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Posts published in “Day: August 2, 2016

Afghan Taliban visit to China: edit in Dawn, August 1st, 2016

THE elimination of Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike upended the Quadrilateral Coordination Group on Afghan reconciliation and effectively froze the nascent Afghan dialogue process. As a result Pak-Afghan relations plunged and the Pak-US relationship hit fresh turbulence, though efforts by at least Pakistan and the US since have somewhat stabilised the triangular relationship. As ever, Chinese diplomacy was careful and anonymous through most of the discord. But now, there are reports that…

No Option for Constitutional Amendment Except a Jirga: Official by Sayed Sharif Amiri in Tolonews.com, July 31, 2016

Mohammmad Natiqi, head of the political agreement oversight commission, Sunday said that there is no second option for amending the constitution except a Loya Jirga. The political agreement was sealed between leaders of the national unity government in the wake of the 2014 presidential election deadlock. At the time, the two leaders pledged to call for a Loya Jirga within two years to amend the constitution so as to establish an office of prime minister.…

Over 30% Of Districts Under Serious Threat: IDLG: by Abdul Wali Arian in Tolonews.com, July 31, 2016

The Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) on Sunday raised concerns that over 30 percent of all districts in the country are under serious threat by insurgent groups. The IDLG said that of the 384 districts in the country – including 15 newly created and non-permanent districts – 116 are under threat. They said at least 10 of these districts are out of government’s control. According to the IDLG, the districts under Taliban control are…

Security forces retake Khanshin district: report in Afghanistan Times, July 31, 2016

KABUL: The security forces retook the control of Khanshin district of southern Helmand province during an operation, security officials said Sunday. “Taliban were pushed back from Khanshin district and most of the areas in the district were recaptured by security forces,” provincial spokesman Torialai Hemmat said. He said 20 Taliban were killed and 15 wounded through airstrike and ground raids carried out by Afghan forces in the district. Taliban seized control of Khanshin after hours…

Taliban Claim Responsibility for Bombing at a Kabul Hotel for Foreigners By MUJIB MASHAL in The NY Times, Aug 1, 2016

KABUL, Afghanistan — A powerful explosion shook Kabul, the Afghan capital, in the early hours of Monday, and Taliban militants claimed that they had targeted a heavily guarded guesthouse for foreign contractors on the outskirts of the city. The explosion, which occurred around 1:30 a.m. local time, was so large that residents across Kabul used social media to try to make sense of it. Much of the city briefly lost electricity. There was no immediate…

Afghans told to leave Kurram Agency in a week: report in Dawn, August 1st, 2016

PARACHINAR: Kurram Agency political administration has asked the Afghan nationals to leave the area within a week, officials said on Sunday. They said the political authorities had also launched a survey in the villages adjoining the border to collect data about Afghans residing without legal documents. Banners have been displayed in main towns and announcements made through loudspeakers asking Afghans to wind up their commercial activities and leave the area within one week. The government…

Pakistan-Iran cooperation: edit in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2016

In what appears to be a welcome move, Pakistan and Iran have decided to together confront the threat emanating from the so-called Islamic State (IS). Calling the IS a disgrace to Islam and blaming it for bringing a bad name to the religion of peace, a joint statement issued last week noted the need for establishing institutional mechanisms to oversee border security, including setting up of a joint commission, and continuing discussions on joint counter-terrorism…

China bringing Pakistan, Iran closer: by Maqbool Malik in The Nation,August 01, 2016

ISLAMABAD – China is playing a key role in bringing Pakistan and Iran closer in the interest of peace and security in the region, sources said yesterday. The sources privy to the efforts said Tehran had requested Beijing to play the role of a bridge in bringing Pakistan closer to Iran. They said the last week’s visit of National Security Adviser General (r) Naseer Khan Janjua to Tehran set a very clear direction for the…

‘Most IS men in Afghanistan are TTP fighters’: by Anwar Iqbal in Dawn, August 1st, 2016

WASHINGTON: Almost 70 per cent of the fighters of the militant Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan are Pakistani Taliban who joined IS after having been forced out of their country, says a top US commander. Gen John W. Nicholson, who commands the US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, also said that although the United States had been fighting in Afghanistan for 15 years, a dozen terrorist groups were still operating in the country. “In…