Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

The Strategic Issues & International Relations Forum is a venue to discuss issues pertaining to India's security environment, her strategic outlook on global affairs and as well as the effect of international relations in the Indian Subcontinent. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.
Post Reply
ShauryaT
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5350
Joined: 31 Oct 2005 06:06

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by ShauryaT »

ramana wrote:Gurmeet Kanwal?

If so I asked him 'whats the policy' and not to get ahead of that.
He liked the tweet :(

And his numbers wont work as too few to make a difference.
I agree the article is vague but he will not state the obvious benefit in the open. It fools no one, so i do not understand why they do not say it. Agree the numbers do not cut it. But it is important to float the idea, even if the idea is unlikely to be executed upon. But, we came close in NDA1. I supported it at that time too. Reproachment between Iran and US is essential for this to work. The US has 9 bases in the country now and not something they will give up easily for its value in the region is immense - pissing Russia to the degree that they are willing to make a deal with the devil.
Mihaylo
BRFite
Posts: 762
Joined: 09 Nov 2007 21:10

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Mihaylo »

kit wrote:Quite possibly the MOAB was a test case for North Korean operation .. so to kill 2 birds with one stone ..why not take out a few talibs in the process :mrgreen:
So did it also take out the Mallappuram group that moved to Afghanistan presumably because they want to live in a caliphate area which they were hoping to carve out of Afghanistan..or something to that effect. Hope it did.

-M
SaiK
BRF Oldie
Posts: 36424
Joined: 29 Oct 2003 12:31
Location: NowHere

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by SaiK »

Q: What was the point in using MOAB on a kave kamplex? [air burster] Did they actually use MOP?
Bhurishravas
BRFite
Posts: 680
Joined: 02 Sep 2016 18:25

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Bhurishravas »

ISIS in Afghanistan only comprises of jihadis disillusioned with ISI and Taliban.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/ ... nistan.php

Their elimination is in Pakistan`s interests so that only their pets can claim the Afghan jihaad. Ideologically there is little difference. Both espouse violent jihaad. Pakistan`s ISI helps manage the Taliban`s PR, so has successfully enticed Iran, Russia etc to support them. In Afghanistan and Islamic circles, the contest is more ideological, with both ISIS and Taliban countering each other on islamic theology and verses of qurans and hadiths.
Considering how Taliban destroyed the Buddha statues and implemented Sharia in Afghanistan only a complete retard would consider Taliban a `moderate` in comparison to ISIS.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/artic ... ey-really/
Among the groups that have taken up ISIS’ black flag in Afghanistan are factions of the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-i-Taliban, or TTP; the Pakistani militant group Lashkar e Taiba; and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Currently, the leaders of ISIS in Afghanistan are predominantly former Pakistani Taliban members.
shyamd
BRF Oldie
Posts: 7101
Joined: 08 Aug 2006 18:43

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by shyamd »

Doval has asked McMaster if US will increase troop presence in Af Pak. GOI has slowed down all iran investments (i.e. some of the steps taken)
anupmisra
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9203
Joined: 12 Nov 2006 04:16
Location: New York

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by anupmisra »

Afghan situation by mid- March 2017

Image

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/effect-o ... ity-2017-4
Prem
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21233
Joined: 01 Jul 1999 11:31
Location: Weighing and Waiting 8T Yconomy

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Prem »

https://twitter.com/ResoluteSupport/sta ... 7462020096
The weapon used, the GBU-43, is designed to destroy caves and tunnels #Achin #Nangarhar GEN Nicholson @USFOR_A Commander
Falijee
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10948
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Falijee »

'Afghanistan is testing ground for US bombs', former President Hamid Karzai says while condemning US strike
NEW DELHI: The US dropping its heaviest bomb+ ever on Afghanistan is "not (about) the war on terror", it's about using the mountainous country "as (a) testing ground for new and dangerous weapons", said former President Hamid Karzai.
The Afghan leader tweeted his concern after the US dropped "the mother of all bombs,"+ on eastern Afghanistan yesterday, as part of what it calls its "war on terror".
Karzai believes this is more than just a "war on terror" and implied no one would help Afghanistan "stop the US" so it is "upon us, the Aghans" to do so.
Top Comment:Why can't use the same bomb against pakistan who is a rogue state and full of terrorists (Goverment produced and goverment supported). US has other motives for dropping the bombs... God save the US but the sins do come up.
NRao
BRF Oldie
Posts: 19226
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: Illini Nation

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by NRao »

A'stan being landlocked, what are the ways nations, like India, access A'stan?

Even Iran, it seems, is getting to be testy.
SSridhar
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25087
Joined: 05 May 2001 11:31
Location: Chennai

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by SSridhar »

Trump should confront Pak.: ex-envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad - The Hindu
Close on the heels of the U.S. dropping its most lethal non-nuclear bomb on an Islamic State target in Afghanistan, a former U.S. diplomat urged the Donald Trump administration to consider hitting terrorist sanctuaries inside Pakistan. Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, said the single most important factor of instability in Afghanistan is the continuing sanctuary for Taliban in Pakistan.

“Today, we are talking about the mother of bombs. The mother of all problems in Afghanistan is the sanctuary (for Taliban inside Pakistan),” he said. “If you respect the sanctuary and you don’t attack it, you are allowing the insurgency to go on.”

As part of the Trump administration’s ongoing review of the U.S. policy on Afghanistan, National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster will be travelling to Kabul, Islamabad and New Delhi over the weekend. “We should not be accepting safe sanctuaries as something normal. We ought to make that very very clear to Pakistan,” Mr. Khalilzad said. “I hope that the NSA makes that point clear when he sits across the table when he is in Islamabad,” he said at a discussion at the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank. “Being in Afghanistan and being successful will make us stronger. The IS is being defeated in Syria and Iraq and they are trying to move to Afghanistan,” the diplomat said, rejecting a suggestion that America could leave Afghanistan to resolve its problems by itself.

America’s blunder

Speaking at another event in the city, Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said the U.S. committed a “blunder” by not turning its military victory in Afghanistan into a political one post-9/11. “After 9/11, the Taliban and al-Qaeda were defeated in Afghanistan. This was a military victory. This military victory was to be converted into a political one,” Mr. Musharraf said at a conference on Pakistan organised by the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University.

Mr. Khalilzad said the final solution can only be political, but the duplicity of Pakistan was the key obstacle to a political settlement then. Recalling that the U.S. had a golden opportunity in Afghanistan immediately after the overthrow of the Taliban regime, the former ambassador recalled a meeting with Mr. Musharraf. “Once I went to talk to him and he flatly told me that there is no Taliban in Pakistan. I said, ‘Mr. President, the leadership is called the Quetta Shura, and Quetta I understand is in Baluchistan.” Quetta Shura was the Talibani leadership council that was based in Pakistan. Mr. Khalilzad said due to “a variety of reasons” the U.S. could not confront Pakistan more strongly on the issue then. “They were helping us on some issues, and it was a complicated relationship.” {So, how does he expect the Trump administration alone to make things 'very clear' to Pakistan? The US always has something or the other to depend upon Pakistan. So, it has been perpetually unable to confront Pakistan's duplicity. At various times, the US has even been complicit in Pakistani duplicity & subterfuge. Why should Khalilzad think that the US has can change its tack now? If it has to do so, it should bury the 'good Taliban'/'bad Taliban' dichotomy of Musharraf that the US swallowed hook,line & sinker. It continues to insist on a place for the Taliban in a future Afghan government. If Pakistan's bluff has to be called, the US has to change 180 degrees, a change it can't make.}
Bhurishravas
BRFite
Posts: 680
Joined: 02 Sep 2016 18:25

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Bhurishravas »

shyamd wrote:Doval has asked McMaster if US will increase troop presence in Af Pak. GOI has slowed down all iran investments (i.e. some of the steps taken)
Till such a time, Indian political bosses grow a spine to use its military muscles, any investment west of India in Islamic wastelands is complete useless. They invested crores in refurbishing the Ayni airbase and failed to land a plane there. If India thinks it can counter islam with investment, that is simply not possible.
kit
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6278
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 18:16

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by kit »

Bhurishravas wrote:
shyamd wrote:Doval has asked McMaster if US will increase troop presence in Af Pak. GOI has slowed down all iran investments (i.e. some of the steps taken)
Till such a time, Indian political bosses grow a spine to use its military muscles, any investment west of India in Islamic wastelands is complete useless. They invested crores in refurbishing the Ayni airbase and failed to land a plane there. If India thinks it can counter islam with investment, that is simply not possible.
the only investment that looks like working is bombs !! sad !
Garooda
BRFite
Posts: 568
Joined: 13 Jul 2011 00:00

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Garooda »

Not sure how much of it is true but very possible.
India Claims 500 Pakistanis (Protecting ISIS) Killed In "Treasonous" US Bombing In Afghanistan
While US officials have upped their death count from the Afghan MOAB drop to 94, Indian authorities are claiming that at least 500 Pakistani nationals (who had been protecting the ISIS operatives in this area) were killed in the US bombing in Nangarhar province.

One India reports that the area that was targetted was controlled by the Islamic State and protected by the Pakistan army, sources say.

The operation that was jointly coordinated by the 201 Selab Corps of the Afghanistan army targeted the caves and tunnels that were used as hiding places by the IS. It is now clear that the Pakistan army was backing these IS operatives in Afghanistan, official sources also confirmed.

Indian agencies who are coordinating withe counterparts in Afghanistan :eek: have learnt that there are no civilians living in the area. There were a large number of stooges of the Inter-Services intelligence who have been protecting the IS operatives in this area. The US action comes at a time when there was a huge build-up of IS forces in Afghanistan.

Indian agencies say that the Pakistan army and the ISI were nurturing these operatives. The entire area that was bombed was under the control of the ISI officials backing the IS, sources also said. The impact of the bomb was so huge that it blew up at least 500 Pakistanis and an equal number of IS operatives.

So, while India seems pleased with the result of the US bombing, not everyone else is. Reuters reports that former Afghan president Hamid Karzai accused his successor on Saturday of committing treason by allowing the U.S. military to drop the largest conventional bomb ever used in combat during an operation against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan.

Karzai, who also vowed to "stand against America", retains considerable influence within Afghanistan's majority Pashtun ethnic group, to which President Ashraf Ghani also belongs. His strong words could signal a broader political backlash that may endanger the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan.

"How could you permit Americans to bomb your country with a device equal to an atom bomb?" Karzai said at a public event in Kabul, questioning Ghani's decision. "If the government has permitted them to do this, that was wrong and it has committed a national treason."

"I decided to get America off my soil," he said. "This bomb wasn't only a violation of our sovereignty and a disrespect to our soil and environment, but will have bad effects for years."

Ghani's office said the strike had been closely coordinated between Afghan and U.S. forces and replied to Karzai's charges with a statement saying:

"Every Afghan has the right to speak their mind. This is a country of free speech."

Public reaction to Thursday's strike has been mixed, with some residents near the blast praising Afghan and U.S. troops for pushing back the Islamic State militants.
ramana
Forum Moderator
Posts: 59773
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by ramana »

Even is its exaggerated, it makes the Pakis burn all over. Can't scream with the pain nor refute the reports.

Truly Robert solution.
tandav
BRFite
Posts: 722
Joined: 26 Aug 2016 08:24

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by tandav »

The Taliban strike back at Mazar e Sharif killing 140 Afghan Soldiers as per reports below for the loss of 10 of their own.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/world/ne ... ttack.html

Apparently back in the day the Pashtuns especially the Afridis in Afghanistan used to kill Kaffirs (Sikh and British POWs) by some pretty brutal methods lead by the women. CAVEAT: This is British colonial accounts.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php ... en-shower/
Austin
BRF Oldie
Posts: 23387
Joined: 23 Jul 2000 11:31

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Austin »

Afghan Ex-President Karzai: ISIS Is A Tool Of The United States

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-2 ... ted-states
In an interview with Voice of America (VOA) on Wednesday, ex-Afghan President Hamid Karzai - a former Washington Ally, made statements which go hand in hand with revelations from Wikileaks during the 2016 elections. Karzai criticized recent U.S. foreign policy - including the "weak" attack on an ISIS stronghold using the largest ever non-nuclear weapon (MOAB) which failed to wipe out the Islamic State - calling ISIS a tool of the United States:

I do not differentiate between Daesh [ISIS] and America... ...I consider Daesh their tool. -VOA
Austin
BRF Oldie
Posts: 23387
Joined: 23 Jul 2000 11:31

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Austin »

Afghan casualties in Taliban Mazar-e Sharif attack pass 100 :shock:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39672357
More than 100 Afghan soldiers were killed or wounded in a Taliban attack on an army base on Friday, the defence ministry has confirmed.

Fighting lasted for several hours near the city of Mazar-e Sharif in northern Balkh province.

Insurgents targeted those leaving Friday prayers at the base's mosque and others in a canteen, the army said.

The Taliban said in a statement they had carried out the attack, using suicide bombers to breach defences.

Earlier estimates put the death toll as high as 134, but a statement from the defence ministry on Saturday gave the figure of more than 100 killed or injured.

It is one of the deadliest tolls in a Taliban attack on the Afghan army.

At least 10 Taliban militants were also killed in the fighting and one attacker was detained.
Karthik S
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5380
Joined: 18 Sep 2009 12:12

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Karthik S »

NRao wrote:A'stan being landlocked, what are the ways nations, like India, access A'stan?

Even Iran, it seems, is getting to be testy.
I thnk PoK has a small border with A'stan. If we take it back, we will have direct access.
BharataTalwar
BRFite -Trainee
Posts: 38
Joined: 21 Nov 2010 05:50

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by BharataTalwar »

Karthik S wrote:
NRao wrote:A'stan being landlocked, what are the ways nations, like India, access A'stan?

Even Iran, it seems, is getting to be testy.
I thnk PoK has a small border with A'stan. If we take it back, we will have direct access.
If I understand correctly, neither POK or China have direct land access despite having a border. The Wakhan strip is encircled by a ridiculous looking mountain range that is described as very difficult terrain that also freezes over completely for more than half of the year.
TSP planned to access Tajikistan via Frontier province and mainland Afgstan instead and more recently via China using the CPEC route. Villages in the region are accessed using helicopters only.

The Wakhan strip is not as strategic as you might think.

Feel free to correct me if I am mistaken.

Capturing POK will only serve to cut them off from Cheens, which is worth it imho.
ArjunPandit
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4056
Joined: 29 Mar 2017 06:37

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by ArjunPandit »

Karthik S wrote:
NRao wrote:A'stan being landlocked, what are the ways nations, like India, access A'stan?

Even Iran, it seems, is getting to be testy.
I thnk PoK has a small border with A'stan. If we take it back, we will have direct access.
106Km border with afghanistan ..many people in india were reminded of this when AD spoke about this..after geography books on school we all got a reminder only from a true patriot
tandav
BRFite
Posts: 722
Joined: 26 Aug 2016 08:24

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by tandav »

Brahupradesh and Sindhupradesh provide better connectivity rather than the Wakhan corridor.
SSridhar
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25087
Joined: 05 May 2001 11:31
Location: Chennai

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by SSridhar »

In the expansion game of the Czars down South and the British up North, Afghanistan naturally became a battleground. It was a British policy to have buffers around the periphery of the Indian Empire protecting it against foreign intrusion. Thus, Afghanistan was a crucial element in the North West against Russian imperialism including the manually created Wakhan corridor that separated Tajikistan and Gilgit-Baltistan region of the Princely State of Jammu & Kashmir.

Wakhan Corridor is a buffer because of its impassable terrain, not an access point.
SSridhar
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25087
Joined: 05 May 2001 11:31
Location: Chennai

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by SSridhar »

Kabul for [trilateral strategic] talks with India, U.S. - The Hindu
Pushing for greater collaborative efforts to defeat terrorism in the region, Shaida Abdali, Afghanistan Ambassador in India, called for a trilateral strategic dialogue between India, Afghanistan and the U.S.

He said that the idea of trilateral strategic dialogue was long discussed but was never operationalised.

Concern over terror

“Reactivation of that strategic dialogue especially in the context of the war on terrorism is highly desired. The three of us are affected a lot by the phenomenon of terrorism and can decide on a strategy while taking others in the region along for a more effective strategy,” Dr. Abdali said while speaking at Brookings India here [New Delhi] on Tuesday.

Appreciates military aid

On India-Afghanistan defence cooperation, he observed that though Indian military assistance was not talked about much in public, they had been doing it within “their capabilities”.

India has been training several hundreds of officers of the Afghan National Army (ANA) in its military academies. At any time, 300 officers will be training in India, Dr. Abdali said.

“There is a plan for a 50% increase in training very soon,” the Ambassador added

This will be one of the issues to be discussed at the second partnership council meeting headed by the foreign ministers of the two countries scheduled to take place in May.

Kabul has also given a wish-list of military items which includes artillery guns, tanks and ammunition among others.
Bhurishravas
BRFite
Posts: 680
Joined: 02 Sep 2016 18:25

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Bhurishravas »

No strategic dialogue will take place because the Indian political class is dhimmi. Even if Afghans and US agree.
Indian foreign and military policy is based on - "if we do this then they might do that. So we should do nothing and just sit on our asses".
Intervention in Afghanistan is talked down because of logistics issue. But more importantly because the Pakistanis will start sending more and more jihaadis to Afghanistan. This is dhoti shivering of the highest order.
We invested crores in upgrading bases in Ayni and Farkhor and got nothing. No Indian plane has landed there or likely to land there.
We have a golden opportunity in Afghanistan. The current dispensation in Afghanistan is pro-India. Why is the Indian government not negotiating an airbase in Afghanistan. Say in tajik or Hazara heartland?!
Apparently because it will upset the Pakis. That is why we are dhimmis and a tiny miniscule pakjabi number with zero economy can pinprick us whenever it wants.
A Deshmukh
BRFite
Posts: 518
Joined: 05 Dec 2008 14:24

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by A Deshmukh »

Bhurishravas wrote:Why is the Indian government not negotiating an airbase in Afghanistan. Say in tajik or Hazara heartland?!
Apparently because it will upset the Pakis. That is why we are dhimmis and a tiny miniscule pakjabi number with zero economy can pinprick us whenever it wants.
Your strong conclusions are your assumptions.
There might be other factors.
How will we protect these airbases and assets? Is it going to be cost effective? Maybe we prefer covert action more than overt - plausible deniability?
Bheeshma
BRFite
Posts: 592
Joined: 15 Aug 2016 22:01

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Bheeshma »

Take back PoK and then everything else will follow. Right now there is no connectivity and GoI does not fully trust Iran either. Though I hope India does provide ANA with 105 mm IFG, T-72's T-55's and Akash-1 as our ATAGS, T-90's, Arjuns and Akash-1S and -NG come online.
Last edited by Bheeshma on 27 Apr 2017 07:21, edited 2 times in total.
Austin
BRF Oldie
Posts: 23387
Joined: 23 Jul 2000 11:31

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Austin »

Bhurishravas
BRFite
Posts: 680
Joined: 02 Sep 2016 18:25

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Bhurishravas »

A Deshmukh wrote:
Bhurishravas wrote:Why is the Indian government not negotiating an airbase in Afghanistan. Say in tajik or Hazara heartland?!
Apparently because it will upset the Pakis. That is why we are dhimmis and a tiny miniscule pakjabi number with zero economy can pinprick us whenever it wants.
Your strong conclusions are your assumptions.
There might be other factors.
How will we protect these airbases and assets? Is it going to be cost effective? Maybe we prefer covert action more than overt - plausible deniability?
If the danger is Taliban, how do we protect our embassies?!
If the danger is Pakistan attacking our bases then what do we spend billions of dollars on defence for? They are right across the border no.
If it is not cost effective then why did we invest in upgrading the Ayni airbase. Was that a brainless decision?!

We will invest billions in building dams and roads in Afghanistan which might eventually be used by talibani jihadis. We will build Chabahar port in Iran, which wouldnt even allow dynamite for construction of Salma dam to cross its territorry but we dont have money to maintain a base.
Falijee
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10948
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Falijee »

Afghan strongman shelters former Taliban insurgents
By Afp
An Afghan strongman is giving sanctuary to Taliban fighters and their families who had sought haven across the border in Pakistan, building on a radical strategy to reduce Islamabad's perceived influence on the insurgency.Kandahar's powerful police chief Abdul Raziq last December called for a "safe zone" for Taliban militants, a contentious plan centred on Afghanistan's long-standing accusation that the insurgency is fuelled by Pakistan's support in cross-border sanctuaries.
Three of them spoke to AFP by telephone from secret locations in Kandahar. All say they have been granted de facto amnesty, and some given housing and cash handouts in exchange for not returning to the battlefield.
"Sultan Mohammed told me: 'Come back to your country, your homeland without fear. I guarantee no one will touch you'," 37-year-old Mullah Abdul Rauf, a former member of the Taliban's economic commission, told AFP."He came to the border in his car to receive my family," said Rauf, who defected earlier this year from Quetta in southwest Pakistan with his three wives and children.
"Many are tired of war and want to return, but are afraid of Pakistani intelligence on that side and of being arrested and tortured on this side," Khalil told AFP.Like Raziq, Mohammed is a police commander well-known for brutality but also credited for taming Kandahar districts that were once a hornet's nest of insurgents.Taliban sources speaking to AFP inside Pakistan dismissed his efforts as an "enemy trap".Islamabad denies supporting the militants, saying it uses Taliban sanctuaries as a "lever" to pressure the group into talks with Kabul.But prominent Taliban figures have accused Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency of manipulating the group.Insurgent sources claim former Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour was trying to branch away from the ISI, forging ties with Iran, Russia and Arab world, before he was killed in a US drone strike while exiting Iran.- 'Come home' - Some people have theorized that many ( but not all !) foot-soldiers of the so-called Islamic Militancy Movements that are active in the world are simply driven by economic considerations .
Austin
BRF Oldie
Posts: 23387
Joined: 23 Jul 2000 11:31

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Austin »

The Taliban And Islamic State Just Formed An Alliance In Afghanistan

http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/News ... fghanistan
Monday, August 08,2016

NEW DELHI: The Taliban and so-called Islamic State have a lot more in common than first meets the eye. For one, most Islamic State fighters are former Taliban soldiers, and even now, loyalties keep changing. Despite the common ground, the two militant groups have been engaged in pitched battles over the last year, especially in eastern Afghanistan as the rival sides have sought to carve out spheres of influence and control.

This, however, has changed in the last few months. Afghan officials say that the two insurgencies seem to have worked out patchwork deals acting as ceasefires that have led the two groups to stop fighting each other and concentrate on attacking Afghan and US-led foreign forces.

“They fought deadly battles with the Taliban before. But over the past two months, there has been no fighting among them,” Gen. Mohammad Zaman Waziri, who commands Afghan troops in the east, told the Wall Street Journal.

The informal alliance is significant from the perspective that it has enabled the Islamic State -- which has only a nascent presence in Afghanistan -- to extend the reach of its attacks by freeing up fighters from battling the larger, more dominant Taliban group. Significantly, one of the worst attacks in the country in recent years was claimed by the Islamic State, as suicide bombing killed 80 people in Kabul in July.

The presence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan has been the subject of a lot of international attention ever since last year, when reports emerged that the group was gaining a foothold but recruiting disenchanted Taliban fighters.

In reality, however, it is unclear what the exact relationship is between fighters swearing allegiance to the Islamic State (also known as Daesh) in Afghanistan and the parent group in Syria and Iraq. The question remains whether the Daesh parent group is actively involved in recruiting or training or is the Islamic State in Afghanistan an independent initiative that bears the name for the sake of bearing the name?

Nonetheless, the attacks claimed by Daesh in Afghanistan saw a steady increase. In May last year, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vest outside a bank in Jalalabad, the capital of the eastern province of Nangahar, killing at least 34 people and injuring 125 others.

The attack was claimed by a group called ISIS Wilayat Khorasan, with a statement issued naming the suicide bomber as Abu Mohammad Khorasani. A photograph purportedly of Khorasani was included, showing the attacker seated on a prayer mat, a scarf covering his face and a Kalashnikov rifle by his side. A black Daesh flag was visible in the background.

Referring to this claim, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said: “Who claimed responsibility for the horrific attack in Nangahar today? The Taliban did not claim responsibility for the attack, Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack.”

At the time unconfirmed reports indicate that the Taliban and Islamic State have declared “jihad” against each other. Helmand province police chief Nabi Jan Mullahkhil was quoted by Afghanistan's Mashaal Radio saying that authorities had obtained “documents” that suggest that the two militant groups had turned on each other, according to independent news outlet Khaama. Khaama reported, “Reports of minor clashes between the fighters of Taliban group and the newly emerged Daesh have published in the past.”

Whilst the above portrays a frightening scenario, with disgruntled Taliban fighters providing a suitable recruiting ground for the Islamic State’s aspirations in the region, the presence of the Syria and Iraq-based militant group in the South Asian country is still fairly limited.

In fact, despite Ghani’s announcement, Afghan officials and Nato forces in Afghanistan have gone on the record to say they doubt the claims of the Islamic State’s influence in the country. Daesh’s claim on the attack in Jalalabad has also been questioned. "We have not yet seen evidence of ISIS direction or support of the attacks," Lt. Col. Christopher Belcher, spokesman for the international military coalition in Afghanistan, said in a statement reproduced by Reuters.

"Jalalabad continues to be an area with significant Taliban influence, and this attack fits the pattern of past Taliban attacks in the region, underscoring that this attack does not represent a fundamental change in the security environment."

A similar position was put forth by a spokesperson for Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense. "I do not believe that it was carried out by Daesh," Brigadier General Dawlat Waziri said, as quoted by Reuters.

Daesh itself seems to be unclear on whether it carried out the attack or not. “ISIS was not behind the deadly blast in Jalalabad, and we condemn such an attack,” Sheikh Muslim Dost, a spokesperson for the group in Afghanistan, told The Daily Beast. “This is an act of the Pakistani agencies to damage reputation of the ISIS.”

These may seem like two contrary positions. Does the Jalalabad bombing suggest that Daesh is a contender in Afghanistan or does it not?

Reports of Daesh in Afghanistan began to emerge in 2014, when in September insurgents reported to be associated with the group battled Afghan security forces in the Arjistan district of Ghazni province. At the time, officials reported that the insurgents had raised the black flag of the Islamic State. However, the incident is now mired in controversy as the officials recanted their statements and said they had embellished the story so as to receive more resources.

In February 2015, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s Chief of Police denied that Daesh was present in the area, insisting that the insurgents were local Taliban fighters.

Nevertheless, Daesh announced its expansion into “Khorassan Province” and officially appointed Hafiz Saeed Khan as the Wali (Governor) of Khorassan. The group also appointed former Guantanamo Bay detainee and senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Rauf Khadim as Khan’s deputy. The appointments and announcements followed a video released in January 2015 -- by disgruntled Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants and a handful of little-known Afghan Taliban fighters -- that pledged allegiance to Daesh.

Since then, there have been isolated reports of Daesh’s black flag being raised in parts of Afghanistan. In Farah province for instance, a group of militants who pledged allegiance to Daesh set up a training camp; in Sar-i-Pul province, local officials reported that insurgents had raised the black flag of Daesh in Kohistanat district; in nearby Darzab district of Jawzjan province, 600 insurgents reportedly raised the black flag and began fighting on behalf of Daesh.

Earlier last year, in Nangarhar province, Taliban factions and Daesh-affiliated insurgents clashed in what was widely perceived to be a turf war. In March, Afghan National Army (ANA) officials reported that a clash between rival Taliban and Daesh factions in the Arghandab district of Zabul had killed seven Daesh fighters. Also earlier in March, Hafiz Waheed, a Daesh-linked militant was killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan.

However, it is important to note that these are isolated incidents, which have been difficult to verify The Taliban continues to remain the main extremist group opposed to the government in Afghanistan. The alliance, however, will benefit both the Taliban and the Islamic State, as it will enable both groups to step up attacks against government and foreign forces. This comes at a time when civilian casualties have reached yet another record high in the war torn country.
Lisa
BRFite
Posts: 1718
Joined: 04 May 2008 11:25

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Lisa »

Falijee wrote:"Many are tired of war and want to return, but are afraid of Pakistani intelligence on that side and of being arrested and tortured on this side," Khalil told AFP.Like Raziq, Mohammed is a police commander well-known for brutality but also credited for taming Kandahar districts that were once a hornet's nest of insurgents.Taliban sources speaking to AFP inside Pakistan dismissed his efforts as an "enemy trap".Islamabad denies supporting the militants, saying it uses Taliban sanctuaries as a "lever" to pressure the group into talks with Kabul.But prominent Taliban figures have accused Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency of manipulating the group.Insurgent sources claim former Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour was trying to branch away from the ISI, forging ties with Iran, Russia and Arab world, before he was killed in a US drone strike while exiting Iran.- 'Come home' - Some people have theorized that many ( but not all !) foot-soldiers of the so-called Islamic Militancy Movements that are active in the world are simply driven by economic considerations .


Some years ago I asked an individual who was involved in planning in Afghanistan how many more afghan soldiers or 'militia' he could hire for the dollars that were being spent of western deployments ie NATO can outspend the ISI in recruitment so why are you fighting people that you can buy for less. He is still thinking on this!
Bhurishravas
BRFite
Posts: 680
Joined: 02 Sep 2016 18:25

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Bhurishravas »

ISIS-K is a Pakistani project to get support from other countries who have antipathy to that name. Since` Pakistani Taliban` and `Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan` names were not getting much traction in rest of the world.
Russia has clearly fallen for the trick. ISAF forces have not. China is also influencing Russia on Paki lines.

The biggest blowback could be once again the pakistanis getting ahead of themselves. The Pakis have always been good at massaging white and now cheeni balls. They always manage to get good masters.
But their tricks in dividing the Pashtoon tribals could backfire. Particularly the murder of Mullah Mansour and other non-ISI compliant Taliban by giving their coordinates to the Americans wont be forgotten by the Talibunnies.
SSridhar
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25087
Joined: 05 May 2001 11:31
Location: Chennai

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by SSridhar »

Rivalries sharpening in Afghanistan - G.Parthasarathy, Business Line
Ever since the Soviet invasion in December 1979, Afghanistan has been the virtual epicentre of global geopolitical rivalries. Afghans assert that the main cause for their misery and suffering has been the policies and ambitions of their malevolent neighbour, Pakistan. While there was a significant reduction in external rivalries immediately after the post 9/11 American-led military intervention in 2001, the prospects for reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan have now receded.

The US and its Nato allies have deep differences with Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran, on the way forward for restoring peace in Afghanistan. India and Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbours regard the role of the Taliban and its ISI mentors with deep suspicion and misgivings.

There has been no change in Pakistan’s policy of seeking a takeover of Afghanistan by the radical Islamist groups it backs, such as the Haqqani Network and the Taliban. India has legitimate concerns, based on past experience, that a Pakistan-sponsored takeover of Afghanistan will lead to Afghanistan again becoming a centre for Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and aircraft hijacking, directed against New Delhi.

China has provided very little economic assistance to the democratically elected government in Afghanistan. Beijing has, however, used the ISI to strengthen ties with the Taliban while backing Pakistan’s efforts to promote a ‘dialogue’ between the Taliban and the Afghan government. These joint Chinese-Pakistani efforts, earlier backed by the Obama administration and designed to promote the Taliban as an ‘equal partner’ in its talks with the internationally recognised and elected Afghan government, predictably failed. No self-respecting Afghan government can or will recognise the ISI-backed Taliban as an equal partner in talks about the future of the country.

Legitimising the Taliban

With the Americans occupied in presidential elections, Russia entered the scene. Joined by China and Pakistan, Moscow tried to corner the Afghan government by seeking to act as a mediator/facilitator in promoting dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban.

The Afghan government was not amused and rejected Moscow’s offer, which echoed Pakistan’s strategic priorities. New Delhi also saw these developments as a diplomatic effort by Russia, Pakistan and China, to give the Taliban unacceptable international legitimacy. As Indian and Afghan displeasure and unease became evident, the Russians broadened the talks to include India, Iran, the Central Asian Republics and the US. The US declined to join saying that Russia had not answered its queries on what the precise purpose of the Moscow talks was.

The recent round of talks in Moscow with the expanded membership ended inconclusively. Backed by New Delhi, Afghanistan rejected Moscow’s moves to act as the Good Samaritan in brokering talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The Taliban, in turn, with a so-called ‘office’ in Qatar, wants to be treated as an ‘equal participant’ in any talks with the elected Afghan government. Going beyond the limits that China has observed in its ties with the Taliban, Moscow has significantly broadened its contacts with the Taliban, in collusion with Pakistan. According to the Americans and the Afghan government, Russia has supplied the Taliban medium weapons, including machine guns. Moscow has also evidently persuaded Iran, its ally in Syria, to back its moves in Afghanistan. Given the American hostility towards it, Tehran has duly obliged Moscow, even though it had earlier worked together with India and Russia to back the ‘Northern Alliance’ against the Taliban.

McMaster’s visit

It was amidst these developments that the US National Security Adviser HR McMaster recently visited Kabul, Islamabad and Delhi. The visit came in the wake of the Trump administration authorising the use of a MOAB (Massive Ordnance Airburst Bomb) against ISIS positions in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan. This bombing may have looked spectacular, but was not particularly meaningful. Speaking in Kabul, McMaster averred that the US was weighing diplomatic, military and economic responses to the Taliban and the ISIL in Afghanistan, adding: “Pakistan must pursue its interests in Afghanistan and elsewhere through the use of diplomacy and not through the use of proxies.”

Zalmay Khalilzad, who was the Bush administration’s ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, is now in touch with the Trump team on developments in Afghanistan. Khalilzad has indicated that the Trump administration will work with Afghanistan to make it self-reliant and prevent the country from becoming a terrorist haven again. As this will involve working closely with US allies, Trump’s policies on Afghanistan are to be finalised before the G7 Summit in Italy on May 15.

While it appears evident that there will be no precipitous US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Khalilzad’s remarks suggest that while the US and Nato military logistical and training missions and economic support to Afghanistan will continue, the Afghan army will have to be professionalised and trained for combat to meet national challenges. The brutal killing of over 140 soldiers in the Northern Balkh province by the Taliban should incentivise the Afghan army to raise its levels of professionalism and strike back vigorously.

Diplomatic offensive

Pakistan’s continuing links with global terrorism have been reconfirmed by information that Osama Bin Laden’s successor Ayman al Zawahiri is now known to be living under ISI protection in Karachi. With US forces still fighting the Al Qaeda in Yemen and elsewhere, India and Afghanistan would be well advised to mount a diplomatic offensive in the US and elsewhere to expose Pakistan’s continuing support for radicalism and global Islamic terrorism. Regionally, India will have to engage Iran, the Central Asian Republics and Russia about the need to render unqualified support to the elected Afghan government and back its efforts for internal reconciliation. {But, Iran & Russia have other ideas because of the very bad relationship with the US. It is self-interest which we cannot change.} In the meantime, we will have to await the result of the policy review on Afghanistan by the Trump administration, even as we continue to provide economic and military assistance to Afghanistan.

Given the growing strategic nexus between China and Pakistan, it would be futile to believe that the Afghanistan policies of either can be influenced by India. Pakistan can be persuaded to change its policies on Afghanistan only if we cooperate with others in raising the costs domestically and internationally for its army’s GHQ in Rawalpindi, in cooperation with others who are similarly inclined. New Delhi will, no doubt, be considering what can and needs to be done on this score.

The writer is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Singha »

Ibnlive

Kabul: A former warlord branded the "Butcher of Kabul" returned to the Afghan capital on Thursday morning, two decades after leaving the city where he is accused of carrying out war crimes.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former prime minister, has returned to mainstream political life after his dormant Hezb-i-Islami militant group signed a peace deal with the government in September.
His convoy to the capital on Thursday, comprising of several hundred vehicles, mainly pickup trucks equipped with machine guns, was greeted by hundreds of onlookers, including supporters bearing the green party flag and flowers.
Bhurishravas
BRFite
Posts: 680
Joined: 02 Sep 2016 18:25

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Bhurishravas »

Iran and Russia must be diplomatically engaged. China and Pakistan are opposites.
Dangerous Sunni fundamentalism of Taliban variety is as dangerous for Iran and Russia as US. The rise of ISIS, Petersburg bombings are examples. Trying to use it to oust US from the region is playing with fire. While Zamir Kabulov, a muslim, may not see the danger, other russians may. Iran must be apprised of the centuries of Sunni oppression of hazara shias in Afghanistan. Just because of a few opportunistic promises by the Taliban tutored by ISI, Teheran should not forget this.

Geopolitical games between powers is one thing, uncivilized barbarity is another. The latter needs to be crushed before the geopolitical games continue again.
Last edited by Bhurishravas on 04 May 2017 20:26, edited 1 time in total.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Singha »

Iran i am sure knows what its doing...fighting sunni terrorists in west and cozying up to them in east.
Things have to run their course i am afraid.
Everyone thinks they are very smart.
Bhurishravas
BRFite
Posts: 680
Joined: 02 Sep 2016 18:25

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Bhurishravas »

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-a ... SKBN1801W4
U.S. military to pitch revised Afghan war plan to Trump in next week
The U.S. military said on Thursday it will offer recommendations on the war in Afghanistan to President Donald Trump within the next week, amid expectations of a request for thousands of more troops to break a stalemate with Taliban insurgents.
It is for afghans to fight their own war. As long as it is training mission, it seems fine. IMHO, there is no need to get into combat for any foreign troops unless there is a threat to the Kabul govt.
Prem
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21233
Joined: 01 Jul 1999 11:31
Location: Weighing and Waiting 8T Yconomy

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Prem »

nam
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4712
Joined: 05 Jan 2017 20:48

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by nam »

Afghans have been hammering the daylights of the Paks. You have to give it to the Afghans. They dont think twice while taking on the mard-e-momim.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakis ... SKBN1810VI

Do we plan to support our allies and continue the kadhi nidha.
Kashi
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3671
Joined: 06 May 2011 13:53

Re: Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

Post by Kashi »

nam wrote:Afghans have been hammering the daylights of the Paks. You have to give it to the Afghans. They dont think twice while taking on the mard-e-momim.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakis ... SKBN1810VI

Do we plan to support our allies and continue the kadhi nidha.
Chaiwaalas at DFI claiming that this operation has our finger and footprints all over it.
Post Reply