US, Taliban Reach Weeklong
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MILITARY HOCKEY VIDEO GAMES Soldiers deployed to Led by Mike Eruzione, 7th Sector: Mideast during Iranian 1980 US hockey team’s A sci-fi puzzler tensions return home miracle still resonates with a spark Page 3 Back page Page 11 Congress warned that Russia is meddling in bid to reelect Trump » Page 5 Volume 78, No. 220A ©SS 2020 CONTINGENCY EDITION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2020 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas AFGHANISTAN A U.S. Army Reserve CH-47 Chinook helicopter flies over Helmand province, Afghanistan, in 2017. The Pentagon plans to send 20 Chinook s to Afghan special forces, according to a Pentagon brief. Pentagon sheds light on plans to provide BRIAN HARRIS/U.S. Army Afghan special forces with Chinook helos BY J.P. LAWRENCE Afghanistan would US, Taliban reach weeklong Stars and Stripes receive 10 Chinooks The Defense Department plans to pro- per year over two years , vide 20 Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicop- ‘reduction of violence’ deal ters to Afghanistan’s security forces in a Pentagon officials said bid to save on support costs and air crew in a briefing. BY PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN likely cover difficult issues such as how requirements, Pentagon officials said in a Stars and Stripes to integrate Taliban fighters into the gov- briefing that provides new details on the ernment and military after more than 18 program. KABUL, Afghanistan — The United years of war. Afghanistan would receive 10 Chi- States has reached an agreement with the Blumenthal, who sits on the Sen- “After decades of conflict, we have come nooks per year over two years to replace Taliban to begin a seven-day “reduction of to an understanding with the Taliban on a its elite Special Mission Wing’s aging ate Armed Services Committee, was violence” across Afghanistan starting Sat- concerned about the change and significant reduction in violence across Af- Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters by 2023, urday, officials said. ghanistan,” Secretary of State Mike Pom- the brief said. Current Mi-17 pilots and what he called its “unclear strategic Intended to test whether the insurgents justification.” peo said on Twitter. “This is an important new trainees will become air crews on can live up to a promise to curtail blood- step on a long road to peace, and I call on The Connecticut Democrat had pre- shed, it could lead to the U.S. and Taliban the Chinooks. all Afghans to seize this opportunity.” The two-page document issued Mon- viously pushed DOD to provide Afghan signing a peace deal by the end of the The reduction in violence, which the day came in response to questions Sen. forces with UH-60 Black Hawks, made in month, paving the way for a U.S. troop Afghan military will also observe, would Richard Blumenthal raised in a letter last his state by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., after withdrawal and an eventual end to Ameri- begin at midnight, President Ashraf Ghani month to Defense Undersecretary John sanctions barred the U.S. from buying ca’s longest war. confirmed in a televised speech Friday C. Rood about what he saw as an “abrupt Russian spare parts to keep the Mi-17s Once a peace deal has been signed, the change” to the helicopters being fielded flying. insurgents, government and other Afghan evening. to America’s Afghan allies. SEE CHINOOK ON PAGE 4 stakeholders would start talks that would SEE TALIBAN ON PAGE 4 PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Saturday, February 22, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Victoria’s Secret sold as women shop elsewhere Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9791 Euro costs (Feb. 24) ..........................$1.1089 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 31.60 Dollar buys (Feb. 24) ........................€0.9018 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.1139 British pound (Feb. 24) ........................$1.32 Associated Press (Military exchange rates are those about $525 million. 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Philippines (Peso)................................. 51.02 Prime rate ................................................4.75 Brands, said that the private-eq- The selling price for Victoria’s American Eagle’s Aerie lingerie Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.96 Discount rate ..........................................2.25 chain has also lured customers Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7506 Federal funds market rate ...................1.58 uity firm Sycamore Partners will Secret signifies a marked decline Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.4004 3-month bill .............................................1.54 buy 55% of Victoria’s Secret for for a brand with hundreds of away from Victoria’s Secret. South Korea (Won) ..........................1,211.42 30-year bond ...........................................1.98 WEATHER OUTLOOK SATURDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SATURDAY IN EUROPE SUNDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 37/34 Kabul 61/34 Seoul 42/30 Baghdad 73/50 Kandahar 69/48 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 47/28 51/36 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 52/48 44/37 44/32 Iwakuni 48/42 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 66/63 Brussels 49/36 Guam 68/55 50/42 Ramstein 47/42 80/77 Lajes, 50/36 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 78/55 72/62 58/55 53/36 47/30 Aviano/ Vicenza 49/34 Naples 56/42 Okinawa Morón 64/61 70/48 Sigonella Rota 59/35 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 82/75 66/51 52/49 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 14 Books ....................... 12 Comics/Crossword ...... 16 Movies ...................... 13 Opinion ..................... 15 Sports ...................17-24 Video Games ..............11 Saturday, February 22, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 MILITARY Kansas base Soldiers rapidly finds deadly chemical in deployed into craft hangar BY TARA COPP McClatchy Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — The cancer- Mideast return linked compound made famous by the movie “Erin Brockovich” has been found in dangerous lev- BY COREY DICKSTEIN pability is important to maintain, els inside an aircraft hangar at Stars and Stripes though rarely used. The last time McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., was in 2010 when soldiers quickly including its breakroom, accord- WASHINGTON — Some 800 deployed to Haiti following a dev- ing to documents. soldiers from an 82nd Airborne astating earthquake. Hexavalent chromium can be Division brigade that rapidly de- “As the centerpiece of the used as an anti-corrosion agent ployed into the Middle East early nation’s Immediate Response and “it is found in paints and this year amid heightening ten- Force, it’s critical that 1st Bri- primers used on the KC-135 and sions with Iran returned to Fort gade and the 82nd Airborne Di- to a lesser extent the KC-46,” Bragg, N.C., on Thursday, Army vision are able to project global both tanker aircraft that are officials said. force employment,” Col. Andrew based at McConnell. Contamina- The soldiers were the first Saslav, commander of the 1st tion from the chemical compound group of some 3,000 paratroopers Brigade Combat Team, said in a was documented in multiple base with the 82nd’s 1st Brigade Com- prepared statement. “Working memos from October 2019 to Jan- bat Team