admits they lie to us all the time, sometimes just to amuse themselves.)

So when this story first came out, I thought, “You know, Trump has been stopped from withdrawing troops in the past by ridiculous propaganda that seems to land like a giant turd right after he announces his intentions. Maybe I’ll check what happened in the days preceding this jaw-dropping story.”

So just days after Trump goes against the military industrial complex and against the ruling establishment by announcing he’ll be withdrawing about a third of our troops from Germany, and just weeks after announcing an early withdrawal from Afghanistan, a seemingly mind-blowing story drops about Russia paying the Taliban to kill American troops.

This serves to remind everyone what a threat Russia is (so we better put more troops in Germany!) and serves to keep us in Afghanistan (because screw those Russian-funded Taliban!).

Look, I’m not saying Trump is a hero or a great guy or even a man who wants peace. I’m not even saying he’s a man. He very well may be a giant blood-sucking leech in a human skin suit. (A poorly tailored human skin suit.)

All I’m saying is the timing doesn’t add up. Either these landmark stories that destroy every chance of peace are false (in fact we’ve already proven two out of three of them are false), or peace has exceedingly, ridiculously, laughably bad timing.

Every American Should Watch Abby Martin's Afghanistan War Exposed: An Imperial Conspiracy
June 29, 2020 - Abby Martin’s new documentary, “Afghanistan War Exposed: An Imperial Conspiracy,” is a tour de force, a must watch for every American seeking a holistic understanding of American’s longest-running war,

 

[angelburst29]

The Taliban's political chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, warned the US that an appropriate decision will be made if the American forces fail to pull out of Afghanistan according to the agreed timetable.

Taliban Warn of Action If US Refuses to Leave Afghanistan on Schedule - World news - Tasnim News Agency

July, 26, 2020 - In an interview with Tasnim, Abdul Ghani Baradar said the Doha agreement between the Taliban and the US entails the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan under a 14-month timetable.

“The results of implementation of the Doha agreement with the US have been positive so far. In the first stage, the US announced it has evacuated five military bases, and the number of American troops has been reduced to 8,600, as this process continues,” he added.

“However, if the foreign forces do not leave Afghanistan on schedule, the Islamic Emirate will make the necessary decisions,” the Taliban’s political chief warned.

On intra-Afghan talks for the peace process in Afghanistan, Baradar underlined that there is no hidden agreement between the group and the US.

The Taliban insist that the Afghan government “should release the Islamic Emirate prisoners according to the Doha agreement to prepare the ground for the launch of intra-Afghan negotiations”, he said, denying reports that the Taliban have submitted a new list of prisoners to the Kabul government.

“The release of all 5,000 Taliban prisoners is the precondition for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations,” Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar stated.

Asked about the Taliban’s push to take full power in Afghanistan, he said the group is after the establishment of an inclusive Islamic administration, but does not seek a monopoly of power.

“All Afghans have the right to be involved in serving and safeguarding the Islamic establishment and their country,” he concluded.

A few days ago, the Taliban said they were prepared to hold peace talks with the Afghan government next month straight after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, provided a continuing prisoner swap has been completed.

The Taliban’s political spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said on Twitter on Thursday that the Taliban were ready to release the remaining Afghan security force prisoners in their custody, as long as Kabul freed all Taliban inmates "as per our list already delivered" to authorities.

The prisoner-exchange issue, agreed to under a deal between the US and the Taliban, has proved a major sticking point ahead of peace talks.

The Afghan government is supposed to release up to 5,000 Taliban fighters, while the armed group has pledged to free 1,000 Afghan security forces in their custody, according to the US-Taliban agreement.

Deal or no deal: Intra-Afghan talks hang by a thread as Kabul, Taliban set conditions

Members of the Taliban delegation gather ahead of the signing ceremony with the United States in the Qatari capital Doha, on February 29, 2020. (File/AFP)

July 25, 2020 - Afghanistan’s government said on Saturday that there remained an opportunity for peace in the war-ravaged country, but that the Taliban needed to shun violence first to engage in direct talks with Kabul.

“There is an opportunity for peace, provided that the Taliban abandon violence and agree to direct negotiations with the Afghan government,” Sediq Seddiqi, chief spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, told Arab News.

His comments came a day after US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said that intra-Afghan talks had “never” been as close as they currently were.

“This is an important moment for Afghanistan and for the region — perhaps a defining moment,” Khalilzad, who struck a historic deal with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar in late February this year, said on Friday while addressing a virtual event organized by the Washington-based US Institute of Peace.

On Thursday, the Taliban announced, for the first time, a timetable for the start of talks with Kabul after delaying them twice due to pre-conditions set by the group and Ghani’s government.

Confirming the reports, Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s Qatar office, said that the talks could start after Eid Al-Adha, which will be celebrated by Muslims across the world in 10 days, as long as “Kabul freed the remaining Taliban inmates,” the list for which is with the government.

Ghani’s government, which was sidelined from the Qatar talks, has refused to free hundreds of Taliban prisoners, as demanded by the group, considering over 4,000 militants have already been released from Afghan jails in recent months, and said that the Taliban needed to stop committing violence “to show their sincerity” for the talks.

“The release of more than 4,000 Taliban prisoners ... created this opportunity and should be considered a big step and must be reciprocated by the Taliban ceasing violence. The world and the Afghan people want peace and are tired of war,” Seddiqi said.

The Taliban, for their part, freed nearly 1,000 government inmates as part of the prisoner exchange program outlined in the Qatar accord which, according to the agreement, should have been completed by the end of March to pave the way for the departure of all foreign troops from Afghanistan by next spring.

However, despite Khalilzad’s optimism that the talks could materialize soon, some Afghan analysts believe the Taliban’s insistence on further releases, and the government’s emphasis on a halt in insurgent activity, could block dialogue.

“Both sides have repeated their past pre-conditions. Unless there is leniency from them, it is tough to be optimistic like Khalilzad has been,” Taj Mohammad, a Kabul-based analyst and a former journalist, told Arab News.

Nasratullah Haqpal, a political analyst for Central and South Asian affairs, agreed, adding that the delay in the start of the intra-Afghan talks was putting pressure on both Khalilzad and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who appointed Khalilzad to the role two years ago.

US President Donald Trump, who is standing for re-election in November, is keen to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan after 19 years of war, despite opposition from several former and current US generals over the move, and from Ghani, who is in his second term of office following last year’s controversial elections.

Haqpal said Khalilzad and some other US diplomats had been “putting pressure on Ghani” to free the remaining Taliban prisoners and engage in talks with the Taliban, while “Ghani was against the peace process … because it endangers his power and presidency.”

With mistrust on all sides and each using the peace process to its advantage, Haqpal said there would be no clarity on the start of the peace talks until the US presidential elections.

Until then, we will not have any tangible developments,” he told Arab News.
Mohammad said that, instead, there could be further escalation of violence in the coming months as both sides “seek to use the supremacy in the battlefield for their advantage on the negotiations table” when and if the talks start.

There has been a surge in attacks and counter-attacks from the Taliban and Afghan government in recent months, causing hundreds of casualties on both sides with Sediqqi saying earlier this month that the “intensification of violence by the Taliban lately,” which also claimed civilian lives, “damages hopes for the start of the talks and stable peace in the country.”

He did not give an estimate of casualties sustained by government forces. However, official data released last month showed that hundreds of army and police personnel died during Taliban attacks in June.

The Taliban has rejected the claims, with spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid blaming Kabul for several strikes which “led to the fatalities among non-combatants.”

U.S. sends envoy to press for peace talks in Afghanistan
July 25, 2020 - Washington has dispatched a special envoy for Afghanistan to press for peace talks between the government and Taliban fighters, with the diplomat scheduled to visit Kabul on a trip with stops in five nations, the U.S. State Department said on Saturday.

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad departed on Friday to travel to Doha, Kabul, Islamabad, Oslo and Sofia, the department said in a statement.

The United States is drawing down its troops in Afghanistan under an agreement struck in February with the Taliban.

The agreement aimed to pave the way for formal peace talks between the insurgents and the Afghan government, and Khalilzad’s task is to try and bring both sides to the table.

Khalilzad plans to press for a deal on prisoner exchanges and a reduction in violence, two issues that have hampered progress toward starting peace talks.

“Although significant progress has been made on prisoner exchanges, the issue requires additional effort to fully resolve,” the State Department said in its statement.

On Wednesday, Khalilzad condemned an attack by Afghan government forces that killed 45 people, including civilians, in airstrikes against Taliban fighters in a western province bordering Iran.

 

[Ca.]

Heroin supply lines secured as the US leaves all resource's to the victor's.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1412395418802167810

https://twitter.com/x/status/1412122850887098372

https://twitter.com/x/status/1411281545848098817

The Taliban Are Unstoppable In Their Momentum

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Video
You can read this article in German: LINK

The Taliban seem unstoppable all over Afghanistan, as their gains are followed by even more gains.

In recent days, the Taliban’s march through northern Afghanistan gained momentum with the capture of several districts from fleeing Afghan forces.

More than 300 Afghan military personnel crossed from Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province as Taliban fighters advanced towards the border.

The Afghan soldiers escaped to neighboring Tajikistan, saving their lives from the enemy.

On July 4th, the Taliban was on the verge of taking Faizabad, the provincial capital of the Badakhshan province.

Senior local officials have already taken a flight and escaped to Kabul.

Following the fall of dozens of districts of the Badakhshan province, Afghan commandos of special operation forces were deployed to the strategic city.

The gains in northeastern Badakhshan province in recent days have mostly come to the insurgent movement without a fight.

The areas under Taliban control in the north are increasingly strategic, running along Afghanistan’s border with central Asian states.

Last month the religious movement took control of Imam Sahib, a town in the Kunduz province opposite Uzbekistan and gained control of a key trade route.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the fall of the districts and said most were captured without a fight.

The Taliban in previous surrenders have shown video of Afghan soldiers taking transportation money and returning to their homes.

From those who didn’t return, many have joined the Taliban ranks as deserters from the Afghani army.

The Taliban reportedly captured the city of Farah, another provincial capital, and the largest city of the Farah Province in western Afghanistan.

Footage of the city showed dozens of Afghani army soldiers, many of which were killed.

Hundreds are being killed on each side every day, with reports coming in from scores of Taliban being killed by Afghan security forces, and still the Taliban are the ones coming in on top and capturing even more areas.

A significant impetus to the Taliban was the fact that the US abandoned its key position –
the Bagram air base and has turned it over to the Afghanistan Army.

Initially, the Taliban spokesman said that everything had been either been taken by the Americans or destroyed, but it seems that U.S. forces have left behind radar and navigation systems as well as hundreds of vehicles.

On July 3, the Afghan Civil Aviation Authority revealed that the U.S. military left behind Radar and Very-Small-Aperture Terminal (VSAT) systems at the air base.

The systems, which were deactivated by U.S. troops before withdrawal, were successfully reactivated by Afghan engineers.

Seeing as how there’s significant equipment there, the Taliban may change their decision not to attempt to capture the base, and in exchange turn their gaze towards it, as it would be a great boon to their operations.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1412411309463949312

https://twitter.com/x/status/1411969681381105665

Russia Closes Consulate as Taliban Takes Over Multiple Districts

Other countries have closed their consulates after a surge of Taliban victories in northern Afghanistan.

www.newsweek.com

Russia's consulate in northern Afghanistan was closed as a result of a surge of Taliban victories in the region, the Associated Press reported.

With the Taliban closing in on Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was "heightened concern" over the fighting. He added that Russia had no plans to send troops to help Tajikistan, formerly a part of the Soviet Union.

"We have repeatedly said many times that after the withdrawal of the Americans and their allies from Afghanistan, the development of the situation in this country is a matter of our heightened concern," Peskov said. "We're monitoring it very closely and are noting that destabilization [of the situation] is taking place, unfortunately."

Nearly 1,000 Afghan soldiers have fled the Taliban advances by crossing the border into Tajikistan, according to reports from Tajikistan.

A statement on Monday from the Tajik government said President Emomali Rakhmon ordered the mobilization of 20,000 military reservists to strengthen its border with Afghanistan.

The Afghan military exodus comes as the Taliban have overrun most districts in northeastern Badakhshan province. Many fell without a fight but along the province's northern border with Tajikistan, hundreds of Afghan forces crossed over, seeking safety in Tajikistan.

Like Russia, Turkey has reportedly closed in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, and Afghanistan's fourth-largest city. Iran said it has restricted activities at its consulate in the city. There has been fighting in Balkh province, but the provincial capital has been relatively peaceful.

The consulates of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India and Pakistan have reduced their services, Balkh provincial governor's spokesman Munir Farhad said Tuesday. He said Turkey and Russia had closed their consulates and their diplomats had left the city.

However, a Turkish official said the consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif was open and was "carrying on accepting visa applications and other consular requests." The official, who was not identified by name in line with briefing rules, said Ankara was monitoring the security situation and was taking "required measures" for the safety of Turkish missions and personnel.

He did not elaborate and the conflicting reports on the Turkish Consulate could not be immediately reconciled. The consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif could not be reached by phone.

The Tajik government said Afghan troops were being allowed to cross on humanitarian grounds but the border posts on the Tajik side were in control of Tajik forces and there was no fighting with Taliban from the Tajik side.

The Taliban march gains momentum only days after the United States vacated Bagram Airfield, just an hour's drive north of the capital, Kabul—a sure sign that the majority of American troops have left Afghanistan.

The U.S. withdrew from what had been the epicenter of the U.S.-led coalition's nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan by shutting off the electricity and slipping away in the night, without notifying the base's new Afghan commander, Afghan military officials said.

Meanwhile, Tajikistan's state news agency Khovar said 1,037 Afghan military personnel had entered Tajikistan while fleeing for their lives. The report said Monday they used seven of the crossings along the two countries' shared 565-mile border.

The Taliban have made relentless territorial wins since mid-April, when President Joe Biden announced the last 2,500 to 3,500 U.S. soldiers and 7,000 allied NATO soldiers would leave Afghanistan.

Most have left quietly already, well before the announced deadline in September. The full withdrawal is not expected to be completed until the end of August—and not before an agreement on how to protect Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport is reached.

Months-old peace talks being held in Qatar between Taliban and a fractious Afghan government have all but stopped, even as both sides say they want a negotiated end to the decades-long conflict.

With their victories in northern and southern Afghanistan, the Taliban are putting pressure on provincial cities and gaining control of key transportation routes.

The Afghan government has resurrected militias mostly loyal to Kabul-allied warlords but with a history of brutal violence that has raised the specter of civil war, similar to the fighting that devastated Kabul in the early 1990s.

Taliban wins in northern Afghanistan are particularly significant because that part of the country is the traditional stronghold of U.S.-allied warlords and the scene of the Taliban's initial widespread losses in 2001 when the U.S.-led coalition launched its battle to unseat the religious movement.

 

[Ca.]

Taliban Flag Raised Over Strategic Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Crossing (Videos)

On July 14, Taliban forces claimed the capture of the Wesh–Chaman border crossing, one of the major international trade and...

southfront.org

Video / #AFGHANISTAN #FROMTHEFRONT 14.07.2021
On July 14, Taliban forces claimed the capture of the Wesh–Chaman border crossing, one of the major international trade and transit border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is located in Spin Boldak in Western Kandahar province. The Spin Boldak district center and police headquarters of Kandahar province alsocame under the control of Taliban, including numerous weapons, vehicles and ammunition.

Meanwhile, Kabul officials claim the Taliban attack was repelled and the border crossing remains under government control.

“The terrorist Taliban had some movements near the border area… The security forces have repelled the attack,” interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian told AFP.

The Government forces have not provided any evidence to support their claims, but photos showing flag of Taliban over the border crossing were published online.

Large Taliban flag raised near Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing in Spin Boldak, Kandahar. pic.twitter.com/s8v7vVRD4e
— FJ (@Natsecjeff) July 14, 2021

Fighting across Kandahar province have continued for several days. The government deployed commando fighters in the provincial capital to launch counter attacks and prevent the Taliban’s advance. However, the fighters inched closer to taking the frontier crossing.

Taliban continue to seize military units, roadblocks and key roads in Kandahar province@serious_war_eng pic.twitter.com/oCcQEVapjP
— Serious War (@serious_war_eng) July 14, 2021

Fall of another border crossing into Taliban’s hands is a strategic failure for government forces. Each time the government in Kabul loses much-needed revenue, while the Taliban members fill their coffers.

A highway through this border crossing is leading to Pakistan’s city of Karachi and the port on the Arabian Sea. This rout has been used for billion-dollar heroin trade from Afghanistan.

If confirmed, the taking of Spin Boldak would provide the Taliban with a direct access to Pakistan’s Balochistan province. Top leadership of the movement has been based there for decades. It would also facilitate the transfer of new recruiters and reserve fighters from Pakistan.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1415271496512061440

https://twitter.com/x/status/1415203735672954882

KARACHI: Former Muttahida Qaumi Movement convener and head of US-based advocacy group Voice of Karachi Nadeem Nusrat has survived an “assassination attempt” in Houston, his party said.

A statement received here stated that Mr Nusrat hosted an event in Houston on Sunday afternoon and left with VOK leader Shahid Farhad in a car.

It said that while travelling on Highway 59 South, Mr Farhad spotted a black SUV suspiciously trying to get closer to his vehicle and then he noticed “a hand coming out of the backseat window of the suspicious vehicle with a handgun”.

He instinctively pulled the brake resulting in misfire from the assailants. Multiple shots were fired. Mr Nusrat also witnessed empty bullet shells flying in the air and hitting the front portion of his vehicle, the statement said, adding that the attackers escaped on the highway.

“Mr Nusrat and Mr Farhad have lodged the official report at the local police station and informed pertinent authorities, who have started an investigation into the incident,” it said. Mr Nusrat was then the London-based convener of the unified MQM when party founder Altaf Hussain made an incendiary speech on Aug 22, 2016. Later, the party in Pakistan sacked him replacing him with Dr Farooq Sattar as the convener of the coordination committee of the MQM-Pakistan.

He then led the London faction of the MQM as its convener and later parted ways with Mr Hussain and moved back to the US, where he first launched a ‘Free Karachi’ campaign and then turned it into the Voice of Karachi advocacy group.
Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2021

 

[bjorb]

US troops are leaving. Is it wise to hope that Russia should enter the fray? The Taliban should meet the same fate as IS (Islamic State) OSIT. The US only used Afghanistan to agitate and destabilize the surrounding countries (Through drugs export and terrorism) and keep the money pockets of the military-industrial complex flowing. Stabilizing the country and ending the war was never the goal.

Risk of Afghan instability ‘overflowing’ across region, Russian FM says, as Taliban insurgents gain ground following US withdrawal

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that intense fighting in Afghanistan risks destabilizing neighboring nations in Central Asia, as American troops pull out of the country and the Taliban take yet more territory.

www.rt.com

 

[Ca.]

Afghanistan Times@AfghanistanTime
4h 2:02 PM · Aug 3, 2021

UNAMA: 40 civilians killed&118 injured in d past 24 hours in fighting between #Afghan security forces& #Taliban fighters in #Lashkargah. Local sources say Taliban r hiding&using civilian houses to attack government forces. Army asked citizens to evacuate ahead of a clearance Ops.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422551592860069900

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422588369578627077

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It’s All About Capital: The Taliban Push Into Kandahar, Herat And Lashar Gah
Video 02.08.2021 SouthFront

The Taliban’s gains have reached critical mass and they are now attempting to capture key cities in Afghanistan.

Airports in the second and fourth largest cities in the country, Kandahar and Herat, were struck by rockets in the last days of July and on August 1st.

Flights at airports in both cities had to be suspended, and the airport in Kandahar suffered a partially damaged runway.

Most recently, on August 1st, at least three rockets were launched towards the Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport in Kandahar.

Two of the projectiles hit the runway.

Officials in Kandahar claimed that there was a serious risk of the Taliban taking control over the city, adding that the group wanted to turn Kandahar into their temporary capital.

It is of symbolic importance since the Taliban movement was first created in Kandahar province.

In Herat, the Taliban claimed that its fighters had breached the main defense line of the northwestern Afghan city of Herat.

The Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid shared a video showing fighters on the outskirts of the city.

He then claimed that the Taliban were inside the city itself breaching its defenses.

The Afghan government sent large reinforcements of security forces to Herat in order to repel the Taliban’s attack.

The clashes have been on-going since July 28th.

The government forces are preparing to launch a large-scale operation to push Taliban fighters away from Herat city.

At least 20 people were killed, including 16 security force members, and 90 people were wounded in the past four days of fighting in Herat.

Meanwhile, the city most vulnerable to Taliban capture is reportedly Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.

It is famous as a fighting point where many US and British soldiers have lost their lives in the past.

Pro-Taliban social media accounts have uploaded videos of Taliban fighters in the heart of the city.

Afghan special forces are being sent in to help push them back.

It is unknown whether that will work out, as the Taliban’s advance seems to be quite effective.

On July 31st, Taliban fighters were only a few hundred meters from the governor’s office in Lashkar Gah, but were subsequently pushed back.

Afghan and US air strikes have reportedly targeted Taliban positions and government forces say they have killed dozens of militants.

The fighting is evidently ramping up, as the Taliban now seek to capture the most significant cities in the country and prepare to put even more districts and provinces under their control.

Currently, the Taliban control at least 150 of the 407 districts in Afghanistan.

The Kabul government holds all 34 provincial centers, but that could quickly change.

The Taliban Receive Impetus After A Visit To China
7-30-21 SouthFront Video
You can read this article in German: LINK.

The situation in Afghanistan is in a tangle.

A Reuters investigation in early July regarding the Taliban assassinating Afghan military pilots was confirmed by the US government that said it was a worrisome trend.

At least 7 pilots have been assassinated off base in recent months.

This is part of what the Taliban claims is a campaign to see U.S.-trained Afghan pilots ‘targeted and eliminated.’

Taliban insurgents have captured districts across Afghanistan and seized vital border control points in recent weeks, as Washington withdraws its last troops after 20 years of war.

The Pentagon now estimates that the fighters control more than half of Afghanistan’s district centers.

The United Nations reported that civilian casualties had been surging in recent weeks, with as many killed in May and June as in the previous four months combined.

On the ground, on July 28th, the Taliban advanced southwest of Herat to the Malan Bridge and captured the villages before it.

In the Karukh district, the Afghan army claims to have repelled a Taliban attack.

Additionally, the Afghan Army repelled an attack to the Dara Suf district in Samangan province.

The Taliban attacked Afghan Army positions in the Muhamad Aghah district in Logar province.

Heavy clashes are continuing in both the Karukh district in Herat province, as well as to the south and west of Kandahar city.

The Taliban have received an impetus and seem to be feeling the taste of victory.

Government forces, alongside fighters affiliated with Mohammad Ismail Khan and the survivors of Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, are stationed in Karukh and stand up to the Taliban.

The Taliban’s campaign will likely receive a further “boost” in confidence, after a delegation of the movement visited China.

China told the Taliban delegation that it expected the group to play an important role in ending Afghanistan’s war and rebuilding the country.

Furthermore, Beijing hopes the Taliban would crack down on the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as it was a “direct threat to China’s national security,” referring to a group China says is active in the Xinjiang region in China’s far west.

The US considers that it is a “positive thing” if Beijing was promoting a peaceful resolution to the war and “some kind of Afghan government … that’s truly representative and inclusive.”

It is likely a reluctant acknowledgement, since this means Washington’s influence is waning further.

The Afghan Army is still providing some resistance, but it is plain to see that the Taliban have the upper hand on most fronts.

 

[Ca.]

Updates:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422593714074095618

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422594404674678789

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422595264406331393

Reports of at least 6 people being wounded. #Kabul

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422596751316369411

TOLOnews @TOLOnews
https://twitter.com/TOLOnews
Afghanistan: 51 Media Outlets Closed Amid Fighting https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-17
6:59 PM · Aug 3, 2021·

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he spoke with President Ashraf Ghani "to reiterate the strong and enduring US commitment to Afghanistan."
5:39 PM · Aug 3, 2021

“We discussed the need to accelerate peace negotiations toward an inclusive political settlement that respects the rights of all Afghans, including women and girls,” Blinken said.
5:39 PM · Aug 3, 2021

Residents of Kabul chanted "Allah Akbar" in various parts of the city and expressed their support for the Afghan security forces.
7:16 PM · Aug 3, 2021 Video

Ashraf Ghani@ashrafghani
12:06 PM · Jul 31, 2021·

It is a great honor for all prominent political leaders, jihadi leaders, civil society representatives, women and religious scholars to speak with one voice under the umbrella of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in defense of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity from the security and defense forces, in the presence of security officials. And the defense declared support.

 

[Ca.]

Assassination of Afghanistan Defense Minister fails though the mayhem gain's steam.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422817978534477830

UPDATED: Explosion Rocked Kabul, As Assassination Attempt Targeted Afghanistan Defense Minister (Videos)

UPDATE: Clashes have been continuing for several hours between the security forces and militants who attacked the house of the...

southfront.org

8-3-21 SF-Snip: Tweets / video

A car bomb exploded close to Bismillah Mohammadi’s residence. According to the reports, the attackers entered the house of the head of the defense department. Gunshots and explosions were heard on the spot.

General Bismillah Mohammadi, the Minister of National Defense, was not at home when the attack took place. He and his family are safe.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Meanwhile, Kabul faced a national uprising against the Taliban. People took to the streets and got on the roofs of their houses, shouting “Allahu Akbar”.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422851905227829250

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422881305809784833

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422852637611986945

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422863246093062144

 

[Ca.]

Military Situation In Afghanistan On August 8, 2021 (Map Update)
SOUTHFRONT:

• On August 8, Taliban captured Sare Pol city in Sare Pol province
• On August 8, Taliban captured most of Kunduz city in Kunduz province
• On August 8, clashes between the Afghan Army and Taliban continued to the west and south of Herat city
• On August 8, clashes between the Afghan Army and Taliban continued inside the city of Lashkar Gah
• On August 7, Taliban captured Khaja Do Kuh in Jowzjan province
• 572 Taliban militants were killed and 143 others were wounded as a result of Afghan Army operations in Nangarhar,Laghman,Ghazni,Paktia,Paktika, Kandahar,Uruzgan,Herat,Farah, Jowzjan,Sar-e Pol,Faryab,Helmand, Nimruz, Takhar, Kunduz, Badakhshan and Kapisa provinces during the last 24 hours, according to the Afghan MOD

In Video: Kunduz, Sari-Pul Capitals Fell Under Taliban Control

On August 7th, the Taliban launched an advance in the city of Kunduz in the north-eastern Afghanistan. Following the night-long...

southfront.org

Video / Tweets
On August 7th, the Taliban launched an advance in the city of Kunduz in the north-eastern Afghanistan.

Following the night-long clashes, the Taliban fighters declared the complete capture of Kunduz. According to the group’s representatives, the militants managed to take control of the police department building, the residence of the provincial governor and the prison building.

The Taliban released video showing the Kunduz police headquarters under the complete control of the militants.
According to the local reports, the Afghan security forces are now surrounded in the airport area, where they may receive reinforcement and accumulate forces, preparing for a counteroffensive.

At the same time, the Afghan Defense Minister announced the launch of a counteroffensive by Commando Corps units in Kunduz. Afghan commando saied the National Security Forces had been conducting coordinated operations in the province over the last 24 hours, denying the loss of the city.

The last hope for the Afghan government forces in Kunduz seems to be the air support from the U.S. The US Air Force provided assistance to the Afghan army in repelling the militants’ offensive in Kunduz. The U.S. B-52 bombed targets in the city.

The clashes and airstrikes caused major fires in the city. During the day of fighting, from 50 to 70 civilians were reportedly killed.
This is the 3rd time that the Taliban has taken control over Kunduz, the 5th largest city in Afghanistan. The provincial capital fell in one day.

The same day, on August 8, another provincial capital fell under Taliban’s control. The Taliban has recently proved the capture of Sari-Pul in northern Afghanistan with videos showing militants in the city center and near the main administrative buildings, including the governor’s house.

Thus, at least 4 provincial capitals have fallen under the Taliban’s control in the last two days.

Since the fighting in major provincial capitals, such as Herat and Kandahar, has been going on for more than a week, the Taliban militants do not wasted their time and are capturing other provinces with less effort. This strategy allowed the militants to gain new income sources in the border regions, deprive the government of the opportunity to send reinforcements to the regions, as well as distract Kabul from fighting in large strategic cities.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1424274697223647232

Look at this global terrorist speaker who is still fighting in the city of Kunduz, but they have given the city time and completely to the terrorist Taliban.

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Allahu Akbar from the #سرپل The American puppets were driven out of the province and completely fell into the hands of the
Mujahideen.

What went wrong in Afghanistan? - BBC Newsnight
Aug 7, 2021

Stop Taliban or...': Afghanistan warns world as U.S, U.K ask citizens to exit country

Aug 7, 2021

#Afghanistan: The #Taliban empty the prisons and loot the armouries
7:30 PM · Aug 7, 2021 From

Adam Curtis: Bitter Lake | Full movie HD

"Adam Curtis: Bitter Lake":Genre: Documentary Year:2015 Politicians used to have the confidence to tell us stories that made sense of the chaos of world even...

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Sep 22, 2015