SECURITY
Kapisa Provincial Council Secretary Dies in Blast
Kapsia: Mohammad Aman Mubarez, Kapisa provincial council secretary, was killed in an explosion while he was at a picnic. According to local media, Mubarez, had been at a picnic in Kham Zargar area of the district when unexploded ordinance detonated. The incident occurred at around 1 p.m. when an unexploded mine was triggered. Two of his bodyguards were wounded. Tolonews
Eleven Pakistani Insurgents Killed in Airstrikes in Ghazni Province of Afghanistan
Ghazni: At least eleven Pakistani insurgents were killed in a series of airstrikes conducted in southeastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan. The airstrikes were carried out in the vicinity of Gilan and Nawa districts of Ghazni. The airstrikes were carried out by the foreign forces. Khaama
One of Taliban’s Head of Suicide Attack Missions Killed in Kandahar
Kandahar: A key Taliban group member who was involved in organizing suicide attacks has been killed in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan. The Taliban leader has been identified as Mohammad and was killed in Maiwand district. He was involved in the transportation of the suicide bombers to the area of their target. The insurgent was killed as a result of an airstrike conducted in Maiwand. Khaama
Seven Samangan Villages Cleared of Militants, Police Claim
Samangan: The security forces recaptured seven villages from the Taliban militants during an ongoing operation in the Dara-i-Sauf Payeen district of northern Samangan province. Their sleeping cells in the area have been eliminated. Pajhwok
POLITICAL
Pending Proposals behind Election Hold Up
According to IEC commissioner, Maazullah Dawlati, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) will start work on election plans once budget and constituency issues have been resolved. He further said that we will start our action plans once we are assured about budget issues and to some extent about security issues. Tolonews
National Congress Party ‘Recognizes’ Durand Line as Border
Abdul Latif Pedram, the leader of the National Congress Party (NCP) said that his party officially recognizes the Durand Line between Afghanistan and Pakistan as an official border and that most of the tension between the two countries is rooted in Kabul’s failure to publicly acknowledge this. According to him, government does quietly accept the Durand Line as the border but is not honest in its recognition with the public. Tolonews
Taliban Can’t Fight Without Pakistan Support: Mohib
Dr. Hameedullah Mohib, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States, claimed that Afghan Taliban could not fight without support from Pakistan. According to him, any insurgency and guerrilla warfare can’t succeed until and unless they have sleeping cells. These cells are enjoyed by them inside Pakistan. Pajhwok
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
NATO in Afghanistan to prevent it from Becoming Terrorism Safe Haven: Stoltenberg
According to a The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, the presence of the alliance in Afghanistan is to prevent the country from becoming the international terrorism safe haven. He said, “NATO already plays a key role in the fight against terrorism. We have to remember that our biggest military operation ever, our presence in Afghanistan, is about fighting terrorism. It’s about preventing Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for international terrorism.” Khaama
Russia Supports Taliban’s Call for Withdrawal of all Foreign Forces
Russia has endorsed the Taliban militants group’s call for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan. According to Russia’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, “Of course it’s justified for the Taliban to oppose the foreign military presence”. He further said that who’s in favor? Name me one neighboring state that supports it. According to The American defense secretary, James Mattis, Washington is concerned regarding the ties between Moscow and Taliban group. Khaama
