War in Afghanistan

 Locals who helped troops fear for their safety as NATO forces prepare to pull out

By Filio P. Kontrafouri*

In accordance with its "financial capabilities", Montenegro has committed 1.2 million dollars assistance to the government of Afghanistan for the period 2015-2017, BIRN has learned.

...

Survivors of a horrific suicide attack which killed 57 people at a volleyball game in eastern Afghanistan told Nov. 24 how the blast ripped through a crowd of spectators enjoying the final moments of the match.
     

A suicide bomber killed at least 40 people at a crowded volleyball match in eastern Afghanistan on Nov. 23, a provincial official said.

Mukhles Afghan, spokesman for the governor of Paktika province, said at least 50 more were wounded in the attack in Yahya Khel district, where residents had gathered to watch a tournament final.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has appointed Ambassador Ä°smail Aramaz as the next NATO senior civilian representative (SCR) in Afghanistan, the alliance said in a written statement Nov 17.

Aramaz, who is currently Turkey’s ambassador to Afghanistan, is expected to take up his new post early next year, it added.

As many as 110 Bulgarian military personnel are due to head to Afghanistan on Thursday to be part of Resolute Support, NATO's new mission in the country.

Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev will attend the departure ceremony in the town of Karlovo, in Central Bulgaria, to wish them good luck.

Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan reached a record high in 2014, a United Nations report revealed Wednesday, highlighting the failure of the multi-billion-dollar US-led campaign to crack down on the lucrative crop.
      

A Bulgarian man died in Pakistan while fighting on the Islamist insurgent group Haqqani network in 2013, an investigation of a leading Bulgarian channel shows.

The man known as "Anis the Bulgarian" was killed by a drone, according to private national channel bTV which carried out the investigation together with Vladimir Chukov, an expert in Arabic studies.

British forces Oct. 26 handed over formal control of their last base in Afghanistan to Afghan forces, ending combat operations in the country after 13 years which cost hundreds of lives.

The Union Jack was lowered at Camp Bastion in the southern province of Helmand, while the Stars and Stripes came down at the adjacent Camp Leatherneck - the last U.S. Marine base in the country.

Britain will shortly begin re-deploying its unmanned armed drones from Afghanistan to counter Islamic State jihadists in Iraq, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told parliament on Oct. 16.