Foreign Detainees in Afghanistan

Although the United States tried it failed to get rid of all the foreign detainees held at the Bagram detention center before it was turned over to the Afghans. As a result the Afghans inherited six foreigners that the U.S. could not find country willing to take the prisoners. Read more in "The Other Guantanamo: What Should Afghanistan do with America's foreign detainees?", by Kate Clark of Afghanistan Analyst Network, March 2, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets (March 2, 2015)

India plans on assisting Afghanistan in the development of Afghanistan's marble industry. The Centre for Development of Stones (CDOS), an Indian institution for development of stone industry in India will help local Afghan businesses in skill and capacity development in the stone cutting and polishing sector. Read more in "India to develop Afghan's marble industry", Business Standard, February 19, 2015.

The ANSF are conducting a big push in the Sangin district of Helmand province. According to press reports Sangin district is now "secure". Read more in "Afghan Troops Push Taliban from Key Southern District", ABC News, February 27, 2015.

The international organization Human Rights Watch wants the Afghan government to include women as part of the negotiation team that talks to the Taliban. Women advocates are fearful that negotiators will give away women's rights in the process of reaching an agreement with the Taliban during peace talks. Read more in "Afghanistan: Don't Leave Women Out of Peace Talks", Human Rights Watch, March 1, 2015.

Pakistan is requiring all cellphone users to register their fingerprints. Read more in "Will Pakistan's Cellphone Biometric Push Pay Counter-Terrorism Dividends?", The Diplomat, February 25, 2015.

The U.S. Department of Defense has recently published (Feb 26, 2015) an updated instruction on "Common Military Training (CMT)". View doc here.

The daughter of President Ghani is an accomplished artist living in Brooklyn, New York. Read more about her in "Mariam Ghani, a Brooklyn Artist Whose Father Leads Afghanistan", The New York Times, February 20, 2015.

The U.S. Department of Defense has recently published (Feb 25, 2015) an updated version of DoD Instruction 3305.15, DoD Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Training. View doc here.

A women, Sakena Yacoobi, writes on her efforts to educate not only Afghan girls but Afghan boys as well. She started the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) to educate young girls. Then young boys started asking if she could teach them too. Read more here - "In Afghanistan, teaching men that education is not a threat", The Christian Science Monitor, February 19, 2015.

Uzbekistan, which shares its southern border with Afghanistan, has some concerns in the growth of violence and deteriorating security situation in northern Afghanistan. See "Uzbekistan Nervously Watches ISIS Advance in Afghanistan", Silk Road Reporters, February 20, 2015.

An Afghan interpreter has finally made it to the United States - due in part to the persistent efforts of a SGM to get the State Department to do its job. Read more in "It took eight years, but Afghan interpreter for 28th Division team makes it to America", PennLive.com, February 19, 2015.

Matthieu Aikins, writing for Rolling Stone, informs us that drug trafficking in Afghanistan is bigger than ever - especially in Helmand province. Read more in "Afghanistan: The Making of a Narco State", Rolling Stone Magazine, February 20, 2015.

Uyghur Militants in China (and Afghanistan). Afghanistan is hoping that China can contribute to the security and stability of Afghanistan and provide investment in its economic sector. There is also hope that China can assist in negotiations with both the Taliban and with Pakistan. Read more in "Seeking China's Help in Taliban Negotiations, Afghanistan Cracks Down on Uyghur Militants", by Shannon Tiezzi - The Diplomat, February 21, 2015.

Romania continues to support the Coalition and Afghanistan with its participating in the Resolute Support Mission. ROU SOAG-1 will soon depart for Afghanistan for a six-month long advising mission. Read more in "Romanian Special Operations Group leaves for Afghanistan within the 'Resolute Support" NATO mission", Romanian Journal, February 20, 2015. (Note: the accompanying photo shows a fellow with a Green Beret with a green flash as part of the ceremonial party.)

The 43rd Georgian Infantry Battalion and U.S. Marines have started their Mission Rehearsal exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. The MRE is the final portion of a four-month long training evolution prior to Georgian deployment to Afghanistan to take part in the Resolute Support mission. Read more in "Exercise", DVIDS, February 12, 2015.

Polio Drops. Despite security concerns thousands of health workers fanned out across Afghanistan's eastern provinces to administer life-saving polio drops to nearly one million children under the age of five as part of a United Nations-backed health campaign. Read more in an UNAMA news update (Feb 22, 2015).

The Fort Campbell Courier does a profile piece (Feb 28, 2015) on Major Adisa King, the Operations Officer for 3rd Brigade Combat Team, currently deployed to Tactical Base Gamberi in Laghman province. The Rakkasans are advising the 201st ANA Corps.

A number of local uprisings against the Taliban have occurred over the last several years. Not enough to really make a difference (due to lack of ISAF interest and lack of support from GIRoA). Read a quick news report on the topic in "Afghan government supports popular uprisings against Taliban", Central Asia Online, Feb 26, 2015.

The Islamic State (IS) is steadily expanding its influence in Afghanistan. Although ISIL has not yet committed any attacks in Afghanistan, its attempt to expand its sphere of influence to Central and South Asia is alarming. Read more in "Militants of various stripes assemble under ISIL flag in northern Afghanistan", Central Asia Online, February 26, 2015.

A photographer visited Bagram Air Base (BAF) and took some photos of wall art at the airbase. Read more - "Inside Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield", Time.com, February 27, 2015.

DVIDS has a news release about a manpower analyst who works at BAF for the 455th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron.

Afghanistan has made an unprecedented series of goodwill actions towards Pakistan. Now Pakistan has to respond. Read more in "Afghanistan: The Ball is in Pakistan's Court", by Aziz Amin Ahmadzai in The Diplomat, February 27, 2015.

Explore Your Creativity

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 News 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.

A Return to Blogging!

My temporary break in blogging is over. I have returned from my short-term military training contract overseas. It was a good break from the routine, a great experience, and an excellent opportunity to learn more about Afghanistan. So now I am back to scouring the Internet for news, reading e-mail tips from acquaintances, and further refining my writing skills. AWN

Bamian Buddha Destruction - Anniversary

Fourteen years ago, on March 1, 2001 the Taliban began the destruction of the two famous Buddha statues at Bamian. Mullah Muhammad Omar, leader of the Afghan Taleban movement, ordered the destruction of all statues and non-Islamic shrines in late February 2001. Thomas Ruttig and Kate Clark of the Afghanistan Analyst Network (AAN) look back into history and share the story on how it happened. Read "An attempt to wipe out history": The destruction of the Bamian Buddha colossi in 2001", AAN, March 1, 2015.

Updated Resolute Support Bibliography (March 2015)

Afghan War News has posted an update of the "Resolute Support Annotated Bibliography" (March 2015) on its website. The bibliography is an Adobe Acrobat PDF with over 200 pages filled with links to websites, documents, and publications about the Resolute Support Mission, Security Force Assistance, Advising, and Afghanistan. It will be extremely helpful to the advisor and staff working at the corps, zone, institutional, or ministerial level in Afghanistan. It is also a good reference for those conducting research or pre-deployment training for Afghanistan. You can view or download the publication at the link below.

www.afghanwarnews.info/pubs/RSM-Bibliography.htm

A Resurgent Taliban in Badakhshan Province

The province of Badakhshan is seeing an increase in criminal and insurgent activity. This remote area located in the northeast of Afghanistan is mountainous and rural. It also serves as a major through way for narcotics trafficking to the Central Asian states. The Taliban in the northeast are a bit different than the Taliban in the south; some of their outlooks are less conservative. For instance, girls are allowed to attend school, beheadings are not common, and some members of the Taliban are former mujahideen of Uzbek or Tajik descent. This suggests a fragmentation of the Taliban resistance with a patchwork of forces with conflicting ideals and motivations. Read more in "As the U.S. mission winds down, Afghan insurgency grows more complex", by Sudarsan Raghavan - The Washington Post, February 12, 2015.

Iran - Influence in Afghanistan Growing

With the withdrawal of ISAF forces from Afghanistan the regional powers in the area are expanding their influence in Afghanistan. Principal among these regional powers are Pakistan, India, China, and Iran. Iran has benefited immensely from the "Global War on Terror" or GWOT waged by the United States and its allies over the past decade and more. The Sunni regime in Iraq was toppled as well as the Sunni Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Iran has quietly inserted itself into the affairs of both countries. Iran's influence is sure to expand even further in Afghanistan over the coming years. Read more in "Elephant in the Jirga: Iran's interests in Afghanistan - Analysis", Eurasia Review, February 11, 2015.

RS HQs Provides Perspective on ANSF

Resolute Support Headquarters has issued a news release on February 28, 2015 entitled Afghan National Defense and Security Forces Operational Update. The news release provides ". . . some perspective on aggregate Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) capabilities and performance". It provides some facts and figures of troop and police strength, news on current ANSF operations, the increased levels of violence, high ANSF casualties, attrition problems, recruitment efforts, and steps taken to alleviate the current problems associated with casualties, attrition, and the current capability gaps of the ANSF.

NUG - CEO Decree Dec 14

A presidential decree issued in December 2014 has laid out the responsibilities and authorities of the new Chief Executive Officer position held by Abdullah Abdullah. According to Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) the document reiterates the agreement signed on September 21, 2014 between presidential contenders Ghani and Abdullah about the National Unity Government (NUG). Read a thorough examination of the issue and the December presidential decree at the AAN website in The President's CEO Decree: Managing rather than executive powers, AAN, February 13, 2015.

Presidential Decree CEO Dec 14

CSIS Paper - Transition in Afghanistan

Anthony H. Cordesman, of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), has authored a report on Afghanistan entitled Transition in Afghanistan: Losing the Forgotten War. The paper, published on February 6, 2015, stresses the need to reshape U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia. The report indicates that the military situation in Afghanistan is far worse than the US Department of Defense and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is reporting. The report also provides a detailed analysis of the problems in the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. It critiques the rapid cuts in the advisory presence and pull back from the Train Advise and Assist (TAA) mission at the tactical level. This 242 page report is comprehensive in its approach to the mistakes of the past, in the analysis of the current situation, and in its recommendations for the future.

Some of the topics covered on the ANSF include the slashing of the numbers of advisors and support regardless of conditions on the ground, the impact of a late and erratic effort to create an effective ANSF, meaningless metrics on ANSF capability, corruption in the MoD and MoI, uncertain progress of the ANA, focus on ANSF force generation rather than combat capability, the uncertain role of the Afghan Local Police, the need for transparency (on the part of ISAF), and the need for a conditions-based policy (not time-based).

http://csis.org/files/publication/150206_forgotten_war.pdf

777th Joint Air Brigade of the AAF

The Afghan Air Force's 777 Joint Air Brigade is now providing the air support needed during the conduct of night raids by the special operations units of the Afghan National Army (ANA), Afghan National Police (ANP), and the National Directorate of Security (NDS). Read more in "AAF Special Brigade '777' Leads Night Raids Successfully", Tolo News, January 13, 2015.

Report - SIGAR Assessment on Burn Pits

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has published a report entitled Final Assessment: What We Have Learned From Our Inspections of Incinerators and Use of Burn Pits in Afghanistan, SIGAR 15-33-AL, February 2015.

www.sigar.mil/pdf/alerts/SIGAR-15-33-AL.pdf

Defense Contracts - Afghanistan

Mission Essential Personnel, LLC of Columbus, Ohio was awarded a $10 million firm-fixed-price multi-year contract with options for intelligence support to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The work will be performed in Afghanistan with an estimated completion date of July 2016.

L-3 National Security Solutions, Inc. of Reston, Virginia was awarded at $7 million firm-fixed-price contract for intelligence support to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The contract has an estimated completion date of July 2016.

www.defense.gov/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=5473

FY 2015 Funding for NGO Programs (Refugees)

The U.S. Department of State has announced an opportunity for funding of NGO programs benefiting Afghan returnees and IDPs in Afghanistan and Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The announcement, made on February 10, 2015, includes specific instructions for NGOs on how to apply for the State Department funding.

Video - "88 Days to Kandahar"

The former CIA station chief in Islamabad, Robert Grenier, discusses the time just after 9/11 when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan. The video, hosted by Peter Bergen of New America, features Grenier - a long-time CIA operative. He discusses the few months when he found himself directing the "southern campaign", helping in the defeat of the Taliban, and assisting the rise to power of Hamid Karzai. Grenier also looks at the serious mistakes made by the United States in Afghanistan and offers some recommendations for the future. Grenier believes the U.S. should adopt a sustainable effort in Afghanistan. A phrase used in the video is "Go Long, Go Light". The video, entitled "88 Days to Kandahar", is 90 minutes long and posted on YouTube.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=resL0ZngkR0

ICRC Cites Increased Casualties in 2014

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) states that the increase in violence in Afghanistan in 2014 has resulted in rising humanitarian needs of the Afghan population. Last year (2014) there was a 37% increase in its transportation of wounded combatants from the battlefield to health centres and a doubling of its recovery of mortal remains of combatants. The civilian population faced increasing difficulties in reaching health care due to the rising level of violence in the country and the deteriorating security situation. Read more in "Afghanistan: Escalating violence brings increased suffering to war-weary Afghans", International Committee of the Red Cross, February 9, 2015.

Weather Forecasting in Afghanistan

Any military operation needs information about the weather in order to conduct operations. Afghanistan is no exception to this fact. Read more about U.S. Air Force weathermen who forecast the weather in Afghanistan in "Face of Defense: Airman Weathers Storms in Afghanistan", DoD News, February 10, 2015.

Daily News Snippets (March 1, 2015)

Afghan Security Forces delivered humanitarian aid to remote villages and police outposts cut off by heavy snow storms and deadly avalanches. Read more in a news report by Stars and Stripes on February 28, 2015.

The U.S. Army has announced new deployments for Afghanistan. The 7th Infantry Division HQs goes to TAAC-South, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division to TAAC-South and the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade heads to Bagram? Read more in a news report by Army Times, Feb 27, 2015.

The TAAC-Air commanding general - BG Michael Rothstein - recently visited Moody Air Force Base, Ga to check on the training for the A-29 Super Tucano training program. The Afghan Air Force will receive 20 of these aircraft at some point in the next year or so. Read more in a press release by Moody AFB, Feb 26, 2015.

President Ghani will visit the United States in late March. There are plans for Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah to visit the White House on March 24, 2015. Some observers believe Ghani will ask for the U.S. troop withdrawal time frame to slip to the right. Read a statement by The White House on the visit (Feb 27, 2015).

Five of Karzai's Mistakes Ghani Can Avoid, Foreign Policy, February 18, 2015. Karzai's administration made many mistakes, let's hope Afghanistan's new government can avoid these five.

1. Not having a clear domestic policy
2. Refusing to define a regional foreign policy
3. Unequal allocation of aid across provinces
4. Sidelining competent Afghans
5. Ignoring women

Afghan- Pak Optimism. Some observers believe that diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan are improving. President Ghani is re-setting the relationship and observers are hoping that Pakistan will stop supporting the Afghan Taliban. Time will tell. Read "New Signs of Optimism for Afghan-Pakistan Relations", Voice of America, February 27, 2015.

James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee says the Taliban is set to gain control of more territory in Afghanistan this year. The Taliban insurgency is getting increasingly aggressive. Read more in a news report (Bloomberg, Feb 26, 2015). You can read his statement for the record in "Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community".

The U.S. State Department is offering rewards for information on two associates of the extremist group Hezb- Islami Gulbuddin (HIG). HIG is an offshoot of Herb-e Islami (Party of Islam) - and active in Afghanistan. (DoS, Feb 26, 2015).

COIN in Afghanistan Examined. Lillian Figg-Franzoi, a member of the United Nations Officer for Project Services, has penned an article where the tactic of counterinsurgency employed in Afghanistan is closely looked at. An interesting article with many valid (and some not so valid) points to consider. Read the article in "Learning How Not to Scare People: The Paradox of Counterinsurgency", E-International Relations, February 20, 2015.

An Army Medal of Honor recipient, William Swenson, was spied upon by military investigators after he was mentioned online in an Amazon book review by another soldier who was a subject of investigation. His home was put under surveillance, his neighbor and girlfriend questioned, and his trash was searched. See "Army Spied on Hero Solider Over a Book Review", NewsMax, Feb 26, 2015.

2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division will deploy in the spring and summer as part of the Resolute Support Mission. (Syracuse.com,  Feb 26, 2015).

A suicide bomber, in a white Corrolla, attacked two vehicles belonging to Turkish members of the NATO force in Kabul. One Turkish soldier was killed in the attack. (Stars and Stripes, Feb 26, 2015).

Can China help with Afghanistan's peace process?, Deutsche Welle, February 18, 2015. Concerned about an Islamic insurgency (the ETIM) in Xinjiang province, China has offered to assist in the Afghan peace process. But experts say China lacks direct access to the Afghan Taliban and relies on its clout over Pakistan. Hmmmm.

Renewed Peace Talks with Taliban. The news media is buzzing with the prospects of peace talks with the Taliban. Learn more in "Talking to Taliban might help U.S. stabilize Afghanistan", Chicago Tribune, February 24, 2015.

Rula Ghani, First Lady of Afghanistan, was interviewed by Nina Easton of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on February 18, 2015. You can listen to her at the podcast at the link below. One interesting comment was concerning corruption. An AfPak Hand who will deploy to Afghanistan in mid-summer 2015 was in the audience. During the question and answer period he asked Mrs. Ghani if she had any advice to him once he started his job of advising with the MoD (or MoI - he wasn't sure). She responded with "If you see corruption, don't look the other way. Unfortunately, advisors tend to look the other way when . . . " confronted with corruption.
http://csis.org/event/conversation-rula-ghani

Two U.S. Army general officers with a recent (or current) assignment in Afghanistan have received new assignment orders. BG Douglas M. Grabram, the former commander of Train, Advise, and Assist Command South (TAAC South) will become the deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. BG Mark C. Schwartz, currently the deputy commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (SOJTF-A) will soon be the deputy commander of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. See news report "2 generals receive new assignments", Fort Hood Herald, February 18, 2015.

Afghan Surge and Counterinsurgency. About 30,000 additional troops surged into Afghanistan over five years ago in an attempt to reduce the violence in the country (especially the south) and give the Afghan military time and space to recruit, train, and deploy additional security forces. Five years later the troop levels are down from a high of 100,000 to just barely over 10,000 and the ANSF are in the lead for security all across Afghanistan. One thing has not changed. The Taliban are still out there and pose a significant threat. So despite the surge and the employment of counterinsurgency doctrine, strategy, and tactics the Taliban have not been defeated. As a result some observers would like to discredit the doctrine of counterinsurgency. John Ford writes in a recent column - not so fast - see what he has to say in "Reading Galula in Afghanistan", War on the Rocks, February 25, 2015.

SOCOM Operators Suffering 'Burnout' from Repeated Combat Zone Deployments. Special Operators are constantly deploying causing 'burnout' and personnel leaving after ten or more years being constantly deployed. Read more in "Special Operations: The Revenge of the Bureaucrats", Strategy Page, February 17, 2015.

"Colonels without Patches". A cute cartoon from "Doctrine Man". After 13 years of war in two countries . . . how did you accomplish that?
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=935673506465801

The staff of the Spin Boldak branch of Da Afghanistan Bank have taken the banks money and fled to Pakistan. Read more in a news article by Khaama Press (Feb 19, 2015).

A Wisconsin-based National Guard artillery unit has returned home after a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan. Soldiers of Battery A, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery provided fire support for combat operations in Afghanistan. Read more in "FA Battery returns home from Resolute Support", Fort Bliss Bugle, February 19, 2015.

Train, Advise, and Assist Command - East (TAAC East) is seeing a rotation of units for its area of operations. The "Brave Rifles" of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment is leaving Afghanistan and the 3rd "Rakkasans" Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division are now arriving. TAAC East is located at Tactical Base Gamberi in Laghman province; located adjacent to the base where the Afghan National Army (ANA) 201st Corps is headquartered. Read more in "3rd CR transfers duties in Afghanistan", Fort Hood Herald, February 18, 2015.

Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Troops who have participated in Operation Freedom's Sentinel now qualify for award of the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Campaign stars will be used on the Afghanistan Campaign Medal to recognize a service member's participation in multiple campaign phases in country. Read more in a Stars and Stripes news report.