Reg: No 352 Volume No. 3203 Sunday January 10, …outlookafghanistan.net/assets/epaper/January 10,...
Reg: No 352 Volume No. 3203 Sunday January 10, 2016 Jaddi 20, 1394 www.outlookafghanistan.net Price: 15/-Afs Quote of the Day Email: [email protected] Phone: 0093 (799) 005019/777-005019 www.thedailyafghanistan.com To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace. George Washington MPs Summon Security Officials as Taliban Eye Strategic Towns U.S. in Afghanistan in ‘Combat Situation,’ Not Combat Mission Pollution Threatens Health of Residents, Warns MoPH KABUL - The Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) on Saturday summoned key se- curity officials to answer ques- tions over the growing spate of Taliban threats targeting the strategic provinces and towns. Those summoned before par- liament were the Minister of Interior Noorulhaq Ulomi, act- ing minister of defense Masoom Stanekzai and acting chief of National Directorate of Security (NDS) Masoud Andarabi. In their remarks before the law- makers, the security officials said that the Taliban has been trying to shift their war to some strategic provinces - including Nangarhar, Helmand, Kunduz China, US Meeting Seeks End to Afghan War Pakistan-Kabul Talks in March on Avoiding Double Taxation US Confirms Participation in Key Peace Talks Meeting AAF to Receive another Mi-25 from India in 3 Weeks Ghani Extends Term of the Appointed Members of Senate NDS Conducted over 2,000 Raids in 2015 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan will host discussions with representatives from China and the United States to establish a “roadmap for peace talks” for Afghani- stan. Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States will hold talks in Pakistan’s capital on reviving ne- gotiations to end the Afghanistan war. Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni says representatives meeting on Monday will discuss a “road map for peace talks”. He said on Saturday that Kabul’s delegation will be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai. The talks were agreed upon during a visit to Kabul last month by Pakistan’s army chief General Raheel Sharif. The talks do not include the Taliban, who have been battling the US-backed government for nearly 15 years and have recently ...(More on P4)...(3) ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Afghanistan will hold talks in March on a treaty to avoid double taxation and prevent fiscal evasion, an official said. A draft agreement on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion convention was handed to Afghan authorities in the Joint Economic Commis- sion (JEC) meeting held in February 2014. The treaty was drafted by Pakistani tax officials, Dawn online quoted official as saying on Fri- day. “We had shared the draft with the Afghan government for a feedback and are currently awaiting response,” the tax official said. In a recent meeting of Pakistan-Afghanistan JEC in Islamabad, the Afghan authorities said Ka- bul has already sent their feedback through diplomatic channel. However, the tax official said the ...(More on P4)...(6) WASHINGTON - U.S State Department spokesman John Kirby has confirmed the United States’ participation in the upcoming quadrilateral meeting next week between Af- ghanistan, China, U.S and Pakistan to map out the way forward for peace talks with the Taliban. He also confirmed that the Taliban will not at- tend this meeting. “We plan to participate in this quadrilateral meeting next week. No Taliban are going to be participating in this coordination meet- ing,” he said. Kirby added: “It’s aimed at coordinating Af- ghan, Pakistani, Chinese, and U.S efforts to set the conditions for peace in Afghanistan.” He said the meeting will be “an opportunity to further our partnership with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China in support of an Afghan- led, Afghan-owned reconciliation, which is what we’ve said all along we want to see.” Kirby went on to say that the meeting is a significant follow-up to the Heart of Asia dis- cussions late last year. However, he said he was not able to identify or confirm the U.S delegation that will take part in next week’s discussions. Meanwhile, Zalmay Khalilzad, a former American ambassador to Afghanistan and U.S permanent representative to the UN, said that Pakistan’s Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ra- heel Sharif’s recent announcement - that his country would press Pakistan-based Taliban leaders to resume peace talks and take action against those who resort to terrorism and vio- lence - has raised ...(More on P4)...(8) KABUL - The Afghan Air Force will receive the fourth and final Mi-25 gunship helicopter from India within the next three weeks, act- ing defense minister Masoom Stanikzai said Saturday. Briefing the Afghan lawmakers in the Lower House of the Parliament – Wolesi Jirga, Stan- ikzai said the Ministry of Defense is working on a long term plan for the development of the Afghan Air Force which covers the equip- ment process and training of the Afghan pi- lots, maintainers and engineers over a period of five years. Stanikzai also expressed optimisms regard- ing the growth of the Afghan Air Force ca- pabilities with the arrival of fixed wing light attack aircraft from United States. Afghanistan received three of the four Mi- 25 gunship helicopters from India late in the month of December last year and days before the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kabul. The decision for the delivery of Mi-25 gun- ship helicopters was concluded during the recent visit of ...(More on P4)...(7) KABUL - The acting chief of National Directorate of Security (NDS), Masoud Andarabi, on Saturday said that intelligence operatives conducted around 2,200 counter-terrorism raids across the country in 2015 and thwarted major terrorist attack plots by the anti-government armed militant groups. While taking to reporters, Andarabi said that Af- ghan intelligence operatives eliminated at least 14 terrorist groups during the same period. He said some of the major strategies of the anti- government armed militant groups were also thwarted by the Afghan forces. Andarabi further added that the militant groups were looking to execute their strategies in some of the volatile provinces, including northern Kun- duz, eastern Nangarhar, ...(More on P4)...(5) KABUL - President Mohammad AShraf Ghani ex- tended the term of the appointed members of the Afghan Senate – Upper House of the Parliament (Meshrano Jirga), the Presidential Palace said Sat- urday. A statement by ARG Palace said the decision was taken following a meeting with the members of the Senate on Friday. The statement further added that the meeting was attended by the chairman of the Senate House (Meshrano Jirga) Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, deputy administrative chiefs along with the administra- tive delegation of the Senate. The deputy head of ...(More on P4)...(2) WASHINGTON, D.C. - Some U.S. Special Operations forces on the ground in Afghanistan found themselves in a “combat situation” a little over a year af- ter President Obama declared their combat mission over, ac- cording to the Pentagon. While briefing reporters Thurs- day, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook indicated that the Department of Defense (DoD) may not always be aware of what the the U.S. forces are do- ing in Afghanistan. “We’ll provide information as we get it, about their role, what they’re doing out there,” said Cook in responding to a re- porter telling him, “I just want to kind of put on record that as of now, we don’t know what’s being asked of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.” The spokesman did stress throughout Thursday’s press briefing that the U.S. military has transitioned to a train, advise, and assist (TAA) role. Earlier this week, Cook avoided using the word “combat” when announcing that an American ser- vice member had been killed and two others wounded while partici- pating in a “clearing operation” in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province Tuesday. Asked whether Tuesday’s incident meant American troops were en- gaged in combat, Cook repeatedly argued that the U.S. military has KABUL - The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on Saturday warned that unless the high level of pollution in Kabul is reduced, the health of thousands of city residents will be threatened. It is said that as many as 3,000 people in Afghanistan lose their lives annually due to illnesses caused by poor air pollution. However, recently 700,000 people in Kabul have been treated for respiratory prob- lems in local hospitals – res- piratory problems caused by pollution. The ministry said that pol- lution can cause respiratory and heart problems as well as strokes. Qamaruddin Siddiqi, an ad- the geography of the war, with threats growing against villages and highways and reports that Afghan forces on the frontline are still on the defensive op- posed to the offensive. “Taliban are likely willing to continue their bloodshed and war, the security forces must learn from their experiences during the past four months and move the plan for the next four months on the basis of the ex- perience in the past,” Andarabi said. Responding to a question about some countries using the Taliban against Daesh, the NDS chief said that the Taliban has been requested to defeat Daesh. “Taliban ...(More on P4)...(1) transitioned to a TAA role. President Obama declared the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan over in December 2014, noting that the American troops would assume their new train, advise, and assist role in January 2015. Today, Cook repeatedly argued that the U.S. Special Operations forces were engaged in a “combat situa- tion” in Helmand province Tuesday when they were providing assis- tance to their Afghan counterparts, whom he claimed are in the lead of their country’s ...(More on P4)...(4) Andarabi Pentagon An Afghan policeman frisks a passenger during a military operation in Wardak province, on Saturday January 09, 2016. Units of Afghan national army during crackdown against militants across the country have killed 30 armed insurgents and injured 15 others over the past 24 hours, Defense Ministry said in a statement. (Xinhua/Sayed Mominzadah) visor to the MoPH, said that Kabul is not an appropriate place for living. “Air pollu- tion should be tackled soon,” he added. The existence of some pol- lutants such as sulfur diox- ide and nitrogen dioxide has turned Kabul’s air into a dan- gerous enemy of the people, said officials. However, officials in the Na- tional Environmental Pro- tection Agency (NEPA) said that resolving the problem of will not happen overnight. Ghulam Mohammad Malek- yar, Technical Deputy Chair- man of the NEPA, said the organization has some long term plans in place to ad- dress the challenge. Zakria Sauda, a member of natural resources and en- vironment protection com- mission of the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament), said: “Air pollution is a silent killer and is like a poison that we are all eating.” Heavy traffic, increasing pop- ulation and existence of small and large industries are con- sidered as the main reasons behind rising air pollution in Kabul city. However, the lack of emission-control plans to tackle air quality has raised public concern. Naqibul- lah Faiq, a member of health commission of the LH, said that air quality in Kabul city is like a gradual death that perturbs residents of the city. “Air pollution also affects mental health of Kabul resi- dents,” he added. (Tolonews) and Kabul. Emotions however ran high in parliament as lawmakers demanded answers from the high-ranking officials – who told MPs that the Afghan security forces are committed to continuing their mili- tary campaigns and special operations against the Taliban. Concerns have grown in recent weeks after reports surfaced of a possible shift in
Transcript of Reg: No 352 Volume No. 3203 Sunday January 10, …outlookafghanistan.net/assets/epaper/January 10,...
Reg: No 352 Volume No. 3203 Sunday January 10, 2016 Jaddi 20, 1394 www.outlookafghanistan.net Price: 15/-Afs
Quote of the Day
Email: [email protected]: 0093 (799) 005019/777-005019
www.thedailyafghanistan.com
To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means
of preserving peace.George Washington
MPs Summon Security Officials as Taliban Eye Strategic Towns
U.S. in Afghanistan in ‘Combat Situation,’ Not Combat Mission
Pollution Threatens Health of Residents, Warns MoPH
KABUL - The Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) on Saturday summoned key se-curity officials to answer ques-tions over the growing spate of Taliban threats targeting the strategic provinces and towns.Those summoned before par-liament were the Minister of Interior Noorulhaq Ulomi, act-ing minister of defense Masoom Stanekzai and acting chief of National Directorate of Security (NDS) Masoud Andarabi.In their remarks before the law-makers, the security officials said that the Taliban has been trying to shift their war to some strategic provinces - including Nangarhar, Helmand, Kunduz
China, US Meeting Seeks End
to Afghan War
Pakistan-Kabul Talks in March on Avoiding
Double Taxation
US Confirms Participation in Key Peace Talks
Meeting
AAF to Receive another Mi-25 from
India in 3 Weeks
Ghani Extends Term of the Appointed
Members of Senate
NDS Conducted over 2,000 Raids in 2015
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan will host discussions with representatives from China and the United States to establish a “roadmap for peace talks” for Afghani-stan.Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States will hold talks in Pakistan’s capital on reviving ne-gotiations to end the Afghanistan war.Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni says representatives meeting on Monday will discuss a “road map for peace talks”. He said on Saturday that Kabul’s delegation will be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai.The talks were agreed upon during a visit to Kabul last month by Pakistan’s army chief General Raheel Sharif.The talks do not include the Taliban, who have been battling the US-backed government for nearly 15 years and have recently ...(More on P4)...(3)
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Afghanistan will hold talks in March on a treaty to avoid double taxation and prevent fiscal evasion, an official said. A draft agreement on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion convention was handed to Afghan authorities in the Joint Economic Commis-sion (JEC) meeting held in February 2014. The treaty was drafted by Pakistani tax officials, Dawn online quoted official as saying on Fri-day.“We had shared the draft with the Afghan government for a feedback and are currently awaiting response,” the tax official said. In a recent meeting of Pakistan-Afghanistan JEC in Islamabad, the Afghan authorities said Ka-bul has already sent their feedback through diplomatic channel. However, the tax official said the ...(More on P4)...(6)
WASHINGTON - U.S State Department spokesman John Kirby has confirmed the United States’ participation in the upcoming quadrilateral meeting next week between Af-ghanistan, China, U.S and Pakistan to map out the way forward for peace talks with the Taliban.He also confirmed that the Taliban will not at-tend this meeting.“We plan to participate in this quadrilateral meeting next week. No Taliban are going to be participating in this coordination meet-ing,” he said.Kirby added: “It’s aimed at coordinating Af-ghan, Pakistani, Chinese, and U.S efforts to set the conditions for peace in Afghanistan.”He said the meeting will be “an opportunity to further our partnership with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China in support of an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned reconciliation, which is what we’ve said all along we want to see.”Kirby went on to say that the meeting is a significant follow-up to the Heart of Asia dis-cussions late last year. However, he said he was not able to identify or confirm the U.S delegation that will take part in next week’s discussions.Meanwhile, Zalmay Khalilzad, a former American ambassador to Afghanistan and U.S permanent representative to the UN, said that Pakistan’s Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ra-heel Sharif’s recent announcement - that his country would press Pakistan-based Taliban leaders to resume peace talks and take action against those who resort to terrorism and vio-lence - has raised ...(More on P4)...(8)
KABUL - The Afghan Air Force will receive the fourth and final Mi-25 gunship helicopter from India within the next three weeks, act-ing defense minister Masoom Stanikzai said Saturday.Briefing the Afghan lawmakers in the Lower House of the Parliament – Wolesi Jirga, Stan-ikzai said the Ministry of Defense is working on a long term plan for the development of the Afghan Air Force which covers the equip-ment process and training of the Afghan pi-lots, maintainers and engineers over a period of five years.Stanikzai also expressed optimisms regard-ing the growth of the Afghan Air Force ca-pabilities with the arrival of fixed wing light attack aircraft from United States.Afghanistan received three of the four Mi-25 gunship helicopters from India late in the month of December last year and days before the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kabul.The decision for the delivery of Mi-25 gun-ship helicopters was concluded during the recent visit of ...(More on P4)...(7)
KABUL - The acting chief of National Directorate of Security (NDS), Masoud Andarabi, on Saturday said that intelligence operatives conducted around 2,200 counter-terrorism raids across the country in 2015 and thwarted major terrorist attack plots by the anti-government armed militant groups.While taking to reporters, Andarabi said that Af-ghan intelligence operatives eliminated at least 14 terrorist groups during the same period.He said some of the major strategies of the anti-government armed militant groups were also thwarted by the Afghan forces.Andarabi further added that the militant groups were looking to execute their strategies in some of the volatile provinces, including northern Kun-duz, eastern Nangarhar, ...(More on P4)...(5)
KABUL - President Mohammad AShraf Ghani ex-tended the term of the appointed members of the Afghan Senate – Upper House of the Parliament (Meshrano Jirga), the Presidential Palace said Sat-urday.A statement by ARG Palace said the decision was taken following a meeting with the members of the Senate on Friday.The statement further added that the meeting was attended by the chairman of the Senate House (Meshrano Jirga) Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, deputy administrative chiefs along with the administra-tive delegation of the Senate.The deputy head of ...(More on P4)...(2)
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Some U.S. Special Operations forces on the ground in Afghanistan found themselves in a “combat situation” a little over a year af-ter President Obama declared their combat mission over, ac-cording to the Pentagon.While briefing reporters Thurs-day, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook indicated that the Department of Defense (DoD) may not always be aware of what the the U.S. forces are do-ing in Afghanistan.“We’ll provide information as we get it, about their role, what they’re doing out there,” said Cook in responding to a re-porter telling him, “I just want to kind of put on record that as of now, we don’t know what’s being asked of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.”The spokesman did stress throughout Thursday’s press
briefing that the U.S. military has transitioned to a train, advise, and assist (TAA) role.Earlier this week, Cook avoided using the word “combat” when announcing that an American ser-vice member had been killed and two others wounded while partici-pating in a “clearing operation” in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province Tuesday.Asked whether Tuesday’s incident meant American troops were en-gaged in combat, Cook repeatedly argued that the U.S. military has
KABUL - The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on Saturday warned that unless the high level of pollution in Kabul is reduced, the health of thousands of city residents will be threatened.It is said that as many as 3,000 people in Afghanistan lose their lives annually due to illnesses caused by poor air pollution.However, recently 700,000 people in Kabul have been treated for respiratory prob-lems in local hospitals – res-piratory problems caused by pollution.The ministry said that pol-lution can cause respiratory and heart problems as well as strokes.Qamaruddin Siddiqi, an ad-
the geography of the war, with threats growing against villages and highways and reports that Afghan forces on the frontline are still on the defensive op-posed to the offensive.“Taliban are likely willing to continue their bloodshed and war, the security forces must learn from their experiences during the past four months and move the plan for the next four months on the basis of the ex-perience in the past,” Andarabi said. Responding to a question about some countries using the Taliban against Daesh, the NDS chief said that the Taliban has been requested to defeat Daesh.“Taliban ...(More on P4)...(1)
transitioned to a TAA role.President Obama declared the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan over in December 2014, noting that the American troops would assume their new train, advise, and assist role in January 2015.Today, Cook repeatedly argued that the U.S. Special Operations forces were engaged in a “combat situa-tion” in Helmand province Tuesday when they were providing assis-tance to their Afghan counterparts, whom he claimed are in the lead of their country’s ...(More on P4)...(4)
AndarabiPentagon
An Afghan policeman frisks a passenger during a military operation in Wardak province, on Saturday January 09, 2016. Units of Afghan national army during crackdown against militants across the country have killed 30 armed insurgents
and injured 15 others over the past 24 hours, Defense Ministry said in a statement. (Xinhua/Sayed Mominzadah)
visor to the MoPH, said that Kabul is not an appropriate place for living. “Air pollu-tion should be tackled soon,” he added.The existence of some pol-lutants such as sulfur diox-ide and nitrogen dioxide has turned Kabul’s air into a dan-gerous enemy of the people, said officials.However, officials in the Na-
tional Environmental Pro-tection Agency (NEPA) said that resolving the problem of will not happen overnight.Ghulam Mohammad Malek-yar, Technical Deputy Chair-man of the NEPA, said the organization has some long term plans in place to ad-dress the challenge.Zakria Sauda, a member of natural resources and en-
vironment protection com-mission of the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament), said: “Air pollution is a silent killer and is like a poison that we are all eating.”Heavy traffic, increasing pop-ulation and existence of small and large industries are con-sidered as the main reasons behind rising air pollution in Kabul city. However, the lack of emission-control plans to tackle air quality has raised public concern. Naqibul-lah Faiq, a member of health commission of the LH, said that air quality in Kabul city is like a gradual death that perturbs residents of the city. “Air pollution also affects mental health of Kabul resi-dents,” he added. (Tolonews)
and Kabul. Emotions however ran high in parliament as lawmakers demanded answers from the high-ranking officials – who told MPs that the Afghan security
forces are committed to continuing their mili-tary campaigns and special operations against the Taliban. Concerns have grown in recent weeks after reports surfaced of a possible shift in
