(for the large high resolution map please click here: http://southfront.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/afgh31.jpg)
SouthFront commentary:
With your support SouthFront has released the second article of the Afghanistan Map of War Series, July 17-20, 2015. See Afghanistan Map of War, July 13-16, 2015 for additional information about the developments in the region. Help produce interesting content and join our struggle by donating via PayPal: southfront@list.ru or via: http://southfront.org/donate/
The Taliban is taking the Faryab province, it has also started an offensive in the Baghlan-e-Jadid district of the Baghlan province, and has nearly seized the Helmand province. The actions are part of the Taliban’s Azm offensive, which began earlier this year. Most of the Taliban’s gains are a result of the Afghan central government’s unwieldiness, and inability provide assistance to local pro-government forces in the besieged provinces.
- July 17, The situation in the northern Afghan Faryab province that borders Turkmenistan is critical. Militants began attacking the province in early July, they have seized more than 100 villages in little over a week. Local pro-government forces called People’s Resistance Front are retreating in almost all areas of Faryab. The provincial capital, Maymana, is in danger of falling into the hands of the Taliban. The chief of the Faryab Provincial Council said “It’s a desperate situation” and blamed lack of support from the central government.
- July 17, The Taliban started an offensive in the Baghlan-e-Jadid district of the Baghlan province. Militants reported that they overran five military installations and cleared a huge area. There is no information about causalities, however, the Taliban suggested that a number of pro-government soldiers were killed or wounded.
- July 18, 6 policemen were killed and 3 were injured as result of a bombing in the Herat province. The incident occurred when policemen were patrolling the Guzarah district because of the Eid al-Fitr celebration. Eid al-Fitr is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan. Local administration believes that the attack came from the Taliban. However, no anti-Government groups took responsibility for the violence.
- July 18, The Taliban claims it overran an Afghan military base and paraded troops through the bazaar in Kajaki, northern Helmand province. The terrorist group made the claim in a video produced by Al Emarah and released on Voice of Jihad, its official media outlet. The video “Azm Operations in Helmand Province, Graveyard of the British Empire,” shows a suicide bombing on an Afghan military checkpoint and a mortar attack on the base in the southern Afghan province. The video also highlights US-made Humvees used by the Taliban. They also claimed to have taken large portions of Kajaki. The video shows images of militants in the district, including Kajaki’s bazaar.
- The clashes in Helmand are part of the Taliban’s Azm offensive, which began earlier this year. Most of the fights have taken place in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz since end of the April. The districts of Imam Sahib, Aliabad, and Qala-i-Zal are under constant attack. Their current status is unclear, but it’s likely that the Taliban controls Imam Sahib and Aliabad. The Helmand provincial council reported the Kajaki district will be completely under Taliban control if the military does not launch a counter-attack.
- July 19, Afghan government forces launched an anti-terrorist operation in the Kapisa province. During the operation 2 militants were killed and 6 were detained. The operation took place in the Nijrab district. There is no information on which terrorist network the militants belonged too.
- July 20, The US Air Force bombed a checkpoint of the Afghan National Army in the Baraki Barak of the Logar province instead of Taliban positions. In the airstrike 8 servicemen were killed, 5 were injured. Afghan authorities report that the air raid wasn’t coordinated with the Afghan government.
The provinces of Helman and Kandagar are very important due to TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas project because the planned gas pipeline will connect to Pakistan through these provinces. Therefore the aim of militants is to take control of the territories that are supposed to be key points of gas transportation and profit from the control. Now the central government is preparing a counter-attack in Faryab, in the districts where the Taliban hasn’t taken full control. Meanwhile, it’s reported that the Pakistani Taliban is calling for the peace between the Afghan Taliban and the Afghan Islamic State militants. Notwithstanding a low chance of this, a potential unity of two the most destructive powers in the region could become a rival threat for the government of Afghanistan.
It’s important to divide the Taliban’s presence, governance and attack zones.
- Presence zone: an area where Taliban is able to move freely (conduct offensives on isolated Afghan government-controlled points), exert physical pressure to assure that individuals/groups responds as directed.
- Governance zone: an area with direct Taliban governance (unclear even for Afghanistan authorities).
- Attack zone: an area (at least the whole territory of Afghanistan).
Example: On June 30, the Taliban claimed to the control of Dasht-i-Archi and Chardara district. Afghan government said it still controlled Chardara. To refute the government’s claims, the Taliban released a video showing its forces in Chardara district. So, the real governance in these districts is unclear. Thus, in this map we prefer to use the “presence” factor to determine an influence of different groups objectively. The same approach is used to describe Islamic State activity in the country.
This map is very useful. I have one suggestion.
The bordering nations should be delineated also. The war in Afghan leaks into other countries and is very instrumental in its use by the CIA to keep destabilizing (or staging terror events).
Also, no mention of ISIS?
Are they there or not?
Thanks. You folks do great work.
Hello Red Ryder
We are always glad to get feedback (in comments or via email info@southfront.org), thank you.
1) Your suggestion: The aim of these maps to show the developments in distinct states. Now you can find the regional level of analyses in our Foreign Policy Diary series:
http://southfront.org/all-articles/multimedia/foreign-policy-diary/
2) ISIS: This is report about short period (4 days). So, they just didn’t exercise any important military activities this time. The main thing about ISIS in the report: “Meanwhile, it’s reported that the Pakistani Taliban is calling for the peace between the Afghan Taliban and the Afghan Islamic State militants”.
Kind regards,
SouthFront Team
South Front: Job well done. Thanks. Facts embedded in context! What a “radical” approach.
Nice job, Southfront.
The following is an article about US use of the various “IS” terrorist proxy forces to destabilize the Mideast and Central Asia.
Agents of Chaos: US Sponsors Jihadism to Gain Control of Central Asia
The United States seeks to gain control of Central Asia using ‘Jihadism without borders’ as a strategic weapon, political analyst Nazanin Armanyan in Spanish publication Publico.es wrote.
Central Asia, which Americans perceive as the ‘backyard’ of Russia and China, is being used by the US to provoke ethnic and religious tensions in the immediate vicinity of the borders of Russia and China, the analyst says.
Religious fundamentalism in the Caucasus, the Middle East, Central Asia, as well as in the areas adjacent to the Indian Ocean, are becoming a weapon in the hands of American strategists.
“As a tool to achieve their set goal, the US uses terrorism, extremism and separatism. Taking advantage of the weakness of autocratic states in the region based on ethnic and tribal ties, Islamic State controls 25 out of 35 Afghan provinces, including the North, this was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the analyst said in the publication.
According to Armanyan, the radical group Islamic State is an active player in NATO’s strategy of trying to take control of Central Asia.
The first two attempts United States made to take over the region were in the 80’s and after September 11, 2001. Both of the attempts had failed.
Armanyan believes that the US has a number of objectives with their “managed chaos” in the region, including involving Russia in conflicts “occurring in Eastern Europe (Ukraine), the Caucasus and Central Asia,” the creation of centers of military tension around Iran, as well as putting pressure on India, which is part of the BRICS.
“In India it has always been possible to provoke riots. Factors such as the community of thirty million Muslims, the Hindu chauvinist groups, and Prime Minister Modi himself have served as provocation of riots across the country.”
The analyst concludes that if no one stops this madness from spreading, the scope of the war which may include China, Russia, India and Iran may have unpredictable results.
Kyrgyzstan Terminates Cooperation Agreement With US
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Temir Sariyev terminated the agreement with the United States on Cooperation to Facilitate the Provision of Assistance signed in 1993, Sariyev’s press service said.
The agreement signed on May 19, 1993 in Washington allowed US aid to be brought into and out of Kyrgyzstan without taxes and customs duties. In addition, all US personnel located in Kyrgyz territory that worked for US aid programs were granted near-diplomatic status.
The agreement was terminated following the US State Department’s decision to grant a human rights award to Azimjon Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek who has been serving a life sentence since 2011 after being convicted for organizing ethnic clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in 2010.
In 2010, a series of deadly ethnic clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks resulted in the death of over 400 people in Kyrgyzstan’s southern region of Osh and Jalal-Abad. Tens of thousands more were displaced by the unrest. The Kyrgyz authorities said the inter-ethnic clashes were instigated by people loyal to ex-President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, a pro-US leader who came to power following the 2005 “Tulip Revolution.”
Askarov was obviously on the ZPC/NWO payroll and his work creating ethnic clashes in Kyrgyzstan were part of the ZPC/NWO destabilization strategy for Kyrgyzstan. “Brilliant” move by the pindos, they gave Kyrgyzstan a reason to now officially shut down the American “color rev” infrastructure there. Smart move by Kyrgyzstan, making a start to cleaning out the rubbish and removing this support superstructure, ahead of the anticipated move by the zionazi/nazi oligarchy to bring in their IS terrorist army as part of their strategy to undermine the nations in Central Asia.
Syrian Prime Minister: US-led Coalition Actions in Syria ‘Unproductive’
The actions of the US-led international coalition in Syria are ‘unproductive’ in the fight against terrorism because they are not coordinated with the Syrian leadership and violate international laws, Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader Halqi told Sputnik.
“Syria does not consider US actions in Syria and Iraq productive. The US air missions in Syrian air space are not coordinated with the Syrian side and completely deviate from the framework of the fight against terrorism,” Halqi said.
“The Syrian army is fighting on the front and plays the decisive role, while the actions of the coalition led by the United States have nothing to do with the fight against terrorism,” the prime minster added.
According to Halqi, Syria is in great need for the suspension of the terror groups’ funding, cessation of militants’ transfers to the country, which are supported, in particular, by such countries as Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
“At present, the Syrian government does not feel real cooperation in these areas [suspension of funding, military and logistical support]. However, it is evident that Washington is interested in the counter-terror efforts only for its own purposes that consist of dividing the region, local communities and suppressing opposing forces,” Halqi outlined.
Turkish and Saudi actions show that the countries are not prepared to create a coalition with Syria for a joint fight against terrorism,he added.
“We are grateful for the Russian president’s support, but the problem is that today we don’t see that Turkey or Saudi Arabia is prepared to change their stance and begin a common fight against terrorism. In reality we see that Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, and Israel continue to help armed groups that are active in Syria. So how can we say now that these countries will form a joint union with Syria in the fight against terrorism?” Halqi said.
One thing which has always made me wonder is why these radical so-called religious movements like the Taliban or the Islamic State, accused of being clandestinely funded by various secretive forces in the West,—noting the accusations about Islamic State, also accusations that the Taliban have been supported by elements of Pakistani intelligence services, and of course presumably with some covert USA backing,—allegedly,—why are all these movements so obsessed about obliterating natural adult male-female attraction as much as possible? Even to the point where accusations are made that in Afghanistan it is more acceptable for man-boy pedophilia to exist rather than man-woman attraction?—These radical Muslims all claim that they are acting by the rules of “sharia law”, yet for centuries as I understand, Muslim societies have not exhibited anything like the modern extremes of anti-sexual feelings. Why this obsession with imposing a morality, regulation and “code of honor” regarding male-female relations clearly based on fundamental feelings of rage, disgust and shame at sexual contact and attraction in almost all circumstances.—I have read that even in a “proper Muslim marriage” the husband and the wife are supposed to suppress any true affection for each other but rather always maintain a kind of “dignified distance” perhaps even a “hostile distance”.—I find all the more perplexing that the Western elites, usually associated with “Western values” of hedonism and unrestrained sexual expression, would nonetheless support and allow movements which are obsessed with anti-sexuality and for whom suppression of all normal and affectionate sexual conduct is like one of the most important ways that they seek to reorganize society.—I have my own suspicions and theories about this, but I wonder what others think.
This phrase:
“I have read that even in a “proper Muslim marriage” the husband and the wife are supposed to suppress any true affection for each other but rather always maintain a kind of “dignified distance” perhaps even a “hostile distance”.
Where did you read that? It sounds like Islamophobia.
I find all the more perplexing that the Western elites, usually associated with “Western values” of hedonism and unrestrained sexual expression, would nonetheless support and allow movements which are obsessed with anti-sexuality…
Apparently Anonymous on July 21, 2015 · at 11:56 pm UTC has not heard of the rightwing western fundy Christian movement also resurrected from obscurity and run by these same folks. I smell a definite strawman approach here.
Another comment, about those Christian fundamentalists and their place in the scheme of things.
You remember Michele Bachmann, reputed to be affiliated with Christian fundamentalist thinkers
like John Eidsmore, Oral Roberts University, the concept that the USA should become a Christian theocracy. Or someone like Sarah Palin? Now, here is what I suspect would have happened if so-called sharia law Muslim fundamentalists came to power during Bachmann’s and Palin’s heyday in 2012. They would have had those women arrested at once, simply because they were women who had no business speaking in public. They would have told Bachmann and Palin to simply shut up and go home, be confined to quarters from then on like under house arrest. As women they would not even be allowed to go out in public without a male chaperone/bodyguard, and would be forced to get rid of all makeup and be forbidden to be in any way “attractive” so as not to create “sinful sexual temptation/harassment” for the men.—Eidsmore himself might be arrested and criminally charged with some sort of “moral corruption” for allowing his wife to go around without male escort/bodyguard and wearing “immodest attire”.—Oh, the wahhabists would have a field day about the “morals” of even the strictest Christian fundamentalists.—The Muslim fundamentalists would of course consider themselves morally and spiritually superior to any fundamentalist Christians [or anyone else on the planet] and would judge and condemn anyone else not adhering to sharia-law regulation of women’s behavior as nations and cultures of “perverts and sluts” and for that reason alone would deem them deserving obliteration and extermination, or at least forcible conversion, very furiously, proudly and righteously done, without any nonsensical notions about anybody’s “human rights” or “freedom of religion”.
They would be fueled by the rage of shame at what they would feel was indecency, obscenity,
disgusting decadence, and matters not even up for any discussion.
My understanding, is that such was pretty much the judgment pronounced on all “non-Islamic”
and especially USA and “Western” societies and cultures by Said Qutub in his writings, he being
considered one of the pioneers of modern so-called Muslim fundamentalism.
I have attempted to reply to the moderator’s inquiry and challenge as to the cited phrase about the husband-wife dynamics within the proper Muslim marriage, where did I read about it and how did I come by such an idea,—and yet I notice that my reply seems to be censored and suppressed!
I don’t get to take credit for “suppressing your other comments” but this one was a page long adaptation from Wikipedia that didn’t mention what you were asked about, while you claimed it did. Nowhere in this filler did it mention that “I have read that even in a “proper Muslim marriage” the husband and the wife are supposed to suppress any true affection for each other but rather always maintain a kind of “dignified distance” perhaps even a “hostile distance”. In other words, you were playing games and attempting to waste people’s time, while claiming the usual “I’m a victim of censorship”. This is dishonest and insulting. Take your thinly disguised Islamophobic spam elsewhere.
What I said is that I already gave you the explanation of my source for the statement about the supposedly proper husband-wife dynamics within the supposedly proper Islamic marriage,—that was the reply which you did not post, and still refuse to post.—To repeat, some years ago I truthfully remember reading an English translation of the memoirs of a prominent Moor in Spain, back when the Moors ruled most of Spain, and he was describing the customs in his household, and how the wife and husband were expected to be always reserved, distant, very dignified, even in the privacy of their home, whereas the slaves were allowed much more spontaneity and freedom in behavior because they were only slaves. I remember being rather astounded at this,
that it looked like even at home, even a husband and wife, were not supposed to really enjoy
each other’s company.
—Then, very recently, a certain contemporary practicing Muslim man who is at least an acquaintance if not friend, remarked that it was not considered proper for a husband and wife to be “making out” even at home.—So I saw this as an issue to be brought up.
I see nothing “Islamophobic” about this, just as criticizing practices of certain Christians who also
prohibit or frown on men-women enjoyment of company, often prohibiting so-called “sexually suggestive music and/or dancing” or usage of tobacco, etc., such criticism would not really be
“anti-Christ”. —I am also very concerned that you seem to be really avoiding the posting of any
mention about the Constitution of Medina. Now why would that be…mmmm?? The Constitution
of Medina stands as the original valid model of the original “Islamic State”, established by prophet
Mohammad himself. You can see how far today’s so-called Islamic State deviates from that model.
This Constitution of Medina also suggests that if Mohammad were to come back into this modern world, as one of God’s prophets, I suspect he would be appalled and very enraged at what his
supposed followers tend to be doing in his name. I do not see that as an Islamophobic attitude.
I am very much against saying anything against prophet Mohammad himself, or insulting his name. The truly effective counteraction and criticism of current heresies and deviations must be
specifically aimed at the specific sources of these deviations,—like against Said Qutub, against
the founders of Wahhabism, Salafism, the Daesh/ISIS deviation, and leave the prophet alone.
Sharia Law within Islam seems to be much like the Talmud in Judaism, just a compilation of various human customs and human interpretations. It must be judged according to its results,
empirically, the way Lord Jesus stated prophecies, statutes, customs, laws, are to be judged
according to their “fruits”. Creating it seems limitless divisions, distance and hostilities between the human genders of man and woman, that does not work like any godly fruit.—It is you who are playing the games.
What makes your comment Islamophobic is you implied that this view:
“I have read that even in a “proper Muslim marriage” the husband and the wife are supposed to suppress any true affection for each other but rather always maintain a kind of “dignified distance” perhaps even a “hostile distance”.
Applies to all Muslims and their various cultures with your earlier comment. When asked to explain, you posted some irrelevant material from Wikipedia. Now you claim to have read something old from one man who thought that way. So the views of one man apply to everybody Muslim? What would you think about applying the views of one Jew or Christian in a similar way to make a sweeping generalization of people practicing these religions? What you engaged in here is pure bigotry. It wont be tolerated in the future, either.
US Sanctions Three Hezbollah Officials, Associate for Backing Syria’s Assad
The Islamic Shiite group Hezbollah is registered in Lebanon as a political party. The group has been fighting alongside the Syrian government against the Islamic State and radical Islamic Sunni militants, including the al-Nusra Front, since 2011.
“Today, Treasury designated Mustafa Badr Al Din, Fu’ad Shukr and Ibrahim Aqil pursuant to Executive Order 13582 for acting for or on behalf of Hezbollah. Treasury today also imposed sanctions against Hezbollah facilitator Abd Al Nur Shalan.”
The three Hezbollah officials have played vital roles in the organization’s campaign in Syria, while the Lebanese businessman has helped facilitate the procurement of weapons for Hezbollah and its Syrian allies for the past 15 years, according to the press release.
The Treasury Department has frozen the four individuals’ assets in the United States or under control of US persons, and has forbidden US citizens from engaging in transactions with them.
The sanctions are the latest in a string of actions taken by the United States against Hezbollah for its support of the Syrian regime.
“As these designations make clear, the United States will continue to aggressively target Hezbollah for its terrorist activities worldwide, as well as its ongoing support to Assad’s ruthless military campaign in Syria,” Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam Szubin said.
Szubin explained the United States will pursue all of Hezbollah’s revenue sources, whether charitable fundraising, criminal proceeds or state sponsored.
On June 10, 2015, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two Lebanon-based companies and three individuals for providing material support and services to Hezbollah.
While the zionazi/nazi oligarchy claims to oppose terrorism, acts such as this show that opposition is non-existent, and the scum are fully behind the “al qaida”/IS terrorist forces.