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Meanwhile In Afghanistan


Panzermann

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Ah, I hope so much that jealous russians will use ODAB-9000 in Syria...

As far as i know Tu-16 were the last planes able to carry ФАБ-9000 (and, probably, ODAB-9000). In three month of 1988, 289 ФАБ-9000 were dropped from Tu-16s in Afganistan - de-facto it was utilisation as Tu-15 was running out of service life.

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As far as i know Tu-16 were the last planes able to carry ФАБ-9000 (and, probably, ODAB-9000). In three month of 1988, 289 ФАБ-9000 were dropped from Tu-16s in Afganistan - de-facto it was utilisation as Tu-15 was running out of service life.

ODAB-9000, just like MOAB, mostly intended to be used from cargo planes, not bombers. And yeah, for now there's no strat bombers that can carry such weight. But this doesn't mean that Tu-95MS can't be downgraded back to bomber state if necessary.

 

Plus don't forget about Tu-22M3. NEVER forget about it.

Edited by GARGEAN
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Yep, i finally got that straight for myself. Ooops. :unsure:

Not a big deal))) Veeeery widespread misinformation.

 

 

Russian ATBIP "Father of all Bombs" however is thermobaric, maybe leading to some confusion.

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interestingly former president of afghanistan Karzai twitters in anti-US rhetoric:

 

Hamid Karzai

@KarzaiH

 

I vehemently and in strongest words condemn the dropping of the latest weapon, the largest non-nuclear #bomb , on Afghanistan by US...1/2

20:36 - 13 Apr 2017

 

2/2 military. This is not the war on terror but the inhuman and most brutal misuse of our country as testing ground for new and dangerous...

20:38 - 13 Apr 2017

 

2/3 weapons. It is upon us,Afghans, to stop the #USA .

20:39 - 13 Apr 2017

 

2/2 land . This proves the US is using our country for its own broader agenda. The endorsement of US WMD use on Afghan soil by #NUG ...1/2

 

 

https://www.twitter.com/KarzaiH

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Ah, I hope so much that jealous russians will use ODAB-9000 in Syria...

As far as i know Tu-16 were the last planes able to carry ФАБ-9000 (and, probably, ODAB-9000). In three month of 1988, 289 ФАБ-9000 were dropped from Tu-16s in Afganistan - de-facto it was utilisation as Tu-15 was running out of service life.

When running out of -9000 bombs there is Nassir-9. Have any of these been captured in OIF?

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Taliban assault kills over 100.

 

 

 

The Taliban’s deadliest ever assault on a military base in Afghanistan has claimed more than 100 casualties, raising questions about the militant group’s growing influence in the country.

Ten Taliban fighters, disguised in army uniform, drove into the Mazar-e-Sharif army base in northern Afghanistan on Friday during prayers, attacking soldiers in an area that is outside the Islamist group’s traditional southern strongholds.

The attack comes just days after an American air strike killed nine members of the Taliban in northern Afghanistan, and will be seen as a blow to the US-led campaign against militants.

Earlier this month, the US dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb on Isis hide-outs in a Taliban-controlled area in southern Afghanistan, in what was seen as a more aggressive policy from the Trump administration against Islamists of all types.

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani declared a national day of mourning on Sunday and said he would investigate the “atrocious and barbarous” attack.

“President Ghani offers his deep condolences to families of the victims and the entire nation, wishing eternal peace to the martyrs and speedy recovery to the wounded,” the government’s office said in a statement on Saturday.

“The President also reiterated that the Government is committed to annihilating all terrorist outfits.”

The Taliban has proved resilient in the face of a 16-year war led by the US. Its influence has grown despite resistance from the US-backed Afghan army, more than 6,000 of whom died between January and November last year, according to an audit submitted to the US Congress in January.

“The numbers of the Afghan security forces are decreasing, while both casualties and the number of districts under insurgent control or influence are increasing,” said the report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Mazar-e-Sharif is one of the Afghanistan army’s largest military bases in the northern part of the country, which has traditionally remained outside the influence of the Taliban.

In July last year, former US President Barack Obama said he would delay the drawdown of troops from the country in response to what he called the “precarious” security situation.

In February this year, General John Nicholson, commander of the US forces in Afghanistan called for the US to commit several thousand more troops to the country to break the “stalemate” in the country.

Western diplomats say the US and other countries with stakes in Afghanistan face the risk of a growing Taliban advance unless urgent measures are taken to bolster the country’s security apparatus.

James Dorsey of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore warned that the attack raised questions about whether there had been “inside help” for the Taliban attackers.

“It certainly does not bode well for morale within the Afghan military and adds to doubts of its military to defeat the Taliban” he told the FT. “One question is whether Friday’s attack was the Taliban’s response to the US use of the ‘mother of all bombs’,” he said. “Friday’s attack looks like the mother of all attacks on the Afghan military.”

https://www.ft.com/content/677e22cc-27f7-11e7-9ec8-168383da43b7

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According to other reports the attack has already claimed over 140 dead.

TOLO says 135:

An official told TOLOnews on Saturday morning that at least 135 soldiers were killed in Friday afternoons attack on the Afghan National Armys 209 Shaheen Corps Headquarters in Balkh province.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity as government has not officially released figures, said at least 60 soldiers were also wounded in the attack. He said some were in critical condition.

However, the ministry of defense and government last confirmed the death toll at 11. Nothing further has been officially disclosed to the media.

http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/least-80-dead-army-base-attack

 

edit:

and a report by Bilal Sarawry

Edited by Panzermann
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/23/world/middleeast/afghan-base-massacre-taliban-fight-uncertainty.html

 

 

AFghan Army chief of staff and minister of defense fired and

commanders of 203, 205, 207, 209 corps replaced

 


 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/04/24/russia-is-sending-weapons-to-taliban-top-u-s-general-confirms/

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/with-us-policy-in-flux-russia-and-iran-challenge-american-power-in-afghanistan/2017/04/12/

 

edit: reuters is a bit more reserved than wapo:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-russia-idUSKBN17Q1H2

 

Top U.S. general in Afghanistan sees Russia sending weapons to Taliban

The head of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan said on Monday he was not refuting reports that Russia was providing support, including weapons, to the Taliban.

General John Nicholson was speaking in Kabul during a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

For some time, American officials have complained of what Nicholson once called malign influence by Russia in Afghanistan, but Mondays comments are among the strongest suggestions yet that Moscow is providing arms to the Taliban.

Asked about reports that Russia was providing a range of help, including weapons, to the Taliban, who control large areas of Afghanistan, Nicholson replied: Oh no, I am not refuting that.

Edited by Panzermann
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  • 2 weeks later...

The Taliban captured the Qala-i-Zal district of northern Kunduz province early on Saturday after two days of heavy clashes, local officials said.

 

Asadullah Sadaat, a provincial council member, said the Taliban overran the district at around 10:00am. Three security posts were under siege from the insurgents.

Security forces managed to break the siege around two posts but the a third was being controlled by the militants, he said. It is not known how many security personnel man the post.

 

http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2017/05/06/qala-i-zal-district-kunduz-falls-taliban

 

http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/clashes-ongoing-close-kunduz-city

 

 

http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/mod-draws-new-plan-oust-taliban-kunduz

Edited by Panzermann
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  • 2 weeks later...

I make no judgement, other than this is the second time ive seen these allegations in the past month. Make up your own mind whether there is any veracity or not.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/05/17/evidence-russian-military-support-for-afghan-taliban-is-growing.html

 

Evidence of Russian military support for Afghan Taliban is growing

 

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghanistan villagers caught in Taliban territory in the northern province of Kunduz, by the border of Tajikistan, recently began reporting unmarked helicopters at night landing and leaving quickly from known Taliban hideouts, or at least areas outside of government control.

Others spoke of smugglers bringing in shipments of small boats across the quiet river, called Panj on the Tajikistan side and Amu on the Afghanistan, between the two countries.

It didn't take long before suspicions arose of an international outfit at play. The locals feared going close to the tightly controlled Taliban enclaves to investigate. Around the same time, reports from the U.S. started growing that Russia was once again meddling in Afghanistan -- this time by arming the Taliban.

"I believe what Russia is attempting to do is they are attempting to be an influential party in this part of the world," Gen. Joseph Votel, chief of U.S. Central Command, told American lawmakers in March. "I think it is fair to assume they may be providing some sort of support to [the Taliban] in terms of weapons or other things that may be there."

The recent onslaught of the Taliban into the north of Afghanistan -- once a relatively stable place compared to the insurgency-saturated southern and eastern areas -- can be partly attributed, say many experts and officials, to Russian involvement.

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I make no judgement, other than this is the second time ive seen these allegations in the past month. Make up your own mind whether there is any veracity or not.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/05/17/evidence-russian-military-support-for-afghan-taliban-is-growing.html

Evidence of Russian military support for Afghan Taliban is growing

 

KABUL, Afghanistan Afghanistan villagers caught in Taliban territory in the northern province of Kunduz, by the border of Tajikistan, recently began reporting unmarked helicopters at night landing and leaving quickly from known Taliban hideouts, or at least areas outside of government control.

Others spoke of smugglers bringing in shipments of small boats across the quiet river, called Panj on the Tajikistan side and Amu on the Afghanistan, between the two countries.

It didn't take long before suspicions arose of an international outfit at play. The locals feared going close to the tightly controlled Taliban enclaves to investigate. Around the same time, reports from the U.S. started growing that Russia was once again meddling in Afghanistan -- this time by arming the Taliban.

"I believe what Russia is attempting to do is they are attempting to be an influential party in this part of the world," Gen. Joseph Votel, chief of U.S. Central Command, told American lawmakers in March. "I think it is fair to assume they may be providing some sort of support to [the Taliban] in terms of weapons or other things that may be there."

The recent onslaught of the Taliban into the north of Afghanistan -- once a relatively stable place compared to the insurgency-saturated southern and eastern areas -- can be partly attributed, say many experts and officials, to Russian involvement.

Bla... Red helicopters!
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Stuart I make no judgement, other than this is the second time ive seen these allegations in the past month. Make up your own mind whether there is any veracity or not.

 

 

A consequence of the entirely needless and foolish confrontation over Ukraine 2013/2014 would be my estimate. We discussed this at the time - about how and where this was going to spill over, if you will recall. My memory is hazy, but I believe you thought at the time it was all pretty funny stuff, this idea of lateral escalation and endless low level insurgency war.

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A consequence of the entirely needless and foolish confrontation over Ukraine 2013/2014 would be my estimate. We discussed this at the time - about how and where this was going to spill over, if you will recall. My memory is hazy, but I believe you thought at the time it was all pretty funny stuff, this idea of lateral escalation and endless low level insurgency war.

 

I do not think here is Ukraine link in fact, as it is side effect of more important developments. Western intervention ruined Afghanistan and failed to create any replacement of Taliban (“Northern Alliance” that was once Russia hope of preventing radical Islam spread into Central Asia, seems dead) , at the same time Western interventions in Middle East created new threats way more dangerous than Taliban - Al Nusra and ISIS made Taliban look moderate. So what are options for Russia – sit and wait to see ISIS pickups near Astrakhan? Taliban is the only force able to deal with ISIS, and also they are preventing drugs trade (or, at least, pretending to).

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Roman I do not think here is Ukraine link in fact, as it is side effect of more important developments.

 

 

Then Putin must be an idiot, because only a fool could reckon on the arming an enemy of the United States being taken as anything but a hostile action in Washington. And Putin does not strike me as a fool. When the Americans start saying this is hostile, Putin will say that weakening the A-stan army by supporting its main enemy is the way to weaken ISIS? That literally doesn't even make sense.

 

Stuart had indicated some months back that the US could stomp Russia out of Asia and the Middle East in one week. Oddly, the Russians don’t seem to agree and the Taliban are under the impression that after 16 years of fighting the US and allies, they are starting to win.

 

So what are options for Russia – sit and wait to see ISIS pickups near Astrakhan?

 

 

Gee, if only Russia had an army, an air force, and access to Afghanistan where it could help the Afghan army fight ISIS and the Taliban at the same time! But what are the odds that all three of those things are true, that Russia has armed forces, access to A-stan, and there is a large local Afghan government army fighting ISIS already that would welcome the assistance with open arms?

This ISIS is an odd creature. So dangerous to the US and Russia that both are now running around arming local armies everywhere to fight it. But, at the same time, ISIS is so weak that neither the Russians nor the Americans feel the need to commit their own troops to battle in numbers to elminate them. Will the real ISIS please stand up? It’s geopolitics. The new game is local armies stiffened with outside Great Power assistance on the cheap. Both sides need something like ISIS to exist to play, to justify all these local tribes they're arming.

Edited by glenn239
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german development aid worker killed in Kabuland a finish one probably kidnapped:

Gunmen in the Afghan capital Kabul have attacked a guesthouse, killing a German woman and beheading an Afghan guard.
The attackers stormed a guesthouse run by a Swedish NGO, Operation Mercy, at about 23:30 (19:00 GMT) on Saturday, the Afghan interior ministry said.
A second woman, from Finland, is missing and has possibly been kidnapped, the ministry said.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39990115

 

Police reported the attackers stormed the premises at around 9 pm local time and first slashed the guard’s neck.
The attackers then made their way up to the second story of the building where they reportedly shot the German woman in the face. (…)
“Our initial investigations show that they were killed in a mysterious way, first they killed their guard and then entered the room where two women were sleeping; killed one of them and took another one away. Two other women were also in the house who were safely transferred by the police to a safe area,” said MoI spokesman Najib Danish.

 

 

http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/residents-shocked-over-killing-german-and-her-afghan-guard

 

finnish foreign ministry confirms: http://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_citizen_kidnapped_in_afghanistan/9625228

 


in other news vice-president/warlord Dostum visits Turkey:

 

In the dark of night and amid a criminal investigation into rape accusations against him, Afghanistan’s embattled vice president, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, left for Turkey on Friday in what Afghan and Western officials suggested could be another long exile for the former warlord.
General Dostum has been fighting for political survival for months after a northern elder claimed he had been abducted from a sports match and then tortured and raped by the vice president and his guards.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/world/middleeast/abdul-rashid-dostum-afghanistan-turkey.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&smtyp=cur&_r=0

 

 

The political landscape starts shifting in AFG.

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