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US completes as much as 25% of retrograde process in Afghanistan
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said this week that it has "completed between 16-25 percent of the entire retrograde process."
CENTCOM said in a statement United States Department of Defense has retrograded the equivalent of approximately 160 C-17 loads of material out of Afghanistan and has turned over more than 10,000 pieces of equipment to the Defense Logistics Agency for disposition.
The US has officially handed over five facilities to the Afghan Ministry of Defense, the statement said.
The CENTCOM did not elaborate on the installations.
“For operational security reasons we will only be providing an approximate range of the percentage of the exit process that is complete,” the statement noted.
“As the responsible and orderly exit continues, the size of the range will increase to preserve operational security. This update includes the progress on the retrograde of troops and equipment from Afghanistan, the turning over of equipment and facilities to the ANDSF, as well as the destruction of some equipment,” the statement concluded.
The foreign troops' withdrawal process started officially early this month. According to US President Joe Biden’s decision, the withdrawal process will be complete by September 11 – the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the United States.
Meanwhile, Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was on Tuesday critical of US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces in Afghanistan by September 11 and warned that this decision is not underpinned by a clear plan to mitigate the risks once troops have withdrawn.
Addressing the U.S. Senate, McConnell said Biden’s decision was “dangerous, wishful thinking”.
He said the decision “is not underpinned by a coherent plan to mitigate the geopolitical and humanitarian risk that our departure will create.”
“When we are gone, after we leave, there’s every reason to believe al-Qaeda will regroup in its historic safe haven.
“Giving up the high ground while the enemy is still on the battlefield is not a strategic move. Neither is banking on conducting so-called over the horizon counterterrorism missions without presence on the ground,” he said.
McConnell said the U.S. had learned that in order to fight terrorists, it was important to have reliable access and local partnerships.
He said the U.S. military currently flies both reconnaissance and strike missions against terrorists from within Afghanistan – adding that the country is not easy to get to as the neighboring countries are Iran, Pakistan and Russian-influenced Central Asian nations.
“They aren’t exactly likely to let the U.S. base significant counterterrorism units in their country. So where will we be basing these forces? How will we maintain sorties from thousands of miles away?,” he asked.
He also said: “How many forces will be required to secure our embassy if a pro-Taliban mob threatens to overrun it. What will we do to protect it? Where will a quick reaction force be based if not in Afghanistan?”
McConnell said Washington had learned about the “tyranny of distance” from the 2012 Benghazi attack against two United States government facilities in Libya , which claimed the lives of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and another diplomat.
“If the Taliban takes Kabul, will the Biden administration recognize it as the legitimate government of Afghanistan?,” he asked, adding “will we shutter our embassy and our aid programs?”
The reality, he said, was “they don’t know. They can’t say. There’s no plan.”
He went on to state that the U.S. was in fact “abandoning” Afghanistan.
“It’s not courageous to abandon our allies,” he said.
“The horrific, horrific reports of the Taliban beginning to reimpose their version of Sharia Law are just a taste of the catastrophes facing our friends in Afghanistan who have borne the brunt of the fight.
“Human rights, women’s rights, counterterrorism, refugee flows – as far as I can tell, the administration has no plan,” he said.
He stated the world “will see it for what it is – retreating from the fight; abandoning our partners.
“This is the president’s decision. He chose a precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Unbelievably, he even chose the anniversary of September 11 as the deadline.”
In conclusion, McConnell said he hopes once Biden’s team has confronted the president with the risks, he hopes “the president will think again and reconsider”.
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Iran steps up efforts to tighten security along border with Afghanistan, Pakistan
Tehran’s plan to block the eastern border will eventually consist of a 300 km-long wall along with the use of advanced technology and precise military drills
Iran’s border security operations along its shared border with Afghanistan and Pakistan have been ramped up with 65 kms of the border wall already having been completed.
According to Iran media, Tehran’s plan to block the eastern border will eventually consist of a 300 km-long wall along with the use of advanced technology and precise military drills.
On November 2, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said Iran would complete construction of a border wall along its eastern frontiers by the end of September next year.
The first phase of the border-sealing initiative spans approximately 90 kilometers and commenced at the end of June.
The border blockade includes physical barriers, such as barbed wire and cement walls as well as smart technology that include radar systems.
Last month, Tehran Times reported that during a visit to the city of Mirjaveh, the primary crossing point between Iran and Pakistan,Momeni said the first phase of the border-sealing initiative spans approximately 90 kms and work commenced at the end of June.
He stated, "Based on our projections, this border-blocking project is expected to be completed in the first half of the next Iranian year."
Momeni stressed that an unsealed border allows deported illegal immigrants to easily return. He said: “The plan to secure the border will tackle this issue and improve regional security.”
Amir Na’mati, Deputy Commander of Iran’s Army Ground Forces, meanwhile gave more information this week and said significant progress will be made on the project by the end of the solar year (April).
Systems such as surveillance sensors, reconnaissance drones, and thermal cameras are set to be deployed, he said. Additionally, mobile assault battalions are tasked with maintaining constant border control.
Wanaen meanwhile reported that Iranian Army rapid reaction forces are currently conducting complex security drills which include tasks to identify terrorist gathering spots using advanced Mohajer-6 drones, destroying their command vehicles with highly explosive precision bombs (Qaem), and shelling enemy positions with artillery.
Amir Cheshk, Deputy Operations Commander of the Iranian Army Ground Forces, said: “Based on international agreements, any threatening gatherings that endanger the security of the Islamic Republic (Iran) will be met with a decisive response from the Army Ground Forces and Iran’s armed forces.”
In addition, special forces supported by Army Aviation helicopters, are dispatched to terrorist gathering locations and carry out high-precision clearance operations.
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IEA supreme leader says vice and virtue law must be enforced
Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate, has ordered that the Law on Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice must be enforced in order to preserve Afghanistan’s Islamic system.
The Kandahar media center said Monday that the IEA leader met with military and civilian officials, the Ulema Council, businessmen, and security forces in Spin Boldak in Kandahar on Sunday, where he also delivered a speech.
He said that great sacrifices were made over 20 years to attain the Islamic system and efforts should be made to preserve it.
He added that this can only be done through obedience, piousness, and following the advice of religious scholars.
The leader of the Islamic Emirate told scholars present to fully cooperate with the relevant departments in implementing the Law on Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice and to explain to people every day in their mosques issues related to faith, belief, and prayer.
He also advised military and civilian officials in Spin Boldak district not to have disputes, to maintain full coordination and cooperation with each other, be committed to carrying out their responsibilities, and obey their superiors.
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IEA, Chinese company signs deal for Kapisa dam feasibility study
The Ministry of Energy and Water on Sunday signed an agreement for feasibility, geophysics and geotechnical studies of the Baghdara Dam in Kapisa province with Metallurgical Corp of China (MCC), the contractor of Mes Aynak copper mine.
The agreement was signed between Abdul Latif Mansoor, Acting Minister of Energy and Water, and Song Wen Bing, director of MCC.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mansoor highlighted the importance of the Baghdara Dam project in providing the electricity needed for the Mes Aynak project in Logar province and emphasized that the implementation of the Baghdara Dam project will be a milestone in joint cooperation between Afghanistan and China.
He also emphasized the expansion and development of cooperation between China and Afghanistan and assured the Chinese ambassador and MCC officials that the environment is favorable for investment in Afghanistan and the Islamic Emirate is committed to cooperate in this regard.
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