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Trump’s team drawing up list of Pentagon officers to fire, sources say
Trump has also spoken during the campaign of and those responsible for the troubled 2021 pullout from Afghanistan.
Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team are drawing up a list of military officers to be fired, potentially to include the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two sources said, in what would be an unprecedented shakeup at the Pentagon, Reuters reported.
The planning for the firings is at an early stage after Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory and could change as Trump’s administration takes shape, said the sources, who are familiar with the Trump transition and requested anonymity to speak candidly about the plans.
One of the sources questioned the feasibility of a mass firing at the Pentagon.
It was also unclear if Trump himself would endorse the plan, although in the past he has railed extensively against defense leaders who have criticized him. Trump has also spoken during the campaign of [USN:L1N3MD1PE TEXT:“firing “woke” generals"] and those responsible for the troubled 2021 pullout from Afghanistan.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The second source said the incoming administration would likely focus on U.S. military officers seen as connected to Mark Milley, Trump’s former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, read the report.
Milley was quoted in the book “War” by Bob Woodward, which was published last month, calling Trump “fascist to the core” and Trump’s allies have targeted him for perceived disloyalty to the former president.
“Every single person that was elevated and appointed by Milley will be gone,” the second source said.
“There’s a very detailed list of everybody that was affiliated with Milley. And they will all be gone.”
The Joint Chiefs of Staff include the highest ranking officers in the U.S. military and comprise the heads of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard and Space Force.
The disclosure of plans to fire senior leaders of the U.S. armed forces comes a day after Trump [USN:S0N3M808W TEXT:“picked as his defense secretary Pete Hegseth”], a Fox News commentator and veteran who has signaled a willingness to clean house at the Pentagon.
“The next president of the United States needs to radically overhaul Pentagon senior leadership to make us ready to defend our nation and defeat our enemies. Lots of people need to be fired,” Hegseth said in his 2024 book “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”
It is unclear if Hegseth’s lack of management experience could complicate his Senate confirmation and if a more traditional alternative for the position would carry out such sweeping dismissals.
Hegseth has also taken aim at Milley’s successor, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, asking whether he would have gotten the job if he were not Black, Reuters reported.
“Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? We’ll never know, but always doubt - which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn’t really much matter,” he wrote.
The first source familiar with the transition planning said Brown would be among the many officers to leave.
“The chiefs of the Joint Chiefs and all the vice chiefs will be fired immediately,” the source said, before noting that this was still only early planning.
Some current and former U.S. officials have played down the possibility of such a major shakeup, saying it would be unnecessary and disruptive at a time of global turmoil with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The first source said that it would be difficult bureaucratically to fire and replace a large swath of senior U.S. military officials, suggesting the planning could be bluster and posturing by Trump allies.
But the second source suggested the Trump camp believed the Joint Chiefs of Staff needed to shrink due to perceived bureaucratic over-reach.
Such cuts could be endured in an organization the scale of the U.S. military, the source said.
“These people are not irreplaceable. They are very replaceable. And then the other thing too is there is no shortage of people that will step up,” the source said.
“In World War Two, we were very rapidly appointing people in their 30s or people competent to be generals. And you know what? We won the war.”
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Education ministry officials encourage Afghan students to study modern sciences
Afghanistan’s education officials have emphasized the importance of education in society and urged students to make an effort to increase their knowledge of modern sciences.
Speaking at an award ceremony following the national Science Star program, Alhaj Mawlawi Sakhaullah Saeed, Deputy Minister of Education, said students must “strive tirelessly to enrich their scientific knowledge”.
Education officials also pointed out that efforts for the development of modern sciences are ongoing by the Islamic Emirate. Officials said this was especially in line with the balance of military power in the world, which requires an understanding of modern sciences.
Officials emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is committed to the development of science education in the country.
On the Science Star program, officials discussed in detail the value and role of such competitions in terms of enhancing students’ scientific knowledge and self-confidence.
They assured students of the continuation of these programs and the preparation and provision of facilities for future contests.
A few months ago, the education ministry rolled out the scientific contest across all 34 provinces in the country to develop and identify talent across the country.
The results were recently announced at a grand ceremony attended by the deputy minister of education and other officials, along with the Education Advisor of the Turkish Embassy, and the Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of Iran.
The contest itself was run in all 34 provinces. The top student from each province then went through to a second round.
Six finalists were selected for the last round - and battled it out for the top three spots.
Winner of the Science Star this year was Samiullah, son of Mirza Mohammad from Herat province.
Second was Azizullah, son of Ramazan from Bamyan province, and third was Azmatullah, son of Bismillah from Kabul city.
The contest was organized by the education ministry in cooperation with and the financial support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC).
Meanwhile, Abdul Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy, who was also at the ceremony, said: “Contrary to the propaganda of the enemies, the Islamic Emirate pays special attention to the strengthening of educational centers.”
TIKA officials in turn said their organization continues to cooperate with Afghanistan in various sectors, especially in education.
“We have implemented hundreds of projects in different sectors in Afghanistan over the past twenty years.
“More than a hundred of the projects are in the education sector and we continue this cooperation,” said Fazil Akin Erdogan, head of TIKA.
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Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan to visit Pakistan
Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, will visit Pakistan on Thursday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, Islamabad said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zahra Baloch, told a press briefing that Kabulov will meet with Foreign Secretary Amina Baloch and hold detailed discussions with Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan and West Asia) Ahmad Naseem Warraich.
“The two sides will review the situation in Afghanistan, and discuss the role of neighboring countries in promoting regional peace and stability,” Baloch said.
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Tehran, Kabul agree to repatriate 1,000 Afghan prisoners
Iran’s ministry of justice’s deputy for international affairs and human rights, along with the Islamic Emirate has announced plans to repatriate Afghan prisoners over the next two months.
Iranian deputy minister Askar Jalalian said Wednesday that an agreement regarding the deportation of Afghan convicts was first signed in 2005 and that the current government is duty bound to adhere to the accord.
Jalalian said he will travel to Kabul to discuss the transfer of prisoners currently being held in Tehran, as well as the repatriation of Iranian prisoners in Afghanistan.
He said the relationship between Iran and Afghanistan is strong across various sectors, noting that both nations share a common language and numerous cultural ties.
Jalalian acknowledged that some adversaries may not favor the strengthening of Iran's relations with its neighbors; however, he affirmed the importance of nurturing the deep-rooted connections between the two countries.
The Islamic Emirate has said it hopes to facilitate the transfer of the 1,000 Afghan prisoners within the next two months in order for them to serve out their sentences in Afghanistan.
The IEA also confirmed that a delegation from Iran's Ministry of Justice will meet with officials in Kabul to finalize the matter.
The deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Hamdullah Fitrat, meanwhile said the delegation’s visit to Kabul will be a constructive step towards exchanging prisoners between the two countries.
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