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Recent terror attacks claimed by the Islamic State militant group in Afghanistan indicate an increase in the atrocities it's committing against civilians and a deliberate attempt to wreak havoc and spread fear among noncombatants in the country.

Since its emergence in 2015, the extremist group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks across Afghanistan and has been accused of indiscriminately attacking civilians in general and the Shi'ite minority in particular.

On Monday, the terror group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack that occurred last week in Afghanistan's northern Sar-e-Pul province, killing about 54 Shi'ite Muslims, including children and elderly, in the Mirza Olang region.

Afghan officials said Wednesday that local police had discovered several mass graves in Sar-e-Pul province, containing the bodies of the Mirza Olang massacre.

In early August, the group attacked a Shi'ite mosque in western Herat province, killing and injuring dozens of worshippers.

In July 2016, IS claimed responsibility for attacking a rally of peaceful protesters in Kabul, killing more than 80 and injuring dozens more.

IS weakening?

Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan policy forum in Washington, said the increase in IS attacks in Afghanistan and the terror group's targeting of civilians illustrate weakness rather than strength.

"[IS] is intent to show that it's still relevant and dangerous in Afghanistan, even as its fighters are targeted by airstrikes, and even as its brutalities discredit it in the eyes of Afghans," Kugleman said. "On the contrary, we should read it as an effort on the part of an insecure IS to show that it still has clout."

Farooq Bashar, an Afghan analyst in Kabul, agreed with Kugleman's analysis and added that part of the increase in IS attacks is related to continuing White House deliberations about what course of action the U.S. will take in Afghanistan.

Bashar said he thought IS wanted to pose itself as a relevant group with which to to be reckoned.

"Islamic State is a new phenomenon in Afghanistan and by targeting Afghan civilians, it wants to demonstrate to the U.S. and the world that it has a strong presence in Afghanistan and the region," Bashar said.

Increasing pressure

Initially based in southern parts of eastern Nangarhar province, IS's Khorasan branch, also known as ISIS-K, emerged in early 2015 in the mountainous areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan to cover those nations and "other nearby territories." The group is trying to expand to mountainous parts of the adjacent Kunar and Nuristan provinces, which share a border with Pakistan.

In addition, the terror group recently has made inroads in the country's northern Jawzjan and Sar-e-Pul provinces.

Most of the IS fighters are former members of the Pakistani Taliban group (TTP), many of whom belong to the Orokzai tribe in Pakistan, according to U.S. and Afghan officials.

A number of Central Asian militants in Afghanistan, who previously were associated with al-Qaida and Taliban, have joined the IS cause. Some Afghan militants also have joined the terror group for financial incentives.

In recent months, U.S. and Afghan forces have been engaged in joint counterterrorism operations against IS in eastern Afghanistan, killing hundreds of its fighters, including several of its senior commanders.

American and Afghan military forces have promised to eliminate IS in Afghanistan in 2017.

Atrocities in Nangarhar

Initially emerging in the Achin district of eastern Nangarhar province, IS has attacked villages in several other districts there, targeting local residents and elders deemed repugnant to its extremist ideology, local Afghan officials told VOA.

An IS video in 2015 showed horrific killing of a dozen local men from the Shinwari tribe in Nangarhar, who were blindfolded by IS fighters before being blown up by bombs buried underneath them.

Last summer, IS militants launched a massive assault on various parts of Kot district in Nangarhar province, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of villagers.

Niaz Bibi, a mother of 12 in the remote village of Qalajaat, watched as IS fighters invaded her home and killed five of her nine sons because they were affiliated with the local police force.

"They first shot my sons and then beheaded them in front of me," Bibi told VOA in a telephone interview at the time.

In October 2016, the group overran several checkpoints operated by militias in Nangarhar's Pachiragam district, killing dozens of local militia members and civilians in the region, local tribesmen and authorities told VOA.

The terror group on many occasions also has abducted local villagers.

A group of women who were captured by IS fighters in Nangarhar in early 2016 they were held captive for more than four months before they were released as part of a prisoner-swap deal negotiated by tribal elders in the region told VOA that IS starved them in dark cells.

"They kept beating us and telling us that they would kill us because we had become Kaafir [non-Muslim]," one of the women told VOA.

Keeping schools shuttered

The group also has forbidden state-run and private schools from operating in areas under its control, depriving tens of thousands of students from school.

The terror group reportedly has warned girls in northern Jawzjan province, who make up 40 percent of the 18,000 enrolled students, not to attend schools. It requires schools in areas under its control to adopt IS curriculum, and it forces parents to send their children to a growing network of religious seminaries run by IS.

"IS fighters use local madrassas [seminaries] as military centers where they teach militancy, conduct military training and plan their activities," Abdul Zahir Haqqani, director of religious affairs in Nangarhar, told VOA in November 2016.

Read the rest here:
IS Atrocities Spike in North, East Afghanistan - Voice of America

President Trump on Saturday again deferred on publically choosing a path forward for the 16-year-old Afghanistan war,but hinted on Twitter that a decision had been made.

Important day spent at Camp David with out very talented Generals and military leaders, Trump wrote on Twitter following a high-level meeting at Camp David to discuss options with his core national security team.

Many decisions made, including on Afghanistan," he tweeted.

The meeting included Defense Secretary James MattisJames Norman MattisTrump to tackle Afghanistan strategy at Camp David Four members of Joint Chiefs denounce racism US, Japan conduct air drills after North Korea issues Guam warning MORE, Secretary of State Rex TillersonRex Wayne TillersonOPINION | There is no Trump administration Why the next Fed chief will be a Republican who loves low rates Why this US-North Korea standoff is different MORE, CIA Director Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoUS general, S. Korean leader meeting Monday: report CIA director: 'No intelligence' to suggest US on cusp of nuclear war Trump: Maybe threat on North Korea wasn't 'tough enough' MORE and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. Vice President Pence cut short a trip to SouthAmerica to attendthe meeting.

Trump was briefed extensively on a new strategy to protect America's interests in South Asia, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters after the meeting.

The president is studying and considering his options and will make an announcement to the American people, to our allies and partners, and to the world at the appropriate time, Sanders said.

The president was widely expected to make a decision on an updated strategy for the war in Afghanistan months ago, but held off, frustrating top national security and defense officials as well as lawmakers.

Thisisnot the first time the president was widely expected to make a decision on an updated strategy for the war in Afghanistan but held off, frustrating top national security and defense officials as well as lawmakers.

A variety of reasonsare driving the delay, includingthe complexity of the conflict and the presidents hesitation to make a decision that may ultimately prove to be the wrong move, according to JamesCarafano, a defense policy expert at the Heritage Foundation

We need a strategy thats going to be sustainable maybe eight years. There is no short answer here, said Carafano, who wasamember of the Trump transition team.

The burden really is on the national security team to show Trump they have the most effective strategy to do that, because this is then going to be his war, his responsibility.

Members of the administration still hold disagreements on the best path forward for Afghanistan, which will include how to handle conflicts along the border of Pakistan. Military leaders are pushingforadditional U.S. troops, but Trump has reportedly been wary ofcontinued American presence in the region.

Mattis and National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. HR McMaster want to send 3,000 to 5,000 additional troops to the country to combat the Taliban, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and al Qaeda.Recently oustedchief strategist Stephen Bannon, however,hadurged against it,saying that would amount tonation building.

Other options on the table includeusing private contractors,withdrawingaltogether orkeepingthe current strategy, which consists of the existing 8,400 U.S. troop continuing to train, advise and assist Afghan forces in their fight against the Taliban andconductingcounterterrorism missions.

In July,Trump showed hisreluctanceto side with his military advisorsby increasingtroop numbers.

Weve been there for now close to 17 years, and I want to find out why weve been there for 17 years, how its going, and what we should do in terms of additional ideas, Trump told reporters.

When asked about a possible troop increase, Trump only said, Well see.

The immobility on a plan also has bothered lawmakers, including Sen.John McCain(R-Ariz.), whoearlier this monthunveiled his own strategy for Afghanistan.

Now, nearly seven months into President Trumps administration, weve had no strategy at all as conditions on the ground have steadily worsened, McCain said in a statement. The thousands of Americans putting their lives on the line in Afghanistan deserve better from their commander-in-chief.

AnthonyCordesman, a military strategy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, saidthe president is deeply frustrated with his list of military options, a complex formula that depends upon the backing of the Afghan government.

Foreign policy experts have expressed doubt thatAfghanPresident Ashraf Ghani will be able to stop corruption and effectively use American aid to bolster the Afghan National Security Forces. Pentagon leaders would depend on the forces to keep out terrorist groups once U.S. troops leave.

The Afghan government is very divided, it's weak, Cordesman said. Even if [Trump] does all the military recommends, there is a 50-50 chance that the Afghanistan response is going to be effective enough. Everything were doing depends on the Afghans.

Cordesman also suggested that Trumps reported criticism of the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. John Nicholson, likely stems from Nicholson told him the truth and the truth is unpleasant.

Trump in July 19 meeting with hisnational security team pushed to fire Nicholson,NBC Newsreportedearlier this month.

We aren't winning, Trump complained during the meeting. We are losing.

The options are so uncertain and so complex and confusing, Cordesman said. Not the kind of forward, positive proposal that [Trump] may be used to.

Cordesman added that the longer Trump waits to make a decision, the worse it will be for soldiers on the ground. Afghanistans fighting season lasts into the fall. With no plan yet given as of late August, nothing you do now is going to be effective, you lost pretty close to a year to actually influence the situation on the ground.

Even with no decision yet announced, Carafano said it was significant that Trump and his national security team went off site to Camp David to discuss options.

Obviously I wish the process had gone on sooner, I think part of that is the difficulty of the decision.Afghanistan involves a lot of moving pieces and you have to make a commitment that will stick longer over time, he said.

Mattis, meanwhile,promised again Thursdaythat the administration is coming very close to a decision, and I anticipate it in the very near future.

Earlier this month, Trump assured reporters of the same thingat his club in New Jersey.

We're getting close. We're getting very close, Trump said. It's a very big decision for me. I took over a mess and we're going to make it a lot less messy.

- This report was updated at 2:08p.m.

Original post:
Trump again puts off Afghanistan war decision - The Hill

Security forces are on high alert across Afghanistan, as the country marks the 98th anniversary of its independence from Britain.

The celebrations this year are occurring following a number of high-profile attacks in the country and as the U.S. administration is trying to forge a new strategy in the 16-year war against the Taliban.

Afghan pop star Aryana Sayeed went ahead with a charity concert in Kabul on the evening of August 19 despite threats from conservatives who oppose women performing in public.

More than 1,000 people gathered at the five-star Hotel Inter-Continental amid tight security to attend the performance.

I'm going to try to give a smile to my fellow Afghans, and give them a good time, and try to change their mind, and take their tension away for at least an hour or two, Sayeed told RFE/RL on August 17.

August 19 commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Rawalpindi in 1919, which gave Afghanistan complete independence from British rule after three wars. Although Britain controlled Afghanistan's foreign policy for 40 years following the end of the second Anglo-Afghan War, Afghanistan was never part of the British Empire.

Earlier in the day, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani laid a wreath at the Freedom Minaret inside the Defense Ministry compound in Kabul during a ceremony attended by cabinet members and other government officials.

Ghani also welcomed dozens of Afghan dignitaries and family members at the presidential palace to mark the anniversary, and later traveled to the western city of Herat, where he inaugurated two factories and addressed both troops and ordinary Afghans.

"A very happy Independence Day to everyone in AFG," Ghani wrote in a message on Twitter. "This day was earned with lots of sacrifices. We must pay homage & celebrate this legacy."

There is an increased police presence in Kabul, which has been on edge since a massive truck bomb ripped through its diplomatic quarter on May 31, killing about 150 people. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

"All of our police units are on the highest state of alert and they are placed everywhere across the city," Kabul police spokesman Abdul Basir Mujahid told AFP.

"We have increased the number of police checkpoints in and around the diplomatic quarters [too]," he added, amid fears that the Taliban would mark the anniversary with a large-scale attack.

Taliban militants are currently at the peak of their summer fighting season.

In the southern province of Helmand, officials said clashes with Taliban militants killed at least five police officers and wounded five others late on August 18. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in Nawa district.

The Taliban also attacked a checkpoint at Tarin Kot, the capital of the neighboring Uruzgan Province. One police officer and 15 militants were reported killed in the fighting, while three officers were wounded.

The celebrations this year are also occurring after President Donald Trump met with his military advisers at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland on August 18 to discuss a U.S. strategy in South Asia.

On August 19, Trump tweeted about the meeting, saying, "Many decisions made, including on Afghanistan."

It was unclear what decisions were made and when they will be announced.

Speaking after meeting at Camp David, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump had made no decision on committing more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

"The president is studying and considering his options and will make an announcement to the American people, to our allies and partners, and to the world at the appropriate time," Sanders told reporters.

There are currently some 8,400 U.S. and 5,000 NATO troops supporting Afghanistan's security forces in the fight against Taliban and other militants.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson conveyed his congratulations to Afghanistan on the eve of the anniversary of the countrys independence from Britain, saying, "Our strong friendship with Afghanistan is based on our mutual dedication to helping the Afghan people secure a safe and prosperous future."

"Afghanistan has made significant economic, political, and social progress in the last 16 years, and we bear witness every day to the Afghan peoples dedication to building a more democratic and peaceful country," a statement said.

"The Afghan spirit of resilience and courage in the face of adversity continues to guide the people of Afghanistan toward a better future," it added.

Read the rest here:
Afghanistan Marks 98 Years Of Independence From Britain - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

This week, the largest city in the north, Mazar-i-Sharif, was in turmoil after Asif Mohmand, a provincial councilman, posted on Facebook the week before to scold a supporter of the famously vain governor of Balkh Province, Atta Muhammad Noor, whose picture has been pasted all over the northern capital on giant posters. There is not even an election going on.

Twenty times I told you not to put up another poster of that pimp and miscreant Atta, Mr. Mohmand told the supporter in a video online. This time when I catch you, Ill kill you, you shameless fool, Ill pump 30 bullets into your forehead, and then help myself to you. (It was not clear what he meant by the last phrase.)

Mr. Mohmand then tauntingly posted a selfie on his way to Mazar from Kabul on Monday afternoon, just in case his enemies did not know where to find him.

Governor Atta, a notorious warlord himself and hardly one to shy away from a fight, sent his gunmen and a contingent of police officers to meet the provincial counselors plane when it landed, only to encounter Mr. Mohmands own armed supporters there to defend him from arrest. The ensuing firefight raged through the terminal and its parking lots, killing two, wounding 17 and temporarily shutting down Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport.

These violent disputes in Balkh and Takhar Provinces are the most recent evidence of the infighting that is diverting resources from the fight against the insurgency and undermining public support. Similar outbreaks among government supporters have taken place in other parts of the country, including the capital, Kabul, where the first vice president, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, was forced into exile this year after the authorities charged him with the kidnapping, torture and rape of a political opponent.

The infighting could be traced to ethnic tensions, grudges dating back to the civil war in the 1980s and 90s and the governments shaky American-brokered coalition of bitter political rivals that is long past its expiration date. Parliament should have been disbanded two years ago and the executive branch is split between two antagonistic leaders President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.

The result is the central government does not really control large swaths of its own territory, even where the Taliban is not a factor. Instead, it cedes authority to warlords, some in government and some just aligned with it, who are too powerful to be subdued and often too angry at one another to focus on their common enemy, the Taliban.

Such infighting among the warlords is precisely what helped catapult the Taliban to power in 1996. And many of those warlords are still on the scene, on the government side.

Most of these political parties have illegal armed men, and its a threat to the government, said a retired general and military analyst, Abdul Wahid Taqat. They could force the government to collapse and also open a path for the Taliban to return to power.

In remote Takhar Province, in Cha Aab on the border with Tajikistan, the problems started after the Afghan government formally made peace this year with the Hizb-e-Islami party of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an Islamic fundamentalist group that had been conducting a low-level insurgency against the government. Like President Ghani and his supporters, Hizb-e is dominated by the Pashtun ethnic group.

The other faction in the Afghan government, led by Mr. Abdullah, is aligned most closely with the Jamiat-i-Islami party, another fundamentalist grouping identified with Tajiks and other northerners.

Cha Aabs mullah, Muallawi Mahfuzullah, considered a Jamiat man, began preaching against smuggling and violence by Commander Qanet, who as a Hizb-e commander is now on the governments side. The commanders men ordered Mullah Mahfuzullah to stop, and after he refused, sacked his home and killed another mullah from his mosque, the police said.

At prayers last Friday, Mullah Mahfuzullah spoke under the protection of 30 officers drawn from the Afghan police and the National Directorate of Security. But Commander Qanets militia forced their way in and opened fire on the worshipers provincial police officials said.

Even the police stood by and watched like victims and did not even try to stop the firing, said Qurban Mohammad, 45, a laborer who was present. They were like wild beasts.

Commander Qanet, reached by telephone, was clearly unhappy to take the call. He complained that Mullah Mahfuzullah had declared him an infidel, but denied attacking him. My fault is this, that I voted for Ashraf Ghani in the election, he said. All the allegations against me are false. Then he abruptly hung up.

Some of the same players were involved in the fighting at the Mazar-i-Sharif airport. Governor Atta, a longtime stalwart of the Jamiat party, has formed an alliance with General Dostum, plotting to return from exile in Turkey. General Dostum is the leader of the Junbish Party, which represents the countrys powerful Uzbek minority.

Historically, Junbish and Jamiat, like General Dostum and Governor Atta, are bitter opponents who have killed thousands of each others followers. Now, however, they are in an enemy-of-my-enemy alliance. Both oppose to the predominantly Pashtun faction around President Ghani.

Mr. Ghani has long tried to oust Governor Atta from office, and also pushed the rape prosecution of General Dostum. Mr. Ghani has publicly called General Dostum a known killer, even though they were running mates in the 2014 elections.

Then there is Mr. Mohmand, the provocative provincial councilman. He enjoyed the support of the Hizb-e-Islami faction at the Mazar-i-Sharif airport, who apparently provided the muscle that protected him for a while. The national police refused to arrest him, because they said there were no valid criminal charges. But Governor Attas men, including the border police, captured him and, under pressure, turned him over to the Afghan intelligence agency, which in Mazar is run by an Atta follower. While in custody, he later claimed, Governor Attas son bit off his ear.

Some saw Mr. Mohmands visit as a conspiracy by Mr. Ghanis supporters to so weaken Governor Atta that they could succeed in removing him a move that has a new urgency, now that the governor has aligned himself with General Dostum.

So far, the ploy, if indeed there was such a ploy, seems to have failed. But Mr. Mohmand was released Thursday and returned to Kabul, ready for another episode.

Jawad Sukhanyar and Fahim Abed contributed reporting from Kabul, and Najim Rahim from Kunduz, Afghanistan.

A version of this article appears in print on August 19, 2017, on Page A5 of the New York edition with the headline: Infighting Among Afghan Warlords Resembles a Destructive Game of Thrones.

Excerpt from:
In Afghanistan, a Destructive 'Game of Thrones' - New York Times

National security adviser H.R. McMaster (left) and Vice President Mike Pence (right) seek to persuade President Donald Trump to accept commanders' proposals to beef up the 8,400 American troops in the country. | Evan Vucci/AP

Top administration officials in favor of sending more troops to Afghanistan teamed up ahead of a high-level meeting on Friday to persuade President Donald Trump to step up American military involvement in the 16-year-old war, two sources told POLITICO.

Vice President Mike Pence and national security adviser H.R. McMaster rehearsed their pitch heading into the Camp David strategy session in an effort to persuade Trump to accept commanders' proposals to beef up the 8,400 American troops in the country, the sources said.

Story Continued Below

But as of Friday evening, the president had not announced a decision on his plans for Afghanistan, where the Taliban have grown in strength and Al Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorist groups have a foothold. And no announcement appeared imminent.

The two sources an administration official and a senior White House aide also confirmed that Erik Prince, founder of the former Blackwater private security firm, had been scheduled to attend the session but that he was blocked at the last minute. The administration official said McMaster was the one who blocked Prince.

Prince has been urging the administration publicly and privately to outsource much of the war effort which primarily involves training and advising Afghan security forces. Prince had the backing of Steve Bannon, who was ousted Friday from his role as the chief White House strategist.

Also among the options being considered were staying the current course and withdrawing U.S. troops.

Pence's office denied that he had done any rehearsals with McMaster on a pitch to Trump, saying the most recent time the two men spoke was before the vice president's trip to Latin America this past week, which he cut short to return for the Camp David session.

"The vice president views his role on this as an honest broker," a top aide to Pence said Friday. "The vice president has not weighed in on any side other than to make sure that the options presented to the president are fully fleshed out and objective."

Trump's indecision on the war this summer has frustrated some of his advisers and commanders in the field eager to bulk up their support for their Afghan counterparts, who have been engaged in a pitched battle with militants in large areas of the country. The president has been hesitant to authorize a troop surge.

McMaster enlisted the vice president's help about six weeks ago, according to a third official, asking him to help build consensus within the administration and to work with him to make the case to the president.

Pence landed back in the United States very early Friday morning, just after midnight, according to a pool report.

The administration official said the rehearsal with McMaster took place partly via Pence's secure phone line on his plane. The vice president also had representatives attend White House meetings on the matter ahead of time, the official said.

The administration official said a memo distributed Friday morning to the other attendees of the session laid out the road toward persuading the president to send more troops.

"The whole point with the rehearsals was to work out and, to be crass, was to get the president to agree to this proposal that hes been against before," the official said of Pence and McMaster's plans. "Theyre not giving any credence to the other ... options. Theyre going ahead with the troop increase option."

It was not immediately clear whether the effort convinced Trump either way. In a statement issued after the Camp David session, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump had been briefed extensively on what steps he could take.

"The president is studying and considering his options and will make an announcement to the American people, to our allies and partners, and to the world at the appropriate time," Sanders said.

Wesley Morgan contributed to this report.

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Sources: Pence, McMaster team up to push more troops in Afghanistan - Politico