Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Afghanistan

10 Military students return home after completing Master’s degrees in India

2023-09-24

[KhaamaPress] The Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan said ten military personnel have returned to the country after completing their master’s degree program in India.

Pray for them. The Taliban aren’t kind to soldiers of the former government when they catch them.

The Ministry announced this on Thursday, stating that these military personnel had been sent to India for higher education during the previous Afghanistan administration.

According to the statement, these students returned to the country on Thursday morning in coordination with the Ministry of National Defense upon completing their educational program.

The Ministry claimed it is committed to recruiting and utilizing the expertise of skilled individuals within the government framework.

Afghan students in India have struggled for the past two years because the Indian government has denied them residence visas. This decision has jeopardized their education and put them at risk of expulsion, compelling some to return home.

Meanwhile,
...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow...
a former government army officer in Kandahar province, identified as Khalilullah Akhlaqi, was found dead with stab wounds to his throat and body in a mysterious murder incident on Sunday.

Furthermore, in Takhar province, two other former military personnel were killed by unidentified attackers this month.

On the other hand, the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that over 200 former government military personnel have been extra-judicially killed in the past two years, a claim disputed by the Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
administration, who cite a general amnesty protecting individuals from prosecution.

Link

Afghanistan

$15M of Kabul Bank’s Stolen Funds Recouped Last Year: Govt

2020-08-07

[ToloNews] The Kabul Bank Recovery Department has recovered more than $15 million of the bank’s embezzled funds over the last year, much of which was from Khalilullah Frozi, the former CEO of the bank.

According to Rohullah Habib, head of the Kabul Bank Recovery Department, $987 million is the total amount lost during the scandal, of which he said "$400 million has been recovered so far." Recovery of the remaining amount is "in process."

Habib clarified that $61 million has been collected out of the $272 million owed by Sher Khan Farnood, the founder and former head of the Kabul Bank who died in prison in August 2018. He was accused of being among the top embezzlers.

According to Habib, Khalilullah Frozi owes $196 million to Kabul Bank and has paid $14 million to the department.

Frozi, however, told TOLOnews on Tuesday that he had paid $17 million to the government along with properties "worth millions."

Habib called the recovery of Kabul Bank funds a "complicated process" and time-consuming.

"He (Frozi) has not paid cash since his release from prison. From his seven properties in total, three of them are worth $8. 9 million and the four remaining properties are under review by the recovery department," Habib added.

Talking to TOLOnews on Tuesday, Frozi said: "We have paid a portion of the money--$17 million. We have handed over the Dosti township that was our property and the government has sold it for Afs600 million ($7.8 million)," Frozi said, adding that he has also given to the government properties such as "16 jeribs (7.9 acres) of land on the Airport Road, 7 jeribs (3.4 acres) of land in Makrorayan area (in Kabul), 50 jeribs (24.7 acres) of land in Karte Naw (area in Kabul), and two jeribs (0.9 acres) of land near Poland's embassy."

"The issue was political, the issue was the big controversy of the former president Karzai and the US embassy. It was a consequence of the intervention of former US ambassador Karl Eikenberry
...retired United States Army Lieutenant General who served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan...
. Kabul Bank paid the price for pressure that the US put on Karzai and Kabul," added Frozi.

The court recognized Sher Khan Farnood, the founder and chairman, and Khalilullah Frozi, as well as a number of other individuals and companies, as owing back large sums to Kabul Bank, but Farnood died in prison two years ago.

"The basis of the process was wrong. The former head of the Central Bank, Mr. Abdul Qadir Fitrat, has done wrong and has acted in contravention of the law. We are not saying that nothing was done in Kabul Bank, but it could be solved in simpler ways. But they [Kabul Bank Recovery Department] still has not been able to collect the debts," said Sulaiman Toofan.

Kabul Bank, the largest private bank in Afghanistan, was established in 2004 by Sherkhan Farnood; But after it went bankrupt, the government took over the bank in 2010. Watchdogs have criticized the government for failing to recoup the bank's stolen assets after nine years.

Link

Afghanistan

Afghan Forces Launch Operation in Taliban-Held District in Logar

2020-04-23

[ToloNews] Government forces in Pashtun-infested Logar province have been conducting operations for the past several days to secure parts of Charkh district.

Charkh district is known as the largest area under Taliban
...Arabic for students...
influence in Pashtun-infested Logar.

Charkh district governor Khalilullah Kamal admits that due to the Taliban's extensive presence in the district, security is not fully secured there, and the government's work is not going well. But the center of Charkh district is in the hands of the government.

"Unfortunately, we have not been able to secure the districts and form a good government, but we are moving forward with addressing the problems of the people," added Kamal.

The operation of the government forces in Charkh district started on Saturday. The operation involves the air force, and the Taliban have suffered casualties in ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
<del>Arclight</del> airstrike

...KABOOM!...
s, according to military commanders in Pashtun-infested Logar.

Military commanders in Pashtun-infested Logar say they launched the operation in Charkh district after a Taliban attack on a checkpoint in the district in which thirteen government forces were killed and nine others were kidnapped by the Taliban.

"There are foreigners among the Taliban including Chechens, Arabs and Paks and they are also destroyed," said Abdul Matin Hassankhail, an army commander in Pashtun-infested Logar province.

It has been nearly two months since the US-Taliban aggreement was signed, but the government and the Taliban forces remain in conflict, and the Taliban have recently made claims that US forces have also made attacks during this period.

"They (Taliban) used to say that we are fighting foreign forces and that the security forces are defending them, but it became clear today that they had signed an agreement with the coalition forces," said Raham Khuda Mukhlis, Pashtun-infested Logar police chief.

Violence declined for a week before the peace agreement was signed in Afghanistan, and it was expected that this would continue after the agreement, but attacks have increased.

Link

Afghanistan

US, Taliban Negotiated 7-Day Reduction in Violence: Esper

2020-02-14

[ToloNews] US Defense Secretary Mark Esper at a presser on Thursday, the second and final day of the NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants...
defense ministers meeting in Brussels, announced that the Trump administration and the Taliban
Taliban

...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
had negotiated a seven-day reduction in violence proposal.

"The United States and the Taliban have negotiated a proposal for a seven-day reduction in violence. I am here today consulting with allies about this proposal and we had a series productive bilateral and collective meetings about the path forward," said Esper.

"Progress has been made on this front and we will have more to report on that soon," said Esper.

"The only solution in Afghanistan is a political agreement; progress has been made on this front and we’ll have more to report on that soon, I hope," Esper said.

Meanwhile,
...back at the fist fight, Jake ducked another roundhouse, then parried with his left, then with his right, finally with his chin...
top Pentagon officials have told CNN that The United States is seeking to seal a peace deal with the Taliban as soon as this week.

The signing of a potential peace agreement will pave the way for the withdrawal of US forces from the country, CNN quoted the US defense officials as saying.

When asked if seven days are enough to evaluate the Taliban’s sincerity for ending the conflict, Esper said that in Washington’s perspective the seven days' reduction in violence, for now, is enough, but, it's a "conditions-based" process.

"In today’s NATO defense ministers meeting, all allies reiterated their commitment to support Afghan cops, particularly the Afghan National Army, until 2024," Khalid told TOLOnews in Brussels.

What does 'Reduction in Violence' Mean Practically?

[ToloNews] While President Ghani has acknowledged the decision to reduce the violence as acceptable, so far, the Afghan government reportedly has no plans for a reduction in violence in practical terms.

Sources at the Ministry of Defense say that the plan for a reduction in violence is not yet clear and that the country's military on the battlefield do not have a clear vision of reducing violence.

President Ghani late Wednesday said that after a telephone conversation with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump
...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
's decision to reduce violence is acceptable.

But no government official has yet elaborated on the plan for a reduction in violence.

"The president has expressed satisfaction with the reduction in violence that will lead to a ceasefire, but we hope that our talks start with the lead to a ceasefire before that," said Waheed Omer, President Ghani's senior advisor in public and strategic relations.

Analysts believe that a lack of clarity in the violence reduction plan will make it more difficult for troops on the battlefield.

"What lethal weapons would be reduced? A landmine? An ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
<del>Arclight</del> airstrike

...KABOOM!...
? Which one? " said Attiqullah Amarkhail, a former military officer.

Sources familiar with the Doha peace talks say the reduction in violence plan is, in fact, an undeclared ceasefire.

"The reduction in violence takes place a week before the agreement is signed, and if implemented properly, the agreement will be signed, and the reduction in violence will continue until the inter-Afghan talks, and that is an undeclared ceasefire," said Khalilullah Safi, former head of Pugwash in Afghanistan.

Forming a consensus on a plan to reduce violence is another suggestion by the country's former militaries.

"Politicians and governments formulate a joint plan for a reduction in violence but can they clarify what reduction in violence means?" said Abdul Wahab Wardak, former Afghan air forces commander.

Earlier, bigwigs in the country said that a reduction in violence means the Taliban
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
are not attacking cities, and not conducting suicide kabooms or blocking highways.

Link

Afghanistan

Govt Rejects Alleged Taliban Offer of Reduction in Violence

2020-01-17

The shortest possible hudna is one that ends before it starts.

[ToloNews] Following reports that the Taliban
Taliban

...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
’s big shotship had agreed to a 7-day reduction of violence in Afghanistan, Salam Rahimi, the state minister for peace affairs, on Thursday rejected the alleged Taliban position, calling it "unacceptable" for the Afghan government, and insisted that the bully boy group must agree to a ceasefire before engaging in intra-Afghan talks.

Rahimi said no tangible result was achieved from the US efforts for the Afghan grinding of the peace processor over the past one year.

Rahimi made the remarks on Thursday in an event organized by the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) titled "Political Settlement and Post-Conflict Order in Afghanistan People’s Views."

Rahimi also stated that the Afghan government has finalized the peace negotiations team to meet with the Taliban.

"We are completely ready-- preparatory work has been done and our delegation is ready," said Rahimi.

"On the issue of reduction in violence, I must say that no one supports this," said Rahimi.

WHAT DOES "REDUCTION IN VIOLENCE" MEAN?
"When there is a reduction in operations--either in air or on land, this means 'reduction in violence,'" said Tamim Asey, the former deputy minister of defense.

REGIONAL APPROACH TOWARDS AFGHAN PEACE:
The statements come hours after Pakistain's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Wormtongue Qureshi
...a Pak political shape-changer. He is undistinguished except for his habit of periodically needing to have his lips reattached...
in a video message said that Afghanistan and Pakistain "need stability," and "good progress" has been made as the Taliban shows "they are ready for a reduction in violence."

Qureshi said that negotiations have continued between the US and Taliban, and Pakistain wants progress toward peace as both countries "have a need for peace."

Pakistain has played its role, he said, and he "hopes that the entire region will seek peace."

India’s chief of defense staff, General Bipin Rawat, on Thursday said that he supported a negotiated peace deal between the US and Taliban in Afghanistan.

"I think the negotiations must last until peace and it should not be temporary measure to find an exit," he said, adding that "today the Afghan defense forces need support, they need technology, they need air support."

Gen. Rawat, who was speaking along with other world leaders at the Raisina dialogue, organized by India's influential think tank the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), said that terrorism was going to stay in the world as long as states were going to use it against other states.

On Thursday, the News Agency that Dare Not be Named also reported that the Taliban gave he US Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad a document that outlines their offer for a "temporary ceasefire" in Afghanistan that would last between "seven and 10 days."

"It is expected that the proposal for the reduction of violence has been handed over to the US delegations, and the decision will be made about the date to sign the peace agreement," said Khalilullah Safai, head of Pugwash in Afghanistan.

INTRA-AFGHAN TALKS WITHIN TWO WEEKS, ANY PEACE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE US AND THE TALIBAN
Sources familiar with the US-Taliban talks in Doha have said that the US delegation will travel to Kabul once they receive the proposal for reduction in violence from the Taliban.

In Kabul, the US delegation will hold talks with the Afghan politicians.

Link

Afghanistan

Killing Of Key Taliban Commander May Affect War

2018-12-05

[ToloNews] Afghan Interior and Defense Ministries and local officials of southern Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province on Monday said the war status in the south of Afghanistan will change, following the killing of Mullah Mohammad Rahim Mannan, head of Taliban
...Arabic for students...
’s military commission and Taliban’s designated governor for Helmand.

Mullah Mohammad Rahim Mannan, also known as Mullah Abdulmannan Akhund, was killed on Saturday in Helmand’s Nawzad district in a dronezap.

Mannan was killed along with four other Taliban members, including two of his spokesmen, who were with him at the time of the strike.

A day after Mannan’s killing, the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan released footage which shows a Taliban center bombed by foreign forces in a dronezap in Sangin district in Helmand province. Resolute Support said 29 Taliban members were killed in the strike.

Now Afghan military officials say Mannan’s loss will affect the war in the south of Afghanistan.

"He was a key commander in the south and south-east of the country and was involved in most offensives and insecurities in Helmand and neighboring provinces," Interior Ministry front man Najib Danish said.

"He was also a drug smuggler. He was involved in insecurities in Helmand, Farah, Nimroz and Kandahar provinces," Defense Ministry front man Ghafoor Ahmad Jawed said.

"In terms of the military, when a commander or leader is killed in an area, the group definitely will be affected negatively," MP Khalilullah Shahidzada said.

Helmand local officials also said Mannan was one of the most influential and important commanders of the Taliban in the south of Afghanistan, who in addition to insurgency activities, was involved in drugs’ production and smuggling.

According to officials, he was shadow governor for Helmand province for eight years, and in recent years there were rumors he made decisions independently, without consulting other Taliban Überstürmbannführers.

"He had established a gang for himself and the group was busy collecting illegal money and smuggling drugs," Mohammad Yasin, governor of Helmand said.

"He was a big drugs' smuggler and he was earning money from this," Majid Akhundzada, a member of Helmand provincial council said.

While efforts on reaching a peace agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government have been ongoing for many years and recently have been accelerated, officials from the High Peace Council (HPC) in Helmand said they never were able to contact Mannan in this regard.

"We could not make any direct contact with him. The other issue is that I do not think the war will end with the death of individuals," Helmand HPC member Ghulam Mohammad Ishaqzai said.

Although Mannan has been said to be one of the most important Taliban Überstürmbannführers in the south of Afghanistan, only a few pictures of him were released recently by the Taliban and there is not much information about him.

Taliban on Sunday in a statement confirmed Mannan’s killing.

Link

Afghanistan

Kabul Bank’s former CEO shifted from Bagram prison after Farnood’s death

2018-08-29

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The former Chief Executive and shareholder of Kabul Bank Khalilullah Ferozi has been transferred to Kabul for the treatment purposes, days after the chairman of the bank Shir Khan Farnood died in the same prison.

Sources in the family of Ferozi confirmed that he has been shifted to Kabul from Bagram prison.

The family members of Mr. Ferozi say he is suffering from acute diabetics disease and was shifted by the Ministry of Defense to Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital after his condition worsened.

Informed sources on Friday confirmed that Mr. Farnood has died at the age of 57 in Bagram prison due to the illness he was suffering from.

Kabul Bank was seized by the government in 2010 after the exposure of a staggering $900 million fraud, which led the International Monetary Fund to temporarily halt its hundreds of millions of dollars of loans to the country.

Both Sher Khan Farnood and Khalilullah Ferozi were sentenced to ten years in jail by the Appellate Court nearly four years ago after they were found guilty of involvement in the embezzlement of the bank’s funds.

Link

Afghanistan

Deadly airstrike targets Taliban compound in Sar-e-Pul province

2017-10-09

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A deadly ~~Arclight~~ airstrike targeted a compound of the Taliban
...Arabic for students...
faceless myrmidons in northern Sar-e-Pul
...a city and eponymous province in northern Afghanistan, population about 500,000. Demographically it is majority Tadjik and Uzbek. There are small Pashtun, Arab, and Hazara communities, of which the Hazaras mostly don't bother anyone...
province of Afghanistan, leaving several people dead or maimed.

According to the local security officials, the ~~Arclight~~ airstrike was carried out late on Saturday afternoon.

Provincial police chief Khalilullah Dastyar confirmed that a compound of the Taliban faceless myrmidons was targeted in Dara-e-Alf Safi area.

He said at least seven Taliban faceless myrmidons were killed in the ~~Arclight~~ airstrike and at least eleven others were maimed.

Dastyar further added that the ~~Arclight~~ airstrike was carried out as the Taliban faceless myrmidons were busy training their ~~bandidos~~ faceless myrmidons for an attack.

According to the police chief, the Taliban faceless myrmidons were using the compound as their main training facility in this province.

The Taliban faceless myrmidons have not commented regarding the report so far.

The security situation in Sar-e-Pul province has started to deteriorate during the recent years amid rampant insurgency led by the Taliban and other bully boy groups.

The loyalists of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group also conduct insurgency activities in some parts of the province.

Link

Afghanistan

Ex-Kabul Bank shareholder Dawi jailed for 9 years for embezzling of millions of dollars

2017-08-17

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The owner of Dawi oil and former share holder of Kabul Bank Abdul Ghafar Dawi has been nabbed
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
for nine years on charges of embezzlement of at least $38 million in a fuel contract.

Dawi’s court hearing was organized late on Tuesday evening in the Anti-Corruption Justice Center of Afghanistan.

Apart from Dawi, his deputy Asghar Ghiasi was also nabbed
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
for nine years and nine months in prison for having role in the multi-million embezzlement of the fuel contract for the government.

According to the court hearing, apart from the nine years and nine months of jail term, the two bigwigs of Dawi Oil were also awarded a total fin of twelve thousand Afghanis and the reimbursement of $38 million embezzled funds.

Dawi was initially nabbed
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
in mid-March this year over the allegations of embezzlement of millions of dollars in oil and fuel contracts as he was key a shareholder of the Kabul Bank.

Kabul Bank was seized by the government in 2010 after the exposure of a staggering $900 million fraud, which led the International Monetary Fund to temporarily halt its hundreds of millions of dollars of loans to the country.

Kabul Bank was one of Afghanistan’s largest private financial institutions founded in 2004 by Sherkhan Farnood, who was an international prominent poker player. Khalilullah Ferozi, the former chief executive of the bank, was another key staff.

Link

Afghanistan

Taliban shadow official dies in airstrike in Kunduz

2017-07-19

Taliban’s deputy shadow governor for Kunduz Mawlawi Nooruddin was killed along with three other insurgents in an airstrike in Kunduz city on Monday afternoon, police officials confirmed.

The airstrike took place in a suburb of Kunduz city after the Afghan Air Force targeted a vehicle Mawlawi Nooruddin was traveling in, the police commander of north-eastern zone of Afghanistan, Khalilullah Zeyaye, said.

“Zabihullah Majroh, former Taliban’s district governor for Chahardara district is also among the dead,” Zeyaye said.

However, he did not provide further details about the airstrike.

Link

India-Pakistan

Brothers of Lahore attack facilitator picked up from Bajaur Agency

2017-02-19

[DAWN] Security forces on Saturday took into custody two brothers of Anwaarul Haq, the alleged controller of the Feb 13 suicide kaboom in Lahore, from their residence in Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central

...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth...
of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), security sources said.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif
...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab...
had announced Haq's arrest in a presser on Friday evening. The suspect's confessional statement was also aired during the briefing.

Acting on information provided by intelligence agencies, security personnel on Saturday raided Haq's house in Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency, security sources said.

Haq's two brothers Khalilullah and Hameedullah were taken into custody during the raid.

Several others were nabbed from the area during the operation and shifted to an unknown location for interrogation, the sources added.

In his presser, the Punjab
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....
chief minister claimed to have eliminated the terrorist network involved in Monday’s suicide kaboom in Lahore in which 15 people were killed.

Shahbaz said the controller, Anwaarul Haq, had divulged that their network was operating from within Afghanistan.

The suspect in the confessional video said he hailed from a remote village in Bajaur Agency.

"I was associated with Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and they trained me," said the suspect, adding that he has visited Afghanistan around 15 to 20 times.

Link

Afghanistan

MoI releases picture of teenage bomber arrested in Sharana city of Afghanistan

2016-12-01

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Ministry of Interior (MoI) released the picture of the jacket wallah who was locked away
Book 'im, Mahmoud!
in Sharana city, the historic provincial capital of southeastern Paktika
...which coincidentally borders South Wazoo...
province of Afghanistan.

MoI said the suicide bomber was arrested during a special military operation conducted by the special forces of the Afghan National Police (ANP) late on Tuesday evening.

The ministry further added that the bomber was arrested from a guesthouse and a suicide kaboom vest was confiscated.

The bomber has been identified as Abdul Bari son of Akhtar Gul who is originally a resident of Machlagho village in Ahmadabad district.

No further details were given regarding the potential target of the suicide bomber but the local officials earlier said the suicide bomber has confessed he was trained in the neighboring Pakistain.

Afghan forces foiled suicide attack in Sharana city

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan cops foiled a suicide kaboom in Sharana city, the bustling provincial capital of southeastern Paktika
...which coincidentally borders South Wazoo...
province.

According to the local security officials, a would-be jacket wallah was tossed in the calaboose
Please don't kill me!
before he manage to detonate his suicide attack vest.

Provincial police chief Khalilullah Ziayi said the would-be suicide bomber was identified and was arrested earlier today.

Ziayi further added that the would-be bomber is believed to be around 18-year-old and is originally a resident of the same province.

Link

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