General David Petraeus, Commander of the US Central Command, on Tuesday refuted reports that Afghan President Hamid Karzai has lost confidence in the American and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces to succeed in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani military has "significantly degraded" the Pakistani Taliban, but is still reluctant to take action against the elements of Afghan Taliban operating from inside its territory, a top US General said on Wednesday.
The US is not in a forgiving mood for being humiliated in such a manner by an insurgent force and made to look 'loser' internationally, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The United States has announced the end of its 20-year-old war in Afghanistan as the last American military flight flew out of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul shortly before the August 31 deadline.
Remember the US withdrawal agreement was signed in February 2020. In the intervening period, a proper evacuation plan ought to have been in place. It was not. Consequently, tens of thousands of Afghans who had worked as interpreters, drivers, suppliers of goods and services, etc, face brutal retribution from the Taliban, Virendra Kapoor points out.
"There are elements in Pakistan that have not yet been the focus of the Pakistani counterinsurgency efforts," Gen Petraeus said in reply to a query raised by Senator Claire McCaskill, who expressed concern over the inability of Pakistan authorities in taking "substantial action" against the LeT.
'I think it's really important that we work as hard as we can with each other, and that any kind of public accusations or public finger pointing, quite frankly, that does not serve any of us well. That doesn't mean we won't have disagreements. But I hope that we can do that privately, and not publicly,' The Dawn quoted Mullen, as saying.
The military used a GBU-43 bomb -- which weighs a staggering 9,525 kg -- and the radius from the blast is believed to more than 300 metres.
The Islamic State, the dreaded terrorist group that has gained control over a large part of Iraq and Syria, has up to 31,500 fighters - three times as many as previously feared, according to a latest Central Intelligence Agency estimate.
Noting that Pakistan has made significant progress in its fight against extremism that threatens its existence, a top United States military general has said that the country's checkered past should be remembered. "I wouldn't allow you to put words in my mouth," Commander of the US Central Command General David Petraeus told Charlie Rose of the PBS in an interview.
The US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces are all set to roll out an "intensive 18-month" ground campaign in Afghanistan to stamp out Taliban and Al Qaeda militants, top US generals have said warning the insurgents that Marjah offensive was just the start.
Virtually putting Pakistan on notice, the United States has said it is looking for concrete action by the government there to destroy the Taliban operating out of its territory in the next two weeks, before determining its next course of action. General David Petraeus, the Commander of US Central Command, has told US officials that the next two weeks are critical to determining whether the Pakistani government will survive, Fox News reported.
Taliban failed to honour Doha accord, never renounced Al-Qaeda: US general Mark Milley
United States President-elect Donald Trump has formally nominated James Mattis, a retired 4-star Marine Corps general who has long voiced concerns about the threat posed by Iran, as the Defence Secretary to replace Ashton Carter.
The US army, navy, air force and marines have all prepared battle plans and spent four years building bases and training for Operation Iranian Freedom.
Considering that Qatar is a trusted ally of Washington for decades, it is expected to be a steady influence on the Taliban leadership, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
"Militants operating out of Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to threaten Afghan stability as well as stoke tensions between Pakistan and India," Gen Votel said.
For two decades the US paid in blood and blood money for dependence on Pakistan to carry out one president's boast. Now, having been defeated by its proxies, another president will go into Rawalpindi's embrace to satisfy his constituents, predicts Shekhar Gupta.
Musharraf meets US commander over Afghan allegations
ISI chief Faiz Hameed coerced the Taliban to announce an interim government guaranteed to preserve Pakistan's control over the levers of power in Kabul, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The United States military has conducted a humanitarian air drop in the besieged Iraqi town of Amrili, home to thousands of Shia Turkomen who have been cut off from receiving food, water, and medical supplies for two months by the militants of the Islamic State, the Pentagon said.
'Did Trump hint at US military intervention in Qatar?' asks Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Pakistani army spokesman General Shauket Sultan told CNN a dynamite blast by engineers clearing a road caused the explosion as two US helicopters were flying overhead.
Initially slotted for 2005, it was advanced in response to the recent assassination attempts on Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf.
As per a pre-trial agreement, Ivan Fredrick will have to serve only 8 years of his ten-year sentence.
A chemical weapons expert has been killed in a US-led air strike in northern Iraq.
'As far as acquisition of Russian equipment is concerned, with about 70% of Indian military equipment being of Russian origin, a sudden decision to abandon imports from Russia is not feasible,' points out Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).
It was the civilian leadership that was disinclined to withdraw fearing loss of face, the former US Central Command chief has said.
The US said that it sees positive indicators in Pakistan, but...
The US president said that there is a lot of "dislike" (between India and Pakistan).
The US has also urged the two South Asian neighbours to avoid further military action.
The statement comes Days after Trump sought Imran Khan's help in the Afghan peace process.
Vij will become the first ever Indian army chief to hold parleys with the top commanders of the US Central Command and also visit the US Special Operations Forces Command Centre at Tampa.
The fate of Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was reportedly targetted during airstrikes last weekend in Iraq, is still not known.
The United States and its allies have expanded their war against the Islamic State by launching aggressive airstrikes against an array of targets of the militant group in Syria, the Pentagon has said.
The reports were changed by CENTCOM higher ups to adhere to the Obama administration's public line that the US is winning the battle against the terror groups, claim analysts.
The US President, however, said he does not know if this would send a message to North Korea.
His departure came just after reports surfaced the Justice Department warned the Trump administration last month that Flynn misled administration officials regarding his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
The US military has around 2,200 service members and civilian employees in Turkey, which is a NATO member and a crucial regional partner for Washington.
