20 killed in Nangarhar onset

KABUL: At least 20 insurgents were killed and 21 others were arrested in an operation carried out by Afghan and foreign forces in eastern Nangarhar province, local officials said on Sunday. The operation was launched one week ago in Shirzad district of Nangarhar province to wipe out insurgents from the area. The operation will soon be expanded to two other districts in the province, officials added.

The militants have suffered heavy casualties in the operation so far, Alishah Paktiawal the police chief of Nangarhar said. “A Taliban commander was also killed in clashes with Afghan and foreign troops in the operation,” Paktiawal added. There were no civilian and military casualties in the operation, local officials said.
Shirzad district, bordering Pakistan, is one of the volatile areas where Taliban militants have been active. Afghan and Nato forces have also launched military operations in the northern Afghanistan in which insurgents have suffered a lot of casualties so far. -NNI

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Kayani rejects USA pleas for NWA onset

WASHINGTON: Pakistani Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani will not eliminate insurgents’ safe havens within his country where Taliban and al Qaeda elements launch attacks from against coalition troops in Afghanistan, according to the Washington Post, because he doesn’t trust US motivations and is hedging his bets for when America’s strategy fails.

Recent US intelligence has validated this premise as Kayani refused to budge despite personal appeals from President Obama, General David Petraeus and other US military leaders and diplomats. Kayani’s rationale is based on many factors.
He is hesitant to launch attacks against terrorist sanctuaries because it could incite domestic terrorism and uproot local communities. Plus, anti-American sentiments run high throughout Pakistan, and launching an offensive into North Waziristan would cost the military public support.
Kayani is believed to be the most powerful man in Pakistan – more powerful than even the president and prime minister – and many have suggested that, if he ever wished, he could easily execute a coup and seize complete control of the country.

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