US to Sell Eight F-16s to Pakistan; Germany May Keep Troops in Afghanistan; Andhra Pradesh to Start New State Capital Construction

Pakistan

U.S. to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan

The United States is preparing to sell eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, according to senior officials, in an effort to bolster the relationship between the nations ahead of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s White House visit (NYT, ET). The U.S. Congress was notified just days ago and could block the sale; Congress and the U.S. State Department are currently in a stand-off over an earlier effort to sell used Navy cutter vessels to Pakistan this year. It is not clear if the White House plans to announce the sale of the aircraft during the visit.

Pakistan to tell U.S. it won’t accept limits on tactical nuclear arms

Pakistani officials announced on Wednesday that Prime Minister Sharif will tell President Obama that it will not accept limits on its use of small tactical nuclear weapons (Reuters). Pakistan insists that the tactical weapons are designed to deter aggression from India, which is also a nuclear power. “Pakistan’s nuclear program is…India-centric, and it exists to make war a non-option…Tactical nuclear weapons block off this room [for war] completely,” said a Pakistani security official with knowledge of the country’s nuclear program. The official also discussed Pakistan’s development of nuclear submarines. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Sharif on Wednesday, but State Department spokesman John Kirby declined to say whether Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal was discussed.

Pakistan, U.S. sign $250 million loan agreement for K-Electric power grid

K-Electric Limited and the Pakistan and United States Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) signed a commitment letter for $250 million ten-year project to upgrade K-Electric’s power grid (Dawn). It is expected that the K-Electric grid project will significantly improve the reliability, stability, and efficiency of the K-Electric power network. The signing ceremony held at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, was witnessed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar who is accompanying Prime Minister Sharif on his official visit to Washington.

21 militants killed in airstrikes near Afghan-Pakistan border

At least 21 militants were killed late on Wednesday in airstrikes conducted by Pakistan in a northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border (ET, ABC News). The military said the strikes were carried out by Pakistani warplanes in Tirah and Rajgal, villages in the Khyber region. Pakistan has been waging a military offensive against al Qaeda and other militants in the North Waziristan province since June 2014.

— Alyssa Sims

Afghanistan

Bonus Read: “Are We Losing Afghanistan Again?” by Thomas Joscelyn and Bill Roggio (NYT)

Bonus Read: “The Next Refugee Crisis: Afghanistan,” by Michael Kugelman (NYT)

German ambassador: Germany may keep troops in Afghanistan

On Wednesday, Markus Potzel, Germany’s ambassador in Kabul, suggested that Germany may keep troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016 (Pajhwok). According to Potzel, Germany will make a decision over the next two months. However, he commented: “I hope the German government would extend its soldiers presence in Afghanistan beyond 2016 because Afghan security forces may not be able to take charge of security affairs alone.” Potzel’s comments follow statements from NATO officials that key NATO countries will maintain their troop presence in Afghanistan in 2016 alongside the United States.

Taliban active in village near Kabul

The Taliban exercise substantial control in Khawaja Ghar, a village in Deh Sabz district on the outskirts of Kabul, according to a report by Reuters on Thursday (Reuters). The Taliban presence in the village is not new, and some officials downplay the threat. District Chief Mohammad Gul Sharafat stated: “The Taliban do not physically exist in Deh Sabz, but sometimes bring rockets from other areas and use the district as a launch pad.” However, in the wake of the fall of Kunduz concern has increased. One senior Afghan intelligence official told Reuters that the Taliban had planned to use the village to mount an attack on Kabul saying: “It was more a show of force and a demonstration of their reach … The plan was to start from the Deh Sabz, Sorubi and Mosahi districts and engage Afghan forces for hours and start panic in the capital.”

Taliban kill Jaghatu district chief

On Thursday, the Taliban shot and killed the district chief for Jaghatu district in Ghazni province along with his guard (Pajhwok, TOLO News). The district chief was ambushed while traveling to Ghazni City, the provincial capital. Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed the attack on Twitter.

— David Sterman

India

Bonus Read: “India and Pakistan Can Do Business” (Bloomberg).

Andhra Pradesh to start new state capital construction

The construction of Amaravati, the future capital of the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, is set to commence on Thursday (TOI, NDTV). The new capital is being constructed with the promise of support from the central government as compensation for the bifurcation of the state in 2014, when the new state of Telangana was formed out of the northern districts of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad, the current capital of both states, is situated in Telangana but will continue to serve as Andhra Pradesh’s seat of government until the completion of the new capital in 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Amaravati, which has been planned with the assistance of Singaporean government advisers. The planned city is near the site of an ancient city by the same name which served as the capital of the Satavahana Empire until the third century CE.

Beef lynching was premeditated, inquiry finds

An inquiry led by the National Commission for Minorities concluded that the mob killing of a Muslim man over rumors that he kept and consumed beef was premeditated, according to media reports on Thursday (TOI, BBC). The man, Mohammad Akhlaq, was beaten to death in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Sept. 28. Many Hindus believe cows to be sacred and the eating of beef to be taboo. A laboratory test later revealed the meat in Akhlaq’s fridge to actually be goat meat. Some leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other influential political figures have attempted to portray the incident as an unfortunate and spontaneous accident. The National Commission for Minorities concluded that the attack was planned in a Hindu temple by a group of agitators, who then deliberately spread rumors regarding Akhlaq’s beef consumption. Akhlaq’s murder is one of a series of recent anti-Muslim attacks in India, including the assault of a Muslim state lawmaker by Hindu nationalists in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir.

India-China military drills to conclude

India and China will conclude their fifth joint anti-terrorism exercise on Thursday (NDTV). The “Hand in Hand” exercise, which has lasted 10 days and involves 175 troops from each side, is being conducted in the city of Kunming in southwestern China. The last two days of the drill have focused on planning intelligence and counter-insurgency operations, ending with mock attacks on terrorist camps. Both countries have to contend with the threat of terrorism within their territory, especially in India’s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir and in China’s western Xinjiang province.

— Udit Banerjea

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Edited by Peter Bergen

AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images