Thread: Potential Efforts to Reboot Afghanistan

Originally Posted by sabang

But they kill ISIS & ETIM vermin. Is that some consolation?

No, should it be.

sabang's a bit confused as to how disingenuous he should be now, it seems

Tajik authorities concerned about Taliban plots to infiltrate from Afghanistan

DUSHANBE (RFE/RL): Officials in Dushanbe say they’ve received reports that Tajik militants who fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan are now making plans to cross the border into Tajikistan.


An official at Tajikistan’s Border Service, a branch of the State National Security Committee, confirmed to RFE/RL that Tajik authorities are reviewing information from various sources that militants are preparing infiltrations from northern Afghanistan.


“We do have such reports,” the official said September 22 on condition of anonymity. “Regardless of whether it will happen or not, we see certain security threats from the other side of border and we are prepared to deal with them.”


Tajikistan shares more than 1,400 kilometers of border with Afghanistan. The former Soviet republic has been on high alert since the Taliban’s rapid advance along the borders of northern Afghanistan in early summer, weeks before the militant group took over Kabul on August 15.


In June, security sources in Dushanbe expressed concern that a notorious 25-year-old Tajik militant commander named Mohammad Sharifov had been put in charge of security in five border districts seized by the Taliban in the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan.


Security sources in Tajikistan also say that Sharifov — known by the alias Mahdi Arsalon — also traveled to Kabul after it fell to the Taliban, apparently for consultations with Taliban leaders there.


Sharifov returned to Afghanistan’s northern border region a week ago and has been seen in Badak-hshan in recent days, several local villagers told RFE-/RL on condition of anony-mity.


A former Afghan security official with detailed knowledge of the area told RFE/RL on September 22 that Tajik Taliban militants have been gathering information about the easiest places to cross the border into Tajikistan.


The latest reports come as pro-Taliban media in Afghanistan reported on September 22 that a new branch of the so-called the Lashkar-e Mansouri Marty-rdom Battalion was established in Badakhshan.


According to the Bakhtar news agency, the move is aimed at countering “possible threats” to Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers.


In Tajikistan’s eastern province of Badakhshon, which borders Afghanistan, regional government spok-esman Gholib Niyatbekov said there have been many “rumors” about the possibility of a militant attack from Afghanistan in recent days.


Speaking to RFE/RL on September 24, Niyatbekov cast doubt over the seriousness of the threat. But he said Tajik border guards have been reinforced in the area.


Taliban spokesman in Kabul Zabihullah Mujahid denied that militants are plotting ways to infiltrate Tajikistan. Mujahid told RFE/RL on September 22 that “no one will be allowed to use Afghanistan’s territory to harm its neighbors.”


In June, Mujahid also denied reports that the Taliban put Sharifov in charge of security in areas near the border with Tajikistan. But multiple sources and eyewitnesses in northern Afghanistan insist that “Arsalon” oversees the districts of Kuf Ab, Khwahan, Maimay, Nusay, and Shekay.


During the Taliban’s advance in the summer, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon ordered the deployment of 20,000 additional forces to help guard Tajikistan’s border.


Tajikistan has also recently conducted military drills with troops from Russia and other members of the Moscow-led security group, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).


After the Taliban’s seizure of power in Kabul, Rahmon warned that Dushanbe will not recognize any government in Afghanistan that undermines the “interests of ethnic Tajiks and other minorities” there.


The Taliban has said it poses no threat to neighboring countries. Nevertheless, Tajikistan remains wary of the presence of hundreds of Tajik militants in Afghanistan.


Sharifov and his fighters are members of Jamaat Ansarullah, which is banned in Tajikistan as a terrorist group.


Jamaat Ansarullah — also known as Ansarullah or Ansorullo — was founded by a rogue former Tajik opposition commander a decade ago with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the government in Dushanbe.


Sharifov was said to be involved in recruiting Tajik citizens to join the Taliban in the past when the Taliban was still fighting against the Western-backed government in Kabul. One security source in Tajiki-stan claimed that he has “introduced” about 200 Ta-jik militants to the Taliban.


Tajik fighters in Badakhshan Province caught the Afghan authorities’ attention in November 2020 when footage appeared on social media showing insurgents brutally killing men in Afghan Army uniforms.


Some of the militants spoke with a distinct Tajik accent. The video purportedly showed the fall of the province’s Maimay district to the Taliban.


Authorities in Tajikistan have identified at least 10 of the insurgents as Tajik citizens. Tajik Interior Ministry officials confirm that Sharifov was among the group.

Tajik authorities concerned about Taliban plots to infiltrate from Afghanistan - The Frontier Post

Russia's Lavrov says Taliban recognition 'not on the table'

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that international recognition of the Taliban was not currently under consideration.


Lavrov was speaking on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders in New York for the U.N. General Assembly. His comments come after the Taliban nominated a U.N. envoy, setting up a showdown over Afghanistan's seat at the world body.

"The question of international recognition of the Taliban at the present juncture is not on the table," Lavrov told a news conference.


Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Monday nominated the Islamist group's Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's U.N. ambassador. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan last month.


Ghulam Isaczai, the current U.N. ambassador who represents the Afghan government ousted by the Taliban, has also asked to renew his U.N. accreditation.


Russia is a member of a nine-member U.N credentials committee - along with China and the United States - which will deal with the competing claims on Afghanistan's U.N. seat later this year.


U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the Taliban's desire for international recognition is the only leverage other countries have to press for inclusive government and respect for rights, particularly for women, in Afghanistan.


When the Taliban last ruled between 1996 and 2001 the ambassador of the Afghan government they toppled remained the U.N. representative after the credentials committee deferred its decision on rival claims to the seat.


Russia's Lavrov says Taliban recognition 'not on the table'

Originally Posted by misskit

Ghulam Isaczai, the current U.N. ambassador who represents the Afghan government ousted by the Taliban, has also asked to renew his U.N. accreditation.

Gutsy . . . who pays his salary? Surely it won't work . . .

Originally Posted by misskit

When the Taliban last ruled between 1996 and 2001 the ambassador of the Afghan government they toppled remained the U.N. representative after the credentials committee deferred its decision on rival claims to the seat.

Oh

Originally Posted by panama hat

Gutsy . . . who pays his salary? Surely it won't work . .

Remember when Pol Pot kept his seat,after the vietnamese invasion, with the support of the west and ...China.

What a disgrace

Anything is possible in geo-politics

Originally Posted by sabang

Anyone that eliminates that vermin is on my side. Anyone that offers them shelter is my enemy.

Clear enough?

Dangerous road to walk.

^
"If you hate the vietnamese, you love Pol Pot"

Originally Posted by helge

Remember when Pol Pot kept his seat,after the vietnamese invasion, with the support of the west and ...China.

What a disgrace

Anything is possible in geo-politics

Yes, who knows or controls what happens, really . .

I think they're rebooting into Windows XP.

The Taliban’s newly-appointed chancellor of Kabul University has banned women from working or studying at the institution, he announced on Monday.
Mohammad Ashram Ghairat, a BA degree holder, stepped into the role of chancellor of the university this week after the Taliban fired PhD holder Vice-Chancellor of Kabul University, Muhammad Osman Baburi.
The decision sparked backlash throughout the institution, prompting around 70 members of its teaching staff, including assistant professors and professors, to resign.

Taliban’s Newly-Appointed Chancellor of Kabul University Bans Women From Working or Studying at Institution

It get worse.

Hundreds of Female Afghan Judges in Hiding After Taliban Frees Convicted Murderers, Rapists

Hundreds of female Afghan judges have been forced into hiding as members of the Taliban and other convicted criminals seek revenge for being sent away to prison. “I have received more than 20 threatening phone calls from former inmates who have now been released,” one woman, identified only as Judge Sanaa, told the BBC. With many of her cases involving ISIS and Taliban fighters, she said she is now hiding out with more than a dozen relatives. Drilling home the severity of the threat, a male relative was reportedly attacked by Taliban fighters who showed up at the judge’s home looking for her.


Another imperiled judge, who said she had convicted hundreds of men over the years, some for rape and murder, told the BBC she was hit with a barrage of death threats after the Taliban took over her city. “It was midnight when we heard the Taliban had freed all the prisoners from jail. Immediately we fled. We left our home and everything behind,” Judge Masooma was quoted saying. “Sometimes I think: What is our crime? Being educated? Trying to help women and punish criminals?” In addition to six female judges who spoke to the BBC from secret locations, more than 200 others are also said to be in hiding and desperately looking for an escape.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/hundre...derers-rapists

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

The Taliban’s newly-appointed chancellor of Kabul University has banned women from working or studying at the institution, he announced on Monday.

Can't be . . . remember the impromptu photo of an everyday class? These clean-cut students, your average Afghani.

Originally Posted by sabang

Heres the View from Hong Kong, China-


Afghanistan: A curtain divides male and female students as universities reopen

• 

Students across Afghanistan have started returning to university for the first time since the Taliban stormed to power, and in some cases females have been separated from their male peers by curtains or boards down the middle of the classroom.





So not quite as bad as you say PH. Lets see- and it ain't our bluddy ploblem now anyway.

Originally Posted by panama hat

Can't be . . . remember the impromptu photo of an everyday class? These clean-cut students, your average Afghani.

Make-up and nice handbags and not a pen or notepad to be seen.

Yes, not at all staged . . . it's a Happy Country after all.

Originally Posted by misskit

Hundreds of Female Afghan Judges in Hiding After Taliban Frees Convicted Murderers, Rapists

You have to feel for these women. They must be absolutely terrified.

India won’t host NATO strikes into Afghanistan

India will not sacrifice its sovereignty to accommodate the reported itch for war games against the Taliban

by Javier M. Piedra September 29, 2021

"If one thing is clear from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, it is that India will defend herself against external threats and the increased dangers of terrorism that may come from Afghanistan through Pakistan and is perfectly capable of acting in its own interests – both on land (Kashmir or Ladakh) and at sea (the Indian Ocean). His address can be taken as further evidence of the new multipolarity that is rapidly reshaping global politics.

India will not sacrifice its sovereignty to accommodate the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s reported itch for war games against the Taliban from Indian territory.

Despite pressure from neocons and Mackinderites (those who believe that Anglo-American maritime power should promote conflict and division among the major Eurasian land powers), it will be nearly impossible to persuade India to grant NATO “over-the-horizon” rights to strike Afghanistan from Indian territory. India can smell a skunk in the garden and will be cautious.

On September 17, Arindam Bagchi, spokesman for India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, uncharacteristically obfuscated when asked about discussions concerning “over-the-horizon” strikes against Afghanistan: “I would not respond to media reports on this issue.” Bagchi’s caution may indicate back-channel discussions had been taking place.

India understands that just as it was a mistake for the British Empire to launch wars over Afghanistan (in 1838-1942, 1878-1880, and 1919) and in Tibet (1903-1904) from British India, so today it would be an even greater strategic blunder for India to allow NATO to attack Afghanistan from bases in India. Our Mackinderites might welcome such an adventure, but New Delhi would not.

Whatever NATO might offer to India in exchange for setting up drone bases on its territory, India realizes that there will be no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow but rather further regional dislocation and serious trouble with near neighbors.
From all indications, India does not want war, and it certainly does not want another conflict with Pakistan, despite Prime Minister Imran Khan’s aggressive address at the United Nations (which is worth listening to).

While it is true the Taliban are “no friends of India,” as the Taliban leadership declared this month, and Pakistan remains a perennial foe, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is too savvy to fall for NATO’s arguments in favor of non-Indian-flagged “over-the-horizon” air strikes against Afghanistan.

Furthermore, India, which provides development assistance to many countries, knows that the Taliban cannot be bought off with offers of oodles of development aid, as confirmed most recently by the hundreds of billions lavished on Afghanistan since 2001 to no apparent avail.
Nor is development assistance likely to seduce the Taliban away from their attachment to radical Islam.

In this connection, Anas Haqqani, a senior Taliban official, regarding the possibility of Afghanistan plunging even deeper into chaos if all aid were to be cut off.

Paraphrase:

“Don’t you guys get it? Our Islamic principles, whether you like them or not, are more precious to us than bushel baskets full of cash.”

Neocons and Mackinderites are no less committed to their theories and ideological hobbyhorses – and India knows it.

Nevertheless, Jaishankar questions whether Taliban leaders will be able to control the myriad terrorist offshoots and renegade fighters operating within Afghanistan’s borders despite their declared intention to do so.

Jaishankar is right to be skeptical. He insists that “the Taliban’s commitment not to allow use of Afghan soil for terrorism in any manner should be implemented.”

Moreover, India has established red lines, which were evident when Modi told the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe that “together, we should ensure that the territory of Afghanistan is not used to spread terrorism in any other country. SCO member countries should develop strict and agreed norms on this subject.”
China, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Iran are all in agreement with India.

Modi appreciates the danger of India using its military to nation-build. Others have tried it to their grief. Smart diplomacy works better than geopolitical bullying, even when disguised under a thick overlay of humanitarian concern and ideological democracy promotion.

A bad idea is that much worse when it informs aggressive policies vis-à-vis near neighbors. India will intervene in its neighborhood if and when diplomacy fails and for a clearly defined purpose, as it did in the Bangladesh Independence War (1971) and in the Sri Lanka Civil War (1987–1990).

Western foreign-policy elites need to reassess their thinking. The Wall Street Journal’s Sadanand Dhume, usually a good analyst, erred badly in his 2012 opinion piece “India needs a neocon foreign policy.” Although written some years ago, it can be taken as emblematic of an approach that sounds good to ideological adepts, but bears scant connection to reality.

He called for India to “export” democracy – “It’s time to bring democracy-promotion in from the proverbial cold” – and hand over infrastructure development to the Chinese. “This means leaving infrastructure to the Chinese and focusing instead on the principles of free speech, minority rights and independent institutions such as the judiciary and election commission.”
India’s diplomats have been watching this line of reasoning unfold over the years and have not bought into it.

India’s primary goal in engaging the Taliban has been to persuade them to set up an inclusive government and to make it clear to them that India will not tolerate terror activity emanating from Pakistani soil.

As further evidence that India is serious, the meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – that was scheduled for September 25 in New York was canceled because member states could not agree on who should represent Afghanistan. Pakistan insisted it be the Taliban, which was a no-go from the get-go, especially since the Taliban did not represent Afghanistan at the UN General Assembly.

India, like France under Charles de Gaulle, is too savvy to get sucker-punched into surrendering its national sovereignty. To illustrate the point, consider this recent report in the Indian media: “There has been no ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir since the reiteration of the agreement between the armies of India and Pakistan in February this year [2021].…

“General Officer Commanding the Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps or Chinar Corps, Lt Gen D P Pandey, said there have been some infiltration attempts, but unlike previous years they have not been ‘adequately supported’ by ceasefire violations.…

“‘We are totally prepared for ceasefire violations; if anything happens, we are all set to respond appropriately. But frankly, there has been no instigation from across the border,’ he said.”

Modi and Jaishankar know that India can handle its own affairs. It will not allow NATO-flagged “over-the-horizon” strikes into Afghanistan, even as it exercises diplomatic tact in its public utterances about Afghanistan, the Taliban and Western policy."

https://asiatimes.com/2021/09/india-...o-afghanistan/

Originally Posted by OhOh

India will not sacrifice its sovereignty to accommodate the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s reported itch for war games against the Taliban from Indian territory.

Who reported this "itch for war"?

Originally Posted by OhOh

Whatever NATO might offer to India

Did NATO offer anything?

Well done and up to your usual standard, OhWoe



India has other worries . . . thieving China on its border . . .

Taliban to deploy suicide bombers on borders with Tajikistan and China


KABUL (Khaama Press): Deputy Governor of Bad-akhshan province has told media that they have created an exclusive battalion of suicide bombers that will be deployed to the borders of Afghanistan particularly in Badakhshan province.


The northeastern provi-nce of Badakhshan borders Tajikistan and China.


The deputy governor, Mullah Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi said that the exclusive battalion is named Lashkar-e-Mansoori “Mansoor army” and will be deployed to the borders of the country.


Ahmadi has said that the battalion is the same as the one that would conduct suicide attacks targeting the security forces of the previous Afghan government.


“The defeat of the US would not be possible if not for this battalion. These brave men would wear explosive waistcoats and would detonate the US bases in Afghanistan. These are people with literally no fear who devote themselves for the consent of Allah.” said Ahmadi.


Along with the Lashkar-e-Mansoori, Badri313 is another battalion that is k-nown as one of the most equipped and modern military groups that are deplo-yed in Kabul International Airport.


Badri313 is also said to be comprised of all suicide bombers.


TASS adds: Meanwhile, Mawlavi Amir Khan Mottaki, Foreign Minister in the interim government of Afghanistan, received on Saturday in Kabul the Ambassador of Uzbekistan Yadgarhozha Shadmanov. The corresponding message was posted on Twitter by the representative of the Afghan Foreign Ministry, Abdul Kahar Balkhi, appointed by the Taliban.


“The parties discussed bilateral relations, in particular the reconstruction of the airport in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif [not far from the Afghan-Uzbek border] and the resumption of flights,” the text says.


Also, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in an exclusive interview with TASS said that Afghanist-an’s participation in major international infrastructure projects will help stabilize the situation in the country and support its economy.


“The most important condition for stability, sustainable economic development of Afghanistan, its successful integration into both regional and [in] world economic processes is the implementation of large infrastructure projects with Afghan participation,” the Turkmen leader said. “I am convinced that the successful implementation of such projects will give a powerful impetus economic development of brotherly Afghanistan, will stimulate effective activity on the part of external investors. “


According to him, large-scale projects in the energy, transport and communication spheres, which are being implemented by Ashgabat, can serve as an example. In particular, Berdymukhamedov pointed to the construction of a main gas pipeline through which Turkmenistan will supply gas to South Asia. The President noted that the Afghan economy could receive over a billion US dollars for the transit of Turkmen gas.


“In this context, the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline is acquiring great importance. According to preliminary estimates, this project, in addition to direct gas supplies to Afghanistan, will allow the budget of this country to receive more than a billion US dollars for gas transit alone. In addition, several thousand new jobs will be created in those Afghan provinces through which the pipeline will pass, “Berdymukhamedov explained.

Taliban to deploy suicide bombers on borders with Tajikistan and China - The Frontier Post

Taliban to deploy suicide bombers on borders with Tajikistan and China

Well let's see the how much the chinkies whinge about that one given they want to get their grubby little hands on whatever they can suck out of Afghanistan.

The Talban Defence Minister deploys a crack group of his soldiers to his countries borders.

Presumably to stop foreigners from invading.

THE LORD's suggestion?

Maybe another unexceptional country might defend it's southern border similarly.

Originally Posted by OhOh

The Talban Defence Minister deploys a crack group of his soldiers to his countries borders.

No, a crack group of suicide bombers. FFS can't you read?

Good God, OhWoe is dense as . . . one 'crack' and they're gone, Beijing-boy

Originally Posted by panama hat

Again, I'm sure a certain level of freedom, particularly for women and girls would counteract your assessment. Oh, and maybe the freedom of musicians to . . . play music.

Girls educated past the age of nine, girls at university, women in professions, women as university profs and women in parliament to the tune of 27% of al delegates.

Now? Try fairly well zip.

Why do you continually confuse the arguments with facts Hatty? Everyone will be running around looking for their latest whatabout book.