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India will be part of the six-nation talk on Afghanistan to be held in Moscow on Wednesday. The other participants will be Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and Iran. This meeting will follow the 27 December meeting in Moscow which was attended (apart from the host Russia) by China and Pakistan. Notably, no representative of the Afghan government was invited then to deliberate on the future of Afghanistan.

The outcome of that meeting upset both India and Afghanistan as the three participants seemed to legitimise the role of Taliban under the cover of fighting the bigger threat of Islamic State. This was a result of some very clever manoeuvring by the Pakistani army generals who were worried about Indias growing role in Afghanistan after the formation of the US-India-Afghanistan trilateral. By projecting Islamic State to be a bigger threat than the Taliban, Pakistan has been able to convince Russia and China of the need to accommodate Taliban in the fight against the Islamic State. Involved in Syria on the side of Bashar al-Assad regime where a number of Russian origin fighters have pledged their loyalty to the Islamic State, Moscow proved to be an easy convert.

Though Iran was not a part of the 27 December meeting and it has its own set of problems with the Sunni Taliban, it has also shown flexibility to achieve the greater aim of ousting American presence and influence from the region. An interesting article by Andrew Korybko of the Sputnik News on the website of Katehon think tank argues that India will be the biggest obstacle to the peace process in Afghanistan.

Compared to Iran, which is flexible, and the Donald Trump administration, which can be sold a face-saving exit from Afghanistan, India has an unwavering and obstinate stance that all Taliban are terrorists.

The upcoming meeting in Moscow, in Korybkos view, is likely intended as a polite/diplomatic introduction to India about the changing reality in Afghanistan (out of respect to the enduring Russian-Indian Strategic Partnership) and a way to formally get Iran on board with this initiative. But one of the more interesting things Korybko does is to compare Russias role in Afghanistan to the Astana process for Syria involving Russia, Iran and Turkey.

The case that things are not going in Indias favour in Afghanistan is undeniable. An editorial in this newspaper laid out the reasoning eloquently and also the need for New Delhi to re-establish its contacts with the various ethnic groups in Afghanistan. There are five more points that can be made in light of Korybkos arguments.

One, the current situation in Afghanistan is a result of, among other things, the hasty US withdrawala decision taken by the Barack Obama administration. In this regard, the comparison with Syria is apt. Obamas halfway commitment for the opposition forces in Syria and the governing regime in Afghanistan left a vacuum which was skillfully exploited by Kabul.

Two, Trumps rhetoric on Iran is not helpful to Indias role in Afghanistan. Even if Moscow has bought into the theories sold by the Pakistani generals, Irans commitment to accommodate Taliban is not foolproof. But Trumps continued lashing of the Iran nuclear deal (signed during Obamas tenure) and inclusion of Iran in the seven Muslim majority nations selected for travel ban into the US has strengthened anti-American hardliners inside Tehran. If Trump had recognized the usefulness of the nuclear deal, India, Iran and the US could have provided robust firewall to the Ashraf Ghani government in Kabul.

But this does not mean that all is won for the Moscow-led coalition. Because, and this is the third point, Russia does not enjoy the same legitimacy in Afghanistan as it does in Syria.

To start with, unlike the Astana process where Moscow invited both the Assad regime and the representatives of the Syrian rebels, the 27 December meeting began on a skewed notelegitimizing Taliban without consulting the Ghani government which itself has participated in talks with the Taliban previously under the supervision of both the US and China. And, just like the US is reviled in the Middle East for its interventions, the Soviet Union invasion of 1979 hasnt been completely forgotten in Afghanistan.

Four, the peace process led by Moscow relies on many flawed assumptions. The biggest of them is that the Islamic State in Afghanistan, or Wilayat Khorasan, is a bigger threat than the Taliban. But there are others too. As is clear from Korybkos article, the whole exercise is dependent on the ability to distinguish good Taliban from the bad. By bad Taliban, Korybko does not mean the Tehrik-i-Taliban as is understood in Pakistan from the phrase. He means the people who have joined the Islamic State. With hardly any Arab face in Wilayat Khorasan, such an exercise of separating the good from the bad will be Sisyphean in character.

The last point is the biggest reason why the Moscow-led peace process will fail miserably in buying peace. The whole peace process doesnt recognize the biggest problem: Pakistan. The reason the US has not been able to deliver peace in Afghanistan has been the same. Washington relied on Pakistan to extinguish the terrorists on which Rawalpindi depended for maintaining influence in their strategic backyard. Moscow may want to displace American role from the region but it should also learn from Americas experience to achieve that.

But who wants peace anyway? The governments in Kabul and New Delhi probably. But the roles of both are shrinking.

First Published: Wed, Feb 15 2017. 03 20 PM IST

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Why the latest peace bid in Afghanistan may fail - Livemint

Afghanistan Synthetic Drugs Situation Assessment - UNODC Global SMART Programme - January 2017 ReliefWeb 14 February 2017 - Recently, UNODC launched the first Afghanistan Synthetic Drugs Assessment report. The survey draws attention to the presence of synthetic drugs in Afghanistan alongside the continued dominant presence of an illicit opiate market. and more »

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Afghanistan Synthetic Drugs Situation Assessment - UNODC Global SMART Programme - January 2017 - ReliefWeb

Afghanistan in Zimbabwe 2016-17 February 15, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff

Carl Mumba debuted in Test cricket against Sri Lanka last year AFP

Graeme Cremer (capt), PJ Moor (wk), Ryan Burl, Tarisai Musakanda, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Wellington Masakadza, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara, Christopher Mpofu, Nathan Waller, Craig Ervine, Solomon Mire, Carl Mumba, Richard Ngarava

Richard Ngarava, the uncapped left-arm pacer, and Carl Mumba have been added to Zimbabwe's squad for the home ODI series against Afghanistan in Harare, beginning on Thursday.

Ngarava first impressed in the Under-19 World Cup early last year when he took five wickets in as many matches, including 4 for 10 in nine overs against South Africa. Ngarava was also at the receiving end of the Mankad dismissal at the same event, when he was the last man out as West Indies pacer Keemo Paul whipped off the bails at the non-striker's end to run him out and seal the win with a quarter-final spot at stake. More recently, Ngarava made his List A debut in the five-match series against Afghanistan A, and in his second match in the same series took 3 for 24.

Mumba, the 21-year-old right-arm pacer, earned his maiden Test and ODI caps last year when Sri Lanka visited the country. He had a lacklustre start to his debut Test, taking 1 for 101 in 24 overs, but hit back with four scalps in the second innings. In his only ODI, he conceded 31 runs in four overs without picking up a wicket. Mumba was also part of the series against Afghanistan A and snared a five-wicket haul in the second ODI, albeit in a losing effort.

The two pacers join the 14-man squad that was named last week; two spots had been left open until the end of the domestic List A competition, the Pro50 Championship, which concluded on Sunday. Zimbabwe face Afghanistan in five ODIs across 11 days. All the matches are scheduled to take place at the Harare Sports Club.

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Ngarava, Mumba added to Zimbabwe squad for Afghanistan ODIs - ESPNcricinfo.com

The Islamic State group in Afghanistan has lost considerable turf in the war-torn nation over the last year. The terrorist organization has fallen from a height of controlling 11 districts in Nangarhar province to just a few, according to Gen. John Nicholson, the U.S. commander overseeing operations in Afghanistan.

Operating primarily out of southern Nangarhar province, ISIS primary goal has been the creation of a caliphate in Afghanistan, with Jalalabad as its capital. This was their aspiration, but they failed to achieve it. Nicholson told lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday.

Since authorities were granted to begin striking ISIS targets, the U.S. has conducted several major operations alongside Afghan forces, according to Nicholson. Those operations have had success pushing ISIS into only a small handful of districts and reducing their geographic space, he said.

We believe we've reduced their total end strength to less than 1,000 remaining in Afghanistan, said Capt. William Salvin, a spokesman for the train, advise, assist mission in Afghanistan.

However, ISIS is still a potent force with the ability to launch deadly suicide attacks in Kabul, Nicholson told senators.

They have attacked Shia targets, primarily. They attacked at a peaceful demonstration, they've attacked at Shia mosques, they've attacked on Shia religious holidays, Nicholson explained.

Further complicating efforts to combat Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan is the sudden involvement of Russia in the Afghan conflict. Claiming to support the Taliban as a counter to ISIS expansion in the region, Nicholson sees a more nefarious objective from the Kremlin.

I think it's to undermine the United States and NATO," Nicholson said when asked by Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., about Russian intentions in the region. This narrative that they promote is that the Taliban are fighting Islamic State and the Afghan government is not as fighting Islamic State and that therefore there could be spillover of this group into the region, Nicholson explained. This is a false narrative.

Though the Taliban and ISIS see each other as rivals, conflicts between the two militant groups have not had the same effects as operations carried out by U.S and Afghan forces. This year alone we have reduced their fighters by half, their territory by two thirds, we've killed their leaderin fact, their top 12 leadersand continue to disrupt their operation, Nicholson added.

The core of ISIS fighters in Afghanistan hail from remnants of the Pakistani Taliban, referred to as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and other external foreign groups such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

I would comment that this group is universally rejected by the Afghan people. These are primarily non-Afghans in this group, Nicholson said.

On Sunday night, Afghan forces bolstered by U.S. airpower launched another major operation against ISIS in Nangarhar province, according to a report by Voice of America.

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Top US general: ISIS is losing ground in Afghanistan - Military Times

FORT HOOD Family members of about 200 3rd Cavalry Regiment Brave Rifles troopers were in for a Valentines Day treat Tuesday as the 1st Cavalry Division welcomed the soldiers home from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan at Cooper Field.

Col. Robert Whittle, 1st Cavalry Division home station commander, gave a brief speech to the soldiers before releasing them to their families.

To our Brave Rifles troopers, welcome home we are incredibly proud of you, he said. To the families, thank you you make us Cav Strong. To all, be safe and take care of each other. We need you.

The regiment deployed about 1,200 soldiers in late May and early June in support of Operation Freedoms Sentinel to train, advise and assist Afghanistan National Army forces in taking control of their nation. An additional 500 soldiers deployed in July.

The unit is passing control of the mission to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, from Fort Bliss, and expects to have the final soldiers back at Fort Hood on Thursday.

Sgt. Ismael Robles III was met by his 4-year-old daughter, Isabella, girlfriend Samantha Garza and his parents.

It feels amazing to be home, Robles said as he held his daughter. The best thing about being home is family.

A grinning Isabella was enthusiastic about her daddy being home and told him she was going to tie him to tree to keep him from leaving again.

Did she miss him? Uh-huh, said the girl.

Garza said it felt great to have Robles home.

Him being away was the worst part. This was my first deployment, she said. It takes a lot to get used to. I surprised him for Valentines Day I told him I wasnt coming!

Robles dad, Ismael Jr., was emotional at seeing his son come home safe from his third deployment.

I worry about him all the time we hear the news when the worst happens to others, he said. This is my baby boy."

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Brave Rifles welcome home troopers from Afghanistan on Valentine's Day - The Killeen Daily Herald