Sixteen people were killed after militants stormed the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, officials said Thursday, in a nearly 10-hour raid that prompted anguished pleas for help from trapped students. 
 
Explosions and gunfire rocked the campus after the attack began Wednesday evening, just weeks after two university professors -- an American and an Australian -- were kidnapped at gunpoint near the school. 
 
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault, but it occurred as the Taliban ramp up their nationwide summer offensive against the Western-backed government. 
 
The presidential office said the attack was &quot;orchestrated&quot; from Pakistan, Afghanistan&#39;s longtime regional nemesis often accused of harbouring the Taliban. 
 
&quot;Sixteen people, including eight students, were killed and 53 others were wounded,&quot; health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told AFP. &quot;Some of the wounded are in critical condition.&quot; 
 
The interior ministry said the fatalities included policemen, a university guard and a guard from the neighbouring vocational school for the visually impaired. 
 
Hundreds of trapped students were rescued during the overnight operation, many of whom tweeted desperate messages for help. Some used classroom furniture to barricade the doors while others made a mad scramble to escape through windows. 
 
The attack began just after dusk, when the private university is usually packed with students, many of them working professionals doing part-time courses. 
 
&quot;Students were pushing each other out of the classroom window,&quot; Farzana, a young student who managed to flee told AFP. &quot;I was reluctant to jump but a fellow student pushed me and I fell down. The rest I don&#39;t remember.&quot; 
 
Authorities refused to confirm whether any hostages had been taken. 
 
NATO military advisers helped Afghan forces to respond to the attack, a US official said, without specifying how many troops were involved. 
 
At dawn, after the assault had ended, a few women students, some of them terrified and weeping, were escorted out of the campus by policemen. 
 
&#39;Brutal attack&#39; 
 
The attack, apparently the first major militant assault on a prominent university in Afghanistan, has cast a pall on the education sector, seen as a rare symbol of hope for the country&#39;s burgeoning youth at a time of rising insecurity. 
 
The growing number of students attending university, especially women, has been hailed as a success story in Afghanistan since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban regime, which banned women&#39;s education. 
 
&quot;Terrorist groups, by attacking civilians, educational institutions, residential areas, culverts, bridges, electricity stations... want to obstruct growth and strengthening of the values that Afghans believe in,&quot; President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement, condemning the &quot;brutal attack&quot;. 
 
The attack was &quot;organised and orchestrated&quot; from Pakistan, his office said in a separate statement, adding that Ghani spoke to Pakistan&#39;s powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif to demand &quot;serious measures against the terrorists&quot;. 
 
The elite American University of Afghanistan, which opened in 2006 and enrols more than 1,700 students, was long seen as a high-profile target for militants partly because it attracts foreign faculty members. 
 
The two foreign professors at the university were seized from their vehicle on August 7, when the kidnappers smashed the passenger window and hauled them away at gunpoint. 
 
Their whereabouts are still unknown and no group so far has publicly claimed responsibility for the abductions, the latest in a series of kidnappings of foreigners. 
 
The uptick in violence comes as the Taliban escalate nationwide attacks, underscoring the worsening security situation since NATO forces ended their combat mission at the end of 2014. 
 
Afghan forces backed by US troops are seeking to head off a potential Taliban takeover of Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern opium-rich province of Helmand. 
 
The turmoil convulsing Helmand, blighted by a huge opium harvest that helps fund the insurgency, has left thousands of people displaced, sparking a humanitarian crisis. 
 
The Taliban have also closed in on Kunduz -- the northern city they briefly seized last year in their biggest military victory so far -- leaving Afghan forces stretched on multiple fronts. 
&nbsp;

No group has claimed responsibility for the assault but the presidential office said the attack was 'orchestrated' from Pakistan

Sixteen people were killed after militants stormed the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, officials said Thursday, in a nearly 10-hour raid that prompted anguished pleas for help from trapped students. Explosions and gunfire rocked the campus after the attack began Wednesday evening, just weeks after two university professors -- an American and an Australian -- were kidnapped at gunpoint near the school. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the assault, but it occurred as the Taliban ramp up their nationwide summer offensive against the Western-backed government. The presidential office said the attack was "orchestrated" from Pakistan, Afghanistan's longtime regional nemesis often accused of harbouring the Taliban. "Sixteen people, including eight students, were killed and 53 others were wounded," health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told AFP. "Some of the wounded are in critical condition." The interior ministry said the fatalities included policemen, a university guard and a guard from the neighbouring vocational school for the visually impaired. Hundreds of trapped students were rescued during the overnight operation, many of whom tweeted desperate messages for help. Some used classroom furniture to barricade the doors while others made a mad scramble to escape through windows. The attack began just after dusk, when the private university is usually packed with students, many of them working professionals doing part-time courses. "Students were pushing each other out of the classroom window," Farzana, a young student who managed to flee told AFP. "I was reluctant to jump but a fellow student pushed me and I fell down. The rest I don't remember." Authorities refused to confirm whether any hostages had been taken. NATO military advisers helped Afghan forces to respond to the attack, a US official said, without specifying how many troops were involved. At dawn, after the assault had ended, a few women students, some of them terrified and weeping, were escorted out of the campus by policemen. 'Brutal attack' The attack, apparently the first major militant assault on a prominent university in Afghanistan, has cast a pall on the education sector, seen as a rare symbol of hope for the country's burgeoning youth at a time of rising insecurity. The growing number of students attending university, especially women, has been hailed as a success story in Afghanistan since the 2001 ouster of the Taliban regime, which banned women's education. "Terrorist groups, by attacking civilians, educational institutions, residential areas, culverts, bridges, electricity stations... want to obstruct growth and strengthening of the values that Afghans believe in," President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement, condemning the "brutal attack". The attack was "organised and orchestrated" from Pakistan, his office said in a separate statement, adding that Ghani spoke to Pakistan's powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif to demand "serious measures against the terrorists". The elite American University of Afghanistan, which opened in 2006 and enrols more than 1,700 students, was long seen as a high-profile target for militants partly because it attracts foreign faculty members. The two foreign professors at the university were seized from their vehicle on August 7, when the kidnappers smashed the passenger window and hauled them away at gunpoint. Their whereabouts are still unknown and no group so far has publicly claimed responsibility for the abductions, the latest in a series of kidnappings of foreigners. The uptick in violence comes as the Taliban escalate nationwide attacks, underscoring the worsening security situation since NATO forces ended their combat mission at the end of 2014. Afghan forces backed by US troops are seeking to head off a potential Taliban takeover of Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern opium-rich province of Helmand. The turmoil convulsing Helmand, blighted by a huge opium harvest that helps fund the insurgency, has left thousands of people displaced, sparking a humanitarian crisis. The Taliban have also closed in on Kunduz -- the northern city they briefly seized last year in their biggest military victory so far -- leaving Afghan forces stretched on multiple fronts.

16 dead, 53 wounded in attack on American University in Kabul

Fifteen years after fleeing his home in Afghanistan to escape the Taliban, Mehdi Salehi is today working on a project to save the lives of drowning refugees. 
 
The 33-year-old Afghan wants to help people like him survive the dangerous journey across the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. 
 
&#39;Drones for Refugees&#39; is a project designed to enable rescuers to swiftly locate and reach migrant boats in difficulty, cutting the time it otherwise takes to reach them. 
 
The sea route between Turkey and the Greek Islands, which was a favourite among smugglers, saw heavy traffic post the Syrian conflict. 
 
Salehi, now a lecturer at the Parsons School of Design in New York, saw images of many who did not make it through the seas and decided to do something about it. 
 
With support from Parsons alumni and faculty, Mehdi and his partner Kristen Kersh bought and customised the drone tested on Lesbos. They added cameras, sensors, data-sharing points and designed a web&nbsp;platform. 
 
Footage from the cameras and the infrared sensors can be streamed live to websites and mobile devices used by coastguards, search and rescue teams and merchant ships. 
 
With drones making news for all the wrong reasons in the recent times, Mehdi insists that the technology must be used for saving lives. 
 
&quot;With the technology that we have today, people shouldn&rsquo;t be dying at sea. When I crossed, we had to buy a paper map to find the closest point to Greece on the Turkish seashore,&quot; he tells AFP. 
 
Esther Camps, Lesbos coordinator of Spanish lifeguard group Pro-Activa, says that the project could provide vital information on what rescuers need to expect ahead of time: &quot;If they need medical assistance, the number&nbsp;of people on board, availability of life-jackets on them, can all be tracked,&quot; she says. 
 
When Salehi crossed the Aegean from Turkey in 2001, he arrived on Chios island in Greece with a friend. 
 
Salehi and his friend were arrested and thrown in jail for five months until a Greek doctor working for Amnesty International visited the 
prison and Salehi asked her for help in filling out his Greek asylum application. 
 
She found him a lawyer and he got his papers.
<h2>Better drones</h2>
Drones for Refugees plans to build bigger drones, able to fly over larger areas of the Mediterranean where the survival of refugees and migrants depends on being spotted and rescued by a ship. 
 
The final prototype is likely to be ready by the end of this year, Salehi says. 
 
Until now, the group has been funding itself but Salehi and his team will need more cash if they are to build larger drones with longer 
flight autonomy. 
 
After being granted asylum in Greece, Salehi obtained a master&#39;s degree in architecture from the University of Volos in 2011. 
 
Moving to the United States, he received a second master&#39;s in design and technology from Parson&#39;s School of Design in New York. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

'Drones for Refugees' is a project designed to enable rescuers to swiftly locate and reach migrant boats in difficulty

Fifteen years after fleeing his home in Afghanistan to escape the Taliban, Mehdi Salehi is today working on a project to save the lives of drowning refugees. The 33-year-old Afghan wants to help people like him survive the dangerous journey across the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. 'Drones for Refugees' is a project designed to enable rescuers to swiftly locate and reach migrant boats in difficulty, cutting the time it otherwise takes to reach them. The sea route between Turkey and the Greek Islands, which was a favourite among smugglers, saw heavy traffic post the Syrian conflict. Salehi, now a lecturer at the Parsons School of Design in New York, saw images of many who did not make it through the seas and decided to do something about it. With support from Parsons alumni and faculty, Mehdi and his partner Kristen Kersh bought and customised the drone tested on Lesbos. They added cameras, sensors, data-sharing points and designed a web platform. Footage from the cameras and the infrared sensors can be streamed live to websites and mobile devices used by coastguards, search and rescue teams and merchant ships. With drones making news for all the wrong reasons in the recent times, Mehdi insists that the technology must be used for saving lives. "With the technology that we have today, people shouldn’t be dying at sea. When I crossed, we had to buy a paper map to find the closest point to Greece on the Turkish seashore," he tells AFP. Esther Camps, Lesbos coordinator of Spanish lifeguard group Pro-Activa, says that the project could provide vital information on what rescuers need to expect ahead of time: "If they need medical assistance, the number of people on board, availability of life-jackets on them, can all be tracked," she says. When Salehi crossed the Aegean from Turkey in 2001, he arrived on Chios island in Greece with a friend. Salehi and his friend were arrested and thrown in jail for five months until a Greek doctor working for Amnesty International visited the prison and Salehi asked her for help in filling out his Greek asylum application. She found him a lawyer and he got his papers. Better drones Drones for Refugees plans to build bigger drones, able to fly over larger areas of the Mediterranean where the survival of refugees and migrants depends on being spotted and rescued by a ship. The final prototype is likely to be ready by the end of this year, Salehi says. Until now, the group has been funding itself but Salehi and his team will need more cash if they are to build larger drones with longer flight autonomy. After being granted asylum in Greece, Salehi obtained a master's degree in architecture from the University of Volos in 2011. Moving to the United States, he received a second master's in design and technology from Parson's School of Design in New York. (With inputs from agencies)

Afghan refugee makes drones to save drownings

Pakistani security forces have killed six people in a remote northwestern valley near the Afghan border in a new offensive against Islamist militants in the area, the military said. 
 
All six of those killed in the offensive in the Khyber region were &quot;terrorists&quot;, the military said in a statement late on Sunday. Reuters was unable to independently verify their identities as access to the area is restricted. 
 
The army launched air and ground operations in the Rajgal valley, about 90 km (60 miles) west of the city of Peshawar, last week, the latest leg of an offensive against the Pakistani Taliban and its allies that began in 2014. 
 
Pakistan has for years been battling militants who want to impose a strict version of Islamist law in Pakistan, while quietly backing others who are seen as furthering Pakistani objectives against old rival India and in Afghanistan. 
 
The Pakistani offensive has squeezed some groups into small pockets of territory, while others have fled over the border into lawless areas of eastern Afghanistan. 
 
Nevertheless, the militants are still capable of launching deadly attacks across Pakistan. 
 
A bomb attack on a crowd in a hospital courtyard in the city of Quetta on Aug. 8 killed more than 70 people, the deadliest attack in Pakistan since 2014. 
 
The military says it has killed at least 31 people in coordinated ground and air strikes in the Rajgal area since August 16. 
 
The attacks would &quot;effectively check and guard against terrorists movement along high mountains and all-weather passes&quot;, the army said. 
 
Pakistan and Afghanistan have accused each other repeatedly of not doing enough to stop the movement of militants across the border. 
 
Pakistan has been battling the Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella organisation of hardline Islamist groups, since its inception in 2007. 
 
The Pakistani Taliban are allied with but separate from the Afghan Taliban. 
 
(Reuters)

The military says it has killed at least 31 people in coordinated ground and air strikes in the Rajgal area since August 16

Pakistani security forces have killed six people in a remote northwestern valley near the Afghan border in a new offensive against Islamist militants in the area, the military said. All six of those killed in the offensive in the Khyber region were "terrorists", the military said in a statement late on Sunday. Reuters was unable to independently verify their identities as access to the area is restricted. The army launched air and ground operations in the Rajgal valley, about 90 km (60 miles) west of the city of Peshawar, last week, the latest leg of an offensive against the Pakistani Taliban and its allies that began in 2014. Pakistan has for years been battling militants who want to impose a strict version of Islamist law in Pakistan, while quietly backing others who are seen as furthering Pakistani objectives against old rival India and in Afghanistan. The Pakistani offensive has squeezed some groups into small pockets of territory, while others have fled over the border into lawless areas of eastern Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the militants are still capable of launching deadly attacks across Pakistan. A bomb attack on a crowd in a hospital courtyard in the city of Quetta on Aug. 8 killed more than 70 people, the deadliest attack in Pakistan since 2014. The military says it has killed at least 31 people in coordinated ground and air strikes in the Rajgal area since August 16. The attacks would "effectively check and guard against terrorists movement along high mountains and all-weather passes", the army said. Pakistan and Afghanistan have accused each other repeatedly of not doing enough to stop the movement of militants across the border. Pakistan has been battling the Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella organisation of hardline Islamist groups, since its inception in 2007. The Pakistani Taliban are allied with but separate from the Afghan Taliban. (Reuters)

Pakistani forces kill 6 in new offensive near Afghan border

Local officials today confirmed that Khwaja Ghar district of Afghanistan&#39;s Takhar province has fallen to the Taliban, following heavy clashes between the insurgent group and the security forces. 
 
Provincial police chief Noor Mohammad Hakimi said clashes are ongoing in the Bazaar of Khwaja Ghar district, reports Tolo News. 
 
Hakimi, however, said neither side has full control of the district.So far no casualties have yet been reported. 
 
Local officials said operations are under way to recapture the district. Takhar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. 
 
(ANI)

Provincial police chief Noor Mohammad Hakimi said clashes are ongoing and operations are under way to recapture the district

Local officials today confirmed that Khwaja Ghar district of Afghanistan's Takhar province has fallen to the Taliban, following heavy clashes between the insurgent group and the security forces. Provincial police chief Noor Mohammad Hakimi said clashes are ongoing in the Bazaar of Khwaja Ghar district, reports Tolo News. Hakimi, however, said neither side has full control of the district.So far no casualties have yet been reported. Local officials said operations are under way to recapture the district. Takhar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. (ANI)

Afghanistan's Khwaja Ghar district falls to Taliban

Afghan troops forced out the Taliban from a strategic district in the northern province of Kunduz, hours after the militant group had taken control of the district yesterday. 
 
Fighting has sharply escalated in Afghanistan since the insurgency started spreading from its traditional strongholds in the south and east of the country to the once peaceful north. 
 
The militants, waging a bloody insurgency to topple the Western-backed Kabul government, have intensified their attacks nationwide and tightened their grip on the besieged capital of Helmand province southwest of Kunduz in recent weeks.&nbsp;Khan Abad district, which is around 30 kilometres east of Kunduz city, fell to Taliban after the militants launched a pre-dawn attack on the district centre, according to local officials. 
 
Afghan officials in Kabul say a lack of ammunition and few reinforcements are the main reasons for the district&#39;s fall to the Taliban, who are seeking to force the NATO-led coalition out of Afghanistan and bring in Islamic law. 
 
(Reuters)

Officials in Kabul say lack of ammunition and few reinforcements were the main reasons for the district's fall to the Taliban

Afghan troops forced out the Taliban from a strategic district in the northern province of Kunduz, hours after the militant group had taken control of the district yesterday. Fighting has sharply escalated in Afghanistan since the insurgency started spreading from its traditional strongholds in the south and east of the country to the once peaceful north. The militants, waging a bloody insurgency to topple the Western-backed Kabul government, have intensified their attacks nationwide and tightened their grip on the besieged capital of Helmand province southwest of Kunduz in recent weeks. Khan Abad district, which is around 30 kilometres east of Kunduz city, fell to Taliban after the militants launched a pre-dawn attack on the district centre, according to local officials. Afghan officials in Kabul say a lack of ammunition and few reinforcements are the main reasons for the district's fall to the Taliban, who are seeking to force the NATO-led coalition out of Afghanistan and bring in Islamic law. (Reuters)

Afghan troops retake parts of Kunduz hours after Taliban captured area

Pakistan&#39;s military killed at least 14 militants in air strikes&nbsp;and a ground operation in a restive tribal region near the Afghan&nbsp;border on Tuesday. 
 
The army offensive took place in the mountainous terrain of Rajgal&nbsp;in Khyber region, one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal&nbsp;districts where the military has been fighting Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants for over a decade. 
 
&quot;The operation was conducted in areas close to Afghan border in&nbsp;which 11 terrorists were also injured,&quot; the military said in a&nbsp;statement. 
 
Pakistan has been battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency since&nbsp;2004, following the US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan in&nbsp;2001 and the subsequent spillover of militants into its territory. 
 
The army launched the &quot;Zarb-e-Azb&quot; operation in June 2014 in a bid&nbsp;to wipe out militant bases in North Waziristan tribal area and so&nbsp;bring an end to the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of&nbsp;civilian lives. 
 
Security in the country has since improve. Scattered attacks still&nbsp;take place, but they are fewer and of a lesser intensity than in&nbsp;previous years. 
 
(AFP)

The army offensive took place in the mountainous terrain of Rajgal?in Khyber region the semi-autonomous tribal?districts

Pakistan's military killed at least 14 militants in air strikes and a ground operation in a restive tribal region near the Afghan border on Tuesday. The army offensive took place in the mountainous terrain of Rajgal in Khyber region, one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal districts where the military has been fighting Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants for over a decade. "The operation was conducted in areas close to Afghan border in which 11 terrorists were also injured," the military said in a statement. Pakistan has been battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency since 2004, following the US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan in 2001 and the subsequent spillover of militants into its territory. The army launched the "Zarb-e-Azb" operation in June 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases in North Waziristan tribal area and so bring an end to the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives. Security in the country has since improve. Scattered attacks still take place, but they are fewer and of a lesser intensity than in previous years. (AFP)

Pakistan military kills 14 militants near Afghan border

Taliban insurgents, seeking to force the NATO-led coalition out of Afghanistan and bring in Islamic law, captured a key district in the northern province of Baghlan after days of fighting, officials said on Monday. 
 
Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east of the country to once peaceful regions in the north. 
 
Despite air support from U.S. and Afghan warplanes, government troops are struggling against the resilient Taliban, with senior government officials saying the insurgents are becoming better trained and equipped. 
 
Amir Gul Hussainkhil, deputy police chief of Baghlan, said Dahan-e-Ghori district was under siege for days and the Taliban managed to seize it late on Sunday as dozens of Afghan forces made &quot;a tactical retreat&quot;. 
 
The district is next to the provincial capital of Pol-e-Khomri, which has been threatened by insurgents for months. 
 
&quot;Afghan forces fought for days but no help arrived and they had to retreat and the Taliban captured the district,&quot; Hussainkhil told Reuters, adding that five Afghan police were killed. 
 
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the fighters captured the district and hoisted their white flag. 
 
&quot;Many Afghan and militia forces have been killed and 33 soldiers are captured,&quot; Mujahid said in an email statement to media. 
 
Both sides often release casualty figures without independent verification. 
 
Baghlan borders Kunduz province, where the Taliban briefly captured a provincial capital last year for the first time since they were ousted by a U.S.-led operation in 2001. 
 
In the southern province of Helmand, there has been fighting in four districts as Afghan forces hold off insurgents advancing on the provincial capital, government officials said. 
 
In Nuristan province in the east, dozens of Taliban attacked Want Waygal district as Afghan forces killed 40 militants during days of fighting, according to officials. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Fighting has escalated as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south, east to once peaceful north

Taliban insurgents, seeking to force the NATO-led coalition out of Afghanistan and bring in Islamic law, captured a key district in the northern province of Baghlan after days of fighting, officials said on Monday. Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east of the country to once peaceful regions in the north. Despite air support from U.S. and Afghan warplanes, government troops are struggling against the resilient Taliban, with senior government officials saying the insurgents are becoming better trained and equipped. Amir Gul Hussainkhil, deputy police chief of Baghlan, said Dahan-e-Ghori district was under siege for days and the Taliban managed to seize it late on Sunday as dozens of Afghan forces made "a tactical retreat". The district is next to the provincial capital of Pol-e-Khomri, which has been threatened by insurgents for months. "Afghan forces fought for days but no help arrived and they had to retreat and the Taliban captured the district," Hussainkhil told Reuters, adding that five Afghan police were killed. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the fighters captured the district and hoisted their white flag. "Many Afghan and militia forces have been killed and 33 soldiers are captured," Mujahid said in an email statement to media. Both sides often release casualty figures without independent verification. Baghlan borders Kunduz province, where the Taliban briefly captured a provincial capital last year for the first time since they were ousted by a U.S.-led operation in 2001. In the southern province of Helmand, there has been fighting in four districts as Afghan forces hold off insurgents advancing on the provincial capital, government officials said. In Nuristan province in the east, dozens of Taliban attacked Want Waygal district as Afghan forces killed 40 militants during days of fighting, according to officials. (Reuters)

Taliban captures key district in Afghanistan, officials confirm

Six crew members of a Pakistani government helicopter which crash-landed in Afghanistan&#39;s volatile east have been released, an official said today, after they were taken hostage by the Afghan Taliban. 
 
The crew &quot;was released in an inter-tribe exchange on the Pakistan-Afghan border (and) arrived in Islamabad today,&quot; foreign ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said in a statement. 
 
He did not specify who had been holding the crew hostage nor what kind of exchange had secured their release. 
 
All six people - five Pakistanis and a Russian navigator - are &quot;safe and in good health,&quot; he said, adding that the helicopter belonged to the Punjab provincial government. 
 
A senior Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the crew&#39;s safe return. 
 
After the August 4 crash, local authorities in Afghanistan said that the six-person crew had been taken hostage by the Afghan Taliban. 
 
Militants set the Mi-17 transport helicopter on fire and took the crew to a Taliban-controlled area after it made an emergency landing in Logar province. 
 
The crew included retired Pakistani military officers and a Russian navigator, Pakistan&#39;s Dawn newspaper reported at the time. 
 
Pakistan had sought permission to fly a helicopter - being sent to Russia for overhauling - over Afghan air space. 
 
Pakistani army chief general Raheel Sharif said he had spoken to Afghanistan&#39;s President Ashraf Ghani after the crash in a bid to secure the crew&#39;s release. 
 
&quot;President Ashraf Ghani assured all possible assistance in this regard,&quot; he posted on Twitter. 
 
Kabul has long accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and continuing to nurture sanctuaries on its soil in the hope of maintaining influence in Afghanistan. 
 
Analysts said it was not clear how the Pakistan government had secured the crew&#39;s safe release. 
 
&quot;Our government is tight-lipped while the army also did not say anything about the role of the Afghan government,&quot; security analyst Hasan Askari told AFP. 
 
The Afghan Taliban have not commented on the conditions of the release. 
 
&quot;One thing is however, very clear - that Afghan Taliban certainly do not want to deteriorate their ties with Pakistan,&quot; Askari said. 
 
Askari questioned why the MI-17 was being send to Russia for repairs through Afghan airspace. 
 
&quot;It appeared to be kind of a mysterious exercise,&quot; he added. 
 
Pakistan&#39;s army uses Russian-made MI-17 helicopters, several of which have crashed in recent years. 
 
In February, an army officer was killed when a military helicopter crashed in northern Pakistan on a routine night training mission. 
 
Last August, 12 people were killed when a helicopter belonging to the army crashed in northwest Pakistan. 
 
And seven people - including two foreign ambassadors - died in May last year when an MI-17 army helicopter crashed at a holiday resort in the hills of Gilgit. 
 
(AFP)

Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman did not specify who had been holding the crew hostage nor what kind of exchange secured their release

Six crew members of a Pakistani government helicopter which crash-landed in Afghanistan's volatile east have been released, an official said today, after they were taken hostage by the Afghan Taliban. The crew "was released in an inter-tribe exchange on the Pakistan-Afghan border (and) arrived in Islamabad today," foreign ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said in a statement. He did not specify who had been holding the crew hostage nor what kind of exchange had secured their release. All six people - five Pakistanis and a Russian navigator - are "safe and in good health," he said, adding that the helicopter belonged to the Punjab provincial government. A senior Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the crew's safe return. After the August 4 crash, local authorities in Afghanistan said that the six-person crew had been taken hostage by the Afghan Taliban. Militants set the Mi-17 transport helicopter on fire and took the crew to a Taliban-controlled area after it made an emergency landing in Logar province. The crew included retired Pakistani military officers and a Russian navigator, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported at the time. Pakistan had sought permission to fly a helicopter - being sent to Russia for overhauling - over Afghan air space. Pakistani army chief general Raheel Sharif said he had spoken to Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani after the crash in a bid to secure the crew's release. "President Ashraf Ghani assured all possible assistance in this regard," he posted on Twitter. Kabul has long accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and continuing to nurture sanctuaries on its soil in the hope of maintaining influence in Afghanistan. Analysts said it was not clear how the Pakistan government had secured the crew's safe release. "Our government is tight-lipped while the army also did not say anything about the role of the Afghan government," security analyst Hasan Askari told AFP. The Afghan Taliban have not commented on the conditions of the release. "One thing is however, very clear - that Afghan Taliban certainly do not want to deteriorate their ties with Pakistan," Askari said. Askari questioned why the MI-17 was being send to Russia for repairs through Afghan airspace. "It appeared to be kind of a mysterious exercise," he added. Pakistan's army uses Russian-made MI-17 helicopters, several of which have crashed in recent years. In February, an army officer was killed when a military helicopter crashed in northern Pakistan on a routine night training mission. Last August, 12 people were killed when a helicopter belonging to the army crashed in northwest Pakistan. And seven people - including two foreign ambassadors - died in May last year when an MI-17 army helicopter crashed at a holiday resort in the hills of Gilgit. (AFP)

More than a week after chopper crash, Afghan Taliban free Pakistan crew

Officials warned on Tuesday of a humanitarian crisis in Helmand as fierce fighting sent refugees fleeing to the capital of the southern Afghan province, with Taliban insurgents tightening their grip despite intensified US air strikes. 
 
Helmand, a hub of militancy and opium production, has seen a recent increase in militant attacks, with fighters seizing more territory in the volatile province since NATO troops withdrew in 2014. 
 
The provincial governor&#39;s spokesman Omar Zawak told AFP Lashkar Gah is struggling to cope with an influx of people fleeing the fighting elsewhere in the province. 
 
&quot;Around 30,000 people have been displaced in Helmand in the past several weeks. Most of them are coming to Lashkar Gah,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;It difficult for the city to contain all of them. Families, children, women, all have to sleep on the streets. There is a shortage of food and clean water, we need urgent support.&quot; 
 
&quot;The shelling is pretty heavy this morning,&quot; an official with aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres in the city told AFP on condition of anonymity. 
 
Residents voiced fears the city could fall, saying insurgents had heavily mined the roads and exhausted soldiers were running out of food. 
 
&quot;The Taliban are in control of all the roads leading to Lashkar Gah,&quot; resident Haji Qayum told AFP. 
 
&quot;The police check posts are falling one by one. There is a great fear the capital may fall to Taliban soon too.&quot; 
 
As the fierce battles continue, NATO has stepped up air strikes supporting Afghan forces on the ground, highlighting the intensity of the combat in Helmand. 
 
&quot;The situation down there remains tense and somewhat contested,&quot; a NATO spokesman said. 
 
&quot;It remains an ongoing security concern and there has been fighting down there for the last several weeks. We remain confident that the Afghan forces are fighting effectively and that they will continue to secure Lashkar Gah.&quot; 
 
Toryalai Hemat, the provincial governor&#39;s media adviser, said NATO&#39;s air strikes have inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban. 
 
NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but US forces were granted greater powers in June to strike at the insurgents as President Barack Obama vowed a more aggressive campaign. 
 
The US has deployed several hundred troops in Helmand in recent weeks. 
 
Last August Taliban insurgents briefly captured the town of Musa Qala in Helmand before Afghan forces backed by NATO retook it. 
 
(AFP)

Fierce fighting has sent refugees fleeing to the capital of the southern Afghan province

Officials warned on Tuesday of a humanitarian crisis in Helmand as fierce fighting sent refugees fleeing to the capital of the southern Afghan province, with Taliban insurgents tightening their grip despite intensified US air strikes. Helmand, a hub of militancy and opium production, has seen a recent increase in militant attacks, with fighters seizing more territory in the volatile province since NATO troops withdrew in 2014. The provincial governor's spokesman Omar Zawak told AFP Lashkar Gah is struggling to cope with an influx of people fleeing the fighting elsewhere in the province. "Around 30,000 people have been displaced in Helmand in the past several weeks. Most of them are coming to Lashkar Gah," he said. "It difficult for the city to contain all of them. Families, children, women, all have to sleep on the streets. There is a shortage of food and clean water, we need urgent support." "The shelling is pretty heavy this morning," an official with aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres in the city told AFP on condition of anonymity. Residents voiced fears the city could fall, saying insurgents had heavily mined the roads and exhausted soldiers were running out of food. "The Taliban are in control of all the roads leading to Lashkar Gah," resident Haji Qayum told AFP. "The police check posts are falling one by one. There is a great fear the capital may fall to Taliban soon too." As the fierce battles continue, NATO has stepped up air strikes supporting Afghan forces on the ground, highlighting the intensity of the combat in Helmand. "The situation down there remains tense and somewhat contested," a NATO spokesman said. "It remains an ongoing security concern and there has been fighting down there for the last several weeks. We remain confident that the Afghan forces are fighting effectively and that they will continue to secure Lashkar Gah." Toryalai Hemat, the provincial governor's media adviser, said NATO's air strikes have inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban. NATO officially ended its combat mission in December 2014, but US forces were granted greater powers in June to strike at the insurgents as President Barack Obama vowed a more aggressive campaign. The US has deployed several hundred troops in Helmand in recent weeks. Last August Taliban insurgents briefly captured the town of Musa Qala in Helmand before Afghan forces backed by NATO retook it. (AFP)

Officials warn of humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan's Helmand

An Afghan official says at least 10 people have been killed in two explosions in the eastern province of Paktia. 
 
Naqib Ahmad Atal, spokesman for the provincial governor, says five members of one family died when their vehicle struck a hidden roadside bomb. He says another five people were killed when their tractor hit a similar device an hour later today afternoon. 
 
Both incidents happened in Chamkani district.&nbsp;Atal blamed Taliban fighters who are active in the area and regularly seed the roads with bombs. The Taliban use such terrorising tactics to intimidate local residents. 
 
The United Nations says the Taliban are responsible for the vast majority of civilians killed and wounded in the war. The world body has said that 1,601 died in the first half of 2016.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

Five people died when their vehicle struck a hidden roadside bomb. Another five died when their tractor hit a similar device an hour later

An Afghan official says at least 10 people have been killed in two explosions in the eastern province of Paktia. Naqib Ahmad Atal, spokesman for the provincial governor, says five members of one family died when their vehicle struck a hidden roadside bomb. He says another five people were killed when their tractor hit a similar device an hour later today afternoon. Both incidents happened in Chamkani district. Atal blamed Taliban fighters who are active in the area and regularly seed the roads with bombs. The Taliban use such terrorising tactics to intimidate local residents. The United Nations says the Taliban are responsible for the vast majority of civilians killed and wounded in the war. The world body has said that 1,601 died in the first half of 2016. (PTI)

10 civilians killed by roadside bombs: Afghan official

A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in Taliban-held territory in neighbouring Afghanistan on Thursday and all passengers and crew are feared captured by the insurgents, officials said.&nbsp;The helicopter went down in Logar province, close to the Afghan-Pakistan border,&nbsp;an increasingly lawless area since a two-year&nbsp;Pakistani military operation pushed many Taliban and allied fighters further into Afghanistan. 
 
&quot;Those detained by the Taliban are Pakistanis,&quot; Sameem Saleh, spokesman for Logar&#39;s governor, said. &quot;The chopper was not shot but made the landing because of technical failure.&quot; 
&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Unconfirmed report of Afghanistan&#39;s Taliban holding crew of Pak chopper,wants to swap crew for Mullah Baradar who ws arrested by Pak in 2010
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/761395093878210560">August 5, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
A Pakistani foreign office spokesman confirmed that a helicopter belonging to the Punjab provincial government had gone down, saying the fate of the crew was not yet clear.&nbsp;&quot;The Afghan authorities have assured they will investigate and learn about the whereabouts of the helicopter and the passengers,&quot; spokesman Nafees Zakaria said. 
 
He said seven passengers were on board, six of them Pakistanis and one a Russian technician. The pilot was Pakistani.&nbsp;The aircraft had permission to fly over Afghan air space on its way to Uzbekistan further north, he said. 
 
Pakistani army chief Gen&nbsp;Raheel Sharif spoke with top US&nbsp;commander General John Nicholson on Thursday asking for the international military coalition&#39;s help in recovering the Pakistani personnel, military spokesman Lt&nbsp;Gen&nbsp;Asim Bajwa, said in a tweet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COAS?src=hash">#COAS</a> called Gen Nicolson,Comd RSM in Afgn,asked him to help in recovery of crew of Punjab govt heli that crash landed in logar province-1/3
&mdash; Gen Asim Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/AsimBajwaISPR/status/761258116323377152">August 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
Hameed Khan, district governor of Azra district of Logar, said the helicopter landed in his border district, which lies across from Pakistan&#39;s Kurram agency.&nbsp;&quot;They were detained by the Taliban,&quot; Khan said. 
 
A senior Pakistani military official said the Russian-made MI-17 transport helicopter was en route from Peshawar in northwest Pakistan to Uzbekistan for maintenance when it experienced technical failure and made an emergency landing. 
 
He said there was no information about the occupants.&nbsp;Other military officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said three of those aboard the helicopter were retired security officials. 
 
(Reuters)

Pakistani army chief Gen?Raheel Sharif spoke with top US?commander Gen John Nicholson asking for international military coalition's help

A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in Taliban-held territory in neighbouring Afghanistan on Thursday and all passengers and crew are feared captured by the insurgents, officials said. The helicopter went down in Logar province, close to the Afghan-Pakistan border, an increasingly lawless area since a two-year Pakistani military operation pushed many Taliban and allied fighters further into Afghanistan. "Those detained by the Taliban are Pakistanis," Sameem Saleh, spokesman for Logar's governor, said. "The chopper was not shot but made the landing because of technical failure." Unconfirmed report of Afghanistan's Taliban holding crew of Pak chopper,wants to swap crew for Mullah Baradar who ws arrested by Pak in 2010 — ANI (@ANI_news) August 5, 2016 A Pakistani foreign office spokesman confirmed that a helicopter belonging to the Punjab provincial government had gone down, saying the fate of the crew was not yet clear. "The Afghan authorities have assured they will investigate and learn about the whereabouts of the helicopter and the passengers," spokesman Nafees Zakaria said. He said seven passengers were on board, six of them Pakistanis and one a Russian technician. The pilot was Pakistani. The aircraft had permission to fly over Afghan air space on its way to Uzbekistan further north, he said. Pakistani army chief Gen Raheel Sharif spoke with top US commander General John Nicholson on Thursday asking for the international military coalition's help in recovering the Pakistani personnel, military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa, said in a tweet. #COAS called Gen Nicolson,Comd RSM in Afgn,asked him to help in recovery of crew of Punjab govt heli that crash landed in logar province-1/3 — Gen Asim Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) August 4, 2016 Hameed Khan, district governor of Azra district of Logar, said the helicopter landed in his border district, which lies across from Pakistan's Kurram agency. "They were detained by the Taliban," Khan said. A senior Pakistani military official said the Russian-made MI-17 transport helicopter was en route from Peshawar in northwest Pakistan to Uzbekistan for maintenance when it experienced technical failure and made an emergency landing. He said there was no information about the occupants. Other military officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said three of those aboard the helicopter were retired security officials. (Reuters)

Pakistani helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, occupants feared held by Taliban

A powerful Taliban truck bomb struck a guesthouse housing foreigners in Kabul on early Monday, officials said, just days after the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital for 15 years. 
 
The attack ended on Monday&nbsp;after all three Taliban fighters were killed, around seven hours after the assault began, police said. 
 
&quot;The operation is over now. One policeman lost his life and three others were wounded but none of the hotel staff or guests were hurt,&quot; Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told reporters. 
 
&quot;A truck packed with explosives struck the entrance of Northgate guesthouse,&quot; a security source said, without offering any further details. 
 
Northgate, close to the US-run Bagram air base north of Kabul, houses foreign contractors and is a heavily guarded compound with blast walls and watchtowers. The guesthouse, which was cordoned off by security officials, was not immediately reachable by telephone. 
 
The Taliban said the truck bomb at a guest house belonging to &quot;American invaders&quot; paved the way for their fighters to enter the facility with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.&nbsp;The insurgents claimed that more than 100 people were killed and wounded in the attack. The Taliban are routinely known to exaggerate battlefield claims. 
 
Tremors from the powerful explosion, which was preceded by a power outage, were felt across the city. &nbsp;The attack comes as the Taliban ramp up their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended earlier this month. 
 
The attack comes after twin bombings left 80 people dead in the Afghan capital on July 23, in the deadliest attack in the city since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001. 
 
The bombings tore through crowds of minority Shiite Hazara protesters as they gathered to demand that a major power line be routed through the central province of Bamiyan, one of the most deprived areas of Afghanistan.&nbsp;That assault was claimed by the Islamic State group, which is making gradual inroads into Afghanistan, challenging the Taliban on their own turf.&nbsp; 
 
Afghan forces backed by US airstrikes have since ramped up an offensive against IS jihadists in their eastern stronghold of Nangarhar.&nbsp;The latest attack highlights growing insecurity in Afghanistan, which has resulted in large civilian casualties. 
 
The UN last week said civilian casualties rose to a record high in the first half of 2016, with children in particular paying a heavy price as the conflict escalates. 
 
Between January and June, 1,601 civilians were killed and 3,565 were wounded; a four per cent increase in casualties compared to the same period last year, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said. 
 
Monday&#39;s assault illustrates the report&#39;s finding that suicide bombings and complex attacks are now hurting more civilians than roadside bombs. 
 
(AFP)

Police gained control seven hours after the assault began, and say none of the hotel staff or guests were hurt

A powerful Taliban truck bomb struck a guesthouse housing foreigners in Kabul on early Monday, officials said, just days after the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital for 15 years. The attack ended on Monday after all three Taliban fighters were killed, around seven hours after the assault began, police said. "The operation is over now. One policeman lost his life and three others were wounded but none of the hotel staff or guests were hurt," Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told reporters. "A truck packed with explosives struck the entrance of Northgate guesthouse," a security source said, without offering any further details. Northgate, close to the US-run Bagram air base north of Kabul, houses foreign contractors and is a heavily guarded compound with blast walls and watchtowers. The guesthouse, which was cordoned off by security officials, was not immediately reachable by telephone. The Taliban said the truck bomb at a guest house belonging to "American invaders" paved the way for their fighters to enter the facility with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. The insurgents claimed that more than 100 people were killed and wounded in the attack. The Taliban are routinely known to exaggerate battlefield claims. Tremors from the powerful explosion, which was preceded by a power outage, were felt across the city. The attack comes as the Taliban ramp up their annual summer offensive after a brief lull during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended earlier this month. The attack comes after twin bombings left 80 people dead in the Afghan capital on July 23, in the deadliest attack in the city since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001. The bombings tore through crowds of minority Shiite Hazara protesters as they gathered to demand that a major power line be routed through the central province of Bamiyan, one of the most deprived areas of Afghanistan. That assault was claimed by the Islamic State group, which is making gradual inroads into Afghanistan, challenging the Taliban on their own turf. Afghan forces backed by US airstrikes have since ramped up an offensive against IS jihadists in their eastern stronghold of Nangarhar. The latest attack highlights growing insecurity in Afghanistan, which has resulted in large civilian casualties. The UN last week said civilian casualties rose to a record high in the first half of 2016, with children in particular paying a heavy price as the conflict escalates. Between January and June, 1,601 civilians were killed and 3,565 were wounded; a four per cent increase in casualties compared to the same period last year, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said. Monday's assault illustrates the report's finding that suicide bombings and complex attacks are now hurting more civilians than roadside bombs. (AFP)

Taliban bomb strikes foreigners' guesthouse in Kabul; 3 militants, 1 policeman killed

Local officials today said that Khanashin district in Afghanistan&#39;s Helmand province has fallen to Taliban after hours of clashes with the security forces since last night. 
 
Officials said that battle started after Taliban fighters attacked parts of the district on Friday night, reports Tolo news. 
 
Omar Zwak, Helmand governor&#39;s spokesman said clashes were underway between the Afghan troops and the Taliban rebels in parts of the district. 
 
He said the Air Force has started supporting the ground troops in the district and nearly 20 Taliban rebels have been killed in the air raids. 
 
Zwak added that one police personnel was killed and five others including Khanashin district police chief Abdul Rauf were injured in the conflict. 
 
(AFP)

Clashes between Afghan troops and Taliban rebels started as the latter attacked parts of the Khanashin district on Friday night

Local officials today said that Khanashin district in Afghanistan's Helmand province has fallen to Taliban after hours of clashes with the security forces since last night. Officials said that battle started after Taliban fighters attacked parts of the district on Friday night, reports Tolo news. Omar Zwak, Helmand governor's spokesman said clashes were underway between the Afghan troops and the Taliban rebels in parts of the district. He said the Air Force has started supporting the ground troops in the district and nearly 20 Taliban rebels have been killed in the air raids. Zwak added that one police personnel was killed and five others including Khanashin district police chief Abdul Rauf were injured in the conflict. (AFP)

Taliban captures Khanashin district in Afghanistan

Six people were killed including two public officials today after a bomb hit a car in Pakistans restive north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said, adding the intended target of the attack was not in the vehicle. An improvised explosive device planted along a roadside detonated after the vehicle carrying seven people passed by in the north-western town of Upper Dir. 
 
&quot;The bomb in fact targeted Malik Mutabar Khan, the pro-government elder and peace committee head, who was not present in the car at the time of the explosion,&quot; Yar Muhammad, a local police official said. &quot;Six other people including two local councillors were killed in the explosion.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
One of the passengers in the vehicle sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital. &quot;It was just by chance that Malik Mutabar Khan got out of the vehicle at a nearby place before the explosion,&quot; Muhammad added. District police officer Athar Waheed also confirmed the incident but put the death toll at seven. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the Taliban have often targeted pro-government tribal elders in the north-western province.&nbsp; 
 
Pakistan, which has been battling Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked fighters in the restive tribal belt for over a decade, launched an offensive to clear their strongholds in North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, in 2014. 
 
The army announced in May this year it had cleared the last militant stronghold in North Waziristans Shawal valley, in the final phase of the mission. 
 
The operation was intensified after the Taliban massacred more than 150 people, the majority of them children, at a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar in December 2014. 
 
(AFP)

According to a local police officer, the bomb targeted Malik Mutabar Khan, the pro-government elder and peace committee head

Six people were killed including two public officials today after a bomb hit a car in Pakistans restive north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said, adding the intended target of the attack was not in the vehicle. An improvised explosive device planted along a roadside detonated after the vehicle carrying seven people passed by in the north-western town of Upper Dir. "The bomb in fact targeted Malik Mutabar Khan, the pro-government elder and peace committee head, who was not present in the car at the time of the explosion," Yar Muhammad, a local police official said. "Six other people including two local councillors were killed in the explosion." One of the passengers in the vehicle sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital. "It was just by chance that Malik Mutabar Khan got out of the vehicle at a nearby place before the explosion," Muhammad added. District police officer Athar Waheed also confirmed the incident but put the death toll at seven. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the Taliban have often targeted pro-government tribal elders in the north-western province. Pakistan, which has been battling Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked fighters in the restive tribal belt for over a decade, launched an offensive to clear their strongholds in North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, in 2014. The army announced in May this year it had cleared the last militant stronghold in North Waziristans Shawal valley, in the final phase of the mission. The operation was intensified after the Taliban massacred more than 150 people, the majority of them children, at a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar in December 2014. (AFP)

Bomb kills six in north-west Pakistan: police

The senior US commander in Afghanistan will have greater freedom to strike at the Taliban under broad new powers approved last month by President Barack Obama, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said today. 
 
Carter, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said the powers granted to General John Nicholson would allow &quot;much more efficient use and effective use of the forces we have here as well as the Afghan forces.&quot; 
 
Under the authorities previously granted to Nicholson, who commands both the NATO-led Resolute Support mission and a separate US counter-terrorism mission, his forces could generally only intervene against the Taliban when Afghan government troops requested emergency assistance. 
 
&quot;It obviously, to me, makes a lot more sense to be doing it the way we&#39;re doing it now,&quot; Carter said at a joint news conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. 
 
Afghan forces seek combat assistance&nbsp; 
 
Carter&#39;s visit comes days after Obama shelved plans to cut the US force in Afghanistan nearly in half by year&rsquo;s end, opting instead to keep 8,400 troops there through to the end of his presidency in January. 
 
Afghan forces, fighting largely on their own since the NATO-led force ended most combat operations in 2014, have frequently asked for more combat assistance from their allies, particularly for close air strikes. 
 
US forces have already used the broader authority granted to their commanders to conduct air strikes against Taliban targets in southern Afghanistan. 
 
Carter, who met both Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah as well as senior U.S. military commanders, said it was &quot;critical&quot; that the national unity government formed after disputed elections in 2014 maintained stability. 
 
Ghani thanked the United States as well as other NATO allies who last week pledged to maintain support for Afghanistan. He also praised Afghan forces, who he said had been &quot;standing tall&quot; since the departure of foreign combat forces. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

New powers granted to US commander would allow "much more efficient use" of US troops, Afghan forces, said Ash Carter

The senior US commander in Afghanistan will have greater freedom to strike at the Taliban under broad new powers approved last month by President Barack Obama, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said today. Carter, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said the powers granted to General John Nicholson would allow "much more efficient use and effective use of the forces we have here as well as the Afghan forces." Under the authorities previously granted to Nicholson, who commands both the NATO-led Resolute Support mission and a separate US counter-terrorism mission, his forces could generally only intervene against the Taliban when Afghan government troops requested emergency assistance. "It obviously, to me, makes a lot more sense to be doing it the way we're doing it now," Carter said at a joint news conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Afghan forces seek combat assistance Carter's visit comes days after Obama shelved plans to cut the US force in Afghanistan nearly in half by year’s end, opting instead to keep 8,400 troops there through to the end of his presidency in January. Afghan forces, fighting largely on their own since the NATO-led force ended most combat operations in 2014, have frequently asked for more combat assistance from their allies, particularly for close air strikes. US forces have already used the broader authority granted to their commanders to conduct air strikes against Taliban targets in southern Afghanistan. Carter, who met both Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah as well as senior U.S. military commanders, said it was "critical" that the national unity government formed after disputed elections in 2014 maintained stability. Ghani thanked the United States as well as other NATO allies who last week pledged to maintain support for Afghanistan. He also praised Afghan forces, who he said had been "standing tall" since the departure of foreign combat forces. (Reuters)

US troops in Afghanistan can now strike Taliban more easily: Pentagon Chief

President Barack Obama&#39;s decision to withdraw roughly 1,400 US troops from Afghanistan won&#39;t adversely impact America&#39;s mission there, a top general said before arriving in Kabul on Friday, adding that some jobs could be done from abroad. 
 
Obama on Wednesday shelved his plans to cut the US force nearly in half by year&#39;s end, from 9,800 to 5,500. He opted instead for a more limited withdrawal to roughly 8,400 troops, noting that Afghan forces still needed US support battling the Taliban insurgency after nearly 15 years of war. 
 
In his first comments since Obama&#39;s announcement, General Joseph Votel, the head of the US military&#39;s Central Command, played down any impact of the looming troop withdrawal even as he acknowledged Afghan forces were suffering heavy casualties. 
 
A recent Pentagon report to Congress said casualties among Afghan forces rose 27 per cent from January 1 to November 15 last year. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s difficult. They are taking a lot of casualties. That is a concern. We&#39;ll have to pay attention to that,&quot; Votel told a small group of reporters traveling with him to Afghanistan.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;But I don&#39;t think the reductions that we are taking are going to impact the principal missions that we are doing, particularly with respect to the Afghan security forces,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Taliban forces now hold more territory in Afghanistan than at any time since the 2001 US-led invasion, according to recent UN estimates. 
 
The Islamic State group has also established a small presence in Afghanistan. 
 
Republican critics of Obama questioned why, given Afghanistan&#39;s security concerns, he was still intent on cutting the force at all. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain said it was difficult to discern &quot;any strategic rationale&quot; for the cut. 
 
Votel noted that Obama&#39;s decision to keep 8,400 troops in the country was welcomed by allies, who are expected to broadly reaffirm their commitments to Afghanistan at a NATO summit on Warsaw on Friday and Saturday. 
 
&quot;It sends a very hopeful message here for the coalition and I think it will encourage our partners to continue to contribute,&quot; Votel said. 
 
Votel suggested the drawdown might take place gradually over coming months, with some support for the US forces in Afghanistan being drawn from outside the country. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re going to achieve those reductions by moving some capabilities out that can be conducted over the horizon - that don&rsquo;t necessarily need to be done in Afghanistan - to support the force,&quot; he said, without elaborating.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

According to recent UN estimates, Taliban forces now hold more territory in Afghanistan than at any time since the 2001 US-led invasion

President Barack Obama's decision to withdraw roughly 1,400 US troops from Afghanistan won't adversely impact America's mission there, a top general said before arriving in Kabul on Friday, adding that some jobs could be done from abroad. Obama on Wednesday shelved his plans to cut the US force nearly in half by year's end, from 9,800 to 5,500. He opted instead for a more limited withdrawal to roughly 8,400 troops, noting that Afghan forces still needed US support battling the Taliban insurgency after nearly 15 years of war. In his first comments since Obama's announcement, General Joseph Votel, the head of the US military's Central Command, played down any impact of the looming troop withdrawal even as he acknowledged Afghan forces were suffering heavy casualties. A recent Pentagon report to Congress said casualties among Afghan forces rose 27 per cent from January 1 to November 15 last year. "It's difficult. They are taking a lot of casualties. That is a concern. We'll have to pay attention to that," Votel told a small group of reporters traveling with him to Afghanistan. "But I don't think the reductions that we are taking are going to impact the principal missions that we are doing, particularly with respect to the Afghan security forces," he added. Taliban forces now hold more territory in Afghanistan than at any time since the 2001 US-led invasion, according to recent UN estimates. The Islamic State group has also established a small presence in Afghanistan. Republican critics of Obama questioned why, given Afghanistan's security concerns, he was still intent on cutting the force at all. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain said it was difficult to discern "any strategic rationale" for the cut. Votel noted that Obama's decision to keep 8,400 troops in the country was welcomed by allies, who are expected to broadly reaffirm their commitments to Afghanistan at a NATO summit on Warsaw on Friday and Saturday. "It sends a very hopeful message here for the coalition and I think it will encourage our partners to continue to contribute," Votel said. Votel suggested the drawdown might take place gradually over coming months, with some support for the US forces in Afghanistan being drawn from outside the country. "We're going to achieve those reductions by moving some capabilities out that can be conducted over the horizon - that don’t necessarily need to be done in Afghanistan - to support the force," he said, without elaborating. (Reuters)

'US troop cut won't impact principal missions in Afghanistan'

President Barack Obama on Wednesday said 8,400 US troops will remain in Afghanistan into next year to tackle the threat from a resurgent Taliban.&nbsp;Obama, who was elected in 2008 on a promise to end America&#39;s longest war, had previously vowed to slash the US troop presence from its current level of 9,800 to 5,500 by 2017. 
 
He said a still &quot;precarious&quot; security situation, with Afghan security forces struggling to contain the Taliban, made such a move untenable. 
 
&quot;Instead of going down to 5,500 troops by the end of this year, the United States will maintain approximately 8,400 troops in Afghanistan into next year through the end of my administration,&quot; Obama said. 
 
&quot;It is in our national security interest, especially after all the blood and treasure we&#39;ve invested in Afghanistan over the years, that we give our Afghan partners the very best opportunity to succeed,&quot; he added. 
 
With only a few months left in office, Obama said additional troops would enable his successor to have &quot;a solid foundation for continued progress&quot; in Afghanistan. 
 
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid mocked his announcement.&nbsp;&quot;The more American invaders in Afghanistan, the more casualties they will suffer,&quot; he said on Twitter.&nbsp;&quot;They will certainly be defeated,&quot; he added. &quot;We have good experience in fighting the idiots. We have high morale.&quot; 
 
NATO mission 
 
Most of the US troops, operating under the NATO banner, work as trainers or advisers to Afghan forces. Around 40 NATO members and partner countries currently contribute to the overall force of nearly 13,000. 
 
It was not immediately clear whether Obama&#39;s decision would influence other countries&#39; troop levels, expected to be a central issue at this week&#39;s NATO summit in Poland. 
 
&quot;I welcome @BarackObama&#39;s announcement on troop levels in Afghanistan. A strong signal of our continued commitment,&quot; NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter. 
 
Obama&#39;s announcement effectively acknowledges that Afghan forces, which took charge of the country&#39;s security in 2015, still face massive institutional shortcomings. 
 
They have suffered devastating setbacks at the hands of the Taliban, including the temporary loss of the northern city of Kunduz, and more than 5,000 Afghan troops killed last year alone. 
 
Other organisations, including the Islamic State group, have meanwhile stepped up activity. 
 
&quot;The security situation in Afghanistan remains precarious,&quot; said Obama, who last month unveiled looser rules making it easier for US forces to strike Taliban targets. 
 
&quot;Afghan security forces are still not as strong as they need to be,&quot; he added. &quot;With our help, they&#39;re still working to improve critical capabilities, such as intelligence, logistics, aviation and command and control.&quot; 
 
Optics and politics 
 
Stephen Biddle, an Afghanistan expert and professor at George Washington University, said adjustments to the comparatively small US troop presence - the Afghans have about 320,000 police and troops - would make little difference to local security capabilities until Afghanistan tackles issues such as deeply entrenched corruption. 
 
&quot;The ability of the Afghans to hold the line is not primarily being shaped by whether there are 9,800 or 8,400 or 5,500 US soldiers,&quot; Biddle told AFP, noting that the troop count is &quot;more about the optics and the politics of this than it is about military capability&quot;. 
 
In particular, the Pentagon needs to maintain a steady troop level to ensure continued Congressional funding for the Afghan cause, Biddle said. 
 
Obama himself acknowledged the solution to the conflict, which has dragged on for 15 years, would not be military alone. 
 
&quot;The only way to end this conflict and to achieve a full drawdown of foreign forces from Afghanistan is through a lasting political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;That is why the United States will continue to strongly support an Afghan-led reconciliation process, and why we call on all countries in the region to end safe havens for militants and terrorists.&quot; 
 
But diplomatic efforts to engage with the Taliban are in disarray. The United States in May killed the group&#39;s leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, in a drone strike in Pakistan. 
 
Obama&#39;s decision follows a review of the security situation by General John Nicholson, the new commander of the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan. 
 
Republican senator John McCain, a longtime critic of Obama&#39;s military policies, welcomed the move, but said the president should have kept the entire 9,800 US troops in the country.&nbsp;Still, he said, &quot;the decision to retain 8,400 US troops in Afghanistan into next year is certainly preferable to cutting those forces by nearly half.&quot; 
 
US forces have been in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion to oust the Taliban in late 2001.&nbsp;The United States has spent around $1 trillion in total since, and some 2,200 American lives have been lost in the longest war in US history. 
 
(AFP)

Obama himself acknowledged the solution to the conflict, which at 15 years is the longest war in US history, would not be military alone

President Barack Obama on Wednesday said 8,400 US troops will remain in Afghanistan into next year to tackle the threat from a resurgent Taliban. Obama, who was elected in 2008 on a promise to end America's longest war, had previously vowed to slash the US troop presence from its current level of 9,800 to 5,500 by 2017. He said a still "precarious" security situation, with Afghan security forces struggling to contain the Taliban, made such a move untenable. "Instead of going down to 5,500 troops by the end of this year, the United States will maintain approximately 8,400 troops in Afghanistan into next year through the end of my administration," Obama said. "It is in our national security interest, especially after all the blood and treasure we've invested in Afghanistan over the years, that we give our Afghan partners the very best opportunity to succeed," he added. With only a few months left in office, Obama said additional troops would enable his successor to have "a solid foundation for continued progress" in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid mocked his announcement. "The more American invaders in Afghanistan, the more casualties they will suffer," he said on Twitter. "They will certainly be defeated," he added. "We have good experience in fighting the idiots. We have high morale." NATO mission Most of the US troops, operating under the NATO banner, work as trainers or advisers to Afghan forces. Around 40 NATO members and partner countries currently contribute to the overall force of nearly 13,000. It was not immediately clear whether Obama's decision would influence other countries' troop levels, expected to be a central issue at this week's NATO summit in Poland. "I welcome @BarackObama's announcement on troop levels in Afghanistan. A strong signal of our continued commitment," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter. Obama's announcement effectively acknowledges that Afghan forces, which took charge of the country's security in 2015, still face massive institutional shortcomings. They have suffered devastating setbacks at the hands of the Taliban, including the temporary loss of the northern city of Kunduz, and more than 5,000 Afghan troops killed last year alone. Other organisations, including the Islamic State group, have meanwhile stepped up activity. "The security situation in Afghanistan remains precarious," said Obama, who last month unveiled looser rules making it easier for US forces to strike Taliban targets. "Afghan security forces are still not as strong as they need to be," he added. "With our help, they're still working to improve critical capabilities, such as intelligence, logistics, aviation and command and control." Optics and politics Stephen Biddle, an Afghanistan expert and professor at George Washington University, said adjustments to the comparatively small US troop presence - the Afghans have about 320,000 police and troops - would make little difference to local security capabilities until Afghanistan tackles issues such as deeply entrenched corruption. "The ability of the Afghans to hold the line is not primarily being shaped by whether there are 9,800 or 8,400 or 5,500 US soldiers," Biddle told AFP, noting that the troop count is "more about the optics and the politics of this than it is about military capability". In particular, the Pentagon needs to maintain a steady troop level to ensure continued Congressional funding for the Afghan cause, Biddle said. Obama himself acknowledged the solution to the conflict, which has dragged on for 15 years, would not be military alone. "The only way to end this conflict and to achieve a full drawdown of foreign forces from Afghanistan is through a lasting political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban," he said. "That is why the United States will continue to strongly support an Afghan-led reconciliation process, and why we call on all countries in the region to end safe havens for militants and terrorists." But diplomatic efforts to engage with the Taliban are in disarray. The United States in May killed the group's leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, in a drone strike in Pakistan. Obama's decision follows a review of the security situation by General John Nicholson, the new commander of the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan. Republican senator John McCain, a longtime critic of Obama's military policies, welcomed the move, but said the president should have kept the entire 9,800 US troops in the country. Still, he said, "the decision to retain 8,400 US troops in Afghanistan into next year is certainly preferable to cutting those forces by nearly half." US forces have been in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion to oust the Taliban in late 2001. The United States has spent around $1 trillion in total since, and some 2,200 American lives have been lost in the longest war in US history. (AFP)

Obama slows Afghanistan pullout, 8,400 troops to stay

After 15 years of conflict in Afghanistan and no sign of peace, NATO members meeting in Warsaw this week are expected to confirm their support for the Kabul government, aware that they have little alternative if the country is to hold together. 
 
Foreign ministers agreed in May to extend assistance past 2016 and at the summit in the Polish capital on Friday and Saturday, alliance partners are also expected to continue their non-combat training and assistance mission. 
 
Total financial support is expected to be about $5 billion a year to 2020, with the United States, the largest donor, contributing about $3 billion. 
 
&quot;These decisions are very much about demonstrating NATO&#39;s enduring and steadfast commitment to Afghanistan,&quot; Ismail Aramaz, NATO&#39;s senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, told a media briefing in Kabul this week. 
 
&quot;Afghanistan will not stand alone.&quot; 
 
The summit comes as President Barack Obama considers whether to go ahead with plans that would see US forces in Afghanistan nearly halved from their current level of 9,800 to 5,500 by the beginning of next year. 
 
&#39;Stable Afghanistan is best guarantee that millitant networks&nbsp;cannot threaten the West&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The Taliban have made major gains since a NATO-led international force ended combat operations at the end of 2014 and now control more territory than at any time since they were driven from power in 2001. 
 
They briefly seized the northern city of Kunduz last year and control much of the southern province of Helmand, the largest source of opium. 
 
However, NATO officials point to signs of progress by Afghan forces. They say a better trained, better equipped force is at least holding its own against the Taliban and is building up air power while steadily improving in key areas from logistics and recruitment to operational planning. 
 
They also say a stable Afghanistan is the best guarantee that militant networks such as al Qaeda or Islamic State cannot re-establish bases to threaten the West and that the uncontrolled flow of migrants to Europe can be slowed. 
 
However, they are also aware that public support cannot be taken for granted and there is pressure to ensure that President Ashraf Ghani&#39;s government uses aid effectively, bringing costs down while continuing reforms the West wants to see. 
 
&quot;This is a two-way street,&quot; said Aramaz. 
 
NATO will be looking for &quot;demonstrable signs of continued political stability&quot; and &quot;tangible signs of progress&quot; in areas like women&#39;s rights, counter-corruption, electoral reform, and other human rights, he said. 
 
Afghan leaders must also make sure the security services remain under civilian control and free from political interference, he said. 
 
(Reuters)

Total financial support is expected to be about $5 billion a year to 2020, with the US, the largest donor, contributing about $3 billion

After 15 years of conflict in Afghanistan and no sign of peace, NATO members meeting in Warsaw this week are expected to confirm their support for the Kabul government, aware that they have little alternative if the country is to hold together. Foreign ministers agreed in May to extend assistance past 2016 and at the summit in the Polish capital on Friday and Saturday, alliance partners are also expected to continue their non-combat training and assistance mission. Total financial support is expected to be about $5 billion a year to 2020, with the United States, the largest donor, contributing about $3 billion. "These decisions are very much about demonstrating NATO's enduring and steadfast commitment to Afghanistan," Ismail Aramaz, NATO's senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, told a media briefing in Kabul this week. "Afghanistan will not stand alone." The summit comes as President Barack Obama considers whether to go ahead with plans that would see US forces in Afghanistan nearly halved from their current level of 9,800 to 5,500 by the beginning of next year. 'Stable Afghanistan is best guarantee that millitant networks cannot threaten the West' The Taliban have made major gains since a NATO-led international force ended combat operations at the end of 2014 and now control more territory than at any time since they were driven from power in 2001. They briefly seized the northern city of Kunduz last year and control much of the southern province of Helmand, the largest source of opium. However, NATO officials point to signs of progress by Afghan forces. They say a better trained, better equipped force is at least holding its own against the Taliban and is building up air power while steadily improving in key areas from logistics and recruitment to operational planning. They also say a stable Afghanistan is the best guarantee that militant networks such as al Qaeda or Islamic State cannot re-establish bases to threaten the West and that the uncontrolled flow of migrants to Europe can be slowed. However, they are also aware that public support cannot be taken for granted and there is pressure to ensure that President Ashraf Ghani's government uses aid effectively, bringing costs down while continuing reforms the West wants to see. "This is a two-way street," said Aramaz. NATO will be looking for "demonstrable signs of continued political stability" and "tangible signs of progress" in areas like women's rights, counter-corruption, electoral reform, and other human rights, he said. Afghan leaders must also make sure the security services remain under civilian control and free from political interference, he said. (Reuters)

NATO expected to approve support for Afghanistan to hold country together

The Afghan Taliban today condemned a deadly suicide bombing at Islam`s second holiest site in the Saudi city of Medina, describing it as &quot;an act of enmity and hatred&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Four people were killed in the bombing outside the Prophet`s Mosque on Monday, the same day as an attack outside a minority shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia, and another near the US consulate in the western city of Jeddah.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The Islamic Emirate (Taliban) &nbsp;which has been shocked by this gruesome act condemns this incident in the strongest of terms and considers it an act of enmity and hatred towards Islamic rituals,&quot; the militant group said in an emailed statement.&nbsp; 
 
There were no claims of responsibility for the bombings, but the Islamic State group had urged its supporters to carry out attacks during Ramzan. 
 
The Taliban, who were ousted from power by a US-led invasion in late 2001, have themselves been repeatedly blamed by the UN for deliberately targeting civilians in the war-torn country.&nbsp; 
 
As many as 600 civilians were killed and 1,343 were injured in the first three months of 2016, according to a UN report in April, with the Taliban responsible for six out of every 10 casualties.&nbsp; 
 
Monday`s suicide bombing received wide condemnation from across the Muslim world, with Shiite power Iran calling for Muslim unity following the attacks in its Sunni-dominated regional rival. 
 
Afghanistan`s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah also condemned the attacks in Saudi Arabia in a tweet today, expressing his sympathies to the people and government of Saudi Arabia. 
 
(AFP) 
 
&nbsp;

Four people were killed in the attack outside the Prophet`s Mosque on Monday

The Afghan Taliban today condemned a deadly suicide bombing at Islam`s second holiest site in the Saudi city of Medina, describing it as "an act of enmity and hatred". Four people were killed in the bombing outside the Prophet`s Mosque on Monday, the same day as an attack outside a minority shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia, and another near the US consulate in the western city of Jeddah. "The Islamic Emirate (Taliban) which has been shocked by this gruesome act condemns this incident in the strongest of terms and considers it an act of enmity and hatred towards Islamic rituals," the militant group said in an emailed statement. There were no claims of responsibility for the bombings, but the Islamic State group had urged its supporters to carry out attacks during Ramzan. The Taliban, who were ousted from power by a US-led invasion in late 2001, have themselves been repeatedly blamed by the UN for deliberately targeting civilians in the war-torn country. As many as 600 civilians were killed and 1,343 were injured in the first three months of 2016, according to a UN report in April, with the Taliban responsible for six out of every 10 casualties. Monday`s suicide bombing received wide condemnation from across the Muslim world, with Shiite power Iran calling for Muslim unity following the attacks in its Sunni-dominated regional rival. Afghanistan`s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah also condemned the attacks in Saudi Arabia in a tweet today, expressing his sympathies to the people and government of Saudi Arabia. (AFP)

Afghan Taliban condemn Medina bombing

US senator John McCain has expressed support for Pakistan&#39;s efforts in the fight against the Taliban after visiting a key tribal district recently retaken by the military, the Pakistani foreign ministry said Sunday.&nbsp; 
 
A four-member, bipartisan US Senate delegation led by the former presidential candidate went to North Waziristan, where in 2014, under US pressure, the army launched an operation to wipe out militant bases and end the near decade-long Islamist insurgency. 
 
Pertinently, in May, the army announced it had successfully cleared the area of militants.&nbsp; 
 
The foreign ministry statement said that the US delegation had met with Pakistani Foreign Affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz and held talks on Pakistan-US ties as well as the situation in Afghanistan. 
 
Aziz &quot;appreciated Senator McCain for his positive comments regarding the importance of Pakistan-US relations at a time when the region was facing complex challenges,&quot; the statement said. 
 
&quot;Good delegation mtg w/ Chief of Army Staff of #Pakistan Gen Raheel Sharif &amp; discussing regional security challenges,&quot; McCain said on his verified Twitter account, also posting photos of the delegation`s visit to Waziristan. 
 
Strained Pakistan-US ties&nbsp; 
 
The relationship between the two nations has been strained at times with some in Washington believing Pakistan has not done enough to bring its influence to bear and to persuade the Taliban to renounce violence.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, Pakistan was also angered over a recent US drone strike which killed the Taliban&#39;s leader Mullah Akthar Mansour in May in southwestern Balochistan province. 
 
The US Congress also blocked the subsidised sale of eight F-16 jet fighters to Pakistan in May accusing of it of being lax in the fight against militants. 
 
The US has carried out hundreds of drone strikes in Pakistan, mainly in the border tribal regions with Afghanistan, and leaked documents show Islamabad had quietly consented despite publicly protesting. 
 
Drone attacks have proven extremely controversial with the Pakistani public and rights groups.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Drone attacks carried out by US in border tribal regions with Afghanistan have proven extremely controversial

US senator John McCain has expressed support for Pakistan's efforts in the fight against the Taliban after visiting a key tribal district recently retaken by the military, the Pakistani foreign ministry said Sunday. A four-member, bipartisan US Senate delegation led by the former presidential candidate went to North Waziristan, where in 2014, under US pressure, the army launched an operation to wipe out militant bases and end the near decade-long Islamist insurgency. Pertinently, in May, the army announced it had successfully cleared the area of militants. The foreign ministry statement said that the US delegation had met with Pakistani Foreign Affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz and held talks on Pakistan-US ties as well as the situation in Afghanistan. Aziz "appreciated Senator McCain for his positive comments regarding the importance of Pakistan-US relations at a time when the region was facing complex challenges," the statement said. "Good delegation mtg w/ Chief of Army Staff of #Pakistan Gen Raheel Sharif & discussing regional security challenges," McCain said on his verified Twitter account, also posting photos of the delegation`s visit to Waziristan. Strained Pakistan-US ties The relationship between the two nations has been strained at times with some in Washington believing Pakistan has not done enough to bring its influence to bear and to persuade the Taliban to renounce violence. Meanwhile, Pakistan was also angered over a recent US drone strike which killed the Taliban's leader Mullah Akthar Mansour in May in southwestern Balochistan province. The US Congress also blocked the subsidised sale of eight F-16 jet fighters to Pakistan in May accusing of it of being lax in the fight against militants. The US has carried out hundreds of drone strikes in Pakistan, mainly in the border tribal regions with Afghanistan, and leaked documents show Islamabad had quietly consented despite publicly protesting. Drone attacks have proven extremely controversial with the Pakistani public and rights groups. (AFP)

In bid to improve relations, US senator reassures Pakistan of support in terror fight

Spanish police arrested three brothers of Pakistani nationality suspected of spreading Islamic extremist propaganda via social media networks. 
 
Officers detained the men, aged between 25 and 31, in an early morning raid on their home in the northeastern city of Lleida, a police spokesman said. 
 
The brothers operated several social media accounts to upload videos praising group executions carried out by Islamic State, the Taliban and other Pakistan-based extremist groups, police said in a statement. 
 
Police said the brothers had attracted a large number of followers in their attempts to spread jihadist ideology. 
 
The raid comes three days after a gun attack by a suicide bomber at Istanbul&#39;s Ataturk airport killed 44 people and which Turkish officials said appeared to have been carried out by the Islamic State group. 
 
(AFP)

The brothers used social media profiles to upload videos in support of executions by Islamic State, Taliban and other extremist groups

Spanish police arrested three brothers of Pakistani nationality suspected of spreading Islamic extremist propaganda via social media networks. Officers detained the men, aged between 25 and 31, in an early morning raid on their home in the northeastern city of Lleida, a police spokesman said. The brothers operated several social media accounts to upload videos praising group executions carried out by Islamic State, the Taliban and other Pakistan-based extremist groups, police said in a statement. Police said the brothers had attracted a large number of followers in their attempts to spread jihadist ideology. The raid comes three days after a gun attack by a suicide bomber at Istanbul's Ataturk airport killed 44 people and which Turkish officials said appeared to have been carried out by the Islamic State group. (AFP)

Spain arrests 3 Pakistani brothers for propagating Islamic extremism

Two Taliban suicide bombers killed at least 27 police and wounded around 40 in an attack today on buses carrying recently graduated cadets on the western outskirts of Kabul. 
 
A police official said that, according to preliminary information, three buses were attacked as they approached the Afghan capital from neighbouring Wardak province. 
 
&quot;Initial information we have is that two suicide bombers were involved and there are many casualties,&quot; he said, declining to be identified by name. 
 
An interior ministry official said at least 27 people were killed and 40 wounded. 
 
The incident comes 10 days after an attack on a bus carrying Nepali security guards working for the Canadian embassy in Kabul that killed 14 people. 
 
In April, at least 64 people were killed by a Taliban attack on a security services facility in Kabul in the deadliest bombing of its kind in Afghanistan since 2011. 
 
(Reuters)

Three buses carrying recently graduated cadets were attacked by the two bombers as they approached Kabul from Wardak province

Two Taliban suicide bombers killed at least 27 police and wounded around 40 in an attack today on buses carrying recently graduated cadets on the western outskirts of Kabul. A police official said that, according to preliminary information, three buses were attacked as they approached the Afghan capital from neighbouring Wardak province. "Initial information we have is that two suicide bombers were involved and there are many casualties," he said, declining to be identified by name. An interior ministry official said at least 27 people were killed and 40 wounded. The incident comes 10 days after an attack on a bus carrying Nepali security guards working for the Canadian embassy in Kabul that killed 14 people. In April, at least 64 people were killed by a Taliban attack on a security services facility in Kabul in the deadliest bombing of its kind in Afghanistan since 2011. (Reuters)

Taliban suicide bombers kill 27, wound 40 in attack on Afghan police

The US should adopt a policy of &quot;total isolation&quot; against Pakistan to send a signal that it faces the prospect of becoming a &quot;second North Korea&quot; if it continues destabilising Afghanistan by supporting the Taliban and Haqqani network, a former top American diplomat has said. 
 
&quot;In the aftermath of the US drone attack killing Taliban leader Mullah Mansour, this is the time to increase the pressure by suspending all assistance to Pakistan -- military and civilian -- and move towards isolating Pakistan internationally, including not supporting IMF renewal of financial support,&quot; Zalmay Khalilzad, a former top American diplomat in the Bush Administration, told PTI. 
 
Khalilzad, who played a key role America&#39;s policy towards Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq after 9/11 terror attack, said the US should adopt a policy of &quot;total isolation&quot; against Pakistan. 
 
Such a policy, he argued would send a signal to Pakistan that it faces the prospect of becoming a &quot;second North Korea&quot; unless it changes its course on Afghanistan. 
 
Khalilzad was the highest ranking Muslim American in the history of the United States. He was the US ambassador to the United Nations under former president George W Bush. 
 
He also served as the US ambassador to Afghanistan and headed the country&#39;s diplomatic mission in Iraq. 
 
&quot;If Pakistan truly changes course, then the US should be willing to be supportive in a significant way. But we have to substantially escalate the cost of Pakistan&#39;s hostile policy in Afghanistan,&quot; he said. 
 
Khalilzad also called for retaining the current level of forces in Afghanistan and more flexible rules of engagement for US forces until the next President reviews the situation in Afghanistan and decides on a new policy. 
 
&quot;While there are some potential risks in isolating Pakistan, there are real risks with continuing the current course in Afghanistan and Pakistan,&quot; he said and called for having a contingency plan to deal with the nuclear scenario risks. 
 
&quot;In fact (US forces) being in Afghanistan would help in addressing such challenges promptly,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;The choice we have made hasn&#39;t really worked for the last 15 years in terms of changing Pakistan&#39;s two-faced policy. The time has come to adjust that policy. In my view a better option is international isolation of Pakistan,&quot; Khalilzad argued. 
 
&quot;The role that Pakistan has played....Is that of a double game. It has signalled on the one hand that it wants to be helpful to the United States in fighting terrorism and stabilising Afghanistan. But on the other hand, in reality, it has been energetically supporting the Taliban and the Haqqani network to achieve the very opposite. That has been the essence of the Pakistan policy on Afghanistan,&quot; he said. 
 
Noting that Pakistan&#39;s Afghan policy is determined by the Army and the ISI, Khalilzad said that the reason for such a policy is that they believe that by supporting the Taliban and the Haqqani network, they can achieve the goal of dominating Afghanistan. 
 
&quot;An alternative explanation is that the status quo of an unstable Afghanistan with ongoing fighting, in which they have relationship with the Taliban and the Haqqani network and key players, is seen by Pakistan as favorable to its interests. 
 
&quot;In my view they want peace and stability in Afghanistan only if the country is controlled by a group, such as the Taliban and the Haqqani network which they control or have strong influence over,&quot; he claimed. 
 
&quot;Pakistan is the landlord and the Taliban is living in the house that Pakistan owns. This gives them huge leverage. Actually the relationship is even stronger than a landlord and tenant. It is one of sponsor and sponsorees,&quot; he said. 
 
Currently, chairman of the Atlantic Council&#39;s South Asia Center&#39;s advisory board, and president of Gryphon Partnerson, Khalilzad will deliver a talk on his new book &#39;The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House, My Journey Through a Turbulent World&#39; at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi on July 1. 
 
(PTI)

He said Pakistan faces the prospect of becoming a second 'North Korea' if it continues to destabilise Afghanistan by supporting Taliban

The US should adopt a policy of "total isolation" against Pakistan to send a signal that it faces the prospect of becoming a "second North Korea" if it continues destabilising Afghanistan by supporting the Taliban and Haqqani network, a former top American diplomat has said. "In the aftermath of the US drone attack killing Taliban leader Mullah Mansour, this is the time to increase the pressure by suspending all assistance to Pakistan -- military and civilian -- and move towards isolating Pakistan internationally, including not supporting IMF renewal of financial support," Zalmay Khalilzad, a former top American diplomat in the Bush Administration, told PTI. Khalilzad, who played a key role America's policy towards Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq after 9/11 terror attack, said the US should adopt a policy of "total isolation" against Pakistan. Such a policy, he argued would send a signal to Pakistan that it faces the prospect of becoming a "second North Korea" unless it changes its course on Afghanistan. Khalilzad was the highest ranking Muslim American in the history of the United States. He was the US ambassador to the United Nations under former president George W Bush. He also served as the US ambassador to Afghanistan and headed the country's diplomatic mission in Iraq. "If Pakistan truly changes course, then the US should be willing to be supportive in a significant way. But we have to substantially escalate the cost of Pakistan's hostile policy in Afghanistan," he said. Khalilzad also called for retaining the current level of forces in Afghanistan and more flexible rules of engagement for US forces until the next President reviews the situation in Afghanistan and decides on a new policy. "While there are some potential risks in isolating Pakistan, there are real risks with continuing the current course in Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said and called for having a contingency plan to deal with the nuclear scenario risks. "In fact (US forces) being in Afghanistan would help in addressing such challenges promptly," he said. "The choice we have made hasn't really worked for the last 15 years in terms of changing Pakistan's two-faced policy. The time has come to adjust that policy. In my view a better option is international isolation of Pakistan," Khalilzad argued. "The role that Pakistan has played....Is that of a double game. It has signalled on the one hand that it wants to be helpful to the United States in fighting terrorism and stabilising Afghanistan. But on the other hand, in reality, it has been energetically supporting the Taliban and the Haqqani network to achieve the very opposite. That has been the essence of the Pakistan policy on Afghanistan," he said. Noting that Pakistan's Afghan policy is determined by the Army and the ISI, Khalilzad said that the reason for such a policy is that they believe that by supporting the Taliban and the Haqqani network, they can achieve the goal of dominating Afghanistan. "An alternative explanation is that the status quo of an unstable Afghanistan with ongoing fighting, in which they have relationship with the Taliban and the Haqqani network and key players, is seen by Pakistan as favorable to its interests. "In my view they want peace and stability in Afghanistan only if the country is controlled by a group, such as the Taliban and the Haqqani network which they control or have strong influence over," he claimed. "Pakistan is the landlord and the Taliban is living in the house that Pakistan owns. This gives them huge leverage. Actually the relationship is even stronger than a landlord and tenant. It is one of sponsor and sponsorees," he said. Currently, chairman of the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center's advisory board, and president of Gryphon Partnerson, Khalilzad will deliver a talk on his new book 'The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House, My Journey Through a Turbulent World' at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi on July 1. (PTI)

US should adopt policy of total isolation against Pakistan: former American diplomat

Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari has hit out at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial government for allocating public funds to a privately-owned Islamic seminary known for &quot;its links with the Taliban and other militant groups&quot;. 
 
The provincial government, led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in its budget for fiscal 2016-17, has reportedly set aside Rs 300 million for the Nowshera-based Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary of Maulana Sami-ul Haq. 
 
&quot;This is nothing but legitimisation of militancy and militant Taliban that will undermine the nation&#39;s resolve to fight militants to the finish,&quot; the Express Tribune quoted him, as saying. Zardari`s statement was released by his spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar. 
 
Babar said Zardari, also the Co-Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party,has expressed concern over the use of public money for a private seminary which is reportedly known for promoting private jihads.&nbsp;&quot;The resources should have been spent on human development instead of on a seminary whose claim to fame lies in its promotion of militant Islam and the worldview of Islamic militants,&quot; Zardari said. 
 
Zardari pointed out that the current head of the seminary is an acknowledged sympathiser and undeclared spokesperson of the Taliban. He was of the opinion that in the wake of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor`s killing in a U.S. drone strike in Balochistan, it appears that some elements are reviving the &#39;jihadi project&#39;. 
 
&quot;Recently, conservative religious parties led by a proscribed organisation held congregations in Islamabad protesting Mullah Mansoor&#39;s death. Now a privately owned pro-Taliban madrassa has been given Rs300 million,&quot; he added. However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has last week defended the decision to allocate money to the seminary, noting that about 2.2 million students in the province studied in seminaries as compared to 800,000 in English-medium schools.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

Asif Ali Zardari pointed out that the current head of the seminary is an acknowledged sympathiser and undeclared spokesperson of the Taliban

Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari has hit out at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial government for allocating public funds to a privately-owned Islamic seminary known for "its links with the Taliban and other militant groups". The provincial government, led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in its budget for fiscal 2016-17, has reportedly set aside Rs 300 million for the Nowshera-based Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary of Maulana Sami-ul Haq. "This is nothing but legitimisation of militancy and militant Taliban that will undermine the nation's resolve to fight militants to the finish," the Express Tribune quoted him, as saying. Zardari`s statement was released by his spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar. Babar said Zardari, also the Co-Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party,has expressed concern over the use of public money for a private seminary which is reportedly known for promoting private jihads. "The resources should have been spent on human development instead of on a seminary whose claim to fame lies in its promotion of militant Islam and the worldview of Islamic militants," Zardari said. Zardari pointed out that the current head of the seminary is an acknowledged sympathiser and undeclared spokesperson of the Taliban. He was of the opinion that in the wake of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor`s killing in a U.S. drone strike in Balochistan, it appears that some elements are reviving the 'jihadi project'. "Recently, conservative religious parties led by a proscribed organisation held congregations in Islamabad protesting Mullah Mansoor's death. Now a privately owned pro-Taliban madrassa has been given Rs300 million," he added. However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has last week defended the decision to allocate money to the seminary, noting that about 2.2 million students in the province studied in seminaries as compared to 800,000 in English-medium schools. (ANI)

Former Pak President calls funding to private seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 'legitimisation of millitancy'

Heavy fighting between Islamic State (IS) militants and government security forces has claimed dozens of lives in eastern Afghanistan, officials said today. 
 
In recent months insurgents claiming allegiance to Islamic State had largely appeared to be bottled up in a mountainous area along the border with Pakistan under threat of US air strikes. 
 
The latest attacks indicate the group remains a potent threat to a government already battling an insurgency dominated by the rival Taliban. 
 
At least a dozen Afghan security forces and civilians had been killed, with another 18 wounded, Nangarhar province governor Saleem Khan Kunduzi said in a statement. 
 
Local officials claimed more than 100 Islamic State fighters had been killed in fighting in Nangarhar over the past three days, even though exact figures varied and could not be independently verified. 
 
&quot;There is no doubt that Daesh (IS) do not respect anyone,&quot; Kunduzi said, using a common term for Islamic State. &quot;They kill people, regardless of whether they&#39;re a child or a woman. They burn down madrasas, mosques and schools.&quot; 
 
As many as 25 homes had been burned down in Kowt district, and five civilians were reported kidnapped, Nangarhar officials said. 
 
Hundreds of police and soldiers are engaged in the area with reinforcements on the way, provincial police chief Zarawar Zahid said. 
 
At a small event today in Kabul, the head of Afghanistan&#39;s civil society federation, Sediq Ansari, blamed local leaders for being negligent in the face of Islamic State threats and called on them to be suspended. 
 
&quot;They should be accountable for every drop of blood that has been shed in Nangarhar so it becomes a lesson to other officials,&quot; he told gathered reporters. 
 
Militants linked to Islamic State have not made as much progress in Afghanistan as in Syria and Iraq, where the group seized major cities and wide swaths of territory and attracted thousands of recruits. 
 
In Afghanistan, the group is thought to consist mostly of disaffected members of other insurgent movements, including the Taliban, who have often battled Islamic State for control of areas in Nangarhar. 
 
In January, US President Barack Obama gave US forces in Afghanistan more freedom to attack Islamic State targets, leading to a spike in air strikes and other operations, especially in Nangarhar. 
 
No coalition forces have been involved in the latest fighting, spokesman Commander Ron Flesvig said. 
 
(Reuters)

According to local officials, more than 100 Islamic State fighters had been killed in fighting in Nangarhar over the past three days

Heavy fighting between Islamic State (IS) militants and government security forces has claimed dozens of lives in eastern Afghanistan, officials said today. In recent months insurgents claiming allegiance to Islamic State had largely appeared to be bottled up in a mountainous area along the border with Pakistan under threat of US air strikes. The latest attacks indicate the group remains a potent threat to a government already battling an insurgency dominated by the rival Taliban. At least a dozen Afghan security forces and civilians had been killed, with another 18 wounded, Nangarhar province governor Saleem Khan Kunduzi said in a statement. Local officials claimed more than 100 Islamic State fighters had been killed in fighting in Nangarhar over the past three days, even though exact figures varied and could not be independently verified. "There is no doubt that Daesh (IS) do not respect anyone," Kunduzi said, using a common term for Islamic State. "They kill people, regardless of whether they're a child or a woman. They burn down madrasas, mosques and schools." As many as 25 homes had been burned down in Kowt district, and five civilians were reported kidnapped, Nangarhar officials said. Hundreds of police and soldiers are engaged in the area with reinforcements on the way, provincial police chief Zarawar Zahid said. At a small event today in Kabul, the head of Afghanistan's civil society federation, Sediq Ansari, blamed local leaders for being negligent in the face of Islamic State threats and called on them to be suspended. "They should be accountable for every drop of blood that has been shed in Nangarhar so it becomes a lesson to other officials," he told gathered reporters. Militants linked to Islamic State have not made as much progress in Afghanistan as in Syria and Iraq, where the group seized major cities and wide swaths of territory and attracted thousands of recruits. In Afghanistan, the group is thought to consist mostly of disaffected members of other insurgent movements, including the Taliban, who have often battled Islamic State for control of areas in Nangarhar. In January, US President Barack Obama gave US forces in Afghanistan more freedom to attack Islamic State targets, leading to a spike in air strikes and other operations, especially in Nangarhar. No coalition forces have been involved in the latest fighting, spokesman Commander Ron Flesvig said. (Reuters)

Islamic State militants launch new attacks in eastern Afghanistan

At least three people were killed and another 20 injured when a bomb ripped through a busy square in Pakistan&#39;s Balochistan province, police said today. 
 
The bomb was planted on a motorbike parked along the road in Almo Chowk of Quetta city and it exploded when people were busy in shopping during the holy month of Ramzan. 
 
&quot;Three people were killed and 20 injured in the attack,&quot; a police official said. 
 
The victims were shifted to the Civil Hospital Quetta, where some of them were said to be in critical condition. 
 
Security personnel rushed to the place of attack and have started investigations, he said. 
 
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack but Taliban and Baloch nationalist militants are active in the area. 
 
(PTI)

Nobody has claimed responsibility yet but Taliban and Baloch nationalist militants are active in the area

At least three people were killed and another 20 injured when a bomb ripped through a busy square in Pakistan's Balochistan province, police said today. The bomb was planted on a motorbike parked along the road in Almo Chowk of Quetta city and it exploded when people were busy in shopping during the holy month of Ramzan. "Three people were killed and 20 injured in the attack," a police official said. The victims were shifted to the Civil Hospital Quetta, where some of them were said to be in critical condition. Security personnel rushed to the place of attack and have started investigations, he said. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack but Taliban and Baloch nationalist militants are active in the area. (PTI)

3 killed, 20 injured in bomb explosion in Pak's Balochistan

On a bright day in downtown Kabul, Jagtar Singh Laghmani was in his traditional herb shop when a man turned up, drew a knife and told him to convert to Islam or he would cut his throat. Only bystanders and other shopkeepers saved his life. 
 
The incident earlier this month was the latest attack on a dwindling community of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, a deeply conservative Muslim country struggling with growing insecurity caused by an Islamist insurgency and economic challenges. 
 
Once a thriving minority, only a handful of Sikh and Hindu families remain. Many have chosen to flee the country of their birth, blaming growing discrimination and intolerance. 
 
&quot;This is how we begin our day - with fear and isolation. If you are not a Muslim, you are not a human in their eyes,&quot; said Jagtar Singh, speaking in his tiny shop in the bustling centre of Kabul. &quot;I don&#39;t know what to do or where to go.&quot; 
 
For centuries, Hindu and Sikh communities played a prominent role in merchant trade and money lending in Afghanistan, although today they are known more for medicinal herb shops. 
 
According to Avtar Singh, chairman of the national council of Hindus and Sikhs, the community now numbers fewer than 220 families, compared with around 220,000 members before the collapse of the Kabul government in 1992. 
 
Once spread across the country, the community is now mainly concentrated in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Ghazni, and the capital Kabul. 
 
Although Afghanistan is almost entirely Muslim, its constitution, drawn up after US-led forces drove out the Taliban government in 2001, theoretically guarantees the right of minority religions to worship freely. 
 
But as the conflict drags on, Avtar Singh said conditions were worse than under the Taliban, which imposed strict Islamic laws, staged public executions and banned girls from schools. 
 
Hindus and Sikhs had to wear yellow patches that identified them in public, but were otherwise seldom bothered. 
 
&quot;The good old days have long gone when we were treated as Afghans, not as outsiders,&quot; Avtar Singh said from a temple in Kabul, all the while keeping an eye on visitors using monitors linked to security cameras. 
 
&quot;Our lands have been taken by powerful figures in the government, especially by the warlords. We are facing threats, and this small community is getting smaller and smaller every day,&quot; he added. 
 
Last week, dozens of Hindu and Sikh families left Helmand, where Taliban insurgents, who have a presence in much of the southern province, sent a letter demanding 200,000 Afghani ($2,800) a month from the community. 
 
HOSTILITY 
 
Tensions have surfaced in Qalacha, an area on the outskirts of Kabul where the Sikh and Hindu community owns a high-walled crematorium. 
 
As the capital has expanded in recent years, the neighbourhood has become densely populated and some newer residents oppose Hindu and Sikh cremations, a practice foreign to Muslims, who bury their dead. 
 
&quot;When they burn the body the smell makes our family sick and we don&#39;t want this to happen here,&quot; said Ahmad Timor, a Muslim resident in Qalacha. 
 
The Sikhs say local Muslim hardliners have stirred up hostility against them, and the community now requires police protection for their funeral rituals. 
 
&quot;They throw stones and bricks at us, at the bodies of the dead, whenever there is a funeral,&quot; said Avtar Singh, pointing to a newly built house next to the crematorium. 
 
Dahi-ul Haq Abid, deputy minister for Haj and religious affairs, said the government had done what it could to improve the livelihood of Hindus and Sikhs. 
 
&quot;We agree that conflicts pushed them out of the country, but their condition is not as bad as they claim,&quot; Abid added. 
 
&quot;We have allocated them a place to burn their bodies because inside the city people complained about the smell, but they did not agree,&quot; he told Reuters. 
 
Harassment is also common 
 
Jasmeet Singh, eight, stopped going to school because of what he said was daily harassment. He and other children from the community now either go to private schools or study inside the temple. 
 
&quot;While I was at school, other students were making fun of me. They were removing my turban, hitting me and calling me Hindu and kaffir (infidel),&quot; said Jasmeet Singh, as other boys nodded their heads in agreement. 
 
Increasing numbers of Sikhs and Hindus have moved to India, their spiritual homeland, but some say they remain foreigners wherever they go. 
 
&quot;When we go to India, we are known as Afghans, but when we are here, we are seen as outsiders even if we are native Afghan,&quot; said Baljit Singh, a shopkeeper in Kabul. &quot;We are lost between both worlds.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Under the Taliban there are public executions, girls can't attend school, and Hindus and Sikhs wear yellow patches in public

On a bright day in downtown Kabul, Jagtar Singh Laghmani was in his traditional herb shop when a man turned up, drew a knife and told him to convert to Islam or he would cut his throat. Only bystanders and other shopkeepers saved his life. The incident earlier this month was the latest attack on a dwindling community of Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, a deeply conservative Muslim country struggling with growing insecurity caused by an Islamist insurgency and economic challenges. Once a thriving minority, only a handful of Sikh and Hindu families remain. Many have chosen to flee the country of their birth, blaming growing discrimination and intolerance. "This is how we begin our day - with fear and isolation. If you are not a Muslim, you are not a human in their eyes," said Jagtar Singh, speaking in his tiny shop in the bustling centre of Kabul. "I don't know what to do or where to go." For centuries, Hindu and Sikh communities played a prominent role in merchant trade and money lending in Afghanistan, although today they are known more for medicinal herb shops. According to Avtar Singh, chairman of the national council of Hindus and Sikhs, the community now numbers fewer than 220 families, compared with around 220,000 members before the collapse of the Kabul government in 1992. Once spread across the country, the community is now mainly concentrated in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Ghazni, and the capital Kabul. Although Afghanistan is almost entirely Muslim, its constitution, drawn up after US-led forces drove out the Taliban government in 2001, theoretically guarantees the right of minority religions to worship freely. But as the conflict drags on, Avtar Singh said conditions were worse than under the Taliban, which imposed strict Islamic laws, staged public executions and banned girls from schools. Hindus and Sikhs had to wear yellow patches that identified them in public, but were otherwise seldom bothered. "The good old days have long gone when we were treated as Afghans, not as outsiders," Avtar Singh said from a temple in Kabul, all the while keeping an eye on visitors using monitors linked to security cameras. "Our lands have been taken by powerful figures in the government, especially by the warlords. We are facing threats, and this small community is getting smaller and smaller every day," he added. Last week, dozens of Hindu and Sikh families left Helmand, where Taliban insurgents, who have a presence in much of the southern province, sent a letter demanding 200,000 Afghani ($2,800) a month from the community. HOSTILITY Tensions have surfaced in Qalacha, an area on the outskirts of Kabul where the Sikh and Hindu community owns a high-walled crematorium. As the capital has expanded in recent years, the neighbourhood has become densely populated and some newer residents oppose Hindu and Sikh cremations, a practice foreign to Muslims, who bury their dead. "When they burn the body the smell makes our family sick and we don't want this to happen here," said Ahmad Timor, a Muslim resident in Qalacha. The Sikhs say local Muslim hardliners have stirred up hostility against them, and the community now requires police protection for their funeral rituals. "They throw stones and bricks at us, at the bodies of the dead, whenever there is a funeral," said Avtar Singh, pointing to a newly built house next to the crematorium. Dahi-ul Haq Abid, deputy minister for Haj and religious affairs, said the government had done what it could to improve the livelihood of Hindus and Sikhs. "We agree that conflicts pushed them out of the country, but their condition is not as bad as they claim," Abid added. "We have allocated them a place to burn their bodies because inside the city people complained about the smell, but they did not agree," he told Reuters. Harassment is also common Jasmeet Singh, eight, stopped going to school because of what he said was daily harassment. He and other children from the community now either go to private schools or study inside the temple. "While I was at school, other students were making fun of me. They were removing my turban, hitting me and calling me Hindu and kaffir (infidel)," said Jasmeet Singh, as other boys nodded their heads in agreement. Increasing numbers of Sikhs and Hindus have moved to India, their spiritual homeland, but some say they remain foreigners wherever they go. "When we go to India, we are known as Afghans, but when we are here, we are seen as outsiders even if we are native Afghan," said Baljit Singh, a shopkeeper in Kabul. "We are lost between both worlds." (Reuters)

Afghanistan's dwindling Sikh, Hindu communities flee new abuses

India has demanded that the UN slaps sanctions against the new Taliban leader in Afghanistan, saying it is &quot;sheer folly&quot; that the leader of a proscribed entity is not yet designated as a terrorist individual. 
 
&quot;It is sheer folly that the leader of a proscribed entity is not yet designated as a terrorist individual,&quot; India&#39;s permanent representative to the UN ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said at a security council debate on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) here yesterday. 
 
Supporting New Zealand&#39;s position that the anamoly should be corrected, Akbaruddin said the new Taliban leader should be sanctioned. 
 
The Taliban had named Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, a conservative cleric in his 50s, as its new leader after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in an American drone strike last month. 
 
US state department&#39;s deputy spokesperson Mark Toner had said in a press briefing then that Akhundzada was not on any kind of a terrorist designated list. 
 
Akbaruddin further emphasised that groups and individuals perpetrating violence against the people and government of Afghanistan cannot have safe havens and should not be allowed to exercise control and wield influence over any part of Afghanistan&#39;s territory. 
 
&quot;This, in our view, is critical for lasting peace in the country,&quot; he said adding that effective implementation of the security council sanctions regime including the 1267 ISIL/al-Qaeda sanctions and 1988 Taliban&#39;s regime should also be carried out &quot;consistently and with perseverance&quot; for it to serve as a strong deterrent to the listed entities and individuals. 
 
Previously, India has slammed the UN sanctions committee for taking a &quot;selective approach&quot; in tackling terrorism when a technical hold was put on its application to include the name of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar on the committee&#39;s list of designated terrorists. 
 
India had said in April that it finds it &quot;incomprehensible&quot; that while the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was listed in the UN security council committee as far back as 2001 for its known terror activities and links to al Qaeda, the designation of the group&#39;s main leader, financier and motivator has been put on a technical hold. 
(PTI) 
 
 
&nbsp;

The Taliban has named Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, a conservative cleric in his 50s, as the outfit's new leader

India has demanded that the UN slaps sanctions against the new Taliban leader in Afghanistan, saying it is "sheer folly" that the leader of a proscribed entity is not yet designated as a terrorist individual. "It is sheer folly that the leader of a proscribed entity is not yet designated as a terrorist individual," India's permanent representative to the UN ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said at a security council debate on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) here yesterday. Supporting New Zealand's position that the anamoly should be corrected, Akbaruddin said the new Taliban leader should be sanctioned. The Taliban had named Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, a conservative cleric in his 50s, as its new leader after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in an American drone strike last month. US state department's deputy spokesperson Mark Toner had said in a press briefing then that Akhundzada was not on any kind of a terrorist designated list. Akbaruddin further emphasised that groups and individuals perpetrating violence against the people and government of Afghanistan cannot have safe havens and should not be allowed to exercise control and wield influence over any part of Afghanistan's territory. "This, in our view, is critical for lasting peace in the country," he said adding that effective implementation of the security council sanctions regime including the 1267 ISIL/al-Qaeda sanctions and 1988 Taliban's regime should also be carried out "consistently and with perseverance" for it to serve as a strong deterrent to the listed entities and individuals. Previously, India has slammed the UN sanctions committee for taking a "selective approach" in tackling terrorism when a technical hold was put on its application to include the name of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar on the committee's list of designated terrorists. India had said in April that it finds it "incomprehensible" that while the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was listed in the UN security council committee as far back as 2001 for its known terror activities and links to al Qaeda, the designation of the group's main leader, financier and motivator has been put on a technical hold. (PTI)

India slams UN for not slapping sanctions on new Afghan Taliban leader

Pakistan has raised the issue of the recent US drone strike that killed the Afghan Taliban chief, in the UN Security Council (UNSC), describing it as an &quot;unacceptable and blatant violation of its sovereignty&quot; and of the UN charter and international law. 
 
Speaking in the quarterly debate on Afghanistan in the UNSC, Pakistan&#39;s Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said the Afghan peace process was undermined by the US drone attack of May 21 which killed Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in Balochistan province close to the Afghan border. 
 
This action has dealt &quot;a blow to the Afghan peace process&quot; and added to the intensity and complexity of the Afghan conflict, she added. 
While expressing Pakistan&#39;s readiness to support a genuine Afghan peace process, Lodhi warned that her country will not tolerate violations of its sovereignty and its territorial integrity, &quot;from whatever source&quot;. 
 
She asked whether the international community wanted a negotiated peace or a military solution in Afghanistan. She warned that those seeking a renewed recourse to a military solution need to think through its consequences. 
 
&quot;Is it ready to invest in war rather than peace in Afghanistan?&quot; she asked the 15-member UNSC. 
 
Referring to the secretary general&#39;s report on Afghanistan, the Pakistani envoy said that this reinforced the firm international consensus that &quot;only by a negotiated political agreement will Afghans achieve sustainable peace&quot;. 
 
She said Pakistan agreed to facilitate the first-ever direct peace talks between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban in Murree in June 2015. 
 
Depicting these talks as a &quot;promising start&quot;, she regretted that days before the second round in which the two sides were to also consider a de-escalation of violence, the talks were scuttled by developments &quot;well known to all&quot;. 
 
She argued that for the past 15 years the use of military force has failed to stabilise Afghanistan. 
 
&quot;Continued resort to military means will further destabilise the situation in Afghanistan and the region,&quot; she said, adding Pakistan would advice against such a strategy. 
 
Urging the Afghan government and the international coalition to take action against Pakistani Taliban elements, which have sought refuge in Afghanistan, she emphasised that the elimination of these sanctuaries was essential to peace and security. 
 
(PTI)

It called the drone strike that killed the Afghan Taliban chief on May 21 a blatant violation of its sovereignty

Pakistan has raised the issue of the recent US drone strike that killed the Afghan Taliban chief, in the UN Security Council (UNSC), describing it as an "unacceptable and blatant violation of its sovereignty" and of the UN charter and international law. Speaking in the quarterly debate on Afghanistan in the UNSC, Pakistan's Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said the Afghan peace process was undermined by the US drone attack of May 21 which killed Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in Balochistan province close to the Afghan border. This action has dealt "a blow to the Afghan peace process" and added to the intensity and complexity of the Afghan conflict, she added. While expressing Pakistan's readiness to support a genuine Afghan peace process, Lodhi warned that her country will not tolerate violations of its sovereignty and its territorial integrity, "from whatever source". She asked whether the international community wanted a negotiated peace or a military solution in Afghanistan. She warned that those seeking a renewed recourse to a military solution need to think through its consequences. "Is it ready to invest in war rather than peace in Afghanistan?" she asked the 15-member UNSC. Referring to the secretary general's report on Afghanistan, the Pakistani envoy said that this reinforced the firm international consensus that "only by a negotiated political agreement will Afghans achieve sustainable peace". She said Pakistan agreed to facilitate the first-ever direct peace talks between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban in Murree in June 2015. Depicting these talks as a "promising start", she regretted that days before the second round in which the two sides were to also consider a de-escalation of violence, the talks were scuttled by developments "well known to all". She argued that for the past 15 years the use of military force has failed to stabilise Afghanistan. "Continued resort to military means will further destabilise the situation in Afghanistan and the region," she said, adding Pakistan would advice against such a strategy. Urging the Afghan government and the international coalition to take action against Pakistani Taliban elements, which have sought refuge in Afghanistan, she emphasised that the elimination of these sanctuaries was essential to peace and security. (PTI)

Pakistan raises US drone strike issue at UN Security Council

Taliban on Tuesday kidnapped about 25 after pulling them off buses in Southern Afghanistan, officials said, the latest in a series of abductions on the country&#39;s increasingly dangerous highways. 
 
The pre-dawn incident in Washer district of the Helmand province comes a day after militants killed more than 20 people, including 14 Nepalese security guards, in a wave of violence across the country.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They abducted about 25 men,&quot; the Helmand governor&#39;s spokesman Omar Zwak said. 
 
He was unable to give a more precise figure, but added the passengers were travelling on a bus and two trucks from Southern Kandahar to western Herat province.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Our latest report shows they have been taken to Marja district of Helmand. We have started our search and rescue operation,&quot; he said. 
 
Marja district is the Taliban hotbed and a battleground between the Taliban and Afghan forces in the volatile Helmand province.&nbsp; 
 
Witness Agha Jan told AFP the militants, who were wearing army uniforms, initially detained 37 people.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They released women and children later, but kept the men,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
The Taliban insurgents said they were targeting Afghan government officials aboard the vehicles.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They have been taken based on the intelligence. Those who are innocent will be released and those who are working with the puppet Kabul administration will be brought to justice in Islamic Emirate&#39;s court,&quot; a spokesman for the insurgents said on Twitter. 
 
Highways around Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly dangerous with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers. 
 
Earlier this month, gunmen abducted 40 people in northern Kunduz province, releasing some later, but an unknown number of others remain in Taliban captivity.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The insurgents say that they were looking for Afghan officials aboard these vehicles

Taliban on Tuesday kidnapped about 25 after pulling them off buses in Southern Afghanistan, officials said, the latest in a series of abductions on the country's increasingly dangerous highways. The pre-dawn incident in Washer district of the Helmand province comes a day after militants killed more than 20 people, including 14 Nepalese security guards, in a wave of violence across the country. "They abducted about 25 men," the Helmand governor's spokesman Omar Zwak said. He was unable to give a more precise figure, but added the passengers were travelling on a bus and two trucks from Southern Kandahar to western Herat province. "Our latest report shows they have been taken to Marja district of Helmand. We have started our search and rescue operation," he said. Marja district is the Taliban hotbed and a battleground between the Taliban and Afghan forces in the volatile Helmand province. Witness Agha Jan told AFP the militants, who were wearing army uniforms, initially detained 37 people. "They released women and children later, but kept the men," he said. The Taliban insurgents said they were targeting Afghan government officials aboard the vehicles. "They have been taken based on the intelligence. Those who are innocent will be released and those who are working with the puppet Kabul administration will be brought to justice in Islamic Emirate's court," a spokesman for the insurgents said on Twitter. Highways around Afghanistan passing through insurgency-prone areas have become exceedingly dangerous with the Taliban and other armed groups frequently kidnapping or killing travellers. Earlier this month, gunmen abducted 40 people in northern Kunduz province, releasing some later, but an unknown number of others remain in Taliban captivity. (AFP)

Taliban abducts 25 passengers from buses in Afghanistan

The Afghan parliament approved President Ashraf Ghani&#39;s choices for defence minister and intelligence chief today, ensuring continuity in command at time when the Taliban insurgency has intensified and more US troops are preparing to go home. 
 
Parliament approved General Abdullah Khan Habibi as new defence minister, to replace Masoom Stanekzai, who will now head Afghanistan&#39;s intelligence agency, the National Directorate for Security (NDS). 
 
Their confirmation comes ahead of a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit next month in Warsaw, where Afghanistan and the future role of international coalition forces are expected to be a major issue. 
 
&quot;There is ongoing fighting in almost 20 provinces of the country and the fighting strategy cannot be administrated by caretakers,&quot; Farhad Sediqi, a member of parliament from Kabul, said as the lawmakers gave their assent to Ghani&#39;s choices . 
 
The president had nominated Habibi and Stanekzai a little over a month ago, and the speed of their confirmation stood in contrast to the factional wrangling that followed Stanekzai&#39;s nomination as defence minister in the wake of the 2014 election. 
 
At that time, lawmakers failed to confirm his appointment for well over a year, as rival factions vied for greater influence in the unity government formed by Ghani and government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah after the disputed election. 
 
The risky situation in Afghanistan has forced US President Barack Obama to consider altering plans to halve the 9,800-strong US force in the country by the start of next year. 
 
The Taliban, which now controls more territory than at any time since it was driven from power by US-led forces in 2001, has also stepped up its annual spring offensive. 
 
The threat to Afghanistan&#39;s security was underlined today by a series of attacks in Kabul and the northern province of Badakhshan in which more than 20 people were killed. 
 
Afghan security forces have succeeded in pushing the insurgents back from the northern city of Kunduz, which fell briefly last year, but they have faced heavy pressure in southern regions including the strategic province of Helmand. 
(Reuters)

The move ensures continuity in a time when the country's security is being undermined by Taliban attacks

The Afghan parliament approved President Ashraf Ghani's choices for defence minister and intelligence chief today, ensuring continuity in command at time when the Taliban insurgency has intensified and more US troops are preparing to go home. Parliament approved General Abdullah Khan Habibi as new defence minister, to replace Masoom Stanekzai, who will now head Afghanistan's intelligence agency, the National Directorate for Security (NDS). Their confirmation comes ahead of a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit next month in Warsaw, where Afghanistan and the future role of international coalition forces are expected to be a major issue. "There is ongoing fighting in almost 20 provinces of the country and the fighting strategy cannot be administrated by caretakers," Farhad Sediqi, a member of parliament from Kabul, said as the lawmakers gave their assent to Ghani's choices . The president had nominated Habibi and Stanekzai a little over a month ago, and the speed of their confirmation stood in contrast to the factional wrangling that followed Stanekzai's nomination as defence minister in the wake of the 2014 election. At that time, lawmakers failed to confirm his appointment for well over a year, as rival factions vied for greater influence in the unity government formed by Ghani and government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah after the disputed election. The risky situation in Afghanistan has forced US President Barack Obama to consider altering plans to halve the 9,800-strong US force in the country by the start of next year. The Taliban, which now controls more territory than at any time since it was driven from power by US-led forces in 2001, has also stepped up its annual spring offensive. The threat to Afghanistan's security was underlined today by a series of attacks in Kabul and the northern province of Badakhshan in which more than 20 people were killed. Afghan security forces have succeeded in pushing the insurgents back from the northern city of Kunduz, which fell briefly last year, but they have faced heavy pressure in southern regions including the strategic province of Helmand. (Reuters)

Afghan parliament approves President's choices for defence and intelligence chiefs ahead of NATO summit

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