Security News on Afghanistan

War now 16 Years Old. On Saturday, October 7th the war in Afghanistan turned 16 years old. For the Afghans the war is much older.

"Taliban Can't Win". The commander of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, says that things are now improving on the battlefield with the new South Asia strategy of the Trump administration. See "The Taliban Can't Win, Says Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan", National Public Radio, October 13, 2017.

UH-60s Replacing Mi-17s. Read a news release by the U.S. Air Force on the recent transfer of the first of 159 Blackhawks to the Afghan Air Force. (Air Force, 10 Oct 2017).

Mattis on Pakistsan - 'One Last Time'. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis says that the U.S. will give it one more try. He says that Pakistan needs to stop its support of the Taliban See "One Last Time: The United States and Afghanistan-Pakistan Cooperation", The Diplomat, October 12, 2017.

Pressure on Pakistan. There are some hopeful signs that the Trump admin's change in position toward a 'supposed' ally in the fight against terrorism will reap some benefits. Some observers are looking at possible shifts in Pakistan's support of insurgent groups fighting the Afghan regime. But it may be too early to see if it will change things on the battlefield. Read "Some See Trump Pressure Tilting Pakistan's Afghan Policy", Voice of America, October 13, 2017.

1 BCT, 10th Mtn Advisors Train Up. Members of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division recently attended the Military Advisor Training Academy. The school is located on Fort Benning, Georgia and was recently established to provide advisory training to those heading out to advisor assignments in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. (DVIDS, Oct 10, 2017).

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