“Pakistan and other regional countries should carefully study the strategic pact and make sure that United States will have a long term commitment to Afghanistan, and Washington will continue its cooperation with the Afghan government until 2024.”

May 15, 2012, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker, made that statement in Nangarhar Province.  It subtly threatens Pakistan, and shows that the U.S. is planning on being in Afghanistan for a long time.

Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai is in Germany, to sign a new military pact with the European country.  The signing is expected to take place on May 16, then Karzai will fly to the U.S. to take part in the NATO summit there.

In Khost Province, dozens of students have been poisoned at Warzai high school.  At least 52 students are in local hospital in serious condition.

U.S. Marine Corps General John Allen, the top commander in Afghanistan, will leave to take command of U.S. forces in Europe, next year.  Unnamed Obama administration sources said they wanted to transfer Allen by this coming winter, but advizors considered it premature.

No replacement, for General Allen’s position in Afghanistan, has been picked.

24 hour, ISAF Joint Command Morning operational update for May 15, 2012: More search and capture missions for “leaders” and “facilitators”.

ISAF reports several “suspects” were captured.

Afghan officials report three Afghan troops were killed when they ran over a mine.  Another soldier was wounded in a separate incident.

Operations were conducted in Paktika, Herat, Logar, Helmand, Uruzgan, Nangarhar and Khost provinces.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines announced they will begin pumping oil from the northern Amu River, within five months.  The expect to pump 5,000 barrels per day (bpd) at first, and then max it out at 45,000 bpd!

“Four rivers gush forth from Paradise: the Euphrates, the Nile, the Sayhan, and the Jayhan [aka Vaksu, Gozan, Oxus, Amu Darya, Amu River].”
(Musnad, II, 260-261)