The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Military News > Afghanistan

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-22-2019, 06:19 AM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,783
Unhappy 2 U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan, NATO says

2 U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan, NATO says
By: Washington Post / 3-22-19
RE: https://triblive.com/news/world/2-u-...tan-nato-says/

Photo link: https://triblive.com/wp-content/uplo...anA-032319.jpg
Two U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan on Friday while carrying out an operation.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Two U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan on Friday while carrying out an operation, the U.S.-led NATO coalition said.

No details were provided, and their names will not be disclosed until 24 hours after their next of kin are notified, according to Department of Defense policy. But their deaths come as the United States plans to withdraw its 14,000-troop advisory mission in Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump recently tied the withdrawal to progress toward a peaceful settlement aimed at ending the 18-year war.

Despite the talks, Afghanistan is suffering from crippling violence, with a record number of civilian casualties last year. On Thursday, a string of bombs exploded in Kabul as Afghans celebrated the Persian New Year, Nowruz, killing six and wounding 23 more. The Islamic State claimed responsibility Friday for the bombings near a Shiite shrine and cemetery, saying the aim of the attack “was to spoil the ritual of the polytheists.”

Peace talks between the United States and the Taliban have intensified in recent months, negotiations that have rankled the Afghan government in Kabul, which has been excluded from the process.

Parallel talks have also been held in Moscow, and in an effort to expand internationally, the U.S. chief negotiator, Afghan-born Zalmay Khalilzad, is hosting his Russian, Chinese and European Union counterparts in Washington on Thursday and Friday.

Last week, relations between Washington and Kabul hit a new low when Afghanistan’s national security adviser, Hamidullah Mohib, charged that any U.S. deal with the Taliban would “sell out” his country and “dishonor” American troops who fought and died in the conflict. He added that Khalilzad was acting out of personal ambition.

In response, Mohib was barred from any future dealings with U.S. officials, Afghan and U.S. media reported.
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2  
Old 03-22-2019, 06:24 AM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,783
Default

2nd report on the loss of two American Service Members
RE: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/u...ed-afghanistan

By AMIR SHAH
March 22, 2019 7:48 am
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Two American service members were killed during an operation in Afghanistan on Friday, the U.S. and NATO forces said, providing no other details on the combat deaths.


The fatalities, which bring to four the number of U.S. soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan, underscore the difficulties in bringing peace to the war-wrecked country even as Washington has stepped up efforts to find a way to end the 17-year war, America’s longest.

The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission said the names of the service members killed in action were being withheld until after notification of the next of kin, in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy. The statement also did not specify the location of the combat or say who the soldiers were fighting.

“The incident is under investigation and we have no additional information to provide,” said Sgt. 1st Class Debra Richardson, a Resolute Support spokeswoman.

There are about 14,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, supporting embattled Afghan forces as they struggle on two fronts — facing a resurgent Taliban who now hold sway over almost half the country and also the Islamic State affiliate, which has sought to expand its footprint in Afghanistan even as its self-proclaimed “caliphate” has crumbled in Syria and Iraq.

In 2001, after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan and ousted the ruling Taliban regime in a matter of weeks. But the Taliban subsequently regrouped while Washington shifted its attention to Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, and by 2009, the war had become a stalemate.

The Pentagon has recently been developing plans to withdraw up to half of the American forces still in the country while at the same time stepping up efforts and having the U.S. negotiate with the Taliban.

U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, the Trump administration’s main negotiator with the Taliban, concluded earlier this month a 13-day marathon session with leaders of the insurgent group.

Following the talks, held in Qatar where the Taliban maintain an office, Khalilzad said the two sides reached two “draft agreements” covering the withdrawal of U.S. troops and guarantees that Afghanistan would not revert to a haven for terrorists.

But he was unable to persuade the Taliban to launch talks with the Afghan government. The Taliban have consistently refused to talk with the government in Kabul, describing it as a U.S. puppet.

The two sides seem to be in agreement about the withdrawal of American forces, but divided over the timeline and whether a residual American force would remain.
Last year, 13 U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan.
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 04:27 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.