Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

sooraj · Post by **sooraj** » 11 Jan 2017 15:17

UAE prince to attend Indian Republic day and now bombing that targets UAE diplomats!!!

Nick_S · Post by **Nick_S** » 11 Jan 2017 15:59

UAE Confirms Killing of 5 Diplomats in Afghan Attack

http://www.voanews.com/a/uae-confirms-k ... 71664.html

The blast killed a total of at least 11 people and wounded 16 others, mostly top Afghan government officials. Provincial governor Homayun Azizi and UAE ambassador to Kabul, Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi, were among those wounded.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 11 Jan 2017 16:48

Kandhar attack triggers speculation of link to upcoming India visit of UAE crown prince

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 11 Jan 2017 18:19

Five UAE officials killed in Kandahar attack

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday said five officials were killed in a bombing in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar the previous day in one of several deadly attacks across Afghanistan.Flags will fly at half-mast in honour of the slain officials, said a statement released by UAE authorities Wednesday.Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on Twitter that "there is no human, moral or religious justification for the bombing and killing of people trying to help" others.

At least 11 people were killed when explosives hidden in a sofa detonated inside the governor's compound in the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar during a visit by the UAE ambassador to Afghanistan. Among the wounded were Kandahar Gov. Homayun Azizia, as well as UAE Ambassador Juma Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi.The Taliban issued a statement Wednesday saying they did not plant the bomb, instead blaming an "internal local rivalry" for the attack.

arun · Post by **arun** » 11 Jan 2017 20:56

“The provincial police chief of the southern Kandahar province General Abdul Raziq has said notorious Haqqani terrorist network with the support of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) were behind the deadly attack on governor’s compound.” :

Haqqani network and ISI behind Kandahar attack: Gen. Raziq

schinnas · Post by **schinnas** » 12 Jan 2017 00:32

OT. I do expect UAE to deport quite a few D company gang to India and freeze their assets. One has to give it to Pakistan who never fail to bite the hand that feeds them. Pakistan is like a dog with rabies.

ranjan.rao · Post by **ranjan.rao** » 12 Jan 2017 02:55

one thing is for sure the diplomatic moves of this govt have certainly rattled the chipanda nexus big time. Afghanistan is first scoring ground for porkies to send message to evil Banyas and show the mianbhai ki daring.
The good thing is hopefully the degenerated Ummah country (UAE) will see the value in partnering with India

krishna_krishna · Post by **krishna_krishna** » 12 Jan 2017 04:32

^^^ I agree atleast this government is showing some spine, although more needs to be done. Regarding UAE its well thought out ploy we do not need them, we need Iran. If UAE comes to us Iran will go to chipanda gang with porkis which we do not want that would take away our only link for whatever worth we have with A'ganistan. Game should be collaborate with Iran and Afghanistan, have UAE support us behind the curtain.

ranjan.rao · Post by **ranjan.rao** » 12 Jan 2017 04:54

^^Thanks Krishna, you are right, but I would not see Iran and UAE as zero sum game, just as we have been managing multiple Yin and Yang. Russia/US, Israel/Palestine, are two great case studies among others.
Regarding behind curtain, I dont think subtlety is Modi's strongest trait.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 12 Jan 2017 16:40

Taliban show video of Australian hostage

THE Afghan Taliban has released a video showing an Australian hostage pleading with the US government to negotiate with his captors and saying that unless a prisoner exchange was agreed, he would be killed.

The video comes after US Special Operations forces conducted a failed secret raid in August to rescue them.President Barack Obama authorised the raid in an unspecified area of Afghanistan but the hostages were not there, the Pentagon said in September.Addressing president-elect Donald Trump, who is due to take office on January 20, Weeks said the Taliban had asked for prisoners held at Bagram air field and at Pul-e-Charkhi prison on the outskirts of Kabul to be exchanged for them.

The elite American University of Afghanistan, which opened in 2006 and enrols more than 1700 students, was not immediately reachable for comment. It has attracted a number of visiting faculty members from Western countries.The abductions highlighted the growing dangers faced by foreigners in Afghanistan.The Afghan capital is infested with organised criminal gangs who stage kidnappings for ransom, often targeting foreigners and wealthy Afghans, and sometimes handing them over to insurgent groups.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 17 Jan 2017 08:42

Hashim Karzai- cousin of Hamid Karzai - dies after wounded in Kandahar bombing

FGHANISTAN: Hashim Karzai, the cousin of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, has succumbed to injuries he sustained in a deadly bombing in Kandahar last week.Sources close to the victim’s family have said Hashim died of his wounds while receiving treatments in a hospital in India.
Hashim Karzai was a trader and his death has been confirmed by the provincial government.Over 10 people lost their lives including five UAE diplomats after explosives planted in governor’s guesthouse went off last Tuesday.No group including the Taliban insurgents has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident.

The UAE Ambassador to Afghanistan and Kandahar governor were also wounded in the explosion. -

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 17 Jan 2017 20:12

Istanbul Nightclub Suspect 'Trained In Afghanistan'
By Anadolu Agency

Now wait for the inevitable Paki connection

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 17 Jan 2017 20:32

Afghan girl’ Sharbat Gula in quest for new life

An Afghan woman made famous by a 1985 National Geographic cover has spoken exclusively to the BBC of her hope for a new beginning, after being deported from Pakistan.Sharbat Gula now lives with her five-year-old son and three daughters in Kabul, where she says she wants to live a normal life after years of tragedy and hardship.Her portrait as a 10-year-old became an iconic image of Afghan refugees fleeing war.The only time she has spoken to the media before now, her family says, was for a 2002 documentary after Steve McCurry, who took her original photo, tracked her down in Pakistan and found out who she was.Sharbat Gula had no idea that her face had been famous around the world for almost seventeen years.

Like many Afghans, she sought refuge in Pakistan and lived there for 35 years - but she was imprisoned and deported last autumn for obtaining Pakistani identity papers "illegally".

Her case highlighted the arbitrary arrest and forced deportation of Afghan refugees in the current spat between the two countries.It has been illegal for non-Pakistanis to have IDs since they were first issued in the 1970s, but the law was often not enforced.

Two days before a planned move back to Afghanistan, her house was raided late in the evening and she was taken to prison.

Some sections of Pakistani society regretted the action of their government, saying that the said action of arrest and then deportation brought "bad publicity", to the already negative image of their country

Pakistan's government has ordered all two million Afghan refugees on its soil to leave.Sharbat Gula believes the Pakistani authorities wanted to arrest her before she left."I told the police that I have made this ID card for only two things - to educate my children and sell my house - which were not possible to do without the ID card."She served a 15-day prison sentence, the first week in prison and the second in hospital where she was treated for hepatitis C."This was the hardest and worst incident in my life."
Realising the reputational damage, Pakistan later offered to let her stay - but she refused.

Sharbat Gula met President Ashraf Ghani in the presidential palace on her return, and later former President Hamid Karzai."They gave me respect, warmly welcomed me. I thank them. May God treat them well.

The government has promised to support her financially and buy her a house in Kabul."I hope the government will fulfil all its promises," she told me.

There were earlier reports elsewhere that said that India has agreed to medically treat her at no charge .

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 22 Jan 2017 21:06

x posted from STFUP

Taliban can carry on insurgency for a very long time: Sartaj Aziz

By Khaama Press - Thu Jan 19 2017, 12:38 pm

The Taliban militants group can carry on insurgency for a very long time, Pakistan’s foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz said as he insist that the Afghan leaders to review their “fragmented” approach to peace talks with the Taliban on containing and ending the resilient insurgency.Aziz made the remarks during an interview with the Voice of America.He said the group may not be able to capture (the) bulk of Afghanistan or the capital or any other (major urban) place. Has the Taliban "authorized " him to speak on their behalf

“Their approach to talks with the Taliban is very, very fragmented. We want the (Afghan) government of national unity to succeed, to establish its writ, we want them to send a clear signal to the Taliban and other groups that the whole world wants them (insurgents) to talk (to Kabul) and solve the problem because nobody wants fighting in Afghanistan to continue,” he added. So, an indirect message to Afghanistan via VOA !

Earlier, the Afghan government was asking Pakistan to take actions against the militants pursuing violence, a step that should be taken in line with the agreement reached in Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG).The coordination group was formed earlier last year with an aim to help revive peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and the group consisted of representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and the United States.

Nick_S · Post by **Nick_S** » 23 Jan 2017 10:44

Afghan Army ‏@ArmyAFG Jan 21
6 Pakistani national #IslamicState militants killed in eastern #Nangarhar
#AfghanForces fully commitment to destroy all type of terrorists

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 05 Feb 2017 18:21

Sanctions o Hekmatyar lifted.
http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/arg ... -hekmatyar

Addressing a press conference Hizb-e-Islami thanks government for delivering on its commitments in accordance with the peace deal.

Wasnt Russia opposing this?!

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 05 Feb 2017 19:03

Afghanistan govt issued arrest warrants against Dostum`s bodyguards on the 24th of January for the now infamous governor rape case.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/haber/1836 ... nts-guards

Kabul is tense in anticipation of the fallout although govt says it is treading carefully against Dostum.
http://www.theworldweekly.com/reader/vi ... sions/9652

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 14 Feb 2017 06:44

Chabahar Port expected to open in a month: Afghan Consul General

NAGPUR: The strategic port of Chabahar in Iran+ which is being developed to build a transport-and-trade corridor through Afghanistan giving India an access to global markets is expected to be opened in a month's time, said Afghanistan Consul General Mohammad Aman Amin.

"The port is likely to open in a month's time and it will provide impetus to the trade between India and Afghanistan," said Amin here today.
...
Amin spoke to media on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony of 10-day training programme for the officers of the Afghanistan Revenue Department (ARD) at National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT) in Nagpur.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 14 Feb 2017 18:16

http://www.khaama.com/dostum-blocking-a ... hchi-02852

In the meantime, The Wall Street Journal, reported regarding the attempts by the Vice President to block the arrest of the security guards in connection to the alleged sexual assault investigations.
Citing the Afghan officials privy of the development, the paper also added that Gen. Dostum’s forces have in recent weeks seized checkpoints atop a strategic hill in central Kabul.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 15 Feb 2017 07:39

India to join Moscow meet on Afghanistan - Suhasini Haidar, The Hindu

India is among six nations participating in a conference on Afghanistan’s future in Moscow on Wednesday, two months after Russia hosted a similar conference with only China and Pakistan. After India and particularly Afghanistan objected to being cut out of the discussion, Moscow agreed to expand its ambit, announcing a six-nation conference of Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, China and Afghanistan.

New Delhi marginalised

Sources confirmed to The Hindu that the issue of exclusion was raised by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar during his talks with the Russian delegation at the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar in early December last year.

“India has always believed in close and constructive cooperation for peace, stability, security and development in Afghanistan. To this end we actively participate in several bilateral and multilateral consultations,” MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, explaining the Indian decision to join the consultations despite not being included in the earlier round on December 27. Experts say that the invitation may not however, smooth over serious differences between New Delhi and Moscow over the past few months on their moves in the region.

To begin with, India is increasingly uncomfortable with Russia’s overtures to Pakistan on defence issues. Significantly, Russia did not join the U.S., U.K. and France in sponsoring a resolution against Jaish chief Masood Azhar at the U.N. sanctions committee last month, a resolution which China then put a hold on.

Russia has been seen as favouring a softer line on the Taliban as a counter to the spread of Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan; Russia and China have also been coordinating to demand the delisting of senior Taliban leaders designated as terrorists by the U.N. sanctions committee.

arun · Post by **arun** » 16 Feb 2017 15:53

X Posted from the STFUP thread.

Feb 15, 2017 article by Kevin Hulbert, former “senior intelligence officer” in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, titled “The Never Ending Story: The Morass of Afghanistan and Pakistan” appearing in The Cipher Brief.

For the US Deep State it would seem talking themselves into fearfully surrendering to the demands of the Mohammadden Terrorist Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the most Statesmanlike Realpolitik course:

The new administration must surely be thinking about the challenges of Afghanistan and Pakistan and what to do. The region has bedeviled outsiders for generations. Afghanistan perplexed Alexander the Great, got the best of the British, beat up on the Soviet Union, and now it’s befuddled U.S. Presidents Barack Obama for the last eight years and George W. Bush for most of the eight years before that. While Obama had originally hoped to end our long U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan, he wound up going sideways over the last few years, grudgingly maintaining about 10,000 non-combat mission troops on the ground.

What might the new Trump administration do? On the good side, Secretary of Defense James Mattis has deep experience in the area. On the bad side, you unfortunately have a situation that frankly does not have any good answers. These are difficult foreign policy challenges for the U.S. (and the world), and ones where there are no real “solutions” to implement – only a slate of bad options from which you are going to have to choose something and try to make it work.

In Afghanistan, we have now had U.S. military forces in the country for over 15 years. What is the plan? Is there a plan? Are we getting out? Staying forever? Combat operations ended at the end of 2014.

There seem to only be two broad choices in Afghanistan for the new Commander in Chief – and both choices have serious downsides:
1.Stay the course and continue to spend tens of billions of dollars on Afghanistan every year, paying billions to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and billions to Afghanistan to support the Afghan National Army and other institutions. The only real mission today is to stop the country from falling to the Taliban and to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists who might plan attacks against the West. Meanwhile, if we stay, the death toll for the U.S. continues as the casualties dribble in.
2.Pull out, save tens of billions of dollars, save some lives, but despite our best efforts to build an effective government and military in Afghanistan over the last 15 years, the country will probably fall to the Taliban in 30 days after we leave, causing a lot of people to wonder why we spent all that blood and treasure on Afghanistan. Then, the country will likely become a terrorist safe haven, too.

There is a third way: withdraw U.S. troops, but have the U.S. Intelligence Community monitor the area much more closely than it did in say, 2001, to ensure that Afghanistan does not again become a terrorist safe haven and to take decisive action if it does. This course of action is admittedly easier said than done. There is the added concern that if you lose the big U.S. military footprint, you’d have a real force protection issue, and it would be exceedingly difficult for others to stay in the country in large numbers. Further, you would be at risk of losing the entire (alleged) Predator program.

In James Mattis’ written testimony for his confirmation to be Secretary of Defense, when asked, “What are the U.S. national security interests and objectives in Afghanistan and what strategy to you recommend to achieve them?” his answer was a succinct, “We all remember what it felt like on 9/11 and 9/12. We should do what is necessary to prevent such an attack from occurring again.”

So, it might appear that the writing is on the wall: We’re likely to stay in Afghanistan, stuck there in a non-combat role, ensuring that the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists.

How much money have we spent in Afghanistan, and further, should we just keep on spending money there forever? To the first question, nobody really knows how much the war in Afghanistan has cost. You can add up all of the funding specifically approved by congress for the Afghan war through fiscal year 2017, but that only gives you a very partial understanding of the total costs. But, whatever the total, it is surely a number that is both staggering and disheartening. Some estimates put the total at over a trillion dollars. Others say it was “just” many hundreds of billions. The Congressional Research Service recently soberly opined that the cost of keeping one U.S. soldier in Afghanistan was approximately $3.9 million a year. It seems untenable to keep doing this forever and at some point, we are going to have to think about bringing our troops home and letting the chips fall where they may.

They don’t call it the graveyard of empires for nothing.

Pakistan represents an entire other host of issues. Pakistan is like the bank that is “too big to fail,” or “too big to allow to fail” more appropriately, because allowing the bank to fail could have catastrophic impacts on the greater economy. The “failure” of Pakistan would have implications for the world. We have big problems in Afghanistan with its population of 33 million people, but Pakistan has about 182 million inhabitants, over five times the size of Afghanistan.

With a failing economy, rampant terrorism, the fastest growing nuclear arsenal, the sixth largest population, and one of the highest birthrates in the world, Pakistan is of grave concern. But, what should we do?

The U.S. has given Pakistan tens of billions of dollars in aid, coalition support funds, and International Monetary Fund loans over the last 15 years because they helped us on terrorism, they helped us in Afghanistan (albeit not always as much as we had hoped), and because the specter of Pakistan collapsing presents the U.S. President with more nightmare scenarios than probably any other country in the world. So, we keep throwing money at it, trying to steer them towards good behavior, and with only limited success. But, we must keep trying. In the end, while Pakistan is not the most dangerous country in the world, it probably is the most dangerous country for the world.

There seem few levers to pull in Pakistan today, but if we pursue a strategy of containment or disengagement, things will only get worse. I used to brief U.S. policymakers that Pakistan had the very unique distinction of being both one of our best partners on counterterrorism and one of our worst partners on counterterrorism— all at the same time. Imperfect partners though they are, writing Pakistan off would be a big mistake because then we would lose the ability to work together with Pakistan on various efforts in that troubled region.

Clicky

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 18 Feb 2017 02:55

http://indianexpress.com/article/world/ ... l-4530703/

The Islamic State group launched an attack on Afghan security posts killing 17 soldiers, an Afghan official said on Friday. Ahmad Ali Hazrat, chief of the provincial council in the province, said the attack Thursday night took place in the Dih Bala district in eastern Nangarhar province. Hazrat said IS fighters attacked Army security posts from three directions and after several hours of heavy fighting, 17 army soldiers were dead. General Doulat Waziri, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said soldiers killed 21 IS fighters.

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 18 Feb 2017 03:01

X-posted from STFUP:

The spotlight on "ISIS" in Pakistan due to the Lal Shahbaz bombing is a useful fillip to the Pak-Russia relationship, which is partly due to Russia's need to combat ISIS in Afghanistan by building links with the Taliban.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 25 Feb 2017 20:23

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 333668.cms

India plans building low-cost homes in Afghanistan.

India is planning to build affordable homes in Afghanistan meant for refugees in the country, as a part of its efforts to rebuild the war torn nation. There will be focus on sectors like irrigation and distribution of medicines too, said M Subbarayudu, the joint secretary for development partnership agreement, in the Indian ministry of external affairs.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 27 Feb 2017 03:36

Taliban Opts For "Green Policy"

Taliban leader urges Afghans to plant more trees

First time I heard that Taliban is interested in "environment" as well

ranjan.rao · Post by **ranjan.rao** » 03 Mar 2017 05:44

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-ka ... ar-2340009

"As per the reports which are coming from the southern and northern parts of Afghanistan, I have seen photographs of local population suffering from blisters and some chemical weapons. At this moment, I don't have confirmation on this matter but the photos were quite distressing,"

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 03 Mar 2017 13:36

Falijee wrote:Taliban Opts For "Green Policy"

Taliban leader urges Afghans to plant more trees

First time I heard that Taliban is interested in "environment" as well

Just following the "End of Times" script. Prophet Muhammad said that in the Last Days, even as Doomsday looms, true believers will be conscientious enough to plant trees. So these shariah automatons are duly following the script.

nam · Post by **nam** » 03 Mar 2017 15:45

Afghanistan is barren in most places, They want trees as cover, specially from air , when they mount attacks.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 03 Mar 2017 16:17

Falijee wrote:Taliban Opts For "Green Policy"

Taliban leader urges Afghans to plant more trees

First time I heard that Taliban is interested in "environment" as well

probably need the leaves to wipe their jehadi butts

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 03 Mar 2017 16:50

Chetak-ji :

Urban legend and/or anecdotal "evidence" in the rumour circuit suggests , that , as per Sharia :

Stones are needed to clean the # 1 mess
Sand is the preferred "medium of cleaning" ( as opposed to "water" ) for the # 2 "function"
Both "options" are predicated on the assumption that the location is a desert environment

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 06 Mar 2017 07:20

As Afghanistan's security worsens, Kabul back in focus of India’s foreign policy - Indrani Bagchi, ToI

The latest terror attacks in Kabul this week show once again how the Taliban remains Afghanistan's greatest security threat and the issue figured prominently when foreign secretary S Jaishankar met new US national security adviser H R McMaster in Washington on Wednesday. Condemning the attacks, India had said, "We reiterate our resolve to work with Afghanistan to bring the perpetrators of terrorist violence to the justice they deserve wherever they may be."

Last week in Beijing, Jaishankar also found the Chinese eager to talk about Afghanistan and the security situation there. Afghanistan has returned to the centrestage of India's foreign and security policy, as two key crises rear their heads — a tottering government of Ashraf Ghani beset by numerous political problems and secondly, a renewed threat by Taliban which has found fresh oxygen from apparent political endorsement by a new regional bloc, led by Russia and China.

Ghani's government is in deep trouble and there is talk in Kabul of a "jirga" (tribal council meeting) that could look for a political alternative, though destabilising the dispensation in the current precarious scenario could be a recipe for disaster. However, political pundits, both within and outside Afghanistan, are looking at former president Hamid Karzai, who has taken a growing political space in Kabul.

What is of greater concern to New Delhi is the new apparent re-alignment of powers in the region which would adversely impact India and Afghanistan, while giving an upper hand to the Taliban and their sponsors in Pakistan. While the US has been absorbed in domestic politics, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan have made common cause by raising the spectre of Daesh/IS in Afghanistan, trying to create an opening to begin political negotiations with the Taliban as a "friendly force" to keep out Daesh.

Shaida Abdali, Afghan ambassador to India, told TOI, "We should not be repeating the mistakes of the 80s and 90s, to use one set of radical extremists against another."

"It's a return to the 'good-terrorists-bad-terrorists' narrative, so skillfully played by Pakistan in the region. We know the Daesh in Afghanistan, like the Taliban, have their roots in Pakistan," Abdali said.

India was given a seat at the Moscow meeting {India should not think that its voice would be heard in these meetings. It is more to constrain India than seeking our advice. China also wants to make it look like an SCO decision} in February, which saw an apparent concession by asking the Taliban to enter into direct talks with the Afghan government. In addition, central Asian states have also been invited into the tent, making it a kind of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, but without US presence.

India's role has become more important, in both restraining old allies Russia and Iran from falling for the Pakistan line, as well as working harder with the US to stabilise Afghanistan. In addition, India will have to put more of its commitment on the ground in Afghanistan, particularly in a Trump administration, which expects its partners to pull their weight. "India and Afghanistan have to defuse this and work together with true and sincere allies for genuine peace and cooperation between big powers in the region," Abdali said.

The new Trump administration appears to have started out with the right notes. Abdali said, "We feel encouraged by the Trump administration. In their conversations with the Afghan leadership, including the conversation between President Trump and President Ghani, we feel Washington is taking the correct line.

President Trump told President Ghani that India would be a good partner for both of us."

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 06 Mar 2017 08:52

Afghanistan will never recognise the Durand Line: Hamid Karzai - DAWN

Amid increasing tensions on the western border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai in a tweet on Sunday said Pakistan has "no legal authority to dictate terms on the Durand Line".

Karzai's comment followed Pakistan's decision to close the border between the two states for an indefinite period on February 16 after a recent surge in terrorist attacks across the country.

The border closure has strained Pak-Afghan relations.

"While we wish freedom for the people of [the Federally Administered Tribal Areas [Fata] from Frontier Crime Regulation [FCR] and other repressive measures, we remind the Government of Pakistan that Afghanistan hasn't and will not recognize the Durand line," Karzai added in his tweet.

Karzai seemed to echo the sentiment of many of his country's officials, such as Ambassador Omar Zakhilwalal, who in a Facebook post on Saturday said Pakistan does not have a valid reason for the continued closure of crossing points on the Pak-Afghan border.

Zakhilwal said the argument presented by Pakistan — that the border closure is intended to stop terrorists from crossing over — does not carry any weight, as “these points such as Torkham and Spin Boldak have been manned by hundreds of military and other security personnel” and have all the necessary equipment and infrastructure in place to prevent such a possibility.

"Continuous unreasonable closure of legal Pak-Afghan trade and transit routes cannot have any other explanation except to be aimed at hurting the common Afghan people," the envoy said in his social media post, apparently in breach of diplomatic protocol.

The Durand Line is the a 2640-kilometre-long border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, established in 1893 following an agreement between Sir Mortimer Durand, a representative of British India, and Abdur Rahman Khan, the Amir of Afghanistan.

Afghan national security advisor to meet Indian counterpart

Afghanistan's national security adviser, Mohammad Haneef Atmar, left for India on Sunday for a three-day-long trip to attend the 19th Asian Security Conference.

The conference, titled 'Combating Terrorism: Evolving an Asian Response', is being held in New Delhi, a press released issued by the Afghanistan Office of National Security Council stated.

Apart from being the keynote speaker at the event, he will also have bilateral meetings with several Indian security and political officials, such as his Indian counterpart, Ajit Kumar Doval, the national security adviser to the prime minister of India.

Atmar will "discuss counter-terrorism measures" as well as strategies to expand "political and security ties between two countries", the statement added.

The conference, organised by India's Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA), begins on March 6 and concludes March 8.

ranjan.rao · Post by **ranjan.rao** » 06 Mar 2017 09:32

No matter what karzai says, the thing is his writ doesnt run beyond Kabul and even in Kabul it is questionable with ever deteriorating security. All they can do is launch terror attacks in land of pure, which anyways doesnt make much difference to isloo policy. Pakis can literally do what they want on durand line. Unless of course India enters the game, which is out of question for now

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 07 Mar 2017 05:17

'Sort Afghan mess or Russia will, Pakistan army told US': Pak source to The Telegraph - Shailaja Neelakantan, ToI

What a stunning reversal of roles between 1979 & 2017! Complete.

Pakistan's military has told Washington to sort out the "total mess" in Afghanistan because not doing so might tempt Russia to stage a Syrian-style intervention+ in their country, reported British newspaper The Telegraph, quoting a high-level Pakistan army source.

The source is convinced that if ISIS leaves or is pushed out of Syria and Iraq, "the next place for them+ to gather in is Afghanistan." And the alleged collapse in security since the beginning of the withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan- following a 16-year-old partially successful campaign - has meant the West now faced "losing control", the source added, in the article published today.

This is the "total mess" that Russia could use as an excuse+ to extend military operations into Afghanistan, said the senior Pakistan army source who didn't wish to be named, to The Telegraph. As it is, many in the Russia government fear the West is using ISIS as "a plot to destabilise its backyard" in Central Asia.

In fact, Russia last month held a conference on Afghanistan+ , along with China, India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Some analysts said this signalled Russia's intention to play a more active role in AfPak.

The Pakistan army source said that in a meeting last month with the 'Resolute Support Mission' commander US General John Nicholson, the American admitted that Afghan forces were in a stalemate against the Taliban.

To that, Pakistani army officials told Nicholson: "A stalemate is still a win for the Taliban." The source added to The Telegraph: "We have told General (James) Mattis that Afghanistan is slipping out of control, and that if things are not put right, America will have a huge crisis on its hands." Mattis is US defense secretary.

'Can't teach a donkey to gallop'[/b

Pakistan has been criticizing Afghanistan for not doing enough against terrorists on its soil, but the Pakistan army source admitted to The Telegraph that Kabul limited by the capabilities - or the lack thereof - of the Afghan National Army.

"The problem", the source said, " is that you can't teach a donkey to gallop."

"There are 350,000 troops in the Afghan Army, but only about 20,000 are capable of combat missions. They also have about 1,000 Generals, most of whom are appointed because of their tribal affiliations rather than on merit. The problem is that you can't teach a donkey to gallop," the Pakistan source told The Telegraph.

Bheeshma · Post by **Bheeshma** » 07 Mar 2017 05:20

Hmmm that actually sounds like paki army itself or the paki navy. More admirals than ships !!!

venug · Post by **venug** » 07 Mar 2017 19:07

Chinese troops are reportedly operating in Afghanistan, but it's unclear why

Late last year, India’s Wion News Agency released photos of suspected Chinese military vehicles in Little Pamir. Franz J. Marty at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute claimed in February that "overwhelming evidence," including "photographs, an eyewitness account and several confirming statements of diplomats and observers, among them a Chinese official familiar with the matter," indicated the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is conducting joint drills in Afghanistan.

China has made its counter-terrorism concerns, particularly in Afghanistan, known numerous times. The Asian powerhouse is worried that increasing instability in Afghanistan will stir unrest in Xinjiang Province, which is home to the Uighurs, a Muslim minority which maintains a rocky relationship with the Chinese government. Beijing fears that Afghanistan will become a base of operations for militant Uighur separatists, specifically the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

Some observers suggest that Chinese involvement in Afghanistan might actually be beneficial for both the US and China, arguing that China might be considering taking on a greater security role in the region after the US and its allies withdraw; however, Chinese troops are unlikely to push far beyond the shared border as long as the US coalition forces maintain a presence in Afghanistan.

There is also the possibility that China is training its military under the guise of counter-terrorism operations, just as it has used peacekeeping and anti-piracy missions to enhance the capabilities of its armed forces in the past.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 08 Mar 2017 23:55

More than 30 killed in Kabul military hospital attack
https://www.dawn.com/news/1319175/more- ... tal-attack

More than 30 people were killed and around 50 wounded in an insurgent attack on Afghanistan's largest military hospital in Kabul on Wednesday, the defence ministry said.“Most of the victims are patients, doctors and nurses,” ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP, adding that four attackers were also killed.Gunmen dressed as doctors stormed the military hospital, officials said, in a six-hour attack claimed by the militant Islamic State group as it makes inroads into the war-battered country.Hospital administrators told AFP three gunmen wearing white laboratory coats began spraying bullets after a suicide bomber on foot blew himself up at the backdoor entrance, sparking chaos inside the 400-bed facility.At least two other loud explosions - including what the defense ministry called a car bomb in the hospital's parking lot - were heard as Afghan special forces launched a clearance operation that lasted around six hours.The assailants were gunned down after Afghan special forces landed on the roof of the hospital in a military helicopter.“The attackers have been killed. We are still assessing the damage,” interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told AFP in a brief statement.Kabul last month endorsed US general John Nicholson's call for thousands of additional coalition troops in Afghanistan to fend off the militants before the spring offensive.Extra troops were needed to end the stalemate in the war, Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan, told the US Congress in what could be President Donald Trump's first major test of military strategy.

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 09 Mar 2017 01:12

This was a 400,000% Paki ISI attack. Sponsored by the Original "Islamic State".

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 09 Mar 2017 01:25

A test for the Orange-tan.

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 09 Mar 2017 01:35

Yes. Will संत्रा Claus be coming to town?