Posted on 07/21/2018 3:38:14 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
Thousands of troops from Russia and the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan recently participated in joint military exercises along the Afghanistan border to prepare against possible spillover violence from the northern Afghan provinces where the Taliban and the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) are fueling deteriorating security conditions, Khaama Press (KP) reported Thursday.
U.S. and Afghan defense officials have accused Russia of lending support to the Afghan Taliban, which has been fighting a war against U.S.-NATO-led forces since 2001.
Now, it appears the terrorist group is threatening Central Asian countries like Tajikistan with close ties to Russia that border Afghanistan.
KP reveals, “The Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan has confirmed that the joint exercises have been launched to prepare the armed forces to respond to possible threats from the Taliban and other militants in Afghanistan.”
According to Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency, Russian troops, backed by rocket artillery and helicopters, participated in a drill last Saturday with their Tajik counterparts to repel a simulated terrorist attack stemming from Afghanistan.
“The drills completed a six-day tactical exercise which began on July 9. According to earlier reports, the exercise involved over 3,200 personnel and about 800 pieces of military hardware and equipment. Russia’s 201st military base, deployed in Tajikistan, is the country’s biggest military facility outside its borders. In line with an agreement signed in October 2012, Russian troops will stay in the country at least until 2042,” TASS noted on July 15.
The Kremlin claims its support for the Taliban is limited to fighting ISIS and promoting promote peace negotiations.
Some Taliban fighters reportedly confirmed that they receive assistance from Russia, alleging that the “sole purpose” of their relationship with Moscow is to expel Russian rival United States from Afghanistan.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Let’m keep it this time...
They didn’t do too well the last time. But please, let them have it. Better yet, let them pave it over
I guess turnabout is fair play....It’s what we did to them while they tried to tame it.
They were smart enough to take their losses and get out. We’re still there.
Give that sh*thole to the Russians with our wishes that they turn the place into the Russian bombing range, nuclear waste disposal, and septic tank area.
That’ll reapply p*ss off the progressives, and especially Dorkbama the Muslim eunuch quota boy.
Oh, make sure that our press is there in person all over the place to film the results.
After all, kill a journalist, kill a sympathizer.
Of course the Russians are backing the Taliban...
Democrats, of course, are eager for the US to launch drone attacks against the Russians.
You think Obama didn't?
The flow of drugs from Afghanistan is a major problem for Russia — and a source of ready cash for its corrupt security services.
Obama, like Russia, is an enemy.
The Russians have never backed the Taliban. Wherever did you get that idea....besides from Fake News.
We've been there 17 years. Time to get out and let the Paks, Russians, Tajeks, Indians, and Chinese worry about their own neighborhood rather than us being there at all.
No Blood for Opium!
Have we been witnessing a 'body-count' dog and pony show like the late 60's? Or are these ragheads really that resilient?
Trump, in Warsaw Speech, Criticizes Russia’s ‘Destabilizing’ Role in Ukraine, Syria
The president also reaffirmed his commitment to NATO’s mutual-defense pact
Jul 6, 2017
President Trump called Russia a “destabilizing” influence in Europe and the Middle East, and urged it to “join the community of responsible nations,” in his strongest remarks yet against the regime of Vladimir Putin, whom he is scheduled to meet Friday in Hamburg for the first time.
His remarks in Warsaw’s Krasinski Square, which marks the 1944 Warsaw uprising against the Nazis, came after the U.S. agreed to sell Patriot missiles to Poland. The president also used the opportunity to reiterate the NATO commitment to mutual defense, a declaration he did not make during the NATO summit in May, prompting consternation among U.S. allies wary of Russia’s ambitions.
“To those who would criticize our tough stance, I would point out that the United States has demonstrated—not merely with its words but with its actions—that we stand firmly behind Article 5, the mutual-defense commitment,” Trump said Thursday. “Words are easy, but actions are what matters. And for its own protection, Europe, and you know this, everybody knows this, everybody has to know this, Europe must do more.”
Trump has repeatedly said NATO members must spend more on defense—a position in line with past U.S. administrations. But he has been criticized because he appeared to suggest U.S. commitment to mutual defense was predicated on its allies’ defense spending. ...”
https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2017/07/trump-russia/532761/
Vice President Pence on Russia:
(from the VP debate on Oct 5, 2016)
-snip-
“What we’re dealing with is the — you know, there’s an old proverb that says the Russian bear never dies, it just hibernates.
And the truth of the matter is, the weak and feckless foreign policy of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has awakened an aggression in Russia that first appeared a few years ago with their move in Georgia, now their move into Crimea, now their move into the wider Middle East.
weird thread.
From August 2017. ...
"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson this week became the latest U.S. official to say Russia was supplying arms to the Afghan Taliban, calling it a violation of international norms.
His remarks, which came just days after President Trump announced a new open-ended U.S. military commitment to Afghanistan, echo those of General John Nicholson, the head of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, and Army General Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of the U.S. European Command.
Russia, which has been critical of U.S. policy in Afghanistan, has vehemently denied the accusations."
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/08/russia-taliban-weapons/537807/
“The web brigades, also known as Russia’s troll army, Russian bots, Kremlinbots,[1] troll factory,[2][3] or troll farms are state-sponsored anonymous Internet political commentators and trolls linked to the Russian government.
Participants report that they are organized into teams and groups of commentators that participate in Russian and international political blogs and Internet forums using sockpuppets and large-scale orchestrated trolling and disinformation campaigns to promote pro-Putin and pro-Russian propaganda.[4][5][6][7]
It has also been found that articles on Russian Wikipedia concerning the MH17 crash and the 2014 Ukraine conflict were targeted by Russian internet propaganda outlets.[8][9][10]”
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