ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

After the recent announcements by Germany and Sweden to retain limited military footprint in Afghanistan after 2014, an International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) Spokesman on Wednesday said that there are ten other nations to announce their post-2014 presence soon. The Isaf Spokesman Brigadier General Gunter Katz said that the Nato member countries and ten of its allies are interested to have military presence in Afghanistan after the ISAF mission comes to an end by the end of next year. "The 28 nation plus ten partner nations declared that they are willing to contribute. Germany and Sweden gave concrete numbers and we are quite confident that other nations will follow soon," said Gen Katz. Asked whether more foreign countries would announce their willingness after the Australian defence minister on Tuesday said that his country is willing to keep some troops post-2014, Gen Katz said that "there are ten other nations" to announce their post-2014 presence, but ...

Around 50 insurgents including three Taliban leaders were killed during the three-day clash at Sangin district in southern Helmand province, local officials said on Wednesday. 18 other insurgents were injured in the clash. The Governor of Southern Helmand province Mohammad Naeem at a press conference in the capital of the province Lashkargah, said that the clash started on Monday in Sangin district and is still continuing in certain parts of the district. "The insurgents form their forces by recruiting people from everywhere, many insurgents are from Sangin and some are even taken in from the adjoining provinces like Kandahar and Helmand. This is not all; good numbers of foreigners are also taken into the insurgent's force. The preliminary assessments showed that there were several insurgents involved in the clash," the Governor told reporters. Five security forces were killed and nine others injured in the clash, according to the Governor. The Governor added that foreign...

By Radwan Mortada May 22, 2013 " Information Clearing House " -" Al-Akhbar " - After weeks of reinforcing their positions around Qusayr near the Lebanese border, Syrian government forces stormed the strategic town early on Sunday. Many opposition fighters fled, accusing their commanders of betrayal. Both opposition and army sources on the ground in Qusayr agree that the town – taken by opposition fighters early on in the Syrian crisis – will be in the hands of the regime in a matter of days. For weeks now, government forces have been conducting military operations around the strategic town, which is located to the southwest of Homs, a few kilometers from the northern tip of Lebanon. After securing nearly all the villages in the surrounding area, the Syrian army entered Qusayr Sunday morning under heavy fire power, killing 90 opposition fighters and injuring hundreds, according to opposition sources inside the besieged town. Many fighters managed to break the governm...