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Thread: Foreign troops to quit Afghanistan in 18 months under draft deal

  1. #91
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who is currently visiting Kabul, appears to share that position. He tweeted that another round of "intra-Afghan" talks would occur "after we conclude our own agreements." He said it would include the Taliban and "an inclusive and effective national negotiating team consisting of senior government officials, key political party representatives, civil society and women."

    More at: https://news.yahoo.com/afghan-offici...054918881.html
    This could be Trump's path to Nobel Peace prize if he ended longest war in US history before 2020 elections.
    Media has been pushing NK angle but wiith new NK rockets launch last week, Nobel Peace Prize path now seems to go through Afghanistan rather than NK.

    CNN's Fareed Zakaria believes President Donald Trump is eager to make a deal with North Korea because the President "has decided that this is his path to a Nobel Peace Prize."

    Source: CNN





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  3. #92
    The Afghan government named a team on Wednesday to negotiate directly with the Taliban, in the expectation that Washington was on the cusp of agreeing to withdraw troops after 18 years of war, meeting the insurgents' precondition for talks with Kabul.The U.S. special representative for Afghanistan peace talks, Zalmay Khalilzad, tweeted that he was on his way to negotiation venue Qatar, ready to close a deal to end the war that began in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the United States.
    "I'm off to Doha, with a stop in Islamabad. In Doha, if the Taliban do their part, we will do ours, and conclude the agreement we have been working on," Khalilzad said.
    Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for Taliban's political office in Doha said: "We have completed consultations with our leaders regarding the talks with the U.S, now we are ready and waiting for him (Khalilzad) to restart the talks."

    More at: https://news.yahoo.com/u-peace-envoy...120155264.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  4. #93
    Army identifies two soldiers killed in Afghanistan

    By: Kyle Rempfer   2 days ago
    Both soldiers were members of the 82nd Airborne Division. (Army)

    The Army has identified the two U.S. soldiers killed in a reported insider attack Monday.

    Pfc. Brandon Jay Kreischer, 20, of Stryker, Ohio, and Spc. Michael Isaiah Nance, 24, of Chicago died in Afghanistan while supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

    Both soldiers were members of Company B., 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division when they were killed by small arms fire, division officials said in a release.

    The paratroopers died from wounds sustained in a “combat related incident” in Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan Province, according to a Pentagon press release.

    “These young men were true All Americans and embodied the qualities of selfless service and courage as they answered our nation’s call to deploy to Afghanistan,” said Col. Arthur Sellers, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, in a division statement.

    “Our focus is now providing their loved ones with every available resource to help them in this most difficult time," Sellers said.



    Afghanistan's security forces lost 42,000 troops in the last year in a crackdown on 'ghost soldiers'

    Idrees Ali, Reuters
    August 01, 2019 at 07:37 AM
    news
    Soldiers with 2nd Kandak, 2nd Brigade, Afghan National Army (ANA) 215th Corps wait for the order to move during a military operations on urban terrain (MOUT) exercise at Camp Shorabak

    (U.S. Marine Corps/Sgt. Luke Hoogendam)
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There has been a sharp drop in the size of Afghanistan's National Defense Security Forces in the past few months due to changes in the way troops are counted and an effort to reduce the number of so-called "ghost" soldiers, a U.S. government watchdog said on Thursday.

    The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a report that ANDSF personnel size had gone down by nearly 10 percentage points in the most recent quarter compared to the previous trimester.

    https://taskandpurpose.com/afghan-se...s-sigar-report



    State Department wasted $100M on Afghan camp despite early warnings: Report


    • By
    • lee ferran Aug 1, 2019


    The U.S. State Department spent over three years and more than $100 million on a project to rebuild a base in Afghanistan that was never rebuilt, even though the department was warned it was a bad idea from the start, according to an incisive new government watchdog report.
    https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/stat...ry?id=64683930

  5. #94
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  6. #95
    He said it would be done by December last year. The flip flopper in chief keeps changing his mind on this one.

    https://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...om-afghanistan

    Last December, Trump reportedly threatened to pull troops out of Afghanistan and to close the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. The president reportedly argued that without the military, embassy personnel might not be safe.

    Military officials, including Gen. Scott Miller, who commands U.S. forces in Afghanistan, have pushed back against the plan to pull out all troops within the next 15 months, officials told NBC. Officials said Miller would consider withdrawing some troops but would want others to remain to fight ISIS or al Qaeda.
    A White House spokesman said Friday that President Trump has not yet ordered the Pentagon to pull troops out of Afghanistan, contradicting reports last week that the president has called for the withdrawal of 7,000 troops.

    “The president has not made a determination to drawdown U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and he has not directed the Department of Defense to begin the process of withdrawing U.S. personnel from Afghanistan,” Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg.

    The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

    Trump has long railed against the 17-year-old war, the longest military conflict in U.S. history.

    He campaigned on the promise to end “nation-building” missions such as efforts to train Afghan troops but was persuaded by defense officials and then-national security adviser H.R. McMaster to send 4,000 more troops to the country.

    Reports of troops' possible drawdown from Afghanistan came after Trump’s announcement that the U.S. would be withdrawing troops from Syria.

    Trump claimed that the U.S. “defeated ISIS in Syria” and called for more than 2,000 U.S. service members fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and backing Syrian Kurdish forces in the mission to return home.
    We will be out of Syria "soon" in March 2018. In December he said we would be leaving there in 30 days.

  7. #96
    Hey, Zippy, did you forget about Congress?
    #NashvilleStrong

    “I’m a doctor. That’s a baby.”~~~Dr. Manny Sethi



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  9. #97
    Quote Originally Posted by euphemia View Post
    Hey, Zippy, did you forget about Congress?
    Trump doesn't need Congress for anything. They just get in the way. That is what he says anyways. Just declare an emergency and do whatever you want.

  10. #98
    The United States and the Taliban have resolved differences in peace talks over the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and guarantees from the insurgents that they will cut ties with other extremist groups, a Taliban official said Tuesday.The U.S. side did not immediately provide details about the latest round of talks held in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. But Zalmay Khalilzad, the American envoy who has been leading the talks since they began late last year, tweeted that they had made "excellent progress."
    The two sides have been meeting for the last two days, and technical teams were continuing discussions on Tuesday in Doha. The Taliban official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the negotiations.

    More at: https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-diffe...052337089.html



    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  11. #99
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    The United States and the Taliban have resolved differences in peace talks over the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and guarantees from the insurgents that they will cut ties with other extremist groups, a Taliban official said Tuesday.The U.S. side did not immediately provide details about the latest round of talks held in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. But Zalmay Khalilzad, the American envoy who has been leading the talks since they began late last year, tweeted that they had made "excellent progress."
    The two sides have been meeting for the last two days, and technical teams were continuing discussions on Tuesday in Doha. The Taliban official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the negotiations.

    More at: https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-diffe...052337089.html



    BUMP
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  12. #100
    Trump said it was time to end this 18 year war now it looks likely.

  13. #101
    Still daily bombings, and the Taliban still calling the afhgan government illegitimate. It's past time for them to sink or swim. And if they need help with their security, they pay us.
    I just want objectivity on this forum and will point out flawed sources or points of view at my leisure.

    Quote Originally Posted by spudea on 01/15/24
    Trump will win every single state primary by double digits.
    Quote Originally Posted by spudea on 04/20/16
    There won't be a contested convention
    Quote Originally Posted by spudea on 05/30/17
    The shooting of Gabrielle Gifford was blamed on putting a crosshair on a political map. I wonder what event we'll see justified with pictures like this.

  14. #102
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post



    ^ This.











    Afghanistan and Iraq surround Iran, a country that wants to erase our closest ally and only democracy in mideast.
    Ending all foreign entanglements and leaving our closest ally in the world alone in a dangerous world could be risky

    President Trump Invited a Cartoonist Known for 'Anti-Semitic' Images to a White House Social Media Summit

    https://time.com/5621558/trump-carto...-media-summit/

  15. #103
    An eighth round of talks on a pact that would allow the United States to end its longest war and withdraw its troops from Afghanistan ended on Monday and both sides would consult their leaders on the next steps, the Taliban said.The talks, held in Qatar since late last year between the Taliban and U.S. officials, have brought hopes for an agreement allowing U.S. troops to leave in exchange for a Taliban promise that Afghanistan will not be used by militants as a base from which to plot attacks abroad.
    A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the latest talks, which a U.S. official said earlier involved technical details and the implementation mechanisms of a pact, ended early on Monday.
    "It was long and useful, both sides decided to consult with their leaders/seniors for the next steps," Mujahid said in a statement.
    U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment but the chief U.S. negotiator, veteran Afghan-American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Sunday hard work was being done "toward a lasting and honorable peace agreement and a sovereign Afghanistan which poses no threat to any other country".

    More at: https://news.yahoo.com/latest-u-tali...032156848.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  16. #104
    Just completed a very good meeting on Afghanistan. Many on the opposite side of this 19 year war, and us, are looking to make a deal – if possible!
    — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2019
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



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  18. #105
    Afghan Taliban officials said on Saturday the killing of the brother of their leader in a bomb attack would not derail talks with the United States aimed at securing the withdrawal of U.S. troops after 18 years of war.There was no claim of responsibility for the bomb that killed the younger brother of Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada near the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday.
    It came after both Taliban and U.S. officials have reported progress in talks on an agreement centered on a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for a Taliban security guarantee.
    "If someone thinks martyring our leaders would stop us from our goal they're living in a fool's paradise," a Taliban leader said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
    "We are close to our goals,” he said, referring to the talks with the United States. He declined to be identified.


    The bomb at the mosque near Quetta killed four people, and wounded 20, Pakistani police said.
    The Taliban leader's brother, Hafiz Ahmadullah, was leading prayers when it exploded. One of the leader's sons was wounded, Taliban officials said.
    Pakistani police confirmed that one of the dead was identified as Hafiz Ahmadullah but said they could not confirm if he was a brother of the Taliban leader. Pakistan denies accusations that it supports the Taliban but many members live there.
    In the Afghan capital, Kabul, a suicide bomber attacked a Saturday night wedding reception. An interior ministry spokesman said there were tens of casualties, both wounded and dead.
    There was no claim of responsibility.

    More at: https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-killi...125556157.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  19. #106
    Deadliest attack of the year in Kabul that killed 63 bodes poorly for US-Taliban deal, ISIS claims responsibility




    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Just completed a very good meeting on Afghanistan. Many on the opposite side of this 19 year war, and us, are looking to make a deal – if possible!
    — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2019
    EM.

    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Since he frequently contradicts himself his statements can't be trusted at all, you have to watch his actions to even guess about his positions or plans.


    Bold, words that you can take to the bank.



    Related

    Urge your representatives to Get US Out of neocons' Foreign Interventions and WARS


    Possible that 'Founding Fathers of ISIS' are trying to undermine US exit from Afghanistan?



    The war in Afghanistan has so far cost $33,000 per citizen




    THEY'RE BACK! ISIS claims bombing at Kabul wedding that killed 63...


    End the war in Afghanistan in 2014
    "President Obama responsibly ended the war in Iraq and will end the war in Afghanistan in 2014."
    Sources: BarackObama.com

  20. #107
    Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, is traveling to Qatar to resume peace talks with the Taliban and will later visit Kabul for consultations with the Afghan government, the U.S. State Department said Aug. 20.

    Khalilzad's return indicates the U.S. willingness to sign a deal with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan. The envoy indicated that he intends for an agreement to be completed before Afghanistan's presidential elections, currently scheduled for Sept. 28.

    More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...-talks-taliban
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  21. #108
    US and Taliban negotiators held productive talks Tuesday, the insurgent group said, as potentially decisive discussions to enable Washington to draw down its deployment to Afghanistan entered their fifth day.

    "We have progress in this round so we are finalising the remaining points," Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told journalists outside the up-market Doha members' club where the talks are taking place.
    He said a deal could be expected "as soon as the remaining points are finalised."

    More at: https://news.yahoo.com/deal-nears-ta...165942884.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  22. #109
    A peace accord to end America's 18-year-war in Afghanistan is close to completion the Taliban said, with a rough draft being proof read and translated before its is signed off.
    Donald Trump's chief negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, will leave officials to complete final details in Doha, and fly to Kabul to brief the Afghan government. He is then expected to head to Brussels to brief Nato allies before any deal is signed and announced, sources familiar with negotiations said.
    "We hope to have good news soon for our Muslim, independence seeking nation," said Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha.
    Details of the accord will not be announced until it is complete, but sources briefed on the talks said it is expected to see America withdraw troops over around 15 months, but only if security conditions on the ground are met.
    The Taliban will give guarantees Afghan soil will not become a launchpad for attacks by transnational terrorist groups, though it is unclear how that will be verified. They will also begin talks with Afghan leaders to discuss a wider political settlement.


    The talks have failed to agree on a broad ceasefire however or whether America will keep a permanent counter-terrorism force in the country to continue targeting Islamic State group and al-Qaeda. Both issues had been “kicked down the road to later talks”.
    Talks between the Taliban and Afghan politicians could now begin quickly and international officials are already beginning preparations for a meeting in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

    More at: https://news.yahoo.com/us-taliban-de...202351235.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  23. #110
    It seems quite a tall order... hopefully they can make it happen.

    Don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows

  24. #111
    Chris

    "Government ... does not exist of necessity, but rather by virtue of a tragic, almost comical combination of klutzy, opportunistic terrorism against sitting ducks whom it pretends to shelter, plus our childish phobia of responsibility, praying to be exempted from the hard reality of life on life's terms." Wolf DeVoon

    "...Make America Great Again. I'm interested in making American FREE again. Then the greatness will come automatically."Ron Paul

  25. #112
    Quote Originally Posted by CCTelander View Post
    Yes, Trump is pulling your "warmonger" football out from in front of you.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



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  27. #113
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Yes, Trump is pulling your "warmonger" football out from in front of you.

    LOL!

    In 12 years here I have never expressed a single sentiment that could be construed in ANY way as pro-war. EVER. But thanks for once again demonstrating the depths of mendacity you're willing to descend to. As always, an instructive experience.
    Chris

    "Government ... does not exist of necessity, but rather by virtue of a tragic, almost comical combination of klutzy, opportunistic terrorism against sitting ducks whom it pretends to shelter, plus our childish phobia of responsibility, praying to be exempted from the hard reality of life on life's terms." Wolf DeVoon

    "...Make America Great Again. I'm interested in making American FREE again. Then the greatness will come automatically."Ron Paul

  28. #114
    Quote Originally Posted by CCTelander View Post
    LOL!

    In 12 years here I have never expressed a single sentiment that could be construed in ANY way as pro-war. EVER. But thanks for once again demonstrating the depths of mendacity you're willing to descend to. As always, an instructive experience.
    You misunderstand, you want to call him a warmonger but you won't get to.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  29. #115
    We have never been at war with Afghanistan.
    Since WWII , we have just slaughtered and occupied, no wars.

  30. #116
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    You misunderstand, you want to call him a warmonger but you won't get to.

    My mistake then. Apologies. But I didn't call him a warmonger. I merely pointed out that he's been announcing a withdrawal from Afghanistan for quite some time now, and the "withdrawal" football has always gotten yanked out from in front of us in the past. Every time, so far.
    Chris

    "Government ... does not exist of necessity, but rather by virtue of a tragic, almost comical combination of klutzy, opportunistic terrorism against sitting ducks whom it pretends to shelter, plus our childish phobia of responsibility, praying to be exempted from the hard reality of life on life's terms." Wolf DeVoon

    "...Make America Great Again. I'm interested in making American FREE again. Then the greatness will come automatically."Ron Paul

  31. #117
    Quote Originally Posted by Stratovarious View Post
    We have never been at war with Afghanistan.
    Since WWII , we have just slaughtered and occupied, no wars.
    We have always been at war with Afghanistan.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  32. #118
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    We have always been at war with Afghanistan.
    But, I would vote that the Nobel go to Trump if he we're to bring the troops home, Obama
    was nowhere near deserving of it, Trump would be.

  33. #119
    Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's main challenger in a election next month has said he is ready to abandon his bid for power for the sake of peace, raising more questions about prospects for an election the Taliban have vowed to block.The twice-delayed presidential election comes as the United States and the Taliban are trying to seal an agreement under which U.S. forces will withdraw in exchange for a Taliban security guarantee and a promise of power-sharing talks with Ghani's government.
    The Taliban have denounced the election as a sham and vowed to attack rallies. Ghani is insisting an election he looks set to win should go ahead.
    Ghani's main challenger, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, told a campaign rally on Wednesday he would drop out of the race if that could help secure peace.
    "My team is ready to quit elections for the sake of peace," Abdullah said, according to his office.
    The Taliban want the election canceled as a condition for so-called intra-Afghan dialogue - talks after the agreement with the United States is struck on how power can be shared and the country organized - and a ceasefire.
    Abdullah, a former foreign minister, was Ghani's main challenger in the last election, in 2014.
    That vote was marred by extensive fraud and Ghani became president after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry brokered a deal creating the post of chief executive for Abdullah.
    Ghani has rejected a suggestion put forward by Western allies to postpone the election and form an interim government, perhaps with Taliban representative, after the militants strike their deal with the United States.
    Ghani has said the people must be allowed to choose their leader and peace can only be secured under a democratic system.
    But the departure of his main challenger could undermine the legitimacy of the election.


    This month, another main contender, Hanif Atmar, a former interior minister who also served as Ghani's national security adviser, suspended his campaign, citing the level of violence in the country.
    The campaign opened in July with an insurgent attack on the Kabul office of Ghani's running mate, Amrullah Saleh. At least 20 people were killed and 50 wounded.
    "With Atmar out of the race and Abdullah now giving preference to the peace deal instead of elections, it is quite clear that Ghani will have to realign his stance," said a Western diplomat in Kabul.
    Opposition party sources said many of the 17 candidates in the race were considering a boycott because they believed Ghani was using state apparatus to help him win.
    With both the Taliban and U.S. negotiators reporting progress in their talks in recent weeks, and raising the prospect of an end to the 18-year war, the election has yet to capture much attention from the public.

    More at: https://news.yahoo.com/top-challenge...085539029.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  34. #120
    Bolton sidelined from Afghanistan policy as his standing with Trump falters

    As the president’s top aides prepared for a high-stakes meeting on the future of Afghanistan earlier this month, one senior official was not on the original invite list: national security adviser John Bolton.

    The attendance of the top security aide would normally be critical, but the omission was no mistake, senior U.S. officials said. Bolton, who has long advocated an expansive military presence around the world, has become a staunch internal foe of an emerging peace deal aimed at ending America’s longest war, the officials said.

    His opposition to the diplomatic effort in Afghanistan has irritated President Trump, these officials said, and led aides to leave the National Security Council out of sensitive discussions about the agreement.

    The sidelining of Bolton has raised questions about his influence in an administration that is seeking a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as an ambitious nuclear deal with North Korea and potential engagement with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Bolton, U.S. officials said, stands in opposition to those efforts, but he does so increasingly from the periphery.
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...ab7_story.html



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