Tolo News: Afghanistan`s Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) said on Thursday that their investigation has shown that 1,645 polling centers will be recounted in 18 provinces, and the recounting process will start on Saturday. Mohammad Qasim Elyasi, spokesman for the IECC, said that most of the polling centers that need recounting are located in Nangarhar with 700, in Kannur with 248, and in Nimroz with 177 polling centers. Click here to read more (external link).
As Iran and U.S. Trade Blows, Afghanistan Sweats Between the 2 Powers
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 a network of bases, are on display. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – January 8, 2020
More Than 1,000 Daesh Fighters Active In Kunar: Governor
Tolo News: The governor of Kunar, Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal, said that around 1,200 fighters–including foreigners– are active locally. “According to our intelligence, there are up to 1,200 fighters, including fighters from Central Asian countries, Arabs, Punjabis and even Bangladeshi citizens and two to three Iranian families,” said Mirzakwal. Click here to read more (external link).
2 Killed in Afghanistan Helicopter Crash
Ayesha Tanzeem
VOA News
January 8, 2020
ISLAMABAD – Two Afghan pilots died in a military helicopter crash in Farah province in western Afghanistan Wednesday.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the MI 35 gunship was on its way from the provincial capital to the Pur Chaman district in the east of the province.
MoD is citing technical reasons for the crash that occurred around 11 in the morning.
The ministry issued a statement saying more details would be shared after an investigation.
Last October another army helicopter had crashed in Farah killing 20 people including passengers and crew.
The Taliban had claimed downing the chopper but the government blamed it on bad weather.
Several members of the provincial council and a military commander had died in that crash.
FNC’s Griffin: Pompeo Claim of Iran Support for Taliban Network an ‘Exaggeration at Best’
Pompeo
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 to read more (external link).
Pompeo Defends Soleimani Killing, Accuses Iran Of Hurting Afghan Peace Effort
Mike Pompeo
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 kind gentleman, this diplomat of great order — Qasem Soleimani — had traveled to Baghdad for the idea of conducting a peace mission?” Pompeo told a press briefing on January 7.
“We know that wasn’t true,” he added, responding to remarks by Iranian officials that the slain major general was attempting to conduct peace talks in Iraq.
Pompeo reiterated U.S. President Donald Trump’s view that Soleimani, who headed Iran’s elite Quds Force, was in the process of orchestrating attacks on Americans and others in the region.
The state secretary also said that Iran was “actively working” to undermine the peace process in Afghanistan and that Tehran had relationships with the Taliban and other militant groups there.
“Iran has refused to join the regional and international consensus for peace, and is, in fact, actively working to undermine the peace process by continuing its long global effort to support militant groups there,” Pompeo said.
Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani tweeted that he had discussed the “latest security developments in the region” with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
“We both agreed that it’s time for urgent #de-escalation between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he wrote.
Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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1TV Afghanistan Dari News – January 7, 2020
Pakistan says killing of Soleimani could hit Afghan peace process
Shah Mahmood Qureshi
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 Islamabad. Click here to read more (external link).
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Trump Threatens Afghan Armageddon
Donald Trump
TomDispatch: U.S. “plans” for the Afghan War might prove a crime against humanity – It’s a strange fact of our moment that President Trump has claimed to have “plans” (or “a method”) for annihilating millions of innocent people, possibly most of the population of Afghanistan. Yet those comments of his barely made the news, disappearing within days. Even for a president who threatened to unleash “fire and fury” on North Korea and usher in “the end” of Iran, hinting at the possibility of wiping out most of the civilian population of an ally represented something new. After all, America’s commander-in-chief does have the authority, at his sole discretion, to order the launch of weapons from the vast U.S. nuclear arsenal. So it was no small thing last year when President Trump suggested that he might unleash a “method of war” that would kill at least 54% of the roughly 37 million inhabitants of Afghanistan. And yet almost no one—in Washington or Kabul—wanted to touch such presidential comments. Click here to read more (external link).