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US aircraft carrier in Gulf likely to help cover US troop withdrawal
U.S. commanders have asked for the deployment of an aircraft carrier to help protect US and NATO troops as they withdraw from Afghanistan, two senior Defense officials told NBC News.
According to NBC, with fighter squadrons at the ready, an aircraft carrier in the region could provide additional cover in case U.S. and other NATO forces come under fire as they withdraw.
The request, reports NBC, underscores concerns at the Pentagon that the Taliban may choose to launch attacks on NATO troops as they pull out.
The U.S. Naval Institute’s USNI News meanwhile reported the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group’s current stop in the Middle East could be extended to help cover the withdrawal of foreign troops.
Citing two defense officials, USNI said Thursday that USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carrier Air Wing 3 and IKE’s escorts were operating in the North Arabian Sea to support the ongoing anti-ISIS Operation Inherent Resolve.
The officials said CENTCOM commander General Kenneth McKenzie has sent a request to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for the strike group to remain in the area instead of continuing on with its planned operations in other regions.
While US President Joe Biden has set a September 11 date as deadline for the complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, it is unclear how long a strike group would be required to be in the region or if it would be asked to extend beyond the typical six-month deployment length, USNI reported.
A statement from a Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, responding to a Wednesday story from The New York Times on a carrier deploying to the Middle East, would not confirm details of assets involved in the withdrawal.
But, Kirby said in the statement: “We will do everything possible to protect our troops.”
On Thursday McKenzie meanwhile assured US lawmakers in testimony to the US Senate Armed Services Committee that the U.S. would be able to adequately cover the withdrawal in case Taliban forces attacked.
“We’re prepared if the Taliban wanted to take shots at us. Today, after [May 1], or any time during the withdrawal,” McKenzie told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“Yes, we will bring additional resources in [to the region] in order to protect the force as it comes out. That’s normal in any kind of disengagement operation, and I don’t want to go into the detail of those operations right now, but we will have additional capabilities and I’m confident that we and our coalition partners will be able to extract ourselves.”
According to USNI, the Eisenhower Strike Group has been in the Middle East since early April, after a Suez Canal transit that was delayed due to the canal blockage by merchant ship Ever Given.
USNI News reports that IKE was set to return to the Mediterranean Sea later in the deployment, but those plans will likely be set aside.
When the strike group deployed, the Navy gave hints it would participate more with NATO forces rather than maintain the constant presence in the Middle East, USNI reported.
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IEA supreme leader says vice and virtue law must be enforced
Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate, has ordered that the Law on Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice must be enforced in order to preserve Afghanistan’s Islamic system.
The Kandahar media center said Monday that the IEA leader met with military and civilian officials, the Ulema Council, businessmen, and security forces in Spin Boldak in Kandahar on Sunday, where he also delivered a speech.
He said that great sacrifices were made over 20 years to attain the Islamic system and efforts should be made to preserve it.
He added that this can only be done through obedience, piousness, and following the advice of religious scholars.
The leader of the Islamic Emirate told scholars present to fully cooperate with the relevant departments in implementing the Law on Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice and to explain to people every day in their mosques issues related to faith, belief, and prayer.
He also advised military and civilian officials in Spin Boldak district not to have disputes, to maintain full coordination and cooperation with each other, be committed to carrying out their responsibilities, and obey their superiors.
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IEA, Chinese company signs deal for Kapisa dam feasibility study
The Ministry of Energy and Water on Sunday signed an agreement for feasibility, geophysics and geotechnical studies of the Baghdara Dam in Kapisa province with Metallurgical Corp of China (MCC), the contractor of Mes Aynak copper mine.
The agreement was signed between Abdul Latif Mansoor, Acting Minister of Energy and Water, and Song Wen Bing, director of MCC.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mansoor highlighted the importance of the Baghdara Dam project in providing the electricity needed for the Mes Aynak project in Logar province and emphasized that the implementation of the Baghdara Dam project will be a milestone in joint cooperation between Afghanistan and China.
He also emphasized the expansion and development of cooperation between China and Afghanistan and assured the Chinese ambassador and MCC officials that the environment is favorable for investment in Afghanistan and the Islamic Emirate is committed to cooperate in this regard.
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Most families borrow money to buy food in Afghanistan: WFP
The World Food Programme (WFP) has said that three out of four Afghan families borrow money to buy food.
On average, a family’s debts are AFN 38,200 (nearly $560), according to the organization.
WFP has warned that as winter worsens in Afghanistan, millions face extreme hardship, with one in four families struggling to get enough food.
The organization said that for many families, WFP is their last hope but due to the funding crisis, most will not receive any food in the coming months.
“For the coming six months, WFP in Afghanistan urgently requires nearly US$680 million across all its activities, including to help the most vulnerable, food insecure families across the country survive the harsh Afghan winter,” it said.
WFP said that it has helped 10.5 million people across Afghanistan with food and cash to nourish children, boost the local economy and empower communities.
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