Taliban - Ruling Villages Through Fear

A recent news report depicts how the Taliban can control a village through fear and intimidation.  It also shows that given some support from the Afghan National Army (ANA) and coalition forces Afghan villagers will attempt to stand up to these Taliban fear tactics.  Read more in "Canadians, Afghans confront Taliban legacy of fear in small village", The Gazette, December 26, 2010.

United Nation Maps Depict Worsening Security Situation in Afghanistan

The Wall Street Journal published an article citing two United Nations maps of Afghanistan that depict a worsening security situation in Afghanistan.  Read more in "Afghan Security Deteriorates", The Wall Street Journal, December 27, 2010.

Coalition Reports Progress in Afghan War

A coalition spokesman recently detailed the progress that military forces have made in Afghanistan against the Taliban. During the same time frame The Wall Street Journal reported that security has worsened in many areas of Afghanistan based on reports from the United Nations.  Read more in "Coalition Reports Progress in Afghanistan, UN Data Paint Bleaker Picture", Voice of America, December 27, 2010.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Afghanistan and USAID: Some Background

The Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) located in 26 regional areas across Afghanistan are an interagency effort to deliver governance and development to rural areas.  The PRTs assist the Afghan government, coalition military and the international community in delivering assistance at the provincial and district levels.

USAID plays a major role with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams.  Read a fact sheet on USAID and the PRTs at the link below:

http://afghanistan.usaid.gov/en/Page.PRT.aspx

The Baltimore Sun Calls for New Afghan Strategy

The Baltimore Sun has called for the withdrawal of most U.S. forces from Afghanistan.  It says that we have reached a stalemate in Afghanistan. While we can kill the Taliban mid-level leadership in large numbers they have the ability to regenerate.  The sanctuaries in Pakistan still exist due to Pakistan's two-faced policy towards the war, Karzai is ineffective, corrupt and an undependable ally.  The Sun says we should keep a small Special Forces contingent and drones in the war to hit al Qaeda targets when they appear and withdraw the bulk of our forces.  See "The longest war", The Baltimore Sun, December 15, 2010.

International Council on Security and Development (ICSD) Comments on White House Afghan Report

The President and founder of the International Council on Security and Development (ICSD), Norrine Macdonald, has commented on the latest White House report on Afghanistan.  Some points raised include a surprising increase in support for women's rights, a lack of understanding by the Afghans of why we are occupying their country, the inability of the Afghan government to connect with the population in the rural areas, and the questionable loyalty of the Afghan security forces - specifically the Afghan National Police (ANP).  Read her article in "The good, the bad, and the ugly in Afghanistan, The AfPak Channel, Foreign Policy, December 16, 2010.

Bill Harris - Senior Diplomat for Kandahar Province - Provides Insight to War

Bill Harris, at one time the senior diplomat for Kandahar Province, has returned to the states after a one-year long tour of duty in Afghanistan. In this news article he provides his perspective on the Afghan War - including what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong. Read his thoughts on the war in "Civilian leader: This is our war to lose", Colorado Springs Independent, December 23, 2010.

Elders Meet with Afghan and Coalition Leaders in Bakwah District, Farah Province

"Nearly 50 elders met with Afghan and coalition leaders in Bakwah District, Farah province to discuss the process of fostering increased security in the district through reintegration Dec. 20.  Six Afghan brigadier generals represented the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, Afghan Border Police and National Security Dictorate. They accompanied the Regional Command-West commander and governor of Farah." 

Read the rest of the article in "Afghan, coalition leaders discuss progress", DVIDS, December 24, 2010.

Iranian al Quds Agent Captured in Afghanistan

It has long been known that Iran has been supporting elements of the Taliban.  A member of the Iranian al Quds force was recently captured by U.S. Special Forces in Kandahar on December 18, 2010.  The agent is accused of supplying weapons from Iran to Taliban fighters for attacks on British and American Soldiers.  Read more in "Forces in Afghanistan Face New Threat From Iran", Fox News, December 24, 2010.

Progress in Arghandab District - Zabul Province, Afghanistan

A news correspondent visits the Arghandab District of Zabul Province and cites examples of how things have gotten better in terms of security, schools, roads, and markets.  Read "Good News, for a Change", The Weekly Standard, December 4, 2010.

 

Happy Holidays

from the staff at

www.AfghanWarNews.Info

Petraeus Comments on Strategy Aspects of Afghan War

General Petraeus has commented recently on the strategy for the Afghan war.  See "Petraeus: All Strategy Aspects Contribute to Progress", U.S. Department of Defense, December 17, 2010.

Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan has Harsh Words for Karzai

The WikiLeaks documents show that Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan has a dim view of Karzai and his corrupt half-brother in Kandahar.  Read more in "Canadian envoy didn't mince words about Hamid Karzai", The Globe and Mail, December 3, 2010.

Hazaras of Afghanistan Gain Political Power in Parliamentary Elections

The recent parliamentary elections in Afghanistan revealed a united Hazara ethnic group that is flexing its political muscle.  The minority Hazaras are experiencing some political freedoms it has not known recently.  This newly found political power came about as some Pashtuns have seen their candidates ousted in the elections; this due to Taliban threats against voters, too many Pashtun candidates, and lack of interest in the elections.  See "Afghanistan's Hazaras gain clout in disputed parliamentary elections", The Washington Post, December 24, 2010.

Medical Supplies for Afghan Army Diverted by Corrupt Afghan Officials

Another instance of corruption by Afghan officials has now been reported by the media.  This case involves the diversion of medical supplies for the Afghan army by corrupt Afghan officials within the Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD).  Read more in "US medicines for Afghan soldiers disappear", Yahoo! News, December 24, 2010.

The Effort in Afghanistan Needs a Policy Ground in Reality

Louis Arbor - a former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - is currently the president and CEO of the International Crisis Group.  Read an insightful critique of the war strategy by Arbor in "Get real: That's the road to Afghan peace", The Globe and Mail, December 23, 2010.

Canadian Special Operations Command to Replace Current Fleet of Reconnaissance Vehicles

The Canadian Special Operations Command (CANSOFCOM) is looking to replace the HUMVEE fleet currently in use by forces such as JTF-2 in Afghanistan.  See "Special Forces put park order for new trucks", Ottawa Citizen, December 22, 2010.

Corruption and the Karzai Clan in Kandahar

The WikiLeaks has released thousands of documents that clearly will endanger lives and harm the war effort.  On the other hand, it has certainly exposed just how corrupt the Karzai regime is.  Money is pumping into the pockets of the extended Karzai clan, being dumped into overseas bank accounts, and the US and its allies are being taken to the cleaners.  Read more in "Cable from Kandahar: You can't buy peace", The Globe and Mail, December 4, 2010.

Dec 2010 War Review - Fragile Progress (Wall Street Journal)

According to the White House review of the Afghan War - the president thinks that the U.S. is on track in Afghanistan but that the gains are fragile.  Read some commentary on this report in "Obama Says Afghan Goals are on Track", by Julian Barnes, The Wall Street Journal, December 16, 2010. 

Story Behind Ban on Security Contractors in Afghanistan

Matthieu Aikins has wrote a piece on the background of the dispute between Karzai and the west concerning private contracting security firms.  While Karzai takes the public line that security contractors are in violation of Afghan law and counter to the interests of Afghan citizens he is maneuvering himself and his cronies for political control and monetary gain by allowing only those security firms he can control to work in Afghanistan.  Read more in "The Real Story Behind the Ban on Contractors", Foreign Policy, December 23, 2010.

Military Campaign in Southern Afghanistan Taking Its Toll on Taliban

The military operations of the past several months have taken its toll on the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.  Read more in "Afghan Taliban leadership splintered by intense US military campaign", The Guardian, December 22, 2010.

Afghan Culture - Dancing Boys

Afghan culture - especially among the Pashtuns of the south and east - is sometimes perplexing to U.S. combat troops. This is especially true when it comes to the practice of "dancing boys" or what we in the U.S. would call pedophilia.  Read more in "Afghan sex practices concern U.S., British forces", Washington Examiner, December 20, 2010.

British Troops to Pursue Taliban During Winter Months

A recent report says that British troops will pursue the Taliban in their traditional winter hideouts.  Read more in "British Troops Will Hunt Taliban's Winter Hideouts, Says Senior Officer", The Guardian, December 21, 2010.

ATCO Wins NATO Contract for Support Services in Kandahar

ATCO Structures and Logistics has been awarded a contract to provide support and utility services to NATO at the Kandahar Airfield.  They will handle life support systems at the base.  Read more in "ATCO Wins NATO Contract for Military Camp Support Services at Kandahar Airport", American Consumer News, December 1, 2010.

Reports Say that Special Forces Will Mount Cross-Border Operations into Pakistan

A New York Times (December 20, 2010) report says that the military wants to mount raids into Pakistan in an attempt to capture high-level Taliban insurgents and gather intelligence.  The news article indicates that CIA trained and equipped Afghan militias are already doing some cross-border operations.  Read more in "U.S. Military Seeks to Expand Raids in Pakistan". 

Secret Operations by Special Forces in Pakistan

According to a number of news articles U.S. Special Forces have been operating in Pakistan for some time.  The Wikileaks website has posted SECRET documents that indicate a small but important military presence has been aiding the Pakistan military in the fight against militant extremists in Pakistan.  Read more in "The (Not So) Secret (Anymore) US War in Pakistan", The Nation, December 1, 2010.

Human Terrain System - BAE Systems Failed Article Says

The BAE Systems contract for the Army providing staffers for the Human Terrain System (HTS) has been spotlighted by a recent news article.  See "Hundreds of Army Social Scientists Unqualified, Former Boss Says", Wired.com Danger Room, December 21, 2010.

Covert War in Pakistan

Slate Magazine has published an article about the secret drone war in Pakistan conducted by the CIA.  Read more in "Two Ways of Looking at Our Covert War in Pakistan", Slate, December 20, 2010.

Afghan War: Strategic Patience or Strategic Denial

A columnist writes an opinion on the Afghan war.  He cites White House and military quotes about "strategic patience" yet wonders if these same spokespersons are in denial.  Read more in "The darkness of our wars", by James Carroll, The Boston Globe, December 20, 2010.

SIGAR States Billions of Aid Dollars Wasted or Stolen in Afghanistan

The special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, Arnold Fields, has stated that the U.S. has wasted or seen stolen by corrupt Afghan officials billions of dollars of aid money meant for training the Afghan security forces or for development and aid purposes.  Read more in "Waste in US Afghan aid seen at billions of dollars", Reuters, December 20, 2010.

More MRAPs to go to Afghanistan

"Navistar, Oshkosh and General Dynamics Canada have recently received new orders worth almost one billion dollar, for the delivery of additional MRAP variants, in support of U.S. forces operations in Afghanistan. GDLS Canada received orders to supply 691 modernization kits to support RG-31Mk5E vehicles, Oshkosh will deliver 250 new ambulances based on the MRAP All Terrain Vehicle, while was awarded two contracts to supply 425 MaxxPro type MRAP vehicles, including 175 MaxxPro Dash equipped with independent suspension - for All-Terrain Mobility, and 250 Maxxpro based MRAP-Recovery Vehicles."

Read the rest of the article in "More MRAP to Support U.S. Forces in Afghanistan", Defense Update, December 18, 2010.

Afghan War Fatigue in American Public and Press

The news in America covers a multitude of topics each week.  A recent  study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism reveals that only 4% of the news deals with the war in Afghanistan.  Read more in "Afghan War Just a Slice of U.S. Coverage", The New York Times, December 19, 2010.

An Assessment of Humanitarian Needs in Afghanistan

ReliefWeb has posted an assessment of humanitarian needs of the Afghan populace on their website.  The extensive review of the aid situation in Afghanistan is explored with recommendations on how to meet some of the humanitarian needs.  See "Afghanistan: In a Time of Conflict", ReliefWeb, December 1, 2010.

New Guidelines for Night Raids in Afghanistan

Coalition troops in Afghanistan are now working under new guidelines for the conduct of night raids.  Read more in "New guidelines for night raids in Afghanistan, coalition official says", CNN News, December 17, 2010.

Frank Ruggiero Replaces Holbrooke as acting U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan

"The death on December 13 of U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who was President Barack Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, blew a gaping hole in the U.S. team heading up the civilian mission of the White House's strategy.  On Friday, December 10, Holbrooke was meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when he fell ill and was rushed to hospital. Three days later, he was gone -- the victim of a ruptured aorta.  The drama unfolded at the start of the week in which the White House was set to unveil its long awaited strategy review of the war in Afghanistan.  State Department spokesman Philip Crowley announced the day after Holbrooke's death, on December 14, that one of his top deputies, Frank Ruggiero would step in as acting special envoy." 

Read the rest of the article here at Eurasianet.org (December 18, 2010).

Gates Dicusses Afghan Plan

In a recent news article Secretary of Defense Gates discusses the progress being made in Afghanistan and the plan that brings us to 2014.  See "Clear, Hold, Handoff Remains Afghan Plan", DoD Buzz, December 16, 2010.

Strategic Achilles Heels of Afghan War

The two biggest impediments to success in the Afghan War are the sanctuaries in Pakistan that the Taliban enjoy and the lack of progress by the central government to put personnel into areas cleared by combat operations.  A correspondent recently visited Afghanistan and interviewed General Petreaus where these issues and others were discussed.  Read more in "Worldview: Petreaus has answers on Afghanistan, based on hope", Philadelphia Inquirer, December 19, 2010.

Santuaries in Pakistan Hamper Progress in Afghanistan

More and more correspondents are noting the relevance of the sanctuaries that the Taliban enjoy in Pakistan and the effect that these safe areas have on the conduct of the war.  Read "Sanctuaries Hamper Progress in Afghanistan", Atlantic Sentinel, December 19, 2010.

U.S. Military's Infantry Burdened by Heavy Loads

The U.S. infantryman is supposed to close and destroy the enemy.  That is hard to do when you are wearing 80 lbs of high-speed, light-weight gear plus radios, body armor, helmet, ammunition, water, food, medical supplies, and more.  The Taliban fighter carries an AK-47 and a few magazines of ammunition.  The Taliban fighter is much more mobile.  An article recently published analyzes this dilemma and offers some suggestions to put our technological advantages to use to aid our heavily-burdened infantryman.  Read more in "Lightning Infantry: U.S. Technological Advantage and the Need for Modern Light Infantry", American Chronicle, December 19, 2010.

A Balanced Approach in Strategy Needed in Afghanistan

Frederick Kagan and Kimberly Kagan have penned an article calling for a balanced approach to our strategy in Afghanistan.  The Kagan's are independent military analysts who have conducted research for commanders in Afghanistan and are associated with the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for the Study of War.  Read their article in "Our best chance in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, December 19, 2010.

Canadian Training Mission in Afghanistan Still in Planning Stages

The transition to a combat role to a training role for Canadian military members in Afghanistan is still in the early planning stages. Various options will be explored over the coming months.  It is likely that about 900 military members will be working on the large NATO base in the Kabul area.  Read more in "Details of Afghanistan training mission still undecided", The Globe and Mail, December 1, 2010.

Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan (Nov 2010)

"The November 2010 release of the “Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan,” a report to Congress in accordance with section 1230 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181) as amended, was provided today to Congress."

The contents of the report include the current strategy, Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), security situation, governance, reconstruction and development and regional engagement.  The report is an Adobe Acrobat document, is 105 pages long, and is posted at the link below:

http://www.defense.gov/pubs/November_1230_Report_FINAL.pdf

Kandahar ANP Officer Course Graduates First Students

An Afghan National Police (ANP) training center has opened in Kandahar, Afghanistan and it has graduated its first class of police officer candidates.  The new training center is for police cadets from the south of Afghanistan.  The officer school is designed for locally recruited trainees who will be stationed near their homes.  Read more in "NATO General Visits Kandahar's first ANP Officer Candidate Class", NTM-A, December 19, 2010.

Operation Moshtarak in Marjah, Afghanistan Yields Results

The head of the Helmand Province Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) recently visited Marjah to assess the situation. He is optimistic that things are going in the right direction.  Read more in "Marjeh revisited", UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office News, December 1, 2010.

Limited Success in Afghan War (Seattle PI)

A recent news article in the Seattle PI states that the U.S. troop surge has bought some time in the Afghan War but that victory is still a distant goal.  The article says that some short-term tactical victories have occurred on the ground in Helmand and Kandahar Province but other factors still loom large.  These factors include the inability of the Afghan government to extend its reach beyond the district or provincial level, the effectiveness of the Afghan National Police (ANP), and the reluctance of Pakistan to disrupt the Taliban strongholds in the frontier provinces of Pakistan adjacent to Afghanistan.  Read "US Afghan troop surge buys time but not victory" (December 18, 2010).

Washington Post Editorial Cites Steady Progress in Afghan

A recent editorial by The Washington Post cites some progress in the Afghan War.  It mentions the success in Kandahar Province and the adjacent Helmand Province where the Taliban have been dislodged.  While the editorial says Obama's policy is not a resounding success it does point to signs of progress.  See "Steady in Afghanistan" (December 18, 2010).

Congressman With War Experience Criticizes IED Efforts in Afghanistan

A Congressman with war experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan is critical of counter-IED efforts in Afghanistan.  He states that ODIN was a successful program in Iraq that targeted the IED cells and that a similar program in Afghanistan would eliminate some of the deaths and injuries due to IEDs.  Read more in "Centralized Counter-IED Tactics in Afghanistan", Human Events, November 29, 2010.

MG Campbell Talks about Regional Command East in Afghanistan

Major General Campbell of the 101st Airborne Division provides some insight on the fight in Regional Command East.  See "Commander Describes Nature of Eastern Afghanistan Fight", DoD, December 15, 2010.

Dec 2010 Report Card on Afghanistan

With the end of the year approaching many are grading the US involvement in Afghanistan in terms of progress made.  See "For Obama, A Mixed Report Card From Afghanistan", NPR, December 10, 2010.

Brookings Institution Looks at the Afghanistan-Pakistan Review

The Afghanistan-Pakistan Review has been completed and the Brookings Institution has done an analysis of the paper.  See "Afghanistan-Pakistan Review Acknowledges Challenges", Brookings Institution, December 16, 2010.