Khowst and CIA - 5 Years Later

"Five years ago, on a cold, gloomy December afternoon in the mountainous region of Khowst Province in southeastern Afghanistan, an al-Qa'ida terrorist detonated a bomb strapped to his chest and killed seven CIA officers and injured six others; one of the deadliest attacks ever conducted against Agency personnel. The suicide bomber had been recruited as a CIA informant and taken to Afghanistan to infiltrate the upper ranks of al-Qa'ida. For months, he provided the Agency with independently verifiable intelligence on the terrorist network, and he promised to lead the CIA to the group's most senior members. Instead, the asset was an al-Qa'ida double agent"

Read the rest of this story published by the CIA in "Khowst - 5 Years Later", CIA News & Information, December 2014.

CIVCAS Afghan Wedding

News reports indicate that six members of the Afghan National Army (ANA) have been arrested in the wake of the civilian casualties from the recent attack on a wedding. The bride was wounded and is reported to have died of wounds in the hospital. The rocket exploded at a wedding in Sangin district,  Helmand province on Wednesday, December 31, 2014. Many of the 17 victims were women and children. The incident took place while there was a government and insurgent fight in the area. Afghan officials have said that the ANA was responsible for the incident. Read more in a news story (Radio Free Europe, Jan 1, 2015).

Gen Raziq: Hero or Liability?

General Raziq, the Provincial Chief of Police (PCoP) of Kandahar province is also the "King of Kandahar". He is one of the most popular yet despised men in Afghanistan. Some say he rules Kandahar with an iron fist. He enjoys great support from the Americans (especially SOF). As much as he is good for the security of the province he also detracts from the pursuit of just governance. He is associated with the drug trade and controls the borders - extracting much of the customs revenue for his own purposes. It remains to be seen how President Ghani handles this warlord. Does he keep Kandahar secure by keeping Raziq on or does he push for a just and ethical provincial government risking the gains in security made thus far? Read more in "General Raziq Hero or President Ghani's liability", Khaama Press, January 1, 2015.

ISIS in Afghanistan? Not So Much

A recent news article explores how much influence the Islamic State (IS) has in Afghanistan. The conclusion is - a small amount of activity that does not (at least for now) amount to much. Read more in "The Islamic State in Afghanistan: The boogeyman under the bed", Global Post, by Jean MacKenzie and Aziz Ahmad Tassal, December 31, 2014.

Complexities of Afghan Endgame

A news article explains the complexities of the Afghanistan mission and ultimate endgame. During his 2012 re-election campaign President Obama pledged to end the Afghan War in 2014. Well, he is withdrawing troops and cutting back sharply on U.S. involvement - but the war certainly has not ended. 11,000 U.S. troops still remain in Afghanistan at the start of 2015. Many are engaged in advising and assisting the Afghan National Security Forces and the Afghan Security Institutions but some are still advising on the ground with Afghan units (SOJTF-A) and others are conducting limited counter-terrorism operations. Read more in "Impossible to gloss over the complexities of the Afghanistan endgame", AJC.com, January 1, 2015.

Mission Ends? Sacrifices Not Over

While the U.S. militarys' combat mission in Afghanistan has ended the sacrifices continue. Thousands of U.S. military personnel will continue to serve in Afghanistan, and despite the "non-combat" role, some of them will remain in the path of danger. Still more thousands are going to spend the next several years - and perhaps all of their life - recovering from broken families, divorces, mental health issues, and serious wounds and injuries. Read more in "Mission Ends in Afghanistan, but Sacrifices Are Not Over for U.S. Soldiers", The New York Times, by Dave Philipps, December 31, 2014.

Fight in Dangam District Ongoing

The weeks long fight in Dangam district, Kunar province is continuing. Dangam district is a forested valley located adjacent to the Pakistan border; easily crossed by the Taliban. A few weeks back in December 2014 some of the local villages staged an uprising against the Taliban. There have been a number of local uprisings against the Taliban across the country; but not coordinated, not enough, and most are - in the long-term - unsuccessful due to lack of Coalition and Afghan government support. In Dangam district the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) jumped into the fray. The Taliban are not yielding territory just yet but are taking some hits. Coalition aircraft have assisted in limited airstrikes to support the 201st ANA Corps. Read more in "Afghan mountain hamlet a proving ground for the army", The Washington Times, December 31, 2014.

ANA Officers Graduate

The Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC) graduated 1,200 new Afghan National Army (ANA) officers on Tuesday at a ceremony attended by top Defense Ministry officials. Read more in "1,200 ANA Officers Graduate, Prepare for Deployment", Tolo News, December 30, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Jan 3, 2015)

A news report by Tom Bowman summarizes the change in mission for the United States and the international community in Afghanistan. Tom says while the 'combat mission' is at a close with the end of Operation Enduring Freedom there will actually still be some fight left in the U.S. military. For one, the U.S. will continue to provide (admittedly on a very limited basis) some air support to avoid a catastrophic failure of the Afghan National Army . In addition, SOJTF-A will still have some combat advisors deployed with the nine Afghan Army Commando Kandaks and other specialized elite units. And, of course, there is the counter-terrorism mission against senior Taliban and al-Qaeda. However, the main mission focuses on the train and advise mission. Read more in "After Years of Conflict, U.S. Mission Shifts in Afghanistan", NPR Parallels, December 31, 2014.

The 608th Construction Management Team (CMT) has departed Afghanistan. Their primary mission was the conduct of retrograde operations all over Afghanistan. They assisted with the closing and transfer of Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and managed descoping projects. Read more in "608th Construction Management Team retrograde Afghanistan", DVIDS, December 31, 2014.

The Russians, who had their own long war in Afghanistan, are being slightly critical of the United States role in Afghanistan. Read more in "Kremlin Says NATO 'Bears Responsibility' For Afghanistan Security", Radio Free Europe, December 31, 2014.

Haroun Mir, an Afghan analyst in Kabul and founder of Afghanistan's Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS) provides us with his viewpoint on Afghanistan's future. Read "Is Afghanistan ready for the drawdown?", Yahoo! News UK, January 1, 2015.

Afghan Cabinet. There is still no Afghanistan government cabinet selected. Afghans are getting frustrated and the government is hampered in its efforts to improve the economy and security situation. Read more in "Still No Cabinet in Kabul: Who Loses Most?", United States Institute of Peace, December 31, 2014.

Four Azizi Bank employees were among 4 killed in a Helmand province explosion on Friday, January 2, 2015. The banks branch manager was among those killed.

The U.S. Army is coming out with new Physical Fitness gear. The new outfit is all black with yellow lettering that says "ARMY". Very original. Also great wear for running down Gruber Avenue on Fort Bragg 6:00 am on a winter morning when it is still dark out.  The new Army Physical Fitness Uniform or APFU drops reflective materials - which addresses stealth issues while working out in a war zone (I am serious!). Read more in "Costs for high-performance Army PT gear", Army Times, January 1, 2015.

The "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" - more commonly known as the Taliban - have released a video that showcases its operations and a training camp in the remote northeastern province of Kunar. Read more in "Taliban highlights training camp, operations in Kunar in video", The Long War Journal, January 2, 2015.

Do you want to know how the Department of Defense wasted the U.S. taxpayers dollars? Well, first off, there is the J-35. And there is more. Read "Here's How the Military Wasted Your Money in 2014", War is Boring, December 31, 2014.

A short (3 mins) video about the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) can be viewed here. (Facebook).

A political observer of Afghanistan, Tamim Asey, provides an insight into the future of Afghanistan and says that the country has three options to pick from to ensure a secure and economically prosperous future. Read "End of Longest American War and Uncertain Future of Afghanistan - OpEd", Eurasia Review, January 2, 2015.

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

Afghan War News and Coffee at 5:00 am

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.

Police Advisors Pledge Support to MoI / ANP

An agreement was recently signed that coordinated the advisory efforts of several different international organizations that are training, advising, and assisting (TAA) the Afghan National Police (ANP) and the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Representatives from the European Union Police (EUPOL) Mission Afghanistan, the German Police Project Team (GPPT), and ISAF/RS signed a "Memorandum of Cooperation" on Monday, December 29th, 2014. The memorandum improves coordination and cooperation and transitions the TAA effort from a tactical focus to a more strategic level at the Ministry of Interior. The head of the International Police Coordination Board (IPCB) was also in attendance. It would seem that the 'memorandum' addresses what some might call an uncoordinated and disjointed police training effort in the past. So, the good news - the effort is now jointly coordinated. Hopefully it being coordinated by someone with some police experience and not an infantry or armor officer who read a book on police advising and who is on his first Afghan tour. And, the bad news - the memorandum seems to move the advising and training effort off the tactical level and up to the strategic level. So we are adopting a 'top down' approach to police training and advising - when the need is at all levels. Read more on this topic in "International police reps pledge support to Afghan National Police, Ministry of Interior", ISAF News, December 29, 2014.

To Apostrophe or Not - Freedom ( ' ) s Sentinel

There was some initial confusion on the way to refer to the new military campaign in Afghanistan. With the end of the ISAF mission - and President Obama saying that our war in Afghanistan had come to a 'responsible' end - we needed a name to replace "Operation Enduring Freedom". Just like we needed a new name in Iraq once we had won the war there - "Operation Iraqi Freedom" became "Operation New Dawn"; which, by the way - because the war wasn't really over in Iraq either, is now called "Operation Inherent Resolve".

So, back to the apostrophe . . . seems the Department of Defense has an apostrophe . . . and ISAF didn't. I was perplexed and didn't know how to type the phrase. So I went both ways; which in today's Army is now perfectly acceptable . . . I have been told - no first hand experience. But now, the word is out. Use the apostrophe. That makes it a real pain in the neck but I will struggle with it. It is now "Operation Freedom's Sentinel". And, just to clear away any confusion - "Operation Resolute Support" is the NATO term and "Operation Freedom's Sentinel" is the U.S. term.

Read more in "Amid Confusion, DoD Names New Mission 'Operation Freedom's Sentinel", Military.com,  December 29, 2014.

President Obama and "End of Combat Mission"

President Obama marked the end of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan and the start of the Resolute Support Mission (RSM). Read "Statement by the President on the End of the Combat Mission in Afghanistan", The White House Briefing Room, December 28, 2014.

Poor Leadership = Poor Morale

An extensive article looks closely at the reasons for the poor state of morale in the military services. The author acknowledges that some benefits are being chipped away, the increases in pay are less than they should be (got to pay for that F-35 somehow), and deployments have been outrageous over the past decade. However, according to the author, ". . . the key factor is senior leadership that has not kept faith with its troops." There is a feeling that the admirals and generals are throwing the military under the bus to appease those in the administration and Congress. Read more in "The Real Reason For the Poor State of Military Morale", Task & Purpose, December 29, 2014.

Review of Books on War

Michiko Kakutani has penned an extensive article that reviews a host of books that have been published about the Iraq and Afghan Wars. Read "Human Costs of the Forever Wars, Enough to Fill a Bookshelf", The New York Times, December 25, 2014.

Troops in Afghanistan Beyond 2016?

Michael E. O'Hanlon predicts that President Obama will rethink his plan to have all operational U.S. combat forces out of Afghanistan by the end of 2016. Obama will recognize (hopefully) that although great progress has been made in Afghanistan - more needs to be done. The gains made thus far - at great cost - are fragile. Obama, irregardless of campaign promises, will not want to have his legacy ruined by loosing both Iraq and Afghanistan. Read more in "Prediction: Obama Will Decide to Keep U.S. Troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016", Brookings, December 22, 2014.

Afghan - Pak Deal on Taliban

It is common knowledge that Pakistan harbors, supports, and aids the insurgent groups that attack U.S., ISAF, and Afghan security forces in Afghanistan. Some speculate, and Pakistan accuses, that Afghanistan returns the favor. In effect, Pakistan's military and intelligence service supports the Afghan Taliban (so-called "good Taliban") while (supposedly) Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) provides support (or at least turns a blind eye) to the Pakistan Taliban (so-called "bad Taliban"). The terms "good" and "bad" are from the Pakistani perspective. There is hope that with a new Afghan President and new leader in Pakistan (and the end of the ISAF mission) that this situation will improve. Read more in "An opening in Afghanistan: Kabul's deal with Pakistan", New York Post, December 28, 2014.

Article - "Tragedy of American Military"

According to a recently published article ". . . the American public and its political leadership will do anything for the military except take it seriously. The result is a chickenhawk nation in which careless spending and strategic folly combine to lure America into endless wars it can't win." The writer, James Fallows, states that the American public knows little about the members of the military. According to Fallow - ". . . about 2.5 million Americans, roughly three-quarters of 1 percent, served in Iraq or Afghanistan at any point in the post-9/11 years, many of them more than once". The other 99 per cent might know someone who served in the military. In his article he examines what he calls the "chickenhawk war, chickenhawk politics, and chickenhawk economy". He discusses the role of Congress and the newly elected members who are veterans of the Iraq and Afghan Wars. While the author has some valid points there are some detractors out there criticizing his work. A long read but worth it if you have the time. Read "The Tragedy of the American Military", by James Fallows, The Atlantic, January 2015.

Restoring Historic Afghan Landmarks

Afghanistan has a rich history and this is reflected in some of the historic landmarks left behind by older civilizations. Unfortunately, many of these historic sites have been destroyed by the Taliban, are decaying, or are suffering from neglect. There are some organizations and individuals striving to reverse this trend. Read more in "Meet the Afghan Workers Restoring Historic Landmarks Destroyed by the Taliban", Vice News, December 28, 2014.