Afghanistan - News & Discussions

[TrueSpirit1]

@IBSA excellent article

 

[Srinivas_K]

Large number of Afghan officers complete training in India

A large number of the Afghan National Army (ANA) officers have completed their training in a prestigious military academy in India.
The Afghan army officers are due to pass out of the academy – Indian Military Academy in Dehradun on Saturady.
The Afghan National Army (ANA) Chief of Staff, Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi is due to visit India today to attend the passing out parade.
Gen. Karimi will also meet with the top Indian officials during his visit to India, besides reviewing the passing out parade of the indian Military Academy on Saturday.
His visit to India comes shortly after President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani met with the Indian Prime Minister Narendrea Modi on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit in Nepal.
India has been one of the main donors contributing to the reconstruction of Afghanistan during the past 13 years.
The Indian Prime Minister reaffirmed continued support to Afghanistan during the SAARC Summit and said India will stand with Afghanistan "at every step" as a friend and partner.

Large number of Afghan officers complete training in India - Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan News Agency

 

[nrupatunga]

US, NATO mark end of 13-year war in Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan, fought for 13 bloody years and still raging, came to a formal end Sunday with a quiet flag-lowering ceremony in Kabul that marked the transition of the fighting from U.S.-led combat troops to the country's own security forces.

In front of a small, hand-picked audience at the headquarters of the NATO mission, the green-and-white flag of the International Security Assistance Force was ceremonially rolled up and sheathed, and the flag of the new international mission called Resolute Support was hoisted.

U.S. Gen. John Campbell, commander of ISAF, commemorated the 3,500 international soldiers killed on Afghan battlefields and praised the country's army for giving him confidence that they are able to take on the fight alone.

"Resolute Support will serve as the bedrock of an enduring partnership" between NATO and Afghanistan, Campbell told an audience of Afghan and international military officers and officials, as well as diplomats and journalists.

"The road before us remains challenging, but we will triumph," he added.

Beginning Jan. 1, the new mission will provide training and support for Afghanistan's military, with the U.S. accounting for almost 11,000 of the 13,500 members of the residual force.

"Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending, and the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion," U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement issued in Hawaii, where he is on vacation with his family.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who took office in September, signed bilateral security agreements with Washington and NATO allowing the ongoing military presence. The move has led to a spike in violence, with the Taliban claiming it as an excuse to step up operations aimed at destabilizing his government.

ISAF was set up after the U.S.-led invasion as an umbrella for the coalition of around 50 nations that provided troops and took responsibility for security across the country. It ends with 2,224 American soldiers killed, according to an Associated Press tally.

The mission, which was initially aimed at toppling the Taliban and rooting out al-Qaida following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, peaked at 140,000 troops in 2010. Obama ordered a surge to drive the insurgents out of strategically important regions, notably in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, where the Taliban had its capital from 1996 to 2001.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called Sunday's event a "defeat ceremony" and said the insurgents' fight would continue.

"Since the invasion in 2001 until now, these events have been aimed at changing public opinion, but we will fight until there is not one foreign soldier on Afghan soil and we have established an Islamic state," he said.

Obama recently expanded the role of U.S. forces remaining in the country, allowing them to extend their counter-terrorism operations to the Taliban, as well as al-Qaida, and to provide ground and air support for Afghan forces when necessary for at least the next two years.

In a tacit recognition that international military support is still essential for Afghan forces, national security adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar told the gathered ISAF leaders: "We need your help to build the systems necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of the critical capabilities of our forces."

Afghans have mixed feelings about the drawdown of foreign troops. With the deteriorating security situation, many believe the troops are needed to back up the Afghan effort to bring peace after more than three decades of continual war.

"At least in the past 13 years we have seen improvements in our way of life — freedom of speech, democracy, the people generally better off financially," said 42-year-old shop keeper Gul Mohammad.

But the soldiers are still needed "at least until our own forces are strong enough, while our economy strengthens, while our leaders try to form a government," he said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that Afghanistan's 350,000-member security forces are ready to take on the insurgency alone, despite complaints by officials that they lack the necessary assets, such as air support, medical evacuation systems and intelligence.

On Sunday, he said that ISAF's mandate was "carried out at great cost but with great success."

"We have made our own nations safer by denying safe haven to international terrorists. We have made Afghanistan stronger by building up from scratch strong security forces. Together we have created the conditions for a better future for millions of Afghan men, women and children," he said.

As Afghan forces assume sovereignty, the country is without a Cabinet three months after Ghani's inauguration, and economic growth is near zero due to the reduction of the international military presence and other aid. The United States spent more than $100 million on reconstruction in Afghanistan, on top of the $1 trillion war.

This year is set to be the deadliest of the war, according to the United Nations, which expects civilian casualties to hit 10,000 for the first time since the agency began keeping records in 2008. Most of the deaths and injuries were caused by Taliban attacks, the U.N. said.

Two teenage boys were killed late Saturday in the eastern Wardak province when a rocket was fired near a children's volleyball match, an official said. Another five children, ages 11 to 14, were wounded by shrapnel, said the governor's spokesman Attaullah Khogyani. He blamed the Taliban.

In Kapisa, also in the east, Gov. Abdul Saboor Wafa's office said eight insurgents were killed Saturday night in an army counter-insurgency operation.

This has also been a deadly year for Afghanistan's security forces — army, paramilitary and police — with around 5,000 deaths recorded so far. Most of those deaths, or around 3,200, have been police officers, according to Karl Ake Roghe, the outgoing head of EUPOL, the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan, which funds and trains a police force of 157,000.

So "The Great Game" will start with a new chapter?? How will this new chapter work out for a'stan, and the region is to be seen.

 

[amoy]

Afghan Taliban delegation visited China recently
The News Friday 2nd January, 2015

PESHAWR: A delegation of Afghan Taliban recently visited China and held talks with Chinese officials, sources said on Thursday. The sources said the two-member Taliban delegation led by Qari Din Muhammad, a member of Taliban political office in Doha, Qatar, visited China in November last year. The delegation discussed issues related to Afghanistan and the current situation in the region, sources close to Taliban told the AIP or Afghan Islamic Press. Though the outcome of the talks between the Taliban and Chinese officials is not yet clear, it is possible that Taliban may have started thinking about China's role in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, the sources said. A Taliban official, who wished not to be named, also confirmed the visit of the Taliban officials to China, saying, "The purpose of the trip was to share the Islamic Emirate's stance with China." It may be recalled that the Taliban delegations from its Qatar office also visited Japan, France and Iran in the past. Besides attending different meetings and conferences, they also held talks with officials of these countries. The visit of the Taliban delegation to China came shortly after the newly-elected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani paid a four-day official trip to China. The Afghan president, while addressing the 'Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference' in Beijing, termed China as the key country which can help restore peace in Afghanistan and urged the Taliban to take part in the intra-Afghan dialogue.

- See more at: Afghanistan News - Afghan Taliban delegation visited China recently

 

[IBSA]

Why the Taliban is Turning to China

After Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's landmark visit to China in October 2014 the Chinese government announced its full support for the Afghan peace process.

Beijing's efforts include an invitation for the Taliban to visit China, which was accepted by the Taliban. According to a leading Pakistani newspaper, two senior Afghan Taliban visited China last November. The Taliban wants China to help negotiate a political settlement with the Afghan government.

The Taliban, particularly after they closed their headquarters in Qatar, demonstrated extreme antipathy to peace talks with Kabul. This antipathy stems from an absence of a realistic peace plan from the former Afghan government under Hamid Karzai; a reluctance from neighboring countries supporting the Afghan peace process; and political uncertainty due to prolonged elections in Afghanistan.

Yet the Taliban signaled a breakthrough in efforts to start peace negotiations by visiting China and seeking Chinese support for mediation between them and the Afghan government.

Though, the outcome of the Taliban visit to China is not clear, it gives optimism to the people and government of Afghanistan that official peace talks with the Taliban may start soon. Afghans are generally optimistic for peace after the popular presidential elections and a peaceful transition of power to new the president of the country.

Yet skeptics may ask what persuaded the Taliban to entertain diplomacy?

Strong stance of the Afghan government against Taliban

Unlike President Karzai, President Ghani has adopted a strict policy in dealing with Taliban. He has given a very clear message to the Taliban. "Do not ever threaten an Afghan with violence. We will rise as one and we will face every threat the way we have taken on thousands of previous armies and conquerors," Ghani told CBS.

"This is the moment of destiny. Work with us to transform Asia but should you threaten our existence everybody will be destroyed, not just us," he added, smiling.

This was message not only for the Taliban but also for those who support and shelter them. President Ghani called repeatedly upon the religious clerics to denounce Taliban activities and support government, something that rarely happened under President Karzai.

In another stance, on October 9, 2015 during a visit to Afghanistan's largest prison, Pule-Charkhi Prison, President Ghani gave a strong message to Taliban: "Those who were involved behind the killing of children, women and Afghan security forces should be punished for their crimes."

On the other hand, Afghanistan's First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum threatened the Taliban with a tough crack down. On a mission to the northern Juzjan province he gave a clear message to Taliban. "Living in peace is better that being killed." Dostum also proclaimed that he has prepared a Special Force of 20,000 fighters to eliminate the Taliban from Afghanistan.

The Taliban realized that despite the drawdown of international security forces, General Dostum holds enough power the fight them.

Local uprisings against Taliban

Local villagers for the first time got the Taliban scrambling after they mounted a rebellion against the insurgents in the eastern province of Ghazni, back in 2012. A group of angry Afghan villagers in the Ander district of Ghazni province inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban and succeeded in banishing them from several of villages and many districts of Ghazni Province.

Today, the uprising against Taliban has reached to Paktia, Konar, Nuristan, Laghman, Faryab, Logar and Kandahar (the birth place of Taliban) provinces. Without any doubt such uprising could spread rapidly across the country and have the potential to gain a grip in displeased communities across Afghanistan. As local villagers, under Taliban-controlled areas, are extremely frustrated from the Taliban and their followers. Closing schools, pressuring the population, atrocities, and intimidation by the Taliban is no more tolerable by millions of Afghans who wants a change.

Taliban certainly have a sharp memory to recall the consequence of local uprisings if they grip the entire country. Let's take a close look at recent uprisings in Afghanistan.

- In 1838, popular uprising against the Great Britain by the Afghan people resulted in the massacre of the entire British army of 15,000, save one.

- Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878, the second uprising against Great Britain, though, brutally crushed in a pre-emptive move but finally resulted the complete withdrawal of British invaders.

- In 1917, the invading forces of Great Britain for the third time got wind of another impending rebellion against their occupation which resulted the full independence of Afghanistan. Proclaimed by the King Amanullah Khan in 1918.

- Last, but not the least, the uprising against the Soviet Union invasion started right after their invasion in 1978. The local uprising, backed by the Islamic world and United States not only resulted in the complete withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan but the independence of many central Asian countries.

Local upraising undoubtedly alarmed Taliban that, there is no more space for them in the Afghan society.

Changing Pakistan

Pakistan is the Godfather of the Taliban that not only created but sheltered and supported the group since their birth in 1996.

Pakistan, which itself is already in turmoil due to rampant corruption, incompetent governance, economic crises and political tension, can no longer support a group of people that has no foundation in the Afghan society. International pressure on Pakistan to destroy the safe heavens of terrorist and put an end to its three decade-long covert war seems to have compelled the leaders of Pakistan to rethink its strategic depth policy in Afghanistan and stop supporting the Taliban.

The Taliban, who never had international support, were dealt a harsh blow in their ongoing battle in Afghanistan after losing a close ally in Pakistan. Thus it is time for the Taliban to talk about a political settlement.

Regional changes

In the 1930s, Pakistan's poet-philosopher Allama Mohammad Iqbal characterized Afghanistan as Qalb-e-Asya (the Heart of Asia).

In his unique style, Iqbal wrote in Persian, and I translate:

"Asia is comparable to a living body. The heart that beats inside the body is the homeland of Afghans. The destruction of Afghans would be the destruction of Asia. In their [Afghan] progress and prosperity lies the well-being of Asia."

After eight decades the major powers in Asia must believe these prophetic lines of Alama Iqbal and support Afghanistan in reaching a sustainable peace. Although India and Turkey played a key role over the past 14 years, China is emerging from the shadows to play a significant role in bringing peace to Afghanistan. The Heart of Asia Conference concurs the wind of change in Asia.

The Taliban got wind of these impending changes in Asia and embarked on a political struggle to protect their future by indicating a willingness to talk about a political solution to the Afghan crises.

Moreover, as the US and NATO military drawdown and Afghan security forces take full responsibility of security in the country, the Taliban lost the
excuse of fighting against foreign forces. They can no longer justify the war against the Afghan forces.

Now that the Taliban stands at a crossroads between choosing a peaceful life and isolation, they seek China to help negotiate a political settlement with the Afghan government.

It is a strategic opportunity for the new Afghan government to use all instruments for bringing peace in the country. It's important for the Afghan government to pressure the Taliban by supporting the local uprising and enhancing its ties with Pakistan and other regional nations. Afghans, like other nations, have the right to live in peace, and Kabul must use all means to bring peace to this war-weary nation.

Why the Taliban is Turning to China - Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan News Agency

 

[Virendra]

Mother's revenge: Afghan woman 'kills 25 Taliban' after son shot dead — RT News

Excerpt :
An Afghan mother, enraged by the Taliban's fatal shooting of her policeman son, has allegedly helped to kill 25 militants. She rushed to a police outpost near her home upon hearing gunfire, before her adrenalin took over and she "began to shoot back."

Regards,
Virendra

 

[Zebra]

NatGeo: Lost Treasures of Afghanistan
Published on Mar 27, 2013 by Amit Nandeshwar

 

[cobra commando]

Backlash brews in Afghanistan over Ghani''s cooperation with Pak.
..........

 

[cobra commando]

Afghanistan harnesses anti- Taliban militias as insurgency spreads

Kabul: The commander known as Pakhsaparan, or the "wall breaker", barked out commands at his bandolier-draped fighters, part of a patchwork of anti- Taliban militias in northern Afghanistan seeking to augment hard-pressed Afghan forces in a strategy fraught with risk. The Taliban recently came close to overrunning Kunduz city, in the most alarming threat to any provincial capital since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, as the insurgency spreads across the north beyond its traditional southern stronghold. With Afghan forces suffering record casualties as foreign troops pull back, Kabul is increasingly relying on former mujahideen strongmen with chequered pasts as a bulwark against the insurgents -- a gambit observers say is akin to fighting fire with fire. Powerful among them is Mohammed Omar -- popularly known by his battlefield moniker Pakhsaparan for his touted ability to flatten walls -- who controls hundreds of fighters in his fiefdom on the banks of the Khanabad River in Kunduz province. "This is a people`s uprising," said Pakhsaparan, with a trimmed snow-white beard and a deep booming voice as he showcased his militia to AFP in Kunduz city, wielding assault rifles, lugging rucksacks with RPG warheads and draped in bandoliers of ammunition. "The people are prepared to send their sons to the frontlines to fight against the Taliban, to defend their home, their country, their honour and their government."


Read more:
Afghanistan harnesses anti- Taliban militias as insurgency spreads

 

[LETHALFORCE]

India suspects British backing of Pak-Afghan intel cooperation

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...an-intel-cooperation/articleshow/47522070.cms

 

[ezsasa]

India suspects British backing of Pak-Afghan intel cooperation

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...an-intel-cooperation/articleshow/47522070.cms

Guys this is getting ugly, any opinions on this issue.

My other issue is that TOI reporting this, any other sources available indicating a similar view.

 

[nrupatunga]

Taliban-ISIS clashes leave 27 dead in Afghanistan

Ongoing clashes between Taliban and Islamic State jihadists in western Afghanistan have left at least 27 insurgents dead and 20 other people injured, officials told Efe news agency on Monday.

Afghan military spokesman Mohamad Hanif Rezaey specified that 15 ISIS jihadists and 12 from the Taliban were killed in fighting on Sunday afternoon in three areas within Farah province's Khak-e-Safid district.

Among the injured were 13 ISIS members and seven from Taliban ranks.

 

[blueblood]

Taliban-ISIS clashes leave 27 dead in Afghanistan

This is exactly what is called "kaante se kaanta nikalna".

 

[Zebra]

http://www.afghanistansun.com/index.php/sid/233455655

IS beheads 10 Taliban militants in Afghanistan

Afghanistan Sun (IANS) Thursday 4th June, 2015

 

[Zebra]

http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/19962-30-arab-insurgents-killed-in-foreign-air-strike

30 Arab Insurgents Killed in Foreign Air strike
Thursday, 11 June 2015

 

[Zebra]

http://www.khaama.com/taliban-shadow-governor-for-nangarhar-shot-dead-in-peshawar-city-1193

Taliban shadow governor for Nangarhar shot dead in Peshawar city
By Mirwais Adeel - Fri Jun 12 2015,


Taliban group’s shadow provincial governor for eastern Nangarhar province was shot dead by gunmen in Peshawar city of Pakistan.

The Afghan Intelligence – National Directorate of security (NDS) chief Rahmatullah Nabil said Mawlavi Mir Ahmad Gul was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Spina Wari area.

Nabil further added that Mawlavi Gul was involved in plotting and killing of hundreds of Afghans.

The Taliban militants group has not commented regarding the report so far.

The circumstances surrounding Mawlavi Gul’s assassination is not clear so far. This comes as a senior Afghan Taliban leader was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Peshawar city of Pakistan earlier in February last year.

The Taliban leader Mawlavi Abdul Raqib was reportedly shot dead by unknown gunmen while he was leaving his house.

Unknown gunmen also shot dead a senior Afghan Taliban leader Noorullah Hotak in Quetta city of Pakistan in December 2013.

A senior Haqqani Network leader Dr. Nasiruddin Haqqani was also shot dead by unknown gunmen near Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan earlier in November 2013.

 

[Zebra]

http://www.latimes.com/world/afghanistan-pakistan/la-afghan-taliban-attack-20150612-story.html

Taliban claims attack that killed at least 17 Afghan police officers

 

[Zebra]

http://www.afghanistansun.com/index.php/sid/233455655

IS beheads 10 Taliban militants in Afghanistan

Afghanistan Sun (IANS) Thursday 4th June, 2015

http://www.khaama.com/isis-video-purportedly-shows-beheading-of-afghan-taliban-member-1200

ISIS video purportedly shows beheading of Afghan Taliban member
By Mirwais Adeel - Sat Jun 13 2015,

 

[Zebra]

 

[Zebra]

http://www.khaama.com/russia-very-concerned-over-militants-rising-influence-in-afghanistan-3547

Russia very concerned over militants influence in Afghanistan

By Zabihullah Moosakhail - Thu Jun 25 2015,


Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed serious concern over the influence of the militant groups in Afghanistan.

Putin in a meeting with Afghanistan’s former president Hamid Karzai has said that the sharp rise in Taliban attacks after NATO ended its combat role and that activities of the so-called Islamic State group are more worrying.

“We are witnessing processes that cause serious concern…Taliban is actively spreading its influence, controlling a large part of [Afghan] territory, many border crossing points. What is more worrying, however, is the fact that the so-called Islamic State organization is working more and more actively in Afghanistan, feeling more comfortable there,” Putin said.

Putin has also said that the Islamic State, Daesh, is currently operating in 25 provinces of Afghanistan out of 34.

Afghanistan’s ex-president Hamid Karzai has also said that the Islamic State or Daesh is not only a serious threat for Afghanistan but for the entire region.

Fighters operating under the name of Daesh in Afghanistan are said to be the former members of the Taliban group who not only have separated ways with Taliban.

But some analyzers believe Daesh could be proved more dangerous than Taliban since they have already adopted the brutal ways of killing from their affiliates in Iraq and Syria.