Daily News Snippets (Dec 23, 2014)

Afghan refugees currently living in Pakistan are worried that Pakistan may forcibly expel them to Afghanistan. Pakistan issues a month deadline to refugees living in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province. Nearly 3 million Afghan refugees live in Pakistan but half of them are registered with  Pakistan's government. Read more in "Afghan Refugees Oppose Pakistan's Repatriation Deadline", Tolo News, December 22, 2014.

New PGov. President Ghani has appointed a new governor for Paktika province. Abdul Karim Mateen will take over the PGov duties of the province located in eastern Afghanistan. 

Tajik Border Guards. Four members of the Tajik border guard force were abducted by the Taliban on December 20. The Taliban hope to exchange the guards for Taliban supporters being held in Tajikistan.

Human rights groups are fearful that CIA 'ghost prisoners' will vanish into Afghan jails. After the closure of the U.S. detention center in Bagram there are concerns for some of the prisoners in the hands of Afghan intelligence and detention authorities. Read more in "Fears build as CIA's 'ghost prisoners' vanish into Afghan jails", The Guardian, December 20, 2014.

The deteriorating security situation in Pakistan is turning into a national security threat to that country and poses difficulties for other countries in the region. The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) provides us with their take on the situation in "Pakistan headed for a dangerous denouement - analysis", IDSA, December 22, 2014.

Catherine Powell of the Council of Foreign Relations asks us "What does security in Post-2014 Afghanistan really mean?" - in the context of what it means for women in Afghanistan. She "redefines" security for us - providing us with a broader interpretation. (Defense One, December 22, 2014).

Bowe Bergdahl is either going to jail or will get paid lots of money in back pay upon his departure from the Army. The investigation into his "disappearence" and subsequent capture by the Taliban was completed. The investigation was reviewed. And now it is going to be sent to General Mark Milley to decide what is next. Some people say that Bergdahl has suffered enough. However, others point out he hurt the war effort in that area of Afghanistan for a significant amount of time. Even more, some of the former Soldiers who served with him state that six Soldier died during operations intended to find and recover Bergdahl. Members of Congress point out that five very important Taliban detainees were traded for Bergdahl. (The Washington Times, Dec 22, 2014).

Share Your Afghan Knowledge

The Afghan War News Blog and the Afghan War News website are constantly striving to keep its blog, daily newsletter, and website factual, current, and relevant. If you have a link to a website or document you feel should be shared with the greater community then please send it to us. In addition, we are looking for individuals with some knowledge, experience, and expertise in Afghanistan on a wide range of topics to contribute blog posts and articles to our blog and add content to our website. And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links please let us know.

staff@afghanwarnews.info

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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. Go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Paper - Pakistan's Posture toward Afghanistan

Khalid Homayun Nadira has wrote an academic paper about the Pakistan posture towards Afghanistan. Pakistan has followed competing courses of action in regard to Afghanistan. In some respects it is working with the United States to transport equipment and material along its LOCs, allowing aircraft to overfly its territory, and allowing drone attacks (in some cases). However, its intelligence agency and parts of its military work with the Taliban opposed to the Afghan government; providing sanctuary, information, money, and equipment. Nadira's paper attempts to explain the multifaceted approach of Pakistan. Read "Old Habits, New Consequences: Pakistan's Posture Toward Afghanistan since 2001", International Security, Fall 2014, Vol 39, No. 2, Pages 132-168, posted online November 21, 2014, MIT Press Journal. Read abstract below:

"Since September 11, 2001, Pakistan has pursued seemingly incongruous courses of action in Afghanistan. It has participated in the U.S. and international intervention in Afghanistan at the same time as it has permitted much of the Afghan Taliban's political leadership and many of its military commanders to visit or reside in Pakistani urban centers."

Chak Valley, Wardak: Contested Area

Chak Valley in Wardak province is a highly contested area. 6th Battalion, 4th ANA Brigade is charged with securing the valley and the district - but it is a tough fight. Over the past several years the best the battalion has done is securing the district center, several small outposts in the immediate vicinity of the district center, and from time to time the road that leads east to Highway One. In 2014 the ANA stepped up the fight but progress has been costly - and could be fleeting. Chak Valley, located to the west of Highway One, is a refuge and support zone for the Taliban who seem able to interdict the highway running from Kabul to Kandahar at will with ambushes and IEDs. This year the fighting season has lasted longer than usual with indications that Taliban forces - who usually return to Pakistan or to their families in Afghanistan - will fight throughout much of the winter. Read "In a strategic valley, a glimpse of Afghan troops' future after most U.S. forces leave", The Washington Post, Dec 21, 2014.

Taliban Camp in Faryab Province

The Taliban have released a video showing their members training in a camp in the northern province of Faryab. Faryab is located in the Train, Advise, and Assist Command - North (TAAC-N) area of operations. The video, released on December 18, 2014, is one hour long. In the video Taliban fighters are shown undergoing weapons training to include firing weapons from a vehicle. Read more in "Taliban publicize training camp in northern Afghanistan", The Long War Journal, December 21, 2014.

Fort Bragg and Afghanistan

A correspondent from the Fort Bragg area writes up on the connection between Fort Bragg units and Afghanistan. Drew Brooks provides us with a glimpse of the strong ties that Fort Bragg has with Afghanistan. Many of Fort Bragg's units have seen multiple deployments to Afghanistan; to include:

Special Forces
82nd Airborne Division
18th Airborne Corps
1st Theater Sustainment Command

Read more in "Afghanistan was Fort Bragg's war", The Fayetteville Observer, December 20, 2014.

Afghan Cabinet Picked?

It appears that some cabinet positions may be nominated; although the list has not been finalized. Some key positions may be filled by:

Defense Minister - Sher Mohammad Karimi
Interior Minister - Fazi Ahmad Manawi
Foreign Affairs Minister - Salahuddin Rabbani

Afghanistan Times, Dec 20, 2014.
www.afghanistantimes.af/news_details.php?id=10187

Interview - UN Official Talks about Aid

A United Nations offical - Haoliang Xu, assistant secretary-general for Asia and the Pacific and director of the UN Development Program's regional bureau - is interviewed by Corinne Podger about Afghanistan, the recent London Conference, and whether aid should be "on-budget" or "off-budge". Read "A critical moment for Afghanistan's decade of transformation", DEVEX, December 11, 2014.

Fair: Explains Politics Behind Pak School Attack

Dr. Christine Fair, Assistant Professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University, explains the politics behind the December 16th, 2014 attack on the military-run children's school in Peshawar, Pakistan. 145 people were killed in the attack, including 132 children. The Pakistani civilian and military leaders vowed to attack the Taliban of all types but there is deep skepticism about that promise. The interview of Dr. Fair is by The Diplomat, is about 12 minutes long, and helps explain the difference between the "Good Taliban" and the "Bad Taliban". Posted on YouTube by The Diplomat.

http://youtu.be/-ah7oj5CmPo

Daily News Snippets (Dec 22, 2014)

Four Released Prisoners. An article posted by Eurasia Review (Dec 20, 2014) by Andy Worthington states that the four recent prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay U.S. military detention facilty are insignificant and probably should have been released years ago. The four have been repatriated to Afghanistan. The four detainees were flown to Kabul in a U.S. military plane and released to Afghan authorities.  More details are provided in an article by Radio Free Europe (Dec 22, 2014) and in an article by The Telegraph (Dec 21, 2014). You can also read the news release by the DoD in "Detainee Transfer Announced" (Dec 20, 2014).

Drones. For over a decade American defense contractors have dominated the business of building UAVs or drones. However, the Americans are seeing some competition from across the Atlantic. The U.K. is stepping in the fray (The Motley Fool, Dec 20, 2014).

The Polish President, Bronislaw Komorowski, has approved the deployment of up to 150 military personnel to Afghanistan in 2015. (Radio Poland, Dec 19, 2014).

Afghan Cabinet. The picking of the Afghan cabinet has been a slow and laborious process. There are a lot of interest groups on all the issues that need consulting. President Ghani is eager to build a meritocratic government and move away from the corruption that characterized former President Karzai's government. Read more in "Afghan Leader's Two-Man Government Raises Concerns", ABC News, December 20, 2014.

Romania. The country of Romania will be sending an extra 450 troops to Afghanistan. Romania will provide advisors in addition to troops who will provide force protection to the Kandahar airport and military base in southern Afghanistan. (Radio Free Europe, Dec 21, 2014).

7 Afghan Local Police Killed. Seven members of the ALP were killed by the Taliban at a police outpost in Qush Tepa district of Jowzjan province. There were seven more ALP wounded in the evening raid. (Los Angeles Times, Dec 21, 2014).

Practice Your Writing Skills

The Afghan War News Blog and the Afghan War News website are constantly striving to keep its blog, daily newsletter, and website factual, current, and relevant. If you have a link to a website or document you feel should be shared with the greater community then please send it to us. In addition, we are looking for individuals with some knowledge, experience, and expertise in Afghanistan on a wide range of topics to contribute blog posts and articles to our blog and add content to our website. And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links please let us know.

staff@afghanwarnews.info

5:00 AM News on Afghanistan

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. Go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Commentator on "Right Thing to Do"

Captain Robert Newson, a Naval Special Warfare (SEAL) officer has penned an article about "doing the right thing" for our Afghan allies. Specifically, the Afghan interpreters who risked their lives assisting the U.S. military during combat operations. He calls for the U.S. Congress to pass comprehensive visa legislation to increase the number of authorized visas for Afghan interpreters, expanding the application window, and to fully fund its execution to include rapid processing and resettlement. He also proposes new legislation to enhance the "Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI). MAVNI is a program that would benefit the former interpreters (gives them a job) and provides the U.S. military with talented personnel useful in counterinsurgency environments (insurgencies are NOT going away). Read more in "In the Last Days of Afghanistan, To Many Shadows of Vietnam", Defense in Depth Blog, Council on Foreign Relations, December 17, 2014.

Pakistan's Ties to Militant Groups

While Pakistan is suffering from attacks from Taliban militants it is - at the same time - supporting Taliban militants attacking Afghanistan. The Pakistanis are outraged when over 100 people are killed in a Pakistani schoolhouse (rightly so). Yet Pakistan is strangely silent when a suicide bomber belonging to a Taliban group supported by Pakistan kills over 80 people (some children) at a volleyball match in Afghanistan. Read more in "Pakistan's ties to militant groups complicates its terrorism fight", Los Angeles Times, December 19, 2014.

Women on Front Lines - "A Politically-Correct Mistake"

Some British military figures have condemned the move to allow women to fight on the front line as a "politically-correct mistake". Some question whether women have the 'killer instinct' and others point out that 99% of women lack the upper body strength to pass the physical fitness tests that males must successfully pass. Read more in a news article in The Independent (Dec 19, 2014).

ISAF Legal Update on BSA and NATO SOFA

The ISAF legal office has published an online update and Fact Sheet on the Bilateral Security Agreement and NATO SOFA as it applies to contractors.

"Office of Legal Advisor gives update on BAS, NATO SOFA implementation", ISAF News, December 19, 2014.
www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-news/office-of-legal-advisor-gives-update-on-bsa-nato-sofa-implementation.html

ISAF / USFOR-A BAS/SOFA FAQs (Dec 14, 2014).
www.isaf.nato.int/images/media/PDFs/141214bsasofafaq.pdf

McCain: A-10 to Stay Awhile

Senator McCain, the incoming Armed Services Committee chairman, says that the A-10 will be around for a little while longer. Certainly this is good news for the Army; which, although it wants to leave counterinsurgency fights behind it, will certainly find itself engaged in COIN efforts like Afghanistan in the future. The A-10, besides being an extremely effective tank killer, provides great close air support. This, of course, is bad news for the Air Force leadership. The Air Force likes their very expensive shiny new toy (F-35) and wants to free up funds buy a lot more of them. Read more in "McCain vows A-10 fleet has a long life ahead", The Hill, December 19, 2014.

Review of London Conference

William Bryd, a development economist and senior expert on Afghanistan at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has wrote an article (Dec 19, 2014) about the London Conference recently held in the United Kingdom. This conference was an important event for the future of Afghanistan. While the results of the conference were diminished because the Afghan government had not yet been formed; many positive gains were made and negative events averted. Read more in "Afghanistan: Struggling for Momentum in London".

Good News on Afghanistan

It is easy to be pessimistic about Afghanistan. We have spent tons of money and many of our military members have lost their lives or suffered life-long injuries. And for all of that we still have an enduring insurgency, outrageous corruption, a thriving drug trade, and Afghan security forces that don't understand counterinsurgency. However,  . . . a lot of good has come out of our very long stay in Afghanistan. Read more in "The good news in Afghanistan's Marshall Plan", by Mike Corones in Reuters, December 19, 2014.