NATO Threatens Afghanistan Withdrawal, Fighting in Baghdis

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NATO May Withdraw Troops from Afghanistan
On Monday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai that if he did not sign a security deal with the United States, NATO could end its mission in the country next year, withdrawing all of its troops from the country.
Speaking at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, Rasmussen said that if the signature problem remains unresolved, NATO could not re-deploy its military mission in Afghanistan, adding the crisis could put the scheduled NATO mission in the country at risk.
Stressing that NATO attached great importance to this bilateral agreement between the US and Afghanistan, Rasmussen emphasized that if Karzai did not sign the deal, NATO’s ‘train, advise and assist’ mission may end in 2014, losing its legal framework.
Afghanistan’s ‘Loya Jirga’ parliament approved the re-deployment agreement by a majority, but it waits for Karzai’s signature.
Rasmussen also warned that a failed agreement could damage the security Afghanistan as well as threatening NATO-directed financial assistance to the country.

Fighting in Afghanistan Leaves 61 Dead, 62 Injured
Heavy clashes over the weekend left 61 people dead, and 62 people seriously injured after fighting between Taliban militants and Afghan national security forces in the western Badghis province of Afghanistan.
A 'Loya Jirga' member from Badghis, Kazi Abdurrahim Rehil, said in a statement that less than a week ago, militants ambushed a convoy carrying military material to Balamurgab, the district of Badghis and the conflict blew up from there.
A Third Brigade Commander, General Davud Shah Vafadar, said that 47 militants and 15 soldiers were injured in the shootout.
Vafadar, saying the number of the militants is over 1,000, said that there are militants from other cities amongst them.
Vafadar claimed, “Intelligence services of some neighbouring countries had a role in this attack.” He added 24 of the Taliban’s important commanders had died in this shootout and 50 vehicles including motorcycle and cars were seized following the fighting.
According to Afghan officials, the Taliban fighters who were killed include Taliban leaders such as Mullah Bismillah, Mullah Zakir, Mawlavi Abdul Zahir, Mullah Abdul Rauf and Mullah Jalil.
Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, claimed that 53 soldiers died and only seven militants were injured.
This was the bloodiest attack in the Badghis province during the last year.