Category: Afghanistan

Categories
Afghanistan Asia News

18 terrorists killed as security forces storm Taliban hideouts

A total of 14 anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines have also been discovered and defused during the crackdowns…reports Asian Lite News

A total of 18 terrorists have been killed and nine others sustained injuries as security forces stormed Taliban hideouts in parts of the restive Helmand province Tuesday, said a statement of the provincial police.

The security forces involving police and army stormed Taliban hideouts in Nahr-e-Saraj and Nad Ali districts in the wee hours of Tuesday, killing 18 armed militants and injuring nine others.

A total of 14 anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines have also been discovered and defused during the crackdowns, according to the statement.

There were no casualties on security personnel, the statement further said, adding the operation would last until the said districts are cleared from the insurgents.

Meanwhile, a key Taliban divisional commander has been arrested in Afghanistan’s northern province of Takhar, amidst the ongoing violence in country, a local spokesman confirmed on Monday.

“Rohullah Rohani and one of his protectors have been arrested following an operative task conducted by personnel National Directorate of Security (NDS), or national intelligence agency in Yangi Qala district in Takhar,” the spokesman told Xinhua news agency.

The province has been the scene of recent heavy clashes.

The Taliban militant group has not responded to the report so far.

The report came as Taliban militants have attacked security forces and captured several suburban districts across Afghanistan in recent weeks.

In neighbouring Kunduz province, Afghan national security forces launched a counter-attack early Monday and evict militants from Khan Abad district which was captured by Taliban militants over the weekend, local officials confirmed.

Since the official withdrawal of the US and other NATO troops in Afghanistan on May 1, the Taliban have intensified attacks on provincial capitals, districts, bases and checkpoints.

Tens of thousands of Afghans have been displaced in the past few weeks.

The withdrawal of international troops is due to be completed by September 11 at the latest. (ANI/Xinhua)

ALSO READ: Afghan forces capture key Taliban commander

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Bloodshed in Afghanistan as 3 districts fall to Taliban

Taliban

In the eastern province of Nangarhar, unidentified gunmen killed five aid workers providing polio vaccines and wounded four more…reports Asian Lite News

At least 20 civilians have been killed in various regions of Afghanistan during clashes between the security forces and the Taliban in the past 24 hours. Three district centres have fallen to the Taliban during this period.

In the eastern province of Nangarhar, unidentified gunmen killed five aid workers providing polio vaccines and wounded four more, reported TOLO News.

“After this incident, the provincial leadership and our international partners decided to halt the vaccination campaign in Nangarhar province,” said Najib Kamawal, the head of the polio vaccination campaign in the east, adding that this was the second attack on workers administering the polio vaccine in Nangarhar.

Meanwhile, lawmakers from Sar-e-Pul province in the Parliament said that four districts in the province have fallen to the Taliban during the past week. They said that the government has control of only one centre in the province.

Taliban

According to TOLO News, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has led meetings over the past three days to address the fragile security situation, but during this period ten districts fell to the Taliban.

“The war has reached the main gates of the city, Balkh district is also under threat, we are very concerned,” said Musa, a resident in Sar-e-Pul.

“What should the people expect from this approach? The people think there might be a deal behind the scenes, they think that the government in a sense wants to arm the Taliban and give territory to the Taliban,” said MP Sayed Hayatullah Alimi.

Meanwhile, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said that the security forces will change the current security situation, reported TOLO News.

Earlier, it was reported that the Pentagon is mulling to authorise airstrikes in Afghanistan if the country falls into crisis due to the rise in violence by the Taliban in the country following US troops pull-out. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Afghan forces capture key Taliban commander

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Afghan forces capture key Taliban commander

Taliban

The province has been the scene of recent heavy clashes…reports Asian Lite News

A key Taliban divisional commander has been arrested in Afghanistan’s northern province of Takhar, amidst the ongoing violence in country, a local spokesman confirmed on Monday.

“Rohullah Rohani and one of his protectors have been arrested following an operative task conducted by personnel National Directorate of Security (NDS), or national intelligence agency in Yangi Qala district in Takhar,” the spokesman told Xinhua news agency.

The province has been the scene of recent heavy clashes.

The Taliban militant group has not responded to the report so far.

The report came as Taliban militants have attacked security forces and captured several suburban districts across Afghanistan in recent weeks.

In neighbouring Kunduz province, Afghan national security forces launched a counter-attack early Monday and evict militants from Khan Abad district which was captured by Taliban militants over the weekend, local officials confirmed.

Since the official withdrawal of the US and other NATO troops in Afghanistan on May 1, the Taliban have intensified attacks on provincial capitals, districts, bases and checkpoints.

Tens of thousands of Afghans have been displaced in the past few weeks.

The withdrawal of international troops is due to be completed by September 11 at the latest.

Taliban

4 soldiers killed

Four soldiers of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) were killed in an improvised explosive device explosion in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, an army statement said.

The blast took place in the provincial capital of Quetta on Monday, the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in the statement.

A large-scale area sanitisation operation by FC Balochistan to hunt the terrorists is underway, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

The ISPR said in the statement that “such cowardly acts by inimical elements cannot sabotage the hard-earned peace and prosperity in Balochistan”.

“Security forces are determined to neutralize their nefarious designs even at the cost of blood and lives,” it added.

Located along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Balochistan have faced serious security challenges from terrorists based within the province and across the border in the past.

A spike in terrorist activities in the province has been witnessed over the last few months with frequent attacks targeting security forces and civilians.

ALSO READ: The way forward for Afghanistan

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan USA

Will keep pressure on IS, Al Qaeda in Afghanistan: US General

The top US official’s remarks come as the Taliban have intensified attacks since the official withdrawal of US troops….reports Asian Lite News

Kenneth McKenzie, Commander of the US Central Command, has said that Washington will seek to “keep pressure” on the Islamic State (IS) and Al Qaeda terror groups in Afghanistan, a media report said on Monday.

“We will still do everything we can to keep pressure on the IS and Al Qaeda, from our over-the-horizon locations,” TOLO News quoted quoted McKenzie as saying in an interview with Military Times.

“That is a task I’ve been given. Those are plans I’m in discussion with now with the Secretary of Defense. How we will do that, I’ve said before, that will be a very difficult thing to do,” he added.

Regarding a recent UN report warning that the Taliban appeared poised to take back control of Afghanistan, McKenzie said: “We still intend to support the Afghan military from just over the horizon. We’re still going to support them with funding.

“We’re going to try very hard to support the Afghan air force over the horizon; some things will come out of the country to be worked on.

“I don’t want to minimise this, because I think they’re going to be tested, but we will continue to support them, just not in the way we are supporting them now.”

ALSO READ: The way forward for Afghanistan

Asked if the US would provide any combat support to Afghan forces if major cities such as Kabul were at risk of being overrun, McKenzie said: “Those are actually policy decisions, not military decisions. Right now what we’re planning to do after we withdraw is keep pressure on Al Qaeda and IS, and that would be what we’d be doing, going back into Afghanistan.”

The top US official’s remarks come as the Taliban have intensified attacks on provincial capitals, districts, bases and checkpoints since the official withdrawal of the US and other NATO troops in Afghanistan on May 1.

At least 15 districts have fallen to the Taliban since May 1, leading to the displacement of tens of thousands of Afghans.

According to a UN report, the Taliban were able to capture five districts in the past year, four of which were recaptured by the government within several days.

The withdrawal of international troops is due to be completed by September 11 at the latest.

ALSO READ: Blackout in Afghanistan as power pylon destroyed in blast

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Countless Afghan kids work on streets due to poverty, war

The report also indicated a 37 per cent increase in the number of women casualties while a 23 percent spike in child casualties compared to last year….reports Asian Lite News

The continued brutal war, insurgency and extreme poverty in Afghanistan have forced countless number of children to resort to child labour and work on streets to earn livelihood for their families, instead of going to school.

Civilians including children are bearing the brunt of war in Afghanistan. A UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) report released in April documented 1,783 civilian casualties (573 killed and 1,210 injured) in the first quarter of 2021 which indicates a 29 per cent increase against the same period of last year, reports Xinhua news agency.

The report also indicated a 37 per cent increase in the number of women casualties while a 23 percent spike in child casualties compared to last year.

Although there is no official statistics on the number of child labour, the number of vulnerable children in Afghanistan, according to local media reports, has increased from 3 million to 5 million.

Omar, 11, is one of the thousands of Afghan children who lost their parents in the endemic war and has been forced to work on Kabul streets to earn a livelihood for his five-member family.

Washing cars in Omid Sabz locality, Omar said the ongoing war has deprived him of going to school.

Afghanistan kids

“I am busy in car washing from dawn to dusk and roughly earn some 150 afghani ($1.9) daily to support my family,” he told Xinhua.

Another boy Abdul Azim, 13, who scavenges garbage buckets on the outskirts of Kabul city, told Xinhua that he was “the only bread earner of the family and have no choice but work and earn something”.

“On average I can earn around 180 afghani ($2.3) everyday and support my family.”

Ghulam Haider Jilani, the deputy for the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, said recently that the government would do its best to solve the problems of child labour in the country.

Jilani said the budget for children protection had increased from 20 million afghani last year to 52 million afghani this year.

ALSO READ: Is Taliban Supremo Haibatullah Akhundzada alive?

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Taliban oppose Ankara’s proposal to guard Kabul airport

Taliban

Turkey was interested in taking control of Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport if NATO allies permit…reports Asian Lite News

Taliban on Friday opposed Turkey’s proposal to guard Kabul airport and said that Ankara must leave Afghanistan as per the 2020 deal.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesperson to the Taliban expressed his opposition to Turkey’s proposal to safeguard the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul after the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) troops’ withdrawal, reported The Khaama Press Agency.

Previously Turkey has said it will protect the Kabul airport with 500 soldiers if the NATO allies provide financial, logistical, and political supports to them.

Turkey was interested in taking control of Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport if NATO allies permit.

Khaama Press reported that Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that Turkish forces have agreed to take the control of the Hamid Karzai International Airport if allies provide support.

“500 Turkish forces in Afghanistan will take the control and responsibility of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, if financial, logistic and political support is provided by the allies,” Akar said in a meeting with its NATO allies.

The US, other countries, and international agencies operating in Afghanistan are concerned about the safe evacuation of its personnel if the situation gets worse post-US withdrawal from Afghanistan, reported The Khaama Press Agency.

Taliban
ALSO READ: Another district in eastern province falls to Taliban

The US and NATO forces are scheduled to take out troops from Afghanistan before September 11, 2021, which is the 20th anniversary of the US towers attack by Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda.

Pentagon officials had earlier said that Pakistan had allowed the US military to use its airspace and given ground access so that it could support its presence in Afghanistan.

However, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi refuted the claim and said that the country would not provide its military bases to the US for future counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan and also not allow drone attacks inside Pakistan.

Whereas, according to the New York Times, some American officials believe the negotiations have reached an impasse for now. The US intelligence agency CIA did use a base in Pakistan to launch drone strikes against militants but “was kicked out of the facility in 2011, when US relations with Pakistan unraveled,” the report said.

“Some American officials (told the newspaper) that negotiations with Pakistan had reached an impasse for now. Others have said the option remains on the table and a deal is possible,” the report explains.

According to NYT, William J. Burns, the CIA director, recently made an unannounced visit to Islamabad to meet the chief of the Pakistani military and the head of the directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence. US Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin also has had frequent calls with the Pakistani military chief about getting the country’s help for future US operations in Afghanistan. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Another Afghan district falls to Taliban for 3rd straight day

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Turkey interested in taking control of Kabul airport

This comes as the withdrawal of the foreign forces which is scheduled to be completed by September 11 have increased concerns among the international community…reports Asian Lite News

As the United States declares its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Turkey is interested in taking control of Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport if North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies permit.

Khaama Press reported that Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that Turkish forces have agreed to take the control of the Hamid Karzai International Airport if allies provide support.

“500 Turkish forces in Afghanistan will take the control and responsibility of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, if financial, logistic and political support is provided by the allies,” Akar said in a meeting with its NATO allies.

This comes as the withdrawal of the foreign forces which is scheduled to be completed by September 11 have increased concerns among the international community and the diplomatic mission’s presence in Afghanistan.

Pentagon officials had earlier said that Pakistan had allowed the US military to use its airspace and given ground access so that it could support its presence in Afghanistan.

However, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi refuted the claim and said that the country would not provide its military bases to the US for future counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan and also not allow drone attacks inside Pakistan.

Whereas, according to the New York Times, some American officials believe the negotiations have reached an impasse for now. The US intelligence agency CIA did use a base in Pakistan to launch drone strikes against militants but “was kicked out of the facility in 2011, when US relations with Pakistan unraveled,” the report said.

“Some American officials (told the newspaper) that negotiations with Pakistan had reached an impasse for now. Others have said the option remains on the table and a deal is possible,” the report explains.

According to NYT, William J. Burns, the CIA director, recently made an unannounced visit to Islamabad to meet the chief of the Pakistani military and the head of the directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence. US Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin also has had frequent calls with the Pakistani military chief about getting the country’s help for future US operations in Afghanistan. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Pakistan and Turkey’s selective support to Muslim causes

Categories
Afghanistan Asia News

Blackout in Afghanistan as power pylon destroyed in blast

The incident took place at 9.55 p.m. on Monday in Salang district, Parwan province, north of Kabul…reports Asian Lite News

Several Afghanistan provinces were hit by a blackout as a power pylon was destroyed in an explosion, Breshna Sherkat, the national power company, confirmed on Tuesday.

The incident took place at 9.55 p.m. on Monday in Salang district, Parwan province, north of Kabul, the company said in a statement.

It added that a technical team has been sent to the area to repair the power pylon and resume power transmission to Kabul and other provinces, reports Xinhua news agency.

In Herat province, unknown miscreants destroyed an electricity tower in Kohsan district early Tuesday, cutting power imported from Iran to provincial capital Herat city, Zenab Mohsini from a regional office of Breshna Sherkat confirmed.

The militancy-plagued Afghanistan has been facing power shortage as the country has limited hours of power during day and night times.

To overcome the scarcity, the government has imported power from neighbouring Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, but it is still too little to meet domestic need.

No group has claimed responsibly for the incident.

Two dozens of power pylons has been destroyed or damaged by explosions along the power grid in recent months.

Protesters killed

Three protesters were killed and over 20 suffered injuries in a clash with security forces in the capital of Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province on Tuesday.

The residents of Faizabad were protesting against inadequate security in the province and the lack of electricity and water in the area according to those who were part of the demonstration, reported TOLOnews quoting health officials.

“The protesters attacked the governor’s compound and threw stones and wood at security forces. They clashed with the security forces even before sharing their concerns,” Nek Mohammad Nazari, a spokesman for Badakhshan’s governor said, it reported further. (IANS/ANI)

ALSO READ: FATF regional body retains Pakistan on ‘Enhanced Follow-up List’

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Another Afghan district falls to Taliban for 3rd straight day

Taliban

In Ghazni province, the militants overran two security checkpoints in Ab Band district….reports Asian Lite News

For a third consecutive day, Taliban insurgents have captured yet another district in Afghanistan on Tuesday, officials said.

Government forces abandoned the Dawlat Abad district centre in Faryab province before dawn and fled to neighbouring Andkhoi district without engaging the militants, dpa news agency reported citing the local officials as saying.

The fate of more than a dozen members of the security forces in the district remained unclear because the telecommunications system was down, provincial councillor Abdul Ahad Alibek said.

Dawlat Abad was under siege for three years. Forces could only receive logistical support by air, ground support was impossible because the militants controlled all routes leading to the district, Alibek added.

In Ghazni province, the militants overran two security checkpoints in Ab Band district.

Security Council strongly condemns Afghan terror attack

Officials said on Monday that heavy clashes were ongoing in at least three districts of the province.

The districts could collapse if the government fails to send air support, warned Arif Rahmani, an MP representing Ghazni.

It is the third straight day of the insurgents overrunning districts.

On Monday, government forces abandoned Qaysar district in Faryab after days of heavy fighting.

In addition, the insurgents took control of Shahrak district in Ghor province.

The militants have made a string of gains in the country.

Since the beginning of the official withdrawal of the United States and other NATO troops in Afghanistan on May 1, at least 10 districts have fallen to the Taliban.

Afghanistan has 34 provinces and around 400 districts.

District centres serve as secondary-level administrative units, one level below the provinces.

According to a UN report, in the past year the Taliban were able to capture five districts, four of which were recaptured by the government within several days.

10 deminers killed

At least ten people were killed in an attack on deminers in the northern province of Baghlan, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

At least 14 more were injured when a camp of deminers was attacked on Tuesday night in the province’s Baghlan-e Markazi district, the statement added.

So far, no one has claimed the incident, though the Interior Ministry blamed the militant Taliban, DPA reported.

A Taliban spokesperson said he had to look into the incident.

Local media reported that the attacked demining camp was run by the international mine clearance organization Halo Trust.

According to the website of the non-governmental organization, Halo Trust has 2,600 employees in Afghanistan. The demining program in the country is completely Afghan-led.

In the past, aid projects and NGOs in Afghanistan have been repeatedly attacked.

According to non-governmental organization Inso, 180 incidents involving NGOs in Afghanistan were registered in 2020. Fourteen employees were killed, 27 injured and 42 kidnapped.

ALSO READ: Afghan NSA’s remark triggers diplomatic row with Pakistan


Categories
-Top News Afghanistan USA

Blinken pledges visas for Afghans who helped US

Blinken said the US is looking at “every option” to help the Afghan employees, including interpreters, drivers etc who may become victims of the Taliban…reports Asian Lite News

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday pledged to speed up immigration visas for Afghans who worked closely with US forces, media reported.

During a testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a Republican lawmaker warned that those Afghans will be targeted by the Taliban once the US completes troop drawdown from the war-torn country.

Blinken said the US is looking at “every option” to help the Afghan employees, including interpreters, drivers etc who may become victims of the Taliban as soon as US troops depart, it was reported.

Blinken said a backlog of immigration applications is being cleared, and he asked Congress to raise a cap on special immigrant visas for Afghans by 8,000 slots, it was reported.

There’s now a congressionally mandated cap of 26,000 slots under the Special Immigrant Visa program, which lets Afghans apply for visas if they can show their lives may be in danger for having worked for the US.

Meanwhile, Blinken also said that it remained unclear if Iran is willing to take steps to return to compliance with the 2015 landmark nuclear deal.

Taliban

“We’ve been engaged in indirect conversations for the last couple of months, and it remains unclear whether Iran is willing and prepared to do what it needs to do to come back into compliance,” Blinken told a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee .

“We’re not even at the stage of returning to compliance for compliance,” he said.

“We don’t know if that’s actually going to happen.”

Blinken made similar comments in an interview in late May, reports Xinhua news agency.

The US and Iran have held five rounds of indirect negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna since April 6 aimed at reviving the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Blinken’s words were met with an immediate response from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

In a tweet, Zarif said that “it remains unclear whether @POTUS (President Joe Biden) and @SecBlinken are ready to bury the failed ‘maximum pressure’ policy of Trump and cease using economic terrorism as bargaining ‘leverage'”.

The US government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran.

In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019.

ALSO READ: Biden reinvigorates tariff war against India