Air Force Advisers Mentor Afghans on Keeping Kandahar Airfield Safe and Secure

A story on how 65 U.S. Air Force advisers are mentoring an Afghan security force of over 1,000 charged with keeping the Kandahar Airfield safe and secure. Read "Air Force advisers say Afghans making progress in base defense", Stars and Stripes, March 29, 2012.

I Had to Run Away - Human Rights Watch Report on Women in Afghanistan Accused of Moral Crimes

Human Rights Watch has released a report based on interviews conducted in prisons and juvenile detention facilities in Afghanistan with women and girls accused of "moral crimes". More than half the women in Afghan prisons are accused of these charges which usually involve flight from an unlawful marriage or domestic violence. Some are accused of sex outside of marriage after being raped or forced into prostitution. Things have improved for Afghan women overall since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 (in education, access to health care, and employment). However, there still is significant concern about the fate of women as the international community draws down its committment to Afghanistan - especially in the area of imprisonment for "moral crimes". You can read more about the March 2012 Human Rights Watch report on the imprisonment of women and girls for moral crimes in Afghanistan in I Had To Run Away. Read a news article about the report in "Afghan women are being jailed for moral crimes, says report", The Guardian, March 28, 2012.

Afghans Not Quite Ready to Secure Kandahar

A recent news article points out reasons why the Afghans may not be ready to secure Kandahar Province once the U.S. "surge" troops depart in by September 2012. Read "Wake-up call: Struggles in Kandahar show Afghan troops not ready to lead", Stars and Stripes, March 28, 2012.

New Force Protection Measures for U.S. Personnel in Afghanistan to Guard Against "Insider Threat"

General Allen issued a new ISAF directive that provides guidance on measures to take to ensure that ISAF personnel do not fall victim to attacks by personnel of the Afghan security forces. Read more in "New security for US troops in Afghanistan to guard against Afghan insider threats", Fox News.com, March 29, 2012.

Afghan Security Guards (APPF) To Cost More

According to a recent news report the switch of security functions from private security firms to the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) will increase security costs of development projects by 50% while reducing the level of protection. The news article cites the acting Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) - Steven J. Trent - for the source of information. Read more in "U.S. to pay more for Afghan security guards, auditor says", The Washington Post, March 28, 2012.

Two Experts Weigh In on Counterinsurgency Effort in Afghanistan

Jacki Lyden of National Public Radio recently interviewed two "experts" on counterinsurgency. Read their comments here in "Where Is Counterinsurgency In Afghanistan Now?", NPR, March 17, 2012. John Nagl is teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy and is the author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam.  Sarah Sewall is an expert on civilian-military relations, is a visiting fellow at the Naval War College, and a contributor to the The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual

Afghanistan-Iran-Tajikistan Railway Link

The governments of Afghanistan, Iran, and Tajikistan have reached an understanding on the building of a railway that would connect Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. Read more in "Tajikistan plans railway link with Iran", The Telegraph, March 27, 2012. Learn more about railroad development in Afghanistan.

Green-on-Blue Violence in Afghanistan

The occurrences of green-on-blue violence in Afghanistan has captured the attention of the media, public and Congress (and that of U.S. service members). General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently had comments on green-on-blue violence. He indicated that the Afghans will need to do more to prevent these events. Some measures to take place in the future is a stronger more capable counterintelligence effort, better vetting of recruits, and more partnering efforts at lower echelons or at the small unit level. Read his comments in "Dempsey: Afghans Must Prevent 'Green-on-Blue' Violence", American Forces Press Service, March 27, 2012.

Brookings Institution and General Allen Comments

General Allen, the commander of ISAF, recently spent some time with the Brookings Institution during his recent visit to Washington, DC. (He was addressing Congress for a couple of days on the state of the Afghan War). Some important comments that General Allen made during the Brookings Institution event include:

By September 2012 the U.S. troop level will return to pre-surge levels or around 68,000 personnel.

The main counterinsurgency effort will shift from the southern provinces to the eastern provinces.

The main threat in the east appears to be the Haqqani Network.

The 2012 Afghan-ISAF campaign for Regional Command East (RC East) will increase Afghan troop strength in provinces along the border, bolster the Afghan Local Police or ALP, Village Stability Operations (VSO) and special operations in the region. There will also be a greater density of U.S. forces partnering with their Afghan counterparts.

BG McMaster From CJITF Shafafiyat to Fort Benning

Brig. Gen. Herbert R. McMaster Jr is being re-assigned to be the commanding general, U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Fort Benning, Ga. He most recently served as the Commander for the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force - Shafafiyat, International Security Assistance Force, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan. Being head of Shafafiyat had to have been one of the most frustrating jobs ever in his career. Really? How do you fight corruption in Afghanistan when the country is headed by one of the most corrupt individuals in the country? Yes, that would be Karzai.

Myths About the Afghan War and the Way Forward (by David Rohde)

A columnist for Reuters, David Rohde, provides us his analysis of the way ahead in Afghanistan. First he debunks five myths about the Afghan War:

- the strategic unimportance of Afghanistan
- all Afghans want us to leave
- with an American withdrawal peace will come
- the Taliban won't compromise
- a faster withdrawal is better for Obama in an election year. 

He then tells us what we should do:

- Hold steady on the strategic plan
- Deploy Afghans, not Americans
- Transfer Taliban commanders held in Guantanamo Bay
- Pressure the Pakistan military

Read his article in "5 Myths about the Afghan War", The Atlantic, March 16, 2012.

Gen. Allen and Afghanistan : Brookings Event

During his trip to Washington, DC General John Allen, the ISAF Commander, made the rounds before Congress and several news organizations. One of his stops was to Brookings for an hour-long discussion on Afghanistan. You can listen to the program here at "The U.S. Mission in Afghanistan", Brookings.edu, March 26, 2012.

Paper - Effectiveness of Village Stability Operations (VSO) and Afghan Local Police (ALP)

The Small Wars Journal has posted a detailed paper about the Village Stability Operations (VSO) and Afghan Local Police (ALP) programs that were initiated and are now supported by the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command - Afghanistan (CFSOCC-A). The paper explores the history and background of VSO and ALP. Read an abstract of the paper below:

This paper seeks to analyze and assess, to the extent possible, the efficacy of the Village Stability Operations (VSO) and Afghan Local Police (ALP) missions currently being carried out by U.S. Special Operations Forces (USSOF) in Afghanistan. By examining security indicators for provinces where VSO/ALP operations are being conducted, scholarly research and assessments, and Congressional records, this paper finds that VSO/ALP is having a positive impact on security and governance at the local level in Afghanistan. In addition, this paper addresses areas of concern regarding VSO/ALP and makes some recommendations for improving the size and scope of these initiatives.

The link to the paper can be found at "The Only Game in Town: Assessing the Effectiveness of Village Stability Operations and the Afghan Local Police", by Seth A. Shreckengast, Small Wars Journal, March 27, 2012.

IMU Leader Killed in Afghanistan - Makhdum Nusrat

An operation in Shirin Tagab district, Faryab province resulted in the killing of Makhdum Nusrat, the senior Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader in Afghanistan. Several other IMU insurgents were also killed. Makhdum was the highest-ranking IMU insurgent operating in the country. He led attacks against Afghan and coalition troops throughout the northern provinces for the last eight months and was plotting the assassination of an Afghan Parliament member in Kabul.

Read an ISAF press release about the operation in "Senior Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader killed during operation", DVIDS, March 27, 2012. Learn more about the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan here.

Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) Improving According to General Allen

During a press conference on March 26, 2012 Gen. John Allen briefed reporters on the situation in Afghanistan. Read a news account of the briefing in "Afghan Security Forces Improving Quickly, Allen Says", American Forces Press Service, March 26, 2012.

Billions of Cash Smuggled out of Afghanistan

The international community is pumping billions of dollars into Afghanistan each year to shore up the economy, fund development work, establish governance, and build the capability and capacity of the military. However the Afghans seem to be sending the money out of the country just as much. Corruption is widespread in the Afghan government and many international donor dollars do not find their way to the intended purpose. Read more in "Billions in cash smuggled out of Afghanistan every year", CNN.com, March 27, 2012.

Taliban Divided over Strategy?

A recent news article questions whether the Taliban are united or divided as to future strategy - especially in the area of negotiating in peace talks with the United States. See "In Afghanistan, Taliban seems divided at a key juncture", Los Angeles Times, March 25, 2012.

3G Network Launched in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has reportedly seen the launch of its first 3G network according to local news source Outlook Afghanistan. UAE-based Etisalat Afghanistan today announced the launch of its 3G network in a ceremony attended by the head of the nation’s telecoms watchdog, the Afghanistan Telecoms Regulatory Authority (ATRA) and the minister for communications and information technology. Etisalat is yet to reveal the coverage of the network, or specific plans or packages for 3G services.

Read the rest of the news article here - "Etisalat launches 3G network in Afghanistan", TeleGeography, March 19, 2012. Learn more about telecommunications in Afghanistan.

SOF Troops Hold Village Stabilty Operations (VSO) Conference to Prepare for Afghan Mission

Representatives from different special operations forces recently gathered at a week-long conference in Orlando, Florida to learn more about Village Stability Operations or VSO. The SOF representatives will return to their units and pass on their new knowledge on VSO to other unit members in preparation for a deployment to Afghanistan. Read more in "Special ops forces trying to stabilize rural Afghan villages", Tampa Bay Online, March 26, 2012.

Afghan Women Improve Their Lot with Dairy Goat Project - News from ICARDA

A recent news release provides information about a dairy goat project that has provided substantial benefits to women in agricultural areas of Afghanistan. The women-orientated project has increased incomes, improved nutrition, and created new platforms for community development. Read more in "Dairy goat project improves women's welfare in Afghanistan", International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), March 2012.