Sunday, October 18, 2015

Security News

ANA Aircraft Losses. There have been reports of Afghan aircraft crashing this past week to include one in Logar province and one in Bamyan province. The Bamyan crash involved a small ANA transport plane with several people on board; two pilots died and five others were injured.

ANDSF Offensive in Shorabak District. A recent operation conducted by Afghan forces, aided by air support from the United States, took place in southern Kandahar province from October 7-11, 2015. Over 63 precision airstrikes were conducted in support of the operation. Read more in "Afghan, US forces destroy al-Qaeda training sites in Kandahar"Khaama Press, October 13, 2015. See also a news report by The Long War Journal,  October 13, 2015.

Herat Airfield Transitioning. Because the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) are almost done mopping up the remainder of the insurgency and the ANDSF no longer needs any training, advising, and assisting from TAAC-West the Coalition will begin the transition of Herat Airfield to the Afghan government. Read more in "Coalition partners prepare for base, airfield transition in Herat and beyond", DVIDS, October 15, 2015.

USAF Drawing Down in Afghanistan. The commander of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing says that he is developing plans to draw down the air support that he provides to U.S. forces and the Afghan military. Because things are going so well in Afghanistan we no longer need air support as much as before. See "Air Force plans Afghanistan drawdown while fight continues"Air Force Times, October 13, 2015.

Ghazni Operations. The Taliban conducted operations along the Kabul-Kandahar highway and caused shops to close in Ghazni city. Government troops reopened the highway that had been shut down on Monday. Some say the Taliban were trying to capture the provincial capital. Read more in "Afghan forces repel Taliban attack on Ghazni as offensive spreads"The Guardian, October 13, 2015.

UNAMA Staff Worker Killed. A female member of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in Kandahar city this past Monday morning. The UNAMA staff worker was shot while walking along a street. (Khaama Press, Oct 12, 2015).

Good Guys and Bad Guys. The security environment in Afghanistan is complex and the numbers of players and actors with agendas is unfathomable. Lately there has been some discussion among Afghans about Taliban infiltrators within the government. Read more in "Afghans Debate Fifth Columnists", Gandhara Blog, October 13, 2015.

Troops to the North. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) says that thousands of troops will be sent to Kunduz, Takhar, and Badakhshan provinces in order to stop the growing threat of the insurgency in northern Afghanistan. (Tolo News, Oct 17, 2015).

Map - Control of Districts. The Threat Matrix (A blog of The Long War Journal) has updated its map showing which districts the Taliban control or contest. Right now the count is 70 districts out of a total of 398.

Map - US Troop Deployment History. Agence France-Presse (AFP) has posted on Twitter an infographic depicting the US troop deployment history in Afghanistan, plus death toll and current militant attack zones. https://twitter.com/AFP/status/654925033987399680

Car Bomb Targets Brit Convoy. Three civilians were wounded when insurgents targeted a British convoy in Kabul. (The Telegraph, Oct 11, 2015).

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