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NATO to keep staying in Afghanistan after 2017
The NATO alliance agreed on Wednesday to hold onto its broad geographic layout of bases in Afghanistan, a move that could make it easier for the United States to keep more troops there as Kabul struggles with a resurgent Taliban threat.
President Barack Obama has planned to slash the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan from about 9,800 to 5,500 before he leaves office in 2017, despite calls from former commanders and envoys to halt the drawdown.
British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said “Carter told us the troop numbers and the dispositions are being looked at again.”
Carters’ comments came as NATO allies agreed to extend the Afghanistan training mission and keep troops in all four sections of the country in 2017.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the allies “will have what we call a flexible regional approach, meaning that we will continue to be of course in Kabul but also out in the different regions.”
The alliance also is “now working on the final decisions for our exact force numbers into 2017. So that’s something we will decide later on this year,” Stoltenberg said.
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NATO’s so-called hub-and-spoke model for troops training and advising Afghan forces extends well beyond the capital Kabul to allow an international military presence at regional hubs. But NATO policymakers had been examining whether it was possible to keep those posts open, even as force levels fall.
Obama granted U.S. forces in Afghanistan the ability to engage more with the resurgent Taliban last week, allowing them to now accompany conventional Afghan forces into the field, rather than only special operators, and proactively provide close air support to strike Taliban targets.
The White House said that the broader military authorities will not influence the drawdown plan.
Defense ministers of the 28 nations comprising NATO are set to meet to continue to the conversation and make final decisions on their presence in Afghanistan in Warsaw in early July.
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Khurasan beats Istaqlal 1-0 in ACL; Sorkh Poshan thrash Sarsabz Yashlar 4-1
Khurasan Faryab defeated Istiqlal Kabul 1-0 in the 35th match of Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) in Kabul on Tuesday, while Sorkh Poshan Khafi thrashed Sarsabz Yashlar 4-1 in the 36th match of the tournament on the same day.
Khurasan’s only goal against Istiqlal Kabul was scored by Farid Ahmad – who was declared man of the match.
In the second match of the day, Sorkh Poshan Khafi’s four goals were scored by Habibullah Hotak and Omid Rajabi.
Khurasan’s Habibullah Hotak received the man of the match award.
Wednesday’s matches will see Abu Muslim Farah FC take on Adalat Farah FC at 1 PM, while Maiwand FC will play Jawanan Wahedi FC at 3:30 PM.
The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television.
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Pakistan is using its territory against Afghanistan: MoD
The Ministry of National Defense of Afghanistan (MoD) has strongly rejected Pakistan’s claim that the recent attack on Chinese nationals in Pakistan was planned from the territory of Afghanistan.
Late last month five Chinese nationals and one Pakistani were killed in a suicide bombing near Besham, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Inayatullah Khwarazmi, said that Daesh came from Pakistan to the territory of Afghanistan and its goals were organized from there.
He said that Pakistan should respond to these actions.
Khwarazmi, said that in an area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is under the security of the Pakistan Army, the killing of Chinese nationals is either the weakness of the security institutions or their cooperation with the attackers.
Khwarazmi says that the Islamic Emirate has assured China that Afghans are not involved in such incidents.
The territorial tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan are on the rise again. In the latest issue, Islamabad has accused Kabul of harboring terrorist networks.
Pakistan’s intelligence service has claimed that the Besham attack was planned in Afghanistan.
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Government institutions owe 1.5 billion afghanis to DABS
Officials from Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) – Afghanistan’s power utility company said Tuesday government institutions owe them a whopping 1.5 billion afghanis.
Addressing a press conference to report on last solar year’s achievements, officials said they received over 37 billion afghanis in payments last year.
In addition, last year, DABS implemented more than 100 projects in the electricity production sector worth 3 billion afghanis.
They also said they have a five-year plan to move away from dependence on imported electricity.
DABS officials said that from the 37 billion afghanis in revenues last year, part of this was paid to neighboring countries for electricity.
These officials also said there have been improvements in the CASA- 1000 project.
The company is still trying to provide the required electricity from domestic sources, officials said.
These officials add that the work of some half-finished projects has started and the power generation capacity has also increased in the country.
The reconstruction of the substation in Chamtal district of Balkh province at a cost of 68 million afghanis, the start of the 500 KV power line from Shabarghan – Dasht Alwan, the start of the 220 KV power line from Arghandi Kabul to Ghazni and the design of Noor ul Jihad substation are some of their other achievements.
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