Tag Archives: Afghanistan

American al Qaeda suspect faces new U.S. terrorism charges

By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) – Federal prosecutors in New York unveiled new criminal charges on Wednesday against a U.S. citizen believed to have once been an al Qaeda operative, accusing him of involvement in a 2009 car bomb attack on a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.

According to a nine-count indictment, Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, 30, helped prepare one of two explosive devices for use in the Jan. 19, 2009 attack.

Prosecutors said an accomplice detonated one device, while Al Farekh’s fingerprints were found on packing tape for the second device, which a second accomplice carried and did not detonate. The military base was not identified.

Sean Maher, a court-appointed lawyer for Al Farekh, did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The Texas-born Al Farekh was charged with providing material support to al Qaeda, providing material support to terrorists and using explosives. He also faces six conspiracy counts including to murder Americans, use a weapon of mass destruction, bomb a government facility and aid al Qaeda.

Al Farekh faces up to life in prison if convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn, New York.

Also known as Abdullah al-Shami, Al Farekh had been detained in Pakistan prior to being flown to Brooklyn, where he first appeared last April 2.

He pleaded not guilty on June 4 to three criminal counts in an indictment made public a week earlier.

Prosecutors accused Al Farekh of providing material support to al Qaeda from Dec. 2006 to Sept. 2009, in a plot that involved two fellow students from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.

Al Farekh was purportedly inspired by Anwar Al-Awlaki, a radical cleric whose teachings are believed by prosecutors to have inspired terrorism plots including the 2005 London subway bombings and a failed 2010 bombing in New York’s Times Square.

Al-Awlaki was killed in a 2011 U.S. drone attack in Yemen.

The case is U.S. v. Al Farekh, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00268.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)

U.S. Soldier Killed in Firefight in Afghanistan

A member of the United States military was killed and two others suffered injuries during a firefight on Tuesday in Afghanistan, Department of Defense officials announced.

Speaking at a news briefing in Washington, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the soldiers were conducting a mission with Afghanistan forces in Marjah when the group came under fire.

Cook told reporters that “a number of Afghan forces” were also injured during the mission.

The spokesman said a pair of medevac helicopters were dispatched to the location in Helmand Province. One landed safely despite striking a wall, but damaged its rotor blades and remained grounded. The other came under fire and safely returned to its base without landing.

Cook didn’t offer much additional information about the circumstances of the soldier’s death or what the mission entailed, saying “there’s still a fight going on in the immediate surroundings.”

He did say the United States soldiers were on a “train, advise and assist” mission. The 9,800 or so soldiers that remain in Afghanistan are supporting the country’s military as it battles with a variety of armed insurgents, according to a Pentagon report released last month.

“There are dangerous parts of Afghanistan where the fight is still underway, and Helmand Province is one of those places,” Cook told reporters at the news briefing. “The U.S. forces that are there are doing what they can to provide support, training, advice (and) assistance to the Afghan forces as they take the lead in this fight.”

The Pentagon report also said the security situation had “deteriorated” in the second half of 2015 as terrorist groups like the Taliban and a branch of the Islamic State staged more “effective insurgent attacks” against Afghanistan forces, resulting in an increase in casualties.

Speaking at the news conference, Cook said the Afghanistan forces were improving at securing their country, but they weren’t yet at a point where they were able to fully defend it on their own. He said there wasn’t any plan to change the role the United States is playing in the region.

“The situation in Helmand and throughout Afghanistan remains challenging, but we are confident that Afghan National Security and Defense Forces are continuing to develop the capabilities and capacity to secure the country against a persistent insurgent threat,” Cook said.

Pentagon: Islamic State’s Presence in Afghanistan Growing

Islamic State militants are engaged in a turf war with the Taliban as it tries to establish a “safe haven” in Afghanistan, according a new report released this week by the Department of Defense.

The Pentagon report indicates the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province, a branch of the terrorist organization, is becoming “more operationally active” in Afghanistan.

The Islamic State branch “has progressed from its initial exploratory phase to a point where they are openly fighting the Taliban for the establishment of a safe haven,” the report indicates, adding that the branch has captured some land from the Taliban in the province of Nangarhar.

The report also says that the Islamic State branch is recruiting Taliban defectors who no longer wished to support the group, and that the Afghanistan government was “particularly concerned” about the branch’s rise. The group is viewed as a “serious looming threat,” the report indicates.

The branch claimed responsibility for an improvised explosive device attack against a United Nations vehicle in September, the report says. It also attacked up to 10 checkpoints in a day later that month.

“(The Islamic State branch) represents an emergent competitor to other violent extremist groups that have traditionally operated in Afghanistan; this may result in increased violence among the various extremist groups in 2016,” the Pentagon report states.

The report comes on the heels of President Barack Obama doubling down on his strategy to defeat the Islamic State, which focuses on airstrikes, training and equipping Iraqi and Syrian forces, disrupting the group’s finances and finding a diplomatic solution to the Syrian civil war.

But this offers evidence that shows the group appears to be growing in strength and influence outside its strongholds of Iraq and Syria, where much of the global anti-ISIS efforts are focused.

In October, President Barack Obama announced that 9,800 American troops would remain in Afghanistan for most of 2016. That number is slated to drop to 5,500 by the end of next year. Their main missions are training and assisting Afghanistan forces, as well as counterrorism.

The State Department warns Americans not to visit Afghanistan, citing an “extremely unstable” security situation. The Pentagon report says the situation worsened in the second half of this year, as various insurgents executed more effective attacks against Afghanistan forces, or ANDSF.

“Although the ANDSF maintain a significant capability advantage over the insurgency, insurgents are improving in their ability to find and exploit ANDSF vulnerabilities, making the security situation still fragile in key areas and at risk of deterioration in other places,” the report says.

U.S. officials warn of “imminent attack” in Afghanistan

United States officials have received “credible reports of an imminent attack” somewhere in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to the state department’s Overseas Advisory Council.

The council on Monday issued what it called an emergency message for United States citizens currently in Afghanistan’s capital city, cautioning them to be careful during the next 48 hours.

“There were no further details regarding the targets, timing or method of the planned attack,” according to the posting.

The state department has an ongoing travel warning in effect for all of Afghanistan and urges Americans not to visit the country at all, citing an “extremely unstable” security situation. It notes Taliban-associated extremists remain active in the country.

Just two days ago, Agence France-Presse reported a suicide bomber targeted the life of one of the senior members of Afghanistan’s election commission as he entered his car in Kabul. The official survived the attack, but one of his employees died and two others were wounded.

Protesters Storm Afghan Presidential Palace over Recent ISIS Beheadings

Thousands of protesters marched outside the palace compound in Kabul on Wednesday to denounce recent abductions and killings of seven members of the Hazara Shiite minority.

Before arriving at the palace gates, the protesters walked for almost four hours carrying the green-draped coffins of  seven Hazaras who had been kidnaped and beheaded — four men, two women and a nine-year-old girl, Shukria. Many chanted “Death to the Taliban,” ”Down with the Government” and “Death to Pakistan.” The government is convinced the deaths were caused by an Islamic State group.

10,000 people marched to demand justice for the Shiite minority and called on the government to do more to ensure the nation’s security or step down. The protests come from the growing discontent at the government’s inability to counter groups such as the Taliban and Islamic State-inspired factions.  

According to news reports, at one point, presidential guards opened fire as some of the protesters who tried to scale the walls and get into the palace grounds. The president’s deputy spokesman, Zafar Hashemi, said the shooting wounded 10 people.

Shortly afterward, Ghani went live on national television, appealing for calm and promising that the Hazara deaths would be avenged. “The nation’s pain is my pain,” he said, vowing the authorities would have “no mercy” on the killers.

“Like you, I will not calm down until the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice. We shall revenge the blood of our brothers and sisters,” he said, adding that the “enemies of Afghanistan” are trying to create disunity and “bring ethnic and sectarian violence” to the country.

Relief Efforts Intensified as Death Toll in Afghanistan and Pakistan Continues to Climb

Monday’s 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan and Pakistan and sent tremors into India and Tajikistan has now claimed the lives of over 250 people according to multiple news agencies.

The exact number still isn’t clear as various news agencies report anywhere from 260 to 339 people being killed by the earthquake. The quake also injured 2,000 people, damaged around 6,000 homes, cracked walls to other buildings, and shut down power.

According to the Associated Press, relief organizations have finally reached some of the more remote and impoverished areas that were affected by the earthquake. The United States has also offered supplies and aid that has been stored in warehouses around Afghanistan.

Officials believe that the death toll will continue to rise as there are several remote areas and fallen buildings that have not been reached by rescue efforts.

“We believe the exact numbers are much higher because not all people bring the bodies to the hospitals so there are many that are not being counted. And there are still areas we don’t have access to so we are not aware of the situation there,” Qameruddin Sediqi, an adviser to the public health minister, told Fox News.

Reuters reported that the Taliban has also called its people to help out with the relief efforts and to stay out of the way of aid groups.

“The Islamic Emirate calls on our good-willed countrymen and charitable organizations to not hold back in providing shelter, food and medical supplies to the victims,” the group said in a message of condolence to quake victims, using its formal name.

“And it similarly orders its mujahideen in the affected areas to lend their complete help.”

The quake has also caused landslides. The Pakistan Geological Survey reported to BBC News that landslides disrupted the Karakoram highway between Gilgit and Baltistan.

Afghanistan Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 180 from 7.5 Quake

The death toll is rising by the hour in Afghanistan and in Pakistan after a 7.5 earthquake struck at 1:39 pm local time Monday afternoon.  According to news sources, at least 180 people have died. That number is expected to rise.  The earthquake was centered about 28 miles south-southwest of Jarm, Afghanistan, and about 159 miles north-northeast of the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Officials are concerned about the mountainous area near the epicenter due to the vulnerability  landslides because of heavy rains in the last week and the porous nature of the soil.  

According to Reuters, Badakhshan provincial governor Shah Waliullah Adib said about 400 houses were destroyed but he had no figures on casualties.

“Right now we are collecting information,” he said.

Because so many people are cut off from communication, it will take time to know how extensive the damage and casualties will be.  

Scott Anderson, deputy head of office for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Kabul commented “The problem is we just don’t know. A lot of the phone lines are still down.”   

Among those killed were 12 girls who were trampled as they attempted to flee from their school and were crushed by the crowd attempting to leave the building through a stairway.  

Aftershocks are now being watched carefully as authorities feel more landslides will most likely to occur.  

President Obama Changes Plan, Troops to Stay in Afghanistan into 2017

Senior administration officials announced that President Barack Obama has decided to keep 5,500 U.S. troops across Afghanistan into 2017, ending his original plans of bringing home most American forces from the Middle Eastern country before the end of his term.

A senior administration official stated the president’s decision came after an “extensive months-long review” along with regular discussions between U.S. commanders in the field, the national security team, and Afghanistan’s leaders.

The new plan slows the pace of the reduction of American forces in the war-torn country. An anonymous official reported that the current U.S. force 9,800 will be staying in Afghanistan through “most of 2016.” After 2016, the remaining troops will focus on training and advising the Afghan army. The U.S. will also continue to using drones and Special Operations forces to strike al-Qaeda and other forces who may be plotting attacks against the United States.

The decision comes after Taliban forces took control of the northern city of Kunduz approximately two weeks ago, causing a major battle with Afghan forces on the ground and U.S. airstrikes supporting them.

23 Civilians Killed in Afghan Hospital Due to U.S. Airstrikes

A U.S.-led bombing accidentally hit a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, resulting in the death of 23 civilians.

The victims included 13 staff members and 10 patients. Three of the patients who were killed were children. Doctors Without Borders also reported that 37 people were wounded. One nurse recounted the terrible situation to the Huffington Post.

“There are no words for how terrible it was. In the intensive care unit, six patients were burning in their beds,” Lajos Zoltan Jecs said in an account posted on the MSF website.

She continued describing the situation. She watched colleagues die, heard patients calling out for help in all directions, and watched some of the staff just freeze, tears streaming down their faces.

General John Campbell addressed reporters at the Pentagon Monday. He stated that the strikes were called for by Afghan forces to protect U.S. forces.

“We have now learned that on October 3, Afghan forces advised that they were taking fire from enemy positions and asked for air support from U.S. forces,” he said. “An airstrike was then called to eliminate the Taliban threat, and several innocent civilians were accidentally struck.” Campbell also offered his condolences.

Afghan officials called the situation a tragedy, but have remained mute on the situation.

U.S., NATO, and Afghan officials are investigating the situation. Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), is demanding an independent investigation and calling the situation a “war crime.”

“Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body,” the organization said. “Relying only on an internal investigation by a party to the conflict would be wholly insufficient.”

MSF reports that the series of bombings took place in 15 minute intervals between 2:08 a.m. and 3:15 a.m. Saturday. The charity added that the bombings continued even after U.S. and Afghan officials were notified that the hospital was being attacked.

Afghan police report that Taliban militants had been using the hospital compound as a hiding place, but Doctors Without Borders denied the claims.

The charity has since closed the hospital due the extensive damages to the building and equipment. In less than a week, MSF has treated 394 wounded people in Kunduz.

“There is no access to trauma care now for the civilians and for the wounded in the whole area of Kunduz, which is some kind of battleground for the moment,” said Christopher Stokes, the aid group’s general director.

U.S.-Led and NATO Special Forces Join Fight in Kunduz

NATO special forces have joined Afghan forces in their attempt to retake the city of Kunduz which fell into Taliban control on Monday.

The heavily assailed airport, which sits on a hilltop a few miles outside Kunduz, is now the only place held by the Afghan army. The nearby Bala Hisar fort fell when soldiers there ran out of ammunition, deputy provincial governor Hamdullah Daneshi said.  Thousands of troops have fled to the airport during the intense fighting over the last two days.

U.S. special forces had been advising Afghan troops while operating from a temporary base at the Kunduz airport for several weeks, according to a special forces commander.

Coalition spokesman Col. Brian Tribus gave few details about the foreign troops’ engagement with insurgents while supporting Afghan forces overnight, including the troops’ nationalities. Although the U.S. and NATO have officially handed over the battle against the Taliban to Afghan forces, the terms of their mission allows them to fight when they come under direct threat.

That happened early Wednesday morning when a team of U.S. special forces “encountered an insurgent threat in the vicinity of the Kunduz airport at approximately 1 am, 30 September,” Tribus told Reuters, adding that the soldier had acted in self-defense. “When they encountered the threat, they defended themselves,” he said.