Anger Grows at Civilian Deaths by US, Afghan Forces

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US MQ-9 Reaper drone (file photo)

US MQ-9 Reaper drone (file photo)

Associated Press: The workers were sleeping on the mountainside where they had spent a long day harvesting pine nuts in eastern Afghanistan. Some were in tents, others lay outside under the stars, when the U.S. airstrike tore into them. Only hours before the Sept. 19 strike, the businessman who hired them had heard there was a drone over the mountain and called Afghanistan’s intelligence agency to remind an official his workers were there — as he’d notified the agency days earlier. Click here to read more (external link).

Mullah Tarakhail Refuses to Appear Before AGO

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Mullah Tarakhil

Mullah Tarakhil

Ariana: Ariana News has obtained documents showing that a case file has been opened against Mullah Tarakhail for allegedly beating Abdul Hakim Munib the Minister of Hajj inside the mosque of presidential palace. Last month, Mr. Munib claimed that he has been mistreated, insulted and physically attacked by Mullah Tarakhail and some of his family members during a Friday prayer. Click here to read more (external link).

Taliban Militants Kill Six Afghan Police At Remote Checkpoint Northeast Of Kabul

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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
October 5, 2019

Taliban fighters have killed six Afghan police officers at a checkpoint in the province of Kapisa to the northeast of Kabul, Afghan officials say.

According to provincial councilors Mohammad Hussain Sanjani and Mohammd Mahfooz Safi, three police officers were also wounded during the Taliban’s overnight attack in the remote Nejrab district.

They said the Taliban had established a presence in part of Nejrab district and occasionally attack checkpoints there.

Meanwhile, the police chief for Zareh district in the northern Balkh Province died on the evening of October 4 from injuries he sustained in a recent Taliban attack.

The attacks came as Taliban negotiators announced that they met in Islamabad with Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan, for the first time since President Donald Trump in September called the peace process “dead.”

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

Taliban Representatives Report Meeting With Khalilzad In Pakistan

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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
October 5, 2019

Taliban negotiators say they have met in Pakistan with Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan, for the first time since President Donald Trump in September called the peace process “dead.”

A Taliban representative on October 5 said the meeting took place between Khalilzad and the Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the extremist group.

The representative did not offer further details of the meeting, which he said took place in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, and he did not characterize the event as a “negotiation.”

U.S. officials did not confirm the meeting.

U.S. officials have been adamant that there have been no new negotiations between the sides since Trump on September 9 cited an attack that killed a U.S. soldier as his reason for calling off negotiations.

The Taliban delegation was in Pakistan for talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad in an effort to revive the Afghan peace talks.

Khalilzad was in Islamabad at the same time for “consultations” with the Pakistan government. Officials called it a “coincidence,” but a Taliban spokesman left open the possibility of a meeting with the U.S. special envoy.

Khalilzad has held a series of negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar and announced an agreement “in principle” with the militant group before Trump’s decision to end talks.

The Taliban has so far refused to talk directly with the Afghan government, calling it a “puppet” of foreign powers.

Kabul has been angered by being excluded from the talks on its future and said the Taliban delegation’s visit to Pakistan would not help bring peace to Afghanistan.

An Afghan presidential spokesman told a news conference in Kabul that Pakistan’s move to host a group that engages in violence and destruction is contrary to the principles of good relations between the countries.

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan, AP, and Reuters

Copyright (c) 2019. 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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Rashid Khan Makes New Guinness World Record

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Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan

Tolo News: Afghanistan’s cricket legspinner Rashid Khan has broken another record, this time in the Guinness World Records. Khan has taken 176 wickets in the international matches under the age of 20 and thus got his name in the Guinness World Records. Previously Pakistan’s cricket start Waqar Younus held the record. Click here to read more (external link).

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Signs of Ballot-Box Stuffing Add Tension to Afghan Vote Count

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ballot_boxThe New York Times: The worry about low turnout has now turned into suspicion of artificially high turnout. Ballot boxes from several areas that had exceptionally high turnout in the Saturday election, surprising observers, have arrived at the Independent Election Commission’s tabulation centers brimming with votes. Some places of sparse voting reported turnout rates as high as 90 percent. Click here to read more (external link).

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