Tag Archives: Afghanistan

British Defense Sec: We Won’t Go Back To Afghanistan

Reuters reports: The Taliban are in control of Afghanistan and British and NATO forces will not be returning to fight the insurgents, Britain’s defence minister said on Monday. “I acknowledge that the Taliban are in control of the country,” Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News. “I mean, you don’t have to be a political scientist to spot that’s where …

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RNC Deletes Page Touting Trump’s Deal With Taliban

The Week reports: The Republican National Committee has removed a page from the 2020 campaign that says “Biden has had a history of pushing for endless wars” while “Trump has continued to take the lead in peace talks as he signed a historic peace agreement with the Taliban in Afghanistan, which would end America’s longest war.” Trump’s secretary of state, …

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US To Deploy Another 1000 Troops To Afghanistan

The Hill reports: The Pentagon has reportedly authorized the deployment of 1,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, bringing the total number of troops on the ground to 6,000 as the Taliban continues its advances in the capital city of Kabul. Reuters reported on Sunday that the additional troops will be drawn from the 82nd Airborne Division, which was already on standby. …

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Fox Anchor Chris Wallace Grills Pompeo On Afghanistan: Do You Regret Giving The Taliban Legitimacy? [VIDEO]

The Daily Beast reports: Wallace pointed out that a number of critics have said that Trump cutting a deal with the Taliban without the Afghan government even being involved was “hugely demoralizing” and led to the current chaos. (Notably, just weeks before the 2020 election, the Taliban endorsed Trump for president in the hopes he would “wind up U.S. military …

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Reuters: Afghan President Leaves Country For Tajikistan

Reuters reports: Taliban insurgents entered Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Sunday and an official said President Ashraf Ghani had left the city for Tajikistan, capping the militants’ lightning push for power. A senior Afghan Interior Ministry official said Ghani had left for Tajikistan. Asked for comment, the president’s office it “cannot say anything about Ashraf Ghani’s movement for security reasons”. Taliban …

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Blinken: US Has Begun Evacuation Of Kabul Embassy

Politico reports: Without saying directly that the U.S. was shutting down its embassy in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the U.S. was evacuating personnel from the facility in Kabul. “We are working to make sure that our personnel are safe and secure,” Blinken told host Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week.” “We’re relocating the men and …

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US Commits More Troops To Afghanistan Evacuation

The Washington Post reports: The Taliban’s blitz across Afghanistan pushed closer to Kabul on Saturday, as U.S. diplomats appealed to the militants to stop the advance and President Biden warned that any moves to threaten American personnel or interests would be met with “a swift and strong” military response from the thousands of U.S. troops flooding into the capital. A …

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16 Cultists Vote Against Rescuing Afghan Interpreters

The New York Times reports: The House voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to expand a visa program for Afghans who are facing retribution for helping American troops and diplomats during the 20-year war in Afghanistan, moving to allow more of them to immigrate to the United States quickly as the Biden administration races to evacuate them. With Afghans who helped the …

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All US Troops To Leave Afghanistan By September 11th

The New York Times reports: President Biden has decided to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 20 years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon launched the country into its longest war, United States officials said Tuesday. The decision will keep more than 3,000 American troops on the ground in Afghanistan beyond …

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30 Taliban Killed In Bomb-Making Class Explosion

Agence France-Presse reports: At least 30 Taliban fighters have been killed in an explosion at a mosque in Afghanistan during a bomb-making class. The 209th Shaheen Corps – part of the Afghan National Army – said in a statement that 30 fighters including six foreign nationals who were expert mine makers, had been killed in an explosion on Saturday morning. …

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Acting Defense Secretary Announces Troop Reductions In Iraq And Afghanistan, Move Opposed By McConnell

CNBC reports: Acting Pentagon chief Christopher Miller said Tuesday that the United States will reduce its military presence in Afghanistan to 2,500 troops and 2,500 troops in Iraq by Jan. 15. The United States has approximately 4,500 troops currently in Afghanistan and more than 3,000 in Iraq. Last week, Miller ascended to the Pentagon’s acting Secretary of Defense role after …

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McConnell Blasts Plan To “Retreat” From Afghanistan

Via press release from Mitch McConnell: A rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan now would hurt our allies and delight the people who wish us harm. Violence affecting Afghans is still rampant. The Taliban is not abiding by the conditions of the so-called peace deal. The consequences of a premature American exit would likely be even worse than President …

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Trump To Order Troop Withdrawals In Iraq, Afghanistan

CNN reports: US military commanders are anticipating that a formal order will be given by President Donald Trump as soon as this week to begin a further withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq before Trump leaves office on January 20, according to two US officials familiar. The Pentagon has issued a notice to commanders known as a “warning …

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Mother Of Killed Marine Demands Answers On Bounties

CNBC reports: The mother of a Marine killed last year in Afghanistan said Monday that she wants a thorough investigation of reports that her son and two other Marines may have been the targets of Taliban-linked fighters who collected a bounty on U.S. soldiers offered by a Russian military intelligence unit. Felicia Arculeo, whose son Cpl. Robert Hendriks died in …

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NYT: Russia Offered Militants Bounties To Kill US Troops

The New York Times reports: American intelligence officials have concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan — including targeting American troops — amid the peace talks to end the long-running war there, according to officials briefed on the matter. The United States concluded months ago that the Russian …

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Taliban Resumes Offensive Despite US Deal Signing

Agence France-Presse reports: The Taliban said Monday they were resuming offensive operations against Afghan security forces, ending the partial truce that preceded the signing of a deal between the insurgents and Washington. The declaration comes only a day after President Ashraf Ghani said he would continue the partial truce at least until talks between Afghan officials and the Taliban kick-off, …

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US Signs “Historic” Deal With Taliban To End Conflict

The BBC reports: The US and the Taliban have signed an agreement aimed at paving the way towards peace in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of conflict. The US and its NATO allies have agreed to withdraw all their troops from the country within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and …

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Pompeo Claims New “Understanding” With Taliban

Politico reports: U.S. officials and the Taliban have reached an “understanding” that could result in a “reduction in violence” in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday, paving the way for an agreement later this month that would bring to an end America’s longest war. “After decades of conflict, we have come to an understanding with the Taliban on …

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US Claims New Truce Agreement With The Taliban

The Associated Press reports: A senior U.S. official said Friday the United States and the Taliban have reached a truce agreement that will take effect “very soon” and could lead to withdrawals of American troops from Afghanistan. The official said the agreement for a seven-day “reduction in violence” to be followed by the start of all-Afghan peace talks within 10 …

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Trump To Announce Afghanistan Force Drawdown

NBC News reports: The Trump administration intends to announce the drawdown of about 4,000 troops from Afghanistan as early next week, according to three current and former U.S. officials. The withdrawal will leave between 8,000 and 9,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the officials said. The announcement would come just days after Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad rejoined diplomatic …

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