The leadership in Kabul has been meeting with the Taliban to solidify a peace between them. This is definitely an attempt to destabilize this peace movement.
July 20. 2015
By Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati
Afghanistan (click here) said on Wednesday it was investigating reports that Mullah Omar, leader
of the militant Taliban movement behind an escalating insurgency, was
dead.
The elusive
Omar has not been seen in public since fleeing when the Taliban was
toppled from power by a U.S.-led coalition in 2001, and there has been
speculation for years among militant circles that he was either
incapacitated or had died.
"We
are aware of the reports of the passing of Mullah Omar, the Taliban
leader," Sayed Zafar Hashemi, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani,
told reporters.
"We are
still in the process of verifying those reports, and as soon as we get
any more accurate information or identification ... we will let the
media and the people of Afghanistan know about it."....
If he is dead, Kabul's leadership should seek to find the murderers. Omar was advocating peace. That was a profound change in his position and he intended to help end the fighting. It is only right to know who killed him and why.
July 29, 2015
By Tamim Asey
Afghan forces are fighting Central Asian extremists. Time for the region to get more involved. (click here)
...Ties between Afghanistan and Central Asia are driven more by security
imperatives than by trade and energy. Afghanistan and Central Asia share
geographic, demographic, security and economic ties that go back to the
ancient Silk Road days. With the disintegration of the former Soviet
Union and the emergence of newly independent Central Asian states,
Afghanistan began an era of tumultuous relations with Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Following the 2001 NATO/U.S. intervention
in Afghanistan, bilateral relations changed and a new dynamic emerged....
This is the type of changing landscape in the region. There are advances in peace only to be followed by attempts to destabilize it. The players wanted by authorities yesterday are attempting to end hostilities today. It is impossible to keep track of those that are becoming allies and any eruption of new enemies.
I suppose the advocacy for peace by Omar was more a surrender, too. It's becoming difficult to conduct war in a rapidly changing environment when a peace process proceeds. This is Afghanistan today. It would be helpful to have borders enforced to prevent extremists from carrying out attacks that effect the peace negotiations.
Omar was a Taliban. Kabul has to view his death as a problem and not a death of an enemy.
July 29, 2015
ROME: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) (click here) General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday said
Pakistan will bring its war on terror to its logical end, purging the
whole region of terrorism.
The Army Chief who is on an
official visit to Italy, said during a speech in Centre of International
Studies, Rome, that Pakistan had launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb to
eliminate terrorism which was a global threat.
“For
the world, terrorism is a conflict, for Pakistan it's a war of
survival," said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director
General Asim Bajwa quoting the army chief as saying.
He said
terrorists would not be allowed to reorganise, adding that the operation
will ensure establishment of peace in Pakistan and the whole world....
Missing people are turning up in the ranks of Daesh. It is an increasing pressure to find the 'real god.'
May 28, 2015
By Catherine Putz
Halimov (click here) has been missing since late April and was reportedly arrested last week in Turkey. The mystery continues.
Gulmurod Halimov, the missing Tajik OMON commander (well,
former commander now) has apparently turned up — and not in Turkish
custody as was reported last week. Halimov is the latest ISIS video star.
The 12 minute video, which is polished and features a
techy, Matrix-like intro, was posted on May 27. It begins with a montage
of video clips showing news reports of Halimov’s disappearance and then
shows him, with a black wrap around his head, holding a rifle, and
talking at length about himself and why he joined ISIS. The video ends
with Halimov (presumably, though he is not shown) shooting a tomato.
Halimov, in the video, explains his radicalization as a
response to the Tajik state’s crackdown on religion — mentioning
restrictions on public prayer and Islamic dress. From RFE/RL:...
...It is clear that the key factor for Tajik youth
traveling to Iraq and Syria to fight alongside ISIL militants is
propagation of Salafi ideas in the country.
Over the past 15 years, Salafists have brainwashed
dozens of people working in the country’s law enforcement authorities
and government bodies. As a matter of fact, they have undermined the
authority of the government. Unfortunately, we do not know how many
officials became Salafists. We do not know how many lawyers,
journalists, mullahs, and imam-khatibs are propagating Salafi ideas
among the population....
Fifteen years is the length of time from the first pf West's invasions. The idea NATO is going to make a difference in the region is obviously wrong. The struggle for peace within Afghanistan has to inclusive a lasting peace. The Kabul peace process has to reach out to these populations of people.
...In an April interview, Oinikhol Bobonazarova, one of
Tajikistan’s best-known human rights advocates and opposition
politicians, said the government was leaving critical issues unresolved —
economic troubles and the woes of migrants – and diverting people’s’ attention:
We have massive economic problems, the problems with
our migrants, and the current [financial] crisis. But everyone is
suddenly concerned about women’s clothing. Apparently that is the most
pressing concern. Personally, I don’t think a woman’s clothes are
important....
In the waning hours of the West's presence in Afghanistan it is obvious occupation was the only reason there has been a degree of stability. That is not the mission of NATO. NATO was suppose to build a lasting peace based on the strength of it's national defense forces. NATO needs to leave since most of it's presence has been mostly ineffective for fifteen years.
...The Chinese and Russian national security establishments recognize the
threat and are already in close contact with Afghan security and
intelligence institutions. China and Russia are also working to address
the challenge through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, addressing the SCO summit in Ufa
recently, put it this way:
“…we are fighting on behalf of the region in the world and in this
fight we need to be joined by forceful and coherent action.” He further
warned of the consequences of inaction “…China, India and Russia out of
the big countries will be in harms way, but also all our other neighbors
near and far.” It was a stark warning of the security threat that
confronts the region....
The region will move toward a stable region based on the ability of neighboring countries to control their borders and end extremist groups. NATO has spent fifteen years in meaningless occupation.
There may or may not be a civil war within Afghanistan if the peace efforts are not comprehensive and successful.
...China has also been working with Afghan, Tajik and Pakistani
intelligence agencies to address the security concerns created by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement in Xinjiang province.
Meanwhile, the rise of ISIS and its declaration of the creation of
the province of Khorasan – ostensibly covering Afghanistan, Central
Asia, and parts of Iran and Pakistan – has further complicated the
security dynamics and calculations in the region. Numerous radicalized
youth and battle hardened terrorists from Central Asia have now joined
ISIS and are fighting Afghan National Security Forces in Afghanistan....
The videos are used for Daesh recruitment and radicalization of young men. It is a charismatic movement. The influence of these extremists needs to be identified by GOVERNING authorities as a threat to young lives and SOULS.
