http://www.arabnews.com/node/1099071/world
KABUL: At least three civilians have been killed in the capital Kabul after their vehicle was attacked with a sticky bomb, an Afghan official said.
Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the victims of the Saturday attack are two female government employees and a child. A sticky bomb is a type of grenade designed to be attached to a vehicle.
Danish said the driver of the vehicle was wounded. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Meanwhile, 10 insurgents including a Talbian-appointed deputy governor and district chief were killed a day earlier in northern Samangan province, Danish said.
On Thursday, the head of US intelligence agencies offered a pessimistic assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan, where the US is planning to send more troops to combat resurgent extremists.
“The political and security situation in Afghanistan will also almost certainly deteriorate through 2018, even with a modest increase in the military assistance by the US and its partners,” Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said at a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“Afghanistan will struggle to curb its dependence on external support until it contains the insurgency or reaches a peace agreement with the Taliban,” Coats told lawmakers in presenting an annual assessment of threats to US national security.
US-led forces have been fighting in Afghanistan for almost 16 years, making it America’s longest war, yet the situation there remains a stalemate.
Gen. Vincent Stewart, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said if the situation was not addressed, the US-led alliance risked losing the fragile gains it had made during the protracted conflict.
“Unless we change something... the situation will continue to deteriorate and we’ll lose all the gains that we’ve invested in over the last several years,” he said.
That new beefing-up of efforts would include sending US and NATO advisers at brigade and battalion level to help Afghan commanders coordinate troop movements with artillery, intelligence or close air support, he said.
The Taliban, which first emerged in the mid-1990s in southern Afghanistan, managed to conquer most of the country before its 2001 ouster, with the help of a range of foreign militants.
But it has been on the rebound, Coates said, and continues to gain strength.
“The Taliban is likely to continue to make gains, especially in rural areas,” said the US spy chief, adding that efforts to bolster local military have been less fruitful than hoped.
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http://www.khaama.com/12-isis-militants-killed-in-nangarhar-province-of-afghanistan-02741
At least 12 militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group’s offshoot in Afghanistan, ISIS Khurasan, were killed during the operations in eastern Nangarhar province.
The provincial police commandment said the militants killed during the operations led by the security forces in Achin district.
The operations were conducted with the support of the air power, the police commandment added.
The anti-government armed militant groups including the ISIS loyalists have not commented regarding the report so far.
Nangarhar is among the relatively calm provinces in eastern Afghanistan but the anti-government armed militant groups have recently increased their insurgency activities in some parts of the province during the recent years.
This comes as an anti-ISIS operation is underway in Nangarhar to eliminate the presence of ISIS affiliates in this province.
The Hamza operations were launched nearly one month ago in response to the growing threats posed by ISIS loyalists in Nangarhar province.
The US forces based in Afghanistan are also providing support to the Afghan forces during the operations, mainly involving airstrikes.
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http://www.khaama.com/top-taliban-leaders-among-11-killed-in-kunduz-airstrike-02744
At least eleven Taliban insurgents including their two top local leaders were killed in an airstrike in northern Kunduz province of Afghanistan.
According to the security officials, the militants were killed late on Friday afternoon after they were targeted in the vicinity of Chahardara district.
A spokesman for the Pamir Division in Northeastern Afghanistan, Gen. Ghulam Hazrat Karimi, said the two top Taliban leaders killed in the airstrike have been identified as Qari Ahmadshah and Arshad.
He said a military vehicle being used by the Taliban insurgents was also destroyed in the airstrike.
Gen. Karimi further added that the local residents and security personnel did not suffer any casualties during the airstrike.
The anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents have not commented regarding the report so far.
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http://www.khaama.com/prominent-tal...n-forces-targeted-operation-in-samangan-02749
Two prominent Taliban leaders were killed in a targeted operation of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) personnel in northern Samangan province of Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) in a statement said the two prominent Taliban leaders were actively in charge of leading the group’s insurgency in this province.
The statement further added that Mawlavi Jalal, the group’s shadow deputy provincial governor and Mawlavi Ghiasuddin, the group’s district chief were among at least six militants killed in the operation.
At least fifteen insurgents were also wounded during the operation, the Ministry of Interior added.
The anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents have not commented regarding the report so far.
Samangan was among the relatively calm provinces in northern Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban regime and the province witnessed stability until recent years.
But the anti-government armed militant groups have increased their insurgency during the recent years in several districts of the province during the recent years.
Both the Taliban insurgents and militants belonging to the other insurgent groups are attempting to expand their insurgency in this province as part of their efforts to destabilize the key northern provinces.
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http://www.khaama.com/taliban-vehicle-hit-roadside-mine-in-kandahar-10-killed-7-wounded-02752
A Taliban vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted on a roadside in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, leaving at least 10 of them dead, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Sunday.
According to a statement by MoD, the incident took place on Saturday in Maiwand district.
The statement further added that seven insurgents were also wounded in the explosion and their vehicle was totally destroyed.
The ministry also added that 10 insurgents were killed, 6 were wounded, and 2 others were arrested during a separate operation conducted in Nish district.
The anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents have not commented regarding the report so far.
Taliban insurgents and militants belonging to the other insurgent groups frequently use Improvised Explosive Device as the weapon of their choice to target the government and security personnel.
However, in majority of such attacks the ordinary civilians are targeted besides the roadside bombs inflict heavy casualties to the security personnel and government officials while in some cases the insurgents fall prey of the tactic.
