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KABUL—The fragile peace deal between the United States and the Taliban appeared to hang in the balance Wednesday as the U.S. Defense Department announced its first airstrike against Taliban forces in 11 days and bitter disagreements between the radical Islamist movement and the Afghan government, as well as internal divisions in Kabul, threatened to nullify the pact.
People throughout the nation were holding their breath, caught in a limbo between fear and hope, as new violence erupted in a country long torn by civil war. Both U.S. and Afghan officials suggested that the Taliban were violating the pact despite an unprecedented telephone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Taliban political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Tuesday, after which Trump said the two had agreed there would be “no violence.”
In a series of tweets, Col. Sonny Leggett, the spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said the Taliban had conducted 43 attacks against Afghan national forces on Tuesday alone. In response, he said. “The US conducted an airstrike on March 4 against Taliban fighters in Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand, who were actively attacking an #ANDSF [Afghan National Defense and Security Forces] checkpoint. This was a defensive strike to disrupt the attack. This was our 1st strike against the Taliban in 11 days.”
Meanwhile Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, his own future in dispute not only because of the Taliban, who want an interim government established, but because of a challenge from his election rival, Abdullah Abdullah, has cast doubt on the deal. The pact, which was signed by Baradar and U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad on Feb. 29, stated that the United States would “work with all relevant sides on a plan to expeditiously release” Taliban prisoners, with the release date determined ahead of March 10, the planned beginning of direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. But Ghani said there was “no commitment” to freeing the prisoners.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet on Monday that the deal will not go ahead unless the prisoners were released. An estimated 10,000 captured Taliban members are being held in Afghanistan, and around 5,000 Taliban prisoners were to be released in exchange for 1,000 political prisoners from the government’s side.
Trump said that 5,000 U.S. troops would leave Afghanistan by May and he was ready to meet Taliban leaders in the near future.
But as a result of the impasse, some observers believe the scheduled date for “intra-Afghan dialogue,” as the agreement terms it, will be pushed back. “The prisoner exchange issue could delay intra-Afghan talks,” Shaharzad Akbar, the chairperson of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, told Foreign Policy.
“It is surprising that there wasn’t a full understanding on this issue between the U.S. and Afghan governments prior to finalizing the U.S.-Taliban deal. This illustrates the difficulty and messiness of this process and the remaining ambiguity regarding the real and expected role of different actors at each stage.”
The Taliban—who don’t recognize the Afghan government’s legitimacy—have since declared they will again take up weapons against Kabul (while refraining from attacking U.S. forces and targets) after a weeklong reduction of violence that had been expected to continue, with Ghani declaring that the objective was to “turn it into a cease-fire.”
On Tuesday, while visiting Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province, Ghani once again addressed the Taliban, saying that killing other Afghans is a crime. “You have made peace with the foreigners, so what does your jihad mean now?” he asked. But Taliban officials say their “jihad” will continue.
The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces said they were ready to “respond forcefully” to possible Taliban attacks. Scores of people have been killed since the signing of the deal, with the Afghan National Army reporting at least 16 soldiers killed in the northern province of Kunduz.
Austin Scott Miller, the senior U.S. general in Afghanistan, said in a statement Monday that the reduction in violence ahead of the deal signing was intended as a confidence-builder. “We’re very serious about our obligations and we expect the Taliban will be serious about their obligations. The United States has been very clear … the violence must remain low,” Miller said.
Afghans throughout the country are voicing their usual tense mixture of hope and fear. “The U.S. troops leaving worries me,” said Zarifa Ghafari, the mayor of Maidan Shahr, the capital of Wardak, a province with large parts occupied by the Taliban. She said she didn’t feel optimistic about the group’s possible integration into the government.
“The Taliban are still a group of terrorists. Giving them a chance to come back, on top of American soldiers leaving within 14 months is not good news. I hope the international community will protect the future as well as social, economical, and political progress in Afghanistan. As a woman, I am looking at a dark future with the Taliban in power.”
Ghafari’s concern is echoed by many Afghan women. While the atmosphere in Kabul had been relaxed and hopeful during the week of reduced violence, the situation has tensed up, with many people swaying between hope and worry, frustrated that violence has resumed across the country.
“The resumption of violence by the Taliban is concerning and not conducive to the atmosphere of upcoming talks, but it is also not surprising,” said Andrew Watkins, an analyst at the International Crisis Group. “As an insurgent movement, the group draws most of its political leverage from the threat and use of violence.”
Afghanistan’s war has been deadly. In the last year alone, over 10,000 civilian casualties were recorded by the United Nations, including at least 3,403 civilians killed. Since the start of the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, more than 3,500 U.S. and coalition troops have been killed.
Saturday’s deal has been seen as a beginning to the end of America’s longest war in history, and both the Taliban and the United States say they remain committed to it. Afghanistan’s government, that hasn’t yet been part of the negotiations has described the deal as “an important step in the peace process.”
Although the disputes over the prisoner exchange and the government’s divisions could potentially delay the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, the International Crisis Group’s Watkins said he was still confident that the deal will hold.
“It doesn’t seem as if it’s already breaking down,” he said. “Even historically successful peace processes have been full of misunderstandings.”
Nine new coronavirus victims, all of them linked to a New Rochelle attorney fighting for his life against the ailment, were identified Wednesday — including his wife and two kids, a suburban Good Samaritan and five members of a second family.
The victims fell like dominoes as the potentially lethal disease cut a scary path through the city’s northern suburbs, with the number of victims now at 11. City officials, after confirming earlier that the infected man’s wife, 20-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter tested positive, announced later that a friend of the lawyer apparently brought the virus home as well. The man, his wife, their two sons and a daughter all tested positive for the virus, officials said.
The ninth victim was the next-door neighbor of the New Rochelle resident, and he apparently became infected while driving the ailing 50-year-old attorney to the hospital last week, officials said.
The patriarch of the second family “spent time with and in close proximity” with the ill Manhattan lawyer, said Gov. Cuomo. The man’s kids attended the Westchester Torah Academy, which was closed Tuesday as word of the sick suburban dad spread.
The stunning news of a second infected family came after hundreds of suburban New Yorkers were asked to self-quarantine inside their homes after officials announced the new confirmed cases.
Tests for possible coronavirus on patients in Buffalo came back negative, as did a test on the husband of the healthcare worker who became New York’s first case of the virus, the governor said.
Cuomo encouraged roughly 1,000 at-risk people to remain inside through Friday and contact health officials if symptoms develop. Most of them were connected in some way with the attorney, and most of those through the Temple Young Israel synagogue in New Rochelle.
Authorities specifically cited worshipers who attended services on Feb. 22, or a funeral service and a bat mitzvah one day later. The sick man also commuted via Metro-North to his law office on E. 42nd St.
“Self-quarantine is basically stay in your home, limit the exposure to the number of people that you might come in contact with,” Cuomo advised.
The infected lawyer, still hospitalized in critical condition at a Manhattan hospital, checked into a suburban hospital on Feb. 27 with respiratory problems that remained undiagnosed until four days later. His family members, along with his helpful neighbor, are currently quarantined at their homes, the governor said.
Yeshiva College, where the son was living in the dorms, canceled classes at its Washington Heights campus on Wednesday. And the Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy and High School in the Bronx, where the teenage girl is a student, voluntarily closed down one day before the diagnosis was made and remained shuttered.
Doctors were also testing the New Rochelle neighbor’s children for any signs of the virus, with eight employees at NewYork Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville also undergoing the same tests, according to Cuomo. The state is also testing the sick man’s colleagues at his Midtown law office.
“There are going to be dozen and dozens and dozens of people — and the more people you test the more will be positive,” the governor warned in announcing the new cases. “You start testing, you’re going to see the number go up.”
Mayor de Blasio said the city dispatched “disease detectives” to the Yeshiva campus to identify any of the student’s close friends who were at risk of infection.
Two students exposed to their stricken classmate were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where both will be tested for the virus. There was no immediate word on the results.
“We will continue working closely with our state partners to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe,” said de Blasio.
The man who tested positive Monday for the coronavirus had no known travel links to countries at the center of the outbreak. He remains in critical condition at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in upper Manhattan, according to health officials.
New York state is recalling SUNY and CUNY students from study abroad programs in China, Italy, Iran and other places where the virus is widespread. They will return on a chartered plane destined for Stewart International Airport near Newburgh, Orange County, and then be quarantined for 14 days.
People look over storm damage laid out in the streets of Nashville on March 3, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn. Nashville was struck with by two tornadoes on Monday night and into early Tuesday morning following heavy storms in the area. At least 19 people have been killed. (Mark Humphrey/AP)
At least two devastating tornadoes tore through central Tennessee, leaving a trail of death and destruction in the metro Nashville area and beyond early Tuesday morning.
Tennessee Department of Emergency Management Community Relations Officer Maggie Hannan confirmed that 19 people have been killed across four different counties, the Tennessean reported.
There have been at least two confirmed deaths in East Nashville, police said in a tweet just after 4 a.m. Another 14 people were killed amid the extreme weather just east of the city in Putnam County, according to a Facebook post from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
“There’s a really good possibility there may be more,” Gov. Bill Lee said at morning press conference. “It’s early yet.”
The twister near downtown reportedly stayed on the ground into Hermitage, about 10 miles outside of Nashville. The fire department said it’s currently responding to reports of approximately 40 structures that have collapsedin and around the city.
Surrounding areas, including Mt. Juliet and Germantown are also facing significant damages, officials said.
“Our community has been impacted significantly,” the Mt. Juliet Police Department said in a tweet. “There are multiple homes damaged and multiple injuries. We have requested mutual aid from allied agencies. We continue to search for injured. Stay home if you can. Watch for downed power lines.”
Video shared online sees skies illuminated with lightning as what appears to be a well-defined funnel moves across the city. Other social media posts and images reveal the scope of the damage in wake of the twisters.
Streets downtown were left littered with debris and downed power lines, several homes were destroyed, and huge trees were completely broken early Tuesday morning.
Nashville Electric tweeted that four of its substations were damaged in the weather. As of 4 a.m., outages were affecting more than 44,000 customers, according to the utility company.
John C. Tune Airport, Nashville International’s sister airport in West Nashville, “sustained significant damage due to severe weather,” Spokesman Kim Gerlock said in a statement, noting that several hangars have been destroyed but that no injuries have been reported.
Parts of Tennessee State University’s campus were also damaged, but students are currently out on spring break. And a gas leak reportedly prompted an evacuation of the IMT building in Germantown.
Photos published by WSMV-TV show dozens of people carrying their belongings in the streets shortly after the tornado tore through the city.(Mark Humphrey/AP)
Schools, courts and transit lines were also closed down and the locations of four Super Tuesday polling stations have been moved.
“My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones. Be sure to lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need, and let’s come together as a community once more. Together, we will get through this and come out stronger.”
Authorities have urged residents in Nashville and the surrounding area to remain indoors while they continue to assess the damage.
The city’s emergency operations center has been activated and an emergency shelter set up. The American Red Cross said on Twitter that it has established a spot for displaced residents at the Nashville Farmer’s Market, just north of the state capitol.
The storm system was forecast to bring an isolated tornado, damaging winds and large hail, news outlets reported. Heavy rain was expected to impact Gulf Coast states over the next several days.
With News Wire Services
Elon Musk says the US’s F-35 stealth jet ‘would have no chance’ against a ‘drone fighter plane’
What Elon Musk is predicting should be taken into consideration by Turkey’s Ministry of Defense and the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) / Türk Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii A.Ş. (TUSAŞ) which is developing Turkey’s first domestically produced 5th generation TF-X = Turkish Fighter – Experimental jet. Especially since Turkey has been so successful in developing it’s own drone technology. TF-X is not scheduled to make its first test flight until 2025; now is the time to start considering enhancements for the future.
EMIP
The Russian Navy’s frigate Admiral Makarov sets sail in the Bosphorus on its way to the Mediterranean Sea on Friday. –
Yoruk Isik
LONDON — Russia on Friday announced it had dispatched two state-of-the-art warships to the Middle East after an attack in Syria killed 33 Turkish soldiers.
Videos posted on social media showed two of Russia’s newest guided missile frigates, the Admiral Grigorovich and Admiral Makarov, making their way through the Bosporus, a Turkish-controlled chokepoint that runs through Istanbul, on their way to the Syrian coast.
Though Russia and Turkey have seen a rapprochement in recent years, much to the chagrin of the U.S. and its NATO allies, the two sides pursue opposing goals in Syria: Moscow backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Ankara backs rebel groups opposing him in northern Syria.
Turkey has beefed up its support — both in men and materiel — for rebel forces in the face of a Syrian regime assault on the last remaining opposition stronghold in Idlib province. The escalation of violence has again highlighted Russia and Turkey’s irreconcilable aims in Syria.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that the Turkish forces in Idlib came under Syrian government fire while operating alongside “terrorist formations” near the settlement of Behun, referring to Turkish-backed rebels.
“[Russian forces] have constantly requested and confirmed with their Turkish colleagues the coordinates of the location of all units of the Turkish armed forces positioned near the areas of terrorist actions,” the Russian statement said.
The statement said that Turkey failed to notify Russia that its troops were operating in the region while simultaneously denying that any Russian aircraft were conducting air strikes in the region.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking at press conference Friday, expressed his condolences for the Turkish soldiers, but noted that the incident would have been prevented if Ankara honored a de-confliction agreement between the two militaries in the region. He also said Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan have spoken about the situation.
The deployment Friday of Russian ships, capable of firing guided cruise missiles at land targets, comes as Turkey mulls over possible responses to the killing of its soldiers by Russian-backed Syrian forces on Thursday— including the possibility of a wider Turkish assault on Syrian forces in Idlib.
Military tensions last flared in 2017, when Turkey shot down a Russian aircraft that strayed into Turkish airspace while conducting bombing runs on Ankara-backed rebel forces in north-western Syria, raising the specter of broader conflict between Europe’s two largest militaries.
Turkey ultimately backed down from that standoff and signed on to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems. Since then, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan have made a show of fostering closer ties – at the expense of Turkey’s relations with NATO.
But now, with tensions again flaring with Russia, Erdogan is looking West for support. At Turkey’s request, NATO will be holding a meeting to consult with Ankara on the situation in Syria on Friday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
