Afghanistan War News Updates -- February 21, 2017

Long War Journal: Taliban overruns Afghan district where al Qaeda ran training camps

The Taliban claimed it “completely liberated” the district center for Shorabak in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar earlier today. Shorabak was the site of a massive al Qaeda training camp that was assaulted and destroyed by US forces in Oct. 2015. The Taliban now claims to control four of Kandahar’s 18 districts, and that others remain contested.

According to a statement released on Voice of Jihad, the Taliban’s official propaganda outlet, Taliban forces torched the administration buildings and police headquarters after local police and Afghan soldiers abandoned the Shorabak district center.

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Afghanistan War News Updates -- February 21, 2017

Taliban suffer heavy casualties in Helmand airstrikes -- Khaama Press

href="http://ift.tt/2lgSvGF">12 ISIS militants killed in US drone strike in East of Afghanistan -- Khaama Press
Air strike, operation kills 21 militants in E. Afghanistan -- Kuwait News Agency
Afghan intelligence foil plot by Taliban to carry out attacks in Laghman -- Khaama Press
Afghanistan Police Surround Vice President’s House -- New York Times
Pakistan shells border with Afghanistan as tensions rise over terrorist attacks -- Washington Post
Mattis: Assessment on Afghanistan Coming Soon -- US Department of Defense
No civil war, but war among states in Afghanistan, claims Ghani -- The International News
No truth to rumors about a Russia-Taliban friendship - expert -- RBTH
How to Lose the War in Afghanistan -- Daniel Davis, National Interest
To End The War In Afghanistan, The US Needs To Make Some Difficult Decisions -- Matthew Gault, Task & Purpose
Trump Needs an Afghanistan Plan -- Bloomberg editorial