Afghan War News Daily Update - April 5, 2012

Afghan National Army Special
Forces (ANSF) preparing
to conduct weapons training. 
(Photo by PO1 David Frech).

Here are some items of interest about the Afghan war that have appeared in the press and on-line over the past few days.

Afghan Leaders Ready to Kick U.S. Out? Afghan leaders and elite ponder their relationship with the United States. Karen Leigh explores the views that elite members of Afghan society and government have towards the U.S. and whether they feel Afghanistan should step away from their best ally. Karen also points out the role that corruption plays in all of this. See "Afghanistan Falls Apart", Foreign Policy, April 3, 2012.

Stay the Course. One observer believes that the Taliban operating in southern Afghanistan have been beaten but in the east the Haqqani Network remains a formidable threat. Frederick Kagan says we need to stay in Afghanistan to defeat the Haqqani Network, ensure the Taliban do not re-emerge in southern Afghanistan, and prevent al Qaeda from setting up camp in Afghanistan once again. See "Al Qaeda Allies Remain Strong", The New York Times, April 3, 2012.

APPF. A legal firm explores the pitfalls of relying on the APPF for security in Afghanistan.  See "Afghanistan's Ban on Private Security Companies: What are the Risks for Private Investors?", JD Supra, April 3, 2012. SIGAR reports that the APPF is not ready to take over providing security for USAID projects in "Giving Karzai Aid and a 20 Percent Profit", PJ Media, March 30, 2012.

Elections to be Delayed? Some Afghans think that Karzai and his cronies have something up their sleeve to keep the "King of Kabul" in power longer than 2014. Read more in "Leading Afghans cast doubt on election schedule", The Guardian, April 3, 2012.

Resupply of remote outposts by parachute. Supporting remote outposts in Afghanistan with supplies and logistics is expensive. Many are not near airfields and the roads are plagued with IEDs or just not suitable for large vehicles. One quick and low-cost way to resupply the troops is using inexpensive parachutes. Read more in "Cheap, Low, Slow and Accurate", Strategy Page, April 3, 2012.

Hold Karzai Accountable. Support for the Afghan war has diminished in the U.S. Support for U.S. involvement has also diminished in Afghanistan. However, some in Afghan society believe Hamid Karzai is the problem and that the U.S. should hold him more accountable. Read more in "What Afghans Think About Declining U.S. Support", by Michael Rubin in Commentary Magazine, April 3, 2012.

After the German Withdrawal. So what happens in northern Afghanistan after the German withdrawal? Who fills the vacuum? Learn more in "German Military Fears for Afghanistan's Future", Spiegel Online, April 3, 2012.

Funding the Enemy. See "We're Funding Both Sides of the War", Mother Jones (beware!), April 2, 2012.