Afghanistan News & Discussion

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 24 Jun 2015 21:30

Its more to do with the success of Democracy in Afghanistan. If Afghanistan do have a democratic setup that works, it also threatens the Military in Pakistan. The military that runs Pakistan.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 24 Jun 2015 22:14

RoyG wrote:I think that therr is more to the ghani intel sharing episode. Most likely afghan army and intel arent playing ball so its just paper. Wouldnt make sense for isi to launch an attack otherwise.

But isn't this exactly the same game pakis/ISI played with the americans by using "intelligence cooperation" to work against the americans and attacking US troops to blunt the US GOAT? Seems that way to me.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 24 Jun 2015 22:23

The Afghan soldier, who killed the 6 Pakis and said he had taken care of Pkaistani slaves, had more brains in his knees than all the Pakis in ISI.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 25 Jun 2015 05:10

So, what else is new?

Afghanistan: Pakistan Officer Involved in Parliament Attack

Afghan intelligence services spokesman Hassib Sediqqi said the officer in Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence helped the Haqqani network carry out the attack outside parliament, which killed two people and wounded more than 30 as lawmakers were meeting inside.

arun · Post by **arun** » 25 Jun 2015 11:53

^^^ X Posted from the STFUP thread, another article on the above matter.

arun wrote:#RAWattacksAfghanParliament: How Pakistan Twitter blamed the Taliban attack on India :

How brazen can brazen be? Consider the voices emanating from Pakistan over Monday’s terror attack on the Afghan parliament and this question will ring out loudly.

Many Pakistanis seriously believe that India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) choreographed the terror attack on Afghan parliament. #RAWattacksAfghanParliament has been the top trending subject on Pakistan Twitter since news of attack on Afghan parliament broke out. ................

Needless to say, such campaigns on social media are an integral feature of the psyops of Pakistani intelligence and security establishments. Consider some of the tweets soaked in malicious Pakistani propaganda. .......................

The twitter link follows:

https://mobile.twitter.com/hashtag/RAWA ... t?src=hash

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s claims of the involvement of India in the attack on Afghanistan’s Parliament has been trashed by the Afghan’s pointing out a connection to where else but the Land of the Pure and the Home of the Mohammadden Terrorist.

Afghan intelligence services spokesman Hassib Sediqqi said the Uniformed Jihadi’s of the Punjabi dominated Military of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan via its notoriously Mohammadden Terrorist fomenting intelligence arm the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate aka ISID aka ISI helped the Un-uniformed Mohammadden Terrorists of the Haqqani network carry out the attack outside parliament, which killed two people and wounded more than 30 as lawmakers were meeting inside. Afghan intelligence services spokesman Hassib Sediqqi identified the ISID/ISI officer as Bilal, without providing his full name:

Pakistan officer was involved in parliament attack, Afghanistan authorities say

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 25 Jun 2015 15:00

Tuvaluan wrote:ISIS getting into a fight with the ISI/Paki taliban is not a bad thing -- these are not events India can control, but they definitely work towards India's interests. Provided the ISIS decides that the ISI are not islamic enough for them...but if that were the case, they would be taking on the saudi royals. So there is something very smelly about the ISIS's announcement to be in afghanisthan.

As I quoted earlier, this is the newest franchisee model. So, its not required that men move in. Just put the badge on and keep doing the shit that ones doing currently.

Qn to everyone: Does BH [Nigeria] get paid by IS? I don't remember seeing that mentioned anywhere. Surprising the IS accepted them into the fold though. So will it mean if Buhari tries to eliminate BH, the IS comes to help? Like hell. We all know the answer.

Repeat and Rinse. Its almost corporate. Establish a budget and agenda, have a bunch of idiots to oversee agenda, set minor agendas with track leaders and recruit some 500 fools to do nasty & menial stuff. If anyone believed that the IS will help any country in the long run, I am shocked and perhaps also feel sorry for the person.

Not even Turkey or Qatar or KSA or US or any of the suspects could really entertain them. Not in any realistic way. Just like a well fed snake will one day come and attack its master...

And no, assuming that IS finishing off a few militant types will make us all safer is a bit like living in the clouds and assuming that all's well. Realistically put, the fellas who might be getting finished might be the moderates and the less bloody types and as well know all franchisee models, the finished off dealers will be replaced by more violent ones.

No. Whichever way one could logically look at it, they are only bad news. Nothing else. Even to the ISI perhaps. These are not controlled variables.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 30 Jun 2015 14:33

In a first, Islamic State fighters seize substantial territory in Afghanistan - Reuters, ToI

SURKH DEWAL, Afghanistan: Fighters loyal to Islamic State have seized substantial territory in Afghanistan for the first time, witnesses and officials said, wresting areas in the east from rival Taliban insurgents in a new threat to stability.

Witnesses who fled fighting in Nangarhar province said that hundreds of insurgents pledging allegiance to Islamic State pushed out the Taliban, scorching opium poppy fields that help to fund the Taliban's campaign to overthrow the Afghan government.

They also distributed directives purportedly from Islamic State's Middle East-based chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, although it was not clear whether he issued them for the Afghan theatre or if previous edicts may have been translated.

"They (IS loyalists) came in on many white pickup trucks mounted with big machine guns and fought the Taliban. The Taliban could not resist and fled," said Haji Abdul Jan, a tribal elder from Achin district.

Jan, who saw the early June clashes before fleeing to the provincial capital of Jalalabad, said some villagers welcomed the new arrivals.

"Unlike the Taliban, they (IS) don't force villagers to feed and house them. Instead, they have lots of cash in their pockets and spend it on food and luring young villagers to join them."

Their accounts are the clearest sign yet that, beyond a few defections by low-level Taliban leaders and sporadic attacks, Islamic State sympathisers pose a more persistent threat.

IS loyalists, mostly former Taliban disillusioned by the movement's unsuccessful bid to return to power in Kabul, are accompanied by dozens of foreign fighters, witnesses said.

The IS's black flag has been hoisted in some areas, and foreign fighters preach in mosques through translators.

The identity of the non-Afghan insurgents is not known. Hundreds of militants from around the world already hide out along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Ominous signs

Local officials said fighters following IS have seized some territory from the Taliban in at least six of 21 Nangarhar districts.

They are Kot, Achin, Deh Bala, Naziyan, Rodat and Chaparhar, according to provincial council chief Ahmad Ali Hazrat and Nangarhar member of parliament Haji Hazrat Ali. Local army spokesman Noman Atefi said IS had established a presence in "seven or eight" districts.

Battles between the rival militants are ongoing in Khogyani and Pachir Agam districts, they said.

While the central government controls the vast majority of Afghanistan, events in Nangarhar are ominous for security forces struggling to contain the Taliban insurgency after most NATO forces withdrew six months ago.

IS supporters have proved ruthless, reportedly beheading several Taliban commanders, and IS' success in taking over swathes of Iraq and Syria underlines the risks to Afghanistan.

Government officials and the US-led training force question whether IS can gain a significant foothold in Afghanistan, given that direct links with the Middle East have not been proven and the Taliban remains dominant.

However, IS loyalists in Nangarhar are described as organised and well funded.

Under the shade of a mud wall in a makeshift refugee camp in Surkh Dewal outside Jalalabad city, about 30 men recalled encounters with IS fighters. The areas they come from are considered too dangerous for journalists to visit.

Abdul Wali, a green-eyed refugee from Achin in his 20s, said he listened to foreign fighters preaching in Arabic in local mosques through translators.

"They tell them about Islam and what people should do and should not do," Wali said.

IS fighters also distribute pamphlets "to warn the people against many crimes", said tribal elder Haji Abdul Hakim from Kot district.

One letter smuggled from Pachir Agam district was purportedly from Baghdadi.

"All Mujahideen fighters are invited to carry out this holy war under one flag, which is the Islamic State," it said.

"Thieves and thugs"

The Taliban, who issued their own warning to IS not to interfere in Afghanistan, acknowledged losing ground in Nangarhar, but said their rivals were not Islamic State.

"They are thieves and thugs ... We will soon clear those areas and free the villagers," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. The movement ruled Afghanistan from the mid-1990s until 2001, when a US-led campaign helped oust it from power.

Witnesses said IS fighters had established a stricter regime in Nangarhar than the Taliban, who, while still harsh, softened their rule to gain popular support, said Malek Jan, a tribal elder who fled Spinghar, another affected area.

"They (IS) burned poppy fields in Shadal village and banned shops from selling cigarettes," Jan said.

Opium smuggling and taxing poppy production are key sources of Taliban revenue.

IS loyalists in Nangarhar appeared to have other sources of money. Several people said they had plenty of cash, and some heard militants were selling gold, unusual for the area.

It is unclear where the money is coming from.

While there is little evidence of direct links between IS in the Middle East and militants fighting under its banner in Afghanistan, officials in Kabul worry that money and personnel may begin to flow, taking the war to a new level.

The NATO-led military assistance force said it viewed reports of more money flowing to IS offshoots as "exaggerated", spokesman Col. Brian Tribus said.

He added NATO had "not seen any indication" that IS had completely driven out the Taliban from parts of Nangarhar, and said any foreign fighters were likely to be global jihadists established in the region, and not newcomers.

Afghan forces holding back?

Government forces in Nangarhar confirmed clashes between the Taliban and IS offshoots, but army spokesman Atefi said they were not targeting IS militants.

Achin's district chief, Malek Islam, also said Afghan forces were not confronting IS fighters, who he said were "almost everywhere in the district", but were targeting the Taliban.

"They (IS) haven't attacked us, and we haven't engaged them either," he said.

Islam spoke by phone from Achin's district centre, which the government holds despite having limited control beyond, as is the case in several districts in Afghanistan's east and south.

Interior Minister Noor ul-Haq Olomi, however, said police had engaged the militants.

"We have launched a couple of clearance operations in some districts of Nangarhar and we will continue to do so to deny any terrorist group territory," Olomi said in a statement.

Michael Kugelman, a South Asia scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, said while most Afghan militants remained loyal to the Taliban, the IS "brand" of more brutal tactics appealed to some younger fighters.

Adding money into the mix could add to the attraction.

"For some hardened and impressionable radicals, bling could be as appealing as barbarity," he said.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 30 Jun 2015 14:36

Huge explosion shakes Afghan Capital - ToI

Must be ISI, Haqqani.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 01 Jul 2015 23:32

Ashraf Ghani finally gets some common sense.

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said on Tuesday Pakistan was in an undeclared war with Afghanistan and anyone lighting fire in Afghanistan will itself burn in that fire.

He said everyone must know that the instability in Afghanistan causes instability in the whole region.The future of Afghanistan is dependent on cooperation from the regional countries, he said adding that a fundamental change is impossible without assistance of the neighbours.

He said Afghanistan was facing challenges but security forces had the ability to overcome these challegnes.While accepting the vast presence of foreign insurgents in the country, the president said foreign militants from 10 countries were operating only in the northern Kundoz province.He said they could offer sacrifices for another five thousand years. He pledged to rebuild Afghanistan.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 05 Jul 2015 14:24

Afghan parliament rejects minister-designate for defence

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 05 Jul 2015 14:53

the attack on afghan parliament was also because ISI-taliban disliked the idea of stanikzai as DM, right ?

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 13 Jul 2015 16:46

Doubts and divisions among commanders as Taliban talk peace - AFP

Haji Hazrat, a Taliban leader based in Helmand, a province in the movement's historic heartland of southern Afghanistan, said he “strongly backed” the talks and was optimistic about the outcome. - AFP

KABUL: Talks last week between Afghan and Taliban negotiators were hailed by officials as a major breakthrough, but insurgent commanders on the ground have responded far more sceptically, highlighting the huge challenges facing the embryonic peace process.

Members of the Afghan High Peace Council sat down with Taliban cadres last week in Murree, a tourist town in the hills north of Islamabad, for their first official talks to try to end the militants' bloody fight, now in its 14th year.

They agreed to meet again in the coming weeks, drawing praise from Kabul, Islamabad, Beijing, Washington and the UN.

But while some commanders voiced optimism, many others interviewed by AFP were deeply wary.

The split in responses, with some commanders openly questioning the legitimacy of the Taliban negotiators in Murree, underscores the potentially dangerous faultlines within the movement, particularly between the older leadership and younger, sometimes more hardline frontline fighters.

Haji Hazrat, a Taliban leader based in Helmand, a province in the movement's historic heartland of southern Afghanistan, said he “strongly backed” the talks and was optimistic about the outcome.

But in the eastern province of Kunar, a hotspot for fighting in recent years close to the Pakistani border, commander Ershad Gazi dismissed the Murree delegation as puppets of Islamabad.

“These Taliban leaders were not truly representing the Taliban group — they were brought to the meeting by Pakistan. The real Taliban who have influence on the talks are based in Qatar,” Gazi, who leads hundreds of fighters, told AFP.

The Taliban set up an office in Qatar in 2013 to begin talks towards a peace deal to end their insurgency.
The Missing Mullah

At the official level the insurgents have maintained a studied ambivalence this week about the authority of the delegation in Murree, perhaps hoping to take the temperature at the talks without committing themselves prematurely.

The Taliban high command has neither welcomed nor condemned the talks.

Their main spokesman issued a somewhat opaque statement saying simply that the “political commission” had the authority to discuss peace.

And there has been no word from Mullah Omar, the enigmatic Taliban chief who has not been seen in public since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

The death of the one-eyed warrior-cleric has been rumoured several times in recent years but never confirmed.

This silence has disgruntled front-line commanders, desperate for confirmation their leader is still alive and also a clear signal on the group's position on peace talks.

“Taliban decided to attend the meeting unofficially, but not to own it publicly, this policy will continue in near future,” a senior militant source told AFP on condition of anonymity. “The leadership is very careful and we are not in a hurry.“

Graeme Smith, an Afghanistan expert at the International Crisis Group in Kabul, said the command's refusal to unequivocally own the talks weakened the process.

He also said the absence of a “visible charismatic leader” in Mullah Omar was hurting the Taliban.

In the absence of a clear lead from the top, some fighters fall back on the Taliban's traditional position, that there can be no meaningful talks until all foreign forces leave Afghan soil.

Nato ended its combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of December but a smaller residual force remains in the country to train Afghan forces, due to leave altogether by the end of 2016.

“We come to the negotiations table only when the entire foreign troops leave Afghanistan,” said Minhaj, a commander of about 200 men in the southern province of Kandahar, told AFP.

“As long as the occupying forces are in Afghanistan peace talks will not have a positive outcome. “Divides within the Taliban between those for and against talks has been made worse by the emergence of a local branch of the Islamic State, the Middle Eastern jihadist outfit that last year declared a “caliphate” across large areas of Iraq and Syria that it controls.

The Taliban warned IS last month against expanding in the region, but this has not stopped some fighters, inspired by the group's success, defecting to swear allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi instead of the invisible Mullah Omar.

Also read: Ex-TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid killed in US drone strike: report

US drone strikes over the past week have killed dozens of suspected IS-linked cadres in Afghanistan.

The notoriously uncompromising IS has shown no desire to negotiate — and if the Taliban faultlines widen, there is a danger the talks process could drive more of its hardline fighters into the arms of the Middle Eastern jihadist group.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 13 Jul 2015 19:59

Afghanistan suicide bomb 'kills 33' near former CIA base

A suicide car bomb has killed at least 33 people, mostly women and children, near a military base in Afghanistan, officials say.

Officials said those killed were civilians in cars waiting to clear the checkpoint at the time of the blast.

No group has said it carried out the blast, although the Taliban has often targeted troops and launched a fresh offensive in late April.

Khost borders Pakistan and is one of Afghanistan's most volatile provinces.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 13 Jul 2015 20:21

“These Taliban leaders were not truly representing the Taliban group — they were brought to the meeting by Pakistan. The real Taliban who have influence on the talks are based in Qatar,”

This is the group that is being funded and supported by the US govt. which built a multi-million dollar "office" for this Taliban in Qatar, clearly in league with the Pakistani army -- these guys announced themselves as the govt. of Afghanisthan creating the actual Karzai govt. in Afghanisthan to read the riot act to the USA.

The Taliban said they would not stop fighting until all foreign forces had left Afghanistan, he said.

The government delegation argued that most foreigners had already left and only trainers remained, who would also leave if the Taliban stopped fighting, he said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/ ... M920150504

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 15 Jul 2015 23:15

Logar Province Copper Mine Development By Chinese Company Could Result In Environmental And Cultural Degradation

But it’s not Taliban fighters camped in nearby mountains who are threatening to destroy some 400 Buddhist treasures and a monastery complex dating back several thousand years that lie at the site of Mes Aynak.

Instead it is a gigantic mining operation. A Chinese firm with a contract to dig up valuable copper ore that lies beneath the site is waging a battle against Afghan and foreign archaeologists who are fighting to save ancient Mes Aynak.

The mining work, set to begin imminently, would destroy rare domed temples known as stupas. The Silk Road locale has significant influences from Iran to India, and a Bronze Age copper smelter remains buried. Over 500 workers from the Ministries of Culture and of Mining have been racing to recover artifacts before the industrial-scale digging begins. The unprecedented archaeological campaign could give way to what will be the country’s most sizable foreign direct investment.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 17 Jul 2015 06:39

India, and the Taliban’s changing dynamics - Anand Arni, Pranay Kotasthane, The Hindu

The first officially acknowledged dialogue between the Taliban and the Afghan government took place in Murree, Pakistan, on July 7. Among those attending were representatives of Pakistan, China and the U.S. This comes eight months after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s meeting with Gen. Raheel Sharif and the subsequent assurance that Pakistan would help convince the Taliban to negotiate.

The Taliban delegation — Mullah Jalil, Mullah Hasan and Abdul Razzaq — was the same trio that met a high-level Afghan delegation in Urumqi, China. The Afghan delegation had Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai, former Governor of Nangarhar Haji Deen Muhammad and seven others. As the talks involved second-tier leaders from both sides, it is entirely possible that none of them had any authority to bring critical issues to the table.

The major outcome, according to Pakistani media sources, is that the next round of talks is provisionally planned for August 15 and 16 in Doha, Qatar. Another projected win was the reported “endorsement” by Taliban leader Mullah Omar on the Taliban website. Since Omar hasn’t been seen in public for years now, the authenticity of this approval is suspect.

The Murree talks were significant in that they highlighted a shift in the stance of Taliban’s Qatar office, which has now emerged as its official voice. While not formally repudiating the talks, the Qatar office made a convoluted pronouncement indicating that future negotiations needed its imprimatur for any chance of success. This suggests that Murree was a preliminary round of talks about talks, and is borne out by the announcement of the Doha round.

The Taliban is no longer the monolith that it was and many streams have emerged in the movement. None of them are watertight compartments, allowing individuals and factions to flow from one to another. Each has several factions that may or may not have problems with each other.

There are problems between the Taliban’s political leader, Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, considered close to the ISI, who favours negotiation, and Abdul Qayum Zakir, Taliban’s military commander and former Guantanamo Bay detainee, who is opposed to any talks. Zakir insists that the Afghan government lacks legitimacy and it was the U.S., the occupying power, which was in control. Zakir’s position has been reinforced after the Afghan government signed the Bilateral Security Agreement with the U.S., and he will oppose talks over the presence of foreign troops.

Yet another line of thought is the one that is open to talks, provided it is held on their terms. This means two things: one, they are not comfortable with Pakistan leading the talks and two, they see escalation in violence as a means to get to a vantage point before discussions begin. It is averse to a ceasefire, as that would allow the beleaguered unity government to consolidate its control. This led to the rejection of the Afghan Ulema’s call for a Ramzan ceasefire.

A third group is not openly supportive of talks, as this could drive some extreme elements into joining movements like the Daesh, but it also wants some form of normalcy and will not oppose talks.

With pressure mounting on Pakistan, it had thrown its weight behind the latest round of talks in Murree. Given the mounting international criticism that it had misled the Ashraf Ghani government, it had to display its earnestness and influence over the Taliban by mediating talks on its soil.

Within Afghanistan, scepticism is growing. Even Mr. Ghani’s predecessor, Hamid Karzai, has said that the country’s historic struggles against British imperialism and Soviet invasion will be in vain if it succumbs to pressure from Pakistan. Omar Daudzai, Mr. Karzai’s Interior Minister and Chief of Staff, considered till recently to be close to Pakistan where he served as Ambassador, also expressed scepticism about Pakistan’s sincerity.

Moreover, critical demands by the Taliban, such as establishment of a Sharia state and the complete withdrawal of foreign troops are sure to cause a roadblock. Another roadblock is Pakistan’s role — a split in the Taliban enables it to continue talks on one hand while allowing for violence on the other.

India has been on the sidelines because of its limited relationship with the Taliban. Though India has never recognised the Taliban, what often goes unnoticed is that there was limited interaction even during the Kandahar hijacking. An Indian delegation was allowed in without visas and the External Affairs Minister entered into talks with representatives of a government it did not recognise. The point person for all of this was Taliban foreign minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil.

However, times are changing. The perception that talks with at least some of the Talibani elements might bring an end to the imbroglio is gaining ground in Afghanistan. This, coupled with the existence of several lines of thought in Taliban, allows India to reconsider its position on Afghanistan.

Considering the social capital that India has built in Afghanistan, India might, at an appropriate moment and in consultation with the Afghan government and other stakeholders, consider opening a channel to factions associated with Taliban’s Qatar office. Diplomacy is often about picking the lesser evil to serve the national interest.

(Anand Arni is a retired intelligence officer and Pranay Kotasthane works on Geostrategic Affairs at the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.)

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 17 Jul 2015 18:19

Considering the social capital that India has built in Afghanistan, India might, at an appropriate moment and in consultation with the Afghan government and other stakeholders, consider opening a channel to factions associated with Taliban’s Qatar office. Diplomacy is often about picking the lesser evil to serve the national interest.

What exactly do these authors think this will the be the positive outcomes of such "opening a channel for diplomacy" with the Qatari (US-supported Taliban)? These guys are basically recommending GUBO-ing to the US to save Indian investment in Afghanisthan which has been eroded by the very same US. Throwing in India's game in Afghanisthan to be subservient to US interests, because "it is the lesser evil", is supposed to help India how exactly? It just gives the US more leverage on India's options.

Since when has US interests in Afghanisthan and pakistan coincided with India's interests there? These guys at Takshashila think that "opening this channel" with the US-taliban will serve India better, when Indian "diplomacy" has failed to leverage the India-trained security personnel in Afghanisthan thanks to this very same USA? That is just so brilliant.

Samudragupta · Post by **Samudragupta** » 29 Jul 2015 14:19

Mullah Omar confirmed dead... splinter group claims he was killed 2 years back....

A splinter group of the Afghan Taliban has claimed militant leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, who has not been seen in public in years, was killed by senior commanders two years ago.

The Afghanistan Islamic Movement Fidai Mahaz’s spokesperson Qari Hamza, said the reclusive Omar was killed by commanders Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansoor and Gull Agha in July 2013.

Hamza said his group has evidence to prove its claims, Khaama Press reported on Thursday.

Afghanistan’s spy agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), had said in November last year that Omar had possibly died. There are also reports that the Afghan Taliban has split into three factions.

NDS spokesperson Hasib Sediqi told the media in November last year that the two Taliban factions are led by Mullah Qayum Zakir and Mullah Agha, while the third comprises “neutral” militant leaders.

Reports last year had also suggested that Omar had given his old friend and deputy, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor, the authority to make decisions on his behalf regarding the peace process with the government.

Some officials in the presidential palace have claimed Omar is in custody of Pakistani security forces in the port city of Karachi.

Aimal Faizi, spokesperson for former president Hamid Karzai, said this information was shared by US secretary of state John Kerry.

“The current secretary of state John Kerry, who was serving as a US Senator, had shared the issue with President Karzai during a meeting in Kabul,” Faizi said.

Karzai sought a clarification regarding Omar’s presence in Karachi but received “no satisfactory” response from Kerry.

“President Karzai immediately responded and said why the US is not taking any action to apprehend him? There is a US bounty on him and ordinary civilians are targeted on daily basis under his leadership, but he is in the custody of Pakistani forces,” Faizi said.

On July 15, a message purportedly from Omar appeared for the first time to signal approval for peace talks with the Afghan government. It represented the first word in the name of Omar on the budding peace process that has split the Afghan Taliban. The statement posted on a website linked to the Taliban did not include audio or a video.

{Dead Mullah Omar talking!}

However, Omar has not been seen in public since the US-led intervention in 2001. Some disgruntled Taliban factions have suggested he is dead or very ill and others may be making statements in his name.

The Afghan Taliban's political chief, Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor, is in favour of negotiations while military commander Abdul Qayum Zakir is against them.

Some disgruntled Taliban commanders have defected to the Islamic State led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

This is huge....

Paul · Post by **Paul** » 29 Jul 2015 15:15

Ali Kamran Chishti ‏@akchishti · 7m7 minutes ago
Mullah's Omar death is bad news for #Afghanistan since he was gave out thumbs up against lot of hardliners within shura to talk.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 29 Jul 2015 16:15

Samudragupta wrote:Mullah Omar confirmed dead... splinter group claims he was killed 2 years back....

The Afghanistan Islamic Movement Fidai Mahaz’s spokesperson Qari Hamza, said the reclusive Omar was killed by commanders Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansoor and Gull Agha in July 2013.

This is indeed huge because the killer, if it was true, was his trusted Akhtar Mansour who has acted as the Emir for the last two years. Now, Akhtar Mansour is a confidante of the ISI. This killing could not have happened, if it had happened, without the ISI knowing about that or even ordering that for some reason or another. It may be that Mullah Omar was disobedient to the ISI and a Pakistan sensing the likely turn of events in Afghanistan felt that Omar had become a liability and ordered him to be eliminated. It is a known fact that Mullah Omar was consistent on the issue of the Durand line and completely rejected the Pakistani demand to accept it as the final border.

Samudragupta · Post by **Samudragupta** » 29 Jul 2015 21:41

In all probability the Afghan Taliban has fractured and the boys under Abdul Qayum Zakir who is the military chief of the Af Taliban will move towards ISIS Khorasan Wilayat... The killing of Malik Ishaq should be seen in this light.....ISIS is definitely on the move to consolidate the Sunni forces under its flag now that they dont have the competitor in the name of Mullah Omar...the leaking of the news itself points to a dangerous liason within the Paki establishment.....It seems with Af Taliban we have a downright split within the Pak Mil establishment with some group definitely supporting the group led by Zakir....killing of Lej chief is just the answer to the leaking....

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 29 Jul 2015 21:43

Damn sure he issued a few statements posthumously? I seem to remember a couple.

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 29 Jul 2015 22:37

[youtube]zsI644HXu4s&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 30 Jul 2015 17:44

Afghan Taliban Shura elects new emir - DAWN

The Afghan Taliban appointed Mullah Akhtar Mansoor as the new supreme leader after the announced death of Mullah Omar, sources told DawnNews on Thursday.

The latest development and announcement of the new emir comes a day after various sources including the Afghan government announced the death of Mullah Omar, the elusive founding chief of the Afghan Taliban.

The Afghan Taliban held meetings Wednesday night after the reported death of Mullah Omar, and after consultation between all members of the Shura Council, elected Mansoor as their new chief.

Mansoor was previously Omar’s deputy, and was running the 20-member council after Omar’s death. He has the support taliban’s senior leadership.

Mansoor is also said to be in favour of peace talks with the Afghan government, and reportedly has appointed Haji Din Muhammad to participate in the peace process.

According to sources, two new deputies were also chosen during the meeting, one of whom is reportedly Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Sirajuddin leads the Haqqani network, a key ally of the Afghan Taliban. Although he had pledged allegiance to its leader Mullah Omar, Sirajuddin's group operated fairly independently.

However, sources claim that not all members of the shura are in favour of peace talks.

So, Akhtar Mansour kills Mullah Omar (probably at the instigation of Pakistan), everyone keeps quiet for an appropriate time to announce that, and after Pakistan informs the Afghan government, the Quetta Shura conveniently 'elects' Akhtar Mansour as the new Emir. He then inducts Sirajuddin Haqqani. The Quetta Shura is now complete with all Pakistani supporters.

Several jigsaw pieces seem to fall in place. Mullah Omar's brother-in-law Mullah Baradar was arrested in Feb 2010 even as he was planning to attend a jirga convened by the Afghan President Karzai. Apparently, Pakistan was unhappy with the initiative between Karzai and the Taliban behind the Pakistani backs. On August 22, 2010, the New York Times reported that the ISI officials admitted that Baradar and his aides were by-passing the ISI and hence were arrested. ISI was quoted as having admitted, “We protect the Taliban. They are dependent on us. We are not going to allow them to make a deal with Karzai and the Indians.” Mullah Baradar must have enjoyed the complete confidence of Mullah Omar. This therefore was a rupture point between Pakistan and Mullah Omar. Within a few days of the arrest of Baradar, Pakistan also announced the arrest of two Taliban ex-governors namely Mullah Abdul Salam of Kunduz province and Mullah Mohammad of Baghlan province. More arrests were to follow, those of the son-in-law of Mullah Omar and an important Shura member, Motasim Agha Jan, from Ahsanabad in Karachi. In fact, Pakistan tried to assassinate Motasim Agha Jan.

Pakistan also arrested Mullah Abdul Kabir, the head of the Taliban organisation for the four eastern Afghanistan provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar and Nuristan. It was considered significant because of his position in the Taliban hierarchy as well as his ability to raise funds. Though Pakistan wanted to make these arrests appear as a reversal of its policies regarding protection of certain Taliban groups, it now looks likely that these people probably earned the wrath of Pakistan for standing closely with Mullah Omar.

On June 24, 2010, the New York Times reported that the Pakistanis were offering to mediate a power-sharing agreement with Sirajuddin Haqqani. A few days later the Middle-Eastern Al Jazeera, which had broken many authentic news about Al Qaeda earlier, dramatically announced that Sirajuddin Haqqani, accompanied by the Pakistani COAS Gen. Kayani and the ISI Chief Shuja Pasha, had already met the Afghan President Karzai in his Kabul Palace. A few days later, the US President Barack Obama, at the G-20 meeting in Toronto in June 2010, praised the efforts of Pakistan to find a political settlement for the Afghan crisis. Refusing to directly comment on the meeting between Haqqani and Karzai, he said, “I think it’s too early to tell. I think we have to view these efforts with skepticism but also with openness”.

It would be interesting to know when exactly Mullah Omar was murdered. It was in June 2013, the US began secret negotiations with the “Taliban Political Commission”, a “fully authorized representatives of the movement, and authorized by Mullah Omar himself” at Doha.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 30 Jul 2015 18:04

Peace talks in jeopardy: Afghan Taliban postpone second round of talks - DAWN

A day after the announced death of Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, rapid developments indicate that the ongoing peace talks between the Afghan Taliban and Afghan government are in jeopardy.

The Foreign Office on Thursday said in a short statement after the weekly briefing that the talks have been postponed. "In view of the reports regarding the death of Mullah Omar and resulting uncertainty, at the request of the Afghan Taliban leadership, the second round of the peace talks has been postponed."

Earlier, diplomatic sources had said that the talks have been called off and stated the delay has been requested by the Taliban.

The governments of United States and China, who had observer status during the recent peace talks, have been informed of the latest development.

The move comes after a flurry of reports which announced the death of Mullah Omar, with BBC taking the lead in quoting an Afghan official saying that the reclusive Taliban leader died two to three years ago.

Afghanistan's main intelligence agency had also said on Wednesday that the Taliban leader had died in a Karachi hospital in April 2013, after a BBC report earlier in the day claimed the reclusive Taliban leader had died two or three years ago.

In Washington, the US government said they considered the report of the Taliban leader's death credible, though it was not confirmed by the Afghan Taliban or Pakistan.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 31 Jul 2015 00:08

Anujan wrote:Apparently Mullah Omar death is all but confirmed. The new Taliban chief will be Mullah Mansour and deputy would be Siraj Haqqani. Both big Pakistan supporters

Mansour fella is Taliban's "aviation minister" and was involved in the Kandahar hijack.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... t-taliban/

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 31 Jul 2015 06:29

leads to lotsa qns:

Who ordered / released the tapes mentioning that Mullah Omar was supportive of the peace talks -- this was sent as recently as about 6 weeks? Just before the taliban spring offensive.

Mullah Omar was more a moral / spiritual head and a cog in the financing. So if he croaked about 24 months ago... and considering that Taliban has been doing rather exceptionally well now, who is funding them currently? All these large opns need monies and looks like they have a nice sugar daddy even if Mullah isn't around? WTF. hows it possible that they have massive money now that IS is doing the terrorism stuff better? Seems so difficult to imagine.

If reports are to be believed [and no reason why the reports arent logical, if one gets the drift] IS seems more popular with the youngsters and Af has a large youngster base who do nothing much else than twiddle thumbs for obvious reasons of being smashed back to stone age... so how are the Taliban fellas getting money? Is Pak directly funneling state money into taliban opns now?

wig · Post by **wig** » 31 Jul 2015 09:20

some insights into the infighting amongst the Taliban.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 28847.html

Mullah Omar dead: Afghan Taliban struggles to maintain unity in the wake of leader's death - as exclusively seen letters apparently reveal

The radio silence gave way to frantic conversations. Local Taliban commanders sought reassurance. Mullah Omar, the mujahedin commander of Kandahar, had finally been declared dead and along the porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, confusion reigned. Listening to the hurried conversations in Kandahar on Wednesday night were the Afghan border police.

“What are our orders now?” one Taliban soldier near the Pakistan city of Quetta said. “We don’t know,” another replied. “Is Mullah Omar dead? Who is leading us?”
A border police officer, 32, who has lost six members of his family to Taliban attacks, told The Independent that district commanders of the Afghan Taliban were unsure whose orders to follow. “They don’t know who their leaders are,” the police commander said. “The Taliban are worried and confused. They are not fighting they are just talking on the radio.”
Final confirmation of the long-suspected demise of Mullah Omar, the one-eyed Taliban leader who sheltered Osama bin Laden after the World Trade Centre attacks, has threatened to splinter the Taliban into rival factions: those who will enter peace talks, and those who will not.

But The Independent has seen evidence that, at least nine months ago, senior commanders within the Taliban knew of their leader’s death and were already plotting who would succeed him. Letters allegedly intercepted by Afghan intelligence, and written nine months ago by two Taliban commanders – Mullah Mansour Dadullah and Mullah Abdul Qayum Zakir – appeared to urge Taliban members to rebel against Mullah Omar’s then deputy, Mullah Akhtar Mansour.

In Quetta, the Taliban’s seven most powerful figures met to discuss what should happen next – and from it, Mullah Mansour emerged as their new leader.

Soon after, it was announced that Friday’s second round of peace talks with the government of President Ashraf Ghani had been cancelled. “In view of the reports regarding the death of Mullah Omar and the resulting uncertainty, and at the request of the Afghan Taliban leadership, the second round of the Afghan peace talks, is being postponed,” said a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
The letters said to have been seized by Afghan intelligence both address members of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” and accuse Mullah Mansour of plotting to kill Mullah Omar.

The first, apparently from Mullah Dadullah, says: “I am sure that the Emir of the Faithful [Omar] was martyred on the advice of... Mansour. In every province, provincial committees should carry on their own jihad struggle until we know who is the new leader. Especially those great dearest mujahedin, under my command, that they should distance themselves from Mullah Akhtar Mansour and his group.”

It adds: “I say that soon people like Mullah Akhtar Mansour and other snakes like him will suffer such pain that, as a result, the soul of the all the good martyrs of the movement will find peace.” The letter accuses Mullah Mansour of “using the good name of the Taliban group for most impure profits”.

The second, apparently written by Mullah Zakir, accuses Mullah Mansour “and other corrupt agents like him” of breaking off from the leadership “in the hope of taking the inheritance of the movement”. It adds: “The creator of all this problem is… Mansour and his Punjabi advisers. There is no doubt that, God forbid, the martyrdom of the Emir of the Faithful [Mullah Omar] was caused by Akhtar Mohamed Mansour.” There is no evidence to support either commander’s claims.
The Afghan government has said Mullah Omar died in a Karachi hospital “suspiciously”. Sources in Kabul claim that he may have contracted tuberculosis. A statement purportedly from Mullah Omar’s brother, Mullah Abdul Manan, and his son, the Taliban commander Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, apologised for “any mistakes Mullah Omar [made] during his rule of Afghanistan”.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, who led the so-called Haqqani Network’s campaign of terror in Afghanistan, was named as Mullah Mansour’s deputy. The move was seen as an attempt to avoid infighting between Mullah Mansour and Haqqani, whose father rose as a mujahedin leader favoured by the US in the 1980s. The Haqqani Network is based in North Waziristan on the border between the two countries, and is believed to have introduced suicide bombing to Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s new leader, Mullah Mansour, is understood to favour peace talks. “They [Pakistan] want to bring in someone who can speak, negotiate and play a visible role [in the peace process], that is Mansour,” said Amrullah Saleh, the former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security.

He said: “It is all calculated. It is all an ISI [Pakistani intelligence] game. The time for the mythical figure is gone. Someone reachable and touchable has to be brought in. That is Mansour.”
On the Shomali Plain, a stretch of once-fertile land north of Kabul where Mullah Omar’s retreating Taliban poisoned wells, cut down trees and destroyed crops in 1997, there was little hope that Mullah Mansour’s leadership would lead to change.

Khalid, a farmer whose lands were destroyed by the Taliban, said: “Mullah Omar burnt down our gardens and our vineyards. He was brutal and I’m glad he has gone. But he was always a myth. Now we want peace. We don’t want to go back to how things were before.”

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 01 Aug 2015 00:12

So Taliban is now Pakiban.

When will AlQaeda also become AlPakida?

How is Ayman Al Zawahari doing?

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 01 Aug 2015 03:36

Ramanaji,

When Mullah Omar himself is killed by his own generals, Taliban as an afghan entity is dead.

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 01 Aug 2015 05:23

If this isn't basically a Pak-Af jihadi front taking shape against india, I don't know what is. There is no mistaking the signs.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 01 Aug 2015 05:51

devesh wrote:If this isn't basically a Pak-Af jihadi front taking shape against india, I don't know what is. There is no mistaking the signs.

devesh, this is also the front taking shape against ISIS spreading into Khorasan. There is a queer problem in that the Afghan government would not like the presence of ISIS just as much as sections of Al Qaeda, Taliban, Afghan warlords and the Pakistani Establishment, each for their own reasons. The American advice to India to reduce tension with Pakistan (though it is a constant dinning into our ears after Kargil) and the document that was supposed to have been seized in Pakistan on ISIS planning to attack India (may or may not be genuine, could be a plant by the US but it would be simply imprudent to dismiss it as such especially because ISIS is certainly spreading in Afghanistan and Pakistan and we read of ISIS-sympathetic folks especially in Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Telengana and Maharashtra) must be seen in this light.

Y I Patel · Post by **Y I Patel** » 01 Aug 2015 05:55

I had submitted some time ago in this thread that having ISIS in Pak-Af was a major positive for Indian interests. With Mullah Omar's death, ISIS now provides organizational structure for those that do not want foreign forces on Afghan soil and also do not subscribe to Pak interests. It is not my case that India should support the orphaned factions or intervene to stir the pot. That said, I do see India now warming to the idea of good and bad Taleban and good ISIS.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » 01 Aug 2015 08:41

It is too early to talk of ISIS arriving in Af-Pak. However with Taliban weakened in Zam-Zam-Asb, the vacuum will be filled up in due course of time by other entities and ISIS could be one of them. Combine with summation of below article...RTed by Vikram Sood

Mullah Omar: Death of a Pakistani proxy
ANI | Washington Jul 31, 2015 12:46 PM IST

On Wednesday, the office of Afghanistan's president Arg (presidential palace), officially stated in a press release, "The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, based on credible information, confirms that Mullah Mohammad Omar, leader of the Taliban died in April 2013 in Pakistan."

The White House stopped short of independently confirming the news, but its spokesperson, Eric Shultz, said that the report of the Taliban leader's death appeared to be credible.

Both the Arg and the White House are confirming what has been widely believed to be the case for the last two-and-a-half years, i.e. Mullah Omar is not only dead, but that he died in Pakistan's largest city Karachi, where he is said to have had sanctuary for several years.

The Taliban too have confirmed the death of their leader.

Pakistan, which had been flatly denying that Mullah Omar was ever on its soil, is mum, and has given no official response as yet. But the Pakistani state seems to have been caught yet again with its hand in the jihadist cookie jar.

Similarities between Mullah Omar's presence in Pakistan's commercial hub, Karachi, which is also home to the Pakistan Naval Academy, several air force bases, and a large military garrison, with the 9/11 terror mastermind Osama bin Laden's discovery and elimination by the U.S. Navy Seals a stone's throw from Pakistan's premier military academy at Abbottabad are uncanny.

However, in bin Laden's case, Pakistani officials consistently claimed that he was long dead, while in Mullah Omar's situation, they not only denied his presence for a good twelve years in Quetta and Karachi, but also, concealed his death for two years in an apparent attempt to keep the myth alive.

Pakistan has tried to sell to the world the notion that the Taliban was a home-grown Afghan phenomenon and a genuine resistance movement, but all this while, it hosted the jihadist group's top leadership, provided it sanctuary and logistic support, and unleashed it on Afghanistan.

Afghan President Dr. Ashraf Ghani had charged two months ago that Pakistan was engaged in an undeclared war with Afghanistan for 14 years.

The Arg statement now confirming Mullah Omar's presence and death in Karachi, in effect formally indicts of Pakistan unleashing a proxy war through the Taliban that has killed tens of thousands of Afghans and inflicted misery on many more.

And, Pakistan's proxy war was not just against the Afghans, but also, against the U.S. and ISAF troops present in Afghanistan under the United Nation's mandate.

The Taliban leader's demise inside Pakistan vindicates everyone who has shouted at the top of their lungs, most importantly former Afghan president Hamid Karzai that Pakistan is part, nay cause, of the Afghan problem not its solution.

It also puts a question mark on decision makers around the world, especially some in the Washington, D.C., who have been all too willing to give Pakistan a pass.

Mullah Omar hosted Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorists who planned and executed the 9/11 terror attack against the U.S. mainland. That both the most wanted jihadists were holed up in Pakistan without that country's pervasive military knowing simply does not pass the whiff test.

Indeed, the elements within Pakistani state structures responsible for hosting these ruthless killers, have not only gotten away with it, but also have tried to dupe the world into believing the discovery of wanted terrorists as a change of heart in the country's powerful military that has a choke-hold over foreign and national security policies.

The height of the Pakistani state's chutzpah is that they not only harbour these terrorists for decades and unleash them on their neighbours and the world, but also want to be given credit and a thank you note even when America or Allah takes them out.

The fundamental question on Mullah Omar's death in Karachi is that who in Pakistan knew about his presence there, when did they know it and what, if anything at all, did they do about it?

Pakistan is again selling the snake oil of peace talks that it has managed to broker between some elements of the Taliban and the Afghan government.

The irony in all this self-righteousness on the part of Pakistani state structures is that the Taliban chose Mullah Omar's successor on Pakistani soil within 24 hours of confirming their one-eyed leader's death.

Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, who has taken over as the new Taliban emir, was educated at the notorious Haqqaniah seminary, which is located about an hour's drive from the federal capital and the military GHQ.

More vicious is the new Taliban deputy emir Sirajuddin Haqqani, whose terrorist network has carried out almost all major attacks in the Afghan cities and hit international targets, including the U.S. and Indian embassies.

At a time that the Taliban is in a flux, due diligence is in order about what Pakistan is trying to achieve through the talks, which have now been postponed, but would likely resume in near future.

The Pakistani security establishment's track record with the jihadists and the appointment of two of its most allied terrorists as the new Taliban leaders, make it difficult not to cast doubts on Pakistan's endgame.

After all, this change of heart vis-a-vis the jihadists, has been peddled by Pakistani officials since the day after 9/11.

Mullah Omar's death marks a tectonic shift in the Afghanistan conflict.

Pakistan and the Taliban have come to the negotiating table from a much weaker position than previously thought. Indeed, it is highly plausible that Pakistan conceded Mullah Omar's death only because it could not deliver him or his incontrovertible message for the talks when Afghan government put pressure on Pakistan for it.

Unlike the Mujahideen of the 1980-90s, the Taliban is an organisationally weaker, and perhaps, more fractious entity.

The massively engineered myth of Mullah Omar had held the Taliban together and, while the chances of a temporary surge in violence by a tug of war among various Taliban factions remains possible, a throwback to the Mujahideen-style warlordism is unlikely.

The Taliban has failed to morph into a political entity in 21 years of its existence, and most certainly, would not be able to do so after Mullah Omar.

The Taliban's political back has been broken. The Islamic State (IS) brand http://cnn.it/1HlZVw1 is not a viable alternative to the Taliban in Afghanistan as yet, but defections to its newly established franchise there are likely.

The IS, however, just like Taliban and Mujahideen before it, cannot survive in Afghanistan without outside patrons and sanctuary.

A faction of the Taliban that runs their Qatar office has spurned Pakistan's influence of late and may not go along with their new emir unconditionally.

With Pakistan and its Taliban proxies check-mated, the Afghan government has a historic opportunity in its hands that President Dr. Ashraf Ghani simply cannot afford to squander.

Dr. Ghani has to make a robust case to retain the domestic, regional and international political initiative. It is also crucial that regional and international, particularly the U.S., support to the Afghanistan Government and the Afghan National Security Forces continues uninterrupted at this critical juncture without the straightjacket of withdrawal timetables and troops numbers over at least the next three to five years.

Holding Pakistan's feet to fire diplomatically to rein in the Taliban rump must be a front burner issue now that its lead proxy jihadist is dead.

Dr. Mohammad Taqi is a columnist for the Daily Times Pakistan. He can be reached via email: mazdaki@me.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » 01 Aug 2015 10:15

Najam Sethi thinks it is the Panjshiri cabal in Afghan intelligence that released news of Mullah Omar's death to induce a power struggle in the Taliban and undermine Ashraf Ghani.

Pakis do not appear too happy at this turn of events.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 01 Aug 2015 10:28

Most likely India suggested to Ghani to demand Mullah Omar presence for talks.
I think there never was an Omar.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » 01 Aug 2015 16:48

Wrt my post above

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 28847.html

Mullah Omar dead: Afghan Taliban struggles to maintain unity in the wake of leader's death – as exclusively seen letters apparently reveal

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 01 Aug 2015 17:57

Paul wrote:Najam Sethi thinks it is the Panjshiri cabal in Afghan intelligence that released news of Mullah Omar's death to induce a power struggle in the Taliban and undermine Ashraf Ghani.

Pakis do not appear too happy at this turn of events.

After all, Najam Sethi is a Paki and at the end of the day that is what counts. Mullah Adbul Qayoum Zakir who heads the Doha office of the Taliban and who is also the chief of the Fidai Mahaz faction of the Taliban which includes Mullah Omar's own son as well, was the one who was authorized by Mullah Omar to conduct peace talks with Afghanistan's High Peace Council. The Doha office was explicitly created to minimize the interference of the ISI.

Obviously, if Pakistan wants to have its pliant Taliban faction to pretend as representing the entire Taliban and forge a Pakistan & China-pasand peace accord with Afghanistan, why should the other parties sit on their haunches?

I also do not understand why Ashraf Ghani should be weakened by Mullah Omar's death? Shouldn't a broken up Taliban give Ghani more advantage? The fact is that the Doha office had split from the Pakistan-pasand Mansour group two years back. It makes one suspect that the two groups (at least their very top leaders) were aware of Mullah Omar's death, as was perhaps the US.

Added later: In fact news has come about that the top commanders and the close family of Mullah Omar were aware of his death in April 2013. It was Pakistan's decision to force Mullah Mansour down the throat of the Taliban that led to the split. Apparently, Mullah Omar's son and brother oppose Mansour. Link

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 03 Aug 2015 18:03

Dostum Joins The Fray

Former Afghan warlord (And Now Vice President ) set to take offensive to Taliban

"We will clear out the Taliban from Faryab!" booms the moustached 61-year-old, a Macy's jacket slung over his shoulders despite the sweltering heat of Jowzjan province, a stone's throw from Turkmenistan and neighbouring Faryab province where Islamist insurgents have been plaguing government forces.

Guests at his headquarters in Sheberghan, the capital of Jowzjan, are greeted by two-by-three metre portraits of the general hung on the walls ─ as well as smaller versions on patches stitched onto the shoulders of his personal guard.

His confidence knows no bounds.

"Ghani won because of my campaigning here. There are two million votes here," he says of his boss, President Ashraf Ghani. "I am the kingmaker." [*][/b]

[*][/b] There are 'many' kingmakers in Afghanistan

As said often, you can 'rent' an Afghan, but you can never 'own' one; Dostum's life history is a testament to that

But in a country where a warlord is not worthy of the name without a militia, Dostum now finds himself in a bind: as vice-president he is not allowed to make use of extra-governmental forces.

As 'vice president' he may not be allowed many things,

but this is Afghanistan, not the U.S. of A. !

"We have been waiting here since mid-July, since Eid," says Sergeant Nassib.[*][/b] "We want to defend our homeland, Afghanistan", he adds, sitting on his worn mattress.

Asked what he makes of peace talks with the Taliban ─ which are set to resume soon despite divisions in the movement following confirmation last week of the death of its leader Mullah Omar ─ Nassib becomes thoughtful.

"If the Taliban want peace, we're ready, we want peace," he relents.

[*][/b] Similar sentiments on the Taliban side as well

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 04 Aug 2015 03:33

Afghanistan Bans

'Mourning In Absentia' For Mullah Omar

KABUL: Afghanistan's spy agency on Monday banned all mourning ceremonies for deceased Taliban leader Mullah Omar, warning that any gatherings condoling his death would be a “legitimate target” for Afghan forces.[*]

[*] So Afghanistan is again distancing itself from the 'backers of Taliban'

Monday's announcement comes hours after Afghan forces reportedly targeted a funeral ceremony in absentia for Omar in the eastern province of Ghazni, killing some insurgents.

“Mullah Omar ... was the biggest cause of war and backwardness in the modern history of Afghanistan,” said Haseeb Siddiqui, spokesman for the National Directorate of Security (NDS).

“They asked local residents to provide 3,000 loaves of bread as well as sheep and cows to slaughter. They blocked the main roads and were forcing locals and passersby to attend the ceremony,” Ahmadi told AFP.

“Government forces launched an attack, killing at least five Taliban and disrupting the ceremony near Ghazni city.”

A Ghazni provincial council member confirmed the incident, saying a “number of Taliban were killed”.

Such commemoration ceremonies have also been reported in Pakistan.[*]

[*] And they should be confined to that entity only

in places as the Lal Masjid .