Parliament approval of the nominees for the Afghan cabinet will start next week when the lower house holds sessions for vote of confidence.
An explosion in Kabul killed one and wounded four in Kabul zone seven early on Tuesday morning. Witnesses say the attack was probably against a vehicle belonging to the Afghan intelligence however the bomb struck civilians. (LA Times, Jan 13, 2015).
A road side bomb killed three people in Zurmat district of Paktia province.
Shawn Snow writes for The Diplomat about President Ghani and his plan to end corruption. He says the process of picking the cabinet has been slow and is hurting governance. Read his January 13, 2015 article in "Ashraf Ghani and a Game of Fiefdoms".
Massoumeh Torfeh writes in Al Jazeera about the picking of the new Afghan cabinet. Read the artilce "The new old cabinet in Afghanistan", January 13, 2015, posted on Yahoo! News. Torfeh is the former director of strategic communication at the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) and is currently a research associate at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
The State Department has taken a lot of heat for its inability to process Special Immigrant Visas for the Afghan interpreters that served the U.S. military in Afghanistan. Read a humorous poke about a deadly situation directed at DoS for its failure to do the right thing in "State Department Awards Immigration Visas to 1,000 Dead Interpreters", Duffel Blog, January 6, 2015.
An important aspect of advisory work in Afghanistan is Force Protection. Part of an advisor's Force Protection plan is the use of Guardian Angels (security detail) when appropriate. Read an account of how one GA detail performs their duties in "Major Isn't Sure Where His Security Detail Went", Duffel Blog, January 3, 2015. (caution . . humor attack).
Afghan interpreters who were injured while working with British forces have won the right to argue before the high court a decision to restrict the numbers coming to Britain. (The Guardian, Jan 13, 2015).
The U.S. can't totally account for the $300 million it gives the Afghan National Police each year. (Business Insider, January 12, 2015).
A news article provides us information on the operations of a Air National Guard unit that supports the drone or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) mission. Read about the 162nd Wing of the Air National Guard in Arizona. (Tuscon News Now, January 13, 2015).
Ryan Goodman, an editor with the blog and website called Just Security has penned a piece entitled "A Turning Point in the Afghan War?" (Jan 12, 2015) where he reflects on the prospects of ending the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan in the future.
The Ukraine will continue to participate in the Afghan War mission under Resolute Support. Currently there are 10 Ukrainian soldiers in Afghanistan. Three are staff officers and seven are de-mining specialists. (SE Times, Jan 12, 2015).
Read an article about the Afghan National Police - where personnel management is wanting and corruption abounds - in "Afghanistan, Land of 157,000 National Police and 300,000 National Police ID Cards", National Review Online, January 12, 2015.
Polish advisors will continue to work in Afghanistan to train, advise, and assist the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Read more in "Polish advisers ready for Resolute Support in Afghanistan", The Daily Blog (New Zealand), January 13, 2015.
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