Afghanistan News & Discussion - April 2016

navneeet · Post by **navneeet** » 07 May 2017 23:52

Pakistan Army claims to kill 50 Afghan soldiers

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani army said today it has killed over 50 Afghan soldiers near the border between the two countries, as tensions between the two forces escalated after clashes earlier this week killed 10 Pakistani civilians.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/art ... aign=cppst

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 10 May 2017 11:01

CNN reporting that Golden Monkey is considering a surge of the US forces in Afghanistan. He expecting the Nato nations to consider committing their forces also.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 12 May 2017 08:11

Taliban likely to gain ground in Afghanistan this year: US intelligence official

WASHINGTON: The Taliban is likely to gain ground in Afghanistan this year and the security situation will deteriorate in the country in 2018, a top US intelligence official has told US lawmakers.

The Afghan National Security Forces would need sustained international support to prevent it from collapse, director of National Intelligence Dave Coats told members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence ruing over Kabul's political dysfunction and ineffectiveness.

"Although the Taliban was unsuccessful in seizing a provincial capital in 2016, it effectively navigated its second leadership transition in two years following the death of its former chief, Mullah Mansoor, and is likely to make gains in 2017," Coats said in his testimony on worldwide threats.

"The overall situation in Afghanistan will very likely continue to deteriorate, even if international support is sustained," he said.

According to Coats, the intelligence community assesses that the political and security situation in Afghanistan will almost certainly deteriorate through 2018 even with a modest increase in military assistance by the US and its partners.

"This deterioration is undermined by its dire economic situation. Afghanistan will struggle to curb its dependence on external support until it contains the insurgency or reaches a peace agreement with the Taliban," Coats said.

"Endemic state weaknesses, the government's political fragility, deficiencies of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), Taliban persistence, and regional interference will remain key impediments to improvement," he said.

"Kabul's political dysfunction and ineffectiveness will almost certainly be the greatest vulnerability to stability in 2017," Coats said.

ANSF performance will probably worsen due to a combination of Taliban operations, ANSF combat casualties, desertions, poor logistics support, and weak leadership, he added.

The ANSF will almost certainly remain heavily dependent on foreign military and financial support to sustain themselves and preclude their collapse, he said.

Coats said the fighting will also continue to threaten US personnel, allies, and partners, particularly in Kabul and urban population centres.

Islamic State militant group's Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) which constitutes ISIS's most significant presence in South Asia--will probably remain a low-level developing threat to Afghan stability as well as to US and western interests in the region in 2017, Coats said.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 12 May 2017 16:08

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies ... opper-mine

China's plan to mine for copper beneath an ancient city gets thrown off by corruption charges

A controversial Chinese copper mine in Afghanistan has run into complications after the executive leading the $3 billion project was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party for corruption.
Shen Heting, the former general manager of the state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC), in 2007 signed a 30-year lease to build a open-pit copper mine in a place called Mes Aynak.

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 12 May 2017 17:48

We need to relook at our standoff behaviour about Afghanistan. For all the purposes Taliban is going come back very strong and may take over this or next year. To stop this me may have to commit at least IAF immediately. NATO is going to abandon the Afghan Gov and Russia (+ China??) may be supporting Taliban now.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 13 May 2017 06:10

Yagnasri wrote:We need to relook at our standoff behaviour about Afghanistan. For all the purposes Taliban is going come back very strong and may take over this or next year. To stop this me may have to commit at least IAF immediately. NATO is going to abandon the Afghan Gov and Russia (+ China??) may be supporting Taliban now.

That is too simplistic a view. ISAF will stay for some time. At least, till Trump is there. That India needs to do something is long overdue. I dont see the fools in the new delhi having any brains or guts to do anything.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 18 May 2017 18:20

http://www.khaama.com/taliban-leaders-h ... peace-9957

Taliban hold secret talks in Pakistan to discuss Afghan peace.

A number of senior Taliban leaders have reportedly met in Islamabad the capital city of Pakistan to hold secret talks on Afghan peace process.
The secret meeting comes as recent reports suggested that the Afghan government is expected to initiate talks with the group within the next few days.
Sources privy of the development have said that the senior Taliban leaders left a blunt message from Pakistan insisting on an immediate end to a rift between the two top Taliban leaders or talks might ever get off the ground.
The Reuters news agency reported that the two senior Taliban figures in question are political leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, who favours negotiation, and battlefield commander Abdul Qayum Zakir, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, who opposes talks with Kabul.
Quoting unnamed Taliban sources, the newspaper reported that the two top Taliban leaders recently met to resolve their personal differences however Mansour was unable to persuade Zakir to reverse his opposition to direct talks with Kabul.

The sources also added that during his visit, Qari Din Mohammad also met Chinese diplomats for a “follow up discussions” as Beijing is playing a key in encouraging the Taliban to join the intra-Afghan dialogue.

sum · Post by **sum** » 22 May 2017 13:14

X-post:

sum wrote:Was this posted?
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar visits Indian Embassy to meet the Amby

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 May 2017 21:01

I see no reason for Taliban to hold secret talks with Pakistan unless its to avoid being droned by US planes.

Hekmatyar defecting to Ghani is very significant.

And visiting Indian Embassy in Kabul is even more significant.

What will Taliban do?

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 23 May 2017 23:15

Hekmatyar is a spent force.
Islam is the new warlord and Pakistan/Taliban command it. His Gilzai tribe have long since been indoctrinated. His commanders switched allegiance to the Taliban during its rise.
The Gilzais are perhaps the most islamised of all tribes in Pashtoon lands now. Every alternate day Hekmatyar calls the Taliban brothers. His only use is to guage the political mood of the Taliban now.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 24 May 2017 12:25

There was a time when Iran had massed 70,000 troops at afghan border after Taliban killed 10 Iranian diplomats in Mazar-e-Sharief.
Today, Iran is willing to work with Taliban. In fact there have been Talibunny delegations visiting Iran.
Iran also claims that there is a "change" in taliban.
Now despite Taliban`s insistence on withdrawal of foreign troops, is it possible that Taliban will/can also make up with the Indians?! Does India have intelligence links with the Taliban? Surely, such a request has to come from the Taliban side like in case of Iran.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 24 May 2017 14:40

Pakistan harbouring terrorists in Afghanistan: US intel officials

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/art ... 817455.cms

abhik · Post by **abhik** » 24 May 2017 18:46

The emergence of Islamic State in Afghanistan is probably what changed Iranian (and Russian) view on the Taliban, getting sandwiched by IS from both sides is not the best outcome. Dealing with the Pakis puppet is the lesser of two evils. But we have nothing to gain from the Taliban coming to power and nothing to lose from the IS taking over Afganistan.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 24 May 2017 22:02

http://www.khaama.com/afghan-and-indian ... sues-02822

Afghan and Indian officials meet in Moscow, hold talks on key issues.

The Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar met his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on the sidelines of a summit in Moscow to hold talks on key issues.
The Office of the National Security Council in a statement said the two sides held on further expansion of bilateral political and security relations between the two countries.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 26 May 2017 17:55

US is in double mind regarding troop increase in Afghanistan. India should build a contingency plan for the time when US will cut and run. But considering the dhimmism in Indian strategic thinking, that is too much to ask.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/23/worl ... .html?_r=0

Trump Administration Is Split on Adding Troops in Afghanistan.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 26 May 2017 18:01

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2017/05/26 ... ghanistan/

Can India be a game changer in Afghanistan?

The diplomatic context in which India is operating today is also complex. Because of the uncertainty regarding the future US posture, all of Afghanistan’s neighbours are hedging their bets. Pakistan is seen as the regional problem as the country’s military is accused of aiding the Taliban but the growing presence of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan seems to be a game changer as it gives Pakistan the opportunity to rally its neighbours around its own line.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 29 May 2017 02:38

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/27/worl ... .html?_r=0

Taliban Car Bomb Targeting Elite Afghan Force Kills at Least 12.

A large Taliban explosion targeting an elite Afghan militia force that has worked closely with the C.I.A. killed at least a dozen people on Saturday in the eastern part of the country, officials said.

“They are directed and run by the Americans, paid and trained by the Americans,” General Ghairat said.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 30 May 2017 22:39

https://www.dawn.com/news/1336341/afgha ... war-police

Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's close aide found dead in Peshawar: police

Poor man probably had been living in Peshawar for decades. Now Hekmatyar visits the Indian embassy and ISI choose to send a message.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 30 May 2017 23:31

Hekmatyar’s close aide assassinated in Pakistan

A close aide of former Afghan rebel leader and Hizb-e-Islami chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has been assassinated on Tuesday in Pakistan’s northwestern Peshawar city, police said.Haji Farid, reported as Naqeeb Mohammad by the police, was gunned down by two assailants riding a motorbike when he was on his way after offering Fajr (morning) prayers in Pasthkhira area, the city’s police chief told Anadolu Agency. " riding a motorbike" - method used by ISI

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but security officials see the incident as part of internal rifts among different Afghan groups. A senior Afghan Taliban leader and a former governor of Kabul Maulvi Daud was also assassinated in Peshawar in April.

Hekmetyar returned to Kabul last month after a gap of 20 years following a landmark peace accord between the Afghan government and his Hezb-e-Islami party in September. The Hezb-e-Islami is ideologically inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and the Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan, and was formed by Hekmatyar in the mid-1970s.Hekmatyar left Kabul in 1997 when the Taliban captured the capital.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 31 May 2017 10:26

Massive blast near Indian Embassy in Kabul. According to Sushamaji's tweet:

Sushma Swaraj‏Verified account @SushmaSwaraj 14m1
By God's grace, Indian Embassy staff are safe in the massive #Kabul blast.

Massive VBIED (Vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) not too far from our Embassy:Indian ambassador in Kabul Manpreet Vohra

sum · Post by **sum** » 31 May 2017 12:15

^^ Pakis upping the ante after jhappads at LoC where they have no answer for superior IA firepower.

Should be interesting to see our response with this proactive leadership of NaMo-Doval at the helm

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 31 May 2017 13:43

German and French embassies also nearby. May be casualties on the German side, French confirm all safe.
80 confirmed killed

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 31 May 2017 14:01

^^^ Turkish, Iran, UAE, Indonesia also are close by..Also Chinese.. (Some have injuries or at-least people evacuated per their tweets)
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.5311281,69.1614883,14z
(The Indian Embassy's tweet said blast was about 50 meters away from it)
(Did a google and found that Paki Embassy is about 5Km far away...)

arun · Post by **arun** » 31 May 2017 14:45

JE Menon wrote:German and French embassies also nearby. May be casualties on the German side, French confirm all safe.
80 confirmed killed

X Posting from the Islamism thread, weblink to the above news item and what not.

Ramzan aka Ramadan blood letting continues unabated and the body count piles up. The latest Green on Green Intra-Mohammadden Ramzan attack coming by way of a suicide bomber manned VBIED in Kabul

Afghanistan explosion: 80 killed in blast near diplomatic area

This is not the first case of the Mohammaddens commiting violence during the significant to Mohammaddens month of Ramzan this year notwithstanding claims of politically prominent Mohammadden leaders like Pervez Musharrah, Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Recep Tayyep Erdogan, Mahatir Mohammed etc. that theirs is the belief of Peace. Web link to news item regards earlier acts of violence committed by Mohammaddens during this years Ramzan follows:

18 killed in suicide blast in Afghanistan on 1st day of Ramadan

Islamist militants kill 19 in south Philippines

ISIS Claims Responsibility for a Baghdad Bomb Blast that Killed 10

Second Deadly Blast Strikes Baghdad in 24 Hours

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 31 May 2017 15:14

Hekmatyar met people in Indian embassy.
Hekmatyar`s close aide killed in Peshawar and now attempt to bomb Indian embassy. Pakis seem to be very nervous.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 31 May 2017 18:33

The location selection is a clear indicator of who did it.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 31 May 2017 18:59

Amber G. wrote:^^^ Turkish, Iran, UAE, Indonesia also are close by..Also Chinese.. (Some have injuries or at-least people evacuated per their tweets)
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.5311281,69.1614883,14z
(The Indian Embassy's tweet said blast was about 50 meters away from it)
(Did a google and found that Paki Embassy is about 5Km far away...)

This is how research should be conducted. Always look for the Paki to include or exclude.
A bomb set off near Western and Indian embassy.
Its a massive truck bomb as they cant get near it.
And ends up killing 80 and injuring 300.

So what does Taliban, Paki proxy do?

Immediately issue denial as main objective failed.

rsangram · Post by **rsangram** » 31 May 2017 19:39

Self Deleted

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 31 May 2017 19:43

^^It's all over the place in the broadcast media... Not sure what you are watching. Republic, NDTV have it.. Times Now as well I'm sure.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 31 May 2017 19:44

rsangram, What contribution did that post make?
You should post that in media thread.

rsangram · Post by **rsangram** » 31 May 2017 19:57

ramana wrote:rsangram, What contribution did that post make?
You should post that in media thread.

Sure.

I have deleted that post.

And since I was mistaken and it is being extensively covered on electronic media, I will not post it in the media thread either.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 31 May 2017 20:22

Guys!

We need a mission to take out Paki embassy in Afghanistan and Iran. Take out means... totally...

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 31 May 2017 21:53

Map from Newspaper : https://goo.gl/8d6Rvy
From google : https://goo.gl/bYj5lZ (You can see Indian Embassy etc.. can zoom in or search etc for other places)
Q for experts: IN the google map -- There is a Paki embassy about 5Km to west (labeled) but there is Embassy of "Islamic ... Pak" too close by (about 300 m to east).. What gives?

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 31 May 2017 22:06

Afghan intelligence ( NDS) is blaming the Haqqani Network and the ISI for the Kabul blast !

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 31 May 2017 22:35

^^^^ https://twitter.com/TOLOnews/status/869953848814821377
Hope it becomes news in other MSM media too.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 31 May 2017 22:38

BBC has started reporting NDS' claim

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 31 May 2017 22:43

]^^ So is TOI, and **Many** others..https://twitter.com/timesofindia/status ... 1523875840

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 31 May 2017 23:23

vijayk wrote:Guys!

We need a mission to take out Paki embassy in Afghanistan and Iran. Take out means... totally...

Wrong. Taking out Pak embassy achieves nothing. Right now the narrative is Civilized vs Barbarian hordes. No need to change this.
We need to take out Pakistan. Not their outposts. They dont give two hoots about their men dying in some embassy.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 31 May 2017 23:47

There are reports that Pakistan Embassy provide pass that allowed truck (sewage water tank) driver to enter Afghan capital's Diplomatic Enclave...( Strong hints by an Afghan minister but he did not name Pakistan - the driver had permit from an embassy)

(Meanwhile (some) Paki's are claiming that their own embassy is damaged and people injured)
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1049351.shtml

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 01 Jun 2017 00:07

Amber G. wrote:There are reports that Pakistan Embassy provide pass that allowed truck (sewage water tank) driver to enter Afghan capital's Diplomatic Enclave...( Strong hints by an Afghan minister but he did not name Pakistan - the driver had permit from an embassy)

(Meanwhile (some) Paki's are claiming that their own embassy is damaged and people injured)
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1049351.shtml

This one could be the nearby Pak Embassy and not the 5km far structure.