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US sending 650 Rangers to protect forces as they withdraw
The Pentagon is reportedly sending around 650 troops to Afghanistan in the coming days to protect US forces as they withdraw from the country, CNN reported Tuesday, citing several defense officials.
According to CNN, the deployment was approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin late last week as part of a package of military assets being sent to the country to facilitate the US withdrawal, which is due to be complete by September 11.
According to CNN, the ground troops are largely expected to come from the 75th Ranger Regiment, which already has some personnel in the region as part of a special operations force unit.
The Rangers being sent are expected to have dedicated aircraft able to transport them around the country as well as close air support such as AC-130 gunships to protect them if they are attacked along with departing troops.
This comes after Austin last week approved extending the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower as well as B-52 bombers to the region to carry out airstrikes if needed given the level of threats by the Taliban to attack US troops.
But the Rangers will potentially face the greatest risk on the ground as they move to remote areas where US troops, located in southern and eastern Afghanistan, are likely to be among the first to be moved out, reported CNN.
On Sunday, US Forces Afghanistan and NATO’s Resolute Support Mission commander General Austin Scott Miller said some troops were being moved within the country.
“All of our forces are now preparing to retrograde. Officially the notification date will be the first of May, but at the same time as we start taking local actions we have already begun that,” Miller said.
Citing officials, CNN reported that after the withdrawal begins May 1, there will be an effort to move conventional forces and equipment out as quickly as possible if that equipment is not turned over to Afghan forces or destroyed in place.
It’s not yet clear if special operations forces already in Afghanistan that are involved in counter-terrorism missions will be among the last to depart so the US has the crucial time to develop a plan on how to continue to conduct counter-terror operations when all forces have left the country, reported CNN.
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Ten people killed by floods in Helmand
Ten people have been killed and six others injured by floods in Helmand province in the past week, local officials said on Friday.
According to officials, seven of those were members of the same family, and they were killed in Kajaki district last night.
“Most of the people moved from vulnerable areas to high lands and mountains, and thanks Allah the number of casualties is low,” Sher Mohammad Vahdat, the head of information of the Directorate of Information and Culture in Helmand, said adding rescue teams and security forces have been dispatched to help people.
It is said that the telecommunication system has also been disrupted due to the effect of floods in Kajaki district. Floods have also destroyed thousands of acres of agricultural land.
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UN envoy meets Indian foreign minister to discuss Afghanistan
Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, met with the Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi and discussed issues related to Afghanistan, it was announced on Thursday.
During the meeting, Otunbayeva thanked India for “its critical humanitarian support and longstanding friendship for the Afghan people” and discussed the importance of regional and international cooperation to address prevailing challenges in Afghanistan, UNAMA said on X.
Jaishankar also said on X that the sides exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan.
“Underlined that India has provided wheat, medicines, pesticides and school supplies. Appreciate the role of UN agencies as partners in these endeavors,” he said.
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Traffic accident leaves one dead, four injured in Herat
Local officials in Herat say one person was killed and four others injured due to a traffic accident in Karukh district of the province.
The accident took place on Thursday night at 8:pm.
The injured individuals have been taken to Herat’s regional hospital by the personnel of Karukh district police headquarters, local officials said.
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