Michael Hughes: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a speech at a virtual think tank event in Washington suggested that the U.S. accomplished its chief objective in Afghanistan because it has decimated al-Qaeda. Pompeo, who certainly has a clear motive for painting a rosy picture, misleads by suggesting al-Qaeda’s strength is reducible to the number of
Xinhua: Afghan political experts have described the U.S.-led war on terror in Afghanistan as a failure. “The so-called U.S.-led war against the Taliban, al-Qaida and terrorist groups has failed to root out the insurgents and bring about peace in Afghanistan,” renowned analyst Shamsul Haq Arianfar told Xinhua. Aimed at dethroning the Taliban regime, demolishing al-Qaida
1TV: According to the report, al Qaeda leadership maintains close contact with the Haqqani Network. In February this year, al-Zawahiri met with Yahya Haqqani, the primary Haqqani Network contact with Al-Qaida since mid-2009, to discuss ongoing cooperation. Click here to read more (external link).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 1, 2020 Al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate in Afghanistan maintains “close ties” to the Taliban and has an “enduring interest” in attacking U.S. troops, the Pentagon says in a new report. Under a February deal between the Taliban and the United States, the insurgents agreed to stop terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda
By Ayaz Gul VOA News June 25, 2020 ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has come under severe criticism for saying in a nationally televised speech to the parliament Thursday that al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden had been “martyred.” Khan was highlighting foreign policy gains of his nearly two-year-old government, particularly improved ties with the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 19, 2020 The United States has reduced its troop presence in Afghanistan to levels agreed to as part of a February deal with the Taliban, the general who oversees the region says. “We agreed to go to the mid-8,000 range within 135 days,” General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of U.S.
Michael Hughes: Pentagon officials have said the Taliban are not meeting key conditions of the withdrawal pact it signed with the United States nearly four months ago. Meanwhile, a recent UN report revealed that the insurgent movement is still in bed with al-Qaeda, violating – at least in spirit – one of the key promises
Ayaz Gul VOA News June 11, 2020 ISLAMABAD – The Taliban on Thursday rejected a top American general’s assessment that the al-Qaida leadership is still based in Afghanistan, insisting that no foreign fighters linked to the group are present in the country. The contention, analysts say, underscored a long-running trust deficit between the Afghan insurgency
1TV: Relations between the Taliban, especially the Haqqani Network, and Al-Qaida remain close despite the former signing a peace deal with the United States, a recent UN report said. Al-Qaida has 400 to 600 operatives active in 12 Afghan provinces and is running training camps in the east of the country, according to the report.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty May 31, 2020 By Frud Bezhan After 18 years of fighting, the Afghan war is at a deadly stalemate. Afghanistan is divided up among government forces backed by international troops, the Taliban and its militant allies, the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, and a collection of smaller foreign terrorist groups. The United