Will A U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan Result In The Establishment Of A New Terror Alliance In The Region?

Bloomberg: U.S. Withdrawal Opens Way for Terror Alliance in Afghanistan

(Bloomberg) -- An alliance of terror groups aimed at destabilizing peace in South Asia is emerging in Afghanistan as U.S. troops pull out of the war-ravaged nation, security officials said.

Pakistan-based militant organizations, the Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Afghan Taliban and Islamic State-Khorasan, the local affiliate of the terror group, have come together to carry out raids on Indian assets in Kabul and also attacked a Sikh temple in the city, the officials said, requesting not to be identified citing rules on speaking to the media. The alliance is planning to step up attacks in other regions in South Asia, including against troops in India’s Kashmir, they said.

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WNU Editor: This is a long term problem that will probably take decades to burn itself out. The US has been there for almost 20 years .... it is now time for Afghanistan's neighbours to step up and fill the US void once they leave.

Suicide Bomber Kills 63 At Afghan Wedding Reception

Reuters: Toll from suicide blast at Afghan wedding 63 dead and 182 hurt: ministry

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 63 people and wounded 182 in an attack on a wedding reception in the Afghan capital on Saturday night, the interior ministry said.

The Taliban denied responsibility for the blast at a west Kabul wedding hall, in a minority Shi’ite neighborhood, packed with people celebrating a marriage.

The attack came as the Taliban and the United States are trying to negotiate an agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in exchange for a Taliban commitment on security and peace talks with the U.S.-backed government.

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More News On Today's Suicide Bomb /Attack In Kabul

Afghanistan: Bomb kills 63 at wedding in Kabul -- BBC
Dozens dead or hurt in wedding party blast in Afghan capital -- AP
Deadly blast rips through wedding in Afghanistan, killing 63 people -- CNN
Dozens dead, wounded in Afghanistan wedding hall suicide attack, witnesses say -- FOX News

Suicide Bomb Attack At Religious Scholar Gathering In Afghanistan Kills At Least 50

Daily Mail/AP/AFP: At least 50 people are killed and 80 more injured in suicide bomb attack on gathering to mark the Prophet Mohammad's birthday in Afghanistan

* The explosion ripped through a meeting of top clerics at a wedding hall in Kabul
* Officials say at least 50 are dead and 80 more injured after the suicide bombing
* Blast targeted an Ulema Council meeting to mark Prophet Mohammad's birthday

At least 50 people have been killed and 80 more injured in a suicide bomb attack on a gathering to mark the Prophet Mohammad's birthday in Afghanistan.

The explosion ripped through a meeting of top clerics during a banquet at a wedding hall in Kabul today in one of the deadliest attacks to strike the Afghan capital in months.

No one immediately claimed the attack, but both the Taliban and a local ISIS affiliate have targeted religious scholars aligned with the government in the past.

Hardline Sunni Muslims do not observe 'mawlid' - the Prophet Mohammad's birthday - at all, considering it a more modern addition to Islam. When ISIS seized the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014, it banned celebrating the prophet's birth.

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More News On Today's Suicide Bomb Attack At Religious Scholar Gathering In Afghanistan

More than 50 killed by suicide bomber in Kabul banqueting hall -- Reuters
Suicide bomber targets clerics in Afghan capital, 40 killed -- AP
At least 40 killed in suicide attack on Kabul religious gathering: officials -- AFP
Kabul suicide bomber kills dozens at gathering of clerics -- BBC
Afghanistan suicide bomber kills scores of Muslim scholars -- The Guardian
Kabul wedding hall blast kills 43, Afghan officials say -- CNN
Bomb blast at religious scholar gathering in Afghanistan kills at least 50 -- SKY News
Suicide bombing at Kabul religious gathering kills dozens -- Al Jazeera