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Ministry of defense
PAO
Media Analysis section
Media Analysis Executive Summary for
27 May – 2015
Afghan forces struggle as Taliban seeks northern stronghold.
news.yahoo
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban insurgents, their ranks swelled by foreign fighters pushed across the border from Pakistan, nearly surrounded this northern Afghan city last month with an offensive that stunned local authorities and raised concerns over their ability to defend the country without U.S. and foreign combat troops.
Under pressure from a yearlong military offensive in neighboring Pakistan, the Taliban and allied militants -- some waving the black flags of the Islamic State group -- appear to be trying to carve out a new safe haven in northern Afghanistan that could give them access to Central Asia and China, Afghan officials say.
As Afghanistan's U.S.-trained and equipped forces have struggled to fend off the insurgents -- who at one point came within 3 kilometers (less than 2 miles) of Kunduz -- authorities have increasingly turned to local militias and former warlords, a further indictment of the costly, decade-long U.S. effort to build an effective Afghan military.
Provincial Gov. Mohammad Omer Safi said 3,000 troops are now battling a well-armed insurgent force of some 2,000 fighters who crashed against the city's gates late last month at the start of the spring fighting season. He said logistical problems that left troops without food, fuel or ammunition for days on end have been resolved, but that the Taliban have proven tough to dislodge.
"We have surrounded the enemy everywhere and we will not allow them to advance any further," he told The Associated Press. "Maybe with the passage of time they will be weakened, run out of ammunition and find themselves moved back. This is not a one day or two days, or one month or two months fight."
Safi said that in addition to switching from hit-and-run attacks to seizing and holding territory, the Taliban have also been joined by other militants, including from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The IMU has longstanding ties to the Taliban and al-Qaida, and is believed to have pledged allegiance to the IS group last year.
In this Thursday, May 21, 2015 photo, an Afghan villager checks a building torched by Taliban fighte…
There are ominous signs of a growing IS presence in northern Afghanistan. Safi said fighters have raised the group's black flag in nearby villages, and that foreign fighters from Turkey, Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have been found among the dead.
A Western intelligence official said the extent of the IS presence in Afghanistan remains unclear, saying "there is a lot of self-branding, rather than franchising."
But an Afghan intelligence official said the group is present in at least four of the country's 34 provinces, mainly in the south. He pointed to the beheading of seven Afghan soldiers in northern Badakhshan province last month, noting that the tactic has rarely been used by the Taliban. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.
Gen. John F. Campbell, the commander of international forces in Afghanistan, said Saturday that the IS group is actively recruiting but is not yet operational in the country. He also noted reports that IS militants have clashed with the Taliban.
Safi, the Kunduz governor, said the army had managed to push back the insurgents to Gor Tepa, some 15 kilometers from the provincial capital, but that their progress was slow because the Taliban were occupying civilian homes and using human shields.
In this Thursday, May 21, 2015 photo, Asadullah, a commander of local militia, top right, talks with…
"We cannot destroy the houses of the poor civilians when the Taliban are inside so we cannot use our heavy artillery against the enemy," he said.
In the city itself life has largely returned to normal, but the scorched remains of the fighting are visible on its outskirts, where officials and residents say the Taliban torched homes and other buildings as they retreated. U.N. agencies say 18,000 families, or around 100,000 people, were displaced by the fighting.
In the village of Talawka, around 8 kilometers from the city, Commander Assadullah led 30 men armed with their own assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns on a recent patrol past mud-brick compounds, many of them reduced to rubble and occupied only by ducks and donkeys.
The men arrived here on May 13 from a nearby district, and are among 1,000 militiamen called up by provincial authorities and given monthly stipends. Assadullah, 50, who fought the Soviets in the 1980s, said Afghanistan's security forces are no match for the Taliban's "professional fighters."
The insurgents "have strong front lines, they are using anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. They use the houses and the basements for cover," he said. He added that his men would be unable to drive them out without better air and ground support from the military.
Safi said the insurgents are determined to carve out a new safe haven after being driven out of Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region by a military offensive launched nearly a year ago.
The Kunduz province, a relatively wealthy region of grain and cotton fields, sits astride the old Silk Road and would provide access to neighboring Central Asian countries as well as China, all of which have grappled with Islamic militancy. Safi said the Taliban are already forcing farmers to hand over 10 percent of their crops to the group as a tithe.
"They are fighting very hard to have a safe place in northern Afghanistan," Safi said.
Foreign Minister of Afghanistan to meet Sartaj Aziz.
Pakistan Today
SLAMABAD:
Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Hekmat Khalil Karzai called on Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz here on Tuesday and discussed issues in the context of bilateral relations and the regional situation.
Welcoming Mr. Khalil, the Adviser reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to build a forward-looking, comprehensive and enduring partnership with Afghanistan. He expressed satisfaction that Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations were on an upward trajectory and the two sides were comprehensively upgrading cooperation in all fields.
He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent visit to Kabul would further deepen the cooperation between the two countries on a broad range of issues, including peace and stability, counter-terrorism, border-security, trade and economic cooperation, and regional cooperation.
They also underscored the importance of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process, whose Ministerial Meeting, will be hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad, later this year.
Mr. Khalil agreed with the imperative of working together with Pakistan for enduring peace and stability in Afghanistan. He expressed satisfaction on current phase of close cooperation between the two countries and lauded Pakistan’s sincere efforts for development of Afghanistan.
Dozens of Militants Killed in Afghan Mop-up Operations.
TEHRAN (FNA)-
The Afghan security forces continued their military operations in restive provinces, and killed some 33 Taliban militants, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.
"In past 24 hours, Afghan National Security Forces carried out several cleanup operations in Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Sari Pul, Paktika and Paktia provinces, as a result 33 armed insurgents were killed, six wounded and three others were arrested by the ANSF," the ministry said in a statement.
The ANSF also seized weapons and defused two roadside bombs planted by the militants within the same period, the statement said.
The Afghan security forces have recently intensified operations across the country as spring and summer known as the fighting season is drawing near.
Chinese navy to focus on 'open seas', paper says.
BBC NEWS
China is to focus on projecting its military presence beyond its borders at sea, according to a strategy document.
The navy will shift its focus to "open seas protection", rather than "offshore waters defence" alone.
It will also speed up developing its cyber force to tackle "grave security threats", the State Council said.
China has been accused of aggressively pursuing territorial claims in the South China Sea which has sparked concern in Washington.
The strategy document highlighted four areas of critical importance - the ocean, outer space, nuclear force and cyber space. Its recent naval policy has prompted the most controversy.
In recent years, China has focused on building up its navy. It has launched an aircraft carrier and invested heavily in submarines and other warships.
It has also exercised its claims over islands in the South China Sea which the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei variously dispute.
In one disputed area, the Spratly Islands, US officials say China has created about 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of dry land since 2014 that could be used as airstrips.
The strategy document warns of threats to China's maritime rights and interests.
It says China "will not attack unless [it is] attacked, but will counterattack" and mentions the "provocative actions of certain offshore neighbours" and "outside parties involving themselves in South China Sea affairs".
On the same day that the strategy document was released, state news agency Xinhua reported two 50-metre high lighthouses were to be built on a reefs in the Spratly Islands, which are claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines.
At a news conference to release the document, defence ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said: "Looking from the angle of sovereignty, China's development of construction on its islands is no different at all from all the other types of construction going on around the country."
He said island building was "beneficial to the whole of international society" because it aided China's search and rescue, and environmental protection work.
China criticised Washington after a US spy plane flew over areas near the Spratly Islands last week, with both sides accusing each other of stoking instability.
The strategy document also says China's air force will shift its focus from territorial air defence to both offence and defence, and building airspace defences with stronger military capabilities.
President Obama marks first Memorial Day in 14 years without major US war.
theguardian.com
President Barack Obama on Monday honored soldiers who died in Afghanistan, during his annual speech at Arlington national cemetery on Memorial Day. Though troops remain stationed in Afghanistan, it was the first time in 14 years that the US had celebrated the holiday while not engaged in a major ground war.
After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Obama praised American soldiers for their “honor, courage, selflessness” in every war, from the Revolutionary war against Britain to the recently ended conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ahead of the ceremony, the administration touted this as the first Memorial Day ceremony since the end of the ground war in Afghanistan, where more than 2,200 Americans died since 2001.
“This may be the first Memorial Day since the end of our war in Afghanistan, but we are acutely aware, as we speak, of our men and women in uniform, who still stand watch, still serve and still sacrifice, around the world,” Obama said.
Nearly 10,000 troops are set to remain in Afghanistan into 2016, fulfilling what the administration describes as “non-combat roles” – such as coordinating drone strikes and training Afghan security forces.
“We’ll continue to bring them home and reduce them to embassy presence by the end of next year, but Afghanistan remains a very dangerous place,” Obama said.
He honored the last two soldiers to die in the combat mission in Afghanistan, Wyatt Martin and Ramon Morris. They died when their military vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) near Kabul in December.
Obama said Martin, 22, enlisted because he was grateful for his life in Arizona, and believed it “came with an obligation to give back, to serve”. Last summer, the president said, Martin told his sister that if he died, he would die happy.
Morris, 37, was born in Jamaica and moved to Queens, New York City as a child. “Like so many proud immigrants, he was called, compelled, to enlist in the army,” Obama said.
Obama said Morris served five tours of duty, including two in Iraq. He fell in love with a fellow reservist, with whom he had a daughter.
“These two men, these two heroes, if you saw them passing on the street, you wouldn’t have known they were brothers,” Obama said. “But under this flag, in common cause, they were bonded together to secure our liberty, to keep us safe.”
The speech came after years of claims by the administration to have created a path to the end the Afghanistan war, or indeed that it was over, followed by delays in plans for troop withdrawal.
At last year’s Memorial Day ceremony, Obama said: “By the end of this year, our war in Afghanistan will finally come to end.” At the time, about 32,000 troops were in Afghanistan.
In addition to saluting Martin and Morris on Monday, Obama honored John Dawson, the first soldier to die in “the new mission” in Afghanistan. Dawson, an army medic, was shot dead in an apparent insider attack in Jalalabad.