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HappyWednesdayand welcome to Overnight Defense.I'm Rebecca Kheel, and here's your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.

THE TOPLINE: The Trump administration stepped up its campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday, slapping sanctions on its chief prosecutor amid her ongoing investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

Calling the ICC a thoroughly broken and corrupted institution, Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoOvernight Defense: US sanctions ICC prosecutor amid probe of alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan | Senators urge Pentagon to keep Stars and Stripes running Pompeo: State Department review found GOP convention speech lawful Senate Democrats raise concerns over ability of US overseas voters to cast ballots MORE announced sanctions against chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.

Sanctions are also being levied against Phakiso Mochochoko, the courts head of jurisdiction, for having materially assisted Bensouda, Pompeo said.

The United States has never ratified the Rome Statute that created the court, and we will not tolerate its illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction, Pompeo said at a news conference.

Courts response: The ICC condemned Wednesday's sanctions as "another attempt to interfere with the court's judicial and prosecutorial independence."

"These coercive acts, directed at an international judicial institution and its civil servants, are unprecedented and constitute serious attacks against the court, the Rome Statute system of international criminal justice and the rule of law more generally," the court said in a statement.

Background: In 2017, Bensouda requested permission from the court to open a formal investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, including allegations against U.S. troops, after having conducted a preliminary investigation since 2006. The court authorized her investigation in March.

In response, the Trump administration revoked Bensoudas visa last year.

Earlier this year, President TrumpDonald John TrumpKenosha mayor lifts curfew citing several 'peaceful' nights MSNBC's Joy Reid concedes 'framing' of Muslim comments 'didn't work' Conway says even more 'hidden, undercover' Trump voters will help him win reelection MORE also signed an executive order authorizing sanctions against ICC officials involved in the Afghanistan investigation. The sanctions announced Wednesday were imposed pursuant to that order.

The Trump administration has also railed against the ICC for its ongoing preliminary investigation into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories, including Israels settlement policy.

SENATORS BACK STARS AND STRIPES FUNDING: A bipartisan group of senators is calling on the Defense Department to reinstate funding for Stars and Stripes, the editorially independent military newspaper whose future was put in doubt earlier this year after the Pentagon proposed shifting money away from the outlet.

In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperOvernight Defense: US sanctions ICC prosecutor amid probe of alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan | Senators urge Pentagon to keep Stars and Stripes running Senators call on Pentagon to reinstate funding for Stars and Stripes newspaper Overnight Defense: China aims to double nuclear arsenal | Fort Hood commander removed after string of deaths MORE on Wednesday, the senators argued that funding for the newspaper represented a tiny fraction of the department's annual budget and that cutting it could have a "significantly negative impact on military families."

"We understand that DoD plans to cease publication of Stars and Stripes on September 30, 2020 and completely dissolve the organization by January 31, 2021 as a result of the proposed termination of funding in the fiscal year 2021 President's budget," the letter said.

The letter was organized by Sen. Dianne FeinsteinDianne Emiel FeinsteinOvernight Defense: US sanctions ICC prosecutor amid probe of alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan | Senators urge Pentagon to keep Stars and Stripes running Senators call on Pentagon to reinstate funding for Stars and Stripes newspaper Hillicon Valley: Twitter flags Trump campaign tweet of Biden clip as manipulated media | Democrats demand in-person election security briefings resume | Proposed rules to protect power grid raise concerns MORE (D-Calif.) and co-signed by a bipartisan group of 14 other senators.

The Pentagon and Stars and Stripes did not immediately return requests for comment from The Hill.

Context: The Pentagons proposed fiscal year 2021 budget called for eliminating the $15.5 million in federal funding that goes to Stars and Stripes.

But Congress, as they say, is the one that has the power of the purse.

The Houses fiscal 2021 defense spending bill includes funding for Stars and Stripes. The Senate has yet to release its fiscal 2021 defense spending bill (or any other spending bills for that matter), but nine of the letters signatories are on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Congress is instead expected to pass a stopgap spending measure known as a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open after the fiscal year ends. And, as the senators note in their letter, CRs typically prohibit any changes in programs, including ending them.

We seek your written assurance that the Department will comply with this obligation and avoid steps that would preempt the funding prerogatives of Congress, the senators wrote.

REPATRIATED ISIS FIGHTER PLEADS GUILTY: A 23-year-old Dallas man pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge after allegedly spending five years handling communications for ISIS, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

Omer Kuzu admitted that he left Texas with his brother, Yusuf, for Turkey in 2014 and was then picked up by an ISIS taxi, according to court documents. They then stayed in several waiting houses before ending up in Mosul, Iraq.

There, he and 40 others allegedly underwent five days of physical and weapons training led by ISIS instructors.

Kuzu was one of 1,500 suspected ISIS fighters that were captured in March 2019 by Syrian Democratic Forces. He was handed over to the FBI and was charged with conspiring to provide material support material to ISIS.

His sentencing is set for January 2021. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

David Stilwell, assistant secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific affairs, will speak at a U.S. Institute of Peace event previewing the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum at 9 a.m. https://bit.ly/32RwItR

Lee Soo-hyuck, South Koreas ambassador to the United States, will participate in the Institute for Korean Studies at The George Washington Universitys Korea Policy Forum at 10 a.m. https://bit.ly/2QKCtnE

Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. John Nowell Jr. will speak at a virtual U.S. Navy Memorial SITREP Speaker Series event at 1 p.m. https://bit.ly/2YZyeco

ICYMI

-- The Hill: White House calls poisoning of Putin critic 'completely reprehensible'

-- The Hill: Pompeo announces restrictions on Chinese diplomats in US

-- The Hill: Senate Democrats raise concerns over ability of US overseas voters to cast ballots

-- Associated Press: Soldier to receive Medal of Honor for Iraq hostage rescue

-- Bloomberg: Oracle loses appeal in $10 billion Pentagon contract fight

-- USA Today: Where are the Black officers? US Army shows diversity in its ranks but few promotions to the top

See the rest here:
Overnight Defense: US sanctions ICC prosecutor amid probe of alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan | Senators urge Pentagon to keep Stars and Stripes...

Having questioned the suspect, the Prosecutor of the Prosecutors Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina in charge of this case has put forward a motion with the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina seeking the measure of custody to be ordered in relation to the suspectIsmail Faisal, born in 2001 in Khabul, a citizen of Afghanistan.

The suspect had been discovered and deprived of liberty by the police officers of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina while, for the purpose of acquiring unlawful material gain, he had been smuggling by boat across the Drina River a total of ten (10) illegal migrants from Afghanistan, who did not meet the conditions for a legal entry and stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who were intended to be smuggled further to EU countries.

The said actions are in contravention of Article 6 of the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, Supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and in violation of the applicable laws in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Following the deprivation of liberty, the suspect was handed over to the Prosecutors Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whereas the discovered illegal migrants were turned over to the care of the Service for Foreigners Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The motion for custody has been put forward due to the risk of the suspects flight, in view of the fact that the suspect is a foreign citizen who would become inaccessible to the judicial authorities of our country if he left Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The aforementioned suspect is under investigation for the criminal offense of the Smuggling of Persons, referred to in Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Intensive investigation in the case continues.

See the rest here:
One Citizen of Afghanistan in Custody for Migrants' Smuggling from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU - Sarajevo Times

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani holds up a resolution on the last day of a traditional council known as a Loya Jirga, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 9. The council concluded with hundreds of delegates agreeing to free 400 Taliban members, paving the way for an early start to negotiations between Afghanistan's warring sides. AP hide caption

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani holds up a resolution on the last day of a traditional council known as a Loya Jirga, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 9. The council concluded with hundreds of delegates agreeing to free 400 Taliban members, paving the way for an early start to negotiations between Afghanistan's warring sides.

Updated on Aug. 19 at 8:53 a.m. ET

To pave the way for historic peace talks, the Afghan government is freeing thousands of Taliban detainees in phases, including men accused of one the deadliest attack in nearly two decades of insurgency: a 2017 truck bombing in Kabul that killed more than 150 people.

"We would like to end this violence," says Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. "We would like to make sure that the Taliban understands and realizes the opportunity of peace."

But despite the prisoner release, analysts say the Afghan government has been delaying talks to wait for the U.S. election results. "The Kabul government does seem to be holding out for a Biden presidency," says Kate Clark, co-director of the Kabul-based Afghan Analysts Network.

In doing so, the Afghan government risks peace talks collapsing, and could be blamed by its main backer, the United States. The government may also anger Afghans who see the release of Taliban prisoners as a hefty sacrifice.

"This is a unique opportunity in which we might get to some level of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan," says Orzala Nemat, director of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, a Kabul-based think tank. "We should not miss that opportunity."

This is a unique opportunity in which we might get to some level of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

Orzala Nemat, director of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit

The talks aim to end more than four decades of near continuous conflict in Afghanistan, including 19 years of insurgency, by negotiating a power-sharing agreement with the Taliban. But mistrust in the intentions of the Taliban and the Trump administration intentions runs deep among Afghan officials and the Afghan public, analysts say.

To understand why, travel back to a ballroom of an upscale hotel of marble and gold in Qatar. There, on Feb. 29, Taliban supporters shouted "God is Great!" as their senior negotiator, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, signed a historic agreement with U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. That deal called for most foreign forces to withdraw from Afghanistan by next April. The Taliban promised not to attack U.S. and NATO troops, or shelter militants like al-Qaida.

"The peace process is driven by Washington," says Clark. "And it's driven, I would say, by the desire to get troops out of Afghanistan." She says that immediately concerned Afghan officials who worried it signaled a broader abandonment of the country.

Already, U.S. troops have scaled back from more than 14,000 to more than 8,000 with plans to draw down to about 5,000 by November. Other NATO forces are scaling back in tandem.

The deal also called for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for 1,000 Afghan security forces held by the insurgents as a confidence-building measure to precede negotiations between delegations.

Taliban prisoners are released from Pul-e-Charkhi jail in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 13. The government is releasing Taliban prisoners to pave the way for negotiations between the warring sides in Afghanistan's protracted conflict. Afghanistan's National Security Council via AP hide caption

Taliban prisoners are released from Pul-e-Charkhi jail in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 13. The government is releasing Taliban prisoners to pave the way for negotiations between the warring sides in Afghanistan's protracted conflict.

The Afghan government was not party to the deal, but promised to uphold those uneven terms after pressure by the U.S, according to Andrew Watkins, senior Afghanistan analyst at the International Crisis Group. The authorities in Kabul "don't really have much of a choice other than to do what a lot of their supporters would view as open capitulation to the Taliban," he says.

The prisoner swap and subsequent talks were supposed to begin within 10 days of the deal. Five and a half months later, the government is still releasing some of the last batch of 400 insurgents.

"The Afghan government, has not displayed a sense of urgency in starting the talks and certainly not urgency to the degree that the Americans have hoped for," Watkins says.

In fact, while the U.S. and the Taliban were signing their agreement in Qatar, the Afghan president was feuding with his rival and former deputy, Abdullah Abdullah, over the outcome of controversial September elections. Their dispute only began being resolved in late March after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned he would cut $1 billion in aid.

Distrust abounds

Analysts say the Afghan government does not trust the Taliban's intentions after all, the militants are still attacking Afghan forces.

"Are they intent on reaching a political agreement through negotiations, or [are] the discussions primarily a means of getting the U.S. military off the battlefield, getting large numbers of prisoners out before a military push on Kabul?" Clark says.

Nemat, director of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, believes that trusting the Taliban is a steep task for most Afghans. "The only thing I see changing is their behavior in their conversations a little bit with the foreigners," she says.

There is no Plan B for Afghanistan.

Kate Clark, co-director of the Afghan Analysts Network

Above all, Clark and Watkins say, the government doubts the Trump administration will support it through the negotiation process. Kabul officials would feel under pressure to reach substantive agreements by the time foreign forces withdraw in April 2021, the analysts say. The authorities worry they'll have little leverage to preserve the gains the country has made in the past two decades, like their constitution and advances in women's rights.

Two people close to the government negotiators echoed the substance of what the analysts said. They spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity because they didn't want to anger Afghan or U.S. officials.

The Afghan president underlined his concerns in an op-ed in The Washington Post on Friday. "The international community will play an important role as facilitators and mediators of the talks, ensuring that momentum, and a level playing field, are maintained," he wrote. "Our international partners must also continue to stand firm for the values and principles in which we have all invested for 20 years."

But several Ghani administration officials refute the accusation of foot-dragging and say they believe the United States will continue to support the Afghan government throughout negotiations. They requested anonymity because peace talks are not part of their direct purview.

Intizar Khadim, the director for peace and civilian protection at Afghanistan's National Security Council, says any delays are largely a matter of logistics. He rejects the Taliban's claim that it has released the 1,000 Afghan security forces required by the deal. "We also expect releases should start by the Taliban side as well. Releases should be reciprocal," he says.

U.S. envoy Khalilzad says Afghans should trust America. "As we have supported the Afghan people for the past 19 years, so do we now support Afghan men and women to achieve the sustainable peace for which they have long yearned," he wrote in a recent tweet.

A Biden withdrawal

But one of the Afghan sources close to the negotiating team contrasts how he predicts the troop withdrawal would be under Joe Biden. "The withdrawal will be responsible and organized. It will not happen D.C. morning time with a tweet," he says.

He explains that Afghan negotiators believe the presumptive Democratic nominee will listen to bipartisan security advisers and not make hasty decisions.

However, the Crisis Group's Watkins says "it would be a big mistake for the Afghan government to hope for a significant difference between President Trump and a hypothetical President Biden's desire to withdraw from Afghanistan."

In a February interview with CBS' Face the Nation, the former vice president said he had opposed the large numbers of troops sent by his and Trump's administrations and believed "a very small U.S. presence" of "several thousand people" should remain in Afghanistan to deter ISIS or al-Qaida from establishing a foothold from which to attack the United States. He said he would bear "zero responsibility" if the Taliban regained control after the drawdown.

If foreign forces withdraw without a clear roadmap for supporting Afghan peace negotiations, "it would be catastrophic for the Afghan state," says Clark. "There is no Plan B for Afghanistan as far as I can see from talking to officials in Washington. If the talks don't work out, what happens next?"

Now though, international pressure could be throwing another wrench into the works. Afghan officials reportedly halted the release of the last few dozen Taliban prisoners after France and Australia objected to freeing militants involved in attacks on their citizens.

Khwaga Ghani contributed reporting in Kabul.

Read more here:
Is Afghanistan Waiting For The U.S. Election Before Starting Peace Talks? - NPR

Hayward was a busy community on Friday, Aug. 14, with lots of traffic and people in town for the Sawyer County Fair and the Wisconsin Baseball Association tournament, plus the usual visitors and vacationers.

The corner of Highway 63 and Main Street was especially busy around 4 p.m., as a crowd of family and friends gathered with signs and cheers to welcome home Shawn Stolarzyk from a one-year deployment with the Wisconsin Army National Guard in Afghanistan.

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Original post:
Hayward soldier gets a warm welcome after a year in Afghanistan - Ashland Daily Press

Sources have revealed that Abu Yusuf, who was nabbed by security forces in Delhi on Saturday, was in contact with Yusuf-al-Hindi, also known as Safi Armar. Yusuf-al-Hindi is the Indian Mujahideen's absconding terrorist who hails from Bhatkal, Karnataka. He has been running the Khorasan module of Islamic State from Afghanistan, in collaboration with Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI.

According to reports, after Indian Mujahideen was exposed in India, Yusuf-al-Hindi built the IS' Khorasan module with absconding terrorists of IM at the behest of Pakistan's ISI. IS Khorasan was given the responsibility of 'shaking Delhi', on behalf of the ISI.

Yusuf-al-Hindi, also known as Safi Armar, had chosen Abu Yusuf for this task. Abu used to stay in touch with other terrorists present in India through the mobile chat apps Telegram and WeChat.

Yusuf-al-Hindi is known to prepare Indian nationals for terrorism by sitting in Afghanistan. He is also under the radar of Indian intelligence service RAW.

Around 15 kg of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) was recovered from the terrorist who was nabbed after a round of firing at Delhis Dhaula Kuan area on Friday night.

Earlier, security forces found an IS flag, explosives and a suicide vest from Abu Yusuf's residence in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur. Other items found from his residence include:

1. One brown colour jacket containing 3 explosive packets which were removed safely.

2. One blue colour check design jacket containing 4 explosive packets which were removed safely

Each explosive packet, removed from jackets, is wrapped with transparent tape which contains explosive & cardboard sheet pasted with ball bearings and electric wires

3. One leather belt containing explosives weighing approximately three kgs

4. Explosive weighing around 8-9 kgs in 4 different polythenes.

5. Three cylindrical metal boxes (Himgange Oil boxes) containing explosive and electric wires wrapped with transparent tape

6. Two cylindrical metal boxes (Himgange Oil boxes) in which ball bearings are pasted

7. One wooden broken box (target practice)

8. One ISIS Flag

9. 30 Ball Bearings of different diameters

10. One packet containing 12 small boxes containing ball bearings

11. Two Lithium batteries of 4V each

12. One Lithium battery 9V

13. Two cylindrical metal boxes (Himgange Oil boxes)

14. One ampere meter yellow colour

15. Two iron blades, attached in parallel to each other, connected to electric wires from both sides

16. One wire cutter

17. Two mobile chargers

18. Table alarm watch attached with electric wires

19. One black colour tape

Read more from the original source:
Nabbed IS terrorist recruited on behest of Pak's ISI, has Afghanistan links: Sources - India Today