Category: South East Asia

Pompeo Addresses Geneva Conference, as Germans Withdraw Troops from Kunduz Province

Mike Pompeo, US secretary addressed to Geneva conference on Tuesday saying that the United States remains committed to an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, and to help Afghan peace negotiations.

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Germany Starts Reducing Troops in Kunduz: Report

Germany is reducing its military presence in the northern province of Kunduz that was planned by NATO’s mission in Kabul in late summer, Germany’s military said as quoted by Reuters. The reduction is not a reaction to the United States’ announcement last week that it will cut US forces in Afghanistan to 2,500 from 4,500 by mid-January, a spokesman for […]

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Pakistan: No Plans to Recognize Israel

Pakistan reiterated Tuesday it will not establish relations with Israel until there is “a viable, independent and contiguous” Palestinian state acceptable to the Palestinians.

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Chinese Embassy in Manila Criticizes US National Security Chief for ‘Inciting’ Trouble

Beijing’s embassy to the Philippines criticized the U.S. national security chief Tuesday for “wantonly” trying to provoke the rival Asian superpower through remarks he made about the South China Sea during a visit to Manila the day before.

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Nine Australian soldiers commit suicide in just three weeks

Nine Australian soldiers have taken their own lives in just three weeks amid weeks of discussions and media coverage of alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, the Daily Mail reported. The four-year inquiry uncovered a ‘shameful record’ of unlawful killings that took place outside the ‘heat of battle’.

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Taliban ignoring calls for reduction in violence: US envoy

Despite concerted efforts on the part of the United States to get the Taliban to reduce its levels of violence in the country, the group has failed to listen to calls from the US and in fact dislike being criticized.

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Taliban strongholds in Pakistan give group platform to wage war: NDS

Ahmad Zia Saraj, the acting head of the national directorate of security (NDS), said Monday that because the Taliban has active and secure strongholds in Pakistani cities, the group has been able to intensify the conflict in Afghanistan.

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Skewed Responsibility: Australian War Crimes in Afghanistan

The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry was always going to make for a gruesome read – and that was only the redacted version. The findings of the four-year investigation, led by New South Wales Court of Appeal Justice and Army Reserve Major-General Paul Brereton, point to “credible evidence” that 39 Afghan non-combatants and prisoners were allegedly killed […]

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Will India Choose a Side in the Competition Between the U.S. and China?

The architects of India’s foreign policy have long preferred a multipolar world. They believe that India, with its limited economic and military capabilities, can play a prominent role on the global stage only when it is not dominated by one or two superpowers. That view led New Delhi to champion the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War, and a preference […]

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Ghani orders release of Pakistani prisoners in goodwill gesture

Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani’s decree ordering the release of a number of Pakistani prisoners. Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul tweeted Monday night: “Welcome decree by Afghan President H.E. Ashraf Ghani for release of Pakistani prisoners who have completed their terms and are not able to pay fines or those nearing completion of their […]

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