Pence visits Afghanistan
United States Vice President Mike Pence touched down in Afghanistan for an unannounced visit on Thursday night to meet with top Afghan officials and rally US troops for his first trip to the country as vice president. He met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul and discussed the changes to the US strategy in Afghanistan, progress against Taliban militants and terrorist groups and the country’s delicate political state of affairs.”
Taliban say the Trump’s strategy for Afghanistan had ‘angered’ the group
“We have increased attacks on the enemy,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said when a query was posted on his WhatsApp. The spokesman said there was no change in Taliban policy towards peace negotiations and added that the Taliban will not talk with Kabul administration. He, however, reiterated Taliban’s policy to sit face-to-face with the Americans to ‘discuss timeframe for end to invasion’.
Taliban attacked NATO Convoy and Police in Afghanistan
A Taliban attack on police checkpoints that killed 11 officers in Helmand Province and a suicide bombing of an NATO convoy that left a civilian dead in Kandahar on 17 December capped a bloody day of violence in the restive south of Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday. Dozens of Taliban militants stormed the police checkpoints in Lashkar Gah City that form a security belt around the city about 2 a.m., said Omar Zwak, the provincial spokesman.
Helmand remains one of the most violent provinces in Afghanistan, with the Taliban controlling much of its vast territory. About 300 United States Marines are based there, training and advising the Afghan Army and the police.
Islamic State claims attack on Afghanistan spy agency
Islamic State claimed responsibility in a statement on its Amaq news agency, in which it said two of its fighters had attacked an intelligence agency center in Kabul. A training facility of the National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan’s spy agency, came under severe attack on late on the morning of Dec. 18. 2017. The nearly five-hour assault was carried out by two heavily-armed insurgents.
Germany could send more troops to Afghanistan: Defense Minister
Germany Defense Minister said Tuesday that Germany could send more troops to Afghanistan to help reverse the territorial gains by Taliban insurgents. Germany currently has 980 soldiers stationed in the Hindu Kush mountains as part of a NATO mission to train Afghan security forces, the second biggest national contingent after the United States. At the peak of the ISAF mission around 150,000 foreign soldiers were deployed in the Hindu Kush. There are now around 17,000, of whom 10,000 are Americans. Germany increased the upper limit to its Afghanistan mandate to 980 soldiers from 850 in 2016, at a time when the United States and most other countries were reducing their forces.
India mulls buying more Mi-35 gunships for the Afghan forces
India is mulling to buy more Mi-35 gunship helicopters for the Afghan Air Force in a bid to bolster the fighting the capability of the Afghan national defense and security forces, it has been reported. The proposal comes after a request from the Ghani government, including during a visit to Delhi by Afghanistan’s National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar in October, and follows several visits to Moscow by Indian officials to discuss the logistics, according to a local news outlet, The Hindu.
India had previously donated four Mi-25 helicopters to Afghanistan, the first of which arrived in-country in December 2015. These Mi-25s were intended to replace five Mi-35s that had already been grounded due to serviceability issues.
This weekly is compiled by Frank Sun, a Chinese researcher at the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
© Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Afghan Studies Center (ASC), Islamabad.
