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Violent Extremism in South Asia

Afghan Defense Chiefs Resign After Massacre

  • Afghanistan’s defense minister and army chief of staff resigned after Taliban militants carried out a deadly assault on a base near Mazar-e-Sharif (BBC)

American, Afghan Units Excavate Bomb Site

  • U.S. and Afghan commando units began a cleanup of the site where the United States dropped a massive bomb in east Afghanistan; more than ninety bodies have been found (Wall Street Journal)

U.S. Drops Massive Nonnuclear Bomb on Afghanistan

  • The United States deployed the largest nonnuclear bomb ever used in combat to strike what it claims was a cave network in Afghanistan used by militants of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The Afghan government said thirty-six alleged militants were killed by the 21,600-pound bomb (New York Times)

Afghan Authorities: Russian Agents Advising Taliban

  • Uruzgan province’s police chief alleged that eleven Russian operatives have been seen advising Taliban militants and inciting them to antigovernment violence. Russia has said its contacts with the Taliban aim to facilitate peace (Voice of America)

Taliban Spokesman Details Spring Offensive

  • A Taliban spokesman told a German news agency that the militant group will focus on capturing provincial capitals and boosting its position in various provinces across Afghanistan, including Helmand in the south and Kunduz in the north (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Taliban Weapons Depot Explosion Kills Nine

  • Nine civilians, including two children and three women, were reportedly killed when Afghan and coalition forces exploded a Taliban weapons depot in Helmand province (Associated Press)

Accused 2008 Islamabad Bomber Killed in U.S. Drone Strike

  • The United States announced that a drone strike in Afghanistan’s Paktika province killed a Pakistani terror suspect accused of a 2008 truck bomb attack at a hotel in Islamabad (NYT)

Southern Afghan District Taken by Taliban

  • Forces from the Taliban insurgency captured Sangin district in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, prompting Afghan forces to evacuate and the air force to bomb military installations to prevent Taliban militants from using them (Wall Street Journal)

Afghanistan Backs Calls for More U.S. Troops

  • Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said he supported a call by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan to add several thousand U.S. or coalition partner troops to the country (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Afghan “Insider Attack” Wounds Three U.S. Soldiers

  • Three U.S. soldiers were injured after an Afghan soldier allegedly fired on them at a base in Helmand province (Al Jazeera)

Twenty-Four People Arrested Over Kabul Hospital Attack

  • Twenty-four people were arrested over a March 8 hospital attack claimed by the Islamic State that killed forty-nine people. Those arrested, including an Afghan army general, were accused of dereliction of duty (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

U.S. Halts Interviews of Afghan Visa Applicants

  • Senator Jeanne Shaheen confirmed reports that the U.S. embassy in Kabul stopped scheduling interviews for applicants for special immigrant visas, saying the move sends a message to allies that “that the United States has abandoned them.” Interviews for special immigrant visas, which are meant for people who have worked with the U.S. government, were halted due to a cap on the number available, according to a refugee advocacy group (The Hill)

Kabul Attack Stokes Fears of Islamic State

  • At least thirty people are dead and fifty injured after gunmen who were dressed as doctors attacked a military hospital in Kabul. The Islamic State stated it was behind the six-hour-long attack that involved at least three gunmen and a suicide bomber. The hospital is the primary treatment center for Afghan soldiers and most of the victims are expected to be military personnel (New York Times)

Twenty Three Killed in Kabul Bombings

  • The Taliban detonated two bombs resulting in twenty three people killed and one hundred and six others wounded. The attackers were killed after a five hour fight with police following the bombings (New York Times)

Pakistan Shells Areas Along Afghan Border

  • The Pakistani air force shelled border regions both inside its territory and in Afghanistan, claiming “many terrorists” have been killed (Express Tribune)
  • Afghanistan protested that the shelling, which began following recent attacks claimed by the Islamic State, has forced hundreds of villagers to flee their homes (Washington Post)

UAE Ambassador to Afghanistan Dies of Attack Wounds

  • The United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Afghanistan died of wounds sustained in an attack on the Kandahar governor’s office in January (National)
  • Juma Al Kaabi was attending the inauguration of a new orphanage when the attack took place, which also killed five other Emirati diplomats

Twelve Killed in Kabul Vehicle Blast

  • Seven civilians and five soldiers were killed as a vehicle exploded outside of a bank in the Helmand province, with twenty more wounded. This region is known to be a Taliban stronghold, in addition to having an illegal drug flow (Washington Post)

UN: Airstrike in Afghanistan May Have Killed Civilians

  • The United Nations said an initial investigation suggests civilians were recently killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. The United States conducted approximately thirty airstrikes in the area last week (The Guardian)

U.S. Commander for Afghanistan Requests More Troops

  • General John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told a Senate panel he needs several thousand troops in addition to the 8,400 U.S. servicemen already there to boost U.S. efforts in a conflict he described as a “stalemate” (Guardian)

Red Cross Suspends Afghan Operations

  • The International Committee of the Red Cross said it suspended its activities in Afghanistan after an attack by gunmen in the northern province of Jowzjan left six of its Afghan employees dead and two others missing. The Red Cross said the attack was the organization’s worst in the last twenty years (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Pakistan Extends Afghan Refugees’ Status

  • The Pakistani government pushed a deadline for Afghan refugees to leave the country from late March to the end of 2017. Many have lived in Pakistan for as long as three decades (Al Jazeera)

Afghan Government Forces Control Less Than 60 Percent of the Country

  • Afghan government forces control less than 60 percent of the country, according to the latest report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)
  • Since November, the government claims to control or influence only 57 percent of Afghanistan’s 407 districts

Bombings in Afghanistan Target Officials

  • The United Arab Emirates confirmed that five of its diplomats were killed in a bomb attack on the Kandahar governor’s compound (Washington Post)
  • Two other bombings, claimed by the Taliban, killed at least thirty people near Afghanistan’s parliament in Kabul

U.S. Airstrikes in Afghanistan Rose in 2016

  • The number of weapons dropped in Afghanistan by U.S. forces increased 40 percent in 2016, reaching a total of 1,337, according to the U.S. Air Forces Central Command (Wall Street Journal)
  • President Barack Obama declared the end of U.S. combat in Afghanistan two years ago, but last year widened the military’s authorization to conduct offensive operations

Afghan Shia Protest Extremist Attacks

  • As many as two thousand Afghans in the city of Herat demonstrated against attacks carried out by Islamic extremists (AFP)
  • Protesters chanted slogans against the self-proclaimed Islamic State and carried photos of Shia victims of recent attacks (Radio Free Europe)