Russia sells 21 helicopters to U.S. forces in Afghanistan

In a multi-million dollar deal that has taken over a year to seal, Russian arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, now has a contract to supply 21 Mi-17v5 multipurpose helicopters to the U.S Armed Forces Command for use in Afghanistan.

At 17.5 million dollars each, the first batch are due to arrive in Afghanistan in October this year. The deal includes service maintenance, ground support and spare parts - supplied by Russia.

The Mi-17 is an export version of the Mi-8 Hip helicopter, which can transport up to 37 passengers.

Source: Xinhua

Dagestan: Russian troops kill 8 militants

MOSCOW, 8th May: Russian troops killed eight militants in a special anti-terrorism operation in Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan, according to local media reports.

Citing a spokesman for the National Anti-terrorism Committee, Itar-Tass news agency said the special operation was conducted in a forest in Dagestan's Kizlyar region.

"The killed gunmen are being identified," the spokesman was quoted as saying.

One soldier was also killed in the exchange of fire.

Violence is common in the North Caucasus republics of Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia with militants frequently mounting attacks targeting police officers and authorities.

Moscow has vowed to bring stability to the region via improving social services and raising pensions and salaries as measures to tackle corruption and terror infiltration. 

Source: Xinhua

Russia to supply helicopters to Afghanistan

MOSCOW: Russia has finalised a deal with NATO to supply two dozen combat helicopters to Afghanistan and train local pilots.

Russia and NATO will set up a trust fund for the supply and maintenance of Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters, said a top Russian diplomat.

“We have carried out a large amount of preparatory work to assess Afghanistan's need in helicopters, their maintenance and personnel training,” Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the Itar-Tass news agency on Friday.

“Some NATO countries have announced readiness to make national contributions to the fund.”

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Russia eyes a Soviet-era Kabul icon

Bombed hollow and bullet scarred, the ruins of Russia's Cultural Centre stagger over Kabul like a modern day Ozymandias, warning would-be imperialists of the perils of meddling in Afghanistan.

Amid burgeoning nostalgia for what the Soviets achieved, disillusionment at Nato failures and the looming prospect of an American withdrawal, Moscow has decided to tear down the ruins and reassert its presence in Kabul once more.

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Iran and Russia - cooperation on Afghanistan

Iran and Russia have underlined the need for joint cooperation to help restore stability in Afghanistan ahead of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on the war-ravaged country.

Head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Afghanistan Headquarters Mohsen Pak-Ayin and Russian president's special envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov met and held talks on Afghanistan, Mehr news agency reported Tuesday.

In the meeting, the two officials called for more cooperation in the campaign against drug trafficking and terrorism to help bring back security to Afghanistan. 

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Gorbachev: Britain should pull out of Afghanistan

Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union, in an interview with British newspaper, The Independent on Sunday, says Britain should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

Mr Gorbachev became President after Soviet forces had occupied Afghanistan, and oversaw the eventual withdrawal of troops in 1989. He points out that Britain advised against the Soviet invasion, saying the Afghans are a special people who live by their own rules, and that Britain should now heed its own advice.

And, in comments that risk provoking outrage in the US, he portrays the war against Islam as a conflict partly of the US's own making.

"It's called the historical and political boomerang," he says, referring to the US's secret funding of Islamic extremists during the 1980s, when the Americans were fighting communism. "[The Americans] were working in secret with those forces with whom they are now fighting. They should accept their part of the blame."

Read more at The Independent on Sunday

Karzai invites Medvedev to visit Afghanistan

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has met his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in Moscow. The two leaders discussed trade cooperation, security, cultural issues and the pressing matter of countering international drug trafficking.

Hamid Karzai arrived in Moscow on Thursday evening on his first official visit to Russia. However, it is the fourth time the two presidents have held talks. In an interview with Russia Today, Karzai praised the cooperation between Russia and Afghanistan and said, in particular, that Russians understand Afghans better than Americans do.

Read full story at RT