MOSCOW (Sputnik) - There is evidence that the United States is trying to establish ties with the opponents of the current authorities of Afghanistan and secretly sponsor the Daesh* terrorist organization, Russian special presidential envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said on Friday.
"Yes, there is such data, they [the US authorities] do it not for good, but for harm, because they really want to avenge their shameful military-political defeat in Afghanistan and, in retaliation, they do everything so that peace is not established in this long-suffering land, but even worse is that, in addition to contacts with the armed opposition in Afghanistan, the Anglo-Saxons secretly sponsor the Daesh," Kabulov told Russian broadcaster.
Since the Taliban return to power in Afghanistan in mid-August, Islamists have allegedly carried out several terrorist attacks across the country, including at the Kabul airport in August in which more than 180 people were killed, and on a Shiite mosque in Kunduz in October that resulted in more than 150 people being killed.
The United States withdrew from Afghanistan in the specified time-frame, but did so haphazardly, causing chaos at the Kabul airport, with Afghans desperately attempting to make it out of the country, and 13 American soldiers killed in a bombing perpetrated by a local branch of the Daesh terror group.
The Taliban government has not been recognized by the international community, although some countries, including Russia and China, are holding diplomatic meetings with representatives of the movement to rectify the humanitarian situation in the country.
According to the UN, Daesh attacks have resulted in around 700 deaths since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan.
https://sputniknews.com/20230120/russian-presidents-envoy-for-afghanistan-says-there-is-evidence-us-secretly-sponsoring-daesh-1106520915.html
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
