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Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the revamped U.S. strategy for Afghanistan, which he promised by mid-July, is still not finished.

Mattis, speaking to reporters in an impromptu session Friday, said "it's underway," but would not says how soon it will be ready to present to the president. "You know me, I don't give timelines," he said.

Even though it's already mid-July, Mattis said mid-July remains his goal to complete the review.

"Somewhere around there," he said. "We are driven by the maturity of the discussion, and where we're at. We're not going to meet some timeline if we are not ready, but we are pretty close."

One holdup appears to be a White House initiative backed by chief strategist Steve Bannon to use private contractors to train and equip Afghan forces in the future, a proposal that was first reported by the New York Times.

Mattis is said to be opposed to the idea, which is designed to save money but is often more expensive than using U.S. military personnel.

The idea of using more contractors and fewer troops was defended Thursday by Sebastian Gorka, presidential deputy assistant. He told CNN, "We open the door here at the White House to outside ideas."

"It's about saving the U.S. taxpayer money, it's about creating indigenous capacity," Gorka said. He also appeared to confirm that Erik Prince, a founder of the private security firm Blackwater Worldwide, was among those approached for alternatives to dispatching more U.S. troops.

"This is a former operator. This is a man who hires former operators, first tier, special operations forces, retired individuals, not to go and fight there instead of somebody else, but to help the Afghans, to help local indigenous forces protect their own territory," Gorka said. "So this is a cost-cutting venture."

This week, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed frustration that the promised strategy has not been provided to the Congress, and threatened to insert his own strategy into the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Bill.

At a defense ministers meeting in Brussels last month, NATO countries committed to send several thousand additional military trainers to support the alliances "Resolute Support" mission of which the U.S. contribution was expected to number as many as 4,000 troops.

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Jim Mattis: New Afghanistan strategy isn't finished yet - Washington Examiner

Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said at the event that all regional countries must take part in the fight against terrorist.

The fourth conference of Afghanistan-Central Asia dialogue was kicked off in Bamiyan province on Friday where high ranking foreign and Afghan officials including Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah attended.

The two-day session will discuss the mechanisms to improve Afghanistans trade and political ties with the Central Asian countries.

The conference will also discuss ways to improve regional countries cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

The conference has been organized by Afghanistan Strategic Studies Institute.

Abdullah said at the event that Afghanistan had various relations with the Central Asian countries and that Kabul continues its efforts to improve the ties.

He said the dialogue will discuss cooperation among regional countries in the fight against terrorism.

He stressed the need for regional countries contribution in anti-terror campaign.

"Afghans are on the front line in fighting terrorism and have endured massive suffering. Central Asian countries must work together to stop terrorism, he stated. Cooperation is better in cultural and trade arenas. (But) in fight against terrorism, a big part of the efforts is done Afghanistan.

The chief executive called on representatives of other countries to convey the message of balancing the cooperation in the war.

Referring to a number of regional countries, he said terrorism is still supported by some states in the region.There is no difference between Daesh and Taliban as well as between good terrorists and bad terrorists, Abdullah said.

The session will continue for two days where senior officials from Afghanistan and Central Asian countries will discuss a wide range of issues particularly boosting cooperation among countries in the region.

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4th Afghanistan-Central Asia Dialogue Kicks Off In Bamiyan ... - TOLOnews

WASHINGTON/NANGARHAR, AFGHANISTAN

As the Islamic State terror group loses ground in Iraq and Syria, U.S. and Afghan forces are stepping up their attacks on the group's offshoot in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The U.S. military, in coordination with Afghan security forces, are pounding IS hideouts in Achin, Haskamena and Kot districts with rockets being fired from Jalalabad airfield where U.S. troops are stationed.

The terror group has been active in the eastern region of the country for almost two years.

U.S and Afghan security forces have been conducting ground and air operations against IS militants in the Nangarhar for some time now. The rocket attacks, however, indicate an intensification in the war against IS in the country.

Attaullah Khogyani, Nangarhar provincial government spokesperson told VOA that the rocket attacks on IS hideouts are conducted based on intelligence provided by the Afghan security agencies.

He added that the rocket attacks have targeted key IS members, killing several of them.

Rocket attacks more accurate

Local residents in areas under IS control echo Khogyani's account and have welcomed the move, saying rocket attacks are more accurate and effective. Ground operations by Afghan security forces, they say, result in civilian casualties at times.

Waliullah, a local resident in Deh Bala district said rockets have targeted IS positions only, without causing harm to the civilians in the area.

Airstrikes and ground operations have caused civilian casualties. Rockets fired from the city (U.S. military base) are accurate and do not target civilians, Waliullah told VOA's Afghan service.

U.S. and Afghan security forces have been engaged in joint- counterterrorism operations against IS militants in Nangarhar and neighboring Kunar province.

Drone strike a success

Earlier this year, U.S military and Afghan government promised to eliminate IS in Afghanistan by the end of 2017. Hundreds of IS fighters, including several senior commanders have been killed in recent months.

A suspected U.S. drone strike late Tuesday reportedly targeted a gathering of IS militants in Kunar province, killing 11 fighters, including four key IS commanders.

Pentagon did not immediately confirm Tuesday's drone strike.

The IS terror group has been active in several districts in Nangarhar province. Recently, it has expanded to neighboring mountainous Kunar and Nuristan provinces as well, which share a border with Pakistan, to establish a persistent presence there.

Militant leaders killed

IS has drawn the majority of its members from the Pakistani Taliban fighters, some former Afghan Taliban, and other militants from varied nationalities, including militants from India, Iran, Russia and central Asian neighbors.

In May, the terror group lost Sheikh Abdul Hasib, its leader in Afghanistan. Hasib was killed in a joint U.S. Afghan forces raid in eastern Nangarhar.

His predecessor and founder of IS's branch in Afghanistan, Hafiz Saeed Khan a former Pakistani Taliban commander was also killed in a U.S. drone strike in July of 2016.

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American, Afghan Forces Intensify Anti-IS Fight in Afghanistan - Voice of America

Teenagers from the Afghanistan Robotic House, a private training institute, practice at the Better Idea Organization center, in Herat, Afghanistan.Ahmad Seir AP

After Afghanistan's all-girls robotics team was denied entry to the United States twice in two months, President Donald Trump has reportedly intervened in the case so the six girls and their chaperon can enter the U.S. to attend a competition next week.

The denial of the girls' visas had sparked outrage and puzzled onlookers since Afghanistan, a majority-Muslim nation, is not covered by Trump's travel ban, which the Supreme Court allowed to go into limited effect last month. Teams from countries included in the ban, meanwhile, had gained access to the U.S. The Afghan girls' repeated rejection was also seen as sending the wrong message to the people of Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are fighting Taliban militants who once barred girls from attending school, and undercutting the administration's stated goal of empowering women abroad.

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"We could not be prouder of this delegation of young women who are also scientists they represent the best of the Afghan people and embody the promise that their aspirations can be fulfilled," said Dina Powell, Trump's deputy national security adviser for strategy, in a statement after the reversal.

Politico reports that the president got wind of the case and asked National Security Council officials to see if anything could be done about it. The Department of Homeland Security eventually granted the girls entry to the U.S. on a system known as 'parole,' which will let them stay in the country for up to 10 days, though technically not a visa.

The non-profit that organizes the competition, which will see 163 teams from 157 countries compete this year, cheered the reversal.

I truly believe our greatest power is the power to convene nations, to bring people together in the pursuit of a common goal and prove that our similarities greatly outweigh our differences," First Global president Joe Sestak, a former U.S. Navy admiral and congressman, said in a statement. "That is why I am most grateful to the U.S. Government and its State Department for ensuring Afghanistan, as well as Gambia, would be able to join us for this international competition this year.

Visa applications from Gambia's team were also denied initially, but its members later gained admission.

The decision means the Afghan team will be able to watch their robotwhich sorts balls by colorperform in person, rather than via video link. The girls' presence at the competition will cap what's been an arduous, dramatic journey from their war-torn nation, where young girls are still discouraged from engaging in academic study , especially in hard sciences like math.

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President Trump Intervened So Afghan Girls Robotics Team Can Enter the US - Fortune

For the first time in its countrys history, Afghanistan has swimmers registered to compete at the FINA World Championships. The... Current photo via Mike Lewis/Ola Vista Photography

For the first time in its countrys history, Afghanistan has swimmers registered to compete at the FINA World Championships.

The Afghanistan National Swimming Federation registered two swimmers, Mohammad Ebrahim Rajabi and Hamid Rahmi, for the upcoming FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

This was a dream for all Afghans to have a chance to participate in the World Championships in swimming, said Afghanistan National Swimming Federation Secretary General Sayed Sajad Aghazada in an interview with FINA. Participating in such a great and high level swimming Championships is a chance for the Federation and its swimmers to engage more in the swimming world and show that Afghanistan is now ready to be part of all international events.

He went on to state that Afghanistans goal is to have three Afghan swimmers, 2 men and 1 woman, competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Rajabi and Rahmi both hold national records and have participated in the South Asia and Central Swimming Championships. According to FINA, they expressed their belief that swimming playsa crucial role in mobilizing Afghani people and bringing peace to their country.

Rachel has been swimming ever since she can remember. She grew upin the San Francisco Bay Area where she learned to love swimming with the Walnut Creek Aquabears. She took her passion for swimming to Willamette University in Salem, Oregon where she primarily competes in sprint freestyle events. In addition

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Afghanistan to Send First Swimmers to FINA World Championships - SwimSwam