Security News about Afghanistan

Resolute Support advisors attend a Shura with members of the

202nd Police Zone HQs in eastern Afghanistan on July 21, 2017

(RS HQs photo)

Afghan JTACS Important to Combat Operations. Afghan Tactical Air Coordinators or ATACs are proving themselves to be increasingly valuable as the Afghan Air Force (AAF) brings its A-29 Super Tucano close air support aircraft online. Read more in "Afghan JTACs in high demand", Military Times, July 24, 2017.

ANA Medics - The Things They Carry. Take a look (photos) of what a medic serving with the Afghan National Army carries during combat operations. Read "The Things They Carried: The Afghan Field Medic", Foreign Policy, July 24, 2017.

Kabul Bombing on Monday, 24 July. A bomb exploded on Monday morning 7:00 am Kabul time in a busy market area of Kabul (Police District 3) killing many civilians. Latest count is 36 killed and 60 wounded. The incident took place close to the residence of Ustad Mohaqiq. Many of those killed worked for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum. The Taliban claimed credit for the bombing and says that they were targeting two buses carrying intelligence personnel. Reports say the car bomb rammed into one of the buses. Read more in "Afghan Taliban Claims Deadly Suicide Car-Bomb in Kabul", Gandhara, July 24, 2017.

SECDEF and Afghan Uniforms. The Secretary of State was not happy when learning how the U.S. wasted millions on Afghan uniforms not suited for the terrain or geography of Afghanistan. $28 million more was paid for a proprietary pattern instead of using a pattern owned by the U.S. government. In addition, the uniforms featured a woodland pattern in a nation that has less than 2% forested areas. See "Mattis: Overspending on Afghan Army Uniforms Exposes Waste", Voice of America, July 25, 2017.

CASA CHOD Conference Hosted by Votel. The CENTCOM commander hosted the Central Asia South Asia Chiefs of Defense conference on July 26-27, 2017 in Weisbaden, Germany for security talks. Read a press release by U.S. Central Command Public Affairs, July 28, 2017.

Taleban of Takhar Province, Northern Afghanistan. There are tensions and power struggles among the Uzbek and Pashtun Taleban cadres in northern Afghanistan. This is particularly so in Takhar province - situated between Kunar province in the west and Badakhshan province in the east. Read "The Non-Pastun Taleban of the North: The Takhar case study", Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), July 29, 2017.

ScanEagle Contract. Insitu (a UAS firm) is being awarded a $20 million contract to provide unmanned aerial systems for Afghanistan. Five ScanEagles along with the support equipment, operators, and spare parts will be provided. See "Insitu receives contract for Afghan ScanEagle UAS services", UPI.com, July 26, 2017.

70 Civilians Kidnapped. Civilians who were heading north from Kandahar were abducted. Seven killed. 30 released.

Taliban Using Captured or Bought U.S. Weapons. The number of M4s, vehicles, and night vision devices supplied by the United States to the Afghan National Defense Security Forces has increased significantly. Some of the equipment is captured but a greater number is sold to the Taliban by corrupt Afghan army and police personnel. Read more in "US weapons complicate Afghan war", Navy Times, July 25, 2017.

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