ANSF Suffer Heavy Losses in 2014

The Afghan Army lost more than 20,000 fighters last year largely because of desertions, discharges and deaths in combat. It also saw a significant decline in personnel end strength - casting doubts on its ability to provide security for the nation. Staffing levels have fallen to the lowest levels since 2011. Read more in "Figures From U.S.-Led Coalition Show Heavy Losses for Afghan Army", The New York Times, March 3, 2015. See also "The Afghan military is shrinking as the Pentagon withdraws its troops", The Washington Post, March 3, 2015.

Video - "Sandhurst in the Sand"

NATO Channel has produced a video about the "Sandhurst in the Sand" officer academy located near Kabul. The officer academy is forging the next generation of Afghan National Army (ANA) officers. Watch this 5 minute long video posted on YouTube.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXaUULKNZ0I

Daily News Snippets (Mar 4, 2015)

The remnants of the Karzai administration are still in place. This is especially true of the Acting Governors that remain in charge of provinces. There is a lack of any accountability to the new government. As of February 2015 only three governors have been introduced (Farah, Paktika, and Kunduz). The remaining 31 provinces are governed by appointees of Karzai. Therefore corruption still remains a major problem and a root cause of the insurgency. Read more in "Accusations of Corruption, Negligence Against Acting Governors Increase", Tolo News, February 19, 2015.

Ambassadors Fired. Some Karzai appointees are finding their futures uncertain. Reports indicate that President Ghani has sacked eleven Afghan Ambassadors on March 2, 2015. 

Police Officials Sacked. President Ghani has fired 27 senior police officers as part of a drive towards good governance. Many of them had strong connections with politicians, strongmen, or warlords. Most have found their way into other jobs - so don't cry too much for them. Read the news article (BBC News Asia, March 2, 2015).

Afghan Police Women. Press reports say that over 190 female police officers returned to Afghanistan after completing four months of training in Turkey. 

Kidnapped Hazaras. The 30 kidnapped Hazaras are still in captivity in Zabul province. They were taken off two buses traveling to Kabul when taken hostage. Reports indicate a rescue operation may be underway soon. Khaama Press says the rescue effort is taking place in the Khah-i-Afghan district of Zabul. There is speculation that the 30 passengers were kidnapped by DAISH (ISIS).

Avalanches in northern Afghanistan are taking its toll. Over 285 citizens have died thus far and three districts are heavily impacted. This is a yearly event. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has issued a condolence statement. General Campbell of Resolute Support HQs has done the same on Facebook. U.S., Czech, and Georgian troops are assisting with the delivery of aid. This year the avalanches have taken place in the Panjshir valley (Panjshir province). Recent snowfall accumulation has caused some flash flooding as well.

ANP Funding. International donors worry whether Kabul has the administrative capacity to oversee Western taxpayer money properly. Read "Afghanistan Struggles With Police Funding", The Wall Street Journal, February 28, 2015.

Rula Ghani. The First Lady of Afghanistan is now on the U.S. Afghan Women's Council (USAWC) along with Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton. Read more in this news release by Georgetown University.

Interpreters who worked for the Coalition are under threat in Afghanistan. Read "Interpreter pleads for protection from Taliban killers", The Times, March 3, 2015.

The nonprofit organization - International Relief and Development (IRD) - has been suspended by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). IRD had some significant problems in meeting the contract stipulations of some of the aid projects it was in charge of in Afghanistan. Read more in a news report by Non Profit Quarterly, dated March 2, 2015.

A women serving a 20-year sentence in the women's section of Nangarhar Prison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan is a notorious character. She is convicted of taking part in the murders of 27 men. Read more in a news article by The New York Times, February 28, 2015.

Lack of Transparency in Mining Contracts. The Minister of Mines and Petroleum says that a team of technical experts will be reassessing the majority of the mining contracts because of a lack of transparency in the process that awarded the contracts. Read more in "Minister Says Mining Contracts to be Reexamined", Tolo News,  February 20, 2015.

For years commentators will be writing on whether we won the war in Afghanistan. Some say it is too soon to tell. Others want to declare victory now. I guess it depends on how you define victory. Read one view point in "Yes, we did win in Afghanistan", War Council Blog, February 23, 2015.

U.S. Navy in a Landlocked Country. Even though Afghanistan has no ocean the U.S. Navy has had a long-time presence in the country since the start of the conflict. This continues today under Resolute Support. For instance, the NATO Role 3 Multi-national Medical Unit on Kandahar Airfield has a diverse group of Navy reservists from 22 different states. (DVIDS, March 3, 2015).

The U.S. Army continues to sink money into its Distributed Common Ground System - Army (DCGS-A). This computer-based intelligence program has cost billions of dollars and is still wanting. See "Textron to enhance DCGS-A data", C4ISR & Networks, February 5, 2015. See also DCGS-A.

Sharpen 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

Afghan 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.

AAF Medics Teach Lifesaving Skills to ANA

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) is sending out small medical teams to teach MEDEVAC procedures to medics of the Afghan National Army (ANA). Recently two AAF flight medics traveled to Herat in western Afghanistan to train 19 ANA soldiers in the fundamentals of loading and offloading patients from the Mi-17 helicopter and the C-208 Cessna Caravan (a small fixed-wing aircraft). Both of these aircraft are used by the AAF to transport wounded and injured members of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to medical care. While the Mi-17 can land in areas without an airstrip the C-208 has greater range (but requires an airstrip). Sometimes both aircraft are used in combination to transport the injured and wounded - called a hub-and-spoke principle of casualty evacuation. Read more in "Afghan Air Force medics teach lifesaving skills to ANA troops", RS News, January 28, 2014. (Photo by Capt. Jeff M. Nagan, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing).

A-10 Treason Patch

The A-10 Treason Bird Patch is now available for U.S. Air Force officers who wish to kiss their careers goodbye. The patch is now authorized for those officers who verbally express their support for the A-10 Warthog and who question the ability of the F-35 to provide adequate close air support to ground forces. The patch is available from Doctrine Man at the link below:

http://doctrineman.tumblr.com/post/112183832144/a-10-treason-bird-morale-patch

SIGAR Report - Testimony for Senate

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has provided a 17 page transcript on its testimony before a committee of the U.S. Senate about the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. The testimony was present to the committee for its upcoming deliberations for the Department of State Fiscal Year 2016 budget request for Afghanistan. The statement entitled Improving the Effectiveness of U.S. Reconstruction Efforts in Afghanistan by Enhancing Oversight and Addressing Key Areas of High Risk was published on February 24, 2015 and is available at the link below.

www.sigar.mil/pdf/testimony/SIGAR-15-36-TY.pdf

7th ID to form Kandahar HQs

Recent news reports indicate that the U.S. intends to maintain a presence in Kandahar into the foreseeable future. Perhaps into 2016. The Army is sending the 7th Infantry Division headquarters from Joint Base Lewis-McChord on a year-long deployment to Kandahar airfield in a few months. The hqs could stay on through the 2015 fighting season into early 2016. This would be a change to the "Kabul Centric" approach originally contemplated for 2016. It appears that the "hub and spoke" concept of 2015 (RS HQs in Kabul with TAACs in Gamberi, MeS, Herat, and Kandahar) will survive into 2016. The Germans are likely to stay in MeS beyond 2015. And now the Americans in Kandahar. Can the Italians be convinced to stay on in Herat? Read more in a news report by McClatchy DC dated February 24, 2015.

Fighting Season Not Quite Over

The Taliban have continued their attacks this winter. Usually attacks go down significantly when the cold weather and snow approaches. But last year and again this year the pace of the fighting has not decreased as much as in past years. Some of these attacks are highly effective - such as the attack against the Afghan National Police (ANP) in Pul-i-Alam, Logar province. Just 50 miles south of Kabul, this provincial police station suffered a devastating attack by four Taliban suicide bombers dressed as police officers. They killed at least 20 people and wounded many more. Read about the attack in "Taliban bombers kill at least 20 in Afghan attack", Stars and Stripes, February 17, 2015.

Germany Building New Engineering College in Balkh

Germany is continuing its development aid to Afghanistan in 2015. The country is providing funding (3.4 million Euros) for the construction of an engineering college in Balkh province. The college will provide education in railway construction, plumbing, electricity, road construction, and masonry. Germany is funding the project through its Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KFW) Development Bank. (Info taken from "Germany building new engineering college in Balkh", Khaama Press, February 16, 2015.

Book Review - "88 Days to Kandahar"

Retired CIA operative Robert L. Grenier has wrote a book entitled 88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Diary. Alissa J. Rubin provides us a book review highlighting the positives and negatives of the book. Read her book review in "Robert L. Grenier's '88 Days to Kandahar'", The New York Times, February 11, 2015. Read more book reviews on 88 Days to Kandahar.

Grenier served as the station chief for the CIA in Pakistan during the invasion of Afghanistan by the United States. He was instrumental in the development of policy and execution of the invasion in the early days of the war. His story recounts how Hamid Karzai came to power and entered Kandahar with his resistance forces; toppling the Taliban regime in southern Afghanistan.

ISIS Threat in Afghanistan

The government of Afghanistan and Resolute Support Headquarters have finally admitted they have an ISIS problem. Although a small problem - it could get bigger quick if not managed properly. One only has to look at the rapid rise of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria to feel concern. Ministry of Interior (MoI) spokesman Siddiq Sidiqqi admitted there was an ISIS presence in Afghanistan on February 10, 2015. On a good news front Mullah Abdul Rauk Khadim, a prime recruiter for the Islamic State in Afghanistan, was killed in a recent military operation in Helmand province. The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) confirmed that the capture or death of the former Taliban commander (recently released from Guantanamo prison) was a top priority. Another group, the Islamic Organization of Great Afghanistan has expressed its willingness to fight for the Islamic State. There is speculation that the newly minted Afghan Islamic State followers would clash with the resident Taliban groups in the south - and that support from 'outsiders' will not be forthcoming from the population of the region. It is hard to tell at this point according to most observers. There are also reports that ISIS is recruiting and forming guerrilla bands in northern Afghanistan. It should be an interesting fighting season this spring and summer. Read more in "Afghanistan Wakes Up to Islamic State Threat", Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, February 14, 2015.

Cordsman - Effective Use of Advisors

Anthony H. Cordsman, writing for the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), has penned a paper entitled "Boots on the Ground: The Realities in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria" published on February 13, 2015. He faults the U.S. advisory effort in several areas to include the lack of an integrated Civil-Military strategy, lack of an effective advisory effort in the field, advisors without the necessary mix of skills, and lack of effective combat support and enablers to assist our indigenous allies. Interesting reading.

http://csis.org/publication/boots-ground-realities-afghanistan-iraq-and-syria

Video - Aftermath of the Endless War

The Miller Center of the University of Virginia presents a one-hour long video discussing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The panel consists of John Nagl and Daniel Bolger. Nagl, a retired Army LTC, was an early convert to the use of counterinsurgency to fight against the insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was a co-author of FM 3-24, Counterinsurgency, 2006. Bolger, a retired three-star general, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Nagl is the author to two books and numerous articles published in various publications and Bolger is the author of a recent book entitled Why We Lost: A General's Inside Account of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Nagl has an optimistic view of our accomplishments in both wars but Bolger has a more pessimistic view of the outcomes thus far. You can watch the panel discussion in the video found at the link below.

http://millercenter.org/events/2015/the-u.s.-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-what-have-we-learned-about-politics-and-mi

Daily News Snippets (March 3, 2015)

Argument for Enduring Counter-terrorism Mission for Afghanistan. Michael O'Hanlon, an observer of conflict and military affairs, has provided us his perspective on the Obama timetable for a time-based departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. O'Hanlon argues that we need to keep a counter-terrorism capability (drones, special operations, helicopters, etc.) located at three key bases in Afghanistan (Kandahar, Bagram, and Jalalabad). Read more in "We still need U.S. bases in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, February 19, 2015.

How is that NUG Working? Aljazeera has published a news article that looks at how the National Unity Government (NUG) in Afghanistan is doing. The article examines the way that Ghani and Abdullah are working together to get things done. It asks the question - "Can two former political foes overcome a bitter election stalemate to combat the country's endemic corruption?". Read the excellent article in Afghanistan's Team of Rivals, February 19, 2015.
http://projects.aljazeera.com/2015/02/afghanistan-rivals/

President Obama says that combat operations in Afghanistan are over. He should tell that to the Marines! A small element of U.S. Marines are engaged in "operations" helping in the defense of Bagram Air Field. They work alongside the 51st Light Infantry Battalion of the Georgian military as part of the Georgian Liaison Team. Read more in "Marines continue fighting alongside Georgians in Afghanistan", Marine Corps Times, March 1, 2015.

The New York Times provides us with some metrics on how women in Afghanistan have seen considerable improvement in living and work conditions over the past decade and more. The situation for women of Afghanistan is compared with women in the nearby countries of Iran, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Read more in "Narrowing the Gap" (March 1, 2015).

Nathan S. Webster provides us with his thoughts on the new book by Elliot Ackerman entitled Green on Blue. Read "Elliot Ackerman Nails Afghan's Endless War", The Daily Beast, March 2, 2015.

The U.S. Air Force is trying to get rid of the A-10 Warthog but it is meeting resistance among critics who say the replacement  - the F-35 - is wholly inadequate to conduct close air support. Read more in "The Case for the Warthog", National Review, March 2, 2015.

Afghan Experience Wanted

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

Early Morning 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.

Pop-Centric COIN: Protect the Population

"COIN is Population-Centric. The development of a proper COIN approach starts with the acceptance of the people as important to COIN operation." Counterinsurgency strategy should " . . . protect the population from insurgent violence; . . . " Page I-3, Joint Publication 3-24, Counterinsurgency, 22 November 2013.

"Security Sector Reform. SSR is primarily a means to strengthen the capabilities, capacity, and effectiveness of the HN security apparatus, which in turn improves the capabilities of the security forces to secure and protect the population from insurgent/terrorist violence." Page VIII-11, Joint Publication 3-24, Counterinsurgency, 22 November 2013.

www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp3_24.pdf

Stated at the top of the first page of the ISAF Commander's Counterinsurgency Guidance, signed by General McChrystal, are the words "Protecting the people is the mission".

www.nato.int/isaf/docu/official_texts/counterinsurgency_guidance.pdf

The Host Nation, Afghanistan, is conducting counterinsurgency operations to defeat the Taliban and other insurgent groups. The Resolute Support Mission, comprised of NATO and other countries, is engaged in Security Sector Reform (a U.S. doctrinal term) through its Train, Advise, and Assist (TAA) mission to help the Host Nation conduct its counterinsurgency war. So how is the COIN population-centric campaign going?

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has released its 2014 Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, dated February 2015. Afghan civilian deaths rose 25 percent in 2014. Below is a chart from the report depicting the continuing rise in Afghan civilian casualties in the war from January 2009 to December 2014. Based on the United Nations data it would appear that the "protect the population" component of the COIN population-centric campaign is not going so well.

The entire report can be read at the link below. It is an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.

2014 Annual Report - Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict

The Resolute Support Headquarters Information Operations machine was hard at work in response to the UN report. See the RS HQs press release entitled UNAMA 2014 Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Report, February 18, 2015 at the link below.

www.rs.nato.int/article/rs-news/unama-2014-protection-of-civilians-in-armed-conflict-report.html

NATO RSM Mission - Facts and Figures

NATO has posted a document that provides the names of the Resolute Support leadership and key facts and figures on troop contributing nations. According to the chart over 40 nations are providing troops - From Albania to the United States. Some points of interest:

Macedonia is referred to as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". I guess that is so we don't offend the Greeks. Countries from as far away as New Zealand, Mongolia, and Australia are participating. The smallest contingent is Luxembourg (1) and other smaller contingents include Estonia (4), Greece (4), Iceland (4), and Ukraine (10).

The nations providing the highest number of troops are:

United States - 6,839
Georgia - 885
Germany - 850
Romania - 650
Turkey - 503
Italy - 500
United Kingdom - 430
Australia - 400