Milley: US coordination with Taliban on strikes ‘possible’
3 years, 4 months ago

Milley: US coordination with Taliban on strikes ‘possible’

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it’s “possible” the United States will seek to coordinate with the Taliban on counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan against Islamic State militants or others. At a Pentagon news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Milley called the Taliban “ruthless” adding, “Whether or not they change remains to be seen.” He suggested that the recent cooperative arrangement with the Taliban at Kabul airport was not necessarily a model for the future. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, has described the U.S. relationship with the Taliban during the evacuation as “very pragmatic and very businesslike,” saying they helped secure the airport. “To those asking for a third decade of war in Afghanistan, I ask, ‘What is the vital national interest?’” Biden said.

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History of this topic

Top US General Milley calls Afghanistan a ‘strategic failure’
3 years, 3 months ago

Top US General Milley calls Afghanistan a ‘strategic failure’

Al Jazeera  

Pentagon chiefs say if US troops had remained in Afghanistan longer, that could have prevented fall of Kabul to the Taliban. “It is clear and obvious that the war in Afghanistan did not end on the terms we wanted with the Taliban now in power in Kabul,” General Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee, warning that Afghanistan today appears …

US Holds Maiden Talks With Pak on Afghan Crisis, Says Legitimacy of Taliban Will be Defined by Actions
3 years, 3 months ago

US Holds Maiden Talks With Pak on Afghan Crisis, Says Legitimacy of Taliban Will be Defined by Actions

News 18  

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday he believed the world was united on pressing the Taliban after speaking with Pakistan, China and Russia, key players with Afghanistan’s new rulers. Blinken met Thursday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with his counterpart from Pakistan, the chief ally of the Taliban regime that was toppled by US troops …

It's possible: US on working with Taliban to fight ISIS-K threat
3 years, 4 months ago

It's possible: US on working with Taliban to fight ISIS-K threat

India Today  

The United States might cooperate with the Taliban to fight the terror threat imposed by the ISIS-K in Afghanistan, informed General Mark Miley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. According to a report by Politico, during a Pentagon news briefing with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday, General Mark Miley initially described the Taliban as a "ruthless group" …

Milley: US coordination with Taliban on strikes ‘possible’
3 years, 4 months ago

Milley: US coordination with Taliban on strikes ‘possible’

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that it’s “possible” the United States will seek to coordinate with the Taliban on counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan against Islamic State militants or others. At a Pentagon news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Milley called the Taliban “ruthless” adding, “Whether or not they change …

Biden warns another attack in Afghanistan likely as US begins final stage of withdrawal
3 years, 4 months ago

Biden warns another attack in Afghanistan likely as US begins final stage of withdrawal

Live Mint  

Evacuation efforts in Kabul began to wind down Saturday as the Afghan capital was on high alert for possible terrorist attacks in the wake of a U.S. strike against Islamic State. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack Thursday outside Kabul’s airport that killed nearly 200 people, including 13 members of the U.S. military. The U.S. military carried out an …

US strikes Islamic State target in Afghanistan, pushes airlift into final stage
3 years, 4 months ago

US strikes Islamic State target in Afghanistan, pushes airlift into final stage

India Today  

The US conducted a drone strike against an Islamic State target in Afghanistan on Saturday, as the airlift of those desperate to flee moved into a fraught final stage with fresh terror attack warnings and encroaching Taliban forces primed to take over Kabul airport. Follow Afghanistan News LIVE Updates The attack followed a chorus of warnings about an imminent threat …

Biden pledges more strikes against extremists as U.S. warns of credible threat in Afghanistan
3 years, 4 months ago

Biden pledges more strikes against extremists as U.S. warns of credible threat in Afghanistan

LA Times  

A U.S. Marine checks an Afghan woman as she goes through the evacuation control center Saturday at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. He warned that another attack by the group was “highly likely,” and the State Department called the threat “specific” and “credible.” The Pentagon said the remaining contingent of U.S. forces at the airport, now numbering fewer than 4,000, …

Biden: Greater threats than Taliban-controlled Afghanistan
3 years, 4 months ago

Biden: Greater threats than Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden says even with the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, he sees a greater threat from outposts of al-Qaida and its affiliated groups in other countries, and that it was no longer “rational” to continue to focus U.S. military power there. Biden named Syria and East Africa as places where the Islamic State group poses a …

Analysis: US forced to depend on the Taliban after 20 years of fighting
3 years, 4 months ago

Analysis: US forced to depend on the Taliban after 20 years of fighting

CNN  

CNN — The depth of the mess the United States finds itself in Afghanistan is encapsulated by the fact that it must now effectively rely on its enemy, the Taliban, as it extricates itself from the humiliating endgame of its longest war. As President Joe Biden returned to Washington Tuesday, breaking off his vacation at Camp David for a second …

Four key questions for the US after the Taliban’s Kabul takeover
3 years, 4 months ago

Four key questions for the US after the Taliban’s Kabul takeover

Al Jazeera  

US officials appear surprised by the Taliban’s rapid advance, raising new questions over how Joe Biden will proceed. But Biden and his top officials have continued to defend the withdrawal timeline, with the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, saying the Taliban’s swift takeover proved the futility of continued US involvement in Afghanistan. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said …

Gen. Mark Milley says terror groups could reconstitute in Afghanistan sooner than expected
3 years, 4 months ago

Gen. Mark Milley says terror groups could reconstitute in Afghanistan sooner than expected

CNN  

CNN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said Sunday in a briefing for Senators that terrorist groups like al Qaeda could reconstitute in Afghanistan sooner than the two years defense officials had previously estimated to Congress because of the recent, rapid Taliban takeover of the country, according to a Senate aide briefed on the comments. …

US says it hopes to see more resistance from Afghan forces
3 years, 4 months ago

US says it hopes to see more resistance from Afghan forces

Al Jazeera  

Pentagon spokesperson says Afghan forces have the military advantage but notes ‘lack of resistance’ to Taliban advance. The United States hopes to see more resistance from the Afghan military against the Taliban, the Pentagon says, stressing that government forces in Afghanistan have the upper hand on paper despite their recent losses. Department of Defense spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on …

U.S. Defence Secretary discusses Afghan situation with Pakistan Army chief
3 years, 5 months ago

U.S. Defence Secretary discusses Afghan situation with Pakistan Army chief

The Hindu  

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a phone call with Pakistan Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, discussed the current situation in Afghanistan, regional security issues and the bilateral defence ties, the Pentagon said. During the phone call on August 9, Mr. Austin expressed his interest in continuing to improve the U.S.-Pakistan relationship and build upon their multiple shared interests …

US offers further air support to Afghan troops amid Taliban offensive
3 years, 5 months ago

US offers further air support to Afghan troops amid Taliban offensive

India Today  

United States will continue to carry out airstrikes to support Afghan forces facing attack from the insurgent Taliban, a regional US commander said on Sunday as US and other international forces have drawn down troops in Afghanistan. The Taliban escalated its offensive in recent weeks, taking rural districts and surrounding provincial capitals, after US President Joe Biden said in April …

Joe Biden, Ashraf Ghani question Taliban’s commitment to talks
3 years, 5 months ago

Joe Biden, Ashraf Ghani question Taliban’s commitment to talks

The Hindu  

U.S President Joe Biden and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani have, during a Friday phone call, concluded that the Taliban’s brutal campaign in Afghanistan after the departure of most U.S. and NATO troops, is not consistent with the group’s claimed support for a negotiated peace settlement in Afghanistan. “President Biden and President Ghani agreed that the Taliban’s current offensive is in …

US speeds Afghanistan withdrawal as Biden sets August deadline
3 years, 6 months ago

US speeds Afghanistan withdrawal as Biden sets August deadline

Al Jazeera  

President Biden says peace in Afghanistan can only come through renewed talks with Taliban even as fighting escalates. United States President Joe Biden said on Thursday the US military would complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan by August 31, ahead of schedule, and dismissed mounting concerns about a civil war developing in the country occupied by the US since 2001. The …

Biden pledges US support to embattled Afghanistan leaders
3 years, 6 months ago

Biden pledges US support to embattled Afghanistan leaders

Al Jazeera  

United States President Joe Biden met with Afghan leaders Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah at the White House on Friday to demonstrate a continuing US commitment to Afghanistan as US troops withdraw. “The partnership between Afghanistan and the United States is not ending,” Biden said in an Oval Office meeting with Ghani and Abdullah. In brief remarks in front of …

Afghan President Ghani to meet Biden as violence surges
3 years, 6 months ago

Afghan President Ghani to meet Biden as violence surges

Al Jazeera  

US president to discuss troop withdrawal with his Afghan counterpart amid a surge in fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban across the country. US President Joe Biden will meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah at the White House on Friday to discuss the US troop withdrawal amid a …

Can The Afghan Army Hold Off The Taliban Without The U.S.?
3 years, 8 months ago

Can The Afghan Army Hold Off The Taliban Without The U.S.?

NPR  

Can The Afghan Army Hold Off The Taliban Without The U.S.? The president said the U.S. will "keep providing assistance" to the Afghan security forces, and reposition counterterrorism forces "over the horizon," to make sure Afghanistan does not once again become a haven for terrorists planning to attack the U.S. "Now, it is well known that the Afghan security forces …

US ‘exploring keeping’ counterterrorism troops in Afghanistan
3 years, 9 months ago

US ‘exploring keeping’ counterterrorism troops in Afghanistan

Al Jazeera  

Biden administration looking at a deal where the Taliban would allow the force to stay in Afghanistan, says US lawmaker. The Biden administration is looking to keep US troops in Afghanistan past a May 1 deadline while exploring a deal in which the Taliban would allow a US counterterrorism force to remain as they confront their ISIL foes, a US …

Afghanistan: Biden wrestles with troop dilemma as time to make a decision runs out
3 years, 9 months ago

Afghanistan: Biden wrestles with troop dilemma as time to make a decision runs out

CNN  

CNN — President Joe Biden, facing his first major decision about American troops abroad, has found himself weighing competing instincts: to wind down the 20-year war in Afghanistan, a position he’s held for more than a decade, or to remain in the hopes of avoiding a Taliban takeover. Weighing the options His dueling instincts have left Biden’s national security team …

Explained | Joe Biden’s Afghanistan peace plan
3 years, 10 months ago

Explained | Joe Biden’s Afghanistan peace plan

The Hindu  

The story so far: The Joe Biden administration has proposed a new peace plan to the Afghan government and the Taliban, seeking to bring violence to a halt and form an interim government. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote a letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, which Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S.’s special envoy for Afghanistan, delivered to the Afghan leader …

Biden administration resumes Taliban peace talks
3 years, 10 months ago

Biden administration resumes Taliban peace talks

CNN  

CNN — The US is sending negotiators to the Middle East to restart peace negotiations with the Taliban for the first time in the Biden administration, the State Department announced Sunday. Khalilzad was the US top negotiator with the Taliban during the Trump administration, and CNN previously reported the Biden administration kept him on board to, in part, demonstrate the …

US says progress hard to see without Taliban commitments
3 years, 11 months ago

US says progress hard to see without Taliban commitments

Al Jazeera  

Biden administration says unless Taliban meets its commitments under 2020 deal, hard to see a way forward. US President Joe Biden’s administration believes it is hard to see a way forward for a negotiated settlement with the Taliban in Afghanistan without the group meeting its commitments under a deal last year, but Washington remained committed to that effort, the Pentagon …

Gen. Milley: 'We're Trying To End A War Responsibly, Deliberately'
4 years, 2 months ago

Gen. Milley: 'We're Trying To End A War Responsibly, Deliberately'

NPR  

Gen. Milley: 'We're Trying To End A War Responsibly, Deliberately' Enlarge this image toggle caption Michael Reynolds/AP Michael Reynolds/AP After nearly two decades of fighting, the Trump administration is trying to bring an abrupt end to the war in Afghanistan, and the U.S. military is trying to manage that end effectively. Last week, President Trump tweeted that American troops "should" …

Mark Milley: Top US general pushes back at national security adviser’s troop withdrawal announcement Top US general pushes back at national security adviser’s troop withdrawal announcement
4 years, 2 months ago

Mark Milley: Top US general pushes back at national security adviser’s troop withdrawal announcement Top US general pushes back at national security adviser’s troop withdrawal announcement

CNN  

CNN — America’s most senior general publicly pushed back Sunday at an announcement by President Donald Trump’s national security adviser that the US will aggressively reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan by the end of the year irrespective of conditions on the ground. Hours after O’Brien’s comments last Wednesday, Trump tweeted that “we should have the” remaining 4,500 US …

The Taliban has trumped the US in Afghanistan | Analysis
4 years, 10 months ago

The Taliban has trumped the US in Afghanistan | Analysis

Hindustan Times  

On February 29, a leap day, the United States took a leap of faith by formalising an agreement with the Taliban in Qatar’s capital Doha, agreeing to terms of withdrawal of America’s 19-year-long war in the country, which cost the lives of over 2,000 US soldiers, and nearly $900 billion. Perhaps not in their wildest dreams had the American leadership …

U.S. Nears Taliban Deal To Reduce Afghanistan Violence And Begin Withdrawing Troops
4 years, 10 months ago

U.S. Nears Taliban Deal To Reduce Afghanistan Violence And Begin Withdrawing Troops

NPR  

U.S. Nears Taliban Deal To Reduce Afghanistan Violence And Begin Withdrawing Troops The United States and the Taliban appear to be making significant progress towards a deal that should see the drawing down of some U.S. troops from Afghanistan. KELEMEN: Last year, President Trump tried to pull off a Camp David meeting with the Taliban, but officials say he called …

Trump meets with national security team on Afghanistan
5 years, 4 months ago

Trump meets with national security team on Afghanistan

Associated Press  

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other members of the national security team briefed President Donald Trump on Friday on the state of peace negotiations in Afghanistan, with Pompeo saying afterward that “led by the president, we are working diligently on the path forward.” Trump, who is spending most of the week at his golf club …

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