BansheeOne Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 February 29, 2020 / 6:36 AM / Updated 20 minutes ago U.S.-Taliban set to sign troop withdrawal deal as Pompeo lands in Doha Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Alexander Cornwell KABUL/DOHA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Qatar’s capital city, Doha on Saturday to witness the signing of a historic deal with Taliban insurgents in an effort to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan. Pompeo arrived on a flight from Washington and was due to hold a meeting with the Qatari Emir before attending the signing ceremony. The deal paves the way for the United States to gradually withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. But there are doubts over whether it will lead to a lasting peace as it merely paves the way for talks between the Afghan sides that many expect could be much more complicated. Hours before the deal, the Taliban ordered all its fighters in Afghanistan “to refrain from any kind of attack ... for the happiness of the nation.” “The biggest thing is that we hope the U.S. remain committed to their promises during the negotiation and peace deal,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the hardline Islamist group. Mujahid said it was “irritating and provocative” that foreign military aircraft continued to fly over Taliban territory, but militia fighters were following the order to stand-down. [...] For U.S President Donald Trump, the deal represents a chance to make good on his promise to bring U.S. troops home. But security experts have also called it a foreign policy gamble that would give the Taliban international legitimacy. “Today is a monumental day for Afghanistan,” the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said on Twitter. “It is about making peace and crafting a common brighter future. We stand with Afghanistan.” A 31-member Taliban delegation was in Qatar to oversee the signing by their political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Foreign ministers and bureaucrats from Pakistan, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan arrived at the venue ahead of the signing ceremony, slated to take place at the Sheraton hotel in Doha. Trump said in a statement on Friday said the deal will pave way for U.S. troop numbers to drop to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the weeks following the deal. Further reductions of Western forces will hinge on the Taliban adhering to a “reduction in violence” pledge, a condition that will be assessed by the United States. [...] But prospects for peace remain uncertain given the next step is reaching agreement with the Afghan government. U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrived in Kabul on Saturday, in a move officials and experts said was aimed at reassuring the Afghan government about the United States’ commitment to the country. Under the deal, the Taliban wants 5,000 fighters to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it is not clear whether the Afghan government will agree. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-taliban/afghans-hope-for-peace-as-u-s-taliban-set-for-troop-withdrawal-deal-idUSKBN20N06R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BansheeOne Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 February 29, 2020 / 8:16 PM / Updated 12 hours ago Trump hails Afghanistan deal, plans to meet Taliban leaders soon Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would be personally meeting leaders of the Taliban in the near future and rejected criticism of a deal that the United States signed with the insurgents in Afghanistan. He spoke hours after U.S. and Taliban representatives signed a deal that could pave the way toward a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers and move closer to ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan. Trump said in a news conference at the White House that the agreement should allow the United States to draw down its troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600. He held out the possibility of withdrawals beyond that number, but said the United States could quickly move forces back into the country if needed. In later remarks at a conservative political conference in suburban Maryland, Trump said if the Taliban lives up to its commitments the war will “be over.” “We can’t be the policeman for the world,” he said. Trump has frequently expressed a desire to put a halt to “endless wars” and has said he has been personally struck by meeting wounded soldiers who are missing limbs on his visits to Walter Reed Medical Center. The president came under sharp criticism for the deal from his former national security adviser, John Bolton, who said in a tweet that “signing this agreement with Taliban is an unacceptable risk to America’s civilian population.” “This is an Obama-style deal. Legitimizing Taliban sends the wrong signal to ISIS and al Qaeda terrorists, and to America’s enemies generally,” he said, referring to former President Barack Obama, Trump’s Democratic predecessor. [...] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-taliban-trump/trump-hails-afghanistan-deal-plans-to-meet-taliban-leaders-soon-idUSKBN20N0YU Date 01.03.2020 'No commitment' to Taliban prisoner exchange: Afghan government A day after the US and the Taliban signed a deal to end the Afghan conflict, Afghanistan's President Ghani has said he will not uphold one of the pact's key agreements — the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Sunday the government has not committed to freeing 5,000 Taliban prisoners, a key demand for the insurgent group. Efforts to push a prisoner exchange were part of a historic pact signed between the US and the Taliban on Saturday. The Afghan government was not involved in the signing of the deal, but did have a delegation witness the event in Doha. Ghani's comments, at a news briefing in Kabul, included that his government made "no commitment" to upholding the prisoner release. "This is the right and the self-will of the people of Afghanistan. It could be included in the agenda of the intra-Afghan talks, but cannot be a prerequisite for talks," he said. The prisoner release was "not in the authority of the US, it is in the authority of the Afghan government," he said. The pact sealed Saturday specified that up to 5,000 jailed Taliban will be released in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by March 10. 'Cease-fire goal' Ghani confirmed that a seven-day partial reduction in violence in Afghanistan will continue with the aim of a full cease-fire. "The reduction in violence will continue with a goal to reach a full cease-fire," Ghani told reporters. "General [scott] Miller has told Taliban to do so," he added, referring to the US commander in charge of foreign forces in Afghanistan. The president, who is caught up in a political crisis following fraud allegations in his re-election, cast doubt upon upcoming talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government that were agreed to as part of the deal. The Taliban dub the Afghan government a "US puppet" and have been reluctant to establish direct contact with them. [...] https://www.dw.com/en/no-commitment-to-taliban-prisoner-exchange-afghan-government/a-52594411 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin-Phillips Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 I've just watched the following video showing a unit of Marine Force Recon conducting over watch and surveillance missions in Afghanistan. The comments concerning "you've been to Iraq, you'll know what to do in Afghanistan" are most intriguing. Anyway there's a particular weapon showing on the video at 2:43; looks like it has some kind of thermal sight installed, possibly a DMR or standard calibre sniper rifle? It resembles a Barrett MRAD but there are also a number of features which look different on the rifle in the video. I know they customise their firearms in various ways. Can anyone ID the rifle? https://youtu.be/73xihNaDoAI My back feels sore just hearing a list of all the stuff they have to carry with them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beans4 Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 Just waiting for somebody to use the phrase "peace with honor". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kennedy Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 Anybody watched The Outpost yet? Frickin amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kennedy Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 http://pennpoliticalreview.org/2020/06/andrew-bundermann/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BansheeOne Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Quote Date 21.11.2020 Pompeo to meet Taliban negotiators in Qatar ahead of US troop withdrawal US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to meet negotiators from the Afghan government and the Taliban separately in Qatar’s capital, Doha, which serves as the Taliban's base for diplomacy. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet negotiators from both the Afghan government and the Taliban during his visit to Qatar’s capital, Doha, on Saturday. This comes as President Donald Trump’s administration looks to speed up the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan during the last days of his presidential term, which ends with President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20. The US military announced on Tuesday that Trump would reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan by 2,000 by January 15, leaving just 2,500 in the country. While the Taliban have welcomed this news, NATO allies believe that a hasty exit could hinder the peace process. Biden also seeks US troop withdrawal Biden, in a rare point of agreement, also advocates winding down the Afghanistan war although analysts believe he will not be as wedded to a quick timetable. Peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government were expected to start in March after the US and the group signed a landmark agreement in Qatar, the Taliban's base for diplomacy, on February 29. However, the Afghan government and insurgents sparred over the modalities of a countrywide ceasefire and the release of Taliban prisoners, which delayed the dialogue until September. Pompeo is currently on a tour of seven countries in Europe and the Middle East. He is also scheduled to see the Gulf state's ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and the foreign minister in Doha. In the past six months, the Taliban carried out 53 suicide attacks and 1,250 explosions that left 1,210 civilians dead and 2,500 wounded, interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said this week. https://www.dw.com/en/pompeo-to-meet-taliban-negotiators-in-qatar-ahead-of-us-troop-withdrawal/a-55683464 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Peter Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 Negotiation with terrorists is a federal crime, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonJ Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 As stated in B1's latest post, US troop levels confirmed at down to 2500. It was agreed with the Taliban last year in February to bring it to zero by May of this year. Quote The US military has met its goal of reducing the number of soldiers in Afghanistan to about 2,500 by Friday, a withdrawal that appears to violate a last-minute congressional prohibition. President Donald Trump, who ordered the reduction in November last year, said on Thursday that troop levels in Afghanistan had reached a 19-year low, although he did not mention the number. Last February, his administration struck a deal with the Taliban to reduce US troops in phases and to go to zero by May 2021, although it is unclear how the new administration will proceed. Acting US Defense Secretary confirmed the withdrawal in a statement on Friday. “This force reduction is an indication of the United States’ continued support towards the Afghan peace process and our adherence to commitments made in both the U.S.-Taliban agreement and the U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Declaration. Moving forward, while the Department continues with planning capable of further reducing U.S. troop levels to zero by May of 2021, any such future drawdowns remain conditions-based.” President-elect Joe Biden, who has advocated keeping a small counterterrorism force in Afghanistan as a way to ensure that armed groups like al-Qaeda are unable to launch attacks on the United States, faces a number of questions on Afghanistan. One is how and whether to proceed with further troop cuts. In his brief statement, Trump alluded to his longstanding desire to get out of Afghanistan entirely. “I will always be committed to stopping the endless wars,” he said, referring to the US wars that have dragged on in Afghanistan since 2001 and in Iraq for much of the period since 2003. Speedy troop reductions Although senior military officials had cautioned against speedy troop reductions in Afghanistan, acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller announced on November 17 that he was implementing Trump’s order. As a result, military commanders scrambled to pull more than 1,500 soldiers out of the country in the last few weeks. At Trump’s order, commanders also cut US troop levels in Iraq to 2,500 from about 3,000 in the same period. The Afghanistan decision was seen by some as unnecessarily complicating the decision-making of the incoming administration. Trump at the time had refused to acknowledge that he had lost the election and would be ceding to Biden on January 20. Some in Congress, including fellow Republicans, opposed Trump’s decision. Under the National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress two weeks ago, the Pentagon was explicitly forbidden to use money from this year’s or last year’s budget on reducing the number of soldiers below 4,000 – or below the number that was in the country the day the bill was finalised, which was January 1. Trump vetoed the measure, but the House and the Senate voted to override his veto. The Pentagon has not yet fully explained how it squares its continued withdrawal with the legal prohibition. In response to questions about this, the Pentagon issued a written statement saying: “DoD will adhere to all statutory provisions of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act, to include those in Section 1215 that impact the ongoing drawdown in Afghanistan.” It said it has been working with the National Security Council “on the most efficient means to ensure consistency amidst an anterior drawdown already occurring across Afghanistan, and in a manner that continues to ensure the safety of US personnel”. The defence legislation provides two conditions under which the Pentagon could get around the prohibition – a presidential waiver or a report to Congress assessing the effect of a further pullout on the US counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan and the risk to US troops there. As of Thursday, the Pentagon had met neither of those conditions. Less than transparent The prohibition on completing the pullout put the Pentagon in a bind, coming weeks after it had begun the withdrawal, which involved a large logistical effort to remove equipment as well as troops. Because of less-than-transparent military procedures for counting troops in Afghanistan, it is possible that the figure of 2,500 may be fudged. The main reason for concern about a too-quick troops withdrawal is what the Pentagon sees as continued high levels of Taliban violence against the Afghan government. Some US officials have questioned the wisdom of fully withdrawing, in accordance with the February 2020 agreement with the Taliban, if violence remains high. The Trump administration has also pushed rival Afghan sides to hold talks for lasting peace in the country. Since September, several rounds of talks have been conducted but not much headway has been made. The US-Taliban agreement signed in the Qatari capital Doha envisaged the withdrawal of US troops in exchange for security guarantees from the Afghan armed group, which has been waging a rebellion since it was toppled in a US-led invasion following September 11 attacks. The US had accused the then Taliban regime of harbouring al-Qaeda fighters, including its leader Osama bin Laden. Billions of dollars have been spent in the US’s longest war that saw killings of tens of thousands, an overwhelming majority of them Afghan civilians. During Biden’s time as vice president, the US pushed their troops’ strength in Afghanistan to 100,000 in a failed bid to compel the Taliban to come to the negotiating table. When Trump took office four years ago there were about 8,500 soldiers in the country, and he raised it to about 13,000 later that year. Last month, when he met Afghan officials in Kabul and Taliban representatives in Qatar, General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he emphasised to both sides that to give fledgeling peace talks a chance, they must rapidly reduce levels of violence. “Everything else hinges on that,” Milley told reporters. During Milley’s visit, Army General Scott Miller, the top commander of US and coalition forces in Afghanistan, told reporters that the Taliban had stepped up attacks on Afghan forces, particularly in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, and against roadways and other infrastructure. https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2021/1/15/us-meets-its-goal-of-downsizing-in-afghanistan-to-2500-troops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BansheeOne Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Quote JANUARY 31, 2021 11:06 AM UPDATED AN HOUR AGO Exclusive: Foreign troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond May deadline - NATO sources By Rupam Jain, Charlotte Greenfield ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - International troops plan to stay in Afghanistan beyond the May deadline envisaged by the insurgent Taliban’s deal with the United States, four senior NATO officials said, a move that could escalate tensions with the Taliban demanding full withdrawal. “There will be no full withdrawal by allies by April-end,” one of the officials told Reuters. “Conditions have not been met,” he said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. “And with the new U.S. administration, there will be tweaks in the policy, the sense of hasty withdrawal which was prevalent will be addressed and we could see a much more calculated exit strategy.” The administration of then-President Donald Trump signed an agreement with the Taliban early last year calling for the withdrawal of all foreign troops by May in return for the insurgents fulfilling certain security guarantees. Trump hailed the accord - which did not include the Afghan government - as the end of two decades of war. He reduced U.S. troops to 2,500 by this month, the fewest since 2001. Plans on what will happen after April are now being considered and likely to be a top issue at a key NATO meeting in February, the NATO sources said. The positions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are becoming increasingly important after the alliance was sidelined by Trump, diplomats and experts say. Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban began in September in Doha, but violence has remained high. “No NATO ally wants to stay in Afghanistan longer than necessary, but we have been clear that our presence remains conditions-based,” said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu. [...] Around 10,000 troops, including Americans, are in Afghanistan, Lungescu said. The NATO source said troop levels are expected to stay roughly the same until after May, but the plan beyond that is not clear. Kabul and some foreign governments and agencies say the Taliban has failed to meet conditions due to escalated violence and a failure to cut ties with militant groups such as Al Qaeda, which the Taliban denies. The administration of Joe Biden, who replaced Trump on Jan. 20, has launched a review of his predecessor’s peace agreement. A Pentagon spokesman said the Taliban have not met their commitments but Washington remained committed to the process and had not decided on future troop levels. A State Department representative said Biden was committed to bringing a “responsible end to the ‘forever wars’... while also protecting Americans from terrorist and other threats.” Afghanistan’s presidential palace did not respond to a request for comment. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-nato-exclusive-idUSKBN2A00AR?taid=6016845e02313500018f26bf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BansheeOne Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 This probably ends the legal proceedings following the 2009 Kunduz airstrike on two kidnapped tanker trucks ordered by the regional German commander. As usual for asymmetric conflicts, it will probably never be fully established which of the dead were Taliban and which civilians, for a given value of. Different reports have put the number of the former at 56-100 plus a dozen wounded, and of the latter at 24-134 plus 9-40 wounded. Quote Date 16.02.2021 Kunduz airstrike: European rights court rules German response was adequate Scores of Afghan civilians were killed in 2009 when a German commander ordered a NATO airstrike on two stolen fuel tankers. German courts have repeatedly rejected bids by the victims' families to seek damages. German courts and prosecutors thoroughly investigated a 2009 NATO bombing in Afghanistan that killed dozens of civilians, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday. The decision comes after years of battles in German courts, who have ruled that the German officer behind the strike did not act improperly. What did the court rule? The case was brought to the ECHR by an Afghan man, Abdul Hanan, who lost two children in the airstrike. The man argued that Germany violated his son's right to life, as well as his right to file damages. The court ruled that investigations by German prosecutors and subsequent court cases concerning the strike were adequate. The Strasbourg-based court found there was "no violation" of the European Convention on Human Rights. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed. What happened in the bombing? The predawn strike took place on September 4, 2009 in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, killing around 100 people. Two stolen fuel tankers had been sighted around 7 kilometers from a German military base, stuck on a river sandbank. Afghan civilians, including children, had surrounded the tankers with hopes of siphoning some of the fuel. A German commander ordered American jets to destroy the trucks, resulting in a large blast. Although it was initially reported that many of those killed were Taliban fighters, it was later revealed that most of the dead were civilians. What was Germany's role? German Colonel Georg Klein was in charge of the military base at the time. He made the call to US troops to carry out the strike. He worried that the fuel tankers could be used by Taliban militants as mobile bombs. The lawyers for the Afghan father who brought the case before the ECHR have argued that Klein issued a series of "binding instructions" for the airstrike without UN oversight. The German government's lawyer had argued the strike was carried out on behalf of the United Nations and did not fall under German jurisdiction. What rulings have there been so far? German prosecutors carried out a probe into Klein's actions under German criminal law, but discontinued investigations in 2010. They said that the time that Klein did not act with an intent to harm civilians and that the strike was justified under international law. Family members of the victims have tried over the years to seek damages in German courts, which have repeatedly rejected their cases. In December, Germany's constitutional court ruled the country was not liable over the strike. https://www.dw.com/en/kunduz-airstrike-european-rights-court-rules-german-response-was-adequate/a-56582314 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BansheeOne Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 (edited) Wrong Asian struggle. Edited February 20, 2021 by BansheeOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BansheeOne Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Quote Date 10.03.2021 Author Farah Bahgat Afghanistan bans schoolgirls older than 12 from singing — reports Afghanistan's government has reportedly decreed that girls will only be allowed to sing at women-only events. The ban sparked outrage among social media users, many of whom said it resembled the Taliban's policies. Afghanistan's Education Ministry is barring schoolgirls older than 12 from singing at public events, media reported on Wednesday. The reports come amid growing fears that the Taliban could regaining power in Afghanistan as the group negotiates a peace deal with the United States. Schoolgirls older than 12 will only be able to sing at events that are "100% attended by women," according to a letter of the decision shared by the Kabul-based broadcaster Ariana News on Twitter. A spokeswoman for the Education Ministry confirmed the letter's authenticity, adding that the decision applies to all provinces, Germany's DPA news agency reported. In video message circulated by media, the spokeswoman, Najeeba Arian, said the decision was made after suggestions by students and parents. Male singing teachers will also be prohibited from teaching schoolgirls, according to the Kabul Now news outlet. School principals would be responsible for implementing the ban, the report added. 'Not a good look' The decision has sparked outrage on social media platforms as people compared the government's decision to the Taliban's ideology. Some Twitter users contested the ban by sharing old images and footage of young girls dancing and singing. "It's not a good look on the Republic if they start emulating the same values as the Taliban," the journalist Ruchi Kumar wrote on Twitter as she shared a video showing girls singing on television. [...] https://www.dw.com/en/afghanistan-bans-schoolgirls-older-than-12-from-singing-reports/a-56829468 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BansheeOne Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Quote Date 17.03.2021 Author Nasim Saber Afghanistan: Girls singing ban dropped after activist outrage Afghanistan's government has distanced itself from a plan to ban girls from singing after women's rights activists slammed education officials for promoting a "Taliban-like" policy. Afghanistan's Education Ministry is stepping back from a decision released in a memo that would apparently have banned girls older than 12 from singing in public. The singing ban quickly drew outrage on social media, with activists accusing officials of introducing Islamic fundamentalist values into the education system. The ministry has announced in new a statement this week that its regional Kabul branch had issued the ban without consultation, adding that the purpose of banning singing in public was to prevent the spread of the coronavirus by keeping both girls and boys from singing in groups. "The directive that was issued by the Kabul education branch chief does not represent the official position and policy of the Ministry of Education," according to the statement, which added that the ministry would launch an investigation into the Kabul branch. "The leadership of the Education Ministry is committed to supporting the right of education, and the choice of all girls and boys to take part in cultural, artistic and sports activities," according to the statement. #IAmMySong The Education Ministry's attempt to distance itself from the controversy comes after women's rights activists launched a social media campaign to denounce fundamentalism in Afghanistan. Under the hashtag #IAmMySong, Afghan women and social rights activists shared video clips of girls singing hymns and songs, along with musical performances by Afghan women. [...] https://www.dw.com/en/afghanistan-girls-singing-ban-dropped-after-activist-outrage/a-56903344 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BansheeOne Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 Quote Date 22.03.2021 US defense secretary makes surprise visit to Afghanistan US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made an unannounced visit to Kabul amid a looming deadline for Washington's final troop withdrawal from the country. He discussed the spike in violence there with President Ghani. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Sunday weeks ahead of Washington's final troop pullback, scheduled under a deal reached with the Taliban last year. The Pentagon chief held talks with President Ashraf Ghani and other senior officials in Kabul. According to the Afghan presidential palace, the two sides condemned the increase in violence in the war-battered country and stressed on the need for a durable and just peace process to address the current situation there. "It's obvious that the level of violence remains pretty high in the country," Austin said. "We'd really like to see that violence come down and I think if it does come down, it can begin to set the conditions for, you know, some really fruitful diplomatic work." Austin, who was touring Asia this week, arrived in Afghanistan after visiting Japan, South Korea and India. No discussion on troop withdrawal The defense secretary's Kabul visit comes shortly after US President Joe Biden said last week that the May 1 deadline for troop withdrawal, agreed by his predecessor Donald Trump, would be "tough" to meet. Reacting to Biden's remarks, the Taliban warned Washington of "consequences" if US soldiers were to stay beyond the deadline. "It will be a kind of violation of the agreement. That violation would not be from our side. ... Their violation will have a reaction,'' Suhail Shaheen from the Taliban negotiation team told reporters on Friday. [...] There was no mention of the May 1 limit during Sunday's talks and while speaking to reporters later Austin refused to comment on the issue. "That's the domain of my boss," he told reporters. "That's the ... decision that the President (Biden) will make at some point in time, in terms of how he wants to approach this going forward." Austin, a retired four-star general, was deployed in Afghanistan as commander of the 10th Mountain Division. He was also at the helm of the US Central Command from 2013 to 2016. https://www.dw.com/en/us-defense-secretary-makes-surprise-visit-to-afghanistan/a-56946275 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BansheeOne Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 (edited) Quote Date 13.04.2021 Biden says US to leave Afghanistan on September 11 The US military is set to leave Afghanistan in September after two decades of fighting militants. Observers fear that the Taliban could return to power. US President Joe Biden is set to announce the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, an official told reporters on condition of anonymity on Tuesday. The symbolic date, 20 years to the day of the historic terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, will end the longest war in the US history. The Trump administration had set the pullout date for May 1. Biden's decision will delay the end of the war by another five months. Following the news of the planned withdrawal, NATO members set up a video conference for Wednesday, an alliance official told AFP. The military alliance has 9,600 personnel in the country, of which some 2,500 are US troops. Just hours after Biden's announcement, a spokesman for the Taliban said the militant group would not attend a planned summit in Turkey until all foreign troops leave the country. "Until all foreign forces completely withdraw from our homeland, [we] will not participate in any conference that shall make decisions about Afghanistan," Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for the Taliban office in Qatar, wrote on Twitter. Kabul expected to 'struggle' without US help The military withdrawal will not depend on the situation on the ground — despite fears that the Taliban could make major gains. "The president has judged that a conditions-based approach, which has been the approach of the past two decades, is a recipe for staying in Afghanistan forever," the official said. The latest delay was largely for logistical reasons, and the new date was coordinated with allies. US intelligence also released a report that found that Afghanistan's government would "struggle" to stand its ground against the "confident" Taliban. Afghanistan has been gripped by violent attacks, targeted assassinations and car bombs over the past year. Three civilians were killed by a suicide car bomb in the north of the country on Tuesday. The official said US forces had warned the Taliban against carrying out attacks on troops as they prepare to leave the country. "We have communicated to the Taliban in no uncertain terms that, if they do conduct attacks against US or allied forces as we carry out this drawdown, that we will hit back hard," the official said. [...] https://www.dw.com/en/biden-says-us-to-leave-afghanistan-on-september-11/a-57189408 Quote Date 14.04.2021 Author Marcel Nadim Aburakia Germany and UK to follow US out of Afghanistan Germany's defense minister has announced that the Bundeswehr will withdraw from Afghanistan in September. It comes amid US plans to withdraw by September 11. Germany will match US plans for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said in an interview on Wednesday. This announcement comes after reports that US President Joe Biden will announce a complete US withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11. "We have always said we are going in together, and we are going out together," Kramp-Karrenbauer told German public broadcaster ARD. "I stand for an orderly withdrawal, and I expect us to decide this today (at NATO)." She told ARD that a NATO decision to this effect will come after a special session of the so-called "Quad" meeting. While adressing other urgent matters, such as developments at the Ukranian-Russian border and the nuclear agreement with Iran, "the main focus of the talks is Afghanistan," the German foreign ministry said in a statement. UK to withdraw too: report According to The Times, Britain will follow suit and withdraw its roughly 750 troops. The newspaper cited sources as saying "they would struggle without American support because of a reliance on US bases and infrastructure." [...] Germany's long military mission in Afghanistan Soldiers of the Bundeswehr — Germany's armed forces — were told that their mission was not a combat one, but rather a short intervention aimed only at stabilizing a war-torn, isolated country in which al-Qaida founder and September 11 attacks mastermind Osama bin Laden was hiding at the time. Twenty years later, 1,300 soldiers are still deployed and Germany is taking part in a NATO-led mission to train the Afghan National Defense forces. A withdrawal by September would end the mission. [...] https://www.dw.com/en/germany-and-uk-to-follow-us-out-of-afghanistan/a-57194144 Edited April 14, 2021 by BansheeOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Tan Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 September 11 is jsut such a bad date to complete withdrawl. But I guess you might as well admit you got whupped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahawk Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 So finally the legitimate rulers can take back control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Galbraith Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 That would be the Greeks then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex2cav Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Biden wants Sept 11 as the date to place a bow on the war on terror and claim some credit. Like Simon, I think its a horrible idea, but for a different reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Galbraith Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Well at least it will remind everyone of what we can look forward to in another 20 years, if not sooner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougRichards Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Australia is about to pull out as well. Of interest, unfortunately and very sadly, more Australian troops have died from suicide after they came home, than the number who were killed in actual combat, or assassinated by those pretending to be on our side. We are currently having an existential crisis here over war crimes. Troops, unfortunately, got the message that those they captured bearing arms and were handed over to the government were being released to continue to try to kill Australian troops, and acted accordingly. Some purely innocents got caught up in this, but surely the blame should be squarely on the heads of the members of the Afghanistan regime who let the (I cannot think of a bad enough word that may be acceptable) go to continue their attacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonJ Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 1 hour ago, DougRichards said: Australia is about to pull out as well. Of interest, unfortunately and very sadly, more Australian troops have died from suicide after they came home, than the number who were killed in actual combat, or assassinated by those pretending to be on our side. We are currently having an existential crisis here over war crimes. Troops, unfortunately, got the message that those they captured bearing arms and were handed over to the government were being released to continue to try to kill Australian troops, and acted accordingly. Some purely innocents got caught up in this, but surely the blame should be squarely on the heads of the members of the Afghanistan regime who let the (I cannot think of a bad enough word that may be acceptable) go to continue their attacks. Afghan style of "catch and release". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BansheeOne Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Quote Date 21.04.2021 Afghanistan peace talks in Turkey postponed Negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban militants have once again hit a bump in the road. A top US military official has also raised doubts over the Taliban. The peace conference between the Afghan government and the Taliban that had been planned to take place in Turkey on Saturday has been postponed, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday. The US-backed talks, hosted by Turkey, Qatar and the UN, had been called to fast-track an agreement between the Afghan government and the rebel militants after US President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of US troops from the country by mid-September. Cavusoglu told the Turkish broadcaster Haberturk that the talks had been moved until after the holy month of Ramadan which ends in mid-May. The talks were delayed due to non-participation from the Taliban, Reuters reported. US general has 'grave doubts' about the Taliban US Marine General Kenneth McKenzie also voiced his concerns over the Taliban as a negotiating partner for US and Afghan diplomats on Tuesday. "I have grave doubts about the Taliban's reliability ... but we need to see what they're going to do here," McKenzie told the House Armed Services Committee. "If they want any form of future international recognition for Afghanistan ... they're going to have to keep the agreements that they've made." He also said that the Pentagon was investigating options to maintain an intelligence presence in a neighboring country after the US withdrawal in order to allow for continued surveillance and the possibility to deal with threats if necessary, the AFP news agency reported. "We are further planning now for continuing counterterrorism operations within the region, ensuring that the violent extremist organizations fighting for their existence in the hinterlands of Afghanistan remain under persistent surveillance and pressure," said McKenzie, who also leads the US Central Command. [...] https://www.dw.com/en/afghanistan-peace-talks-in-turkey-postponed/a-57271509 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Galbraith Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/12/british-troops-were-twice-as-likely-to-be-killed-in-afghanistan-as-us-forces British and Canadian troops were more than twice as likely to get killed in Afghanistan as their US counterparts, according to a study that looks at the scale of the sacrifice made by Nato allies over the course of the 20-year war. The UK also gave more to Afghanistan than the US in the form of economic and humanitarian assistance as a percentage of GDP, the study published on Wednesday by the Costs of War project at Brown University in the US found. Although the US suffered by far the greatest number of fatalities in absolute terms compared with other members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) – 2,316 American troops were killed between 2001 and 2017, the period of the study – Canadians and British soldiers sent to Afghanistan were more likely to die. The Costs of War report looks at fatalities as a percentage of national troop levels at peak deployment in Afghanistan. The US losses were 2.3% of its vast military presence. The UK lost 455 lives, which was 4.7% of its peak deployment level, while the 158 Canadians killed represented 5.4% of their total Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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