January 28, 2016
Islamabad (AP) " Pakistan's Foreign Ministry (click here) says representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States will meet in the Pakistani capital Islamabad next month to discuss how to resume stalled peace process between Kabul and the Taliban.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said Thursday the Feb. 6 meeting was part of the efforts aimed at laying out a roadmap to peace for the war-shattered Afghan nation. It will be third such meeting in recent weeks.
Khalilullah said Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will soon travel to Qatar as part of that effort, but did not elaborate on that visit.
The announcement came days after the Afghan Taliban said its "political office" in Qatar was the only entity authorized to carry out negotiations on its behalf.
China is a determined mediator within these talks. China has committed to rebuild Afghanistan. China currently holds the world's largest natural resource of rare earth elements. Afghanistan has untapped rare earth elements, so China is bargaining to protect it's status as the largest holder of this commodity.
There has been an increase in fighting recently between Afghan troops and the Taliban. The Taliban is also fighting a Deash influence. The peace talks are not going to be successful if China doesn't enter the war front and end the influence of Daesh. If China wants to rebuild Afghanistan and is committed to it's economic improvement, China will have to put troops in the country to achieve a degree of stability.
The Taliban are cornered, there is no place else in the world that accepts their for of governance which is pure brutality. The Taliban is determined to make Afghanistan their own for that reason alone. They won't surrender to end the conflict, disband their militarization and go home to carry out a life of peace. They rather die in war than submit to a governance coming out of Kabul.
I hesitate to call the Taliban similar to the circumstances in Kashmir, but, the longevity of the hate and gun induced fights just seem to go on forever.
The USA has a new commander in Afghanistan.
January 27, 2016
By Tom VanDen
Washington — Army Lt. Gen. John “Mick” Nicholson (click here) has been selected to take command of U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan where security has grown tenuous as local security forces battle a resilientTaliban insurgency , the Pentagon announced Wednesday.
Nicholson will succeed Army Gen. John Campbell who has led allied forces there since the middle of 2014. There are 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan who advise Afghan forces and also conduct counter-terrorism missions. Pentagon press secretaryPeter Cook announced the change in command at a briefing for reporters.
Campbell told USA TODAY late last month that he wanted to maintain that troop level for as long as possible in 2016.President Obama has called for a residual force of 5,500 to remain after this year. Campbell also said that he could request additional American forces for Afghanistan if needed.
There has been no change in the drawdown plan, Cook said. However, it could be reconsidered if commanders request it.
There is also more instability in the region. It is also blatantly misuse of the American military to support the economic ventures of China.
January 29, 2016
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) " Representatives of organizations (click here) including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank are in Azerbaijan to discuss financial support for the oil producing country's ailing economy.
There has been an increase in fighting recently between Afghan troops and the Taliban. The Taliban is also fighting a Deash influence. The peace talks are not going to be successful if China doesn't enter the war front and end the influence of Daesh. If China wants to rebuild Afghanistan and is committed to it's economic improvement, China will have to put troops in the country to achieve a degree of stability.
The Taliban are cornered, there is no place else in the world that accepts their for of governance which is pure brutality. The Taliban is determined to make Afghanistan their own for that reason alone. They won't surrender to end the conflict, disband their militarization and go home to carry out a life of peace. They rather die in war than submit to a governance coming out of Kabul.
I hesitate to call the Taliban similar to the circumstances in Kashmir, but, the longevity of the hate and gun induced fights just seem to go on forever.
The USA has a new commander in Afghanistan.
January 27, 2016
By Tom VanDen
Washington — Army Lt. Gen. John “Mick” Nicholson (click here) has been selected to take command of U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan where security has grown tenuous as local security forces battle a resilient
Nicholson will succeed Army Gen. John Campbell who has led allied forces there since the middle of 2014. There are 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan who advise Afghan forces and also conduct counter-terrorism missions. Pentagon press secretary
Campbell told USA TODAY late last month that he wanted to maintain that troop level for as long as possible in 2016.
There has been no change in the drawdown plan, Cook said. However, it could be reconsidered if commanders request it.
There is also more instability in the region. It is also blatantly misuse of the American military to support the economic ventures of China.
January 29, 2016
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) " Representatives of organizations (click here) including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank are in Azerbaijan to discuss financial support for the oil producing country's ailing economy.
The ex-Soviet nation in the Caucasus has been hit hard by the sharp drop in prices of its oil and gas exports over the last year.
Zaur Rzayev, spokesman for the World Bank's local office, says the IMF and World Bank are "are discussing both immediate and longer-term measures."
The World Bank is offering $1 billion in financial support to Azerbaijan, a government official told The Associated Press, while the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will seek to help the private sector. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because talks were ongoing.
