Security officials reported that an in charge of Taliban insurgents was arrested in the capital of Farah province.

The Ministry of Interior in a statement said that based on intelligence information, Farah police forces arrested an in charge of Taliban insurgents from Shaikh Abad village, the capital of the province.

The statement added that, the detainee is identified as Mullah Shingul who was involved in planning terrorist incidents in the city of Farah and also disturbing the passengers on the highway of the province.

A heavy turnover rates and a lack of quality equipment, are preventing the Afghan military from attaining self-sustainability, according to US Soecial Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconciliation John F. Sopko.

Sopko said that the constant turnover, shifting agendas and the division of labor across agencies, military branches and countries have consistently undercut the Afghan rebuilding process.

“Without the guidance of a comprehensive, expert-designed and enduring multiyear plan to guide all security-sector activities, the U.S.’s approach often changed with each personnel rotation,” Mr. Sopko said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Monday.

Many of the problems identified years ago still have not been resolved, Mr. Sopko said.

“Many advisers were unaware that the Afghan security forces prioritize the evacuation of deceased personnel over critically wounded based on religious customs,” he said.

James Cunningham, SIGAR’s project lead, emphasized the need for a shift in the reconstruction mindset from a combat “exit strategy” to viewing the Afghanistan mission as part of a long-term foreign policy.

Among the 36 recommendations outlined in the report, the SIGAR’s office said plans must be developed now for peacetime challenges such as drug trafficking, economic development and security.

“Failure to plan now is planning to fail once peace is declared, ” said Mr. Sopko.

The basic problem, Mr. Sopko said, was often just trying to figure out who was in charge. Too often, he said, “no single person, agency, military service, or country responsible [was] for the oversight of all U.S. and international activities to develop the Afghan security forces.”

Provincial officials have reported that 26 people were killed or wounded in a suicide attack in Kandahar province.

Gen. Tadin Khan, Kandahar police chief said in a tweet on Tuesday that in a suicide attack that occurred this morning in Kanj area, Spin Boldak district of the province, 3 people including a child were killed and 23 others were wounded.

The incident took place as a result of a motorcycle bomb attack, Tadin Khan said.

Meanwhile, Kandahar has recently witnessed a surge in suicide attacks.

The Interior Ministry has announced that additional forces will be sent to the polling stations to provide better security to the election process.

Addressing a special security meeting aimed for better security during the election process, Massoud Andarabi, Acting Interior Minister said that, providing protection in National election is a priority to the ministry, the ministry of Interior said in a statement.

ANDSF, notably the ANP is the main body providing election security, and they will not allow insurgent groups to disrupt this national process, Andarabi added.

MoI acting minister emphasized that Taliban insurgents have failed in the fight with security forces and they will try to disrupt the national election process in retaliation to that; therefore, back up forces will be sent to polling stations.

At the meeting, Andrabi emphasized on the impartiality of police forces in holding the elections, adding that any involvement and intervention of the police in the election campaigns and the election process is unacceptable to ministry and violators will be prosecuted.

Meanwhile, speaking to Reporterly on Monday, deputy spokesperson of Independent Election Commission said they have asked the Taliban group not to target the process of election.

The ministry of interior released multiple statements to announce that four Taliban insurgents were killed in Khost and Kandahar.

Two Taliban insurgents were killed and two others were injured in a joint clearance operation carried out by Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in Musa Khil District of Khost.
During the operation, ANDSF seized one PK machine gun and some amount of ammunition.

Moreover, two Taliban insurgents were killed in a clash with Afghan National Police (ANP) in PD14, Kandahar City.
The two had planned to attack on Afghan National Police (ANP) convoy.

Finally, the General Command of Police Special Units (GCPSU) discovered and neutralized 45kg of explosives after several hours of efforts and point to point search operation in the vicinity of the Mohammad Agha District of Logar, as per Ministry of Interior.

Provincial officials in Baghlan province have announced that 53 Taliban insurgents were killed and 20 others were wounded in the province.

The Taliban insurgents launched a coordinated offensive on outposts and bases of ANDSF in Tapa-e-Qarghan area in Daha-e-Ghori district on Monday night, Mahmood Haqmal, Baghlan provincial spokesperson told Reporterly on Tuesday.

He further added that security forces effectively responded to the offensive with the support of the Air Forces.

The security forces killed 50 insurgents during the clash and wounded 30 others, and the dead bodies of 24 insurgents are still left in the area, according to Haqmal.

He said that 3 security forces personnel were also injured in the clashes.

Meanwhile, 209th Shahin Corps in a statement said that 52 Taliban insurgents including 7 commanders of the group were killed and 33 others were injured.

The security forces confiscated some weapons and munitions including a 82mm mortar, several RPG-7 rocket launchers and PKM machine guns, 209 Shahin Corps said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that President Donald Trump wants the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to cut down before the 2020 presidential election, adding that he has seen “real progress” with security in the area.

The comments came just a few hours before NATO officials announced two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan during train-and-assist missions there. About 14,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in the country.

During remarks at The Economic Club Of Washington, Pompeo said the troop withdrawal is consistent with past requests from Trump, who has said he wants an end to U.S. involvement in the nearly 18-year-old war.

“End the endless wars, draw down, reduce,” Pompeo said. “It won’t just be us. … we hope that overall, the need for combat forces in the region is reduced.”

When asked about timing the withdrawal to the 2020 election, Pompeo laughed that “it’s not only my expectation, it would be job enhancing.”

Despite Trump’s past promises to reduce the U.S. military footprint in Afghanistan, the number of U.S. forces there has increased in the two-plus years since he took office, as reported by US Military Times.

Earlier this month, Trump announced that if America wanted to get out of the conflict quickly, Afghanistan “would be wiped off the face of the Earth.”

50 Taliban insurgents were killed or wounded in Special Forces Operations in Faryab province.

The Special Operations Corps in a statement announced the Special Forces conducted joint clearance operations along the highway of Bulcheragh and Gurziwan districts in Faryab.

The Special Operations Corps also added that the security forces have fully cleared the areas along the highway.

On Monday night, Resolute Support released a statement saying that two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan.

In accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the name of the service members killed in action are being withheld by NATO until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete.

Last week, Croatian soldiers’ vehicle was attacked which resulted in the death and injuries of some of them.