Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

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Austin
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Austin »

What Will Follow a U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan?

https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2019/0 ... an/155311/
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by chetak »

disha wrote:
sudeepj wrote:It is not necessary that the attacks be in Kashmir, they can happen along the coastline, can take the form of an IED campaign, an assassination campaign and so on. But if nothing else changes, a Jihadi offensive is coming, we should be in no doubt about that.
Bakis are barbarians at the gate. And this barbarians with their assorted anti-India are always upto something. We only know about it when they succeed.

In fact, assassinations and terror strikes are overt attempts and any of such overt attempts should be met with surgical strikes.
The pakis have every intention to absorb and subsume the afghan state know it into their own state of pukiland, minus of course the cheeni share. The hans will take away the richest of the mineral rich deposit lands.

Afghan resources and the land mass will provide the lebensraum as well the strategic depth that they so desperately crave, not to mention the enormous mineral wealth just waiting to be stolen and the water flowing into pukilund from there.

They need the amerikis out, the Indians out, the cheeni partially in as well as iran out so iran does not to grab what they covet in that region.

This is the duplicitous game the pakis have been playing out for the longest time. They are hoping that they get appointed as chowkidars by the amerikis with a fat ameriki payment coming in regularly.

If the amerikis can negotiate a politically victorious withdrawal from the afghan mess, with the help of the taliban, the pakis and the ummah who provide fighters there, they will throw India under the bus, without a second thought.

The pakis, no matter what they say, fear the durrand line impasse that will take on a life of its own, were the amerikis and other UNSC members to let it bubble up to the surface of the international media.

the cheeni veto will play no part in the western media onslaught and the shaping of the afghan paki border issues, creating another cashmere/palestine for the pakis, along with baluchis and the long smouldering, seething sindh issues.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Singha »

trump is desperate for a political "victory" to wave.
he will probably overrule his advisors and make a quick deal with the taliban to exit
NATO ISAF will not last long, they will follow in few months

the blowback will be felt by afghan govt, iran and india.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Chinmayanand »

Pre 2001 , there was taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan .After US runs with its tail in between it's legs and hands over the reins to taliban , what will the taliban do ? Enjoy their Victory in Kabul or march to Delhi and Tehran ?

The other side of the coin is since US was in Afghanistan , India could not punish Pakistan because of supplies through paki land. So , once US pulls out , there will be no undue pressure.
India will be free to act and react as it desires.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by sudeepj »

Singha wrote:trump is desperate for a political "victory" to wave.
he will probably overrule his advisors and make a quick deal with the taliban to exit
NATO ISAF will not last long, they will follow in few months

the blowback will be felt by afghan govt, iran and india.
The US is currently in a battle for its position as the global hegemon with China. In this battle, Afghanistan is going to be a side show in this, with the large area of interest being the Indo-Pacific.

Pakistan is hoping to once again play its card as being the gate keeper to the Indian ocean from central asia. In fact, CPEC should be called CPMC (military corridor).

The hitch is that India in 5-10 years is going to be so large an economy, so large a market, so large and capable an armed force that it becomes the key swing state. And what good is a gateway to the Indian ocean if the keys to that gate are held by your enemy?

On the other side of the Hormuz strait, the war between Shia and Sunni is raging, and there is no sign of it cooling down anytime soon. So there is a possibility of the Pakistanis selling their services there too.

My understanding of the current geostrategic board is as above.

Pakis see this as a possible strategic opening and have struck. On the flip side, for the powers that be, the utility of an intact Pakistan that sees itself in a permanent competition with India is fast diminishing. How can such a Pakistan be relied on to keep the Han army bottled up behind the Himalayas? With its non-state actors, its madrassas, its jihadi elite, such a Pakistan will always be a fly in the ointment. At the key moment, they will place impossible demands on the alliance partners. It will change alliances at the first hint of crisis. Too big and powerful to be manipulated, too small for its demands to actually be met.

The easiest solution is for this made up state to die and smaller, ethnic states can emerge out of this mess. And India and the US should work towards this. A token 1 division deployment in Afghanistan only lets Pakistan dictate the terms of engagement. Its better to keep military forces coherent and cohesive, rather than spreading them too thin. The only real threat to Pak from the Afghan side is through running an insurgency of your own, which can still be done without the large American presence.

The direction that Pak has taken has made conflict with India, structurally inevitable. We should prepare well with a system of alliances.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by khan »

IMO, with this Balakot thing winding down, it is only natural for India to send some troops to Afghanistan and share the burden.

India too has interests there and there is a UN mandate for the Afghanistan mission.

If the Bakis try their shenanigans in Afghanistan, then do more air-strikes. Maybe all the training with the Americans will be useful after all.

The Bakis are probably thinking of taking some pressure off by moving their terrorists from Kashmir to Afghanistan, might as well deny them that opportunity and their cherished “strategic depth”.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Singha »

https://in.reuters.com/article/afghanis ... NKCN1N80FA

unlike in the past where hazara shias were thrashed by the pashtun taliban, they seem to have armed themselves in central af and wont go down without a fight. the two uzbek warlords dostum and abdul malik pehlwan both have their militias and 'spheres of influence' up north.

I am not sure who are the main tajik warlords these days - mohd fahim passed away a few years ago. tajikistan and uzbekistan are the key states for russia and india to "reach in" and shape things. further west, turkmenistan seems to be a turkey & china pasand state.

iran I am sure is planning to create its buffer state in the west centered on herat and will be looking for some ishmael khan type character (he himself is a bit long in tooth now)
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Singha »

the hazara-tajik-uzbek alliance has to be tight to fight the pashtun talibs. if they dont fight together they are done.

Image
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by sudeepj »

This map posted by Singha Ji is just one of the structural reasons why Pakistan is compelled to wage jihad. How to keep these warring tribes together with some semblance of national purpose? The purpose today is Jihad and "Pakistan Islam ka Qilla". The Pashtun population in particular is crying under the boot of the pakjabi jihadi elite.

In any case, the current borders were drawn by the British and their colonial policy of "forward borders". They were neither voted on, nor drawn in the kind of peace after an ethnic conflict that resulted in stable borders and prosperous states in Europe.

In the end game, these borders must change if there is to be peace between India and Pakistan.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by SBajwa »

V_Raman wrote:I have said this multiple times before and still I believe it - there will be Indian boots in Afghanistan.

Iran is neutralized with trading in rupees with India. So they will not have issues.

I still believe we will sign-up for F18 - engine commonality with LCA, engine tech, navy carrier fighter, NLCA help.

We are realizing the items needed to defend the homeland - arihant, LCA, S400, 155mm ugrade, and Rafale. Are there others? Arjun Mk2?

Boots might happen once we have these operationalized.
100% agreed! Without Indian boots on ground in Afghanistan Taliban proxies will come back up.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Singha »

two new countries north AF and south AF will be born out of this once dust settles.

pakjabis can try to control the pashtuns but in reality nobody in history has been able to control them and put them to work in gandhian ways.
whether alexandar in 330BC , russians, british, mongols, huns ..... everyone had a rough time in the rugged land.

endless war and hardship seems baked into their DNA. once the talibunistan is formed, it will be time for the tail to wag the dog.

north AF may be viable long term as a country. south AF will remain a sort of violent ultra conservative sultanate .... perhaps the saudis would like to use it against iran and paks want to use it against india.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by SBajwa »

Singha wrote:two new countries north AF and south AF will be born out of this once dust settles.

pakjabis can try to control the pashtuns but in reality nobody in history has been able to control them and put them to work in gandhian ways.
whether alexandar in 330BC , russians, british, mongols, huns ..... everyone had a rough time in the rugged land.

endless war and hardship seems baked into their DNA. once the talibunistan is formed, it will be time for the tail to wag the dog.

north AF may be viable long term as a country. south AF will remain a sort of violent ultra conservative sultanate .... perhaps the saudis would like to use it against iran and paks want to use it against india.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh with Hari Singh Nalwa as governor of Peshawar ruled the whole of Afghanistan. Afghanistan not only paid annual tribute to Maharaja but also gave him the Kohinoor diamond.

Hari Singh Nalwa would give two days to a village who had not paid tribute and then surround them burning it down totally along with its inhabitants. The dialogue in Sholay where mothers tell kids to sleep otherwise Gabbar will come is actually true till date. Afghani mothers still scare their kids that Hari Singh Nalwa will come.

When Nalwa got infected at the fort of Jamrud and had a high fever. He told his soldiers that to keep his body outside in open under the flag of Sarkar Khalsa and keep shifting it from time to time so that Afghanis think that I am still alive. Afghanis feared him so much that they didn't dared to attack the fort and reinforcement under Prince Sher Singh arrived after Hari Singh's death.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Paul »

Amrullah Saleh


@AmrullahSaleh2
59m59 minutes ago
More
The so called investigative report claiming Mullah Omar lived & died in Afg is nothing but a manipulative piece of propaganda aimed to give a leg to ISI denial that there is no Quetta Shura.There is.The physical feature of Doha negotiators show they haven't been in field or caves
Manish_P
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Manish_P »

SBajwa wrote:100% agreed! Without Indian boots on ground in Afghanistan Taliban proxies will come back up.
Extremely tough & costly without a direct land route. Unkil (and others) need to contribute with material and money.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Vikas »

There is no way any Indian govt is going to send soldiers to Afg in near future. Even with Indian forces, Talibans will be holding a major part of Southern Afghanistan, add Pakis to the mix and we have deadly cocktail. What Americans could not do in 18 years despite all the money and ammunition and direct access, Don't think India will be able to achieve even fraction of that. This is one case where fighting here is better than fighting there.

The use case itself doesn't outweigh the benefits especially once the body bags start coming in.
Help, support, money, gunships - Yes
Boots on the ground - NO
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by V_Raman »

If India wants the neighborhood to be peaceful - we have no choice. We are too big to not provide a security umbrella in our neighborhood. I dont think we can take over POK or any other territory from Pakistan. That will be a disaster and set us back by decades. We need to move Sauron's eye to some other place while we build up the mainland and the friendly neighborhood. It is very possible to see Indian boots in the next decade if the current dispensation holds. By that time Mk2 will be ready which will be the backbone of the fighter fleet. We better be a credible force in UAV tech along with MCA program if we want to be a country worth our geography by that timeframe. Otherwise, Sauron will have us for lunch.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by nam »

The fact is there is no Afghanistan with Pashtuns in the south. We should just fund and arm a anti-Taliban force to protect the Tajik, Uzbeck and Shia regions of Afghanistan.

Create a armed version with LGB and highly accurate dumb bomb capability with HTT 40. Fund 100 0r 200 for ANA. Will provide good CAS against any Taliban offensive.Easy and cheap to maintain. This on the condition that the Northern group form a proper government and not warlords. Provide with a top cover with sqd of IAF or Tajik jets from Tajik airbase, to protect against PAF, if required.

Transfer our 105MM IFG over to ANA. Built a ammo production unit somewhere in the northern.

This should be enough to hold off any Taliban offensive and not get ourself involved in the mess.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by MeshaVishwas »

Suggest the rakshaks to see the video in full.
What the Afghans are going through is a source of inspiration, IMO.
Bad Haqqani playing the devil's advocate and Government of Afghanistan NSA Amb Dr. Mohib being the guest.
https://www.hudson.org/events/1663-the- ... istan32019
The discussion starts off with a Helicopter Shot over Long On by Amrullah Saleh(Absent,but his statement was read out)
His(NSA's) takedown of the stooge of the Uniformed Jehadi Inc. "Foreign Minister" Snake Oil Qureshi was EPIC.
The event starts at 17:39, so please FF.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Singha »

a civil war has erupted in mazar e sharif between forces loyal to atta mohamad noor and federal govt
US pro consul has appealed for calm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atta_Muhammad_Nur

Mujib Mashal
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Mazar has turned into a battlefield - and it has nothing to do with Taliban.
Atta's elements in "national police" and militiamen are resisting appointment of a new Balkh police chief by the central gov as against "agreement with Kabul." Gov using special forces to install him.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Singha »

mazar is a really beautiful and planned city, with many neat tree lined avenues.
a marytr massoud avenue is there.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by V_Raman »

Singha wrote:mazar is a really beautiful and planned city, with many neat tree lined avenues.
a marytr massoud avenue is there.
lament time - the city looks beautiful and very clean! and this is a worn torn city!! we just dont get cleanliness somehow!!!
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by sudeepj »

MeshaVishwas wrote:Suggest the rakshaks to see the video in full.
What the Afghans are going through is a source of inspiration, IMO.
Bad Haqqani playing the devil's advocate and Government of Afghanistan NSA Amb Dr. Mohib being the guest.
https://www.hudson.org/events/1663-the- ... istan32019
The discussion starts off with a Helicopter Shot over Long On by Amrullah Saleh(Absent,but his statement was read out)
His(NSA's) takedown of the stooge of the Uniformed Jehadi Inc. "Foreign Minister" Snake Oil Qureshi was EPIC.
The event starts at 17:39, so please FF.
Deeply moving statement by Amrullah Saleh. That Pakistan can get away with an invasion of a neighboring state with impunity in this day and age, fifty years after the UN Charter came into existence blows a hole into the idea of an 'international rules based order'. They are a rogue state, and if they are allowed to get away with this conquest and colonization of Afghanistan, there will be no end to war in the Indian subcontinent.

For our own safety, we need to see the war in Afghanistan as our own and take action on the East of the Indus, West of the Kabul to impose costs on Pakistan that matter to them. So far, the costs we have imposed have been economic, and they rather happened by themselves, as Pakistan stewed in its own juice. Pakistani social & political economy is quite capable of bearing these costs. They have the chutzpah to first give the worse IMR to their countries poor, then demand foreign aid for it! All the while purchasing cutting edge weapons and platforms!

We desperately need new ideas of what costs we can impose.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by banrjeer »

this article describes moralistic shell and such like..

https://www.firstpost.com/india/why-ind ... 86278.html

what's the situation like now? moralistic/artillery shell ?
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by MeshaVishwas »

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opin ... -khalilzad
This Khalilzad character is very shady.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Agasthi »

Check out the numerous indian made autos in Jalalabad compared to other cities in Afghanistan. Looks like out aid was quite targeted and must have went in creating tremendous number of assets on that porous border. No wonder our intelligence on Balakot was 0.0009m CEP!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0--c-d9J2OE
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by nam »

Hardly any women on the streets!
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Varoon Shekhar »

https://www.wionews.com/india-news/abdu ... tan-204173

Remember those 7 Indian engineers abducted last May? One of them has returned. He should have some info on the others.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by disha »

Jalebi Maam calls US ambassador to Upaghanistan "little pygmy" on twitter.

https://www.vox.com/world/2019/3/27/182 ... n-diplomat

Hey guys! It is Jalebi time!! Looks like Jalebi maam is PISS'ed at the Upaghanistan piss process. Not sure if she had little ImDim on her mind given the services she runs!
“Some Pakistanis are now angry at the Bass tweet and believe it was an inappropriate way to address Pakistan’s prime minister,” Alyssa Ayres, a Pakistan expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told me. “That’s how you end up with the ‘pygmy’ tweet.”

To be fair, no government official would take kindly to their boss being openly rebuked by a foreigner. In that sense, then, Mazari’s comments are somewhat understandable. She also has a track record of harshly rebutting any external criticism of Pakistan, including from some human rights groups.

But the online spat may have imperiled US-Pakistani relations in the short term and Afghanistan peace talks in the long term.
Love the way it is being spun!
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by ArjunPandit »

At least americans would realize that Indians didnt call them pygmy even though they strip searched an active indian diplomatic official in NY
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by nithish »

Taliban-Afghanistan peace talks derailed by delegation row
Critical peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Qatar appeared to have been suspended after a falling out over who should attend.

Sultan Barakat, director of Qatar's Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, the organisation sponsoring the talks, tweeted news of the postponement, saying "this is unfortunately necessary to further build consensus as to who should participate in the conference".

The talks, scheduled for Friday between Afghan and Taliban representatives, were considered a significant first step toward finding a negotiated end to the war in Afghanistan and the eventual withdrawal of US troops, which would end America's longest war.

A list of 243 people was announced by Qatar on Thursday. That list differed from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's list of 250 people, which included many more women, according to a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Taliban did not immediately comment but Zabihullah Mujahed, Taliban spokesperson, on Wednesday questioned the size of the government delegation, saying it was not "normal" and that they had "no plans" to meet with so many people.

Efforts to find an end to the war in Afghanistan have escalated since the appointment in September of US Peace Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has held several rounds of talks with the Taliban.

Khalilzad said he was "disappointed Qatar's intra-Afghan initiative has been delayed".

"We're in touch with all parties and encouraged that everyone remains committed to dialogue," the envoy wrote on Twitter. "I urge all sides to seize the moment and put things back on track by agreeing to a participant list that speaks for all Afghans."

The Taliban had previously refused to hold direct talks with Ghani's government, calling them puppets of the US.

However, after pressure from Khalilzad and the government of Qatar, where the religious movement maintains a political office, they agreed to an intra-Afghan dialogue that includes members of the government.

The US has been holding separate bilateral peace negotiations with the Taliban in Doha as part of a months-long peace push led by Washington.

The developments come as fresh violence rips across Afghanistan, with the Taliban launching their so-called spring offensive.

The Taliban now control or influence about half the country, and last year was the deadliest yet for civilians.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by nithish »

13 dead in Taliban attack on police HQ in northern Afghanistan
Taliban fighters stormed a police headquarters in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province on Sunday killing at least 13 police with more than 50 people wounded, including 20 civilians, the interior ministry said.

The assault began when a Taliban fighter driving a Humvee packed with explosives blew himself up at the entrance of the police compound in Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province, Afghan officials said.

Eight gunmen rushed in after the explosion, setting off a gun battle that lasted more than six hours.

"Thirteen policemen were killed and 35 others injured," said Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry, adding that 20 civilians were also wounded.

"The complex attack on Baghlan police headquarters has ended with the death of all nine attackers, including the suicide bomber," he said.

---
On Friday, US envoy for peace Zalmay Khalilzad, who is leading a sixth round of talks in Doha, said on Twitter that he told the Taliban "that the Afghan people, who are their brothers and sisters, want this war to end".

"It is time to put down arms, stop the violence and embrace peace," Khalilzad posted.

The Taliban responded by saying Khalilzad "should forget about the idea of us putting down our arms".

"Instead of such fantasies, he should drive the idea home [to the US] about ending the use of force and incurring further human and financial losses for the decaying Kabul administration," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted.

Also on Friday, an Afghan grand assembly, widely known as a loya jirga, ended with delegates demanding an "immediate and permanent" ceasefire and a promise from President Ashraf Ghani to free 175 Taliban prisoners before Ramadan, the Islamic holy month that starts on Monday.

The Taliban, seeking to restore strict Islamic rule, refuses to talk to the Afghan government which it dismisses as a "US puppet".

The group also rejected an invitation to the loya jirga, attended by 3,200 religious leaders, politicians and representatives from across the country, meeting under a giant white tent in Kabul.
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by wig »

former journalist and parliamentary advisor Ms Mina Mangal shot dead
Officials in the Ministry of Interior have confirmed that a parliamentary adviser was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Kabul city earlier today.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Nasrat Rahimi said Mina Mangal, adviser to Cultural Commission of the Parliament was shot dead at around 7:20 am in 8th police district of the city.

Rahimi further added that Mangal was shot dead by unknown gunmen and an investigation has been launched into the incident.

No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
https://www.khaama.com/parliamentary-ad ... ity-03939/
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by MeshaVishwas »

India elbowed out of Afghanistan peace talks -Indrani Bagchi
Pakistan joined the US, Russia and China this weekend to craft a peace agreement with the Taliban, a move that shows how Pakistan has moved to the centerstage of the Afghan peace process, and how India has been dealt out of the future of Afghanistan. India's participation or voice have been negligible in the evolving situation, while Pakistan has used the opportunity to manoeuvre itself to centerstage in this region's geopolitics.
Shaida Abdali, former Afghan ambassador to India and a presidential candidate, told TOI here this week, "India's 18-year-old effort to strengthen ties with Afghanistan should not be lost at this juncture. India's indifference to the evolving situation in Afghanistan will likely cost India in the long run."
India is nowhere in the peace negotiations, nor have India's concerns really found any traction.
In the latest blow to India, US ambassador to Afghanistan, John Bass, said on Thursday that Afghanistan's presidential elections, scheduled for September 28, could be postponed, until the peace process with the Taliban are completed. "I think it is really important at this time for Afghans to understand that there are a couple of different ways that elections may not happen," Bass said.

India is opposed to this - during US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo's visit to New Delhi, NSA Ajit Doval repeatedly stressed the importance of holding elections in Afghanistan on schedule even if the peace process was on. India also opposed the proposal to have an interim government in Afghanistan, both with US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and with Russia. None of India's concerns cut much ice with any of the principal stakeholders in Afghanistan.
This week, the US and Taliban hammered out a provisional 8-point agreement (although in the Pashto version pl it includes 10 points). Despite Khalilzad saying the US won't "cut and run" and that it was "not a withdrawal agreement but a peace agreement" the Taliban and others have interpreted the agreement as the former. The process has gathered momentum, despite almost daily terror attacks by the Taliban.
India's 18-year investment in Afghanistan has been largely with the government of the day. India remains the most popular country in Afghanistan with the people. Amar Sinha, former Indian ambassador to Afghanistan and member, NSAB said, "India should be more proactive. It is in a good place as far as the nationalist Afghans are concerned. India should bring them together at this time, so they can speak unitedly. We're distressed to see the level of disunity among the political leaders in Afghanistan."
Abdali said, "One of the most critical gains post 2001 is our democratic process -- which must not be affected without full international guarantees that Afghanistan will not reverse to pre 2001 dark era. It is necessary that India remain engaged … as a trusted country versus a disruptive one. In this uncertainty, with no viable solution in sight, India must stay engaged."
The US has succeeded in bringing Russia and China on the same page, and this week they included Pakistan, Taliban's principal sponsor. Pakistan is playing a crucial role of bringing the Taliban to the table and keeping them there. On July 12, the four countries met in Beijing to issue a 'four-party joint statement on the Afghan peace process.

The statement "welcomed recent positive progress as the crucial parties concerned have advanced their talks and increased contacts with each other. All sides also welcomed intra-Afghan meetings held in Moscow and Doha. … The four sides encouraged all parties to take steps to reduce violence leading to a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire that starts with intra-Afghan negotiations."
The Doha agreement of July 7-8 between the US and Taliban includes the agreements reached in Moscow, thereby taking care of Russia's interests. China and Pakistan look out for each other. India is out of the picture, despite having vital security interests. Interestingly, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, believed to be close to India, became a facilitator of the Taliban talks both in Moscow and in Beijing.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan's elected government has been under concerted pressure. First, the Taliban has refused to countenance them as a credible party, to the extent that the "intra-Afghan" talks included people from the government in their personal capacities. Second, Taliban attacks in the past weeks and months have been relentless. Third, neither US, Russia, China or Pakistan have given the government any place at the talks. Fourth, with no certainty of elections, the government is looking at extinction. Fifth, Pakistan's airspace ban has cut off Afghanistan from India, imposing economic costs, and making a political point of the indispensability of Pakistan.
Khalilzad declared he has achieved progress on four fronts: assurances from the Taliban that Afghanistan will not become a staging ground again for militant groups like al-Qaida or the Islamic State; withdrawal of US troops; all-Afghan dialogue to reach agreement on a peaceful future; and a permanent ceasefire. The US goal is to complete peace talks with the Taliban by September 1, which would begin the withdrawal of US and Nato troops. In five months after that, the Taliban and other Afghans are expected to come to an agreement.
Pakistan finds itself in a much happier position. Having proved their indispensability, Pakistan has been a recipient of aid from US's principal allies Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar, as well as an IMF bailout. China remains Pakistan's principal ally and benefactor, but the US, despite Trump's mean tweets about Pakistan, is getting ready to fete Imran Khan in Washington next week.
https://m.timesofindia.com/world/pakist ... 219048.cms
ArjunPandit
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by ArjunPandit »

Sooner or later this was bound to happen..India has neither been putting money to the table (lets say enough money to the right set of people) or not bringing in muscle. India needs to complete Chabahar and work towards placing some military presence to protect its interests. If India can't protect its interests then we have to live with those who have either of money and muscle. A more long term solution is destruction of pakistan.
shyamd
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by shyamd »

The article is false.
nam
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by nam »

Only failed state like and 250B GDP Pak will think placing neanderthals characters like Talibs in Afghanistan is a victory over a 3 trillion GDP country.

What will happen? fear of spill over in to J&K? We will do another Balakot. If Pak wants to play,, it better learn to keep the lot on it's side of the border.

It is very simple. The fight in Afghanistan will continue for few more centuries. And there is nothing worthwhile for India in Afghanistan. Even if some one pointed out about minerals, there is no easy way to transport them anyways.

So not worth spilling sweat.
pankajs
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by pankajs »

More over, with 500km "Air-launched" Brahmos, does it matter that the JuD training camp is just across the Pak-Afghanistan border?

https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ ... 93&p2=1257
Jalalabad, Afghanistan is 404 km as the crow flies from Srinagar, Kashmir, India. The air-space sanctity red-line, the noclear red-line are in the dustbin.
hanumadu
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by hanumadu »

Taliban controlled areas vs Govt controlled areas.
Though Taliban controls vast areas, the population in those areas is only 3.7 million.

Image
IndraD
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by IndraD »

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... fghanistan
Massive bomb blast in Kabul at police recruitment centre
emboldened by peace talks and pussyfooting US with power vacuum apparent, Taliban is attacking more and more
Manu
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Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Manu »

It seems Pak has caught the smell of Uncle Sam's decision to quit Afg by Winter 2020, at any cost. They have have only 14K Troops there now, will reduce even further and down to zero.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/worl ... shmir.html
The ambassador, Asad Majeed Khan, said Pakistan might have to redeploy troops from its border with Afghanistan to the Kashmir frontier instead
It seems Afg will return to stone age of making women pack animals, blowing up Bamian Buddha Statues and making Hindus and Sikhs (Hard Kaur, kindly note) wear Yellow Badges (an actual example of Paki sponsored Nazi ideology which Unfair Bibi and her ilk never mention)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/ ... ukeharding
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