Trump wins support for Afghan strategy in volatile Helmand

US President Donald Trump. (AP)
Updated 07 September 2017
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Trump wins support for Afghan strategy in volatile Helmand

CAMP SHORAB, Afghanistan: Marines in Afghanistan’s Helmand say Donald Trump’s decision to keep boots on the ground indefinitely gives them “all the time in the world” to retake the province, once the symbol of US intervention but now a Taliban stronghold.
They may need it. At the hot, dusty Camp Shorab, where many of the recently deployed Marines train their Afghan counterparts in flat, desert terrain, the Afghans admit their army still cannot fight alone.
The Taliban control or contest 12 out of Helmand’s 14 districts and continue to inflict stinging blows on Afghan forces, who have been struggling to beat back the insurgents across the country since taking the lead on security from NATO forces at the end of 2014.
Sixteen years since the American-led invasion, and after decades of near-constant war in the country, the Islamist extremists show few signs of flagging, despite being heavily out-gunned by the might of the US military.
With no need to pay attention to four-year election cycles, the Taliban’s fight against their technologically-superior foes is often summed up in the proverb: “You may have the watches, but we have the time.”
But Trump’s announcement that the US committment to Afghanistan is open-ended might just be enough to reverse the tide.
“We have all the time in the world... to accomplish the mission the right way,” said Staff Sergeant George Caldwell, one of the Marines based at Camp Shorab.
Around 300 Marines returned to Helmand in April, a fraction of the more than 20,000 stationed in the poppy-growing province when it was the centerpiece of the US invasion.
Previously, they were on the frontline against the Taliban. Now they are part of NATO’s “train, advise and assist” mission, focused on making Afghan security forces strong enough to beat back the insurgents on their own.
Afghan troops are drilled in clearing insurgents from mud-brick compounds, evacuating wounded soldiers by helicopter and locating improvised explosive devices hidden in the ground.
It is part of the “operational readiness cycle” launched by the Marines that takes war-weary Afghan soldiers off the battlefield for 12 weeks of training and rest.
US trainers say the Afghans are making progress, retaking Nawa district in July after nine months in Taliban hands.
But the insurgents are still on the offensive, carrying out a number of suicide attacks in Helmand in recent weeks.
In the province — as in the rest of the country — shockingly high casualties, along with desertions, corruption and exhaustion have eroded the morale of Afghan forces.
Major General Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai, who was appointed to lead the Afghan army’s 215th Corps in Helmand last year, said the continued US support outlined by Trump was crucial.
“Our army is not mature enough to fight alone,” said Ahmadzai.
In his speech last month Trump refused to offer specifics, but officials have said the additional US troops could number some 4,000, on top of the 11,000-strong force already on the ground.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said last week he had “signed orders” for the fresh deployment of troops “to enable the Afghan force to fight more effectively.”
But critics have questioned what a few thousand fresh US troops can do that previous forces — who numbered some 100,000 at the height of the fighting — have not.
Despite the lack of details — including any indication of how many more troops would be sent to Helmand, and when — the Marines at Camp Shorab said the fresh forces would make a difference.
“What additional troops (would) give us is the capability to move faster — if you add more resources and advisers we would be able to achieve effects faster,” said Brig. Gen. Roger Turner, commander of the Helmand mission.
It is thought that the faster Afghan forces, who number some 330,000, can be brought to what Ahmadzai described as “maturity,” the more effective they will be against the insurgents.
Trump has refused to define the conditions for “winning,” and Turner said outright victory was unlikely — even with the extra ability.
“I don’t know that they (Afghan security forces) are going to have the capacity to control every single area in the country,” he said.
More likely is an imperfect peace with the Afghan government controlling the major population centers while the Taliban hold onto rural areas — a view shared by many analysts.
“This strategy only gives the (Afghan) government breathing space. It’s not a strategy for winning or defeating the Taliban,” Kate Clark, a senior analyst at Afghanistan Analysts Network, told AFP.
Others have not lost hope.
A 29-year-old Afghan commando holding a machine gun as he lay on the flat roof of a compound near Camp Shorab said “God willing” they would defeat the Taliban.
“They are trying to destroy the country... we are sure we can win,” said the commando, who cannot be identified.


Kashmir’s ‘bee queen’ sets out to empower women, inspire youth

Updated 25 December 2024
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Kashmir’s ‘bee queen’ sets out to empower women, inspire youth

  • Sania Zehra manages about 600 bee colonies, sells products across India
  • She created an empowerment group to help aspiring women entrepreneurs

NEW DELHI: For the past four years, beekeeping has become central to Sania Zehra’s life. Every morning, she wakes at about 6 a.m. to tend to her colonies, before spending the rest of the day building the enterprise that turned her into the “bee queen” of Kashmir. 

Her beekeeping journey began as a 16-year-old, watching her father hard at work at the family farm in Balhama in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

“I first saw my grandfather working with the bees, and then I saw my father doing the same business. When I saw my father working hard, I decided to also contribute and support him,” Zehra told Arab News. 

She overcame her initial fear of bee stings and got to work immediately, applying for a government scheme that allowed her to expand the business. 

It was not always smooth sailing — she struggled to make a profit in the first couple of years and had to juggle maintaining the hectic routine of beekeeping and selling her products. 

But as her hard work of managing hundreds of colonies garnered her the “bee queen” title, today her products are being sold across the country.

“I am selling my product across India (and) I am getting orders from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Dubai, South Africa, Qatar and all,” Zehra said. 

Beekeeping is a multi-pronged passion for the 20-year-old, who sees it as a way to protect the environment and preserve her family legacy. 

She joins an increasing number of women in Kashmir who are running their own businesses, many of whom access government programs aimed at training and supporting women entrepreneurs. 

Despite the social barriers that persist to this day, Zehra found support from her family, especially her mother. 

“My mother supports me wholeheartedly. She says ‘I have sons but you have gone ahead of the boys and there is nothing that can stop a woman if she wants to,’” she said. 

“For me, it’s a passion as well as a desire to carry the family legacy … I have been fascinated by bees’ social structure and the importance of bees in our ecosystem. I want to contribute to their conversation and produce natural honey and connect with nature. They are an inspiration for me.” 

As time went by, she found that beekeeping was not only therapeutic for her mental health but also a way to support the entrepreneurial landscape in Kashmir. 

To fuel that mission, Zehra created an empowerment group whose members comprise talented women who lack access to resources. 

“My main focus is that I should act as a catalyst for many and help others to grow too,” she said. 

With 40 members so far, Zehra is aiming to take it to 100 and help them gain access to the government initiatives that once helped her. 

“I want to give employment to all,” Zehra said. “I have a future plan to address the unemployment issue in Kashmir and make Kashmir a wonderful place. I want to inspire young people.”


Pope calls for ‘arms to be silenced’ across world

Updated 25 December 2024
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Pope calls for ‘arms to be silenced’ across world

VATICAN: Pope Francis called Wednesday for “arms to be silenced” around the world in his Christmas address, appealing for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan as he denounced the “extremely grave” humanitarian situation in Gaza.
He used his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city and the world“) message to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics to call for talks for a just peace in Ukraine as the country was pummelled by 170 Russian missiles and drones on Christmas morning.
“May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine,” the 88-year-old pontiff said, his voice strained and breathless. “May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter, in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
In front of thousands of the faithful gathered in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, also appealed for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the freeing of Israeli hostages held there by Hamas.
“I think of the Christian communities in Israel and Palestine, particularly in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war,” he added.
Francis extended his call for a silencing of arms to the whole Middle East and to Sudan, which has been ravaged by a ravaged by 20 months of brutal civil war where millions are under the threat of famine.
“May the Son of the Most High sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Sudan and to initiate new negotiations for a ceasefire,” he said.


Passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashes in Kazakhstan with many feared dead

Updated 25 December 2024
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Passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashes in Kazakhstan with many feared dead

  • The plane was carrying 67 passengers and five crew, Kazakh authorities say 12 people had survived
  • Azerbaijan Airlines said aircraft forced to make emergency landing approximately 3 km from Aktau

ASTANA: An Embraer passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday with 67 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced, saying 12 people had survived.
Unverified video of the crash showed the plane, which was operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, bursting into flames as it hit the ground and thick black smoke then rising.
The Central Asian country’s emergencies ministry said in a statement that fire services had put out the blaze and that survivors were being treated at a nearby hospital.
Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 aircraft, with flight number J2-8243, had been flying from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechnya, but had been forced to make an emergency landing approximately 3 km (1.8 miles) from the Kazakh city of Aktau.
Russian news agencies said the plane had been rerouted due to fog in Grozny.
Authorities in Kazakhstan said they had begun looking into different possible versions of what had happened, including a technical problem, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.


Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan: Taliban spokesman

Updated 25 December 2024
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Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan: Taliban spokesman

  • Border tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021

KABUL: Pakistan air strikes in an eastern border province of Afghanistan killed 46 people, the Taliban government spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.
“Last night (Tuesday), Pakistan bombarded four points in the Barmal district of Paktika province. The total number of dead is 46, most of whom were children and women,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
He added that six more people were wounded, mostly children.
A defense ministry statement late Tuesday condemned the latest strikes by Pakistan on Afghan territory, calling them “barbaric” and a “clear aggression.”
“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered, but rather considers the defense of its territory and sovereignty to be its inalienable right,” the statement said, using the Taliban authorities’ name for the government.
Border tensions between the two countries have escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021, with Islamabad claiming militant groups are carrying out regular attacks from Afghanistan.
Islamabad has accused Kabul’s Taliban government of harboring militant fighters, allowing them to strike on Pakistani soil with impunity.
Kabul has denied the allegations.


Passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashes in Kazakhstan with many feared dead

Updated 25 December 2024
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Passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashes in Kazakhstan with many feared dead

  • An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet flying from the capital Baku to Grozny in Russia crashed on Wednesday
  • 72 people were on board of the plane

ASTANA: An Embraer passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday with 62 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced, saying that 28 people had survived.
Unverified video of the crash showed the plane, which was operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, bursting into flames as it hit the ground and thick black smoke then rising. Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact.
Kazakhstan’s emergencies ministry said in a statement that fire services had put out the blaze and that the survivors, including two children, were being treated at a nearby hospital. The bodies of the dead were being recovered.
Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 jet, with flight number J2-8243, was flying from Baku to Grozny, capital of Russia’s Chechnya region, but had been forced to make an emergency landing around 3 km (1.8 miles) from Aktau in Kazakhstan. The city is on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan and Russia.


Authorities in Kazakhstan said a government commission had been set up to investigate what had happened and its members ordered to fly to the site and ensure that the families of the dead and injured were getting the help they needed.
Kazakhstan would cooperate with Azerbaijan on the investigation, the government said.
Russia’s aviation watchdog said in a statement that preliminary information suggested the pilot had decided to make an emergency landing after a bird strike.
Following the crash, Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, was returning home from Russia where he had been due to attend a summit on Wednesday, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, expressed his condolences in a statement and said some of those being treated in hospital were in an extremely serious condition and that he and others would pray for their rapid recovery.