The writer, a former ambassador, teaches at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins University, USA As President Obama prepares to bow out of office, it is time to evaluate his successes and failures in the Afghanistan war and the prospects of peace and stability in that country. The story has its remote origins in the Democratic Party’s primaries debate in 2008 when a question was asked of the candidates how they would respond if they got a…
Posts published in “Day: September 8, 2016”
The writer is a PhD scholar at the National Defence University, Islamabad The smouldering conflict in Afghanistan has now earned the notoriety for being the longest US war in the unenviable history of its disastrous overseas military misadventures involving immense blood and money of self and others. The unending conflict has claimed lives of 3,495 coalition soldiers since 2001. Furthermore, Brown University’s Cost of War Project puts the total loss of Afghan lives at 92,000…
There is no end to the ongoing bloodshed in Afghanistan as Kabul was rattled by a series of attacks during the last three days. On Monday, two blasts targeted the defence ministry that killed 35 people and wounded over 100. Later, three gunmen forced entry into the compound of a building, which was being used by a humanitarian organisation (Care). Security forces in Afghanistan retaliated, and shot dead all the attackers after an 11-hour standoff.…
KABUL — The compound of CARE International stood like a fortress, with narrow windows, safe rooms and massive sand-filled barriers surrounding its entrances. But on Wednesday, the day after being struck by a Taliban truck bomb and raked with gunfire for hours, it looked like a defeated ruin. The blast tore apart two armored gates and left a deep crater outside the entrance. Cracks zigzagged across the walls, and the windows were blown out. The…
The anti-government armed militant groups will likely plot attacks in capital Kabul as Afghanistan will observe the Martyrs Week, the security officials said Wednesday. Gul Nabi Ahmadzai, commander of Kabul Garrison, told reporters that the militants will use the opportunity more than any other time to stage attacks in the city. He urged organizers and youths of the country observing the Martyrs Week to remain vigilant and prevent from unnecessary movements in the city and…
A relatively heavy explosion was heard in Kabul city earlier today after a magnetic bomb went off in the vicinity of the 4th police district of the city. The incident took place in Taimani area with the security officials saying at least three civilians were wounded in the blast. A security official confirmed a sticky bomb attached a bicycle was detonated in the 4th police district of the city. The official further added that the…
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has dropped charges against a suspect in the Mumbai attack case after failing to find any incriminating evidence. The FIA submitted a charge sheet before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) and placed the suspect, Sufiyan Zafar, in the second column of the charge sheet, which means no evidence was found against him. According to the prosecution, Zafar had reportedly provided financial assistance to the other suspects. In the charge sheet,…
Chang Guang Satellite Technology, a private space start-up in Changchun, Jilin, released a series of high-definition satellite images last month that zoomed in on foreign military facilities, including Japan’s naval headquarters, US aircraft carriers, Edwards Air Force Base in California and the Area 51 weapons testing grounds in Nevada. It was the first time such images had been released in China and they went viral on mainland social media. The images were taken by JLCG-1,…
Observers have cautioned that Hong Kong may face a bumpy future after the anti-establishment camp, especially younger candidates who advocate greater autonomy or even independence, seized more seats than in the previous term in elections to the region’s Legislative Council (LegCo). The council was already plagued by filibusters and if these delaying tactics continue given the bigger presence of more radical anti-establishment lawmakers, it could further cast a shadow on the region’s future economy and…
THE most difficult relationship in the Muslim world — between Saudi Arabia and Iran — is heating up once again, this time just days before Haj. In fact, the annual pilgrimage is at the centre of the storm. As reported the other day, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei issued a scathing statement critical of Saudi Arabia’s handling of Haj. In reply, the Saudi grand mufti declared Iranians to be out of the fold of Islam…
ISLAMABAD: The Jordan government has refused to purchase wheat from Pakistan, citing “substandard quality issues” as the reason to decline the offer. Pakistan has surplus stocks of wheat and is looking at potential markets to sell the commodity to. Officer in the federal secretariat shared that earlier this year the Jordanian government had expressed its willingness to purchase 500,000 tons wheat from Pakistan and the demand was put forward to the provincial governments. Since then…