Taliban attacks Afghan capital

[☭proletarian☭]

Afghan security forces have locked down the centre of Kabul after Taliban fighters launched a series of attacks on key government targets in the Afghan capital.


The first attack on Monday was reported close to the presidential palace as Hamid Karzai, the president, swore in several of his cabinet ministers inside.

Al Jazeera English - CENTRAL/S. ASIA - Taliban attacks Afghan capital

"It does not mean the Taliban is strong. It means they cannot target military targets only the Afghan people. It means that they are weak," Mir Ahmed Joyenda, an Afghan parliamentarian, told Al Jazeera. Even so, the attack comes at a sensitive time in Afghan politics with Karzai yet to finalise his cabinet after disputed elections.
Chater said that the strikes will bring into question the credibility of Karzai's authority and the military strategy in Afghanistan of Barack Obama, the US president.
Obama committed 30,000 extra troops to the country at the end of last year, to be focused on training local security forces, after much deliberation.
The attack also comes ahead of the London Conference on Afghanistan hosted by the UK, UN and Afghanistan on January 28 on winning the conflict in the country.

 

[Tommy Lucchese]

Afghan security forces have locked down the centre of Kabul after Taliban fighters launched a series of attacks on key government targets in the Afghan capital.


The first attack on Monday was reported close to the presidential palace as Hamid Karzai, the president, swore in several of his cabinet ministers inside.

Al Jazeera English - CENTRAL/S. ASIA - Taliban attacks Afghan capital

"It does not mean the Taliban is strong. It means they cannot target military targets only the Afghan people. It means that they are weak," Mir Ahmed Joyenda, an Afghan parliamentarian, told Al Jazeera. Even so, the attack comes at a sensitive time in Afghan politics with Karzai yet to finalise his cabinet after disputed elections.
Chater said that the strikes will bring into question the credibility of Karzai's authority and the military strategy in Afghanistan of Barack Obama, the US president.
Obama committed 30,000 extra troops to the country at the end of last year, to be focused on training local security forces, after much deliberation.
The attack also comes ahead of the London Conference on Afghanistan hosted by the UK, UN and Afghanistan on January 28 on winning the conflict in the country.

This has the fingerprints of the ISI-D all over it.

 

[waltky]

Taliban leadership movin' back into Afghanistan...

Taliban leaders may have moved to Afghanistan from Pakistan
Sunday 27th November, 2016 The leaders of Afghanistan's Taliban movement may have moved back to their homeland after operating out of Pakistan for more than a decade, to try to build on this year's gains in the war and to establish a permanent presence.

If confirmed, the move would be a sign of the Taliban's confidence in their fight against the US-backed government in Kabul. It could also be an attempt by the militants to distance themselves from Pakistan, which is accused of supporting the movement. The Taliban's leaders have been based in Pakistani cities, including Quetta, Karachi and Peshawar, since their rule in Afghanistan was overthrown in the 2001 US invasion after the 9/11 attacks. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the leadership shura, or council, relocated to Afghanistan "some months ago", although he would not say to where.

One Taliban official said the shura had moved to southern Helmand province, which the insurgents consider to be part of their heartland and where most of the opium that funds their operations is produced. Other Taliban sources said the justice, recruitment and religious councils had also moved to southern Afghanistan. The statements could not be independently confirmed. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's office said it had no confirmation that any such move had taken place. "No intelligence confirms that the Taliban has shifted its shura to Afghanistan," said Haroon Chakhansuri, Ghani's spokesman. "We still believe they are still operating in their safe havens outside Afghanistan."

Taliban suicide bombers stand guard during a gathering of a breakaway Taliban faction, in the border area of Zabul province, Afghanistan​

Mujahid, however, said Kabul officials were aware of the moves, prompted by battlefield gains that the insurgents believed would put them in a strong position once talks with the Afghan government aimed at ending the war were restarted. Dialogue broke down earlier this year. The insurgents have spread their footprint across Afghanistan since international combat troops scaled down in 2014. They have maintained multiple offensives and threatened at least three provincial capitals in recent months: Kunduz, in northern Kunduz province, Lashkah Gar, in Helmand in the south, and Tirin Kot in Uruzgan.

The US military has conceded the insurgents have gained ground, although definitive breakdowns are difficult to verify. This year, Afghan security forces are believed to have suffered their worst losses since 2001, with the military estimating 2016 fatalities at more than 5,000 so far. A permanent Taliban presence in Afghanistan would send a message to followers and fighters that the insurgents now control so much territory they can no longer be dislodged by government security forces, said Franz-Michael Mellbin, the European Union's ambassador in Kabul. He said he has not confirmed the reports, which have circulated for weeks. But such a move could also be part of "the Taliban's attempt to try to create a more independent position", he said, as "parts of the Taliban would like to be under less direct pressure from Pakistan."

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[Bleipriester]

While the Afghan militias are fucking their little boys and the US soldiers are forced to look away, the Taliban is improving its position. The West must have a closer eye on whom they are operating with.