[ToloNews] Afghanistan's Caped PresidentAshraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money... on Tuesday portrayed a grim picture of the situation in Afghanistan, saying that between February 29 and July 21 up 10,708 members of the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) have been killed and maimed.
"Between February 29, 2020, and July 21, 2020, ANDSF losses have been 10,708, with 3560 martyred, 6781 maimed and the rest kidnapped, imprisoned or unaccounted for," said Ghani while speaking at the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) in Kabul.
He said that the Afghan civilian losses during this period have been 3073, with 775 killed, 1609 maimed and 689 kidnapped.
Ghani also said that rocket attacks during his provincial visits have become routine.
On Taliban ...Arabic for students... -Al Qaeda ties, Ghani said: "There is no evidence that the Taliban have severed their ties with Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations nor have they socialized peace among their commanders and fighters."
Ghani said that to ensure that the window remains open for peace in the country, the Afghan government has offered proof of its commitment and moral courage by the release of Taliban prisoners.
"To ensure that the window remains open, we have offered proof of our commitment and moral courage by the release of Taliban prisoners, a move without precedent in the annals of peace-building," he said.
On the controversy over the release of the Taliban’s 5,000 prisoners, Ghani said: "To demonstrate the government’s commitment to peace, the Islamic Theocratic Republic will soon complete the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners as part of the exchange with ANDSF prisoners. With this action, we look forward to the start of direct negotiations with the Taliban in a week’s time. We call on the Taliban to join us at the negotiating table and to concluding promptly there a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. Commitment to a ceasefire during the coming 'Eid will be an indication of things to come."
AFGHANISTAN’S ECONOMIC SITUATION:
In the speech, Ghani also defended his economic policies and portrayed an optimistic picture of Afghan exports.
"We expect to export 6,090 (metric) tons through the air corridor in 2020. Our exports through the dry port of Zarang alone, however exceeded 6k tons up until now, underlining the crucial role of regional connectivity in the generation of prosperity. Thanks to President Aliyov and Birdie Muhammadov for the recent virtual summit on trade, transit and investment along the Lapis Lazuli corridor. Thanking Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for the rail corridor as well as power transmission line. A contract for 1,000 megawatts at 5 cents for 10 years is an important signal, as well as USAID’s support for private sector investment in renewables," said Ghani.
"Revenue projection has been reduced from Afs 208.9 billion to Afs 175.8 billion, amounting to 12% instead of 13.7% of the GDP. As of July 27, we have collected 54% of the revised target and expect to meet the target by the end of the year. We expect to spend 93% of the development budget by the end of 2020," he said.
Ghani thanked SOM members for their continued support of Afghanistan.
"Heartful thanks for your continued interest, support, and partnership for the government and people of Afghanistan, women, and men who are striving to lead meaningful, peaceful, and productive lives in a democratic polity and tolerant society," said Ghani.
[Libya Observer] The Ottoman Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, accused the European IRINI Operation of running the arms embargo on Libya with bias, saying it was working in favor of Haftar and in direct opposition to the legitimate Government of National Accord (GNA).
Cavusoglu asked, in a statement during a joint presser with his Spanish counterpart, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, whether the IRINI Operation was, in fact, searching aircraft loaded with military equipment and weapons originating from Egypt, Syria, Russia, La Belle France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He stressed that the only solution to the present Libyan crisis was through a political settlement.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2020 00:00 ||
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From Wikipedia: The European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation IRINI (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI) has been launched on March 31, 2020 with the aim to enforce the United Nations arms embargo to Libya. Operation IRINI is a European Union military operation under the umbrella of the Common Security and Defense Policy. The operation is expected to use aerial, maritime and satellite assets. This arms embargo is constantly violated and has been called a joke by the UN deputy special envoy for Libya Stephanie Williams.
Interestingly, #Turkey T129 Atak helicopter and Blackhawk unloaded at Nakhchevan airport (1). AZ was to purchase T129s in 2013 (2), but neither @sipri nor UNROCA have it registered, nor shown in official videos of training
[American Military News] U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced Wednesday the U.S. is set to withdraw around 6,400 troops from Germany and shift move nearly 5,600 troops from Germany to other countries in Europe.
Esper's announcement comes amid calls from President Donald Trump to reduce the number of troops in Germany. The reduction of approximately 11,900 troops from Germany will reduce the number of U.S. troops in the country from around 36,000 to 24,000.
"The current EUCOM plan will reposition approximately 11,900 military personnel from Germany – from roughly 36,000 down to 24,000 – in a manner that will strengthen NATO, enhance the deterrence of Russia, and meet the other principles I set forth," Esper said of the plan. "Of the 11,900, nearly 5,600 Service members will be repositioned within NATO countries, and approximately 6,400 will return to the United States, though many of these or similar units will begin conducting rotational deployments back to Europe."
While various U.S. units return home, Esper said units similar to the ones leaving Europe will begin making rotational deployments around the continent going forward. Esper said the plan is to consolidate U.S. headquarters in countries in Europe outside Germany, such as NATO bases in Belgium and Italy. He said, "This will strengthen NATO and improve the operational efficiency and readiness of over 2,000 Service members."
Esper said around 4,500 of the U.S. troops returning home would be members of 2nd Cavalry Regiment, while similar Stryker units will head further east and around the Black Sea, reinforcing NATO's presence in a key area between Russia and continental Europe. A fighter squadron and elements of a fighter wing will also shift from Germany to Italy, positioning those fighters closer to the Black Sea Region.
Another 2,500 airmen based in Mildenhall, U.K., who were scheduled to re-base to Germany, will remain in the U.K.
Esper also confirmed some troops will be sent to Poland, in line with a troop movement suggested by Trump last month during a press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
The decision to move troops from Germany comes as Trump has pressured the NATO ally to contribute more to the alliance. In his remarks last month, Trump said Germany is "paying a very small fraction of what they are supposed to be paying" and that they have had a "tremendous delinquency."
Despite the approximate net 6,400 troops leaving Europe altogether, Esper emphasized U.S. forces in Europe are making the troop shifts in a way that meets five strategic goals he set out: enhancing deterrence of Russia, strengthening NATO, keeping allies reassured of a U.S. presence in Europe, improving U.S. strategic flexibility and European Command (EUCOM) operational flexibility, caring for service members and their families in the process.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/29/2020 10:31 ||
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The Pentagon will drag its feet until January. Then we'll see.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
07/29/2020 13:14 Comments ||
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EC - agreed.
I miss the Hofbrau House; still got a big-ass mug that found its way into my bag as I left.
#5
I agree with EC. I am also happy they are leaving. There is little reason for them to be there other than a tripwire force. Not enough combat units to provide any real meaningful defense. Move them into Poland and let that be the tripwire area.
Come visit me in Cincinnati, Raj. The management opened their first Hofbrauhaus outside of Munich just across the river from us. We don’t have tourists misbehaving so colourfully in corners, but otherwise we have fun.
From a few days ago, but I thought the veteran on veteran interesting.
[PJMedia] Saturday night just before 10 p.m., shots rang out as protesters in Austin occupied downtown streets once again.
As Sunday has progressed we have learned that the man who was shot was Garrett Foster, 28. He was a veteran who served in the United States Air Force.
Foster was one of several protesters who carried rifles to the Austin protest Saturday night. This is Foster, carrying his AK-47 rifle. In the brief interview, he taunts opponents of the ongoing marches.
Continued on Page 49
#6
AK? No, probably a cheap ass Maadi. Accurate to about 50 feet. Not yards, feet. I have one in a closet someplace that I got at a swap meet years ago for a box of harley parts. Been meaning to get a bit of smithing and have it crowned (you should see the shit job on the original barrel).
Posted by: Marilyn Tojo7566 ||
07/29/2020 8:34 Comments ||
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#7
An old city, downtown Austin is a kill zone.
Narrow dead-end streets with buildings immediately adjacent and poorly lighted narrow sidewalks.
#11
You don't shoot into a car that is surrounded by a crowd of "peaceful" protesters (sarc) or non-peaceful protesters. An AK-47 would have fair penetrating power and could go through the vehicle and take out a few of your fellow peaceful protesters. Foster was negligent and likely could be prosecuted under a number of Texas laws--attempted murder, negligent discharge of a firearm, creating a dangerous situation and a risk to others...
You're right that it oughtn’t matter, charger, but since the Left has chosen to weaponize the veteran status of the dead former Air Force mechanic, their weapon is quickly neutralized when the man who shot him is also a veteran.
Incidentally, this bit from Skidmark’s link about someone destroying the shrine to the dead gentleman is interesting,&94 what counts as a veteran:
The 28-year-old was originally from Plano but had been living with Mitchell in Austin for the last two years. His mother Sheila said her son had been participating in the Black Lives Matter protests for 50 days in support of Mitchell, who is African-American.
The couple began dating just over a decade ago, having first met in an online chat room and became engaged a year later.
The following month, Mitchell was struck down by a mysterious illness and later had to have all four of her limbs amputated following sepsis.
Foster had to leave for basic training two months later but was discharged from the Air Force, aged 19, to become her full time carer.
'That time when he was gone [for basic training] was so detrimental to both of them, because they were very much in love, and he had cared for her so well,' his aunt Karen Sourber told USA Today. 'He’s been her primary caretaker ever since. He just loved her unconditionally and took care of everything.'
How long is basic training for Air Force mechanics?
#13
Talcolm X begs to differ. According to baby blackface, Foster was just caring for his girlfriend, out for a pleasant push stroll when some maniac came tearing through the parade, stopped, and fired 8 shots at Garret. No mention of the driver also being a vet, but likely one who did more than, what, some three months basic?
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2020 00:00 ||
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This is the country our troops should be withdrawn from. Plus all US businesses and NGOs. They either come home or they lose their protected status.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/29/2020 18:48 Comments ||
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[MEMRI.ORG] Mohammed Naser Ali: "Only Israel has an interest in causing a clash between the armies of Egypt and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... . I said that America had been sucked into a quagmire in Cambodia, in Afghanistan, and in Iraq, even though it has the largest military in the world. I said that no country that has ever crossed the border into the territory of another country has ever managed to avoid being sucked in a quagmire there. I said that nobody knows how many years this war would last. When two large armies clash — like the Egyptian and the Ottoman Turkish armies — it only serves Israel's interest. Therefore, my patriotic and loyal message is similar to what I have been saying for years about the Renaissance Dam: It is in Egypt's interest to coordinate with the legitimate government in Libya, with whom El-Sisi himself met several times in Cairo a few months ago. It is in Egypt's interest to focus on the threat to its drinking water. It is in Egypt's interest to protect its army and its sons who are enlisted in it. They should fight real battles rather than battles we have nothing to do with. It is in Egypt's interest to learn from history and to avoid repeating the dangerous adventures of the failing generals who have gotten us involved in failing wars. It is in Egypt's interest to examine what happened to foreign armies in other countries. It should learn the lesson from the American experience in Cambodia, in Vietnam, and in Iraq." Turkey'd better think two or three times about that. We didn't put troops into Cambodia (except for John Kerry, of course). Cambodia and Laos were safe areas for the North Vietnamese. The Ho Chi Minh trail was outside South Vietnam. Iraq had Iran and Syria as safe areas. Afghanistan has Iran and, more importantly, Pakistain as safe areas. Libya has Tunisia, if the Moslem Brüderbund keeps power, as a kinda safe area for the Turks, Egypt and Algeria as safe areas for Libya. There was a story a few days ago that the Turks had signed an arms agreement with Niger on the southwestern border, but I don't think they'll get one with Chad or Sudan.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2020 00:00 ||
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Something akin to Henry Kissinger's plan for the Communist Chinese. Helping them to achieve economic parity, in the hopes that it would produce containment and world peace.
#13
I liked the WOT page better when the terror was overseas.
Moved to PC Follies on Page 2: WoT Background/Politics — they aren’t actually blowing things up. But it does go some way to explain the endless enthusiasm the insurgents have — as I recall the cadres are being paid, and there is plenty of funding for fireworks, frozen bottled water, and gasoline for molotovs.
One might argue they were supporting BLM (the ideal), not Antifa riots.
That is no doubt their intention, Bobby — simple virtue signalling. But if the organization(s) a given company donates to is/are yet another anarcho-communist front, how does that help actual Black people?
#14
The old-fashioned way - write a letter to the organization. Somebody there can probably read it.
Just not sure boycotting all 269 is gonna help either.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/29/2020 12:41 Comments ||
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#15
Well, The Deep State is Deep and Broad.
Personally, IMO these companies ought to make a good product and sell it and leave the politics alone. They should not turn their company into a SJW outfit.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...Arabic for 
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
