Afghan War Blog

Saturday, November 1, 2014

AVATAR - SOCOM Data Mining

AVATAR is an open-source data-mining program to be run by Special Operations Command (SOCOM) at the tactical, strategic, and operational levels. AVATAR stands for "Automated Visualization for Tailored Analytical Reporting". The objective of AVATAR is to filter and display open-source information that is specific and timely to the needs of Special Operations Forces. Read more in "SOCOM Wants to Start Data Mining the Open Web", Defense News, October 25, 2014.

Daily War News About Afghanistan

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Friday, October 31, 2014

SIGAR Quarterly Report October 2014

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has released its Quarterly Report to Congress dated October 30, 2014. The ". . . report provides a summary of SIGAR's oversight work and an update on developments in the three major sectors of Afghanistan's reconstruction effort from July 1 to September 30, 2014. It also includes a discussion of U.S. counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan. During this reporting period, SIGAR published 31 audits, inspections, alert letters, and other products assessing the U.S. efforts to build the Afghan security forces, improve governance, and facilitate economic and social development."

www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2014-10-30qr.pdf

NATO Promises Afghans Air Support After 2014

The A-29 Tucano was supposed to be in the AAF by
now but Congressional meddling held up the program.

The international military coalition says it will continue to provide air support to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) after the last combat troops leave Afghanistan in December 2014. According to General Zahir Azimi, a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, there was a recent agreement between Afghanistan and NATO on continued aviation support until the Afghan Air Force (AAF) has the sufficient capacity - likely to occur at the end of 2016. Some observers might make note that this is a bit of a reversal by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). During the past two years (2013 and 2014) ISAF's stand was that the Afghan security forces need to be able to conduct operations without air support (close air support, movement of equipment and personnel, and MEDEVAC) and that the Afghan Air Force would be able to support the ANSF by itself after ISAF departs (December 2014). A few factors have probably altered that stance. The Afghan Air Force is taking a lot longer to stand up. The AAF has been plagued by misuse drug running, corruption and illiteracy, and mismanagement by the United States Air Force. One of the few bright spots has been the Special Mission Wing (SMW). Despite the promise of air support many feel that it is a hollow promise; the lack of a robust ISAF air support presence will limit ISAF's ability to provide the air support needed by the ANSF. (See "NATO Defense Spending Cutbacks May Hurt Afghanistan As Air Support Dwindles", International Business Times, October 29, 2014).

Transport Capability of AAF. The Mi-17 helicopter program is just now coming up to the 87 ship strength but the crews (flying and maintenance) are still not able to conduct all-weather and night-flying operations (only a few can, like the SMW) and maintain the aircraft. In addition, the U.S. Congress is hot about the use of Russian helicopters in the AAF. The Afghans are still not able to maintain their own helicopters to a sufficient degree and will need help in the future years in this area. The C-27A program of 20 light transport aircraft has been an extreme embarrassment to the U.S. Air Force - 16 of the 20 were recently scrapped for 6 cents a pound; four are still at an airbase in Germany yet to deploy to Afghanistan. Plans to replace the 20 C-27As with four C-130s have fallen into question - the first two delivered had a utilization rate of 48% because of the lack of Afghan crews. The third was just delivered and delivery of the fourth C-130 is now on hold.

Close Air Support. The ability of the AAF to support the ANSF is very limited. There are about 11 Mi-35 Attack Helicopters of which only a few can fly; and those crews are not very experienced. The Mi-35s are to be replaced by the A-29 Tucano but that deployment was stalled for two years by Congressional members who favored a U.S. built aircraft from a competing company. The first Tucano arrived at Moody Air Force Base in September 2014 to start the initial training. Recent news reports indicate that the U.S. is going to "weaponize" the MD 530F helicopters currently in the AAF; good news but a little late.

2014 Fighting Season. In addition, the ANSF had its worst fighting season ever in terms of numbers of casualties and the Taliban threatened some districts with fighter formations in the hundreds. ISAF was forced to assist the Afghans during August and September 2014 with a significant number of air sorties; a large increase over support provided over the past two years. So . . . we now see a reversal on the decreased use of air support which is the right thing to do; we should never had withheld the air support in 2013 and 2014. We do want the Afghans to win; don't we?

ISAF Now Classifying ANSF Assessments

According to recent news reports the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is now classifying assessments of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). ISAF uses the Regional ANSF Status Report (RASR) to rate the various elements of the Afghan National Security Forces. The RASR is a monthly report that provides an update on the readiness, long-term sustainability, and associated shortfalls of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan Local Police (ANP). The RASR executive summary provides a high-level overview of the ANSF corps-level units across several operational effectiveness pillars and up until now has been unclassified. The bulk of the RASR that deals with units at the operational and tactical level was always classified.

The ANSF has some serious capability gaps (intelligence, close air support, logistics, aviation, MEDEVAC, aerial ISR, etc.). ISAF feels that sharing information about those capability gaps and vulnerabilities could harm the operational effort. Of course, the classification of the reports (capability ratings of the ANSF) denies the United States public an accurate picture of what is really going on with the development of the ANSF. There are many ongoing assessments of the ANSF that are available, but the ISAF assessments generally are more revealing and accurate.

Whether the classification of the general high-level overview is truly warranted is hard to determine. It seems that the general shortfalls of the ANSF are well-known so what "classified" information is ISAF really trying to protect? Sometimes the protection of information is truly warranted on an intelligence and operational basis and sometimes it is part of the "information operations" campaign of ISAF. Hard telling not knowing.

Read more in "U.S. Military Classifying Assessments of Afghan Military", Bloomberg Businessweek, October 30, 2014. See also "The Capabilities of the Afghan Military are Suddenly a Secret", Time.com, October 30, 2014.

ISAF Legal Advisors Meet Afghan Counterparts

The Legal Advisors for ISAF met with their Afghan counterparts at a conference in Kabul. Read more in this ISAF News release (October 30, 2014).

Germany and Uzbekistan Base Negotiations

Uzbekistan is squeezing Germany hard for allowing the use of the Termez Air Base in Uzbekistan. Germany uses the base as a transit point for personnel and equipment going into and out of Afghanistan; principally Camp Marmal located just outside the city of Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. Germany has committed itself to participation in the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan that begins in January 2015. One would think that Uzbekistan would be interested in a secure Afghanistan especially in light of the threat that the IMU poses to its southern border but . . . not so much. Looks like the bank account balance is the driving issue for Uzbekistan; and they will worry about that jihad thing later. Read more in "Helicopter Crash Complicates Germany-Uzbekistan Base Negotiations", The Bug Pit (Eurasianet.org), October 28, 2014.

B-1B Bomber Blamed for Friendly Fire Incident

A newspaper report has stated that a B1 Bomber played a role in the deaths of five U.S. Army personnel in Zabul province. According to the report "The B-1B's sheer size required it to fly a wide orbit of five miles for optimum bombing as it made right turns over the nighttime battle site. This put it outside the range of night vision goggles. The goggles were the only equipment the bomber had to identify the infrared strobe lights worn by U.S. troops to distinguish them from the enemy and to keep them safe". News accounts like this one will likely generate support in Congress for keeping the A-10 Thunderbolt in the U.S. Air Force inventory; as it is the best suited aircraft for close air support. Read more in "Budget cuts, errant B1 bomber blamed in deadly 'friendly fire' accident in Afghan war", The Washington Times, October 29, 2014.

Start A.M. with Afghan War News

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Paper - "China's Foreign Policy in Afghanistan"

The Lowy Institute for International Policy has released a paper by Dirk van der Kley that examines China's policy options in Afghanistan once the NATO-led mission comes to an end in December 2014. There were three key findings in the paper to include 1) China will not make a meaningful security commitment to Afghanistan, 2) China views economic engagement as key to stability, and 3) China will strengthen its contact with a range of political groups to include the Taliban. The paper concludes by saying China has an interest in Afghanistan's long-term stability, that China is worried about the spreading of instability to Xinjiang province, and that China is stepping up its engagement with Afghanistan. Read "China's Foreign Policy in Afghanistan", Lowy Institute for International Policy, October 24, 2014.

Why Stay in Afghanistan?

A commentator, Edward Corcoran, provides us with the rationale for staying in Afghanistan. He provides strategic and practical reasons. Read his article "Why Afghanistan II?", The Blog - Huffington Post, October 21, 2014.

"Drone Queens" - Who Are They?

In the battle against worldwide terrorism women of the United States are playing a major role. They are very visible in the military services and also in the intelligence services. So who are the "Drone Queens"? A recent news article says that they are women in their thirties with a decade or more of experience working for the CIA hunting for terrorists. Their colleagues refer to them as "the sisterhood". The television series "Homeland" is based on Read more in "The CIA's Real Drone Queens", Real Clear Politics, October 21, 2014.

UK Soldiers - "Brave as Lions"

The United Kingdom has completed its 13 year-long war in Afghanistan. It will keep some military officers and NCOs on the NATO staff that will be conducting the Resolute Support mission as well as some instructors, trainers, and advisors working at "Sandhurst in the Sand" in Kabul. Britain's main contribution (its role in ISAF SOF is also important) will be its role in Helmand province where it suffered the vast majority of its casualties. Many observers will wonder how much actually got accomplished over those many years and the inevitable look back over decisions and policies will certainly take place. Some commentators are getting an early start. Read "Brave as lions but poorly led - the British heroes of Helmand", The Telegraph, October 23, 2014.

Pictures - 13-Years of UK in Afghanistan

The United Kingdom spent 13 years fighting in Afghanistan and lost over 400 of its military personnel. The UK recently handed over its largest base - Camp Bastion in Helmand province - to the Afghan National Army. The BBC has compiled some pictures of the UK commitment to Afghanistan. See "UK troops in Afghanistan 2001-2014", BBC News UK, October 26, 2014.

3rd ID HQs to Deploy to Afghanistan

Members of the 3rd Infantry Division will soon deploy to Afghanistan to assume their role as the United States Forces Afghanistan National Security Element. A few members of that contingent will serve in Qatar and Kuwait. The deployment will be 12 months long and will be part of the Resolute Support mission that begins in January 1, 2014. The troops will find themselves in a variety of locations to include Bagram Air Base and FOB Gamberi. Read more in "About 200 Fort Stewart soldiers heading to Afghanistan on 12-month deployment", Army Times, October 28, 2014.

Afghanistan's Addiction to Opium

There is widespread agreement that the $7.6 billion effort to eradicate poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has failed. In fact, the problem is getting worse every year. The Afghan economy has a heavy criminal component, criminal patronage networks involve provincial governors, district sub-governors and high-ranking members of the Afghan National Police (ANP). The Taliban are funded to a large degree from the drug trade. In 2012 Afghanistan produced 95 percent of the world's opium - exporting it to Russia, Europe, and Iran. The increase in yield from 2012 to 2013 was 50%; from $2 billion to $3 billion. Read more in "Afghanistan's Unending Addiction", The New York Times, October 26, 2014.

NATO's DEEP Training

A series of academic programs were recently conducted by NATO in Europe for the benefit of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). NATO's Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) provided the opportunity for senior members of the Afghan Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, and others to exchange ideas and explore operational cooperation.

"Defence Education Enhancement Programmes are tailored programmes through which the Alliance advises partners on how to build, develop and reform educational institutions in the security, defence and military domains. They focus in particular on faculty building and curriculum development, covering areas such as teaching methodology, leadership and operational planning".

Read more in "NATO and senior Afghan officials welcome enhanced relationship", North Atlantic Treaty Organization, October 24, 2014.

China - Afghan Partnership

Afghanistan and China have pledged a long-term relationship during President Ghani's trip to China. Read more in "Afghanistan, China Pledge Long-Term Partnership", Radio Free Europe.

Violence Increases in Kabul in Ghani's First Month

The level of insurgent activity in Kabul has increased during President Ghani's first month in office. Car bombs and rocket attacks are on the rise. Read more in "Violence marks Afghan president's first month", AP Big Story, October 28, 2014.

Paper - "COIN: A Forgotten U.S. Strategy"

Counterinsurgency is a way of fighting that the U.S. Army (and military as a whole) seems to have trouble getting right. It didn't do it well in Vietnam and was slow to apply lessons 'forgotten' from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. Certainly there will be many papers produced by military students from the various staff courses and colleges over the next decade addressing this issue. One recently published is entitled Counterinsurgency: A Forgotten U.S. Strategy, by LCDR Vicent S. King, USN, Joint Forces Staff College (Master's Thesis), Norfolk, Virginia, 13 June 2014.

5:00 AM EST - Daily Afghan News

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

4-Stars, Military Benefits, and C-27A's

Our high-ranking generals and admirals have been testifying before congress on how badly the military's budget is affected by the rising high cost of military pay and benefits. We now know - as a result of detailed cost breakdowns by the various veterans organizations - that this is not true. It is simply a lie. What needs to be closely looked at is the waste in military procurement (can you say C-27?). One columnist spells it out for us using the example of the fleet of 20 C-27's bought for the Afghan Air Force which were hardly ever used. This program cost us over 1/2 billion dollars and recently the planes were scrapped for 6 cents per lb. Talk about waste! Read more in "Editorial: Who's kidding whom?", Military Times, October 22, 2014.

Gizab District - 80% Owned by Taliban

A few years back Gizab district in Uruzgan province was the showcase of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) as an example of a local uprising against the Taliban. The Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command - Afghanistan (CFSOCC-A) introduced the Village Stability Operations (VSO) program and Afghan Local Police (ALP) to Gizab district to capitalize on the revolt against Taliban rule. The VSO program and associated ALP spread throughout the country. Since then, along with the withdrawal of conventional U.S. forces, Special Operations Forces teams have been scaled back and they do not advise and assist ALP units at the district level. In fact, the program has been taken over by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) as the ALP is now part of the MoI. A recent news report indicates that Gizab district is now 80% controlled by the Taliban and the ALP is but a shell of its former self in this district. Read more in "Taliban return to Afghan town that rose up and drove out its leaders", The Guardian, October 27, 2014.

Ghani Heads to China

The new president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, will travel to China for a three-day visit. On the agenda will be China's commitment to the mining sector of Afghanistan. In particular there is sure to be a discussion on China's role in the Mes Aynak copper mine in Logar province. Read more in "New Afghan President to Head to China", ABC News, October 27, 2014.

Counterinsurgency Here to Stay

The U.S. Army is turning away from counterinsurgency and looking forward to more conventional operations in the Pacific (and Middle East). Unfortunately, as much as the U.S. would like to leave counterinsurgency behind (the U.S. Army just closed the Army Irregular Warfare Center) the "small wars" will continue to loom over the horizon. Read more in "More Small Wars: Counterinsurgency Is Here to Stay", by Max Boot in Foreign Affairs, November December 2014 issue.

Video - Jewelry Crafting in Afghanistan

During the Civil War and Taliban regime, art in Afghanistan was non-existent. However, there is a new generation of young Afghan artists who are working hard to bring the traditional schools of craft back to Afghanistan. See a video on the topic - "The Jewellers - Crafting Afghanistan's Future", NATO Channel on YouTube, October 22, 2014.

Book - "Adapting to Win"

A new book about insurgencies has been published. It is named Adapting to Win: How Insurgents Fight and Defeat Foreign States in War. The author, Noriyuki Katagira, teaches in the Department of International Security Studies at the Air War College, United States Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base. The book examines almost 150 instances of violent insurgencies against state governments (including Afghanistan and Iraq) and provides insights into guerrilla operations across the world. His research shows that successful insurgent groups have evolved into mature armed forces and demonstrates what evolutionary paths are likely to be successful or unsuccessful. The book is available at the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Afghan War - What Went Wrong

As the commitment to Afghanistan subsides, U.S. troops leave Afghanistan, and our focus changes from Afghanistan to the Pacific, eastern Europe, and the Middle East some observers are reflecting on Afghanistan. Peter Tomsen is one of those observers. Read more in "The Good War? What Went Wrong in Afghanistan - - and How to Make it Right?", by Peter Tomsen in Foreign Affairs, November / December 2014 issue.

OSINT DL Required for all Army Personnel

The head of the Army Intelligence School and Center has announced that the Army will soon require all of its personnel to take online distance learning courses on Open-source Intelligence or OSINT. Read more in "Army to require open-source intel training", C4ISR & Networks, October 17, 2014.

Afghan War News - Daily Newsletter

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

SIGAR - State Dept Wastes $3.6 Million on Three Trucks

A State Department contract for three mobile television production trucks that are to be donated to Afghan television networks is under investigation by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). The trucks, delivered two years late, are still not in use. The trucks are reported to be in Kabul sitting under tarps. The trucks were satellite / microwave television broadcast trucks to be used for live sporting events such as football (soccer), cricket, buzkashi, and other sports. The cost of two of the trucks tripled in price. Read more in a letter from SIGAR to the Secretary of State John Kerry requesting clarification (dated October 15, 2014).

Report - SFAAT AAR and Lessons Learned

Two Captains who recently completed a tour of duty in Regional Command East have wrote a paper about their time on their respective Security Force Assistance Advisory Team (SFAAT). Their report provides some lessons learned that future advisors to Afghanistan could find helpful. First Brigade of the 101st Airborne deployed to Kunar and Nangarhar provinces in late 2012 on a nine-month long deployment for the Security Force Assistance (SFA) mission. The SFA mission involved a transition from fighting and winning the counterinsurgency to a train, advise, and assist role. This caused the 1st Brigade to transform itself from a combat brigade to an advisory brigade. One of the SFAATs advised an ANA infantry kandak (battalion) and the other SFAAT advised an ANA Combat Support Kandak (CSK). The paper highlights some of the operational mechanics involved in the SFAAT mission and also provides key lessons. Read the report online or download at "Passing it On: Two SFAAT Teams in Afghanistan and Lessons Learned for Future Advisors", by Thomas McShea and Kyle Harnitchek, Small Wars Journal, October 27, 2014.

Russian Prisoner at BAF to Be Tried in U.S.

There are 13 non-Afghans still residing in the Parwan detention center adjacent to Bagram Air Field (BAF). One of them is a Russian who will soon be brought to the United States for trial on several charges relating to a 2009 incident. The prisoner is a Russian veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan who deserted to the resistance. He stayed in the country and was captured in 2009 after an attack on Afghan Border Police and U.S. soldiers in Khost province. Read more in "Prisoner in Afghanistan to be tried in US", Star-Telegram, October 23, 2014.

Two Bases Handed to Afghans

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has handed over two large bases in Helmand province to the Afghan National Army (ANA). Camp Bastion and Camp Leatherneck were transferred to the Afghans in a recent ceremony. The complex, both bases are adjacent to each other, also has a large airstrip. Read more in "NATO coalition hands over two major bases to Afghan military", The Washington Post, October 26, 2014.

Problems in Afghanistan's Future

An observer of Afghan politics, Mili Mitra, comments on the past problems of Afghanistan and the obstacles laying before President Ghani and the National Unit Government (NUG). See "Escape from Anarchy: Do the Afghan Elections Offer Hope?", Brown Political Review, October 23, 2014.

SF Team Leader Criticize ANA Performance

Here is some earth shattering news. It appears that the performance of the Afghan National Army (ANA) is not up to par. At least that is what a Special Forces team leader is reportedly saying according to some news reports. The report is tied to an unfortunate "friendly fire" incident by a B1 bomber that killed five U.S. servicemen. An after action review found several procedural problems that contributed to the incident. Read "Army Green Berets reportedly criticize performance of Afghan army troops", Fox News, October 27, 2014.

19th SFGA Punished for Helping UK Wounded Warriors

It appears that members of the 19th Special Forces Group of the Utah Army National Guard are under investigation for their participation in a project to aid wounded warriors from the United Kingdom military services. The project sells calendars online to raise money for the benefit of wounded UK service members. Some of the Utah state politicians don't see that as a noble cause; instead focusing on some rules and regulations that may have been broken. The head of the Utah Army National Guard says that an investigation is in progress. Let's hope they focus in on the big picture; that the Guardsmen were supporting a worthy cause. The fact that the calendar's are featuring some very attractive women from the UK has some of the female legislators in Utah miffed. Read more in "Police, Guard members face penalties in risque bikini film shoot", Stars and Stripes, October 24, 2014.

Afghan Newspaper in Trouble

An Afghan newspaper is in hot water for publishing an article that offended religious leaders and government officials in Afghanistan. Evidently it was a little too liberal in its writing of religious affairs. Read more in "New Afghan government investigates newspaper for blasphemous article", The Washington Post, October 22, 2014.

Al Qaeda, China, and Afghanistan

Al Qaeda is a wide-ranging entity with the aim to establish the Islamic Caliphate. It operates in South Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and in many other areas. It has recently singled out the area of "East Turkestan". This region is Xinjiang province located in the western hinterlands of China. Xinjiang province shares a border with Afghanistan and China is fearing that an "East Turkestan" resistance group affiliated with al Qaeda will operate out of sanctuaries located in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Read more in "Al Qaeda Has Set its Sights on Xinjiang - and China Isn't Happy About It", Lawfare Blog, October 23, 2014.

Books on Afghanistan

A quick review of several books about Iraq and Afghanistan are provided in "Texas Book Festival: The literary harvest of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars", Dallas News Arts Blog, October 25, 2014.

Bond Set for Afghan Soldiers Enroute to Canada

Three Afghan Soldiers who were detained trying to cross over the border from the United States to Canada are able to leave their jail if bond is posted for them. A U.S. immigration judge set bond at $25,000 for each. The three were on a short visit participating in a CENTCOM exercise held at Camp Edwards on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. During a visit to a shopping mall they went missing; hiring a taxi cab to drive them to Niagara Falls with hopes of finding refuge in Canada. Read more in "Bond set for Afghan soldiers who fled for Canada", Associated Press, October 22, 2014.

Afghan Daily News

Monday, October 27, 2014

China's Afghan Policy

Red circle depicts the border area
between China and Afghanistan.

China has, over the past 13 years, taken a back seat in the Afghanistan war. However, that has changed in the past year, with an increase in Chinese diplomatic and economic activity within Afghanistan. Certainly there are a number of reasons for this. One driver for increased involvement with Afghanistan is the vast but untapped oil and mineral resources within the country. China already has made inroads both with the oil fields and a large copper mine. In addition to economic interests there are some security concerns. China's domination of the Turkic people of its western province of Xinjiang has resulted in a low-grade insurgency. The Uyghur resistance group has allied itself with terrorist groups from within Pakistan. There is concern that the Uyghur resistance group will spread and use Afghanistan as a safe haven as well if Afghan security deteriorates. Although the border between China and Afghanistan is not very long, it is not patrolled effectively by the Afghan Border Police (ABP). From a security standpoint, this porous border is a deep concern for China. Read more in "China's Afghanistan policy: Testing the limits of diplomacy", The Lowly Interpreter, October 24, 2014.

DoD Afghan War News Coverage Minimal

If you think that the U.S. media has stopped covering Afghanistan then you are spot on. Every day when I compile my Afghan War News Newsletter I scour the news services for news snippets, reports, and documentaries on Afghanistan. Sometimes the news is just not there due to lack of coverage on the part of the media. One of the primary sources for news coverage is the Department of Defense's news service. If you look closely the Department of Defense news service is practically ignoring Afghanistan as a topic. For instance, if you go to the "Latest Stories in DoD News" (see www.defense.gov/news/articles.aspx) you will see news stories listed for the past month. An examination of the news stories from 1 to 26 October 2014 reveals about 164 news stories listed in chronological order. 40 news stories were about the conflict with ISIS, 22 news stories about Ebola, and ONE news story was about Afghanistan. Hmmmmm.

Britain's 13-Year War Ends

Flags were lowered in a ceremony at Camp Bastion, Helmand province marking the end of the 13-year long war that Britain fought in Afghanistan. The long war claimed 453 British servicemen and women. The large base was handed over to the Afghan National Army. The remaining few hundred UK military personnel will leave the base within days. Camp Bastion was opened in 2006 and has been Britain's main operating base for the country. A few British military personnel will remain in the Kabul area to work on the ISAF staff as well as providing instructors to the Afghan officer training facility nicknamed "Sandhurst-in-the-Sand". Read more in "Britain's 13-year war in Afghanistan comes to an end", The Telegraph, October 25, 2014.

President Ghani Visits Saudi Arabia

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai visited Saudi Arabia. Ghani was reported to perform Umrah - a pilgrimage to Mecca; in addition, he was to meet with Saudi King Abdullah and other officials. His next scheduled trip will be to China in late October. Read more in "Afghan president visits Saudi Arabia", Yahoo! News, October 25, 2014.

Story on Woman Police Advisor from India

There are a lot of countries providing advisors to Afghanistan. India is one of them. Shakti Devi, is a female police inspector from India serving with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). She was awarded the 2014 International Female Peacekeeper Award for her "Exceptional Achievements". Read more in "From village girl to international peacekeeper", Thomson Reuters Foundation, October 22, 2014.

C-5M Super Galaxies Assist in Retrograde

The 18th Air Force has begun using C-5M Super Galaxies to move equipment out of Afghanistan. Most of the retrograde has been completed using C-17s; however the Operation Inherent Resolve (Iraq War) mission has cut into the availability of the C-17s for Afghanistan. The C-M5 is usually used in a strategic role (transatlantic flights) not in a tactical role (shorter flights into and out of war zones). Read more in "18th AF goes big on retrograde operations", Air Mobility Command, October 24, 2014.

Interpreter Describes Ordeal of U.S. Visa

A former Afghan interpreter who lived and worked with the U.S. military in Afghanistan for years describes the terror he endured while waiting for a U.S. visa. It took him 3 1/2 years to get a visa to come to the United States. During that time, because he assisted the U.S. military, the Taliban kidnapped his father and killed him. They later kidnapped his little brother and held him for ransom; he was released when the interpreter paid a $35,000 ransom (a lot of money for an Afghan). The U.S. State Department has been extremely negligent in the processing of visas for interpreters. It is estimated that up to 80% of Afghan interpreters have been unable to acquire visas. One of the State Department's lame excuses is that that Afghan's are a security risk and that detailed background checks are required. This is questionable - for instance, when this specific interpreter finally received his visa his legal name on the visa was "FNU Mohammad". FNU stood for First Name Unknown. How thorough of a security investigation was conducted if the visa doesn't have the first name right? Read more in "Afghan Who Helped US Describes Sheer Terror of Being a Taliban Target", Business Insider, October 23, 2014.

Afghan Women Football

Afghan women have their own football league (it looks sorta like soccer to me). The women's league, called the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF), recently held a tournament in Kabul. The four-team league is just starting out but holds some promise to grow in the future.The women wore black head-scarves and full leggings as part of their uniform. Read more in "Afghan women have a football league of their own", The Star, October 24, 2014.