Wounded AP Reporter to Return to Afghanistan

On the day before the Afghanistan election in April 2014 two female correspondents were shot by an Afghan policeman in Khost province. The two women (working for the Associated Press) were in  a convoy under the protection of the Afghan security forces. While in a well-guarded compound they were shot and Anja Niedringhaus (AP photographer) died of her wounds. Kathy Gannon suffered six bullet wounds and is still recovering. But she vows to return to her job in Afghanistan. Read more in "Wounded AP reporter vows to return to Afghanistan", The Sacramento Bee, October 16, 2014.

Taliban Accuse US of Haqqani Leadership Arrests

More details are emerging about the arrests of two leading members of the Haqqani Network who were detained in a Persian Gulf country and transferred to the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) in Afghanistan. The Taliban has released statements accusing the United States of being behind the apprehension of the two Taliban senior leaders. The Taliban believe that American forces in the Gulf region captured the two men and then handed them over to Kabul via the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Read more in "Taliban: US Behind Khost Haqqani Arrests", Voice of America, October 18, 2014.

Story of UK Female Artist in Afghanistan

Here is a news account about a female artist from the United Kingdom who spent time with British military units and the Afghan people painting and drawing about the war in Afghanistan. Read more in "An artist in Afghanistan: 'To tell the story, you've got to take risks'", The Guardian, October 19, 2014.

"Retrograde in Full Swing"

A news release by the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) provides us with details on how Soldiers of aviation units at Bagram Air Field are preparing helicopters for the ride home back to the United States. See "Retrograde in full swing in Afghanistan" published October 18, 2014.

Book - "No Good Men Among the Living"

A new book about Afghanistan is now out entitled No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War Through Afghan Eyes by Anand Gopal. The author is a Wall Street Journal and Christian Science Monitor reporter. His book would seem to highlight the failures of the Afghan War rather than the successes. You can read a book review by Rory Stewart entitled "Afghanistan: A Shocking Indictment", The New York Review of Books, November 6, 2014 issue.

Video on USACE

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has made great contributions to the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. In this video by Armed Forces Network Afghanistan, LTG Tom Bostick (USACE Commander) and COL Pete Helmlinger (Commander of USACE Transatlantic Afghanistan District) are interviewed to explain what USACE has accomplished, the remaining projects still left to be completed, and why the reconstruction effort is needed in Afghanistan. (Published by AFN on YouTube n October 11, 2014 - 2 mins). www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGuFRXo1ypk

Timeline of Afghanistan's History

For those interested in Afghanistan's history over the past four plus centuries you can view "Timeline: Afghanistan since 1700" by The Cairo Review of Global Affairs.

Daily Afghan War News

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 am Eastern Standard Time. It is easy to subscribe. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

COMISAF's Facebook Page

Don't you wish you could sit in the ISAF commander's office for a day to find out what is really going on? Well, you can . . . sort of. General John Campbell, COMISAF, wants you to know what is going on in the ISAF world. While he can't meet with you personally each and every day he will take some time out of his busy schedule to let you know what's up. You can like his facebook account and check out his daily activities. There are at least two posts a day and it is very informative. If you are stationed in Mazar-e-Sharif, BAF, KAF, Herat, Jalalabad, or Gamberi this is one way to stay informed on the activities taking place in Kabul on the ISAF compound. Photo to the left was a post by General Campbell on October 18, 2014 where he was meeting with a delegation from . . . hmmmm, doesn't say. Check out COMISAF's Facebook account at www.facebook.com/GENJohnCampbell.

Women and RoL in Afghanistan

A leading women's rights advocate in Afghanistan provides us with information on the great progress made in women's rights and the rule of Law. However she is worried that the international community will walk away from Afghanistan without finishing the work that needs to be done to solidify the gains. The author is Manizha Naderi, the executive director of Women for Afghan Women (WAW), works in Afghanistan providing counseling and mediation to victims of domestic violence, forced and underage marriages, rape and sex trafficking throughout Afghanistan. Read her essay in "New Threat to Afghan Women", The Cairo Review of Global  Affairs of the American University of Cairo, October 19, 2014.

Article - "Why We Lost in Iraq and Afghanistan"

LTG (Ret) Daniel Bolger, an infantry officer, has penned an article that provides an account of the U.S. military's mistakes in the Afghan and Iraq wars. Bolger commanded the NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan (NTM-A) in 2011-2013. The article is entitled "Why We Lost in Iraq and Afghanistan", Harper's Magazine, September 2014.  A bio of Bolger is available on Wikipedia and an article published in Time Magazine (May 2014) provides more information about his observations on the war. Although he left ISAF in 2013 his biography is still posted at this link on the ISAF website. He had two tours of  duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. He has a Master's Degree and a PhD in History form the University of Chicago and also taught at West Point. He has also authored several books. Now that he is retired he is teaching at a college in southeastern United States. He will soon have a book out (Nov 14) that he considers "the first AAR" on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More on the Detained Haqqani Network Leaders

There are new developments on the detention of the senior Haqqani Network leaders by the National Directorate of Security (NDS). Originally it was reported by the NDS that they were detained in Khost province; however, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the detention took place in a Persian Gulf nation and they were then flown to Afghanistan. It would appear that the support the Haqqani Network has received in the past by Gulf nations may be eroding ever so slightly. Read more in "Haqqani Leaders Detained in Persian Gulf not Inside Afghanistan", The Wall Street Journal, October 19, 2014.

Video - "Unmanned: America's Drone Wars"

A full-length video (60 minutes) entitled "Unmanned: America's Drone Wars" present an "alternative" view of the drone war conducted from the skies over Pakistan. This feature documentary is Brave New Films and directed by Robert Greenwald. There are over 70 interviews from victims, investigative journalists, and top military officials. The film focuses on the human cost of the drone war; not the military benefits of taking out the high and mid-level leadership of terrorist and insurgent organizations with drone attacks. You can view the video at the link below.

http://unmanned.warcosts.com/unmanned_about

Afghan Civilian Casualties at All Time High

Afghanistan's civilians are bearing the brunt of the war. While ISAF is strident in their message that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are in the lead in securing their country and defeating the Taliban they are worried about the inability of the ANSF to prevent civilian casualties. Read more in "In Afghanistan's unfinished war, civilians pay the price", Stars and Stripes, October 18, 2014.

Interpreters and New Zealand

It appears that sentiment toward aiding interpreters that served foreign military organizations in Afghanistan may be waning. Many nations have very restrictive regulations on how many (if any) former Afghan interpreters can enter their countries. The United States Department of State was notorious for their fool-hardy decisions in the past. It would appear that New Zealand is having some internal political disputes on this issue as well. See "No Asylum for Afghanistan's Interpreters: Defense Minister", New Zealand Times, October 15, 2014.

Video - Australia in Afghanistan

ISAF has released a short video (1 min) on Australia's mission in Afghanistan. You can view it on YouTube at the following link. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oesgOwy3XI

Analysis on Bilateral Security Agreement`

The Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) has provided us with their observations on the Bilateral Security Agreement in an article (dated October 17, 2014) entitled "Finally, Clarity on US Forces in Afghanistan".

Read Afghan War News with your Morning Coffee

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 am Eastern Standard Time. It is easy to subscribe. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Difficulties in Forming Afghan NUG

The Afghan leadership are currently in their "honeymoon phase" of their newly formed "national unity government" or NUG. But soon the riffs will develop between the Ghani and Abdullah camps over selection of individuals for cabinet ministers and other senior leadership posts. Under the previous regime (Karzai) important leadership posts were filled under the patronage system. Karzai would divide these leadership positions to a wide-range of individuals - for the most part to reward his patronage net or to ensure the support of opposition leaders and powerful regional warlords. Many times provincial and district governors paid Karzai for their positions. Under Karzai the selection of government officials and provincial governors was not based on competence, training or education but on political loyalty. President Ghani has a plan to fill important positions based on skills and competence with a reform minded agenda but he will meet resistance from Abdullah who comes from a different mindset of ethnicity, patronage and quotas. Read more in "New Afghan leaders face culture clash as they form Cabinet", The Washington Post, October 17, 2014.

India and Afghanistan

India is taking a leading role in assisting Afghanistan in its reconstruction and governance efforts. At the same time; however, it is accused by Pakistan in engaging in a "proxy war" - setting up terrorist and intelligence nets within Afghanistan which will attack Pakistan's rear areas (along the Pakistan-Afghan border). Surely India has the occasional intelligence operative conducting his daily business - most all nations do this. But the accusations by Pakistan (at least from a study of open source news) seems unfounded. Certainly, India's escapades could not come close to the support the Pakistani intelligence service provides to the "good Taliban" that have sanctuary in Pakistan and mount operations in Afghanistan. India is doing a lot of good in Afghanistan. It is the largest regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Afghanistan. Some 4,000 Indians are working in construction projects. India is also assisting in numerous road projects, power plant initiatives, and other sectors of the economy. Read more in "Existential crisis for nascent democracy", The Free Press Journal (India), October 18, 2014.