News Story: Afghan forces kill 74 insurgents within past 24 hours: gov't

KABUL, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Up to 74 armed militants were killed and 25 others injured in the Afghan forces operations across the war-torn country over the past 24 hours, the Afghan defense ministry said in a statement released Thursday.

"Afghan security and defense forces launched military operations in restive provinces, killing 74 insurgents including 11 Islamic State (IS) fighters and injuring 25 others," the statement said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Suicide attack kills 12 security personnel in southern Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- A dozen security personnel were killed after a car suicide bomb targeted the police department in Maroof district of the southern Kandahar province, 450 km south of Kabul, early Thursday, police spokesman Zia Durani said.

"Terrorists organized a suicide car bomb against police department in Maroof district in the wee hours of Thursday killing 12 security personnel and injuring four others including district police chief Nadir Khan," Durani told Xinhua.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Pakistan Can’t Be Held Responsibility For Peace - FM

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad cannot take responsibility for peace and security in Afghanistan, India’s Economic Times reported on Thursday.

Asif said effective border management with Kabul was imperative to stop the infiltration of terrorists. 

Speaking at the Asia Society seminar in New York, Asif also said the US cannot succeed in Afghanistan by waging war, reported the Economic Times. 

Read the full story at TOLOnews

News Report: Mattis Says US 'Not Quitting Fight' in Afghanistan

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis

William Gallo

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — During a visit to Kabul Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the U.S., with its new strategy for breaking the deadlock with Taliban insurgents, is not going to give up the fight in Afghanistan.

"With our new conditions-based south Asia strategy we will be better postured to support [Afghanistan] as your forces turn the tide against the terrorists,” Mattis said. “We will not abandon Afghanistan to a merciless enemy trying to kill its way to power.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who is also in Kabul, affirmed NATO's commitment as well.

“NATO doesn’t quit when the going gets tough," he said. "We keep our promises.”

President Donald Trump’s Afghanistan plan, announced last month, envisions a greater role for regional players, including India.

Kabul is second stop for Mattis on a South Asia tour that began in New Delhi.

News Story: NATO, U.S. defense chiefs' visit to Afghanistan sign of firm support of Afghan forces

by Abdul Haleem

KABUL, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The joint visit of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis to Afghanistan on Wednesday has demonstrated their support to Afghan security forces in the war against the Taliban and associated groups, observers here said.

Both the military chiefs paid an unannounced visit to Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul to review the situation in the militancy-plagued country, as well as to hold talks with commanders of the NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) mission and President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.

"Our presence together in Afghanistan reflects our continuing commitment to bringing stability and peace," the NATO chief said at a joint press conference attended by the head of the Pentagon and president Ghani.

"The Taliban must understand that they cannot win on the battlefield and there is much more to gain around the negotiating table," the NATO Secretary General stated.

Welcoming the visit as a sign of close relations between Kabul and Washington, Afghan analyst Mohammad Reza Huwaida said that the surprise tour to Afghanistan amid increasing militancy sends a strong message to the Taliban and their supporters that the militants have no chance to win the war.

"By renewing their commitment to Afghanistan, the military chiefs of the U.S. and NATO have sent a strong message to the Taliban and their supporters to give up support, of any kind, including military, diplomatic and financial, to the militants fighting in Afghanistan," Huwaida told Xinhua.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: U.S. yet to announce exact troop number deployment in Afghanistan

KABUL, Sept. 27 (Xinhua)-- The visiting U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Wednesday that the exact number of additional U.S. troops to be deployed in Afghanistan was not still clear.

"Afghan security forces continue to take the lead but we are going to give them more advantages," Mattis responded to a query when asked to comment on the number of U.S. troops expected to arrive in Afghanistan.

At the moment, according to media reports, there are 11,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Pentagon, reportedly would send some 3,500 additional forces to the militancy-battered country.

Mattis who attended a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, told reporters that he would not reveal the "exact number of additional troops to the enemy."

Nevertheless, the Pentagon chief added that the Afghan security forces would take the lead in the fight against Taliban and other insurgents.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: 11 Taliban militants killed in northern Afghanistan

Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucano Ground Attack Aircraft

MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 militants loyal to the Taliban were killed and seven others wounded following an airstrike and a clash in northern Jawzjan province, police said Wednesday.

"The air raid killed six (Taliban) fighters and wounded three others in Khan Aqa district, while heavy clashes left five Taliban (fighters) dead and four others wounded in neighboring Almar district late Tuesday," Sayyed Sarwar Hussaini, police spokesman in the region, told Xinhua.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: At Least One Civilian Killed In Ongoing Rocket Attack In Kabul

At least one civilian has been killed and four wounded in a string of rocket attacks on the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul city center on Wednesday.

The attack started shortly after 11am (27-Sep-2017) and at least two explosions were heard at about 2.30pm followed by a much bigger one about 15 minutes.

Reports indicated that anywhere between 30 and 40 explosions had been heard in the vicinity over a three hour period.

Airport officials have said all flights into Kabul have been diverted and flights out of the city have been cancelled until further notice.

However, the officials said no damage has been caused to the runway but that it is being cleared of shrapnel.

The ministry of interior confirmed that at least one civilian has been killed.

Read the full story at TOLOnews

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• Rocket Attack On Kabul International Airport

News Report: Myanmar Braces for Turmoil as Rohingyas Prepare Major Ambush on State Forces

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army has disclosed plans to launch a fresh ambush on Myanmar military similar to the one on August 25 this year.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) has claimed that they have no terror links and that their only objective is to secure equal rights for the Rohingya community in Myanmar. However, the group has threatened to continue attacking the state forces unless the government of Myanmar agrees to fulfill their demands.

“What Myanmar government is saying is that more than fifty percent of the villages of Rohingyas are intact, is a total lie. Myanmar government is trying to spread lies around the world and branding us as terrorists,” Abdus Shukur, a second-rung leader of ARSA, currently in exile in Bangladesh, told Sputnik.

Meanwhile, the government of Myanmar has reiterated its resolve to flush out the “terrorist outfit.”

A diplomat from Myanmar embassy in Delhi, who did not wish to be named, told Sputnik that "ARSA is basically a terrorist outfit" that should be dealt with accordingly.

"Our security forces are on alert. Our security force is ready to thwart any nefarious designs,” a diplomat added.

News Story: Afghan air force strikes Taliban hideout, killing 8

Afghan Air Force MD-530 Light Attack Helicopters

KABUL, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least eight Taliban militants were killed after Afghan air force struck a militants' hideout in the country's eastern province of Nangarhar on Monday, the Afghan Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The targeted hideout, lying in Nazyan district, southeast of provincial capital Jalalabad city, was destroyed following the raid, the ministry said on Twitter.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: 28 remains of Hindu villagers uncovered in Myanmar northern state

YANGON, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Some 28 dead bodies of Hindu villagers have been found buried in Maungtaw, Myanmar's northern Rakhine state, as authorities dug up earth to confirm the information by a villager in Sittway, Myanmar News Agency reported Monday.

According to the information, the victims were left by attacks on the village on Aug. 25 by about 300 members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) extremist terrorists.

Investigation is underway and more search will be continued, the report added.

Meanwhile, seven more improvised explosive devices, suspected of being planted by the ARSA, were also uncovered by Myanmar security forces in Chein Khar Li village, Yathedaung township Saturday as the security forces were patrolling the area.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Chinese envoy calls for political dialogue in Afghanistan

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday called for political dialogue in Afghanistan as well as international efforts to boost the country's defense capacity, governance and its integration into regional development frameworks.

"Political dialogue is the only viable solution to the question of Afghanistan," Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told an open meeting of the UN Security Council on Afghanistan.

"All actors in Afghanistan should put the country's long-term interests and people's welfare first and actively participate in the reconciliation process. The international community should continue to promote the realization of a broad, inclusive political settlement with Afghan leadership and Afghan ownership," said Wu.

The international community should engage with all parties concerned in Afghanistan for the early launch of peace talks, he said.

All political actors in Afghanistan must achieve unity and resolve their difference through dialogue and consultations, he said, adding that the international community must respect the Afghan people's will to choose their political system and development path.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Abbasi’s Remarks On Afghan-Indian Ties ‘Foolish’

By Massoud Ansar

A number of senators on Sunday sharply criticized Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for his remarks on Afghan-Indian relations and such his utterances were in fact an interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. 

Head of the senate Fazlulhadi Muslimyar labeled the remarks ‘foolish’ and said Pakistan politicians do not have independence and they are the loud-speakers of Pakistan’s military. 

Abbasi last week said at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York city that Islamabad did not have any problems with New Delhi’s financial support to Afghanistan, but that it would never condone India’s political or military role in Afghanistan.

“We denounce Pakistan's Prime Minister’s remarks. Along with the condemnation, I must say it is very rude and foolish,” said Muslimyar.

“Pakistan Prime Minister has no logic, he may suffer nervous or mental problems,” senator Nisar Haris said.

A number of senators said Afghanistan is an independent country and can have relations with any country in the world. 

Read the full story at TOLOnews

News Story: Military Ops Total 20,000 In First Six Months Of This Year

By Gulabudin Ghubar

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Sunday said over 20,000 land and air operations were launched by the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan Air Force (AAF) in the first six months of this year. 

Defense ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said 440 key insurgent strongholds were destroyed in these operations in various parts of the country and hundreds of insurgents were killed or wounded. 

According to Waziri, among those killed were 1,022 Daesh fighters who were mostly killed in Nangarhar province.

Waziri said the operations were as follows:

• 3,122 pre-planned land operations
• 3,090 operations by Special Forces
• 271 night operations by Special Forces
• 2,460 air strikes by Afghan Air Force

Waziri said the number of flights made by the Afghan Air Force totaled 17,356 of which 2,460 were airstrikes.

Read the full story at TOLOnews

News Story: Key militant leaders among 10 dead in airstrikes in northern Afghan province

Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucano Ground Attack Aircraft

MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces launched airstrikes leaving at least 10 militants dead and 25 others wounded in northern province of Faryab, an official said Sunday.

The strikes took place Saturday evening in the restive Khawja Sabz Posh and Daulat Abad districts of the province, where a military operation codenamed "Naweed 3 Operation" is ongoing, said Nasratullah Jamshidi, spokesman of army 209 Shaheen Corps based in the area.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: District police chief killed in Afghanistan & District police chief, bodyguard wounded in northern Afghanistan ambush

Afghan Police Officer (File Photo)

District police chief killed in Afghanistan

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- A district police chief was killed following a Taliban attack in Helmand, southern Afghanistan late Saturday, the latest in a string of attacks against officials, the provincial governor office said Sunday.

"Police Chief Colonel Omar Jan Haqmal, head of Nad Ali district police department, was martyred following a clash and a subsequent bomb explosion in surrounding areas of Nad Ali late Saturday," it said in a statement.

The restive district is lying in west of Lashkar Gah city, capital of southern Helmand province.

Read the full story at Xinhua

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District police chief, bodyguard wounded in northern Afghanistan ambush

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Police chief for the restive Aliabad district along with one of his bodyguards were wounded during an ambush by Taliban militants in Afghanistan northern province of Kunduz on Sunday, an official said.

"Jan Aqa, the district police chief of Aliabad and one of his bodyguard, on their way to office were shot, wounded by the militants in Qazaq village today morning," a police spokesman in the province, Inamuddin Rahmani, told Xinhua.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Suicide bombing strikes NATO convoy in Kabul, injuring 3 passersby

KABUL, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Three Afghan civilians were wounded after a bomb attack hit a NATO military convoy in western side of Kabul on Sunday, Interior Ministry said.

"A foreign forces' military convoy came under attack by a suicide bomber driving a sedan in Afshar locality, Police District 5. The blast caused three civilians wounded," it said in a statement.

"The explosion came at around 10:50 a.m. local time along a road which leads to Qargha Lake, west of Kabul. The blast caused a plume of grey smoke to rise above the scene," witness Ahmad Farshad told Xinhua earlier.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Suicide Bomber Targeted Foreign Troops Convoy In Kabul City

A suicide car bomber targeted a Danish troops convoy in Kabul's PD5 on Sunday morning wounding at least five civilians, security officials confirmed. 

The Afghan National Police Academy and other key government institutions are located in the area. 

Read the full story at TOLOnews

News Story: US And Russian Envoys Meet At UNGA Over Afghanistan

By Samim Faramarz

Russia’s media has reported that Russian and US representatives for Afghanistan have met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and discussed ways to cooperate over Afghanistan.

US special acting representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Alice Wells met 

with Zamir Kabulov, who reportedly told her that Russia is ready to cooperate with the US in Afghanistan if the US lifts sanctions against Russia. 

“Alice Wells said Washington is interested to cooperate with us in Afghanistan, while she knows there is little chance of this. Wells knows about the sanctions, but the sanctions were approved by the US. If you want us to work together, you should lift the sanctions,” said Kabulov.

Meanwhile the Afghan government has said it welcomes US and Russia cooperation and coordination over Afghanistan. 

Read the full story at TOLOnews

News Report: US Government Agency Calls For Changes in Afghan Troops Training

Ayaz Gul

ISLAMABAD — A U.S. government auditor blames flawed U.S. planning, training and oversight for the inability of Afghan forces to secure their country from threats and prevent the re-establishment of terrorist havens. The head of the independent agency warns that billions of dollars could be wasted unless changes are made to the way Afghan troops are trained.

The assessment from John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, follows a U.S. decision to send more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, an increase of more than 25 percent in the number of American forces there.

America’s mission, he said, is “to try to win the hearts and minds” of the people in Afghanistan so they will fight for their country, but notes that effort first needs to be focused on Afghan forces.

"They are not going to fight if they know they are not going to get paid,” added the SIGAR chief, whose office released a report to highlight lessons learned from the past 16 years to improve future training efforts.