A suicide attack on a Shi’ite mosque in the western Afghan city of Herat killed more than 29 people and wounded more than 64 on Tuesday, officials said.

More than 1,700 civilians have been killed in attacks in Afghanistan so far this year, hitting confidence in the Western-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani.

Abdulhai Walizada, a local police spokesman, said there appeared to be more than one attacker on Tuesday, with witnesses describing a suicide bomber who detonated explosives and at least one other, a gunman who threw grenades at worshippers.

Mohammad Asif Rahimi, governor of Herat, said at least 29 people were killed and 64 wounded in the incident which came two months after an attack on a 12th century mosque known as the Jama Masjid in Herat, in which seven people died.

There was no claim of responsibility. But the Taliban, fighting to install strict Islamic law and drive foreign troops out of Afghanistan, denied any involvement.

Ghani, whose government has been under mounting pressure because of deteriorating security across the country, condemned the bombing and called on religious scholars to “raise their voices against the terrorist attacks”.

Afghanistan has traditionally been relatively free of the sectarian violence common in Iraq or Syria but hardline Sunni militants from the local branch of Islamic State have repeatedly attacked the mainly Shi’ite Hazara minority in the past year.

The latest attack comes as the US administration considers sending more troops to Afghanistan to bolster the NATO-led coalition advising and assisting Afghan security forces.

Ayesha Gulalai, a parliamentarian from the Opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Tuesday announced her resignation, accusing party chief Imran Khan of sending “lewd text messages” to her and other women members. Calling Mr. Khan and his ‘gang’ characterless, she said honour of women is not safe in the party.

“Imran Khan has sent first lewd message to me in October 2013. He does it through his Blackberry. His Blackberry should be checked. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority can testify to my claims if his Blackberry is confiscated,” she told a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday night.

Ms. Gulalai, a young member of the National Assembly from the conservative Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), was once an ardent and vocal supporter of the PTI.

Earlier in the day, she had told newsmen that the kind of culture some in the PTI are trying to promote is not in line with Pakhtoon cultural values.

Other women parliamentarians quickly reacted to her allegations. “MNA Ayesha Gulalai’s rebuke adds to the disquiet about a woman’s place in the party,” Sherry Rehman, Senator from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), tweeted. However, there was no word from Mr. Khan.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto said that the allegations were serious and should be investigated. He added that the PPP will never compromise over the safety and dignity of women.

“A great day at the White House!” President Donald Trump said on Monday evening after sacking White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, 10 days after he was hired. Mr. Scaramucci’s firing came at the instance of John Kelly, a former Marine General who took over as the White House Chief of Staff on Monday. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Gen. Kelly has complete authority over all staff and operations at the White House.

President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, daughter Ivanka Trump and strategist Steve Bannon will report to Gen. Kelly, the White House said, an authority that the former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who resigned last week, did not command.

 Chaotic phase

With Mr. Scaramucci gone as fast as he arrived, the Trump White House may have passed a particularly chaotic phase in its ever-volatile existence over the last six months, but it is unclear how long will the calm last. Over the last fortnight, Mr. Trump has ignited controversy after controversy, chiding his own Attorney-General and sniping at Republican Senators for failing to push through legislation that sought to partially repeal Obamacare, among other things. His tweets will not stop, Mr. Trump said on Tuesday morning. “Only the Fake News Media and Trump enemies want me to stop using Social Media (110 million people). Only way for me to get the truth out!,” he posted on Twitter.

Mr. Trump lavished praise on Gen. Kelly after he was sworn in, but that may not necessarily guarantee anything in the long term. Mr. Trump had effusively praised Mr. Priebus also earlier, but undermined him by creating parallel power centres in the White House and finally hiring Mr. Scaramucci, disregarding Mr. Priebus’s opposition to the appointment.

Mr. Scaramucci used vulgar phrases and metaphors to talk about Mr. Prieubus and Mr. Bannon in an interview, making his own downfall faster and inevitable. But his entry into the White House had already led to the exit of Mr. Preibus, and Sean Spicer as Press Secretary.

“The President certainly felt that Anthony’s comments were inappropriate for a person in that position. And he didn’t want to burden Gen. Kelly also with that line of succession… but Gen. Kelly has the full authority to operate within the White House, and all staff will report to him,” said Ms. Sanders.

Power struggles

There are multiple faultiness in the White House power struggles — nationalists versus globalists, traditional Republicans versus the President’s long-time friends from business, and generals versus civilians, for instance. Gen. Kelly’s challenge will be to bring order into the chaos that these divisions create. Ms. Sanders said Gen. Kelly will control access to the President. Mr. Trump is said to like and respect billionaires and Generals, but such feelings could be fleeting.

 Changing perceptions

Mr. Trump is reportedly unhappy with his National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, a serving General. Mr. Trump had appeared to be holding him in high regard at the beginning. With Mr. Trump unsatisfied with the proposals from Pentagon and Gen. McMaster on Afghanistan, which nationalists consider as continuation of the failed ‘establishment’ policies.

The Trump administration’s Russia policy is also in a limbo as relations worsen. The White House has said the President would sign a new legislation passed by the House and the Senate with near total bipartisan unanimity, which will also bind his hands from making any concession to the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, Russia has asked hundreds of American diplomats to leave and seized two American properties in the country, in retaliation to similar measures taken by the Obama administration in its last days. Mr. Trump has taken a confrontational posture against the Republican Party establishment yet again, and Russia is one key issue on which he does not see eye to eye with them.

Raised voices could be heard through the thick door to the Oval Office as John Kelly then Secretary of Homeland Security offered some tough talk to President Donald Trump.

Mr. Kelly, a whip-cracking retired general who was sworn in as White House chief of staff on July 31, 2017, had demanded to speak to the President alone after Mr. Trump complained loudly that the U.S. was admitting travellers from countries he viewed as high risk.

Mr. Kelly first tried to explain to Mr. Trump that the admissions were standard some people had legitimate reasons to visit the country but the President insisted that it was making him look bad, according to an administration official familiar with the exchange about a month ago.

Mr. Kelly then demanded that other advisers leave the room so he could speak to the President frankly. Mr. Trump refused at first, but agreed when Mr. Kelly insisted.

It was an early indication that Mr. Kelly, a decorated retired Marine general who served three tours in Iraq, is not afraid to stand up to his commander-in-chief.

Tapped to bring order to a chaotic West Wing, Mr. Kelly began to make his mark immediately on July 31, 2017, ousting newly appointed communications director Anthony Scaramucci and revising a dysfunctional command structure that has bred warring factions. From now on, said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, all senior staffers including the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and chief strategist Steve Bannon will report to Mr. Kelly instead of the President.

Mr. Kelly “will bring new structure, discipline and strength” to the White House, Ms. Sanders said.

“It definitely has the fingerprints of a new sheriff in town,” said Blain Rethmeier, who guided Mr. Kelly through the Senate confirmation process for the Homeland Security post. Mr. Rethmeier said that what stood out about Mr. Kelly during the time they worked together was the way Mr. Kelly commanded respect from everyone he encountered and the way he respected others.

Mr. Kelly drew praise from lawmakers of both parties on August 1, 2017.

Senator Lindsey Graham expressed confidence that Mr. Kelly can help restore order, saying on NBC’s “Today” show that “the Marines have landed at the White House. They have a beachhead.”

And Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois told CNN that Mr. Kelly “is in a position where he can stabilise this White House, that’s good for this country. The President has to be part of that.”

Jason Miller, a senior communications adviser during the Trump presidential campaign, predicted on CNN that Mr. Kelly’s next move will be to put people in place that will help the President. He suggested Mr. Kelly should convince ousted Press Secretary Sean Spicer to stay on, at least through the tax overhaul effort.

Mr. Kelly fostered a reputation as an outspoken commander who didn’t shy away from unpopular opinions during his military career. Mr. Rethmeier said that Mr. Kelly also respects authority deeply “and that’s something that Trump sort of smells out, if you respect him or not”.

“If he disagrees with you, he’ll disagree respectfully,” Mr. Rethmeier said.

It was a point Mr. Kelly made clear during his confirmation hearing in January. “I have never had a problem speaking truth to power, and I firmly believe that those in power deserve full candour and my honest assessment and recommendations. I also value people that work for me speaking truth to power,” he said.

In April, Mr. Kelly bluntly challenged members of Congress critical of the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement to either change the laws or “shut up”.

But after being confirmed as part of Mr. Trump’s Cabinet, Mr. Kelly also tried to moderate some of the President’s hardline positions, even as he publicly defended them.

Mr. Kelly and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, another retired general, were also said to have been deeply frustrated with the rollout of Mr. Trump’s refugee and immigration ban, and made clear to associates that they were not involved in drafting it or aware of its details around the time that Mr. Trump signed the original order. Both moved swiftly to address gaps in the measure, with Mr. Mattis asking that Iraqis who helped U.S. troops be exempt and Mr. Kelly clarifying that green-card holders would not be affected.

Nonetheless, Mr. Kelly launched a particularly robust defence of the order to lawmakers and reporters, which was welcomed by the White House.

Mr. Mattis and Mr. Kelly also agreed in the earliest weeks of Mr. Trump’s presidency that one of them should remain in the United States at all times to keep tabs on the orders rapidly emerging from the White House, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The official insisted on anonymity in order to discuss the administration’s internal dynamics.

Senator Bob Corker said on July 31, 2017 that he discussed Mr. Kelly’s appointment with Mr. Trump and hopes Mr. Kelly “will do everything possible to bring the appropriate discipline and focus that needs to be at the White House there”.

“I hope that Gen. Kelly will absolutely, forcefully clean the place up,” Mr. Corker said. “And anybody who’s been a violator, who’s been a part of public backbiting, part of undermining, who’s been part of feathering their own nest at other people’s expense, I hope they’ll all be gone.”

David B. Cohen, a University of Akron political science professor writing a book on Chiefs of Staff, applauded Mr. Kelly for doing “things that should have been done on Day One of Reince Priebus’s tenure.” He said Mr. Scaramucci’s removal sent a clear message “that going off-script and being undisciplined” would no longer be tolerated at the White House.

But Mr. Cohen wondered how long Trump would go before undermining Mr. Kelly.

“President Trump is his own worst enemy,” he said. “He instinctively likes to be his own chief of staff and he’s a pretty awful one. Will he be able to resist messing with the system once John Kelly cleans everything up? Will he listen to his chief of staff when Kelly has to tell Trump, ‘No,’” he asked.

“I’m not sure President Trump is wired to be able to listen to that type of criticism,” he said.