Daily News Snippets (Dec 28, 2014)

President Obama recently told U.S. troops in Hawaii that "we are safer" and that Afghanistan "is not going to be a source of terrorist attacks again". Hmmm. Very optimistic words; let's hope he is right. However, one political observer has his doubts (Fox News, Dec 26, 2014).

Afghanistan is in a shambles according to one commentator; citing problems with a resurgent Taliban, major political setbacks in 2014, fraudulent elections, poor economy, and the continued presence of U.S. forces. The author suggests that "It is high time for the US to accept its defeat in Afghanistan and completely withdraw its troops as its flawed strategy has done irreparable damage to Afghanistan as well as the rest of the region." The writer feels that the only avenue for success is intra-Afghan peace dialogue so that the Taliban and all other factions can resolve their differences. The writer doesn't mention what Plan B is if the Taliban don't want to negotiate. Read more in "Afghanistan in Shambles - OpEd", Eurasia Review, December 26, 2014.

According to Reuters two U.S. drone strikes have killed seven militants in northwest Pakistan. 

Newsletter Every Day

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.

Ghani Lights Fire Under UNDP

President Ghani has come strongly against the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). He is demanding that the agency turn over control of nearly $500 million in a fund that bankrolls the salaries of the Afghan police officers. The Law and Order Trust Fund of Afghanistan (LOTFA) is funded by western nations and the UNDP has done a poor job of administering it. It has come under the scrutiny of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) for a lack of oversight on the funds (see SIGAR letter). Of course, nobody really has a high degree of confidence that the Afghans can administer the fund any better than the United Nations. Read more in "Afghan Leader Tells U.N. Agency to Relinquish Control of Funds, Officials Say", The New York Times,  December 24, 2014.

Gen Milley, Bergdahl & Prosecution

The case of the Army deserter (Bergdahl) will soon be hitting the headlines. Bergdahl left his post in 2009 and was subsequently captured by the Taliban. His disappearance caused a major disruption of U.S. combat operations against the Taliban for a long period of time. The cost of his disappearance was immense in terms of time, money, energy, resources, and personnel. Combat units were pulled from their ongoing missions to search for Bergdahl in an attempt to rescue him. Scarce intelligence resources (SIGINT, drones, etc.) were diverted from ongoing and future missions to try and locate him. According to some sources - at least six members of the military died in combat conducting operations in search of Bergdahl.

The investigation of his disappearance and capture was conducted this past fall. A review of the investigation was conducted in November. The case has been referred to General Milley, the head of U.S. Forces Command located at Fort Bragg, NC; and he should be addressing it over the next few months. There are a surprising number of desertions that occur in the U.S. military. Since 2001 there have been over 1,900 cases of desertion prosecuted. Many of these cases are handled without going to court martial - Soldiers are administratively punished or medically discharged.

General Milley has wide discretion on how to handle this case. Milley, a former Special Forces detachment commander (in the early days of his military career), was recently the commander (as a three-star general) of the ISAF Joint Command (IJC) in 2013. Bergdahl is subject to court martial or lesser administrative action. He could be the recipient of actions that include counseling, reprimand, forfeiture of pay, reduction in rank, and / or separation from the Army. At stake for Bergdahl is avoiding imprisonment, losing almost $300,000 in pay, reduction in rank, and health care benefits. Read more in "Army deserters rarely face prosecution", PBS Newshour, December 24, 2014.

Afghan Elections - Unanswered Questions

The international community can look back at 2014 and say that the Afghans had a democratic transition from one Afghan leader to another through elections. However, below the surface are a number of questions that nag one's outlook. While the election(s) was held successfully and the international community rejoiced that the era of international troops engaging in combat operations in Afghanistan is over - there is much to worry about. Despite the election of President Ghani who claims he will reduce corruption - the warlords and power brokers still control many of the positions within the government and security forces. The economy is in a shambles. The Taliban are stronger than ever (announcements of ISAF otherwise should be disregarded). Read more in "Afghanistan elections leave unanswered questions for future", Stars and Stripes, December 23, 2014.

Afghanistan Still Dependent on West

The western world has sunk massive amounts of aid money into Afghanistan. Some of this aid money has been used to a good purpose with measurable results. However, much of the aid money was siphoned off by corrupt Afghan politicians, squandered on expensive projects poorly done or still incomplete, or paid to contractors and implementing partners to provide security for aid projects in contested areas. Read more in "After 10 Years of Western Aid, Afghanistan Is A Dependent Mess", Business Insider, December 24, 2014.

Afghanistan & Strategic Autonomy

A news article provides us with a look at how Afghanistan can become more independent, secure, and stable in a  post-2014 environment. Read "Afghanistan's quest for strategic autonomy", LiveMint.com, December 24, 2014.

Analysis - TTP and Pakistan

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), accused of the terrible attack on the children's school in Pakistan, is the subject of much discussion in recent days. One assessment by John Wilson attempts to explain why the TTP is attacking the Pakistani state and its army. Wilson provides an assessment of the nature and character of the TTP. Read his report in "Why does TTP target Pakistani State? - Analysis", Eurasia Review, December 25, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 27, 2014)

Afghans associated with the regime of Communist President Hafizullah Amin look back 35 years and comment on how the Soviet invasion changed Afghanistan's fate. (World Bulletin, Dec 26, 2014).

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has hired WorleyParsons to assist the Afghan mining and oil ministry.

A recent study found that a surprisingly high number of U. S. Army Lieutenants are victimized as a result of abusive relationships with their respective platoon sergeants. The study, drawing on information from a poll of Army Lieutenants, found instances of NCO behavior that could be chargeable as "abuse" under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Read more in "Study: 99% of Lieutenants in Abusive Relationship with Platoon Sergeants", Duffel Blog,  December 26, 2014.

According to an Afghan news service (Khaama Press) at least five civilians are feared dead following an airstrike by NATO-led coalition security forces in central Logar province. The airstrike took place in Baraki Barak district on Thursday night. 

The establishment of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has encouraged thousands of residents of Central Asian states to join ISIS. This fear, plus the withdrawal of Coalition combat troops from Afghanistan, has set the Central Asian states on edge - fearing the return of jidadists from Iraq and Syria who would be supported by insurgent groups with sanctuary in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Read more in "Counter-terrorism in Central Asia requires international cooperation", The Washington Post, December 26, 2014.

Newsletter - 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. 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.

Big Battle in Dangam District, Nangarhar Province

D-30 fires in support of ANA in
Dangam district  Nangarhar province.
(Photo by SGT Gul 201st ANA PA).

The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and the Taliban are in a big fight in eastern Nangarhar province. The battle has raged for more than a week in difficult mountainous and forested terrain. An ANSF spokesman says over 151 Taliban fighters have been killed by government forces with an additional 100 Taliban wounded. The fighting, taking place in Dangam district, is between the ANSF and members of the Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-ek-Taiba. There are differing reports coming in on this battle. Some reports say that the U.S. are aiding with air strikes and drone attacks while others say that the ANSF are in desperate need of air support. It appears that there may have been a local uprising against the Taliban by some villagers of the district. Read more in "Afghan police chief claims 151 Taliban fighters killed in 12-day battle", The Guardian,  December 23, 2014. In addition, it appears that Afghan security forces have temporarily halted the operations in Dangam district to allow besieged residents evacuate the area. (See article in Tolo News, Dec 24, 2014).

Review of Movies about Afghanistan

Christian Bleuer has wrote up an extensive review about movies produced about Afghanistan or set in Afghanistan. A very interesting and entertaining read. Read the article here on Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) December 23, 2014.

Afghan Mission Unsustainable?

Outside observers (meaning not members of ISAF) are looking hard at the sustainability of the Afghan security forces as well as the immense bureaucracy designed by the western nations for Afghanistan. And many are coming to the conclusion that the created bureaucracy and numerous aid projects are unsustainable. Read more in "Insight: a decade of Western aid in Afghanistan - mission unsustainable?", Yahoo! News,  December 23, 2014.

Afghan War Photos

A photographer embedded with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment in Afghanistan provides us with a glimpse of the war. View his 55 photos in "Embedded in Afghanistan", Baltimore Sun, December 23, 2014.

Pakistan Making Progress Against Militants

Julia Thompson, writing for Foreign Policy Magazine, says that the Taliban attack on the military children's school in Peshawar, Pakistan ". . . obscures the fact that Pakistan's military has been making progress against the country's militants." Read more in "A Small Measure of Progress" (December 22, 2014).

Female Guard Soldier Heading to Ranger School

The Army is pushing ahead with plans to integrate women into Ranger School. One of the first women to go will be from the Utah Army National Guard. The woman is 37-years old. What I remember about Ranger School is it is a young man's game. I went through at age 32 and I was the 4th oldest in the class to graduate. Sure . . . establishing programs like Project Diane and Cultural Support Teams (CSTs) for special operations is a good thing (it worked for the OSS and it can work for Special Forces); but there are ways to train and integrate women into these units without watering down the training standards of existing Army courses. The standards for graduation are going to drop drastically in order to give women the ability to pass Ranger School. There is an old saying that goes like this - "I went through when Ranger School was hard". I am thinking there are a lot of tabbed folks out there getting ready to start saying that. Read more in "Guard soldier among 1st group of women to head to Ranger School", Stars and Stripes, December 24, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 26, 2014)

7 ID. The U.S. Army says that the 7th Infantry Division is reorganizing to be deployable. The division was reactivated in 2012 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The move is a result of new demands placed on the Army and new developments in Iraq and Africa. (Army Times,  Dec 23, 2014).

2015 Military Pay Rates. The DoD announced the 2015 military pay and compensation rates for service members. The new rates take effect on January 1, 2015. Basic pay for service members will increase one percent. Learn more here (DoD News Release, Dec 22, 2014).

Bergdahl Investigation. The DoD released a statement on the current status of the Bergdahl investigation. The investigation has been forwarded to a General Courts Martial Convening Authority - General Mark Milley - the commanding general of Forces Command. (DoD News Release, Dec 22, 2014).

Pakistan. Political and military leaders of Pakistan are meeting to finalize a new national plan on counterterrorism. The heads of the military and intelligence services were summoned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the meeting. (Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, Dec 24, 2014).

President Ghani has dismissed Fazlullah Wahidi as the governor for the western Herat province. There has been an increase in violence in Herat province. Read an article on this topic in Khaama Press, Dec 24, 2014.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has penned an Op-Ed entitled "A new chapter in Afghan-NATO ties", NATO News, December 24, 2014. The article lays out the framework for the upcoming Resolute Support mission.

President Ghani will face a tough road ahead in negotiations with the Taliban. Read more in an article by Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe (December 23, 2014). 

USAID has posted an article entitled "Sowing Seeds of Empowerment: Small Loans to Afghan Women Growers", Frontlines, Dec 2014. Learn more about the Ghoryan Women's Saffron Association.

Newsletter to Your Inbox

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.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas - Afghanistan 2002

Christmas Eve 2002 Camp Vance, Bagram Air Field