Afghan War Blog

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Daily News Snippets (Dec 16, 2014)

Some Afghan interpreters have been fortunate enough to obtain special immigrant visas for the United States. That is part of the struggle for these brave men to leave Afghanistan behind. The next part of the struggle is surviving in the United States. Adapting to a foreign culture, learning a skill or trade, and finding employment is difficult. Read more in "Afghan interpreters risked all for U.S., struggle in Omaha", Omaha.com, December 14, 2014.

There have been a lot of attacks by the Taliban across Afghanistan. Read more in "An Especially Deadly Day in Afghanistan", Defense One, December 14, 2014.

The Afghanistan War, the longest overseas conflict in United States history, has been expensive. The cost has been nearly $1 Trillion dollars and rising. However, that is just the costs that can be tracked. In reality the cost of the war is much higher; especially when taking into the consideration the lifelong medical costs of veterans who were injured or wounded. Read more in "$1tn cost of longest US war hastens retreat from military intervention", CNBC 25 News, December 15, 2014.

An agreement is likely to be concluded that will provide a contract mechanism for a Czech arms maker to provide spare parts and repair T-55 tanks for the Afghan National Army. Read more in "Czech firm may repair T-44 tanks of Afghanistan", Khaama Press, December 15, 2014.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Afghan CEO Abdullah Abdullah met in talks during a gathering of prime ministers at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana on December 15, 2014. (Gandhara Blog, Radio Free Europe, December 15, 2014).

Macedonia will provide 38 servicemen to serve in Afghanistan on the Resolute Support mission. The Macedonian parliament endorsed the action on Monday, December 15th. Macedonia has continued the mission in Afghanistan that started back in 2002 with its first deployment. The 38 Soldiers will consist of staff officers that will augment the German-led Train Advise and Assist Command in northern Afghanistan as well as the Turkish-led contingent conducting the TAA mission in Kabul (hmmm . . . Macedonia and Turkey . . . ). The Macedonian Soldiers (quite often fondly referred to as the M . . . Nuts) have provided expert and diligent force protection duties at ISAF HQs for the last several years. (Global Post, December 15, 2014).

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense stated that five more ANA soldiers were killed in an IED attack. According to security officials the ANA is averaging 4 deaths a day; most from IED attacks.

Three post 9/11 veterans will serve on the Senate Armed Service Committee. Good to see we will have some military members with recent combat experience on that very important committee. (Defense One, December 15, 2014).

Kabul is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. People from rural areas flocking to Kabul are straining the infrastructure, overloading the municipal services, and having trouble finding employment. A news article in The Guardian (Dec 16, 2014) asks if Kabul can handle its growing pains.

What's Your Opinion?

The Afghan War News Blog and the Afghan War News website are constantly striving to keep its blog, daily newsletter, and website factual, current, and relevant. If you have a link to a website or document you feel should be shared with the greater community then please send it to us. In addition, we are looking for individuals with some knowledge, experience, and expertise in Afghanistan on a wide range of topics to contribute blog posts and articles to our blog and add content to our website. And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links please let us know.

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Monday, December 15, 2014

Helmand Province - Taliban Territory?

A recent new report in a British newspaper penned by Bilal Sarwary paints a dismal picture of Helmand province since British troops and American marines have departed. With the threat of Coalition air power now diminished and very little intelligence being passed to the Afghan security forces the Taliban are now emboldened. The Taliban have increased their operational tempo and taken over a good part of Helmand province. Once you travel a few miles outside of any of the district centers in the province you are in a no man's land situation - where the government troops exert little influence and the Taliban and drug lords reign supreme. Improvised explosive devices or IEDs remain a critical problem and the lack of medical care for the sick and injured compounds the situation for the population of Helmand. Read more in "Vast swathes of southern Afghanistan already in Taliban hands only weeks after British troops depart", The Independent, December 14, 2014.

Mohammad Agha District: Empty Streets

Logar province has at least three districts - Charkh, Kharwar, and Azra - already under the control of the Taliban. Except for the respective district centers where the Afghan National Police keep a small contingent the Taliban generally rule. A fourth district is not fairing very well either. Mohammad Agha district in northern Logar has become a dangerous place as well. The Taliban roam the district at will during the night approaching villagers for shelter, food, money, and information. The Taliban run local councils (a shadow government) that conduct the administrative and military affairs at district level. Mohammad Agha district is a strategic location for the Taliban as it is the underbelly of Kabul and also serves as a crossroads for the movement of fighters, supplies, weapons, ammunition, communication, money, and intelligence into the adjacent provinces of Nangarhar, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Wardak, and Ghazni. Read more in "The Empty Streets of Mohammad Agha: Logar's struggle against the Taleban", Afghanistan Analysts Network, December 15, 2014.

U.S. Casualties Identified

News reports have identified the latest U.S. casualties in the Afghan War. SPC Wyatt J. Martin of Mesa, Arizona and SFC Ramon S. Morris of New York, New York died Friday in Parwan province, Afghanistan when their convoy was attacked by an improvised explosive device. They were members of the 3rd Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood, Texas. Read more in "Soldiers From Arizona, New York Killed in Afghanistan", ABC News, December 14, 2014. See also a DoD News Release identifying the casualties (December 14, 2014).

Saffron - Hope for Afghan Farmers

Afghanistan's future from an economic perspective is bleak. The cost of maintaining large security forces to fight the insurgents is overwhelming and far exceeds the revenue of the Afghan government from taxes and other sources of income. International aid is starting to diminish and it is apparent that the Afghan ministries have not mastered the art of governance to the extent that the aid that will still be offered will be used effectively. In fact, corruption remains the number one problem when it comes to governance and government services. One hope is that the agricultural sector of Afghanistan will rebound - and that is where firms like one from Massachusetts can assist. A group of Afghan War veterans from the Boston area (many whom attend or attended Harvard University) have started a small business that imports and sells saffron - a very high quality spice. The firm, called Rumi Spice, connects Afghan saffron farmers with American spice markets. Saffron is one of the few crops that Afghan farmers can grow which yield greater profits than poppies (drug trade). Read more in "Afghanistan's future lies with small farmers", The Boston Globe, December 14, 2014.

LTG Flynn Talks Intel in Afghanistan

Retired LTG Michael Flynn, former director of the U.S. Defense Department Intelligence Agency, speaks about intelligence gathering in Afghanistan in an interview with the Wall Street Journal (Dec 7, 2014). He says that the U.S. intelligence effort needed to change its efforts in order to support the warfighter on the ground. The intel had to shift from an emphasis on targeting to one concerned with counterinsurgency (7 mins).

Ex-ISI Chief Talks about Afghanistan

The former head of the Pakistan Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), General Hamid Gul, has stated that the Taliban-led insurgency will continue to persist if U.S. forces remain in Afghanistan. Gul said that the complete withdrawal of US forces is the foremost prerequisite for peace in Afghanistan. He also stated that the Afghan people will never tolerate occupation of their land and will continue to fight back. Of course, it is well-known that the ISI is a major supporter of the Haqqani Network and other anti-Afghan government insurgent groups; so his remarks are not a surprise. Read more in "Insurgency to continue if US forces stay in Afghanistan: Ex-ISI chief", Khaama Press, December 14, 2014.

Green Berets Center Stage in Afghanistan

A reporter for the Fayetteville Observer, Drew Brooks, provides insight to the U.S. Army Special Forces mission over the past 13 years in Afghanistan. Read "Green Berets took center stage in war to rebuild Afghanistan" (December 14, 2014). In a related article special forces commanders comment on the sacrifice made by Special Forces in Afghanistan and answer the question "Was it worth it?"

Afghan Officers Graduate from IMA

A total of 44 Afghan National Army (ANA) officers recently graduated from the Indian Military Academy. Read more in a news article by Khaama Press (Dec 13, 2014).

Daily News Snippets

The Taliban have continued their high-profile attacks in Afghanistan; especially around the Kabul area. The U.S. withdrawal has encouraged the Taliban to take on the government forces and to try and embarrass the new government of President Ghani. Read more in "An Especially Deadly Day in Afghanistan", The Atlantic, December 13, 2014.

The Afghan Ministry of Interior stated in a post on its website on Sunday, December 14, 2014 that over 19 armed Taliban were killed in recent operations that took place in Kunduz, Faryab, Badakhshan, Sar-e-Pul, Ghazni, Herat and Ghor provinces.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have stepped up their activities in Kunar province. The insurgents attacked several security forces check posts in Dangam district according to Khaama Press (Dec 14, 2014). See a similar post by Pajhwok Afghan News (Dec 14, 2014).

According to Khamma Press (Dec 14, 2014) an Afghan woman was killed by mortar fire in Khanabad district, Kunduz province on Sunday. The incident was a clash between two illegal armed groups fighting each other.

Sandra I. Erwin wrote an article posted on the website of National Defense Magazine (Dec 13, 2014) about a recent document produced by the RAND Corporation on behalf of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). The article, entitled "Military Study Criticizes Direction of U.S. National Security Policy", provides some info and context about the USASOC paper.

Read a book review of "The Good War: Why We Couldn't Win the War or the Peace in Afghanistan". The book, authored by Jack Fairweather, takes a close look at the Afghan War. Read the review "Hard Lessons to be Learned from the War in Afghanistan" in Winnipeg Free Press (Dec 13, 2014).

The United Nations Security Council voted to back the new agreement for NATO to train, advise and assist Afghanistan's security forces after December 31st. Read "UN backs agreement for NATO to train Afghan forces", Army Times, December 13, 2014.

The Taliban offensive usually subsides at this time of the year in Afghanistan. However, this year is different. Read "Taliban attacks in Afghanistan surge as Coalition ends combat mission", The Long War Journal, December 14, 2014.

National Public Radio (NPR) reporter Sean Carberry spent the last few years in Kabul as an NPR reporter. He has arrived back in the states after NPR shut down their Kabul office. Listen to an interview of Carberry on NPR - "Exiting Afghanistan, And What We Leave Behind", (Dec 14, 2014).

Hot Dog Carts have now surfaced in Kabul. I guess that is a sign that the city is slowly becoming 'westernized". Read more in "Hot dogs on wheels drive the food truck trend in Kabul", Stars and Stripes, December 14, 2014.

Afghan War Photos by Stars and Stripes (Dec 8, 2014).

The Jamestown Foundation provides us with their observations of the China Afghanistan relationship in "Assessing China's Afghan Peace Play" (December 5, 2014).

BG Mitchell R. Chitwood, U.S. Army Reserve, is being assigned as director of the Rule of Law Field Force - Afghanistan. See DoD press release.

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Treatment for Post-Deployment Withdrawals

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Logar Province at Risk

According to Afghan members of parliament and Logar provincial council members three of Logar provinces' districts are mostly under the control of insurgents. The officials say that the districts of Charkh, Kharwar, and Azra are controlled by armed opponents. Estimates are that 95% of each district is not controlled by government security forces - so basically, that means that the government controls the district center. This is not new news. 95% of these three districts have been under the control of insurgents for a number of years. ANSF and ISAF declarations otherwise are simply false. Just because government forces control the district center does not mean they control the district. The district center is just a walled compound housing the district governors office, two to three other district level officials (if they even show up for work), the district police station (with 20-80 personnel assigned), and perhaps an ANA element (usually company sized or less). The government forces rarely go outside the district center walls unless an ANA kandak from another adjacent district comes in for a periodic "clearing operation". Once the ANA kandak departs the government forces (ANP and ANA) cloister inside the district center walls - rarely venturing out. These three districts have been like this for years; nothing has changed. Read more in "Logar Districts on the Edge of Collapse: Officials", Tolo News, December 12, 2014.

Two U.S. Soldiers Killed Sat

News reports say that two U.S. Soldiers were killed when their convoy came under attack near Bagram Air Base north of Kabul. The attack (took place either Friday night or early Saturday morning) was a roadside bomb; the Taliban claimed responsibility in a Twitter message.The ISAF news media has confirmed the two deaths. Read more in "Two American Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan Attack: Official", NBC News, December 13, 2014.

Afghan Facilities Protection Force (FPF)

The Afghan Facilities Protection Force or FPF was recently stood up by the Afghan government to protect Afghan facilities and military bases around the country. The 5,000-strong FPF will guard many of the bases that the now disbanded Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) used to guard. The U.S. is footing the payroll bill for this new force to the tune of more than a million dollars per month. The members of the FPF are employed by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) but are not part of the Afghan National Army. Weapons and training are provided by the MoD. The new organization reporting to the MoD is less likely to be as corrupt at the APPF was - as the APPF reported to the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Read more in "It's Possible Afghanistan Can't Protect Its Own Bases", War is Boring, December 11, 2014.

Drone Airport in Texas

The U.S. Army is building a airport in the far Western corner of Texas - and it is solely for drones. The airport, located on Fort Bliss will have a large hangar and a 5,000 foot runway for Gray Eagle drones and a 1,000 for Shadow drones. Read more in "Army Builds Airport Just for Drones", Popular Science, December 12, 2014.

Kabul - City Growing Fast

Kabul, a city that was a ghost town during the civil war of the mid-1990s, has become a bustling metropolis - but it comes with a cost. The city - while offering jobs and hope to millions of people - has been incapable of providing the jobs needed by its population and services to its residents. Read more in "Kabul - the fifth largest growing city in the world - is bursting at the seams", The Guardian, December 13, 2014.

High Ranking Court Official Killed

A high ranking member of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan was killed early on Saturday in Kabul while he was on his way to work. The head of the secretariat of the Afghan Supreme Court was shot and died while being transported to the hospital. The Taliban claimed credit for the attack (Tolo News, Dec 13, 2014).

Taliban Killed 12 Mine-Clearing Workers

The Afghan police say that 12 workers clearing mines in southern Helmand province were shot dead by the Taliban. As many as 12 more were injured. The workers were employed by a firm supporting a project called "Star Link". The deminers lived on Camp Shorab and were traveling to work in the Nad Ali district when the attack occurred. Read more in "Militants Kill 12 Afghan Workers Clearing Land Mines", Voice of America, December 13, 2014.

UN Security Council Backs NATO Mission

The United Nations Security Council has backed a resolution to establish a NATO mission to remain in Afghanistan to train and assist Afghan security forces in January 2015 and beyond. The resolution was approved by all 15 members. Read more in "UN Security Council Backs Continued NATO Afghan Mission", Gandhara Blog (Radio Free Europe), December 13, 2014.

ANA Bus Struck by Suicide Bomber on Sat

Another ANA Bus (they are soft targets) was struck by a Taliban suicide bomber on Saturday afternoon (Dec 13, 2014) killing at least six Soldiers and wounding many more. Many civilians were injured in the bombing which took place in a very populated area of Kabul. Read more in "Afghan official: suicide bomber kills 6 soldiers", Yahoo! News, December 13, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 14, 2014)

There are a lot of Afghan refugees living (some working) in Iran. The Thomson Reuters Foundation reports (Dec 13, 2014) that Iran has extended visas for 450,000 Afghan refugees. The temporary visas are extended for six months.

Afghan police say three IMU linked commanders were killed in northern Afghanistan in Baghlan province. (Gandhara Blog, Dec 13, 2014).

The German defense minister made a surprise visit to Afghanistan to meet with German troops. She landed at Camp Marmal near Mazar-i-Sharif on Saturday morning. There are about 1,200 German Soldiers remaining in Afghanistan; mostly working in the TAAC North area. About 850 Germans will remain after the first of the year. (Deutsche Welle, Dec 13, 2014).

The past few days have seen the Taliban busy with attacks. It would appear the traditional end of the fighting season is not being observed by the Taliban based on the frequency of attacks. Read more in "Several Killed in Afghan Attacks", Gandhara Blog, December 13, 2014.

Memorial services were held for the three South African citizens recently killed in a Taliban attack on a guest house in Kabul. Read more in a news report by Stars and Stripes (Dec 13, 2014).

An American female attorney who practices law in Kabul representing Westerners stranded in Afghan prisons talks about her work. Read "How Can The Rule of Law Bring "Justness" and not Just Justice?", National Public Radio, December 12, 2014.

The Taliban have not been beaten militarily but perhaps they have been bested in the political arena. The election of President Ghani has brought new hope to the country. The international community, based on the promise of reform, have re-committed themselves to additional troops into 2015 and continued funding. The big issue is Pakistan. Will it stop the support it provides to the Haqqani Network and other Taliban groups or stick with the status quo - continuing to stoke the fires of instability in Afghanistan. Read more in "Old problems, new hope", The Economist, December 13, 2014.

Task Force Catamount, an SFAAT serving in Logar province, but now deployed to the states recently received an award for their efforts and success in advising 203rd ANA Brigade at FOB Shank. Read more in "Maxwell ACSC instructor accepts DoD award", Maxwell AFB, December 12, 2014.

Afghanistan has the highest infant mortality rate in the world. It is one of the worst places to be a mother. One of the problems is that expectant mothers have a difficult time reaching health centers. Some health experts have teamed up with some animal experts to device a saddle for donkeys that ease the problems of transporting expectant women to health centers - enter the "Donkey Ambulance". Read about an inflatable saddle that is a low-tech, inexpensive solution to the age-old problem in the remote Afghan mountains. See "The Donkey Ambulance", Modern Farmer, December 12, 2014.

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Afghan News Via Email

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Paper - "Risky Business"

Afghanistan has a long history of the use of locally-based militias to keep areas secure and loyal to the Afghan central government. The period of post-2001 is no exception. At the very beginning of the period following the fall of the Taliban regime Special Forces teams recruited, trained and led local militias called Afghan Militia Force (AMF). A few years after the Afghan National Army was established the AMF units were disbanded (well, almost all of them). In addition to the AMF there were a number of local defense force initiatives attempted by the United States Special Forces (and others) in Afghanistan (ANAP, AP3, LDI, CDI, CBSS, ISCI, and CIP). The latest and most successful has been the Afghan Local Police or ALP. The Center for Naval Analysis has published a paper about community-based security solutions utilizing pro-government civil defense forces in an attempt to achieve U.S. counter-terrorism and stability objectives. In the near future the United States will be working with a reduced defense budget and a public reluctance to engage in large-scale, population-centric counterinsurgency operations. Civil defense forces - used alongside air strikes, drones, special operations forces, and intelligence operatives - could provide a low-cost, small-footprint strategy to combat terrorist, insurgent, or transnational groups. Read more in the paper, entitled "Risky Business: The Future of Civil Defense Forces and Counterterrorism in an Era of Persistent Conflict", October 2014 available at the link below:

www.cna.org/sites/default/files/research/CRM-2014-U-008881.pdf

Life in Kabul

A correspondent reflects on the changes in Kabul over the past two plus years of his time there. Read "Kabul Postcard: A Neighborhood in Tranistion", NPR Parallels, by Sean Carberry, December 12, 2014.

Russia Returns to Afghanistan

Over the past two years Russia has been investing heavily in Afghanistan - restoring once-abandoned factories and funding new infrastructure ventures. This is not surprising as Russia has been eating its Wheaties lately and has adopted an expansionist policy diplomatically, militarily, and economically. View a 5 minute video on this topic by Radio Free Europe (Dec 11, 2014).

Khamyab District Now Controlled by Taliban

Afghanistan's Khamyab district in Jowzjan province is now controlled by the Taliban. Attempts by government forces to re-take the district with the assistance of local militias have failed. High-ranking police officers of the district have been killed. The population of the district now lives under 'Taliban rules'. Read more in "Taliban Takes District on Turkmen Border", Qishloq Ovozi Blog (Radio Free Europe), December 11, 2014.

ATP 3-39.30 "Security and Mobility Support"

The U.S. Army has recently published an updated version of ATP 3-39.30, Security and Mobility Support, October 2014. "This manual is focused on the military police discipline of security and mobility support, and combines what were previously the military police functions of maneuver and mobility support and area security. . . . The tasks in this discipline are focused on those military police tasks that are typically performed in a tactical environment, and while military police are the proponent for many of these tasks, some of these tasks may also be performed by other members of the combined arms team".

http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/atp3_39x30.pdf

SECDEF Meets 201st Corps Cdr

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel recently met with the commander of the 201st ANA Corps in eastern Afghanistan. This occurred during Hagel's visit to Train, Advise, and Assist Command - East at Tactical Base Gamberi on December 7, 2014. During the visit Hagel met with MG Mohammad Zaman Waziri, the 201st Corps Commander. They discussed ongoing security operations in eastern Afghanistan, the recent successes of the 201st Corps, and the growing anti-Taliban movement in the east. (DVIDS, Dec 11, 2014).

Afghan Census

The Afghans are conducting a nation-wide census - and that is not a simple process. Many Afghans don't know their age and some just have one name. A census is difficult to conduct in Afghanistan. Some areas are very remote (Hindu Kush Mountains) and much of the countryside is controlled by the Taliban. But culture may be the biggest problem - with the lack of surnames, unknown birth dates, and reluctance of women to talk to census takers. There are hopes that the census will assist the government in the equitable distribution of funds, representation in the parliament, government services, raising of taxes, and reduction of voter fraud. It is believed that the current census will take five years to reach 70% of the population. The current estimate of the Afghan population is somewhere between 35 to 40 million. There are fears that the census will upset the country's delicate ethnic balance. Read more in "For Afghans, Name and Birthdate Census Questions Are Not So Simple", The New York Times, December 10, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 13, 2014)

Veterans of the Afghan War are attempting to get the State Department and Congress to provide more visas for Afghan interpreters. Read more in "Vets fight for Afghan interpreters", The Boston Herald, December 11, 2014.

The Weekly Standard comments on the current situation in "Afghanistan Uncertainties" (Dec 11, 2014).

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Afghan News at Five

Friday, December 12, 2014

Ranger School Open for Women

The U.S. Army has set aside 160 seats for females to attend Ranger School. They will first attend the two-week long Army National Guard Ranger Training and Assessment Course. On average, about 45 percent of Ranger School students will graduate. Many of the men fall out in the first few days during the physical fitness evaluation. The test gives candidates two minutes to do 49 push-ups, two minutes to do 59 sit-ups, and they must run five miles in 40 minutes and do six chin-ups. There is no word yet on whether the physical standards will be lowered for all students to accommodate the women, or if there will be different standards, or if the females will just have to "cowboy up" and pass the standards that men have. Read more in "Army sets 160 seats for female Ranger School volunteers", Army Times, December 5, 2014.

ATP 3-07.10 Advising Foreign Security Forces (Nov 14)

The Army has updated ATP 3-07.10, Advising Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Advising Foreign Security Forces, November 1, 2014. It is a PDF file and available at the below link:

http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/ATP_1.html

U.S. Ends Control of Afghan Prisons

The U.S. military no longer operates any detention centers or prisons in Afghanistan. As of December 10th, when the last remaining prisoners (3) were released from U.S. custody, the detention of insurgents is solely a responsibility of the Afghans. The detention of prisoners by the U.S. was a source of tension between President Karzai and the U.S. military. When the U.S. transferred insurgents over to the Afghans many of them were released (only to rejoin the fight). Read more in "U.S. Ends Control of Afghan Prisons", Gandhara Blog (Radio Free Europe), December 11, 2014.

Kandahar - Uncertain Future

A reporter, Declan Walsh, visits Afghans (Governor Wesa, former Governor Sherzai, etc.) and provides us their insight of what the future of Kandahar may look like. Read more in "Made Rich by U.S. Presence, Many in Kandahar Now Face Uncertain Future", The New York Times, December 9, 2014.

Ghor Province: A Warlord Domain

An Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) investigation has found that Ghor province in western Afghanistan is in the grip of about 40 warlords backed by thousands of paramilitaries. The armed groups carry out crimes with no threat of punishment by the government or police. The total of militia members is about 8 to 10 thousand; with each group ranging in size from 200 to 1,200 men. Many of the groups are leftovers from the civil war period between the Communist regime and the Taliban regime. The various militias compete for control of geographical areas as well as sectors of the economy and criminal activities (drug trade especially). Some militias have instituted their own legal system to replace a corrupt judicial system in place by the government. Read more in "Afghanistan: Lords of Ghor", Institute for War & Peace Reporting, December 10, 2014.

New Timetable Needed

The editorial board of WaPo has come out in favor of a revised timetable for U.S. troops departing Afghanistan. According to the WP the fighting in Afghanistan is intensifying, Kabul is increasingly being attacked, and international aid groups are pulling out their staff. The Afghan government (mired in the internal politics of the Ghani-Abdullah partnership) have yet to appoint a cabinet. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) suffered more than 5,000 fatalities this year - more than the total number of U.S. and allied deaths since 2001. The ANSF has a high desertion rate and quick turnover of personnel in the force. The WP sees the need to keep the progress already attained in place by extending the stay of U.S. troops. Read more in "A deteriorating Afghanistan needs a revised timetable on U.S. troops", The Washington Post, December 10, 2014.

ANSF "Inept" at Vehicle Repairs

It is like a breath of fresh air. An American general finally telling it like it is. Most likely LTG Joe Anderson has already filed his retirement papers and has decided that a 4th star is not in the future - because he has the audacity to actually not fudge with the truth. Such as calling the Afghan forces 'inept' at basic motor repairs or saying that the ANSF has a recruitment and retention problem. I don't think that he has been coordinating his public statements with the ISAF PAO office. Read more in "Departing U.S. general says Afghan forces 'inept' at basic motor repairs", Reuters, December 11, 2014.

Outgoing Army CSM Says to Forget COIN

In a recent interview in Afghanistan the outgoing Army Sergeant Major - Raymond Chandler - provided us with his insight on counterinsurgency. Essentially he says leave that all behind. Future warfare will be about big tanks, airplanes, and ships. The likelihood of the U.S. Army engaging in another COIN environment is . . . ummm, well, maybe, hmmmm. Yeah. He doesn't get it. Read more in "Outgoing sergeant major of the Army calls for return to basics", Stars and Stripes, December 10, 2014.

Modern Conflict - Not What You Think

The Asia Foundation has published an article entitled "Modern Conflict is Not What You Think" (Dec 10, 2014) by Iain King. The author states that ". . . a new focus on the impact of conflict, combined with modern research methods . . ." offers hope to finding ways to end conflict. He offers 12 lessons learned thus far in his article.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 12, 2014)

The United States has released the final detainees from the Parwan Detention Center in Afghanistan ending the U.S. operation of any prisons in Afghanistan. The final three detainees have been released. Two were transferred to Afghan custody for possible prosecution and a third is seeking resettlement in another country. (AP News, Dec 10, 2014).

John Sopko (SIGAR) released a new report entitled High-Risk Areas (Dec 10, 2014) where he outlines seven major problems of the Afghan reconstruction effort. 1) corruption still rules, 2) Afghanistan is a narco state, 3) ANSF is still weak, 4) Afghan government lacks funding, 5) contracts and oversight are a mess, 6) Afghan officials can't manage US aid, and 7) war and reconstruction don't play nice. Read all about the SIGAR report in "7 Ways Afghanistan is a Total Mess", Mother Jones, December 10, 2014. See also "SIGAR: Major investments in Afghan security at risk", Stars and Stripes, December 11, 2014.

Korea will provide over $12 million to the World Food Program to build a soy milk factory in Afghanistan. Learn more here (World Food Programme, Dec 11, 2014).

A major clash occurred between the ANSF and the Taliban in the Shindand district bazaar, Herat. As of late Dec 11th the operation was still ongoing.

Five (maybe six?) ANA soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Kabul early on Thursday, 11 December 2014. Reports indicate that over ten others were wounded. The attack was against an MoD van. The attack took place on Jalalabad highway - the suicide bomber, a 16-year-old boy, approached the van on foot. (Gandhara Blog, Dec 11, 2014).

An explosion took place in a secured part of Kabul on the morning of December 11th. It was very near the French Cultural Centre. Reportedly at the Lycee Istiqial High School. There are varying reports on deaths; some sources say one French national was killed while other sources say one German national was killed; many more injured. At the time of the attack, the cultural center was hosting a musical play entitled "Heartbreak: Silence After the Explosion". The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack; saying the play was immoral and held under the shadow of foreign invaders. The school was established in 1922 but is now administered by the Afghan Ministry of Education.

A large number of Afghan officers have completed military training at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, India. (Khaama Press, Dec 11, 2014).

Khaama Press is reporting that a NATO airstrike killed 17 suspected militants in two separate incidents in northern Parwan province. (Khaama Press, Dec 11, 2014).

NATO ISAF has posted a video on Vimeo (think YouTube for film makers). It features photographs and video of Slovenia and its contribution to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. The music will make you want to march around the ISAF HQs compound - without stopping at the Milano for coffee.
http://vimeo.com/114127115

Want to know more about President Ashraf Ghani? CNN World has put together a web page with some info. See "Ashraf Ghani Fast Facts" (Dec 8, 2014).

Up to 100 Lithuanian troops will remain in Afghanistan in 2015. Currently there are about 70 Lithuanians in Afghanistan - many of them personnel of the Aitvaras Lithuanian Special Operations Forces Squadron that are conducting reconnaissance tasks and training the Special Rapid Response Company of the Afghan National Police in Kandahar. (The Baltic Course, Dec 9, 2014).

Winters are harsh in Afghanistan. They are even more severe if you are homeless and poor. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans have been displaced (IDPs) by the constant fighting in the countryside and they have fled to some of the major cities such as Kabul and Herat. Watch a video about some displaced families near Herat (Radio Free Europe, Dec 11, 2014, 4 mins).

Army MG John M. Murray, Deputy Cdr for Support for USFOR-A, is interviewed by DoD News about the upcoming Resolute Support mission. He says that the new mission will cement the security gains attained thus far in Afghanistan. Read more of his comments in the news article (DoD News, Dec 10, 2014).

With the draw down of troops in Afghanistan the support structure is also down-sizing. The Army Material Command (AMC) is reducing its numbers as well. The new structure for support to the Army is the Army Field Support Battalion Afghanistan. Read more in a news article by DVIDS (Dec 11, 2014).

The chief of police for Kabul was recently the target of a suicide bomber. The attack killed some police but not the chief. The chief is interviewed about the attack in "Afghan attack: Anatomy of a suicide blast", BBC News Asia, December 10, 2014.

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Morning Coffee and Afghan War News Fix

Thursday, December 11, 2014

The Riddle of Pakistan

If there is one thing that can be admired about the now-departed President Karzai it is his constant criticism of the United States for not doing enough to eliminate the Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan. It is difficult to defeat an insurgency if it receives constant support from a neighboring nation (that would be Pakistan). Some see the recent visit by President Ghani as an indication that relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan will improve and Pakistan's support for the Taliban may subside. Wishful thinking! Read more in "Explaining Pakistan's Confidence", by Myra MacDonald, War on the Rocks, December 10, 2014.

SIGAR "High-Risk List" Dec 2014

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has published a new document that highlights areas of concern for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The new publication is called the High-Risk List and the first issue is dated December 2014. SIGAR created the High-Risk List to call attention to program areas and elements of the U.S.-funded reconstruction effort in Afghanistan that are especially vulnerable to significant waste, fraud, and abuse. With the list, SIGAR seeks to identify and address systemic problems facing U.S. funded efforts. The list will highlight program areas on which SIGAR believes the implementing agencies need to focus and will discuss how specific agencies are failing to mitigate risks in areas that involve their operations. Although 48 page report covers a variety of topics it is of value to Security Force Assistance advisors - specifically the sections on "ANSF Sustainability" and "High-Risk Area: ANSF Capacity and Capabilities". You can read or download the report online at High-Risk List, SIGAR.