Michael Hughes: There is clear evidence elements tied to Iran’s security apparatus in recent years have played a damaging role inside Afghanistan, especially in the country’s west, including by funding and arming militants – the Taliban among them. However, the Trump administration has grossly exaggerated the nature and extent of these operations in a bid to both make
By Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 15, 2020 It was in the late 1980s when Ismail Qaani — then a local commander in Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) — first became active in Afghanistan. It was to be the start of Qaani’s decades-long involvement in Iran’s eastern neighbor, where Tehran has
Tolo News: The US has asked the Taliban to cut its ties with Iran and to agree to the presence of some US forces in Afghanistan after a potential peace agreement between the two sides, said Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the reconciled leader of Hizb-e-Islami, on Tuesday. Hekmatyar said the US brought these two issues as preconditions for
NYT: Afghan officials fear that an escalation between Iran and the United States could hurt chances for peace with the Taliban during a critical time – Now that Iranian missiles have come into play, some of the particular vulnerabilities of Afghanistan, which lies along Iran’s northeastern border and still hosts about 13,000 American military personnel on
Breitbart: On Tuesday’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” network national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s claim Iran is funding the Taliban’s Haqqani network was “baffling.” “… baffling and an exaggeration at best given that Pakistan is well known to be the main force backing the Haqqani network.” Click here
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 7, 2020 WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has rejected suggestions that Iran’s top military commander was on a “diplomatic” mission when he was killed by a U.S. air strike near Baghdad last week. “Is there any history that would indicate that it was remotely possible that this
1TV: Pakistan said on Monday that rising tensions in the Middle East following the killing of Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani could hit the Afghan peace process. “The crisis will have a negative impact on Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s efforts in this regard could be undone,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said while addressing the Senate in
Sayed Jalal Shajjan via The Diplomat: In Afghanistan, the death of General Suleimani left politicians divided. The government of Afghanistan opted for a neutral position; however, the second vice president of President Ashraf Ghani called Suliemani a “prominent figure in the fight against ISIS in the Middle East.” The Taliban are yet to issue any
Tolo News: President Ashraf Ghani, in a phone conversation with President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, assured his Iranian counterpart that based on the Afghan-US security pact, Afghan soil will never be used against any other country, the Presidential Palace said. In this conversation, President Ghani extended his condolences and sympathy with the people and the president
Tolo News: Afghan politicians on Friday joined a chorus of international reactions to the US air strike in Iraq that killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, with some describing the attack on Soleimani as clear violation of international law and a major blow to peace in the region. Presidential candidate Abdul Latif