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ISLAMABAD -- Two senior regional members of the Islamic State group have been killed in Afghanistan in recent weeks in separate operations by the Taliban security forces, a Taliban spokesman said Tuesday.

Taliban forces killed Qari Fateh, the regional IS intelligence and operations chief, during a raid in Kabul over the weekend, Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesman for the Taliban government, said in a statement.

A news outlet allied with the Islamic State group on Tuesday posted confirmation of Fateh's death on an IS-run Telegram chat.

Earlier this month in a separate operation in Kabul, three IS members including senior IS leader Ijaz Amin Ahingar were killed.

Mujahid said that a number of other IS members, including foreign nationals planning deadly attacks, also have been detained in recent days.

The regional affiliate of the Islamic State group known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province is a key rival of the Taliban. The militant group has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021. Targets have included Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistans Shiite minority.

In January, eight IS militants were killed and nine others arrested in a series of raids targeting key figures.

The raids in the capital city and western Nimroz province targeted IS militants who organized attacks on Kabuls Longan Hotel, Pakistan embassy and the military airport.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing near a checkpoint at the Afghan capitals military airport. IS said that attack was carried out by the same militant who took part in the Longan Hotel assault in mid-December.

IS claimed the attack on a Chinese-owned hotel in the heart of Kabul, causing China to advise its citizens to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible.

Earlier, the IS also claimed a shooting attack targeting the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul. Shots were fired at the embassy from a nearby building, triggering anger in Pakistan and raising tensions between the two South Asian neighbors.

Pakistans top diplomat in Kabul was walking across the lawn inside the embassy compound at the time of the attack. He was unharmed, but one of his Pakistani guards was wounded.

The Taliban swept across the country in mid-August 2021, seizing power as U.S. and NATO forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.

The international community has not recognized the Taliban government, wary of the harsh measures they have imposed since their takeover including restricting rights and freedoms, especially for of women and minorities.

Link:
Taliban: 2 senior IS members killed in Afghanistan - ABC News

1. The U.S. Set Up the Afghan Army to Fail  The Intercept
2. Afghanistan watchdog 'not super optimistic' that US will learn its lessons from Afghanistan to help Ukraine  CNN
3. Report to Congress on Afghanistan and U.S. Policy - USNI News  USNI News

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The U.S. Set Up the Afghan Army to Fail - The Intercept

The Soviet army in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 31, 1979. Francois Lochon/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images hide caption

The Soviet army in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 31, 1979.

The collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's recapture of power came after a blitz by the militant group that stunned many Afghans and the world. It is the latest chapter in the country's nearly 42 years of instability and bitter conflict.

Afghans have lived through foreign invasions, civil war, insurgency and a previous period of oppressive Taliban rule. Here are some key events and dates from the past four decades.

December 1979

Following upheaval after a 1978 Afghan coup, the Soviet military invades Afghanistan to prop up a pro-Soviet government.

1980

Babrak Karmal is installed as Afghanistan's Soviet-backed ruler. Groups of guerrilla fighters known as mujahideen or holy warriors mount opposition and a jihad against Soviet forces. The ensuing war leaves about 1 million Afghan civilians and some 15,000 Soviet soldiers dead.

Millions of Afghans begin fleeing to neighboring Pakistan as refugees. The U.S., which had previously been aiding Afghan mujahideen groups, and Saudi Arabia covertly funnel arms to the mujahideen via Pakistan through the 1980s.

Afghan refugees are shown in a camp on Kohat Road outside of Peshawar, Pakistan, in 1980. Peter Bregg/AP hide caption

Afghan refugees are shown in a camp on Kohat Road outside of Peshawar, Pakistan, in 1980.

1983

President Ronald Reagan welcomes Afghan fighters to the White House in 1983, and mujahideen leader Yunus Khalis visits the Oval Office in 1987.

Former President Ronald Reagan meets in the Oval Office in 1983 with Afghan fighters opposing the Soviet Union. Bettmann/Getty Images hide caption

Former President Ronald Reagan meets in the Oval Office in 1983 with Afghan fighters opposing the Soviet Union.

1986

The CIA supplies Stinger antiaircraft missiles to the mujahideen, allowing them to shoot down Soviet helicopter gunships.

An Afghan guerrilla handles a U.S.-made Stinger anti-aircraft missile. David Stewart Smith/AP hide caption

An Afghan guerrilla handles a U.S.-made Stinger anti-aircraft missile.

1987

Mohammad Najibullah, groomed by the Soviets, replaces Karmal as president.

1988

The Geneva peace accords are signed by Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, the U.S. and Pakistan, and Soviet forces begin their withdrawal.

Feb. 15, 1989

The last Soviet to leave Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Boris Gromov, walks with his son on the bridge linking Afghanistan to Uzbekistan over the Amu Darya River. The Soviet commander crossed from the Afghan town of Khairaton. Tass/AP hide caption

The last Soviet to leave Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Boris Gromov, walks with his son on the bridge linking Afghanistan to Uzbekistan over the Amu Darya River. The Soviet commander crossed from the Afghan town of Khairaton.

The last Soviet soldier leaves Afghanistan.

1992

Following the withdrawal of Soviet forces and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Najibullah's pro-communist government crumbles. He is blocked from leaving Afghanistan and takes refuge at the Kabul United Nations compound, where he remains for more than four years.

Mujahideen leaders enter the capital and turn on each other. Refugees continue to flee in huge numbers to Pakistan and Iran.

The presidential palace in Kabul is severely damaged after being hit by tank shells and rockets fired by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami fighters. Udo Weitz/AP hide caption

The presidential palace in Kabul is severely damaged after being hit by tank shells and rockets fired by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami fighters.

Kabul, largely spared during the Soviet war, comes under brutal attack by forces loyal to mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Much of the city is left in rubble. The national museum is rocketed and looted. Some 50,000 people are killed.

1994

The Taliban, ultraconservative Afghan student-warriors emerging from mujahideen groups and religious seminaries in Pakistan and Afghanistan, take over the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, promising to restore order and bring greater security. They quickly impose their harsh interpretation of Islam on the territory they control.

A Taliban fighter guards a road southeast of Kabul in 1995. Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

A Taliban fighter guards a road southeast of Kabul in 1995.

May 1996

Saudi-born al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden arrives in Afghanistan after being expelled from Sudan, and eventually ingratiates himself with the one-eyed Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar. Bin Laden had previously aided Afghan mujahideen forces during the Soviet war years as one of many so-called "Afghan Arabs" who joined the anti-Soviet fight.

Osama bin Laden speaks at a press conference in Khost, Afghanistan, in 1998. Mazhar Ali Khan/AP hide caption

Osama bin Laden speaks at a press conference in Khost, Afghanistan, in 1998.

Sept. 26, 1996

The Taliban take over Kabul. They capture Najibullah, the former president, from the U.N. compound, kill him and hang his body from a lamppost.

Taliban rally in Kabul, October 1996. Robert Nickelsberg/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images hide caption

Taliban rally in Kabul, October 1996.

1997-1998

Gaining control over most of the country, the Taliban impose their rule, forbidding most women from working, banning girls from education and carrying out punishments including beatings, amputations and public executions. Only three countries officially recognize the Taliban regime: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In August 1998, the U.S. launches cruise missile strikes on Khost, Afghanistan, in retaliation for al-Qaida attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Afghan women wear Taliban-imposed burqas in Kabul. Roger Lemoyne/Liaison/Getty Images hide caption

Afghan women wear Taliban-imposed burqas in Kabul.

1999

The U.N. Security Council imposes terrorist sanctions on the Taliban and al-Qaida.

In December, an Indian Airlines passenger jet, bound from Kathmandu to New Delhi, is hijacked to Kandahar. The Taliban serve as mediators between the hijackers and Indian authorities, who decide to free three terrorists from Indian prisons and hand them over to the hijackers in exchange for the passengers' safety.

March 2001

Rejecting international pleas, the Taliban blow up two 1,500-year-old colossal Buddha statues carved into a mountainside in Bamiyan, saying the statues were "idols" prohibited under Islam.

Afghan Taliban in front of the empty niche that held one of the two giant Buddha statues the Taliban blew up in Bamiyan in March 2001. Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Afghan Taliban in front of the empty niche that held one of the two giant Buddha statues the Taliban blew up in Bamiyan in March 2001.

August 2001

The Taliban put a group of Western aid workers on trial, accusing them of preaching Christianity, a capital offense. Two American women are among the accused.

September 2001

Anti-Taliban Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud is assassinated on Sept. 9 by al-Qaida operatives posing as TV journalists.

After al-Qaida's Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, the U.S. demands that the Taliban hand over bin Laden. They refuse.

Oct. 7, 2001

An undated file photo shows a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber. The U.S.-led coalition launched air and missile strikes in Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001. U.S. Air Force/Getty Images hide caption

An undated file photo shows a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber. The U.S.-led coalition launched air and missile strikes in Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001.

A U.S.-led coalition launches Operation Enduring Freedom, targeting the Taliban and al-Qaida with military strikes.

November-December 2001

The U.S.-backed Northern Alliance enters Kabul on Nov. 13. The Taliban flee south and their regime is overthrown. In December, Hamid Karzai is named interim president after Afghan groups sign the Bonn Agreement on an interim government. Under that agreement, some warlords are named provincial governors, military commanders and cabinet ministers, as are members of the Northern Alliance. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is established under a U.N. mandate.

2003

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signals an end to "major combat activity" in Afghanistan, saying, "We clearly have moved from major combat activity to a period of stability and stabilization and reconstruction and activities."

2004

Afghanistan holds a presidential election, won by Hamid Karzai.

2005

Afghanistan's parliament opens after elections bring in lawmakers including old warlords and faction leaders.

2006

The Taliban seize territory in southern Afghanistan. NATO's ISAF assumes command from the U.S. in the south, something the NATO secretary general calls "one of the most challenging tasks NATO has ever taken on."

2009

Karzai is reelected president.

The U.S. "surge" begins after President Barack Obama orders substantial troop increases in Afghanistan. Obama says that U.S. forces will leave by 2011.

2012

NATO announces it will withdraw foreign combat troops and transfer control of security operations to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.

2013

The Afghan army takes on security operations from NATO forces.

The Obama administration announces plans to start formal peace talks with the Taliban.

2014

After a disputed election, Ashraf Ghani succeeds Karzai as Afghanistan's president. Ghani's rival, Abdullah Abdullah, is named chief executive.

A U.S. soldier walks past burning trucks at the scene of a suicide attack in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province in 2014. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

A U.S. soldier walks past burning trucks at the scene of a suicide attack in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province in 2014.

At the end of the year, U.S. and NATO forces formally end their combat missions.

2015

NATO launches its Resolute Support mission to aid Afghan forces. Heavy violence continues as the Taliban step up their attacks on Afghan and U.S. forces and civilians, and take over more territory. At the same time, an Afghan ISIS branch also emerges.

Taliban members and Afghan officials meet informally in Qatar and agree to continue peace talks.

The Taliban make publicly known that Mullah Omar, the group's founder, died years earlier. Mullah Akhtar Mansour is named as the new leader. He is killed the following year in a U.S. drone attack in Pakistan.

2016

The Afghan government grants immunity to former mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, known in the civil war years as the "butcher of Kabul."

2017

Fighting continues between government forces and the Taliban, and attacks attributed to the Taliban and ISIS convulse the country.

2018

President Donald Trump appoints former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad as his special representative to negotiate with the Taliban.

2020

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A Timeline Of Afghanistan's 4 Decades Of Instability : NPR

A new report by Crisis Group warns against international donors cutting aid to Afghanistan in the wake of the Talibans curbs on womens education and ability to work at NGOs, instead arguing for Western countries to find a liminal space between pariah and legitimate status to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

The report, released on Thursday, focused primarily on two Taliban edicts announced in December the first suspending female education at private and public universities, and the second banning Afghan women from working at local and international NGOs. The moves led to protests and global condemnation, while sounding a possible death knell for the Talibans initial openness to engage with the international community following its takeover of the country in August 2021.

Accompanying the Talibans clampdown has been a reassessment of international aid from key international government donors, according to the reports authors. That aid, despite being immediately paused in the wake of the groups rise to power, had resumed amid concerns over widespread hunger and poverty in the country of about 40 million.

Donors are turning away from Afghanistan, disgusted by the Talibans restrictions on womens basic freedoms, Graeme Smith, Crisis Groups Senior Consultant on Afghanistan, said in a statement accompanying the report.

However, cutting aid to send a message about womens rights will only make the situation worse for all Afghans, he added. The most principled response to the Talibans misogyny would be finding ways to mitigate the harms inflicted on women and other vulnerable groups.

The report which drew on dozens of interviews with Afghan and international women activists, current and former Afghan officials, teachers, students, aid workers, human rights defenders, development officials, diplomats, business leaders and other interlocutors noted Western governments in the second half of 2022 warned aid agencies of a growing sense of donor fatigue towards Afghanistan. It did not name the governments to which it referred.

The authors further warned that following the most recent rights rollbacks, many Western politicians fear voters will not accept the idea of their taxes helping a country ruled by an odious regime, while adding that consultations in January 2023 among major donors produced initial thinking that aid should be trimmed back to send a message to the Taliban, although the governments involved did not agree on which budgets to cut.

Again, the report did not name the countries in question.

The United Nations, which has already had to roll back some aid operations in the wake of the ban on NGO workers, has appealed for $4.6bn to aid Afghanistan. The sum is the largest request for a single country ever. The UN has warned that 28 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, accounting for two-thirds of the countrys population.

But Crisis Group warned that Western governments seemed poised to fall significantly short of that appeal.

The report authors added that options discussed in the wake of the December edict have included deepening sanctions, cutting aid or levying other forms of punishment in response.

They noted that the G7 grouping of the worlds most wealthy countries had said there would be consequences for how our countries engage with the Taliban in the wake of the December edicts. The grouping had provided $3bn in humanitarian funding for Afghanistan in 2022, the report noted.

In the United States, which imposed a raft of new sanctions on the Taliban in October over their treatment of women, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: There are going to be costs if this is not reversed.

The reports authors argued any approach that included short-term cuts to aid in the hopes of undermining the Talibans authority would further harm those targeted by the Talibans recent moves.

Testing such assumptions would involve a high-stakes gamble with potentially millions of human lives. Win or lose, the costs of taking the gamble would be paid in large part by Afghan women, as the burdens of the crisis fall disproportionately on them, the report said.

It noted that women and girls often get the smallest share of food in Afghan families, which means that in times of scarcity they are most vulnerable to malnutrition and disease, while child marriages tend to increase during times of increased hardship.

Instead, Crisis Group argued that continuing to offer humanitarian aid, while supporting longer-term development aid, would address the populations immediate needs, while undermining the Talibans overheated rhetoric about a titanic clash between Islam and the West.

The authors further cautioned against expecting outside pressure to change the Talibans approach, highlighting the opaque nature of the groups decision-making. They noted its reclusive leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has appeared to insist on the strict measures out of personal conviction and to assert his authority over the movement and the country.

As the world considers its options, the idea of coaxing the Taliban into behaving like an internationally acceptable government should be set aside for the moment, the report said.

There is little room for opposing views within the Taliban leadership, it added, and influence from outside Muslim figures has proven ineffective as the Talibans policies are drawn not only from their atypical interpretation of Islam, but also from aspects of local culture.

Meanwhile, political talks with the Taliban aimed at creating a roadmap to normalisation have all but stalled. It also remains unclear how much money the group may be earning from narcotics and other forms of smuggling, bringing into question how much sanctions will actually affect the upper echelons of leadership.

Western policymakers must stand up for Afghan women and girls. At the same time, they should be careful to avoid self-defeating policies, the report concluded.

Practical steps that materially benefit Afghan women, improving their lives in tangible ways, would be superior to angry denunciations of the Talibans wrongheadedness.

The authors added: The Taliban should find a better way of making decisions, instead of following the whims of a leader who has proven his determination to oppress women and block the rebuilding of his country. Until that happens, the future of Afghanistan looks bleak.

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Report says donors turning away from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.

The insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the U.S. and its allies melted away.

Heres a look at what happened and what comes next:

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN AFGHANISTAN?

The Taliban, a militant group that ran the country in the late 1990s, have again taken control.

The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 ousted the insurgents from power, but they never left. After they blitzed across the country in recent days, the Western-backed government that has run the country for 20 years collapsed. Afghans, fearing for the future, raced to the airport, one of the last routes out of the country.

___

WHY ARE PEOPLE FLEEING THE COUNTRY?

Theyre worried that the country could descend into chaos or the Taliban could carry out revenge attacks against those who worked with the Americans or the government.

Many also fear the Taliban will reimpose the harsh interpretation of Islamic law that they relied on when they ran Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Back then, women were barred from attending school or working outside the home. They had to wear the all-encompassing burqa and be accompanied by a male relative whenever they went outside. The Taliban banned music, cut off the hands of thieves and stoned adulterers.

The Taliban have sought to present themselves as a more moderate force in recent years. Since taking over, they have promised to respect womens rights, forgive those who fought against them and prevent Afghanistan from being used as a base for terror attacks. But many Afghans are skeptical of those promises.

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WHAT HAPPENED AT THE KABUL AIRPORT?

Thousands of Afghans rushed there, hoping to escape the country because they fear what the Talibans rule will bring.

Some were so desperate, they clung to the side of a military jet as it took off and then plunged to their deaths. U.S. troops used helicopters to try to disperse the crowds and fired warning shots in the air. At least seven people died in the chaos, U.S. officials said.

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WHY ARE THE TALIBAN TAKING OVER NOW?

Probably because U.S. troops are set to withdraw by the end of the month.

The U.S. has been trying to get out of Afghanistan, its longest war, for several years now.

American troops ousted the Taliban in a matter of months when they invaded to root out al-Qaida, which orchestrated the 9/11 attacks while being harbored by the Taliban. But it proved more difficult to hold territory and rebuild a nation battered by repeated wars.

As the U.S. focus shifted to Iraq, the Taliban began to regroup and in recent years took over much of the Afghan countryside.

Last year, then-President Donald Trump announced a plan to pull out and signed a deal with the Taliban that limited U.S. military action against them. President Joe Biden then announced that the last troops would leave by the end of August.

As the final deadline drew close, the Taliban began a lightning offensive, overrunning city after city.

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WHY DID THE AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES COLLAPSE?

The short answer? Corruption.

The U.S. and its NATO allies spent billions of dollars over two decades to train and equip Afghan security forces. But the Western-backed government was rife with corruption. Commanders exaggerated the number of soldiers to siphon off resources, and troops in the field often lacked ammunition, supplies or even food.

Their morale further eroded when it became clear the U.S. was on its way out. As the Taliban rapidly advanced in recent days entire units surrendered after brief battles, and Kabul and some nearby provinces fell without a fight.

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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN?

He fled.

President Ashraf Ghani hunkered down and made few public statements as the Taliban swept across the country. On Sunday, as they reached the capital, he left Afghanistan, saying he had chosen to leave to avoid further bloodshed. Its not clear where he went.

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WHAT HAS BIDEN SAID?

Biden called the situation in Afghanistan gut-wrenching but rejected blame for whats happening. While he acknowledged that the collapse of the Afghan government happened much more quickly than he anticipated, he said he stood squarely behind his decision to pull U.S. troops out.

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WHY ARE PEOPLE COMPARING AFGHANISTAN TO THE FALL OF SAIGON?

The Fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces in 1975 marked the end of the Vietnam War. It became an enduring symbol of defeat after thousands of Americans and their Vietnamese allies were airlifted out of the city on helicopters. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has rejected any comparisons to Afghanistan, saying: This is manifestly not Saigon.

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WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT IN AFGHANISTAN?

Its not clear.

The Taliban say they want to form an inclusive, Islamic government with other factions. They are holding negotiations with senior politicians, including leaders in the former government.

They have pledged to enforce Islamic law but encouraged women to join their government and say they will provide a secure environment for the return of normal life after decades of war.

But many Afghans distrust the Taliban and fear that their rule will be violent and oppressive. Afghans are also concerned about the breakdown of security after thousands of prisoners were freed and security forces melted away in the face of the Taliban advance.

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WHAT DOES THE TALIBAN TAKEOVER MEAN FOR WOMEN?

Many fear it could mean a severe rollback of rights.

Afghan women have made major gains since the overthrow of the Taliban. Many are worried they will once again be confined to their homes. The Taliban have said womens rights will be respected under Islamic law, without providing much detail. The status of women varies across the Muslim world and often within a single country. Afghanistan has always been very conservative, especially outside major cities.

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WILL THE TALIBAN ONCE AGAIN HARBOR AL-QAIDA?

The Taliban have pledged to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a base for attacks on other countries, a key U.S. demand enshrined in the 2020 peace deal.

But American military officials are worried.

Earlier this year, the Pentagons top leaders said an extremist group like al-Qaida may be able to regenerate in Afghanistan, and officials are now warning that such groups could grow much faster than expected.

On the other hand, technological advances over the last 20 years allow the U.S. to target suspected militants in countries like Yemen and Somalia where it does not have a permanent troop presence. The Taliban paid a heavy price for their role in the Sept. 11 attacks and likely hope to avoid a repeat as they seek to consolidate their rule.

Afghanistan is also home to an Islamic State group affiliate that has carried out a wave of horrific attacks targeting its Shiite minority in recent years. The Taliban have condemned such attacks and the two groups have fought each other over territory, but it remains to be seen whether a Taliban government will be willing or able to suppress IS.

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Taliban take over Afghanistan: What we know and whats next - AP NEWS