Role of Neighbors in Rebuilding Afghanistan

A recent posting by Ajay Anil Cherian posted on International Policy Digest (October 12, 2014) entitled "Rebuilding Afghanistan: The Role of Its Neighbors" provides concrete reasons why the three countries of India, China, and Pakistan should provide substantial assistance to developing and reconstructing Afghanistan.

ISAF to Shut Down Anti-Corruption Task Force

The Pentagon will be shutting down a critical task force that has the responsibility to combat corruption in Afghanistan. The Combined Inter-Agency Task Force - Afghanistan (CIATF-A) was established in 2010 to ensure that U.S. money was going to the intended purpose - and not to Karzai's bank account in Dubai or into the coffers of the Taliban as a result of protection schemes. Many observers feel that the biggest problem in Afghanistan is not the Taliban but corruption at every level of Afghan society. Read more in "Afghanistan anti-corruption task force shuttered amid U.S. troop drawdown", The Washington Times, October 20, 2014.

Analysis of the Post-Election Afghan Govt

There are many perspectives on the future of Afghanistan and the challenges that the new government faces. One such perspective is given to us by Dr. Alexander Knyazev, a prominent Russian Orientalist, member of the Russian Geographic Society, and a professor at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. In his article "Afghanistan: A Dangerous Projection of Presidential Inauguration", Centre for Research on Globalization, October 20, 2014 he worries that the ethnic divisions within Afghanistan may soon surface, the current power arrangement between Ghani and Abdullah may fail, and points to weaknesses in the Ghani presidency.

SFAAT 200 Visits ABP Post On Iran Border

Security Force Assistance Advisor Team (SFAAT) 200 advises and assists the 705th Afghan Border Police (ABP) Zone Hqs with responsibility of the security of the Afghan-Iranian border. Recently SFAAT 200 went on a Staff Assistance Visit (SAV) and inspection that the ABP commander and his staff was conducting of a subordinate unit located at Islam Qala - an ABP post on the Iranian border. View a short video (2 mins) about the trip in "SFAAT 200 Meets with Afghan Leaders", DVIDS, October 20, 2014. (Photo from video).

Book - "Kidnapped by the Taliban"

The book "Kidnapped by the Taliban" is the story of an American aid doctor who was held captive by the Taliban in 2012. Doctor Dilip Joseph is a medical director for Morning Star Development in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was kidnapped, along with two Afghan colleagues, while visiting one of their medical clinics. He was rescued by Navy SEALs; but unfortunately one of the SEALs died during the rescue. Read an interview of Dr. Joseph in "Colorado Doctor Recounts Kidnap, Rescue in Afghanistan", CBS Denver, October 14, 2014.

Women and Afghanistan: Does Islamophobia Exist in the U.S.?

A article by Sara Erkal posted in the Brown Political Review suggests that Americans have a case of "islamophobia" when it comes to their perceptions of women in Afghanistan. I am not sure she has made her case sufficiently; but it was an interesting read. "Femme Fatales of Afghanistan and US Ignorance" (October 19, 2014).

Morning Coffee and 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. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Report - "Improving Strategic Competence"

RAND Corporation has released a new report entitled Improving Strategic Competence: Lessons from 13 Years of War. The report was released in October 2014 and has several well-known authors - Linda Robinson, Paul D. Miller, John Gordon IV, Jeffrey Decker, Michael Schwille, and Raphael S. Cohen. There are 170 pages in the document (Adobe Acrobat PDF). The report ". . . addresses a particular disconnect in the current debate on the future of national security strategy and the role of land-power caused by an inadequate examination of the national level of strategy made by the U.S. government".

The report has identified two trends from World War II to the Present -

1) "Land warfare has evolved from conventional combat against state actors and their standing forces to an increasing incidence of irregular warfare fought by joint forces against non-state actors. This has led to an increasing U.S. reliance on special operations forces".
2) "While the Army learns tactical and operational lessons from the wars it fights, it sometimes struggles to recognize the broader implications of its experience and adapt at a strategic level".

The report goes on to list "Seven Lessons from the Past 13 Years of War" and provides seven "Recommendations". You can read more about the report here and download it if interested.
www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR816.html

173rd Helps Train Italians for Resolute Support

The 173rd Airborne Brigade (stationed in Italy) are assisting elements from the Italian Army for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan (Resolute Support) where they will conduct a Security Force Assistance mission. The 173rd was recently deployed to Wardak and Logar provinces in Afghanistan and has recent combat experience. Classes were held in the Aosta Valley, Italy - home of the Italian Army's mountain warfare training center and school. The training consisted of military-to-military advising, counterinsurgency, and MDMP. The Italians will be advising the Afghan National Army (ANA). Read more in "US assists Italian hosts prior to Afghanistan deployment", DVIDS, October 16, 2014.

Wounded AP Reporter to Return to Afghanistan

On the day before the Afghanistan election in April 2014 two female correspondents were shot by an Afghan policeman in Khost province. The two women (working for the Associated Press) were in  a convoy under the protection of the Afghan security forces. While in a well-guarded compound they were shot and Anja Niedringhaus (AP photographer) died of her wounds. Kathy Gannon suffered six bullet wounds and is still recovering. But she vows to return to her job in Afghanistan. Read more in "Wounded AP reporter vows to return to Afghanistan", The Sacramento Bee, October 16, 2014.

Taliban Accuse US of Haqqani Leadership Arrests

More details are emerging about the arrests of two leading members of the Haqqani Network who were detained in a Persian Gulf country and transferred to the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) in Afghanistan. The Taliban has released statements accusing the United States of being behind the apprehension of the two Taliban senior leaders. The Taliban believe that American forces in the Gulf region captured the two men and then handed them over to Kabul via the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Read more in "Taliban: US Behind Khost Haqqani Arrests", Voice of America, October 18, 2014.

Story of UK Female Artist in Afghanistan

Here is a news account about a female artist from the United Kingdom who spent time with British military units and the Afghan people painting and drawing about the war in Afghanistan. Read more in "An artist in Afghanistan: 'To tell the story, you've got to take risks'", The Guardian, October 19, 2014.

"Retrograde in Full Swing"

A news release by the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) provides us with details on how Soldiers of aviation units at Bagram Air Field are preparing helicopters for the ride home back to the United States. See "Retrograde in full swing in Afghanistan" published October 18, 2014.

Book - "No Good Men Among the Living"

A new book about Afghanistan is now out entitled No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War Through Afghan Eyes by Anand Gopal. The author is a Wall Street Journal and Christian Science Monitor reporter. His book would seem to highlight the failures of the Afghan War rather than the successes. You can read a book review by Rory Stewart entitled "Afghanistan: A Shocking Indictment", The New York Review of Books, November 6, 2014 issue.

Video on USACE

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has made great contributions to the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. In this video by Armed Forces Network Afghanistan, LTG Tom Bostick (USACE Commander) and COL Pete Helmlinger (Commander of USACE Transatlantic Afghanistan District) are interviewed to explain what USACE has accomplished, the remaining projects still left to be completed, and why the reconstruction effort is needed in Afghanistan. (Published by AFN on YouTube n October 11, 2014 - 2 mins). www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGuFRXo1ypk

Timeline of Afghanistan's History

For those interested in Afghanistan's history over the past four plus centuries you can view "Timeline: Afghanistan since 1700" by The Cairo Review of Global Affairs.

Daily 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. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

COMISAF's Facebook Page

Don't you wish you could sit in the ISAF commander's office for a day to find out what is really going on? Well, you can . . . sort of. General John Campbell, COMISAF, wants you to know what is going on in the ISAF world. While he can't meet with you personally each and every day he will take some time out of his busy schedule to let you know what's up. You can like his facebook account and check out his daily activities. There are at least two posts a day and it is very informative. If you are stationed in Mazar-e-Sharif, BAF, KAF, Herat, Jalalabad, or Gamberi this is one way to stay informed on the activities taking place in Kabul on the ISAF compound. Photo to the left was a post by General Campbell on October 18, 2014 where he was meeting with a delegation from . . . hmmmm, doesn't say. Check out COMISAF's Facebook account at www.facebook.com/GENJohnCampbell.

Women and RoL in Afghanistan

A leading women's rights advocate in Afghanistan provides us with information on the great progress made in women's rights and the rule of Law. However she is worried that the international community will walk away from Afghanistan without finishing the work that needs to be done to solidify the gains. The author is Manizha Naderi, the executive director of Women for Afghan Women (WAW), works in Afghanistan providing counseling and mediation to victims of domestic violence, forced and underage marriages, rape and sex trafficking throughout Afghanistan. Read her essay in "New Threat to Afghan Women", The Cairo Review of Global  Affairs of the American University of Cairo, October 19, 2014.

Article - "Why We Lost in Iraq and Afghanistan"

LTG (Ret) Daniel Bolger, an infantry officer, has penned an article that provides an account of the U.S. military's mistakes in the Afghan and Iraq wars. Bolger commanded the NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan (NTM-A) in 2011-2013. The article is entitled "Why We Lost in Iraq and Afghanistan", Harper's Magazine, September 2014.  A bio of Bolger is available on Wikipedia and an article published in Time Magazine (May 2014) provides more information about his observations on the war. Although he left ISAF in 2013 his biography is still posted at this link on the ISAF website. He had two tours of  duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. He has a Master's Degree and a PhD in History form the University of Chicago and also taught at West Point. He has also authored several books. Now that he is retired he is teaching at a college in southeastern United States. He will soon have a book out (Nov 14) that he considers "the first AAR" on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More on the Detained Haqqani Network Leaders

There are new developments on the detention of the senior Haqqani Network leaders by the National Directorate of Security (NDS). Originally it was reported by the NDS that they were detained in Khost province; however, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the detention took place in a Persian Gulf nation and they were then flown to Afghanistan. It would appear that the support the Haqqani Network has received in the past by Gulf nations may be eroding ever so slightly. Read more in "Haqqani Leaders Detained in Persian Gulf not Inside Afghanistan", The Wall Street Journal, October 19, 2014.

Video - "Unmanned: America's Drone Wars"

A full-length video (60 minutes) entitled "Unmanned: America's Drone Wars" present an "alternative" view of the drone war conducted from the skies over Pakistan. This feature documentary is Brave New Films and directed by Robert Greenwald. There are over 70 interviews from victims, investigative journalists, and top military officials. The film focuses on the human cost of the drone war; not the military benefits of taking out the high and mid-level leadership of terrorist and insurgent organizations with drone attacks. You can view the video at the link below.

http://unmanned.warcosts.com/unmanned_about

Afghan Civilian Casualties at All Time High

Afghanistan's civilians are bearing the brunt of the war. While ISAF is strident in their message that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are in the lead in securing their country and defeating the Taliban they are worried about the inability of the ANSF to prevent civilian casualties. Read more in "In Afghanistan's unfinished war, civilians pay the price", Stars and Stripes, October 18, 2014.

Interpreters and New Zealand

It appears that sentiment toward aiding interpreters that served foreign military organizations in Afghanistan may be waning. Many nations have very restrictive regulations on how many (if any) former Afghan interpreters can enter their countries. The United States Department of State was notorious for their fool-hardy decisions in the past. It would appear that New Zealand is having some internal political disputes on this issue as well. See "No Asylum for Afghanistan's Interpreters: Defense Minister", New Zealand Times, October 15, 2014.

Video - Australia in Afghanistan

ISAF has released a short video (1 min) on Australia's mission in Afghanistan. You can view it on YouTube at the following link. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oesgOwy3XI

Analysis on Bilateral Security Agreement`

The Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) has provided us with their observations on the Bilateral Security Agreement in an article (dated October 17, 2014) entitled "Finally, Clarity on US Forces in Afghanistan".

Read Afghan War News with your Morning Coffee

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. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Difficulties in Forming Afghan NUG

The Afghan leadership are currently in their "honeymoon phase" of their newly formed "national unity government" or NUG. But soon the riffs will develop between the Ghani and Abdullah camps over selection of individuals for cabinet ministers and other senior leadership posts. Under the previous regime (Karzai) important leadership posts were filled under the patronage system. Karzai would divide these leadership positions to a wide-range of individuals - for the most part to reward his patronage net or to ensure the support of opposition leaders and powerful regional warlords. Many times provincial and district governors paid Karzai for their positions. Under Karzai the selection of government officials and provincial governors was not based on competence, training or education but on political loyalty. President Ghani has a plan to fill important positions based on skills and competence with a reform minded agenda but he will meet resistance from Abdullah who comes from a different mindset of ethnicity, patronage and quotas. Read more in "New Afghan leaders face culture clash as they form Cabinet", The Washington Post, October 17, 2014.

India and Afghanistan

India is taking a leading role in assisting Afghanistan in its reconstruction and governance efforts. At the same time; however, it is accused by Pakistan in engaging in a "proxy war" - setting up terrorist and intelligence nets within Afghanistan which will attack Pakistan's rear areas (along the Pakistan-Afghan border). Surely India has the occasional intelligence operative conducting his daily business - most all nations do this. But the accusations by Pakistan (at least from a study of open source news) seems unfounded. Certainly, India's escapades could not come close to the support the Pakistani intelligence service provides to the "good Taliban" that have sanctuary in Pakistan and mount operations in Afghanistan. India is doing a lot of good in Afghanistan. It is the largest regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Afghanistan. Some 4,000 Indians are working in construction projects. India is also assisting in numerous road projects, power plant initiatives, and other sectors of the economy. Read more in "Existential crisis for nascent democracy", The Free Press Journal (India), October 18, 2014.

IMU Leader Killed in Northern Afghanistan

A leader of the Jundullah militant group has been reported killed (news from a spokesman of the National Directorate of Security or NDS). The Jundullah is another name for the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Read more in "Militant Leader Killed in Northern Afghanistan", Radio Free Europe, October 17, 2014.

EU and the Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP)

The European Union (EU) and the government of Afghanistan have signed the basic document for the Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP). This document outlines the EU development and aid policy for the next 7 years. The total EU commitment will be 1400 million pounds or 200 million pounds per year. Most of the money will go toward Afghan health care programs. Read more in "EU policy for development cooperation in Afghanistan 2014-2020", European Network of NGO's in Afghanistan, October 17, 2014.

Afghan Election and Social Media

Sam Schneider, who at one time was the online editor for Tolo News, has posted an article on the South Asian Channel (Foreign Policy) on how Afghan social media has affected the elections and how it can sometimes be disruptive and inflame the tenuous political situation in Afghanistan. Facebook and Twitter are mediums that are very closely monitored and which provide instantaneous news alerts - although not always factual and sometimes inflammatory. In an attempt to add to the dialogue and shape the narrative the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) also has a twitter account at https://twitter.com/ISAFmedia and a Facebook account at www.facebook.com/ISAF .Read more in "A Double-Edged Sword: Social Media and the Afghan Election", The South Asia Channel (Foreign Policy), October 16, 2014.

1,000 DA Civilians Serve in Afghanistan

The Under Secretary of the Army Brad Carson recently spoke at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition and he commented on the value that Department of the Army civilians provide to the Army at large. There are over 1,000 DA civilians currently working in Afghanistan; and over 16,000 have served there over the years. Read more in "Civilian employees indispensable from Afghanistan to Africa", Army.mil, October 16, 2014.

Senator Levin Issues Warning on Afghanistan

The outgoing chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Carl Levin, says that "public disillusionment and disengagement with Afghanistan threatens the fragile progress taking root amid the United States' longest war". He made his comments during a speech to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) earlier this week. Read more in "Outgoing Armed Services chair warns about waning support for Afghanistan", Stars and Stripes, October 15, 2014.

Osprey Crews Return Home

Members of the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing returned home (New River, NC) in mid-October after completing their nine-month long deployment in Afghanistan. The squadron provided support with emergency casualty evacuations, resupply operations, and troop movements. Read more in "Welcome Home: Marines embrace families, friends after Afghan deployment", DVIDS, October 17, 2014.

Taliban's Financial Activities replace Ideology

The motivation for many of the Taliban may no longer be revenge or ideology according to a recent online article posted on Foreign Policy. The authors believe that money has now become the primary motivator for belonging to the Taliban. They state that the Taliban have become the ". . . gatekeepers to a host of black market activities that both sustain the organization and help recruit members". Recommendations from the authors include strategies that address these extra-legal funding sources. Sources of money include the drug trade, protection money paid by international and government contracts, Islamic taxes, smuggling, and other financial activities. The article explores three transforming periods of time of the Taliban (post-2001) explaining how it went from an ideological organization to one very keen on financial activities. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between a Taliban organization and a criminal patronage network in several provinces. Read more in "The Taliban's Transformation from Ideology to Franchise", The South Asia Channel Foreign Policy, October 17, 2014.

Afghan War News via Email

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. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

19th Special Forces Group Doing Its Part

The U.S. Army Special Forces has a unique set of missions that set it off from the rest of the Army in general. This mission set is very arduous and complicated requiring intense Special Forces training to ensure that the SF Soldiers meet the highest standards and are ready to tackle almost any mission it is confronted with. Special Forces tend to be very unconventional; of course, Unconventional Warfare (UW) is one of their primary missions. As a result of their extensive training and the ability to think and operate "outside the box" they tend to break some of the rules just a little bit from time to time. This is true while deployed in a war zone, operating overseas on training exercise, or while at home station cooling their heels between war zone deployments (of which there are many). SF Soldiers also like to take care of their own and others - especially the wounded from the long-running wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

The 19th Special Forces Group, a unit that probably has deployed each of their members to Afghanistan or Iraq at least four or five times in the past 13 years, has probably gotten itself into "hot water" in assisting a very worthy cause - called "Help for Heroes" - which is an organization dedicated to helping wounded veterans from the United Kingdom. Some young women from the United Kingdom were looking for a location to shoot some photos that will appear in a calendar that will raise money for needy wounded war veterans. The 19th Special Forces Group heroically stepped up to the plate to assist. However, it appears that some "naysayers" are casting doubts on the wisdom of providing this assistance to fellow wounded veterans from across the pond (the same ones that have their SAS chaps in Afghanistan and Iraq (in the fight against ISIS) working alongside us at the moment). Seems there are some pouty pusses out there that have their panties in a wad who not happy with 19th SFGA and they are pushing for an investigation. You can watch a video on YouTube that provides some behind-the-scenes "scenery" on the photo shoot for the Hot Shots 2015 calendar, If your interested in the calendar you can learn more here at www.hotshotscalendar.com. Myself? I give a tip of the hat to 19th Special Forces Group!

Turkmenistan is Worried About the Taliban

The Turkmenistan government is deeply concerned about a post-2014 Afghanistan. With ISAF leaving at the end of 2014 there will be very little foreign combat troops left in the country. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) will be doing almost all of the fighting with very little close air support and aerial ISR assets. Turkmenistan is taking steps to seal its border. There are almost one million ethnic Turkmens in Afghanistan - and these people have enjoyed great freedom of movement across the border. However, that is all changing - especially in Faryab and Jowzjan provinces. In the past few years the situation in northern Afghanistan has deteriorated. Regional Command North (now called TAAC North) collapsed its military units from the eastern and western sectors of northern Afghanistan into the center (at Camp Marmal near Mazar-e-Sharif). As a result the Taliban are enjoying greater freedom of movement and the ANSF are taking some heavy losses. Read more in "Turkmenistan Prepares for Post-2014 Afghanistan", The Diplomat, October 16, 2014.

UK Moving Drones from Afghanistan to Iraq

Britain will soon be moving its unmanned armed drones from Afghanistan to Iraq. The United Kingdom has been one of the early members of the anti-ISIS coalition and has committed aircraft (eight RAF Tornado fighter jets) and special operations forces to the conflict with ISIS. The UK's armed drone is the Reaper which can launch bombs and missiles. It usually carries two Paveway laser-guided bombs and four Hellfire missiles for precision strikes. Read more in "Britain to re-deploy drones from Afghanistan to Iraq", Yahoo! News, October 16, 2014.

Special Forces Stretched Too Thin?

The U.S. Special Forces have been at war for over 13 years. It's members have deployed year after year to war zones (Iraq and Afghanistan), conflict areas (Philippines, Africa, eastern Europe, etc.), and maintained a year to year presence in over 80 countries on various training missions. The operational tempo is taking its toll. Suicides within the force are at an all-time high and many members are opting out after ten years of service in light of the Army's stance on cutting pay and benefits. Everyone looked at end of the Iraq mission in late 2011 and the end of the ISAF mission in late 2014 (it will transition to Resolute Support with a reduced SF presence conducting Security Force Assistance) as an opportunity to catch their breath. But now the conflict with ISIS has developed. Are the Special Forces stretched too thin? Read more in "Are America's special operations forces in crisis?", The Week, October 16, 2014.

RC South now TAAC South

Regional Command South is now known as Train Advise and Assist Command South or TAAC South. As part of the draw down of ISAF forces and the transition to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to be in the lead for security the ISAF mission will end in December 2014. The NATO mission will continue under the Resolute Support mission - which will be primarily Security Force Assistance. There are sixteen partner nations in TAAC South. Read more in "RC-South transitions KAF to TAAC-South", Fort Hood Sentinel, October 16, 2014.

7th SFGA Soldiers Honored for Afghan Duty

An awards ceremony was conducted at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida for members of the 7th Special Forces Group who served in Afghanistan. Colonel Christopher Riga (7th SFGA Commander) and BG Michael Turello (Deputy Command of USASFC) presided over the ceremony. Read more in "7th soldiers honored for duty in Afghanistan", NWF Daily News, October 17, 2014.

Karzai Clan Wary of Corruption Investigations - Book Ticket for Dubai

Okay. I am just kidding. Hamid Karzai has not booked a ticket to Dubai (where his palatial palaces have been built with western aid money). He doesn't have to book a ticket as he probably has his own private plane. The new president of Afghanistan, President Ghani, has reopened a number of high-profile corruption cases (including the notorious Kabul Bank investigation) and that has the Karzai clan very worried. Two of the Karzai clan (one brother of Hamid) were implicated in the bank scandal and were forced to repay millions of dollars to avoid jail time; however, . . . the money was never repaid. President Karzai granted immunity to the guilty parties and they are still free living the high life in Kabul. Hmmmm, maybe they will need to head to the airport and get on a Safi flight before they end up behind bars. Read more in "Afghanistan: Karzais On The Run", Strategy Page, October 17, 2014.

Khost Protection Force Suffers Casualties

Eight Afghan soldiers belonging to the Khost Protection Force were killed during an engagement in eastern Afghanistan. The deaths were caused by a car bomb that exploded during a raid on a remote compound by the paramilitary unit. Once they had secured the compound a car bomb went off. The Khost Protection Force was established, supported, and paid for by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Read more in "Car Bomb Kills 8 Afghans From Unit Linked to C.I.A.", The New York Times, October 15, 2014.

Former COMISAF Now Commandant of Marine Corps

General Joe Dunford, the former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (COMISAF) is now the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. He is the 26th commandant, replacing General James Amos. Dunford also served in Iraq as the commander of the 5th Marine Regiment. Read more in "Dunford takes over for Amos as commandant of the US Marine Corps", Stars and Stripes,  October 17, 2014.

NDS Arrest two Haqqani Leaders

The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) has arrested two senior leaders of the Haqqani Network in eastern Khost province. This, if true, is likely a major blow to the Pakistan-based militant group. The Haqqani Group receives support, protection sanctuary, and operational assistance from the Pakistan intelligence service. Read more in "2 Haqqani leaders arrested by Afghan intelligence", Stars and Stripes, October 16, 2014.

Afghan War News Daily Newsletter via E-mail

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. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Joint Task Force Thor Stands Up

The United States Army has stood up Joint Task Force Thor on October 1, 2014. The United States Air Force has inactivated the 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron which has been operating as part of Task Force Odin. The 4th ERS was part of the Project Liberty program created in response to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirement shortfalls in the skies of Afghanistan. The 4th ERS core mission was to provide real-time tactical aerial ISR to combatant commanders using the MC-12W aircraft (a modified version of the Beechcraft 350). The aerial ISR provided the ability to "find, fix, and finish" the enemy - an important factor in the intelligence world of a counterinsurgent. The MC-12W planes are now transferred to JTF Thor. Read more in "Find, fix and finish: Air Force MC-12W mission transitions to Army", DVIDS, October 15, 2014. Learn more about Joint Task Force Thor in Afghanistan.

UNDP Can't Find $200 Million for LOTFA

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is responsible for administering the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA). A recent investigation by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) finds that there is $200 million that was taken from the LOFTA fund by the Ministry of Interior that is unaccounted for. SIGAR has sent a letter to Helen Clark (admistrator of the UNDP) asking for clarification. The UNDP has had a troubled past in administering and providing oversight on the billions of dollars given by member nations to LOFTA; and it seems that poor performance is continuing . . . as well as Afghan corruption. The Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan is used to support police remunerations, police infrastructure, and police capacity development. The money is provided by the international community - funneled through the UNDP into the LOFTA fund - and then given to the Afghans for "national execution". That means we give the money to the Afghans so they can develop their programs, budgets and execution plans. Sure . . . that sounds good . . . it helps develop "institutional capacity" and "organizational capability". But there is a "BIG BUT"; there should be some rigorous oversight to ensure the Afghan crooks don't run off with the money. And that is something that the United Nations, the international community at large, and ISAF have failed at miserably through the years. There is a horrendous lack of oversight to ensure that crooks (like Karzai) don't run off to Dubai with suitcases filled with greenbacks. Read more in this story in "UN agency blamed after hundreds of millions diverted from Afghan fund", Fox News, October 16, 2014.