JIEDDO to Go Away

It appears that the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) is going away. The field agency of about 430 government civilians, 1,900 contractors, and numerous military personnel will have a name change, downsize its personnel significantly, and come under the authority of the undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition as a combat support agency. Read more in "Pentagon Dismantles JIEDDO Counter-IED Agency", by Richard Sisk in Military.com, March 14, 2015.

Learn more about JIEDDO at their website:
www.jieddo.mil

Afg War News Snippets (Mar 15, 2015)

Kidnapped Afghans from Ghazi. It has been reported that ten (numbers are different depending on news source) Afghans were kidnapped from Jaghori district in Ghazni province on March 15th but they were later released (or at least 9 of the hostages). (Khaama Press, March 15, 2015).

Mission Accomplished or Mission Over? For the United Kingdom the long and costly conflict in Afghanistan is over. 453 UK servicemen and women died in that conflict. Some are now looking back to consider any lessons learned. Read an editorial by The Guardian published on March 13, 2015 entitled "The Guardian view on war in Afghanistan: not mission accomplished, only mission over".

Education. The increase in schools and students attending in Afghanistan over the past decade or more has been remarkable. Although there is still much more work to be done there are some good news stories about education in Afghanistan. One of them is "From Afghanistan's Rubble, A Teacher Builds a School of Ideas", NPR ED, March 15, 2015.

The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) provided a summary of the work they are conducting in Afghanistan. Read "Summary of DFID's work in Afghanistan 2011-2016", DFID, February 2015.

IT Professionals. The World Bank is working with the Afghan Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to expand the pool of skilled and qualified IT professionals and to incubate business start-ups. Technology and telecommunications programs are helping Afghanistan to keep in step with rapidly changing technological advances. Read more in a World Bank article published on March 12, 2015 entitled "Keeping Pace With Technology: Youths Seek to Turn Dreams into Reality".

Mariam Ghani. The daughter of Afghanistan's President Ghani has lots of pursuits to include being an artist. Read more about here in "Afghanistan's far-flung 'first daughter', artist Mariam Ghani", France24.com, March 15, 2015.

This news article about the 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron is about the job of moving Air Force bombs in into, out of, and around the combat zone.  The article describes the process delivering a bomb into theater so it can ultimately be attached to a plane for use. (Standard Examiner, March 15, 2015).

Pakistan Drones. According to the Popular Science website, Pakistan has successfully test-fired a laser-guided missile from its very own Pakistani-made drone. (March  13, 2015).

The founder of International Relief and Development (IRD), an implementing partner for USAID, is retired but not out of the limelight. His firm, which spent about $2.4 billion of the governments money, is under investigation. Read more about the Rev. Arthur B. Keys in this news article - "Founder of nonprofit retires to Washington County amid scrutiny", Tribune Live March 14, 2015.

Guest Bloggers Welcomed

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 or 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 with Your Morning Tea

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. A confirmation message will be sent to the email address you enter. Ensure you confirm your subscription. 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.

Troops Withdrawal to Slow Down

It appears that the Obama administration is considering a modification of the troop withdrawal process from Afghanistan. There is the possibility that over 9,800 American troops will stay in Afghanistan beyond 2015; originally the troop level was to be around 5,000 entering 2016. Keeping the level of troops constant to today's level will allow the counterterrorism forces to continue their hunt for 'the remnants of al Qaeda' and to continue to advise at the regional Train, Advise, and Assist Commands or TAACs. Read more in "U.S. to keep higher troop level in Afghanistan", Military Times, March 14, 2015.

Book Reviews by Military Times

Military Times has provided short book reviews of some novels and nonfiction about the war in Afghanistan as well as some books on life in the military in general. In addition, there are several more books by SEALS. It would appear that writing is part of the SEAL qualification course! I can only imagine aspiring SEALs on the beach doing flutter kicks at the same time that they are recording thoughts in their journal on a waterproof notebook as the spray of the surf clouds their vision and the pencil becomes difficult to use due to the salt and sand mixing with the lead. Some of the titles reviewed are listed below:


Preparation for the Next Life by Atticus Lish
Green on Blue by Elliot Ackerman
The Valley by John Renehan
The Knife by Ross Ritchell
Fire on the Flight Deck by Darren Sapp
The Evil Hours: A Biography of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by David J. Morris
The Last and Greatest Battle:  . . . End Military Suicides by John Bateson
The Reaper: Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipersby Gary Brozek
Murder at Camp Delta by Joseph Hickman
Soldier of Change,  by Stephen Snyder-Hill
Be Safe, Love Mom By Elaine Lowry Brye  & Nan Gatewood Satter
They Were Heroes: . . . Tribute to Combat Marines by David K. Devaney
Resilence: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life by Eric Greitens

Read "Book Reviews: Novels, nonfiction & more SEAL titles", Military Times, March 14, 2015.

New Directive - Women in Army SOF

A new personnel directive, DA Directive 2015-08, signed by the U.S. Army directs more than 4,100 'enabler' positions to be open to women in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). Some of the open positions include Special Forces battalions and tactical psychological teams. There are more than 1,000 women currently assigned to USASOC. The directive does not open up positions closed to women in the Army in general; rather, it opens up positions in USASOC that are otherwise open to women across the Army as a whole. This directive does not put women into the Special Forces units as operators; but as staff, support, and 'enablers' at battalion level. They are not going to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC). If assigned to a Special Forces unit they will wear the SF patch with the Airborne tab; but not the SF tab. Women have been serving in Civil Affairs and MISO units for nearly 20 years. Read more in "Directive opens 4,100 special ops positions to women", Army.mil, March 13, 2015.

www.army.mil/article/144515

AWN Daily Snippets (Mar 15, 2015)

CIA Money for Hostage Release. It appears that Afghanistan - if news reports can be trusted - has given al Qaeda $1 million for the release of an Afghan diplomat. The ransom in total was $5 million of which $1 million came from the CIA. Abdul Khaliq Farahi was the Afghan consul general in Peshawar, Pakistan when his was kidnapped in 2008. He was released two years later after ransom was paid. Read more in "Afghanistan gave CIA money to al Qaeda for diplomat's ransom - NYT", Reuters, March 14, 2015.

Nancy Lindborg of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) writes from Kabul about the efforts of young people in Afghanistan to turn the country from one of war to one of peace. The USIP is helping in this effort. Read "Letter from Kabul: Afghans Show Hope and Grit", USIP, March 13, 2015.

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) thwarted a suicide bombing plot in Kabul city recently. The members who would have conducted the attack were part of the Haqqani Network. (Khaam Press, Mar 14, 2015).

The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Brennan, recently spoke at a panel discussion hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations. A prepared transcript of his opening remarks and the 1 1/2 hour long video of the presentation and panel discussion are available on the CIA website. Brennan mentions Afghanistan only once but as part of a number of other nations that is seeing continued focus by the CIA. He has some interesting comments on the new cyber organization within the CIA, the use of social media by terrorists and insurgents, and the technological changes that affect the intelligence gathering mission.

President Ghani is visiting Saudi Arabia for a few days. Perhaps they will chat about the benefits of Saudi-financed madrassas in Pakistan that teach Taliban . . .  oh, never mind.

Children Killed in Nangarhar. A roadside explosion killed three children in eastern Nangarhar province on late Saturday afternoon. Six civilians were also injured. (Khaama Press, Mar 14, 2015).

Afghan Pictures. The Daily Beast posted some very nice pictures of Afghanistan on March 14, 2015.

ISIS along Afghan Border. Some news reports indicate that the Islamic State is expanding its reach beyond the Middle East and North Africa. Certainly Central Asian states to the north of Afghanistan are worried and seeing early signs of ISIS. Afghanistan is also observing the beginnings of ISIS affiliated groups in northern Afghanistan as well as Helmand province. To further add to the problem it appears that China is seeing Uyghurs joining the Islamic State. Many Uyghurs live in Xinjinag province - located to the east of Afghanistan where there is a short border with China. Read more in "Chinese Official: Uyghurs joining Islamic State", The Diplomat, March 12, 2015.

Educational Shura in Parwan Province. Afghan educators and Task Force Solid held an 'educational shura' to discuss ideas on how to improve education and security in Parwan. Read more in a news article by Army.mil on March 14, 2015.

www.army.mil/article/144532/

Dakota Meyer and Bristol Palin. A Medal of Honor recipient, a former Marine who served in Afghanistan, is engaged to the daughter of former governor Sarah Palin. (Military Times, March 14, 2015).

Guest Bloggers Invited

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 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.

Video - "Drones: Fact vs. Myth"

In early March at a Congressional Briefing, a panel of RAND experts seek to dispel some of the myths that have arisen with respect to the use of long-range armed drones. Some of the questions pondered include 1) Are long-range armed drones dramatically changing global warfare?, 2) How might U.S. armed drone policies shape the way other nations use armed drones?, and 3) How can preventing the potential proliferation of armed drones be balanced with future sales to allies?

Watch "The Use of Long-Range Armed Drones: Fact v. Myth", RAND Corporation, March 3, 2015. Video is 30 minutes long.

News Snippets (March 14, 2015)

ALP Killed. An Afghan official says that seven members of the Afghan Local Police were killed by the Taliban in the province of Ghazni at a police checkpoint. (Fox News, Mar 13, 2015).

President Ghani praised British troops for their contribution to the stability of Afghanistan. In a statement he made on March 13th he said that the British presence enabled Afghanistan to ". . . live in freedom, in hope for peace, prosperity, and dignity". The UK is holding a large "Afghan Service" parade along with some ceremonies. (Gandhara Blog, March 13, 2015).

Hazara hostages. It seems that negotiations are underway for the 31 hostages taken in southern Afghanistan. No news of the big ANSF operation mounted days ago to try and recover them. Relatives of the 31 hostages staged a protest in Kabul on March 12th calling for the government to do more. 

More Magnetic Bombs. A mag bomb was attached to a police vehicle in western Herat. Security officials say no one was injured in the blast on March 13th.

AAF and A-29. Franz-Stefan Gady provides us an update on the fielding of the A-29 Super Tocano close air support aircraft for the Afghan Air Force (AAF). The aircraft will be a cost savings for the AAF as one hour of flying time only costs $1,000. Compare that with the F-35 that the U.S. Air Force says will replace the A-10 Warthog (our CAS platform) that runs at $67,000 per hour. Looks like we bought the right aircraft for the Afghans. Read more in "When Will the Afghan Air Force be ready to Fight the Taliban?", The Diplomat, March 12, 2015.

A resident of Bamiyan remembers when the Taliban forced him to take part in the destruction of the two Bamiyan Buddhas in the spring of 2001. Read "Haunted by the Bamiyan Buddhas", Gandhara Blog, March 13, 2015.

The UK DFID has posted an infographic on Twitter providing facts and figures on the progress that has been made in Afghanistan since 2001. Girls in school, increased #s of schools, road construction, return of refugees, healthcare, doctors, and mine clearing facts. 

Border Corruption. Matthew Gault writes in War is Boring Blog on how much cash Kabul loses to crooked customs officials and how the American taxpayers make up for that lost money. Read "Border Corruption Costs Afghanistan a Quarter of its Budget", March 12, 2015.

Army Specialist Indicted For Afghan Bribes. A former specialist with the U.S. Army has been indicted for accepting bribes from Afghan truck drivers at FOB Gardez, Afghanistan. The drivers were allowed to take thousands of gallons of fuel from the base to sell on the black market. (U.S. DoJ, Mar 12, 2015).

Kabul Energy Shortage. Kabul is still experiencing electrical shortages. It is taking time to repair the transmission lines that were destroyed during recent avalanches.

Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER). The Army's computer whiz kids are expanding rapidly. Currently the Army has 25 of 41 Cyber Mission Force (CMF) teams that have reached initial operational capability. In addition, the Army Reserve is creating 21 cyber teams. Perhaps one of the CMF teams can deploy to Afghanistan to help get rid of the malware code the Chinese put into the Afghan government websites. Read more in "Army cyber force grows fast", C4ISR & Networks, March 12, 2015.

Sufi Killings. No suspects have been arrested for the Sufi sect killings at a spiritual center in Kabul last week. Reports say that eleven people were killed during a prayer session.

 Doug Beattie in a BBC News article reflects on war tours of duty in Afghanistan. The former Royal Irish Regiment soldier served three tours in Afghanistan. He discusses the human factors - feelings of pride, shame, and sadness.

ISIS is trying to establish a foothold in some Central Asian nations to include Afghanistan. With the splintering of the Taliban, uncertainty of continued Pakistan support to some Taliban insurgent groups, and other factors - the Islamic State feels the time is right to expand its influence. Read more in "ISIS' expedition into Central Asia: A spoiler or boon for the Taliban - Analysis", Eurasia Review, March 13, 2015.

Why Stay in Afghanistan. Yesterday I posted an editorial by The New York Times entitled "No Cause to Delay the Afghan Pullout". On March 13th the Times posted a letter to the editor with an opposing view. "Why We Need to Keep Forces in Afghanistan" is penned by Ms. Michelel Flournoy - a former under secretary of defense and Mr. Stephen Hadley a former national security advisor.

India - Pakistan - and Afghanistan. The dynamics between these three countries is the topic of many books, publications, papers and news articles. Yet one more is provided in "President Ghani: Stuck Between India and Pakistan", Foreign Policy, March 12, 2015. The author wonders, that as AfPak relations improve, will Indian support of Afghanistan wane?

Peace Talks. There are conflicting reports about peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban. Read more in "No Signs of Peace Talks as Afghan Fighting Season Nears", Voice of America, March 13, 2015.

Afghan Women's Cycling Team. The Afghan " . . . Women's National Cycling Team has been breaking new ground for women's sports and pushing the boundaries of what is - and is not - acceptable for young women in the conservative Muslim country". Read more in a news article by NBC News - March 13, 2015.

Bamiyan Women's Cafe. A gathering place for women that is usual to find in Afghanistan. Read more in a news article by The Diplomat (March 13, 2015).

Develop 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

Subscribe to AWN Daily Newsletter

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.

Camp Bastion Info

In southwest Afghanistan the two major forces under ISAF stationed there were the British and the U.S. Marines. They had many of their forces based at Camp Bastion (Brits) and Camp Leatherneck (Marines) in Helmand province. The two camps were adjoining. The UK Ministry of Defense posted a graphic with info on Camp Bastion on their Twitter account (March 12, 2015). The graphic is below.

USAID Contractor Under Fire- (IRD)

The largest nonprofit contractor working for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It seems that International Relief and Development, Inc. of Arlington, Va billed the U.S. government over $1 million for luxury parties and retreats for its executives and staff. Read more in "In a word, reprehensible: USAID contractor billed UW $1.1M for luxury parties, retreats", Stars and Stripes, March 12, 2015.

Extremists Flourishing in Northern Afghanistan

There are indications that parts of northern Afghanistan is slowly slipping into the grasp of militants. This has Central Asian nations north of the Afghan border quite concerned. Taliban groups, the IMU, and possibly newly-formed groups aligned with or part of the Islamic State have increased their influence. It would appear that the groups are cooperating with one another. Read more in "Militant Melting Pot: Extremists Flourish South of Turkmenistan", Qishloq Ovoz Blog - Radio Free Europe, March 11, 2015.

Video Conference: Obama and Ghani (Mar 12, 2015)

On March 12th President Obama and President Ghani chatted with each other by video conference. The White House released a statement about the video conference in a press release. The text is below:

Today, the President spoke with President Ashraf Ghani of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan by video conference, along with Chief Executive Officer Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.  The President encouraged accelerated Afghan progress towards forming an inclusive national unity government and expressed his expectation that their visit to Washington later this month will demonstrate our mutual commitment to a strengthened U.S.-Afghan strategic partnership.  The leaders discussed the ongoing efforts of the Afghan National Security Forces to improve security in Afghanistan and the importance of countering extremist threats from groups like al-Qa`ida.  The President commended President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah on their leadership in promoting an Afghan peace process to end the conflict in Afghanistan and their initiative to improve Afghanistan-Pakistan relations.

www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/12/readout-president-s-video-conference-president-ashraf-ghani-afghanistan

Nepotism & Corruption in the Ministries

On the first day of his one-year long tour in Afghanistan an American military officer advising his Afghan counterpart in an Afghan Ministry says "If you appoint your nephew to a high-level position on your staff that is corruption!" On the last day of his one-year tour in Afghanistan an American military officer advising his Afghan counterpart in an Afghan Ministry says "If you don't appoint your nephew to a high-level position on your staff that is corruption!"

Something to ponder.

In a related article, Pajhwok Afghan News has published an article entitled "Nepotism detected in appointing diplomats" stating that most of the diplomats in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) appointed " . . . are family members and relatives of government officials and lawmakers and their appointments appeared to be based on nepotism . . . "

www.pajhwok.com/en/=414605

Book - "For Love of Country"

Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Howard Schultz have penned a book entitled For Love of Country. Chandrasekaran is a reporter and editor for The Washington Post and Schultz is the chief executive of Starbucks. Starbucks has a comprehensive program to hire veterans. The book is about the veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. James Wright, president emeritus of Dartmouth College, reviews the book in The New York Times (March 2015).