A NATO assessment in Afghanistan finds that militants are operating in at least 20 provinces across the country (TOLO News). The findings reveal that 15 provinces are currently under Taliban threat, while foreign militant groups such as the Pakistani Taliban, al Qaeda, and a cohort of the Islamic State are gaining traction in five other provinces in the country. It is believed that Uzbekistan-based militant group Harakat-e-Islami Uzbekistan has tried to infiltrate some northern provinces in Afghanistan as well. According to NATO officials, the assessment was aimed at highlighting certain regions of the country which are under threat ahead of the alliance’s Warsaw Summit in July.
American airstrikes in the southeastern Afghan province of Paktika killed at least 17 civilians, local officials and elders said on Thursday, differing from official American and Afghan claims that only militants had been killed. – New York Times
The latest in a string of unexplained deaths in the province, Reyan’s case has gained attention because of claims by family members that he was tortured by security forces – and allegations by the government that he was a Taliban sympathizer. – Los Angeles Times
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Chung, leading a team of U.S. advisers in Helmand province to help train the Afghan army's embattled 215th Corps, knows he does not have much time. If Washington sticks to its schedule for withdrawing troops, by the time his tour ends in November, the NATO training mission in Afghanistan will be nearing its end, despite local forces struggling to fight the Taliban insurgency alone. - Reuters