Sunday, January 4, 2015

Afghan News Snippets (Jan 4, 2015)


Nolan Peterson writes why soldiers miss the war. (Blue Force Tracker, January 2015)

The Afghan public is frustrated with the delays in forming the government cabinet and in the continuing Taliban attacks. (The Washington Post, Jan 2, 2015).

A book review by Brock Dahl of Jack Fairweather's "The Good War" can be read here. (The Washington Free Beacon, January 3, 2015).

An editorial by The New York Times (Jan 3, 2015) says that President Ghani is over-reaching. They cite his insistence that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) relinquish responsibility for the management of the fund provided by western donors to operate and pay for the Ministry of Interior and the Afghan National Police. The Law and Order Trust Fund managed by the UNDP has been criticized by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) for miss-management and a lack of oversight. President Ghani appears to be over-confident about the Ministry of Interior's (MoI) ability to manage funds. The MoI is notoriously corrupt and President Ghani, despite being in office over three months, has failed to appoint his cabinet.

A book review of "The Dogs are Eating them Now" can be read on The LA Times (Jan 4, 2015). Graeme Smith's book, a Canadian, focuses on his observations in Kandahar based on over 17 stints between 2005 and 2011.

Afghan intelligence foiled a suicide attack by the Haqqani Network in Laghman province. The NDS says the would-be suicide bomber was to use a motorcycle packed with explosives.  (Khaama Press, Jan 3, 2015).

It appears that Afghan National Army (ANA) members will be court-martialled over the wedding rocket attack in Helmand province. 17 people, mostly women and children, died in the attack and over 53 others were wounded.  The numbers of killed and wounded are in dispute with conflicting reports. (Khaama Press, Jan 2, 2015).

Bulgaria. Over 8,000 Bulgarian soldiers served in NATO's Afghanistan mission. The first contingent arrived in 2002 and the last Bulgarian contingent left in December 2014. Currently only 110 Bulgarian military advisors and instructors remain in Afghanistan. (Sofia News Agency, Jan 3, 2015).

Max Boot comments on the recent ceremony held at ISAF headquarters celebrating the end of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. He feels, despite statements to the contrary by President Obama, that the Afghan War is in full swing. He cites Helmand province as an example - where not only combat troops have been pulled out but advisors as well. Read more in "Max Boot: Afghanistan is still at war", The Gulf Today (AE), January 3, 2015.

A retired Pakistan general offers his observations of the United States involvement in the Afghan War. Read "NATO Wraps Up its Flag from Afghanistan", Scoop Independent News (New Zealand),  January 3, 2015.

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