Taliban captures district in northeast Afghanistan

[I M Sikander]

The so called nato and uncle sam AFghan army had been made naked by taliban.
Shame on afghan gov and Afghan forces.

 

[Asian.Century]

Sabiq Jihadmal (@Sabiq_JL) | Twitter

Fara Province gone.

Farhad khalid (@Farhadkhalid4) | Twitter

 

[بلندر]

The so called nato and uncle sam AFghan army had been made naked by taliban.
Shame on afghan gov and Afghan forces.

its USA and KSA greater plan to plague Afghanistan with ISIS , first Taliban should take control of most part of Afghanistan and then ISIS come and take place of Taliban ... then spread it in central Asia and China's Turkistan ...

Central Asia was calm for decades , it is not acceptable by Uncle Sam ...

 

[Hindustani78]

NATO troops reach Kunduz to support Afghan forces | Zee News

Last Updated: Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - 14:27

Kabul: NATO special forces have reached Kunduz to bolster Afghan troops after the Taliban seized the strategic northern city, the military coalition said Wednesday.

"Coalition special forces are on the ground in Kunduz advising their Afghan counterparts," a NATO spokesman said.

The forces are comprised of US, British and German troops, a Western military source told AFP on condition of anonymity, without specifying the number.

NATO said US forces had also carried out three air strikes in total since Tuesday -- two on the outskirts of Kunduz and one near the city`s airport, which is currently under attack by Taliban insurgents.

After years of costly involvement in Afghanistan, most NATO troops pulled back from the frontlines by the end of 2014, although a residual force of around 13,000 remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.

The Taliban`s incursion into Kunduz, barely nine months after the NATO combat mission ended, raises troubling questions over the capacity of Afghan forces as they battle militants largely on their own.

It has also renewed questions about Washington`s plan to withdraw most US forces next year.

AFP

 

[Hindustani78]

Afghan forces retake control of Kunduz from Taliban | Zee News

Kunduz: Afghan forces retook control of the strategic northern city of Kunduz on Thursday after a three-day Taliban occupation that dealt a stinging blow to the country's NATO-trained military.

The fall of the provincial capital, even temporarily, highlights the stubborn insurgency's potential to expand beyond its rural strongholds in the south of the country.

Afghan forces, hindered by the slow arrival of reinforcements but backed by limited US air support, struggled to regain control of the city after three days of heavy fighting.

But today troops managed to reach the centre of Kunduz where the streets were littered with Taliban bodies, residents told AFP, adding that fighting was still ongoing in parts of the city.

"(Afghan) special forces now control Kunduz City, it is retaken and being cleared (of) terrorists," interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter, adding that the insurgents had suffered heavy casualties.

Deputy Interior Minister Ayoub Salangi said the city had been recaptured after a "special operation" overnight.

Local residents reported deafening overnight bombardments, adding that the Taliban were still resisting Afghan forces in some parts of the city.

But some scenes of jubilation erupted around the city square where local residents, who suffered three days of crippling food shortages, thanked government troops.

"Afghan soldiers took down the white-and-black Taliban flag in the city square and hoisted the government flag," Kunduz resident Abdul Rahman told AFP.

"The Taliban suffered heavy casualties last night. Dead bodies are scattered on the streets, and their supporters are carrying them out of the city wrapped in white cloths."

Security officials said the militants had slowly infiltrated Kunduz during the recent Eid festival, launching a Trojan Horse attack that enabled them to capture it within hours on Monday.

The development coincided with the first anniversary of Ashraf Ghani's national unity government.

Marauding insurgents seized government buildings and freed hundreds of prisoners, raising their flag throughout Kunduz.

The lightning capture of the city sent thousands of panicked residents fleeing as insurgents erected checkpoints across the city and were seen racing vehicles stolen from the police, UN and Red Cross.

Militants exposed civilians to grave danger by hiding in people's houses and conducting door-to-door searches for Afghan soldiers and government staff, rights groups said.

 

[Hindustani78]

US airstrike hits Doctors Without Borders clinic in Kunduz - The Hindu

Nine local staffers for Doctors Without Borders were killed and 30 were missing after an explosion near their hospital in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz that may have been caused by a U.S. airstrike.

In a statement, the international charity said the “sustained bombing” took place at 2.10 a.m. (3.10 a.m. IST). Afghan forces backed by U.S. airstrikes have been fighting to dislodge Taliban insurgents who overran Kunduz on Monday.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan said they conducted an airstrike on Kunduz at 2.15 a.m. local time. The spokesman, U.S. Army Col. Brian Tribus, said the strike “may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility” and that the incident was under investigation. Col. Tribus said it was the 12th U.S. airstrike “in the Kunduz vicinity” since Tuesday.

Doctors Without Borders said its trauma centre “was hit several times during sustained bombing and was very badly damaged.” At the time of the bombing, the hospital had 105 patients and their caretakers, and more than 80 international and Afghan staff, it said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said 10 to 15 “terrorists” had been hiding in the hospital at the time of the strike. “All of the terrorists were killed but we also lost doctors,” he told a press conference. He said 80 staff at the hospital, including 15 foreigners, had been taken to safety.

Doctors Without Borders said all of its international staffers were alive and accounted for. It said it regularly updated its GPS coordinates with all parties to the conflict.

Adil Akbar, a doctor at the trauma centre who was on duty at the time, told The Associated Press that the operation theatre, emergency room and other parts of the hospital complex had been hit in the bombing.

“I managed to escape after the attack but I know that most of the staff and even some of the patients are missing,” he said.

Zabihullah Pashtoonyar, a former local radio reporter who was working as a security guard at the compound, was one of those killed in the incident, said his relative Gul Rahim.

The number of dead and missing was provided by the charity.

Wahidullah Mayar, spokesman for the Public Health Ministry, tweeted that 37 people were wounded, among them 24 medical and non-medical staff.

Bart Janssens, the charity’s director of operations, said, “We do not yet have the final casualty figures” and added that the group’s medical team was treating wounded patients and staffers.

Nicholas Haysom, the U.N. special representative in Afghanistan, condemned the “tragic and devastating airstrike” on the hospital. “I reiterate my call on all parties to the conflict to respect and protect medical and humanitarian personnel and facilities,” he said in a statement.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which also has facilities in Kunduz, said it was “deeply shocked”.

Doctors Without Borders said it had treated 394 people wounded in fighting since the Taliban attacked the city. Afghan forces went in on Thursday, and the fighting has been underway since then.

Mr. Sediqqi said Afghan forces were still sweeping the city for militants, conducting “metre to metre, house to house operations” that would continue until “all those bad elements” had been eliminated.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement saying there were no Taliban fighters in the hospital at the time of the bombing. It accused Afghanistan’s intelligence service of misdirecting the airstrike to purposefully hit the hospital.

The clinic in Kunduz is a sprawling facility with numerous buildings situated in the east of the city, in a residential area close to the local office of the NDS intelligence service.

Another Kunduz resident, Dawood Khan, said a cousin who works at the clinic as a doctor was lightly wounded in the bombing.

“I heard the sound of the bomb and rushed to the hospital to get news. The operating theatre was on fire, people were terrified, running everywhere,” he said.

Electricity and water have been cut off since the Taliban’s Monday assault and seizure of the city, officials and residents said. Food and medical supplies cannot get through because the Afghan military is still working to clear mines planted by the Taliban. Sporadic gunfights are continuing in various pockets of the city as troops advance.

Most of the Taliban appear to have fled the city after the troops moved in on Thursday, taking looted vehicles, weapons and ammunition with them.

Officials have reported that they have moved east, into Takhar and Badakhshan Provinces, where a number of districts fell to the Taliban on Friday. The Defence Ministry said troops had retaken the Baharak district after retreating under fire on Friday.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued an emergency notice to Americans in Badakhshan, saying they should “consider departing the area immediately”.

 

[Hindustani78]

By Reuters | 3 Oct, 2015, 10.39PM IST
Air strike on Afghan hospital under investigation: US Defense Secretary Ash Carter - The Economic Times


WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the United States still was trying to determine how an airstrike hit a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres in the Afghan city of Kunduz on Saturday.

"A full investigation into the tragic incident is under way in coordination with the Afghan government," Carter said in a statement.

He said the area around the hospital had been the scene of intense fighting in recent days with US forces supporting Afghan Security Forces against Taliban fighters.

 

[Tacticool]

Shouldn't there be a sticky thread on afghan civil war, there are so many threads and it is very difficult to get a clear picture
in all that trolling. @Manticore @waz

 

[Hindustani78]

Barack Obama offers condolences over 'tragic incident' in Kunduz

Washington: US President Barack Obama has offered his "deepest condolences" over a suspected US airstrike on a hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz that killed 19 people, and promised a thorough probe of the incident. "On behalf of the American people, I extend my deepest condolences to the medical professionals and other civilians killed and injured in the tragic incident at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz," he said in a statement released by the White House. "The Department of Defense has launched a full investigation, and we will await the results of that inquiry before making a definitive judgment as to the circumstances of this tragedy," Obama said.

The attack on early Saturday left the building engulfed in flames, and dozens more people seriously wounded, with photos posted by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) showing their staff shocked and dazed. MSF said the aerial raid hit the main hospital building housing the intensive care unit and emergency rooms, while the surrounding buildings were left untouched. "I have asked the Department of Defense to keep me apprised of the investigation and expect a full accounting of the facts and circumstances," Obama said.

"Michelle and I offer our thoughts and prayers to all of the civilians affected by this incident, their families, and loved ones." He added: "We will continue to work closely with President (Ashraf) Ghani, the Afghan government, and our international partners to support the Afghan National Defense and Security forces as they work to secure their country."

 

[Hindustani78]

Pentagon to make 'condolence payments' to Kunduz victims | Zee News

Washington: The Pentagon has announced it would make payments in compensation for those killed and injured by US airstrikes on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz.

The group, known by its French acronym MSF, has demanded an independent international investigation.

It says 33 people are still missing after the October 3 attack, in addition to 12 MSF staff and 10 patients already confirmed dead.

"The Department of Defence believes it is important to address the consequences of the tragic incident," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement yesterday, adding that US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) also has the authority to pay for repairs to the hospital.

"One step the department can take is to make condolence payments to civilian non-combatants injured and the families of civilian non-combatants killed as a result of US military operations."

Cook said USFOR-A would determine "appropriate payments" through discussions with those affected.

The attack caused MSF to close the trauma centre, seen as a lifeline in a war-battered region with scant medical care.

The strike came just days after the Taliban overran the city, with many residents wounded after pitched street battles.

US President Barack Obama has apologised to MSF, admitting the strike was a mistake. Three separate probes -- by the US military, NATO and Afghan officials -- are under way.

But the charity, which has condemned the attack as a war crime, is stressing the need for an international investigation, saying the bombing raid contravened the Geneva Conventions.

AFP

Loud blast heard in Afghanistan's capital on Sunday - The Hindu

A suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of foreign troops in the Afghan capital Kabul during rush hour-traffic on Sunday, an official said, flipping an armoured vehicle on its side, but the number of casualties was unknown.

Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack in the city centre that broke a period of relative calm in Kabul after a series of bombings in August.

TV footage showed an armoured vehicle on its side as Afghan security forces cordoned off the street in the Joi Sheer neighbourhood.

"It was a suicide bombing against a foreign forces convoy in a crowded part of the city and there are casualties," said Najib Danish deputy spokesman for the interior ministry.

Danish did not specify whether there were casualties among the foreign forces.

The U.S.-led Resolute Support military coalition in Kabul confirmed that one of its convoys was struck by a bomb. "No casualties are reported at this time," said spokesman Colonel Brian Tribus.

The Taliban insurgents fighting to topple the foreign-backed Kabul government claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack, saying it killed a number of foreign troops.

The group typically inflates casualty figures they inflict on Afghan and coalition forces.

The attack came during a period of heightened tension following intense fighting between government troops and the Taliban around the northern city of Kunduz, which fell briefly to the insurgent Islamist movement at the end of last month.

Fighting between government forces and the Taliban continues on the outskirts of Kunduz.

 

[Hindustani78]

Taliban promised protection but later killed those who stood in their way in Kunduz: residents | The Indian Express

Within hours of seizing the northern Afghan city of Kunduz last month, Taliban fighters went door-to-door, hunting down not only those accused of working with security forces, but women’s rights advocates and journalists.

Government troops took back much of the city three days later, and on Monday the Taliban announced the withdrawal of their last fighters. But the Taliban’s brief foray into the city offered a chilling reminder of its violent Islamic rule in the late 1990s, and of what could await the country if it returns to power.

In announcing their capture of the city on Sept. 28, the Taliban vowed to protect civilians and property, presenting themselves as liberators. But residents say the insurgents immediately went on a rampage, looting shops and killing those who stood in their way.

Shah Bibi fled to Kabul with her six children after militants barged into a neighbor’s home and shot dead five young boys. The bodies lay everywhere,” she said. Women’s rights advocates and journalists say they were singled out, and many joined the exodus from the city. The UN says half of the 300,000 residents of Kunduz fled. It’s unclear how many have since returned.

Fauzia, the head of a local organization devoted to women’s health, education and rights, said she hid in her basement until Taliban gunmen on a motorcycle came to the house looking for her. “It wasn’t so much the prospect of being killed that was the biggest fear, it was being raped,” she said.

When the gunmen started trying to knock down the door and her husband berated her for not leaving sooner she climbed over the back fence and ran away, eventually making her way to Kabul. During the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule, women were banned from work and school, and could only leave home wearing the all-covering burka and escorted by a male relative. The Taliban stoned alleged adulterers, cut off the hands of thieves and dispensed violent and summary justice for violations of their harsh version of Islamic law.

“The Taliban do not believe in the values of humanity,” rights advocate Malali Rustami said. “They have no respect for humanitarian and health workers, non-government organizations, journalists, female activists these are the people who have been targeted by the Taliban in Kunduz.”