 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
 by Staff Writers Washington (AFP) March 23, 2017
Russia is "perhaps" supplying the Taliban as they fight US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, a top US general said Thursday. General Curtis Scaparrotti, NATO's supreme allied commander who also heads the US military's European Command, told lawmakers he had seen Russian influence expand in multiple regions, including in Afghanistan. "I have seen the influence of Russia of late -- an increased influence -- in terms of association and perhaps even supply to the Taliban," Scaparrotti told the Senate Armed Services Committee, without elaborating. NATO troops have been fighting in Afghanistan since a US-led invasion in late 2001, following the September 11 attacks. About 13,000 NATO service members are in Afghanistan, the bulk of them American, under its Resolute Support training mission. Scaparrotti's comment goes one step further than remarks last month by General John Nicholson, the US commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan. Nicholson testified that Russia is giving the Taliban encouragement and diplomatic cover in order to undermine US influence and to defeat NATO, but he did not address whether Russia is supplying the Islamist insurgents. The United States in the 1980s supplied the Mujahideen, parts of which ultimately became the Taliban, with high-tech weapons as they battled the Soviet Union. After more than 15 years of war, US generals say the Afghanistan conflict is stuck in a "stalemate," with the Taliban continuing to carry broad regional influence and NATO-backed Afghan security forces struggling to make progress. Taliban fighters captured the strategic southern district of Sangin on Thursday, another setback for Afghan forces in opium-rich Helmand province ahead of the spring fighting season.
US senator warns of 'tough decisions' with Syrian KurdsWashington (AFP) March 22, 2017 The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria faces "tough decisions" on how much it should support Kurdish fighters in an offensive to reclaim Raqa from the jihadists, a senior US lawmaker warned Wednesday. Senator John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Trump administration is weighing the thorny issue of giving the Kurds heavy arms and a major ... read more Related Links News From Across The Stans
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
