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Pakistan Army clears 2 strongholds of terrorists near Afghanistan border – Economic Times

LAHORE: The Pakistani Army today announced that it has cleared two strongholds of terrorists in restive Khyber Agency bordering Afghanistan after gaining control of a key mountain top.

The army captured two major passes in Rajgal Valley connecting Pakistan to Afghanistan.

"Terrorists hideouts are being targeted by artillery and army aviation. Terrorists are on the run," the army said in a statement.

"The Pakistan flag fluttered 12,000 feet above sea level, on the Brekh Muhammad Kandao peak in the rugged Rajgal Valley of Khyber Agency, much sooner than anticipated after Pakistani forces completed Phase-I of Operation Khyber-IV," it said.

Two soldiers have been martyred in the operation in which over 90 square kilometres of a total of 250 square kilometres have been cleared, the army said.

The operation is being conducted by a division-size force supported by commandos, artillery, aviation and air force in the area that was infested with hideouts of the banned Lashkar-i-Islam, Jamaatul Ahrar and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

The operation has been launched to prevent the Islamic State terror group from making forays into Pakistan from its stronghold in Nangarhar across the Afghan border through collaboration with Pakistani terrorist groups having sanctuaries in the Rajgal Valley.

Brekh Muhammad Kandao, near the border with Afghanistan, is the highest and craggiest mountain top. The clearance of the mountain top by special services troops was described as a major achievement.

Terrorists had set up an observation post at the top of the mountain and stored arms and ammunition at its base.

The army said the mountain top was cleared after a tough fight with the terrorists, who had been holding it.

"Terrorists gave stiff resistance but couldn't sustain against determination of Pakistani troops. Many terrorists were killed, few fled to Afghanistan. Terrorists hideout was dismantled, and cache of IEDs, arms and ammunition was recovered," it said.

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Pakistan Army clears 2 strongholds of terrorists near Afghanistan border - Economic Times

July 23rd, 2017

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Ghani Calls For The Revival of Afghanistan’s Tourism Industry – TOLOnews

The president said on Sunday that the tourism sector in Afghanistan needs to be revived as it could draw millions of visitors a year.

President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday reassured the people of Afghanistan that peace and security will come to the country, and called for the revival of Afghanistans tourism industry to be used as a source against terrorism. Ghani made the remarks during a scientific and research seminar in Kabul on challenges facing the tourism industry. He said that Afghanistan could become a popular tourism destination and that it had the capacity to host up to five million tourists a year. The seminar which was organized by the Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) aimed to find ways to develop Afghanistans tourism industry. If the people think that it is early, I would say that it is not early, be prepared, peace, stability and prosperity will come, said Ghani. At the conference, the president called on those working in the tourism sector to outline their recommendations and proposals which could boost the tourism industry in Afghanistan. I hope that the seminars hear clear and practical recommendations, added Ghani. Afghanistan has already signed an agreement with France which aims to draw up a list of Afghanistans historical monuments and heritage sites. Tourism is a soft industry and we need security for it, said Mohammad Rasul Bawari, the acting minister of information and culture. Statistics of Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) shows that last year Afghanistan generated $25 million revenue from the tourism industry. Foreign tourism is virtually non-existent but local tourists have access to about 120 guesthouses across the country - which in turn provides jobs for an estimated 6,000 people. Afghanistan for year has been the center of connectivity and the center for the transfer of ideas, culture and civilization and it will keep its reputation in the future also, said Ghani.

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Ghani Calls For The Revival of Afghanistan's Tourism Industry - TOLOnews

July 23rd, 2017

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Trump Hates Being In Afghanistan, But Admin Is Mum On What His Policy Will Be – The Daily Caller

George W. Bush invaded Afghanistan, then BarackObamafailed to completely pull out American troops, and now soldiers are dying on President Trumps watch as the U.S. continues to be engaged in a 16-year war with no end in sight.

While President Trump continues to lambaste American involvement in the Middle East frequently saying the U.S. got nothing for the conflicts the president, his aides, or the Defense Department have yet to lay out a strategy for the Afghan war.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked repeatedly Thursday if the administration will deploy more troops to Afghanistan, an ideabackedby the top U.S. commander in the region. She referred reporters to the Defense Department as Trump has delegated troop level authority to Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Defense Department spokesmanAdam Stump told The Daily Caller, No decisions have been made.

There are roughly 8,500 American troops in Afghanistan and President Trump gave Mattis the authority to deploy 3,000 more, according to a Washington Postreport. Mattis has yet to deploy these troops, although a former intelligence adviser who worked with both Mattis and McMaster told TheDC in April that additional soldiers are needed to win the war in Afghanistan.

The only way to effectively win in Afghanistan is not announce a withdrawal and find a way to stay, Michael Pregent, now an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute,said.

However, it would be quite the departure from Trumps rhetoric for his administration to send more troops to Afghanistan and to have them stay there for a while. The president had a luncheon with service members on Monday, and there Trump said, 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.

TheDC askedSanders that same day if Trump would support a long-term deployment of troops in Afghanistan, and the spokeswoman replied: The president is still reviewing what options he wants to take and what decisions hell make, and well keep you guys posted when we have an announcement on that.

There is also another option for how to deal with the situation in Afghanistan that is supported by White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to a report fromThe American Conservative.The plan the two reportedly are supportive of is using mercenaries to train the Afghan military and battle the resurgent Taliban.

Eric Prince, founder of the infamous private military company Blackwater (now known as Academi), described this plan to Big League Politics in an interview as a way for America to get on the off ramp in the conflict.

The US military has spent 16 years and a trillion dollars and they werent able to put the fire out. At bare minimum, this is a much cheaper way to proceed. Even if you ignore effect, you have a significant cost savings $40 billion plus, Prince said.

Cost savings is something President Trump has continued to bring up. He said in a recentinterviewthat its ridiculous that it is more difficult for him to ask Congress for funds to rebuild infrastructure in America than it is to get trillions to fund war in the Middle East.

Whatever ends up happening will be a decision that rests on Trumps shoulders even if he delegated troop authority to Mattis. He delegated not one bit of the strategy by the way. Not one bit. That is his and his alone, the defense secretarytoldreporters Friday.

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Trump Hates Being In Afghanistan, But Admin Is Mum On What His Policy Will Be - The Daily Caller

July 23rd, 2017

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