On Saturday afternoon, three civilians were killed and 30 others wounded during fierce clashes in Omarzai, Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News
Three civilians and 24 Taliban militants were killed in two Afghan provinces as fighting rages in the war-torn country, the Ministry of Defence confirmed on Sunday.
In Laghman province, nine militants were killed and 17 wounded after Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) targeted their position in Alishing district on Saturday night, the Ministry said in a statement.
On Saturday afternoon, three civilians were killed and 30 others wounded during fierce clashes in Omarzai, a locality near Mehtarlam, capital of Laghman, reports Xinhua news agency.
In the neighboring Nangarhar province, 15 Taliban militants were killed and eight wounded after the Afghan Air Force targeted a Taliban hideout in suburban Hisarak district on Saturday, the Ministry added.
The security forces also found and defused four landmines in Nangarhar.
While the US and NATO troops have been leaving the country, violence in the country is on the rise.
For almost 20 years, Bagram has been the primary military base used by the US to wage its war in Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News
The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan reached a significant milestone on Friday, with officials confirming that all American forces had left the sprawling Bagram Air Base, CBS News reported.
For almost 20 years, Bagram has been the primary military base used by the US to wage its war in Afghanistan, the report said.
The American forces’ unceremonious departure from Bagram is the most significant evidence yet that America’s longest war has finally come to an end. The base was in the hands of Afghan security forces as of Friday — way ahead of the deadline President Joe Biden set to have all US forces out by September 11.
However, it doesn’t mean the withdrawal of America troops is complete, and officials stressed that the top US commander in Afghanistan, Army General Scott Miller, “still retains all the capabilities and authorities to protect the forces” still in the country.
Bagram Airfield(Pic credits Wikipedia)
The US military hasn’t said when the last American soldiers are due to pack up and head home from Afghanistan, but there’s a lot of unfinished business, the report said.
The Taliban welcomed the news of the Bagram handover, spokesman Suhail Shaheen told CBS News on Friday, adding: “We hope there are no more foreign soldiers on our land.”
Daily Mail reported for close to 20 years, Bagram Airfield was the heart of American military power in Afghanistan, a sprawling mini-city behind fences and blast walls just an hour’s drive north of Kabul.
It was initially a symbol of the US drive to avenge the 9/11 attacks and then of its struggle for a way through the ensuing war with the Taliban.
Now, in just a matter of days, the last US soldiers will have departed Bagram.
They are leaving what probably everyone connected to the base — whether American or Afghan — considers a strained legacy, the report said.
Bagram Airfield(Pic credits Wikipedia)
US Central Command said last week it is well past 50 per cent packing up Bagram and the rest is going fast. American officials have said the entire pullout of US troops will most likely be completely finished by July 4.
The Afghan military will then take over Bagram as part of its continuing fight against the Taliban — and against what many in the country fear will be a new eruption of chaos.
As the withdrawal date for the US troops approaches, thousands of Afghan translators now face being left stranded because they haven’t yet been accepted for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) into America, the report added.
Up to 18,000 translators and interpreters are under constant fear of deadly attacks from the Taliban and have been run out of their homes because of their support for the American government over the last 20 years.
It has cost the US military 2,312 lives and $816 billion, according to the Department of Defence.
Bagram Air Base served as the linchpin for US operations, where the long war against the Taliban was fought with air strikes and resupply missions from the airfield, reports Asian Lite News
All US and NATO troops have left the biggest air base in Afghanistan, a US defence official said, signalling the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from the country after two decades of war was imminent.
Bagram Air Base served as the linchpin for US operations in the rugged country, where the long war against the Taliban and their Al-Qaeda allies was fought with air strikes and resupply missions from the airfield.
“All coalition forces are off Bagram,” said the official — who asked not to be identified — without specifying when the last foreign troops left the base, 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Kabul.
He did not say when it will be officially handed over to Afghan forces.
“We still have not been informed of any official handover of the base to Afghan forces,” a senior Afghan official said on condition of anonymity.
The US military and NATO are in the final stages of winding up involvement in Afghanistan, bringing home an unspecified number of remaining troops by a deadline of September 11.
The Taliban have launched relentless offensives across Afghanistan in the past two months, gobbling up dozens of districts as Afghan security forces have largely consolidated their power in the country’s major urban areas.
The ability of Afghan forces to maintain control over the vital Bagram airfield will likely prove pivotal to maintaining security in the nearby capital Kabul and keeping pressure on the Taliban.
Over the years, the mini-city has been visited by hundreds of thousands of US and NATO service members and contractors.
It boasted swimming pools, cinemas and spas — and even a boardwalk featuring fast-food outlets such as Burger King and Pizza Hut.
US Troops in Afghanistan
Bagram was built by the US for its Afghan ally during the Cold War in the 1950s as a bulwark against the Soviet Union in the north.
Ironically, it became the staging point for the Soviet invasion of the country in 1979, and the Red Army expanded it significantly during their near decade-long occupation.
When Moscow pulled out, it became central to the raging civil war — it was reported that at one point the Taliban controlled one end of the three-kilometre (two-mile) runway and the opposition Northern Alliance the other.
Taliban
In recent months, Bagram has come under rocket barrages claimed by the jihadist Islamic State, stirring fears that militants are already eyeing the base for future attacks.
The NATO-led non-combat mission aimed to train Afghan forces into ensuring their country’s security after the departure of foreign forces.
As of February 2021, there were about 9,500 foreign troops in Afghanistan, of which the US made up the largest contingent of 2,500.
So far Germany and Italy have both confirmed the full withdrawal of their troops.
Blinken and the Tajik Foreign Minister agreed that a just and durable settlement in Afghanistan would advance regional economic growth and integration…reports Asian Lite News
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday discussed peace and cooperation in Afghanistan with his Uzbek and Tajik counterparts during separate bilateral meetings in Washington.
“The Secretary thanked the Foreign Minister (Abdulaziz Kamilov) for Uzbekistan’s continued support for a just and durable peace settlement in Afghanistan. He also welcomed Uzbekistan’s focus on regional connectivity, including closer political and economic cooperation with Afghanistan in ways that would support prosperity and growth across Central and South Asia,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
In a separate meeting with Tajik Foreign Minister Muhriddin, Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the strength and importance of the US-Tajikistan bilateral ties and expressed his appreciation for Muhriddin’s continued leadership on regional security issues.
Blinken and the Tajik Foreign Minister agreed that a just and durable settlement in Afghanistan would advance regional economic growth and integration, the State Department said.
“The Secretary expressed a desire for further bilateral collaboration on promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as economic development, and affirmed the U.S. commitment to Tajikistan’s security, stability, and territorial integrity,” the statement added.
Tajik Foreign Minister likewise agreed that a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan would advance integration and economic growth in the region, Sputnik reported.
According to the state department, Blinken expressed a desire to further human rights, freedom, and economic development in Central Asia, including through the C5+1 diplomatic platform.
Taliban attack at the peak in Afghanistan
Back in April, Blinken hosted a virtual C5+1 Ministerial for the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan today. The C5+1 aims to enhance cooperation and coordination with, and among, Central Asian countries plus the US.
Meanwhile, the last contingent of US troops are expected to leave the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on Friday, said a senior defense official, marking the end of the American presence at the compound that became the centre of military power in the country.
As the United States prepares to withdraw its troops from the conflict-torn country under President Joe Biden’s order to end America’s ‘forever war’, the full withdrawal of US troops from the country is expected very soon, reported CNN.
Nearly two decades after the first American troops arrived at Bagram and helped take control of the field after the 9/11 attacks, the transfer of the field to the Afghan military proceeded without fanfare.
The airfield had become a small city in its own right, complete with shops, gyms, and classrooms for the thousands of service members and contractors who worked at the base and its facilities. It was the jumping-off point for military operations throughout the country, with space for cargo aircraft, fighter jets, and attack helicopters, CNN reported.
Bagram was the entry point for tens of thousands of troops who came into the country as part of their war on terror. (ANI)
This development comes amid a surge in violence in recent weeks in the middle of the US drawdown from the war-torn country….reports Asian Lite News
Afghanistan has witnessed a 45 per cent surge in poppy cultivation and drug smuggling this year when compared to the same period last year, the Afghan deputy minister of counter-narcotics said on Thursday.
Afghanistan, which infamously produces 80 per cent of the world’s opium, is currently cultivating poppy on more than 200,000 hectares of land in different regions of the country, TOLO news reported.
This development comes amid a surge in violence in recent weeks in the middle of the US drawdown from the war-torn country.
An Afghan interior ministry official said that they have burned 67 metric tons of drugs in Kabul on Thursday. “We burned some heroin, morphine, poppy, hashish and alcohol that is used in the production of heroin,” said Wahidullah Kalimzai, deputy minister of counter-narcotics.
“The structure of the commando forces must be expanded so that we are able to prevent smuggling by air and ground monitoring,” said Hashem Alokozai, a senator.
According to the Afghan news agency, in the last two decades, US has allocated USD 8 billion to counter the drug problem in Afghanistan.
The Afghan Health Ministry said that currently there are around 3.5 million addicts in Afghanistan. “The difference in the numbers between 2009 and 2016–900,000 in 2009 and 3.5 million now–indicates a rising trend,” said Zahir Sultani, the head of Ibn-e-Sina hospital, as quoted by TOLO.
Afghan security force members take part in a military operation in Chahar Dara district of Kunduz province, Afghanistan, Jan. 16, 2018. The Kunduz province, as well as neighboring Baghlan and Takhar provinces, have been the hotbeds of heavy clashes over the past couple of months as Taliban has been trying to attack the government forces in the once relatively peaceful region. (Xinhua/Ajmal Kakar/IANS)
Afghanistan has been among the world’s top illicit drug-producing countries. There are scores of drug addicts currently on the streets.
Multiple reports indicate that poppy cultivation and drug trafficking provide a big income source for the Taliban, mainly in the southern and northern parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the Afghan health ministry said that in order to overcome the problem, there is a need to curb drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, a total of 33 terrorists were confirmed dead as fighter planes struck Taliban gatherings in Kaldar and Shortepa districts of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province on Wednesday, army spokesman in the northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, the fighter planes targeted Taliban militants’ gatherings in parts of the restive Kaldar and neighbouring Shortepa districts on Wednesday afternoon, killing 33 insurgents and injuring 19 others, Rezai asserted.
During the air raids huge quantity of arms and ammunition of the insurgents was also destroyed.
Taliban terrorists, who have intensified activities and gained ground since the start of withdrawal of the United States-led forces from Afghanistan on May 1, have yet to make comments. (ANI/Xinhua)
a piece of broken glass of a vehicle at the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua)
During the air raids huge quantity of arms and ammunition of the insurgents was also destroyed….reports Asian Lite News
As fighter planes struck Taliban gatherings in Kaldar and Shortepa districts of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province on Wednesday, a total of 33 terrorists were confirmed dead, army spokesman in the northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, the fighter planes targeted Taliban militants’ gatherings in parts of the restive Kaldar and neighbouring Shortepa districts on Wednesday afternoon, killing 33 insurgents and injuring 19 others, Rezai asserted.
During the air raids huge quantity of arms and ammunition of the insurgents was also destroyed.
Taliban terrorists, who have intensified activities and gained ground since the start of withdrawal of the United States-led forces from Afghanistan on May 1, have yet to make comments. (ANI/Xinhua)
The report further warns that Islamabad’s failure in persuading the Taliban to opt for a peacefully-negotiated political settlement, would strain its ties with Washington….reports Hamza Ameer
The quick withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and increasing terror attacks and claiming of various areas by the Taliban would undermine Islamabad’s efforts to facilitate Taliban’s return to Kabul through power-sharing arrangements, says a report compiled by the International Crisis Group.
The report titled “Pakistan: Shoring Up Afghanistan’s Peace Process”, compiled by the Washington/Brusselsbased think tank, warns that the quick withdrawal of foreign troops would have a direct impact on Pakistan-US and Pakistan-Kabul ties.
“Should the Afghan peace process continue to sputter or altogether fail, Islamabad’s relations with Kabul and Washington would sour,” it warns.
“Further instability or Taliban gains in Afghanistan could embolden Pakistani militants aligned with their Afghan counterparts, deepening insecurity in Pakistan,” the report added.
It is pertinent to mention that the US had expected Pakistan to persuade the Taliban to announce a ceasefire and show some flexibility on their reinstating their version of Islamic governance.
The report further warns that Islamabad’s failure in persuading the Taliban to opt for a peacefully-negotiated political settlement, would strain its ties with Washington and the Kabul administration.
“Pakistan should double its efforts to convince the Taliban to scale back both their attacks and their aspirations to reinstate their version of Islamic governance,” read the report.
The report raises serious concerns over the probable worsening situation in Afghanistan after the foreign troops’ withdrawal, and that it could only reassure and bolster factions of the Pakistani Taliban and could also trigger massive influx of Afghan refugees.
It claims that Pakistan has facilitated and played an important role in the Afghan peace process, because it wants to ensure existence of a power-sharing arrangement with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
However, the Biden administration’s announcement to withdraw all US troops by September 11 has put difficult timelines and deadlines for the peace process to materialise and tackle a probable intensified conflict.
Pakistan’s position remains pivotal to the Afghan peace process. Even though its ties with the Taliban are not as strong as they used to be, but since the Taliban shura still operates out of Pakistani havens, Islamabad could still use its efforts and pressure to persuade the Taliban to break the deadlock in the peace talks and reduce violence in Afghanistan.
Former Interior minister of Pakistan Rehman Malik has written an op-ed in a Pakistani daily The Nation on how Pakistani army and the various governments have helped the Taliban, a report by Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha
Amid worsening security situation in war-torn Afghanistan, India has issued a detailed and specific security alert for its nationals in Afghanistan.
The security advisory was released by the Indian mission in Kabul because of the fluid situation in Afghanistan amid the drawdown of US forces that has already commenced since May 1.
Besides, the Taliban has stepped up its military offensive, including targeted assassinations to change facts on the ground before taking negotiations seriously.
In a tweet, the Indian Embassy of Afghanistan @IndianEmbKabul has cautioned the Indian nationals in the country that different terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan have escalated violent activities and carried out a series of complex attacks in Kabul and other parts of the country, mainly targeting Afghan Defence and Security Forces, government institutions but also the international community and innocent civilians.
Rehman Malik
An estimated 3,000 Indian nationals in Afghanistan work for reconstruction companies, international aid agencies or are Indian government employees working at the consulates and embassies. Indian firms operating in Afghanistan were advised to put in place security measures for Indian employees deployed at project sites. They were also asked to contact the security wing of the Indian embassy for guidance and assistance. India is the largest regional donor in Afghanistan, with pledges of around $3 billion.
The advisory warns them that the security situation in Afghanistan is “highly volatile, unpredictable and dangerous”, though the Taliban had issued a statement that all civilian and non-military foreign nationals, diplomats, embassies, consulates and workers of humanitarian organisations would not “face any problems or security risks (and) will not be targeted by the group”. Meanwhile, sources in the Ministry External Affairs have denied social media reports claiming External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met certain Taliban leaders.
“Such reports are completely false, baseless and mischievous,” sources said.
But Pakistani leaders have been rattled with the “possibility” of India’s engagement with the Taliban. The former Interior minister of Pakistan Rehman Malik says, “Taliban growth was phenomenal and now they are no more like the old united Taliban. They have forgotten how Pakistan brought them up and trained them. Unfortunately, today’s Taliban leadership is closer to India instead.”
In fact, Malik has written an op-ed in a Pakistani daily The Nation on how Pakistani army and the various governments have helped the Taliban.
Writing about his first meeting with the Taliban Chief Mullah Omar, the former minister says that in 1996, he was called to the then interior minister Gen Naseer Ullah Babar. “Upon my arrival, we moved into the conference hall where I was introduced to Mullah who was present there wearing his Turban with one defective eye. I found that Mullah Omar and to other Taliban accomplices seemed confident enough to take over control of Qandahar. Gen. Babar was pretty close to the Mujahideen including Gulbuddin Hekmatyar who actually was brought up by Gen Babar when he was the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
He further writes: “I worked with Gen Babar closely and witnessed the emergence of the Taliban against Northern Taliban, hence, he decided to consolidate a group against the Northern Alliance led by Ahmed Shah Masood who was operating under the control of India and Iran.”
The Pakistani senator (MP) says even after 9/11, Pakistan and the Taliban had a strong bond. He revealed that before the US attack on Afghanistan Mullah Omar had agreed to “hand over” Osama Bin Laden.
“My friend spoke to Mullah Omar and he agreed to hand over Osama Bin Laden to a third country for trial. When Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto conveyed this to the Americans through a friendly country, this proposal was declined with the observation that it was too late. It was around the same time when Gen. Musharraf was forced to agree to all the demands of the Americans,” says Malik. He also added that he would have arrested young Ayman Al Zawahiri, eventually second in command to Osama, long ago when he was working as a relief worker with the Red Crescent Cairo trust but somehow, he managed to escape.
Rahman Malik’s dramatic revelations came at the time when the Pakistani government is painfully trying to disassociate with the Taliban. Malik blames the Taliban for this. “Now when Pakistan should have been honoured, the Taliban have joined hands with its enemies.”
(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
Fierce clashes erupted since the May 1 announcement of the withdrawal of the US-led forces from Afghanistan….reports Asian Lite News
Afghan forces have retaken three districts from the Taliban amid continued fighting between the two sides, but lost two others to the militant group, the Defence Ministry said.
Kaldar district in Balkh province and the Pashtun Kut and Khan Chahar Bagh districts in Faryab province were recaptured by the forces, but Kandahar’s Khakriz district and Logar’s Baraki Barak district fell to the Taliban in the last 24 hours, TOLO News quoted the Ministry as saying late Tuesday.
Fierce clashes erupted since the May 1 announcement of the withdrawal of the US-led forces from Afghanistan.
The militants have so far captured more than 70 districts since then.
Afghan security force members take part in a military operation in Chahar Dara district of Kunduz province, Afghanistan, Jan. 16, 2018. The Kunduz province, as well as neighboring Baghlan and Takhar provinces, have been the hotbeds of heavy clashes over the past couple of months as Taliban has been trying to attack the government forces in the once relatively peaceful region. (Xinhua/Ajmal Kakar/IANS)
Fighting has continued in the provinces of Ghazni, Kunduz, Baghlan, Takhar, Faryab, and Maidan Wardak.
Also on Tuesday, Ajmal Omar Shinwari, a spokesman for the Afghan forces, claimed that over 6,000 Taliban fighters, including Pakistani nationals, have been killed so far in the clashes, TOLO News reported.
He added that another 3,400 Taliban fighters were also wounded during this period.
The incident took place before dawn in Jangal Bagh locality in eastern Parwan province…reports Asian Lite News
One dozen Afghan provinces, including Kabul, remained without electricity as another power pylon was destroyed by an explosion on Wednesday, national power company Breshna Sherkat confirmed.
The incident took place before dawn in Jangal Bagh locality in eastern Parwan province, north of Kabul, an official from Breshna Sherkat told local media, adding that a technical team has been sent to the area to assess the destruction.
Afghan technical teams were working to repair and restore the power supply as three electricity towers were destroyed a couple of days ago in the region, reports Xinhua news agency.
Afghanistan has been facing power shortages in recent days.
The government has imported power from neighbouring Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, but the imported energy is still too little to meet domestic needs.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
At least 27 power pylons have been destroyed or damaged by explosions along the power grid in recent months.
Last week, at least 100 shops and 20 houses were set ablaze by Taliban militants in Andkhoy district of Afghanistan’s northern Faryab province.
Fighting between government forces and the Taliban erupted in the restive district on June 23 and the militants seized it the next day.
However, the militants evacuated the district on June 25 after heavy fighting where 25 insurgents were killed, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Karim Yurash said.
“The Taliban militants fled leaving 25 bodies behind. But before escaping they torched up to 100 shops including those selling carpets, grocery and vegetables. The militants also set ablaze 20 houses in the district,” Yurash told Xinhua.
Confirming the incident, another provincial official Nasir Ahmad Azimi asserted that the ongoing war and the recent clashes have hugely damaged the local economy as many shops and houses had been destroyed.
Another member of the provincial council, Abdul Ahad Elbik told Xinhua that the fighting had inflicted heavy property losses on the people and fighting is still continue in parts of the restive district.
Andkhoy is a port district of Faryab province, which connects the war-torn Afghanistan to Turkmenistan.
Taliban militants have captured more than 70 districts since the start of the withdrawal of the US-led forces from Afghanistan on May 1.
