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Not one of us would say that we are on a course to success in Afghanistan, U.S. senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, told a room full of journalists, U.S. soldiers and diplomatic staff in Kabul on July 4, 2017.

McCain was accompanied by Senators Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, Elizabeth Warren and David Perdue. Together they visited Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates to assess Americas longest-ever war.

Their conclusions were not optimistic.

With the Taliban, Islamic State, the Haqqani network and other insurgents fast gaining ground, the delegation was unanimous on the need to bolster American forces. Pres. Donald Trump appears likely boost the 8,600-strong U.S. contingent in Afghanistan by as many as 5,000 additional troops in coming months.

The one thing I will tell [Trump] about this visit is that you need to pull all of our troops out because 8,600 will not get the job done or add to their numbers, Graham said, adding that he would also suggest a significant increase in U.S. air power in Afghanistan.

The senatorial delegation did not, however, agree on the long-term U.S. approach to the Afghanistan war. It will probably be a low burning, simmering crisis for many years to come, McCain said.

A Vietnam War veteran and ex-prisoner of war, a visibly frustrated McCain came out strongly against former president Barack Obama for even suggesting a deadline for pulling U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.

I think one of the greatest failures has been when the president of Unites States announced a surge and put a date out for a withdrawal, McCain said. If I were the leader of the Taliban Id say, just hang on. That was one of the least sane actions that I have ever observed. General Eisenhower did not announce the date that Berlin would fall.

Warren, a strong critic of Trump and his administration, insisted that Americans patience for the war would depend on U.S. strategy in the region. We need a strategy in the U.S. that defines our role in Afghanistan, defines our objective and explains how we are going to get from here to there, Warren said.

Despite their varied stance on U.S. policy in the region, all the senator agreed that the absence of a diplomatic surge to accompany a boost in troops has been unnerving.

The Trump administration has failed to fill the diplomatic vacuum it created when it shut down the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in early 2017. Likewise, Trump has failed to appoint new U.S. ambassadors to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Youre not going to win this war just by more bombing, Graham said. Youre going to win this war by a whole-government approach. Graham said he would urge Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to visit Afghanistan quickly.

The bipartisan delegation entertained no illusions with regard to Trumps erratic diplomacy. Can any of us here guarantee what the presidents going to do? McCain asked. No. But I can tell you that he has got the best minds to tell him what he should do.

The U.S. Defense Department has been playing a role in pushing back at the hollowing role of the State Department since the early months of the administration, Whitehouse observed. I hope that a strong bipartisan message from this delegation will get across that positions need to be filled with experienced, capable people who need to be empowered to make decisions to drive to success.

The delegates also expressed their disapproval of Pakistans own lack of initiative in Afghanistan. McCain shared that in a very candid conversation with leaders in Pakistan, they made it clear that the Haqqani having a safe zone in their country was not acceptable.

We made it very clear that we expect them to help us in cooperating in our struggle, particularly against Haqqani as well as other terrorist organizations.

Graham emphasized the need for a new U.S. approach to Pakistan. I think the president understands that we cannot win the war through kinetic activity towards Pakistan, Graham said. If they dont change their behavior, then maybe we should change our behavior towards them as a nation.

The senators described what winning should look like in Afghanistan. McCain described it as a scenario where government could secure most parts of Afghanistan and call a permanent ceasefire with the Taliban.

Whitehouse, by contrast, pushed a more romantic definition of victoryturning Afghanistan into a tourist destination. Winning to me would mean that children and grandchildren of the Americans who died here in Afghanistan have the chance to come and visit Afghanistan as tourists, just the way they could in Normandy.

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In Afghanistan, US Senators Mull Troop Boost, Aerial Bombing and Peace - War Is Boring

A star-studded MCC team welcome Afghanistan to Lords on Tuesday 11 July for a historic 50-over match that will be streamed live.

Captained by former New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum, MCCs side also features Pakistan duo Misbah ul-Haq and Yasir Shah, as well as, ex-West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Warwickshire batsman Sam Hain is a new addition in MCCs team, replacing the injured Kumar Sangakkara.

21-year-old Hain averaged 65.14 In the Bears Royal London One-Day Cup campaign, scoring 456 runs, including two centuries.

He will face an Afghanistan side appearing at the Home of Cricket for the very first time in their history, with the match to be streamed live on the Lords Facebook and YouTube channels.

MCCs side also contains England all-rounder Samit Patel and former wicket-keeper Chris Read, both of whom recently tasted victory at Lords when when they lifted the Royal London One-Day Cup with Nottinghamshire.

The full MCC team to face Afghanistan can be found here.

MCC: Misbah ul-Haq

The fixture will give spectators perhaps their final opportunity to see Misbah in action following his retirement from international duty with Pakistan in May.

The former Pakistan captain finished his career with 5,222 Test runs to his name at an average of 46.62 with a further 5,122 runs in One-Day Internationals.

The 43-year-old batsman has fond memories of Lords, having hit 114 last year for Pakistan against England in their Test victory at the Home of Cricket.

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan

The 18-year-old is one of the brightest prospects in the game, having already taken 63 wickets in 28 One-Day Internationals for Afghanistan.

The right-arm leg-break bowler was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2017 Indian Premier League and finished the tournament as the sixth-highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets from 14 matches.

Khan also took seven wickets for just 18 runs against the West Indies in March, guiding his country to a 63-run victory.

Tickets for the match are priced at 20 for Adults, 10 for Over 65s & 5 for Under 16s.

They will be on sale from 9:30am at the North Gate and Grace Gate on the day of the match.

Cash payment is preferred.

The match will be streamed on http://www.lords.org, as well as the Lords Facebook and YouTube accounts.

Follow @homeofcricket on social media to keep up-to-date with all the latest news, including behind-the-scenes features, player interviews and much more.

Excerpt from:
MCC v Afghanistan - Match Preview - Lord's

The mystery surrounding a lost teddy bear has been solved.

Earlier this month, the Fields family of Indiana found the bear at a garage sale. They were surprised to hear it contained a recorded message to a child from a soldier in Afghanistan.

As a military family themselves, the Fields made it their mission to find the bears original owners. They posted the bears picture on Facebook and the story went viral.

Paige Holguin saw the posting from her office in Los Angeles. She recognized the bear as the one her late brother gave her niece more than eight years ago. He was a veteran who battled PTSD and lost the bear when he was evicted from an apartment.

The bear has even more meaning to Holguin because her brother later lost his battle with his illness and took his own life.

If you could see my hands, youd know theyre shaking, said Holguin. I thought, Oh My God, I thought that was lost years ago. To find out its in Indiana? Who knew?

Read more from FOX 59.

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Owner of teddy bear with recording of soldier deployed in Afghanistan found in California - Fox News

By M. Ashraf Haidari, the Director-General of Policy & Strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan The recent emphasis on infrastructure development across Eurasia, underscored by Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, is creating opportunities for Afghanistan to foster the kind of economic growth that can blunt the appeal of radicalism. Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghanis National Unity Government aspires to restore Afghanistans former status as the roundabout of the Silk Road. Doing so could place the strife-torn country on a clear road toward stability. An important economic partner for Afghanistan is Turkmenistan. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, resource-rich Turkmenistan has sometimes been a cautious trade partner. But the global downturn in energy prices is encouraging Ashgabat to explore economic avenues beyond natural gas exports. President Ghani visited Ashgabat in early July for discussions with his Turkmen counterpart, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, with both expressing a desire to foster win-win economic cooperation. Toward that end, the two leaders signed seven bilateral cooperation agreements and MOUs on July 3. In Turkmenistan, President Ghani emphasized the importance of implementing multilateral energy and transportation projects. An area of particular interest for the Afghan side was electrification. Afghan leaders have pointed to the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) and Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) electricity projects as having great potential to promote stability. Their realization would increase urban and rural access to electricity, benefiting households and small and medium-sized businesses across the region. In short, it is a development project that could have tangible advantages for broad segments of the regions population, and foster faith among them about a better future. Electrification of rural Afghanistan and Pakistan could help the two countries improve their dismal social development indicators in such areas as education and healthcare. Electrification can thus drive qualitative and quantitative improvements to drive the two countries sustainable development, which is seen by many as the best antidote to extremism. Other potential projects that were discussed during the Ashgabat talks include the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey (Lapis Lazuli) trade and transit corridor, as well as the Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Turkmenistan (TAT) railway, whose implementation would open alternative trade routes for the entire region. In addition, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan remain interested in building the long-discussed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline. There is lots of will to implement some or all of the above-mentioned projects. But outside assistance will be needed. An opportunity to discuss financing will come in November, when Ashgabat is scheduled to host the 7th Regional Economic Cooperation on Afghanistan (RECCA VII). The gathering will bring together regional and global stakeholders to discuss investment opportunities. The expanding economic relationship between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan offers an example that Kabul hopes to emulate with other neighbors, including Pakistan. The National Unity Government realizes that securing Afghanistans future is most efficiently achieved via win-win economic deals. Editors Note: A Visiting Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS), M. Ashraf Haidari is the Director-General of Policy & Strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, and formerly served as the countrys Deputy Chief of Mission to India. Prior to this, he was Afghanistans Deputy Assistant National Security Advisor, as well as Afghan Charg dAffaires to the United States. He tweets @MAshrafHaidari

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Afghanistan and Turkmenistan: A Model for Regional Economic Cooperation - EurasiaNet

Sixteen years after the start of the international intervention in Afghanistan, the country remains beset by a debilitating array of conflicts, undermined political stability, an economic and security decline since the withdrawal of a majority of international forces, and a divided government since the 2014 elections. As the US government, its partners, and NATO consider a revised military strategy for Afghanistan, it is essential to recognize that politics has been, and remains, at the center of that conflict. With an eye to Afghan stability, peaceful and sustainable governance, and economic growth, this report examines the potential political roadmap for the country through 2020.

Summary

Sixteen years after the start of the international intervention in Afghanistan, the country remains beset by a debilitating array of conflicts, undermined political stability, an economic and security decline since the withdrawal of a majority of international forces, and a divided government since the 2014 elections.

Afghanistan needs to reform and restructure its political institutions if it is to have stability, peaceful and sustainable governance, and economic growth. Four approaches, in combination, may have the potential to put Afghanistan on a more stable and sustainable path while improving prospects for reconciliation.

Between now and the 2019 presidential elections, President Ghani and CEO Abdullah need to continue and improve progress in implementing the executive power-sharing approach of the National Unity Government concerning appointments, key policy initiatives, and the coming elections.

At the same time, Afghan leaders need to reform key aspects of the electoral system to facilitate negotiation and compromise across voting blocs and political parties to allocate power based on popular support.

The government in Kabul needs to follow through on commitments to decentral-ize administrative power and authority within the current constitutional system, through, for example, strengthening municipal and district-level governance, democratic processes, and accountability.

Long-term political stability requires agreement on reforms to balance power across regions and between the central government and the provinces within the political system.

A political settlement with the Taliban will require an even more difficult balance of power, which makes it especially important that reforms include accommodating new political actors.

About the Report

This Special Report examines Afghanistans potential political roadmap through 2020, from the operation of the current National Unity Government agreement to parliamentary, district, and presidential elections and proposals for constitutional amendment. As the US government, its partners, and NATO consider a revised military strategy, it is essential to recognize that politics has been, and remains, at the center of the Afghan conflict.

About the Authors

Alex Thier is the executive director of the Overseas Development Institute, the leading independent think tank of international development and humanitarian issues, based in London. Its mission is to inspire and inform policy and practice, which leads to the reduction of global poverty and the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries. He was previously in senior leadership at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), including as chief of Policy, Planning, and Learning and as assistant to the administrator for Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs. Scott Worden is director of Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs at the US Institute of Peace, prior to which he served as director of the Lessons Learned Program at the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction and as acting director of policy and senior policy adviser for the Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs at USAID.

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Political Stability in Afghanistan: A 2020 Vision and Roadmap - ReliefWeb