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UK ‘reserving right’ to return to Afghanistan if terrorism grows

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(Last Updated On: April 21, 2021)

The UK and its allies “reserve the right” to launch new military action in Afghanistan should international terrorism thrive, the British government has said.

According to the UK’s Forces news outlet, defence minister James Heappey has left the door open for military action should “ungoverned spaces” return which pose a threat to the UK homeland or the interests of allies, as well as the option of providing air support to Afghan forces.

Heappey also suggested a review will be carried out into Britain’s military involvement in the country.

Around 750 UK personnel are currently in the country in a non-combat role, as part of a NATO mission, but are expected to withdraw, along with all other foreign troops by Sepember 11.

Heappey, spoke of his first reaction to news that international troops will withdraw later this year: “Like every other Afghanistan veteran when I heard of NATO’s decision last week, I couldn’t help but ask myself ‘was it all worth it’?”

Forces reported that he did, however, say he hopes there is a successful political outcome in Afghanistan. He told MPs it is “almost certain” that a lasting peace settlement will “involve the Taliban as part of the Afghan government”.

Defence Select Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood meanwhile warned that Afghanistan is “heading towards another civil war” with the Taliban on the rise.

He said: “This cannot be the exit strategy we ever envisaged.

“Our nation and our military deserve answers.

“So, I request a Chilcot-style inquiry so we can learn the lessons of what went wrong.”

Heappey responded: “It’s not for me to agree to such an inquiry right now but one would hope the lessons would be learned.”

Former minister Ellwood had earlier told the Commons: “If we depart completely, a dangerous part of the world becomes more dangerous as the Taliban assumes control of the bulk of the country and, once again, gives sanctuary to extremist groups.

“Our brave military served with honour but they were let down by poor strategic judgments, that if politicians today do not understand and learn from will impede our confidence to step forward and stand up to extremism and authoritarianism in the future.”

Heappey said: “We have reached a point where the military mission has effectively culminated and what remains is a requirement for politics.”

Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said Afghanistan has been “more failure than success” for the UK’s Armed Forces, reported Forces.

Addressing the Commons, he said: “There certainly have been some gains – governance, economic development, rights for women, education for girls, and ending Afghanistan as a base for terrorism abroad – but Afghanistan is more failure than success for the British military.

“And now with the full withdrawal of NATO troops, it’s hard to see a future without bloodier conflict, wider Taliban control and greater jeopardy for those Afghans who worked with the West, and for the women now in political, judicial, academic and business roles,” he said.

Heappey responded: “I’m not sure that I accept [Mr Healey’s] characterisation of it being defeat. I think that many of them, as I do, will reflect on the tactical and operational successes that they had within their individual tours, within the districts that they were responsible for.”

According to Forces, the discussion cames after the head of Britain’s Armed Forces expressed disappointment at US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

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ISIS-K leader reportedly living in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province

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(Last Updated On: March 28, 2024)

Sanaullah Ghaffari, also known as Shahab al-Muhajar, is reportedly the ISIS-Khorasan (Daesh) branch leader and is holed up in Pakistan, Reuters reports.

The 29-year-old took over as leader in 2020 and under his leadership the group has carried out extreme attacks as a means of recruiting, Reuters reported.

Reuters noted that little was known about Ghafari before the deadly 2021 ISIS attack on Kabul Airport, which killed 170 Afghan civilians and 13 American soldiers.

But after Friday’s deadly attack in a concert hall in Moscow, which left 139 people dead, Ghaffari’s group has come under intense scrutiny.

Reuters reports that Ghaffari is said to have been involved in several attacks in Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

Pakistani officials said months ago that Ghaffari had been killed in Kunar province in Afghanistan in June last year, but Reuters has reported that he did not die and instead fled to Pakistan and lives in the border province of Baluchistan.

Abdul Matin Qani, the spokesman of the Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan, says that Daesh has been suppressed in Afghanistan for more than two years and has lost its operational capacity.

The last attack carried out by Daesh in Afghanistan was the attack on the Kabul Bank office in Kandahar last week which left three dead and 12 wounded.

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IPL: Sunrisers thump MI in record breaking match

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(Last Updated On: March 28, 2024)

It was raining records at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday with the hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) clinching a 31-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 8 of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Sunrisers’ batting rewrote the record books on a batting belter after the posted 277 for three.

SRH now have the highest team score in the history of the IPL – beating Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) 263 for five from the 2013 season.

In reply, MI made a spirited effort, and at one stage, were contenders to do the near impossible. In the slog overs, the enormity of the target proved a bit too much, and SRH clinched victory, but not without numerous nervous moments.

To put into perspective the carnage we witnessed – Heinrich Klaasen’s 23-ball half-century was the slowest fifty of the SRH innings.

Travis Head, playing his first match for SRH, raced to the milestone in 18 balls. Abhishek Sharma got there even faster – in 16 balls – to record the quickest fifty by an SRH batter in IPL history.

While Sunrisers notched up the highest total in the 16-year history of the IPL, just as incredibly, Mumbai Indians almost paid them back with the same coin, their batters coming out with a nothing-to-lose attitude.

The sixes kept rolling off the Mumbai bats too, helping them keep up with the asking rate for most of the chase, eventually however, they ran out of steam and finished on 246 for 5, the highest IPL total in a losing cause.

As ESPNcricinfo reported, never were more runs scored in a men’s T20 match (523). Never were most sixes hit in a men’s T20 (38). At the end of the close to four-hour six-fest, only two bowlers returned with an economy rate of under ten an over.

Thursday, March 28 : Match 9

Thursday’s match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur sees Rajasthan Royals go up against Delhi Capitals.

Fans in Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Television to watch the match live from 6.30pm. Alternatively the match can be screened live on arianatelevision.com

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Magnitude 5.2 quake jolts Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: March 28, 2024)

An earthquake measuring a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter Scale jolted Afghanistan on Thursday afternoon, the National Center for Seismology reported.

The quake was at a depth of 70km and epicentered in the mountainous north-eastern area of Ashkāsham.

The jolt was felt across the region including in Kabul, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

In October last year, over 2,000 people were killed when four 6.3-magnitude earthquakes struck in Herat province.

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