High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) Being Used in Afghanistan

The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) of the U.S. Army is being used in Afghanistan in the Kandahar area.  Supposedly it is being used to great effect.  The long-distance and accurate rocket system can hit targets up to one hundred miles away.  Read more on the HIMARS in "Did a New Rocket Help Rout the Taliban?", Wired Danger Room, October 21, 2010.

Army Officer Describes Multi-Faceted COIN Strategy

Many stateside armchair pundits are trying to explain the strategy that General Petraeus is following in Afghanistan.  Some get it right while others don't.  For those having trouble understanding what the COIN strategy is here is some help.  An Army officer has provided some clarification in "Petraeus is changing the Afghan war's intensity, not its overall strategy", The Best Defense Blog at Foreign Policy, October 20, 2010.  Explained in the article is how CT works as part of COIN, the Anaconda Strategy (with attendent slide), clear/hold/build operations, Afghan Local Police (ALP) initiative, training of host nation troops, reconciliation and reintegration, and the strategic communications plan.

Afghan Local Police to be Established in Remote Villages by Special Forces

A U.S. supported program to establish Afghan local police forces in remote villages will be headed up by U.S. Army Special Forces teams.  To objective is to establish a force of almost 10,000. It is hoped that the program will be in 900 villages by March 2011.  General Petraeus has compared the program to a community watch with AK-47s.  Read more in "Officials aim to establish Afghan local police by March", The LA Times, October 20, 2010.

Western Aid Money Diverted to Taliban for "Security"

A lot of money is pouring into Afghanistan for construction and aid.  Some of this money is extorted from construction firms by the Taliban - a protection racket of sorts.  Read more in "Afghans pay off Taliban with American money", MSNBC, October 13, 2010.

Afghan's "West Point"

"The largest-ever freshman class at the National Military Academy of Afghanistan is learning to shine boots, read a map and balance a full load of college courses as the Afghan National Army desperately tries to boost its officer corps.  Inside a Soviet-era air academy near the Kabul Airport where unexploded ordnance and rusting Soviet aircraft parts sat in bombed out buildings, the Afghan National Army has built its own version of West Point. Five years after the first 120 cadets enrolled in the National Military Academy of Afghanistan, 296 new Afghan officers have graduated."

Read the rest of the article in "Largest class enters Afghan military academy", Army Times, October 19, 2010.

Questions Arise About Firms Providing Security for Oil Tankers Bringing Oil into Afghanistan

"Hundreds of tankers and trucks have been left stranded on highways and depots across Pakistan, with little or no security. Taliban militants have regularly been targeting the convoys, even when they are heavily protected. But many believe it is not just the militants who pose a security threat to the convoys. The owners of oil tankers being used to supply fuel to Nato in Afghanistan say some of the attacks on their convoys are suspicious. They say there is evidence to suggest that bombs have been planted in many of vehicles by the "Nato contractors" - individuals or companies who have been contracted by Nato to supply fuel and goods to forces in Afghanistan."

Read the rest of the article in "Nato contractors attacking own vehicles in Pakistan", BBC News, October 10, 2010.

NATO Allies Pressing Karzai for Private Security Operational Freedom

Western nations are still resisting Karzai's plan to shut down private security companies providing security services to western aid organizations.  At stake are extensive aid projects and billions of dollars of aid as many of the NGOs will refuse to operate without western security firms providing protection.  Read more in "NATO allies ask Karzai to allow private security for aid programs", The Washington Post, October 13, 2010.

Importance of Kandahar Campaign

Time Magazine has published an article describing the importance of the campaign for Kandahar.  See "The Afghan War: Why the Kandahar Campaign Matters", Time, October 18, 2010.

Special Ops Officer to Head Investigation into Death of Linda Norgrove

The assignment of Maj. Gen. Joe Votel to investigate the failed hostage rescue mission that cost the life of British aid worker Linda Norgrove illustrates the challenges senior leaders face in balancing independence and expertise when picking someone to investigate Joint Special Operations Command.  Read the story in "2-star to head probe of failed hostage rescue", Army Times, October 19, 2010.

Taliban Expands into the North of Afghanistan

"PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan—The Taliban's influence in northern Afghanistan has expanded in recent months from a few hotspots to much of the region, as insurgents respond to the U.S.-led coalition's surge in the south by seizing new ground in areas once considered secure.  Taliban militants stop traffic nightly at checkpoints on the road from Kabul to Uzbekistan, just outside Baghlan province's capital city of Pul-e-Khumri, frequently blowing up fuel convoys and seizing travelers who work with the government or the international community."

Read the rest of the story in "Taliban Influence Grows in North", The Wall Street Journal, October 18, 2010.

5th Stryker Combat Brigade - In the News in a Bad Way

The 5th Stryker Combat Brigade, having returned this past summer from Afghanistan, has found itself in the news.  Read "Brigade linked to Afghan civilian deaths had aggressive, divergent war strategy", The Washington Post, October 14, 2010.

Afghan Government Compared to a Medieval Court of Centuries Gone By

The current regime in power in Kabul (the Karzai extended family) has been compared to a medieval court of times gone by.  Read more in "Miss the Middle Ages? Try Afghanistan", Los Angeles Times, October 16, 2010.

Special Forces Sponsored Militias in Northern Afghanistan Under Question

A recent posting by the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) questions the support of militias in northern Afghanistan by U.S. Army Special Forces.  The AAN editors wonder if the program of supporting "local defense forces" are good for northern Afghanistan.  Read the online posting at "Another Militia Creation Gone Wrong", Afghanistan Analysts Network, October 18, 2010.

French Making Progress in Sarobi District, Kabul Province, Afghanistan

Over 2,500 French troops are stationed in eastern Afghanistan in Kabul Province.  They have made some good progress over the last few years in Sarobi District - a part of eastern Kabul Province.  The French are based out of Forward Operating Base Tora.  The French commander cites a number of reasons for the progress - the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP) are becoming more professional; the ANA officers - usually from ethnic groups of northern Afghanistan - are acting "nationally not ethnically" in a Pashtun area; the district officials are not "particularly corrupt" to the extent they alienate the public against the Afghan central government; and western donor nations are pumping lots of money into the district.  The French commander hopes that the Afghan security forces can take the lead for security in the province in early 2011.  Read the news article in "French General Mixes Formula for a bit of Afghan Calm", The New York Times, October 13, 2010.

Taliban Refuge in Baluchistan - How to Cope With the Sanctuary

A recent news article highlighted the difficulties of fighting the insurgents in Kandahar and Helmand Provinces when the Taliban have sanctuary in Baluchistan - a region of Pakistan located south of the Afghan border.  The Pakistani government has failed to halt the cross-border movement of Taliban and has not disrupted the sanctuaries the Taliban enjoy in Baluchistan.  Read more in "Afghanistan: U.S. seeks to cut off Taliban flow from Pakistan", The LA Times, October 11, 2010.

Military Medevacs in Afghanistan | Forward Operating Base Wilson

A writer in Afghanistan provides us with a glimpse of how medevac crews in Afghanistan work and live.  He describes the modern and traditional techniques used to keep Soldiers alive from pickup in the combat zone to medical care in the combat casualty hospital.  Read "Military medics combine ultramodern and time-honored methods to save lives on the battlefield", The Washington Post, October 17, 2010.

Afghan Government in Secret Talks with Taliban

The Afghan government is in secret talks with the leadership of the Taliban.  There is great speculation about the motives of Karzai for doing this.  Some say he is serious about a resolution with the Taliban; others say it is an attempt to poke a stick in the eye of the United States to show his independence.  Read more on this topic in "Taliban in secret talks with Afghan President Karzai", The Christian Science Monitor, October 6, 2010.

Afghan Army Training Improves

The training of the Afghan National Army (ANA) has improved and there are positive signs that the ANA is finally getting the equipment and logistical support that it has needed over the past several years.  The training is taking place at a rapid pace - in terms of numbers of troops trained.  Read a report on this topic in "Afghan Army Advances in Training, if Not in Field", The New York Times, October 13, 2010.

Last Day to Mail Holiday Packages to Afghanistan is November 12th

The recommended mailing deadline for sending economy-priced packages to service members in Afghanistan is November 12th.  Other types of mail can be sent after this date.  Read more in "Postal Service Sets Holiday Mail Deadline", American Forces Press Service, October 8, 2010.

Botched Norgrove Rescue: More Info on How It Went Badly

More information on the failed Linda Norgrove rescue operation has come out.  Read "Linda Norgrove: US Navy SEAL faces disciplinary action over grenade death", Guardian, October 13, 2010.

Should the U.S. Leave Afghanistan? - An Opinion by USA Today

There are many critics of the Afghan war that make comparisons to Vietnam.  USA Today has run an editorial stating that this is not the case in some aspects and takes the position that we do need to be in Afghanistan.  Read more in "Our view on defeating al-Qaeda: Afghanistan echoes Vietnam, but the stakes are higher", USA Today, October 4, 2010.

Attempted Rescue of Linda Norgrove Raises Questions on Tactics and Necessity

The botched attempt to rescue the British aid worker, Linda Norgrove, has dominated the British press the last few days.  The death of the NGO worker as a result of a U.S. grenade (it seems) does not sit well with the Brits.  The outcome of the raid has prompted a high-level military investigation of the operation.  Compounding this story is the fact that it was initially reported that she was killed by a Taliban captor wearing a suicide vest, that U.S. special operations force members were using fragmentation grenades instead of "flash-bangs" or "stun" grenades, and that there was a group of Afghan elders nearby attempting to negotiate for her release.  In addition, there is the aspect of NGO and military relationships; many NGOs would rather work through Afghan counterparts to negotiate the release of their workers.  Read more on this story in "We were ready to negotiate for Linda Norgrove when rescue bid began", The Guardian UK, October 12, 2010.

Afghan Hands Program - Doing Something Right, Although Way too Late!

One of the programs the Department of Defense has started is called the Afghan Hands Program.  This is an attempt to identify, train, and deploy a select group of officers and NCOs to Afghanistan on a recurring basis.  The Soldiers commit to a five-year program and become Afghan subject matter experts (SMEs).  The individuals in the program study culture, language, and counterinsurgency in D.C before their deployment.  Upon the completion of their deployment they return to D.C to continue their studies and work with a focus on Afghanistan.  Unfortunately, the program was started about eight years too late.  Read a couple of articles that explain a little bit about this program at the links below:

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=61087

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125479517717366539.html

Rescue Attempt for British Aid Worker Held Hostage in Afghanistan Goes Badly

A rescue attempt by U.S. Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan to save a British aid worker from captivity has gone off badly.  The rescue force apparently killed the aid worker in the process of trying to rescue her.  Read more in "Linda Norgrove: Family of British aid worker killed by U.S special forces in Afghanistan", Daily Mail, October 11, 2010.

White House Report to Congress on Afghanistan - Pakistan (Sep 2010)

A recent White House report to Congress has been posted on the website of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).  The report offers a status report on progress or lack of progress in the Afghan conflict.  Click on the link below to view the Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

The White House Report on Afghanistan - Pakistan, September 30, 2010.

Negotiating with the Taliban

There are reports that the Afghan government is in talks with the Taliban in an effort to come to an agreement for the end of the war.  Read an opinion on this event in "Could a deal with the Taliban end the war in Afghanistan?", The Washington Post, October 7, 2010.

More Problems with Kabul Bank

It appears that the Kabul Bank is still the source of difficulties in the U.S. and Afghan government relationship.  The U.S. (and others) want to conduct an audit of the Kabul Bank in order to move forward in getting it back on track toward it becoming a bank and source of stability - instead of a honeypot for Karzai and his cronies to dip into for foreign investments, financing Karzai's re-election, and plush homes.  Unfortunately, Karzai does not want an audit that is handled by foreign governments - he wants Afghan control over the audit (and no doubt its findings).  Read more in "U.S. and Afghans at odds over Kabul Bank reform", The Washington Post, October 7, 2010.

U.S. Security Contractor Money Went to Warlords and Taliban

A Senate report is highly critical of the management of the money that the U.S. military exercises control over for the payment of security services in Afghanistan.  The Senate report states that much of the money ends up in the hands or warlords, strongmen, and in some cases the Taliban.  Read more in "Senate report: Mismanaged U.S. contractor money aids enemy in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, October 8, 2010.

Info on Taliban

The BBC News service has provided an online article entitled "Who are the Taliban?" (October 2010).  See the article at the link below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11451718

"The Trust Deficit" - Afghan Perceptions of the Coalition Forces

A new report has been published by the Open Society Foundations entitled "The Trust Deficit: The Impact of Local Perceptions on Policy in Afghanistan" (October 7, 2010).  It is posted on the Soros.org website at the link below (an Adobe Acrobat PDF file).  The document, based on interviews and research, has highlighted the fact that we (the coalition) are NOT executing our "information operations" campaign very well; and as a result, we seem to be losing the fight for Afghan public support.  In addition to a faulty Information Operations (IO) campaign (or are we calling it "strategic communications" now?) we are conducting operations and activities that alienate the Afghan population (airstrikes that kill civilians, night raids on innocent families, support of corrupt Afghan officials, detention policies, etc.).  After defining the problem the report then goes on to make several recommendations on how to improve the situation.

http://www.soros.org/initiatives/mena/articles_publications/publications/policy-afghanistan-20101007/perceptions-20101007.pdf

Some Progress Seen on the Battlefield in Kandahar

A reporter sends a dispatch from Sarkari Bagh, Afghanistan (Kandahar region) on the progress of the war.  His report indicates that American troops feel they are making progress - slowly.  Read the article in Despite rising doubts at home, troops in one corner of Afghanistan see signs of progress", The Washington Post, October 7, 2010.

Afghan Villages Caught in the Middle

It is hard to tell if we are winning or losing in Afghanistan.  The insurgency seems to have spread and the Taliban has managed to win over (whether willingly or not) the support of a lot of the population in the rural areas.  Some of that support comes through intimidation.  A recent news article describes how that works.  Read "Afghans' Fear of Reprisal Stands in the Way of U.S. Strategy", Politics Daily, August 30, 2010.

Medal of Honor Awared to SSG Robert Miller - 3rd Special Forces Group

The President awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously to SSG Robert Miller for his heroic actions in Afghanistan on January 25, 2008. 

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=61174

Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams - the CIA's Paramilitary Force in Afghanistan

Shortly after the completion of the invasion of Afghanistan the CIA stood up a small force of Afghan fighters to hunt down terrorists.  This force still exists today although it is much larger.  The paramilitary force is called the Counterterrorism Pursuit Team or CPT.  The teams are used by the CIA for surveillance, raids and combat operations.  Read more in "Paramilitary force is key for CIA", The Washington Post, September 23, 2010.

How to Define Winning in Afghanistan?

A columnist writes about what winning is in Afghanistan.  He points out that at the conclusion of most wars the United States has fought in we were not happy with the end result.  Read "Even winning in Afghanistan would include some failures", The Washington Post, October 4, 2010.

Contractor Deaths Exceed Military Deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan

"More private contractors than soldiers were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent months, the first time in history that corporate casualties have outweighed military losses on America’s battlefields.  More than 250 civilians working under U.S. contracts died in the war zones between January and June 2010, according to a ProPublica analysis of the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Labor, which tracks contractor deaths. In the same period, 235 soldiers died, according to Pentagon figures."

Read more in "This Year, Contractor Deaths Exceed Military Ones in Iraq and Afghanistan", ProPublica, September 23, 2010.

Stakes are High in Afghanistan

An opinion piece in USA Today states that we need to stay the course in Afghanistan.  Read the story in "Afghanistan echoes Vietnam, but the stakes are higher", USA Today, October 3, 2010.

Mission Essential Personnel Providing Unqualified Interpreters for Afghan War Effort

A U.S. firm providing interpreters to the U.S. military is accused of providing interpreters who are not qualified.  Mission Essential Personnel is accused by a former worker of cheating on the lucrative contract.  Read more in "Whistleblower Claims Many US Interpreters Can't Speak Afghan Languages", ABC News, September 8, 2010.

Private Security Firms to Close Under Afghan Pressure

Afghanistan is taking steps to close down several security firms operating in Afghanistan.  It is hard to say why these firms have been singled out for closing.  A large number of foreign and domestic security firms remain operating in the country - at least 50 or more.  Read more about this topic at the link below:

"Afghanistan closing private security firms", Boston Globe, October 4, 2010.

Afghan 6th Commando Kandak Assists with Election Security

Usually Afghanistan's 6th Commando Kandak is pursuing the Taliban or conducting raids.  During the past election they assisted with the recovery of election ballot boxes in Chak District, Wardak Province.  Read the story in "Afghanistan Elections: A look behind the scenes", DVIDS News, September 29, 2010.

Afghan Hands Program

A select number of service members are learning how to become experts in Afghan culture through the Afghan Hands Program.  The one-year old program selects personnel to study language, culture and counterinsurgency and then go to Afghanistan for a one-year tour.  Personnel are in the program for five years and will likely serve at least two of the five years in Afghanistan.

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=61087

Building Police Capacity in Afghanistan - Report from NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan

A report by the NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan (NTM-A) provides information about the plan to build police capacity in Afghanistan.  Read "Building Police Capacity in Afghanistan: The Challenges of a Multilateral Approach", NDU Press, November 2010.

Abdul Razziq - An Afghan Border Police Colonel Keeping Spin Boldak, Afghanistan Quiet - In a Corrupt Way

A war correspondent, Rajiv Chandresekarar of The Washington Post, has provided us with a somewhat complimentary view of a corrupt Colonel in the Afghan Border Police (ABP).  Col Abdul Razziq is in command of 3,000 uniformed policemen and several thousand militiamen in the south of Afghanistan headquartered in Spin Boldak.  Col Razziq is extremely corrupt yet very efficient when it comes to providing security and chasing the Taliban.

Accusations against him include supporting the Karzai family with proceeds taking from cross-border tariffs of goods coming in from Pakistan, rigging ballot boxes in two past elections to ensure Karzai and his cronies get elected, involvement in the drug trade, and paying bribes to ensure his position of power does not diminish.

Coalition leaders seem perplexed on what to do with Razziq.  While he stands for everything that is bad about the corrupt Afghan government he is one of the few officials within the government that actually gets anything done. U.S. Army Special Forces are reported to enjoy a good relationship with him.  So for the time being he stays in place and in power.

Read the rest of the article in "The Afghan Robin Hood", The Washington Post, October 4, 2010.

Gates Say American Public Detached from the Military and the War

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said that the U.S. public is detached from the human cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The burden of the nation's defense is borne by less than one percent of the nations' population.  Read more in "Gates: Too few in U.S. bear the burdens of war", Marine Corp Times, September 30, 2010.

Six in Ten Americans Oppose the Afghanistan War

"Nearly six in 10 Americans continue to oppose the war in Afghanistan amid a growing pessimism about the situation the United States faces in that country, according to a new national poll.  A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday indicates that 44 percent of the public believes things are going well for the United States in Afghanistan, down from 55 percent in March.  According to the poll, 58 percent of Americans oppose the war in Afghanistan, with opposition highest among Democrats." 

Read the rest of the article here:  "CNN poll: Growing pessimism in U.S. over Afghanistan war", Afghanistan Crossroads - CNN, September 30, 2010.

Militia Force in Shahabuddin, Northern Afghanistan Supported by Coalition

A militia force in Shahabuddin, northern Afghanistan has been supported by the coalition forces in an attempt to provide security to this geographic area.  The concept is that the force is supported by the Afghan government with weapons, ammunition and funding and supervised by Afghan police and coalition forces.  However, there are questions about the program given the past history of militias in Afghanistan.  Read more in "Plan to convert Taliban, create defense force has promise and peril", Stars and Stripes, September 29, 2010.

"Failure to Communicate" - How Interpreters Can Help or Hurt the Military's Efforts

Neil Shea has wrote an excellent article about the use of interpreters in Afghanistan.  He states that the interpreters are not properly screened, are sometimes not motivated, and that military NCOs and Officers are not properly trained to use interpreters.  Read more in "Failure to Communicate", Foreign Policy, August 23, 2010.

Maps Depict Areas of Taliban Inicidents from 2004 to 2009

An NYU political science grad student has used an open source statistical programming tool to depict the spread of Taliban attacks from 2004 to 2009.  The data points are based on the huge amount of information contained in the WikiLeaks database.  View the maps at "Open Source Tools Turn WikiLeaks Into Illustrated Afghan Meltdown", Wired.com Danger Room, August 9, 2010.

Dogs Useful in Afghanistan in Bomb Search

Dogs are performing important functions in the fight against home-made bombs in Afghanistan.  Read more in "Dogs' sensory skills valued in war", Army Times, September 30, 2010.

Afghan Police take Heavy Losses

The Afghan National Police (ANP) are being pushed into the field with inadequate training and are taking heavy losses.  This is being reported in a recent news article.  Read about it in "100 policemen a month die in Afghanistan", The Telegraph, September 26, 2010.