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First steps into Afghanistan, Wed 10 Dec 14

By: Cycle to the East

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First steps into Afghanistan, Wed 10 Dec 14 - Video

Meet the tiny tycoons outside NATO #39;s gate / Middle East, Afghanistan, Women, Equality
Meet the tiny tycoons outside NATO #39;s gate Brishna, Fatima, and Madina make more money than their college-educated parents by selling scarves outside NATO #39;s Kabul headquarters, but at what cost...

By: MSNBC News

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Meet the tiny tycoons outside NATO's gate / Middle East, Afghanistan, Women, Equality - Video

Excalibur Shot With M777 Howitzer In Afghanistan [With Slow Motion]
Video of B-Batt, 2nd BN., 3rd FA, firing the Excalibur round from a M777 Howitzer cannon. This is the Gunner #39;s first time shooting the expensive round in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Includes...

By: Afrikaanse Kaas

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Excalibur Shot With M777 Howitzer In Afghanistan [With Slow Motion] - Video

FILE - In this file photo taken on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, Pakistani Taliban patrol in their stronghold of Shawal in Pakistani tribal region of South Waziristan. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said in November 2014 there was no Islamic State group presence, only militants using its name. However, a letter written by the federal government a month earlier and later obtained by The Associated Press warned local officials that the Islamic State group had begun courting area militants and that the extremists claimed the support of up to "12,000 followers" in northwest Pakistan. (AP Photo/Ishtiaq Mahsud, File)(The Associated Press)

FILE - In this file photo taken Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014, an Afghan soldier inspects a damaged bus at the site of a suicide attack by the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan. The country and Pakistan, home to al-Qaida and Taliban militants and the focus of the longest war in U.S. history, face a new, emerging threat from the Islamic State group, officials have told The Associated Press. For now, the Taliban remain the region's most prominent insurgency, with nearly 20 years of experience battling Afghan warlords and international troops. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)(The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Dec. 28, 2011 file photo, a former Taliban fighter places a range of bullets before surrendering it to Afghan authorities, as part of a peace-reconciliation program in Herat, west of Kabul, Afghanistan. The Islamic State group controls a third of both Syria and Iraq, where it declared a caliphate governed by an extremely harsh interpretation of Shariah law and demanded the allegiance of the worlds Muslims. The Taliban, by contrast, are narrowly focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan, and some leaders have even responded to past peace overtures. (AP Photo/Reza Shirmohammadi, File)(The Associated Press)

In this Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 photo, foreign security forces arrive at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. Analysts and officials said the number of Islamic State supporters in the country and Pakistan remains small and that the group faces resistance from militants with strong tribal links. However, the rise of even a small Islamic State affiliate could further destabilize the region and complicate U.S. and NATO efforts to end the 13-year Afghan war. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)(The Associated Press)

In this Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 photo, Afghan security forces inspect the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. Analysts and officials said the number of Islamic State supporters in the country and Pakistan remains small and that the group faces resistance from militants with strong tribal links. However, the rise of even a small Islamic State affiliate could further destabilize the region and complicate U.S. and NATO efforts to end the 13-year Afghan war. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)(The Associated Press)

CAMP SHORABAK, Afghanistan Afghanistan and Pakistan, home to al-Qaida and Taliban militants and the focus of the longest war in U.S. history, face a new, emerging threat from the Islamic State group, officials have told The Associated Press.

Disenchanted extremists from the Taliban and other organizations, impressed by the Islamic State group's territorial gains and slick online propaganda, have begun raising its black flag in extremist-dominated areas of both countries.

In Pakistan, an online video purportedly shows militants beheading a man while pledging their allegiance to the IS. In Afghanistan, there have even been reports of militant rivalries, with clashes erupting between Taliban fighters and Islamic State militants.

Analysts and officials say the number of IS supporters in the Afghan-Pakistan region remains small and that the group faces resistance from militants with strong tribal links. However, the rise of even a small Islamic State affiliate could further destabilize the region and complicate U.S. and NATO efforts to end the 13-year Afghan war.

The Taliban remain the region's pre-eminent insurgency, with nearly 20 years of experience battling Afghan warlords and international troops. But the Taliban are "not a particularly sexy ideology or military force, and the risk lies in the Taliban looking increasingly out of date," said a Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

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After Mideast gains, Islamic State group reaches to Taliban heartland of Afghanistan, Pakistan

17 January 2015 The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has today welcomed a recent national conference during which local road maps for achieving sustainable, inclusive and just peace in the country were presented to participants.

The Mission said in a statement that the conference, held in Kabul on 15 January, saw presentation of 12 out of the 34 local road maps developed by Afghan civil society organizations and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), and provided an important chance for those involved to develop advocacy strategies so that provincial and national policy makers act upon their findings.

“The national conference was a unique opportunity for civil society to develop their advocacy plans to ensure that the voice of the Afghan people is heard,” said the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Nicholas Haysom, promising that the United Nations would support those efforts in any way it could. “This advocacy could not be more important or timely.”

Development of the local road maps was part of the civil society-led Afghan People's Dialogue for Peace initiative, conducted over the past three years. Some 6,000 Afghans from all walks of life took part in the Dialogue, sharing their grievances and aspirations, and identifying the main drivers of conflict and proposed solutions.

Conference participants highlighted the need to strengthen security institutions, promote responsive State institutions and end corruption among the main priorities for addressing the root causes of the conflict and achieving durable peace. They also stressed the need to promote human rights and women's rights, along with the rule of law, and to tackle impunity. Illegal armed groups needed to be disarmed and employment opportunities were needed, especially for young people.

The work builds on a June 2014 report on the national findings of the second phase of the Dialogue process. The UN Mission's statement welcomed the 10-point national road map to peace contained within the June report, which calls for advocacy efforts with Governmental authorities and anti-Government elements.

“In peace and reconciliation processes, UNAMA is firm that human rights must not be sacrificed and that women must play a strong and active role in any peace negotiations - both are critical for a sustainable peace,” said Mr. Haysom. “The youth of Afghanistan are the country's future and their views must also be heard.”

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Afghanistan: UN Mission welcomes civil society efforts to promote sustainable peace