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Trump’s team drawing up list of Pentagon officers to fire, sources say

Trump has also spoken during the campaign of and those responsible for the troubled 2021 pullout from Afghanistan.

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Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team are drawing up a list of military officers to be fired, potentially to include the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two sources said, in what would be an unprecedented shakeup at the Pentagon, Reuters reported.

The planning for the firings is at an early stage after Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory and could change as Trump’s administration takes shape, said the sources, who are familiar with the Trump transition and requested anonymity to speak candidly about the plans.

One of the sources questioned the feasibility of a mass firing at the Pentagon.

It was also unclear if Trump himself would endorse the plan, although in the past he has railed extensively against defense leaders who have criticized him. Trump has also spoken during the campaign of [USN:L1N3MD1PE TEXT:“firing “woke” generals"] and those responsible for the troubled 2021 pullout from Afghanistan.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The second source said the incoming administration would likely focus on U.S. military officers seen as connected to Mark Milley, Trump’s former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, read the report.

Milley was quoted in the book “War” by Bob Woodward, which was published last month, calling Trump “fascist to the core” and Trump’s allies have targeted him for perceived disloyalty to the former president.

“Every single person that was elevated and appointed by Milley will be gone,” the second source said.

“There’s a very detailed list of everybody that was affiliated with Milley. And they will all be gone.”

The Joint Chiefs of Staff include the highest ranking officers in the U.S. military and comprise the heads of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard and Space Force.

The disclosure of plans to fire senior leaders of the U.S. armed forces comes a day after Trump [USN:S0N3M808W TEXT:“picked as his defense secretary Pete Hegseth”], a Fox News commentator and veteran who has signaled a willingness to clean house at the Pentagon.

“The next president of the United States needs to radically overhaul Pentagon senior leadership to make us ready to defend our nation and defeat our enemies. Lots of people need to be fired,” Hegseth said in his 2024 book “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”

It is unclear if Hegseth’s lack of management experience could complicate his Senate confirmation and if a more traditional alternative for the position would carry out such sweeping dismissals.

Hegseth has also taken aim at Milley’s successor, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, asking whether he would have gotten the job if he were not Black, Reuters reported.

“Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? We’ll never know, but always doubt - which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn’t really much matter,” he wrote.

The first source familiar with the transition planning said Brown would be among the many officers to leave.

“The chiefs of the Joint Chiefs and all the vice chiefs will be fired immediately,” the source said, before noting that this was still only early planning.

Some current and former U.S. officials have played down the possibility of such a major shakeup, saying it would be unnecessary and disruptive at a time of global turmoil with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The first source said that it would be difficult bureaucratically to fire and replace a large swath of senior U.S. military officials, suggesting the planning could be bluster and posturing by Trump allies.

But the second source suggested the Trump camp believed the Joint Chiefs of Staff needed to shrink due to perceived bureaucratic over-reach.

Such cuts could be endured in an organization the scale of the U.S. military, the source said.

“These people are not irreplaceable. They are very replaceable. And then the other thing too is there is no shortage of people that will step up,” the source said.

“In World War Two, we were very rapidly appointing people in their 30s or people competent to be generals. And you know what? We won the war.”

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Afghanistan seals T20I series victory over Zimbabwe

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Afghanistan secured a thrilling three-wicket victory over Zimbabwe on December 14 at Harare Sports Club, clinching the T20I series. After losing the first match, Afghanistan leveled the series with a win in the second game and sealed the victory in this final match.

Opting to bowl first, Afghanistan’s bowlers dominated, dismissing Zimbabwe for just 127 runs. Rashid Khan starred with 4 wickets for 27 runs, supported by Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s 2 for 20. Brian Bennett was Zimbabwe's top scorer with 31 runs.

Chasing 128, Afghanistan struggled early, falling to 44 for 4. However, a steady 34-run partnership from Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi’s 24-run contribution helped Afghanistan recover. With three wickets remaining, Afghanistan reached the target with three balls to spare, securing a hard-fought series win.

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Investment in Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical sector reaches $300 million: Union

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Officials from the Union of Pharmaceutical Factories report that since the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate, investment in Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical sector has surged to $300 million.

Ahmad Saeed Shams, the union's head, highlighted that 980 different medicines are now produced domestically, with this number steadily increasing.

Shams further stated that Afghanistan has achieved self-sufficiency in 15 key medicines. However, some union members have urged the government to foster further growth in the pharmaceutical industry, emphasizing the need for measures to curb market monopolies and promote medicine production and export.

“Afghanistan should aim for complete self-sufficiency in pharmaceuticals and begin exporting to other countries,” said Kamaluddin Kakar, a union member.

Meanwhile, Abdulsalam Jawad Akhundzadah, spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, affirmed the ministry's commitment to supporting domestic production and investment.

He encouraged investors to share any challenges they face, assuring that the ministry provides full support to both local and foreign investors looking to invest in Afghanistan.

Private sector representatives also called on government institutions to prioritize domestic products in public contracts to help stimulate further growth in the country’s production and investment sectors.

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U.S. sentences Afghan man to 30 years in prison for narco-terrorism and witness tampering

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An Afghan man accused of attempting to smuggle large shipments of heroin into the United States to benefit the Islamic Emirate and Haqqani Network has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.

Haji Abdul Satar Abdul Manaf, 59, also known as Haji Abdul Sattar Barakzai, was convicted in August after a two-week jury trial, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

In June 2012. the Treasury Department sanctioned Manaf for storing or moving money for the Islamic Emirate.

Beginning in at least January 2018, Manaf attempted to import large quantities of heroin into the United States and paid the IEA and Haqqani Network to support his drug trafficking.

In August 2018, Manaf sold a 10-kilogram shipment of heroin in Afghanistan to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, believing the heroin would be transported to the United States. Manaf claimed he had paid the Islamic Emirate to facilitate the heroin’s

production and said they would guard future shipments.

Manaf also attempted to transfer thousands of dollars of narcotics proceeds through his money-remitting business to individuals he believed were Haqqani Network operatives.

The US Justice Department also said that Manaf sought to silence a witness. While awaiting trial in New York, he directed his family members in Afghanistan to kidnap and threaten a DEA source who had testified against him.

In addition to his 30-year prison sentence, Manaf was ordered to forfeit the proceeds of his crimes and will serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

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