June 7, 2018
By Mushtaq Yusufzai and Sophora Smith
Peshawar, Pakistan — The Afghan Taliban announced a three-day cease-fire Saturday in an unprecedented move to put fighting on hold during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan.
The announcement came days after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced that government troops would observe a week-long cease-fire with the militant group beginning on 27 Ramadan, or June 12 on the Western calendar, and lasting through June 19. A statement from the president's office said the cease-fire does not include al Qaeda or the Islamic State.
Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Taliban commanders have directed their fighters to refrain from attacking the Afghan security forces for three days, but said foreign forces remained a target.
The group warned that if they come under attack they would retaliate, a Taliban military commander told NBC News. The commander spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media....
The ceasefire was to last until June 19, 2018. The USA broke the cease fire and the men killed in drone strikes were not al Qaeda or Daesh. The men killed were Taliban. The Taliban were in talks with the Afghan government.
The domestic problems in the USA should not deter from realizing illegal military actions on foreign soil. I do believe in breaking the ceasefire the USA has illegally killed others. Who ordered this?
Peace does not have a chance with the continued USA presence in Afghanistan.
June 15, 2018
By Iftikhar Firdous
The elusive chief of outlawed (click here) Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has reportedly been killed in a US drone strike in northeastern Afghanistan, according to security and intelligence sources.
Maulana Fazlullah, who was named TTP chief after the death of Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone strike in November 2013, is said to have been killed in the drone strike in Kunar province of Afghanistan.
The drone strike that took place in the Nur Gul Kalay village of Dangam district on June 13 also killed four other TTP commanders who have been identified as Abu Bakar, Umar, Imran and Sajid....
Maulana Fazlullah was a very bad man, but, if he was alive before the decision of a ceasefire that then commenced he should have been alive at the end of the ceasefire. The USA is exhibiting lack of restraint and unable to abide by an official ceasefire invoked by the country inviting the USA military, namely Afghanistan. These are high holy days and the trust between the USA military and Afghanistan should never be in jeopardy as it is today.
November 11, 2013
By Nicholas Schmidle
...Fazlullah (click here) was an inspired choice, by the Taliban’s warped standards. He is young and ruthless, and has taken responsibility for a panoply of barbaric acts over the years: floggings, suicide bombings, even the attempted assassination of Malala Yousafzai, a teen-age girl who survived gunshots to the head and neck, and who has become an even more driven advocate for girls’ education. (She recently addressed the United Nations and appeared on “The Daily Show.”) Last summer, his men kidnapped and beheaded seventeen Pakistani soldiers....
There are lots of bad men in the Taliban. But, Afghanistan has engaged them for some time now. This is a ceasefire that could have been accomplished. Now, there will be less trust rather than more. Do evil men stand trial after a peace is achieved? Of course, they do. There is no excuse for this.
