The U.S. Goes to War Against the ICC to Cover Up Alleged War Crimes in Afghanistan:
Recent statements from the Trump administration suggest that the United States is now preparing to go to war against the ICC itself, motivated largely by an effort to silence investigations into alleged American war crimes committed in Afghanistan, as well as alleged crimes committed by Israel during the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip. In a speech at a D.C. event held by the Federalist Society on Monday, Donald Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton denounced the ICC as “illegitimate” and expressed his intentions toward the institution in no uncertain terms. “We will not cooperate with the ICC,” Bolton said. “We will provide no assistance to the ICC. We will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own. After all, for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us.”
100 killed in Afghan violence | The Daily Star:
Provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal and Khogyani both confirmed the latest casualty toll to 32.
The attack came hours after a double bombing in front of a girls' school in the provincial capital Jalalabad, which killed a boy and wounded four others.
The first explosion happened in front of Malika Omaira girls' school at around 8:30 am, Khogyani told AFP earlier.
A second bomb went off as students from a neighbouring boys' school and locals gathered at the scene, he added.
There has been no claim of responsibility for any of the attacks, but the Taliban and the Islamic State (IS) group are active in Nangarhar.
57 Afghan forces killed in Taliban attacks:
''Meanwhile, Taliban militants seized control of several military bases and police checkpoints in the northern city of Sar-e-Pul, capital of the province of the same name. At least 17 soldiers were killed in the attacks, which started shortly after midnight, provincial council member Asif Sadiqi said.
A number of security personnel were taken hostage by the Taliban, while others fled to other bases in Sar-e-Pul's city centre, another provincial council member, Reza Alimzada, said.
Afghan security forces also suffered heavy causalities in northern Kunduz as Taliban attacked police checkpoints in Dasht-e-Archi district. The clashes left 16 security forces dead, provincial council member Safiullah Amiri said.''
Washington Monthly | Our Troops Are Still Dying in Afghanistan. For What?:
Our longest war drags on, and President Trump’s instincts and inclinations tell him to learn from the Soviet Union’s mistake a generation earlier: Get out of Afghanistan. ASAP. With Chief of Staff John Kelly’s policy role diminished and a refreshed national security team, the White House has quieted support for a continued large U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.
Official: Taliban Attacks on Afghan Security Forces Kill 37 | Time:
Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi, head of the provincial council in Kunduz province, said that at least 13 security forces were killed in an attack on a checkpoint they were manning in Dashti Archi district, with another 15 security forces wounded there. The firefight began late Sunday and continued into Monday morning.
Meanwhile in Jawzjan province, Provincial Police Chief Gen. Faqir Mohammad Jawzjani said the Taliban attacked Khamyab district from different directions, forcing Afghan forces to withdraw from the district headquarters to avoid civilian causalities.
Zalmay Khalilzad Appointed As U.S. Special Adviser To Afghanistan : NPR:
Pompeo confirmed the appointment on Tuesday.
"Ambassador Khalilzad is going to join the State Department team to assist us in the reconciliation effort, so he will come on and be the State Department's lead person for that purpose," Pompeo told reporters aboard a flight bound for Pakistan.
Khalilzad will "be full-time focused on developing the opportunities to get the Afghans and the Taliban to come to a reconciliation. That will be his singular mission statement," Pompeo said.
District police chief among 10 Afghan forces killed in Maidan Wardak:
The violence happened after the insurgents attacked Dai Mirdad district, Abdul Rahman Mangal, a spokesman for provincial governor, told 1TV.
Afghan-war reports seen as faulty | NWADG:
The war has become more expensive, in current dollars, than the Marshall Plan, which helped rebuild Europe after World War II. That investment has created intense pressure for Americans to show that the Taliban are losing and Afghanistan is improving.
But since 2017, the Taliban have held more Afghan territory than at any time since the U.S. invasion. In just one week last month, insurgents killed 200 Afghan police officers and soldiers, overrunning two major Afghan bases and the city of Ghazni.
The Taliban took everything but a few government facilities during their attack last month in the strategic city in southeastern Afghanistan.
How the U.S. Government Misleads the Public on Afghanistan - The New York Times:
The American military says the Afghan government effectively “controls or influences” 56 percent of the country. But that assessment relies on statistical sleight of hand. In many districts, the Afghan government controls only the district headquarters and military barracks, while the Taliban control the rest.
Afghanistan, the endless war:
The Taliban now rule more territory than they have at any time since 2001. And the Taliban have stepped up attacks this year, possibly in preparation for talks, so they can negotiate from strength. Just last month, the Taliban laid siege to the southeastern city of Ghazni for days, killing hundreds of Afghan soldiers and civilians.
35 Wrestlers Killed In Wednesday Twin Bombings: Residents | TOLOnews:
The twin blasts in Dasth-e-Barchi area in the west of Kabul left 35 athletes dead and almost 50 others wounded, an eyewitness and head of the Maiwand Gym which was the primary target of the first blast said on Friday. So far, government has confirmed 26 people dead and over 80 others wounded in the two explosions. The first explosion was a suicide bombing and the second was a remote controlled car bomb blast.
U.S. Bombing of Drug Labs in Afghanistan Is Counterproductive to Fighting the Taliban | Just Security:
The bombing campaign, however, is an ineffective counter-narcotics approach and won’t advance a counterterrorism strategy. Not only is it based on misguided notions of how much the Taliban benefits from or depends on poppy cultivation to fund its insurgency, the operations also do not address the underlying problems that fuel the opium trade. Instead, the U.S. is likely to undermine the fight against the Taliban. The strikes against drug labs eliminate the only source of income for many local residents without providing a replacement, and they foster even greater resentment of the foreign military presence and the already unpopular central government.
The U.S. Goes to War Against the ICC to Cover Up Alleged War Crimes in Afghanistan:
