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EXCLUSIVE: KABUL, Afghanistan It has been one month since the U.S. military dropped its largest non-nuclear combat weapon -- the MOAB -- to eradicate ISIS fromits base in Afghanistan's Nanganhar province. And still, the ghostly destruction zone is a vision that haunts.

FoxNews.comhas obtained exclusive images illuminating the bombs impact taken this week, showing the gouged and singed earth and even the limb of a dead fighter that had yet to be removed or buried.

While the use of the MOAB, which stands for Massive Ordnance Air Blast, has been controversial, with analysts claiming it had little effect other than decimating Afghanistan's territory, others on the ground are still insistent that it worked extremely well, not only to kill more than 90 ISIS fighters, but to eliminate supply routes and squash morale within the terrorist organization.

"This was very effective -- many of ISIS' training camps are gone, bunkers destroyed," Gen. Qadamshah Shahim, chief of the general staff of the Afghan Ministry of Defense, who just stepped down from his role following theMazar-i-Sharif attack, told Fox News.

But according to one high-ranking Afghan defense official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic, the decision to use the MOAB was not taken hastily. Rather, it was a carefully calculated move.

Opening of an ISIS tunnel destroyed by MOAB (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

The official said that a request to use such a weapon -- one designed to penetrate the earth's surface and thus destroy underground tunnels and dwellings -- was brought to the attention of Afghan officials several months ago, and wasn't given the green light until all other options were explored and potential collateral damage and effectiveness studied.

"This was the only solution to bring stability to the area and avoid more bloodshed by this brutal terrorist group," saidCommander Ahmad Muslem Hayat, a former military attach for Afghanistan's British Embassy and current security adviser for the U.S.-based firm, TigerSwan. "This wasn't about sending quick messages to show strength to other threatening countries like North Korea. This was about saving innocent Afghan lives from ISIS torture."

Capt. William Salvin, a U.S. military spokesman in Kabul, defended the use of the MOAB, saying it was used for a specific tactical purpose on the battlefield.

Nonetheless, the area remains a no-go zone for all.

Buildings destroyed by MOAB (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

It is not yet clear whether U.S. forces -- which are currently revising the battle strategy toward the increasingly unstable Afghanistan -- intend to deploy such a large-scale weapon anytime in the near future. But there is a growing sentiment among the Afghan people for such attention to be devoted to defeating Taliban hubs, too, which they view as a much greater threat to their safety than the country's fast weakening ISIS branch.

"Different flags, different names," notedMajor Abadullah Karimi, spokesperson for the 202nd Shamshad Police Corps, the headquarters for operations in eastern Afghanistan."But the same games."

Hollie McKay has been a FoxNews.com staff reporter since 2007. She has reported extensively from the Middle East on the rise and fall of terrorist groups such as ISIS in Iraq. Follow her on twitter at @holliesmckay

Read more from the original source:
MOAB damage in Afghanistan extreme, widespread - Fox News

Efforts are being made to resolve a stalled copper mining deal between China and Afghanistan, a decade after the US$3 billion contract was signed, according to Afghanistans top envoy to China.

However, it is still too early to abandon hope that state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corp (MCC) will fully implement the agreement calling for development of the copper mine south of Kabul, because the completed project would be a win-win for both sides, Janan Mosazai told the Post in an exclusive interview in Beijing.

Comment: Time for China to come clean on its goals for Belt and Road Initiative

This is the issue that is being pursued right now by the Afghan government and between the Afghan government and the company, Mosazai said, adding that the discussions remain ongoing.

The project, jointly awarded to MCC and another state-owned Chinese company, Jiangxi Copper, in 2007, was the largest foreign investment deal in the war-torn country at the time.

Under the administration of then-Afghan president Hamid Karzai, MCC agreed to pay Afghanistan $3 billion to lease the Mes Aynak, a site 40 km southeast of Kabul that hosts Afghanistans largest copper deposit, for 30 years.

Mosazai said during the interview at the Afghan embassy that the contract was awarded to MCC because the company has committed to build a railway line from the mine to one of Afghanistans borders.

Because without a railway line you cannot transport natural resources because they are too heavy otherwise, he said, that was one of the main reasons why the Afghan government at that time awarded the copper mine contract to MCC.

Chinas MCC turns back on US$3b Mes Aynak Afghanistan mine deal

Mosazai said the Afghan government has done its part, including providing full security in the mining operation and preserving and relocating archaeological sites that have been discovered on top of the mine area.

Ten years have passed, and the copper has yet to be mined. MCC did not respond to a request for comment.

Security concerns have commonly hindered the ambitions of Chinese investors in the war-ravaged south Asian nation, where battles involving fundamentalist militants have barely stopped since 2001.

Security risks also have been highlighted as Chinese President Xi Jinping aggressively promotes his flagship One Belt, One Road initiative to connect China with Eurasia and beyond through massive investment in trade and infrastructure via central and south Asia to the Middle East and Africa.

In 2014, an award-winning documentary, Saving Mes Aynak, by Brent E. Huffman, brought the projects issues to light.

The documentary illuminates the threats the mine project has created for archaeologists, Chinese workers and local Afghans, and looks at the race to save the 5,000-year-old archaeological site from demolition. The film has helped bring the project international notoriety.

Can China score a new win in Africa with Xi Jinpings Belt and Road plan?

Shining an even brighter spotlight on the endeavour, an executive of MCC who was in charge of the deal in 2007 was expelled from the Communist Party last month for corruption at home, although his downfall was not linked to the mine contract.

Afghanistan is counting on Chinese investment to help revive an economy broken by years of war. China already is Afghanistans largest investor.

In 2011, China National Petroleum Corp, another state-owned company, was jointly awarded a major contract with an Afghan company to develop oil wells in northern Afghanistan. Early this year, state-run China Road and Bridge Corp signed a US$205 billion deal with the Afghan government to build a 187-kilometre road in central Afghanistan.

See more here:
Is there still hope for China, Afghanistan's long-stalled US$3 billion copper mining deal? - South China Morning Post

Pakistan cricket great, Younis Khan, will take over as Afghanistan coach on his retirement at the end of the current Test series in the West Indies, according to the chief of the countrys cricket Board.

Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan is set to join the Afghanistan national team as coach after he retires from international cricket at the end of the ongoing third Test against West Indies, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) chairman Atif Mashal said on Thursday.

Mashal told a news channel here that Younis, 39, has agreed to coach the Afghanistan team. We are currently finalising his contract, he said.

Several of former Pakistan captains and players have coached the Afghanistan team, including current chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, former captain Rashid Latif and pacer Kabir Khan. Inzamam resigned as Afghanistans head coach last year to become Pakistans chief selector.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan also said on Thursday that the Board had plans for Younis and he would only disclose them after speaking to the former captain and getting his consent.

Younis became the first Pakistani batsman to score 10,000 Test runs in the first Test in the West Indies.

There have been media reports that PCB wants Younis to work with the Pakistan under-19 team and prepare them for the upcoming ICC Youth World Cup. Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq will also retired at the end of the Carribean Test tour.

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Younis Khan to coach Afghanistan team after retirement - Hindustan Times

Republicans used the renewed attention on the region to sharply criticize the previous administration. Sen. Tom Cotton said former President Barack Obama's handling of Afghanistan has been "muddling along" in the region, but deferred to Trump's adviser and the commander-in-chief to reach a final decision.

"It's been clear for a while that we have not had the forces on the ground in Afghanistan to accomplish our mission there," Cotton told "The Hugh Hewitt show" on Tuesday.

Senate Armed Service chairman John McCain recalled an instance when the military was unable to maintain aircraft in Afghanistan and had to pay $50 million to contractors.

"That's how stupid this administration, the Obama administration was," the Arizona Republican told reporters Tuesday. "And all of those people who love Obama -- he's responsible for it and it's disgraceful and I'm outraged by it."

The final proposals for a planned troop increase in Afghanistan are expected to cross Trump's desk this week. US officials say the likely range for the US troop increase in Afghanistan is between 3,000 and 5,000 troops, but could be as low as 1,500. The increase would be to accelerate training missions for Afghan forces and well as to fight the Taliban. It is unclear when Trump will make a formal decision.

Democrats expressed skepticism over prolonged engagement in the conflict without a specific goal or endgame.

Armed Services committee member Bill Nelson of Florida said he supported sending additional troops but said the US did not have much of a choice.

"The alternative -- if they were to leave -- it's going right back into the hands of the Taliban," Nelson told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday, saying that he wanted to work toward a peace settlement.

Nelson said the situation in the country presented difficult problem for the US, and reminded him of the situation in Syria.

"I think the increase of some three to five thousand troops is a step in the right direction but be sober about the future," he added.

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin was skeptical the troops would make a difference.

"We have been engaged in this war for every 15 years and we are still struggling to determine how it can end favorably for the best interests of the United States and the Afghan people," he said on MSNBC Tuesday morning. "We have to ask ourselves a question: How long will this go on? How long will it be a battle, and when does it become a permanent occupation?"

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who sits on the homeland security and Armed Services committees, declined to weigh in until a plan was released.

"Over the last 16 years, the United States has spent trillions of dollars on the war in Afghanistan and lost over 2,000 American lives," Peters said. "I will be fully evaluating any plan that involves increasing the number of forces in Afghanistan to ensure that there is a clear strategy and end goal before the United States commits large numbers of additional troops."

Read more:
Senators show signs of support for more troops in Afghanistan - CNN

While on deployment, three veterans found a way to cultivate peace and empower the farmers of Afghanistan. Now, thanks to the help of Mark Cuban, a Dallas-based tech entrepreneur and billionaire investor on ABC's "Shark Tank," their mission has seen progress, CNBC News reports.

The three veteransEmily Miller, Kim Jung, and Keith Alanizstarted Rumi Spiceto bring some of the best quality saffron in the world to the United States. Their mission statementsays that over 80 percent of the Afghan population is reliant on the rural agricultural economy.

The team appeared on Friday's episode of "Shark Tank" seeking an investment to help expand their organization. Two potential investors on the show, Daymond John and Kevin OLeary, were wary of investing, especially after learning the price ofone ounce of the spice costs $140.

Its so expensive because there is no automation, it all has to be hand processed, Jung explained, according to CNBC News. Jung later said the team was looking to do more than become a part of the spice industry, they were seeking to build a brand around saffron and doing other saffron-related products."

Despite the warnings and clear disapproval from colleagues, Cuban offered Rumi Spice, a $250,000 investment for 15 percentequity in the company. He told CNBC News he decided to make the offer because he enjoys working with veterans and respects the teams goal of empowering farmers in Afghanistan.

"Striking a deal with Mark Cuban is a game changer, for the women in Afghanistan who work for us, for the farmers in Afghanistan," Miller told CNBC News. "Now we are going to have the ability to scale and bring our brand to all the consumers in America. This is huge. This is huge for us."

Originally posted here:
Mark Cuban invests in veteran-run business that sells saffron from Afghanistan - Military Times