Daily News Snippets (Dec 28, 2014)

President Obama recently told U.S. troops in Hawaii that "we are safer" and that Afghanistan "is not going to be a source of terrorist attacks again". Hmmm. Very optimistic words; let's hope he is right. However, one political observer has his doubts (Fox News, Dec 26, 2014).

Afghanistan is in a shambles according to one commentator; citing problems with a resurgent Taliban, major political setbacks in 2014, fraudulent elections, poor economy, and the continued presence of U.S. forces. The author suggests that "It is high time for the US to accept its defeat in Afghanistan and completely withdraw its troops as its flawed strategy has done irreparable damage to Afghanistan as well as the rest of the region." The writer feels that the only avenue for success is intra-Afghan peace dialogue so that the Taliban and all other factions can resolve their differences. The writer doesn't mention what Plan B is if the Taliban don't want to negotiate. Read more in "Afghanistan in Shambles - OpEd", Eurasia Review, December 26, 2014.

According to Reuters two U.S. drone strikes have killed seven militants in northwest Pakistan. 

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Ghani Lights Fire Under UNDP

President Ghani has come strongly against the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). He is demanding that the agency turn over control of nearly $500 million in a fund that bankrolls the salaries of the Afghan police officers. The Law and Order Trust Fund of Afghanistan (LOTFA) is funded by western nations and the UNDP has done a poor job of administering it. It has come under the scrutiny of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) for a lack of oversight on the funds (see SIGAR letter). Of course, nobody really has a high degree of confidence that the Afghans can administer the fund any better than the United Nations. Read more in "Afghan Leader Tells U.N. Agency to Relinquish Control of Funds, Officials Say", The New York Times,  December 24, 2014.

Gen Milley, Bergdahl & Prosecution

The case of the Army deserter (Bergdahl) will soon be hitting the headlines. Bergdahl left his post in 2009 and was subsequently captured by the Taliban. His disappearance caused a major disruption of U.S. combat operations against the Taliban for a long period of time. The cost of his disappearance was immense in terms of time, money, energy, resources, and personnel. Combat units were pulled from their ongoing missions to search for Bergdahl in an attempt to rescue him. Scarce intelligence resources (SIGINT, drones, etc.) were diverted from ongoing and future missions to try and locate him. According to some sources - at least six members of the military died in combat conducting operations in search of Bergdahl.

The investigation of his disappearance and capture was conducted this past fall. A review of the investigation was conducted in November. The case has been referred to General Milley, the head of U.S. Forces Command located at Fort Bragg, NC; and he should be addressing it over the next few months. There are a surprising number of desertions that occur in the U.S. military. Since 2001 there have been over 1,900 cases of desertion prosecuted. Many of these cases are handled without going to court martial - Soldiers are administratively punished or medically discharged.

General Milley has wide discretion on how to handle this case. Milley, a former Special Forces detachment commander (in the early days of his military career), was recently the commander (as a three-star general) of the ISAF Joint Command (IJC) in 2013. Bergdahl is subject to court martial or lesser administrative action. He could be the recipient of actions that include counseling, reprimand, forfeiture of pay, reduction in rank, and / or separation from the Army. At stake for Bergdahl is avoiding imprisonment, losing almost $300,000 in pay, reduction in rank, and health care benefits. Read more in "Army deserters rarely face prosecution", PBS Newshour, December 24, 2014.

Afghan Elections - Unanswered Questions

The international community can look back at 2014 and say that the Afghans had a democratic transition from one Afghan leader to another through elections. However, below the surface are a number of questions that nag one's outlook. While the election(s) was held successfully and the international community rejoiced that the era of international troops engaging in combat operations in Afghanistan is over - there is much to worry about. Despite the election of President Ghani who claims he will reduce corruption - the warlords and power brokers still control many of the positions within the government and security forces. The economy is in a shambles. The Taliban are stronger than ever (announcements of ISAF otherwise should be disregarded). Read more in "Afghanistan elections leave unanswered questions for future", Stars and Stripes, December 23, 2014.

Afghanistan Still Dependent on West

The western world has sunk massive amounts of aid money into Afghanistan. Some of this aid money has been used to a good purpose with measurable results. However, much of the aid money was siphoned off by corrupt Afghan politicians, squandered on expensive projects poorly done or still incomplete, or paid to contractors and implementing partners to provide security for aid projects in contested areas. Read more in "After 10 Years of Western Aid, Afghanistan Is A Dependent Mess", Business Insider, December 24, 2014.

Afghanistan & Strategic Autonomy

A news article provides us with a look at how Afghanistan can become more independent, secure, and stable in a  post-2014 environment. Read "Afghanistan's quest for strategic autonomy", LiveMint.com, December 24, 2014.

Analysis - TTP and Pakistan

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), accused of the terrible attack on the children's school in Pakistan, is the subject of much discussion in recent days. One assessment by John Wilson attempts to explain why the TTP is attacking the Pakistani state and its army. Wilson provides an assessment of the nature and character of the TTP. Read his report in "Why does TTP target Pakistani State? - Analysis", Eurasia Review, December 25, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 27, 2014)

Afghans associated with the regime of Communist President Hafizullah Amin look back 35 years and comment on how the Soviet invasion changed Afghanistan's fate. (World Bulletin, Dec 26, 2014).

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has hired WorleyParsons to assist the Afghan mining and oil ministry.

A recent study found that a surprisingly high number of U. S. Army Lieutenants are victimized as a result of abusive relationships with their respective platoon sergeants. The study, drawing on information from a poll of Army Lieutenants, found instances of NCO behavior that could be chargeable as "abuse" under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Read more in "Study: 99% of Lieutenants in Abusive Relationship with Platoon Sergeants", Duffel Blog,  December 26, 2014.

According to an Afghan news service (Khaama Press) at least five civilians are feared dead following an airstrike by NATO-led coalition security forces in central Logar province. The airstrike took place in Baraki Barak district on Thursday night. 

The establishment of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has encouraged thousands of residents of Central Asian states to join ISIS. This fear, plus the withdrawal of Coalition combat troops from Afghanistan, has set the Central Asian states on edge - fearing the return of jidadists from Iraq and Syria who would be supported by insurgent groups with sanctuary in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Read more in "Counter-terrorism in Central Asia requires international cooperation", The Washington Post, December 26, 2014.

Newsletter - Afghan War News

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Big Battle in Dangam District, Nangarhar Province

D-30 fires in support of ANA in
Dangam district  Nangarhar province.
(Photo by SGT Gul 201st ANA PA).

The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and the Taliban are in a big fight in eastern Nangarhar province. The battle has raged for more than a week in difficult mountainous and forested terrain. An ANSF spokesman says over 151 Taliban fighters have been killed by government forces with an additional 100 Taliban wounded. The fighting, taking place in Dangam district, is between the ANSF and members of the Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-ek-Taiba. There are differing reports coming in on this battle. Some reports say that the U.S. are aiding with air strikes and drone attacks while others say that the ANSF are in desperate need of air support. It appears that there may have been a local uprising against the Taliban by some villagers of the district. Read more in "Afghan police chief claims 151 Taliban fighters killed in 12-day battle", The Guardian,  December 23, 2014. In addition, it appears that Afghan security forces have temporarily halted the operations in Dangam district to allow besieged residents evacuate the area. (See article in Tolo News, Dec 24, 2014).

Review of Movies about Afghanistan

Christian Bleuer has wrote up an extensive review about movies produced about Afghanistan or set in Afghanistan. A very interesting and entertaining read. Read the article here on Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) December 23, 2014.

Afghan Mission Unsustainable?

Outside observers (meaning not members of ISAF) are looking hard at the sustainability of the Afghan security forces as well as the immense bureaucracy designed by the western nations for Afghanistan. And many are coming to the conclusion that the created bureaucracy and numerous aid projects are unsustainable. Read more in "Insight: a decade of Western aid in Afghanistan - mission unsustainable?", Yahoo! News,  December 23, 2014.

Afghan War Photos

A photographer embedded with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment in Afghanistan provides us with a glimpse of the war. View his 55 photos in "Embedded in Afghanistan", Baltimore Sun, December 23, 2014.

Pakistan Making Progress Against Militants

Julia Thompson, writing for Foreign Policy Magazine, says that the Taliban attack on the military children's school in Peshawar, Pakistan ". . . obscures the fact that Pakistan's military has been making progress against the country's militants." Read more in "A Small Measure of Progress" (December 22, 2014).

Female Guard Soldier Heading to Ranger School

The Army is pushing ahead with plans to integrate women into Ranger School. One of the first women to go will be from the Utah Army National Guard. The woman is 37-years old. What I remember about Ranger School is it is a young man's game. I went through at age 32 and I was the 4th oldest in the class to graduate. Sure . . . establishing programs like Project Diane and Cultural Support Teams (CSTs) for special operations is a good thing (it worked for the OSS and it can work for Special Forces); but there are ways to train and integrate women into these units without watering down the training standards of existing Army courses. The standards for graduation are going to drop drastically in order to give women the ability to pass Ranger School. There is an old saying that goes like this - "I went through when Ranger School was hard". I am thinking there are a lot of tabbed folks out there getting ready to start saying that. Read more in "Guard soldier among 1st group of women to head to Ranger School", Stars and Stripes, December 24, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 26, 2014)

7 ID. The U.S. Army says that the 7th Infantry Division is reorganizing to be deployable. The division was reactivated in 2012 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The move is a result of new demands placed on the Army and new developments in Iraq and Africa. (Army Times,  Dec 23, 2014).

2015 Military Pay Rates. The DoD announced the 2015 military pay and compensation rates for service members. The new rates take effect on January 1, 2015. Basic pay for service members will increase one percent. Learn more here (DoD News Release, Dec 22, 2014).

Bergdahl Investigation. The DoD released a statement on the current status of the Bergdahl investigation. The investigation has been forwarded to a General Courts Martial Convening Authority - General Mark Milley - the commanding general of Forces Command. (DoD News Release, Dec 22, 2014).

Pakistan. Political and military leaders of Pakistan are meeting to finalize a new national plan on counterterrorism. The heads of the military and intelligence services were summoned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the meeting. (Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, Dec 24, 2014).

President Ghani has dismissed Fazlullah Wahidi as the governor for the western Herat province. There has been an increase in violence in Herat province. Read an article on this topic in Khaama Press, Dec 24, 2014.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has penned an Op-Ed entitled "A new chapter in Afghan-NATO ties", NATO News, December 24, 2014. The article lays out the framework for the upcoming Resolute Support mission.

President Ghani will face a tough road ahead in negotiations with the Taliban. Read more in an article by Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe (December 23, 2014). 

USAID has posted an article entitled "Sowing Seeds of Empowerment: Small Loans to Afghan Women Growers", Frontlines, Dec 2014. Learn more about the Ghoryan Women's Saffron Association.

Newsletter to Your Inbox

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. Go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas - Afghanistan 2002

Christmas Eve 2002 Camp Vance, Bagram Air Field

Cabinet Still Not Formed

The 'forced marriage' between Ghani and Abdullah is showing some signs of discord. The cabinet has not yet been named. Half of the positions were to be named by each; however President Ghani has not accepted the half by Abdullah due to lack of qualifications. Read more in "Afghan cabinet delays stoke worry, frustration", The Washington Post, December 23, 2014.

COMISAF & Afghans visit Pakistan

Top Afghan and U.S. generals have visited Pakistan this week to address anti-terrorism efforts with Pakistan's army chief General Raheel Sharif. The meeting was focused on military coordination on both sides of the border. Read more in "US, Afghan Generals in Islamabad for Border Security Talks", Voice of America, December 23, 2014.

ANA Kabul Bus Rides Halted

The intensified Taliban offensive in Kabul has caused the Afghan National Army (ANA) to stop the practice of transporting its soldiers to and from work on buses. A number of buses have been targeted by Taliban suicide bombers in recent months causing deaths and injuries. Read more in "After Bus Bombings, Afghan Army Halts Soldier Transports", Voice of America, December 16, 2014.

Pakistan to Execute Hundreds of Terrorists

Pakistan says it will begin executing nearly 500 prisoners convicted on terrorism-related charges in the coming weeks. The moratorium was imposed by Pakistan in 2008. The New York-based Human rights Watch (HRW) has called on Pakistan to immediately stop the execution of the death-row terrorists (of course). Read more in "Pakistan to Execute Hundreds of Terror Convicts", Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, December 2, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 24, 2014)

Contractor Overbilled Pentagon. Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems over billed the Pentagon for work performed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Firm will repay $27.5 million to settle over billing charges. (Defense One, Dec 22, 2014).

Fixing America's Aid to Afghanistan. Jordan Olmstead, a freelance writer and Research Affiliate at the Southwest Initiative for the Study of Middle Eastern Conflict, says that the US needs a more strategic approach in providing assistance to the two troubled countries. He states that "An ideal aid program would be guided by four key principles: targeted, conditional, tiered, and post hoc." The Diplomat, Dec 23, 2014).
http://thediplomat.com/2014/12/fixing-americas-aid-to-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

General John Campbell, COMISAF, accompanied Afghan Army Chief General Sher Mohammad Karimi on a visit to the Pakistani Chief of the Army General Raheel Sharif in Islamabad, Pakistan. The meeting focused on coordinating Pakistan-Afghanistan military and counter-terrorism operations on both sides of the border. The generals agree that their subordinate commanders will begin meeting immediately to further coordinate border area security operations. (Editors Note: Up to this point the Afghan military representatives to previous border meetings have been outclassed by their Pakistan counterparts. And outmaneuvered.) Read more in a new release by ISAF News, Dec 23, 2014.

Pay Raise for Army. U.S. Army Soldiers will receive a one-percent increase in basic pay in January. Read more in a news release by DoD News, Dec 22, 2014.

Broke Afghan Government. The Kerry-brokered Afghan power-sharing agreement hasn't resolved any problems, or appointed any ministers. Read more in "Afghanistan's Still-Broken Government", The American Conservative, December 23, 2014.

COMISAF Spells It Out. Are you wondering what the mission is in Afghanistan? How well are the Afghan National Security Forces doing? General John Campbell spells it out in an article found on the website of Defense News (Dec 23, 2014).

China Hacking Afghan Gov Websites? It appears that someone in China is hacking the websites of the Afghan government. Read more in "Is China hacking Afghan government sites", The Hill, December 22, 2014. See also "China Blamed for Operation Poisoned Helmand Attack on Afghan Sites", Info  Security Magazine,  December 23, 2014.

Analysis of Peshawar School Massacre. John Wilson has penned a piece for Eurasia Review (Dec 22, 2014) entitled "Peshawar Massacre: What Now?" where he explains the complex situation of "Good" and "Bad" Taliban and how the Pakistanis seem fixated on establishing "strategic depth" by continuing to back the Afghan Taliban in its fight against the Afghan government.

Afghan Film Breaks New Ground. A film depicting life in northern Afghanistan has been released that depicts the harsher side of Afghan culture. Read more in "The Afghan film where a Buzkashi game decides a woman's future", BBC News Asia, December 23, 2014.

Taliban Smelling Blood. The ISAF information operations machine tells us that all is well, the Afghans are in the lead, the transition is a success, and that we merely have to educate the Afghans on how to properly fill out their MoD 14s so their logistics system will work. Others, however, are not buying the PR offensive of paradise in the Hindu Kush. Read "Afghanistan: From Bad to Worse", Asia Sentinel, December 23, 2014.

Why Internet Browse for 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. Go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Afghan Commandos Are Ready

The U.S. Army Special Forces has been working with the Afghan Commando Kandaks for a number of years; ever since the first Commando Kandak was established in 2007. There are currently nine Commando Kandaks with plans for establishing a 10th. The Commando Kandaks have become more capable every year and are currently able to operate independently of advisors - although advisors are still present. With the increasing capability of the kandaks U.S. Army Special Forces have been able to draw down their forces in Afghanistan. As of December 2014 there will be only one battalion-sized U.S. Special Operations Task Force. There will be, however, some specialized units remaining to conduct counter-terrorist missions as well as numerous Special Operations Advisor elements to work with the higher level staff elements of the ANA at ministry and institutional level. Read more in "With U.S. leaving, elite Afghan commandos take up mission", Fayetteville Observer, December 15, 2014.

HELISAF - Spanish SAR in Afghanistan

ISAF Helicopters over Badghis province
(Photo TSgt Kevin Wallace)

As we reach the final days of the ISAF mission and the beginning of the Resolute Support mission a bit of history is slipping by. The past 13 years have seen numerous countries take part in the Afghan War. Beginning in January 2015 the commitment to Afghanistan, about 12,000 personnel, will provide advisory coverage on only four out of the six ANA Corps and some small bases in Kabul. As 2015 goes by the footprint will get even smaller; with about 6,000 troops at Bagram and Kabul only as 2016 begins. In an effort to capture some of the past history of the different nations participating the Afghan War News Blog will provide some glimpses of past operations, units, and events.

To this end we are highlighting an article about the Spanish Air Force Search and Rescue (SAR) teams that served for a number of years in western Afghanistan. The SAR teams (helicopters, crew, medical, and Spanish Air Force Special Force) provided medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) capability to the International Security Assistance Force's (ISAF) Regional Command West (RC-West). Erwan de Cherisey, an aviation expert and war correspondent wrote an extensive article detailing the Spanish SAR capabilities and a descriptive explanation of how they conducted their very important mission. Read "HELISAF: Spanish SAR in Afghanistan", Air Forces Monthly.com, February 2014 (posted on Spanish Department of Defense website).

Level II Advising Explained - 203rd Corps

With the drawdown of Coalition forces and closure of a significant number of small and large bases the reach of  U.S. and other troop contributing nations has diminished. Two of the six ANA corps and corresponding police units no longer have advisors on a permanent, persistent (daily face-to-face contact). Instead, advisors travel on a periodic basis to the 'uncovered corps' (203rd and 215th) to check in with the ANA leadership and staff. This is called "Level II Advising". Train, Advise, Assist Command - East is responsible for two corps - the 201st and 203rd. While TAAC-East gets to see the 201st everyday (as it is co-located with the 201st at FOB Gamberi) it has to travel to visit the 203rd,  Afghan Border Police, Afghan National Police, and the Operational Coordination Center (OCC).

In October, with the closure of the U.S. FOB Lightning in Gardez, the advising effort in southeastern Afghanistan transitioned to "Level II Advising". This type of advising is conducted by email, phone calls, and occasional visits. The infrequent advising trips, called Expeditionary Advisory Packages (EAPs), are planned and coordinated with Afghan counterparts. The EAPs are conducted just a couple of times a month.

Soon, the 203rd Corps - because it is doing so well in defeating the Taliban in contested districts like Azra, Nerkh, Chak, Mohammad Agha, and others - will progress to "Level III" advising. Level III advising for the 203rd Corps will begin in January 2015 and will be conducted by an "Advise and Assist Cell" or ACC based in Kabul. As other Afghan army corps and regional security forces continue to progress in 2015, the AAC will assume Level III advisory responsibility from each of the five TAACs currently partnered with Afghan security forces. By 2016, the AAC will conduct advising of all Afghan security forces from Kabul.

Information for this post taken from "Army, USMC generals talk Afghanistan transition on advisory trip", ISAF News, December 20, 2014.

Helmand Province - Taliban Offensive

The 2014 fighting season, typically over by this time of the year, is still ongoing in Helmand province. With the departure of British troops and U.S. Marines a few months earlier the 215th ANA Corps and the Afghan police are now on their own. The Taliban are pushing hard to take over one or more districts (one of them Sangin). The situation is so bad that the 215th ANA Corps commander was replaced recently. Read more in "Taliban Push Into Afghan Districts That U.S. Had Secured", The New York Times, December 22, 2014.

Afghan Govt Websites Have Malware

ThreatConnect, a cybersecurity firm based in Virginia, says that its researchers found a corrupted JavaScript file used to host content on "gov.af" websites. It seems the malware, likely linked to China, has no known antivirus remedies. The firm believes that "Operation Poisoned Helmand" is linked to Chinese intelligence. The malware was found on websites for the ministries of justice, foreign affairs, education, commerce and industry, and others. Read more in "U.S. firm finds malware targeting visitors to Afghan government websites", Reuters, December 21, 2014.

Culture: Weddings Costly in Afghanistan

Weddings are very costly in Afghanistan. Since the fall of the Taliban wedding costs have increased enormously. The government of Afghanistan is trying to put a cap on wedding costs. Costs of weddings for the upper class can go to $20,000 and beyond. Because of these costs a person can not get married for many years. Some engagements last over five years. Dresses are expensive - from $100 to $2,000. To compensate for the increased costs mass weddings are gaining popularity. View a video (4 mins) entitled "My big fat pricey Afghan wedding", NATO Channel, December 22, 2014.

CIA Continues to Assist Pakistan

Shuja Nawaz, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center, writes an opinion about the CIA and the help it provides Pakistan in fighting terrorism. In 2011, the Central Intelligence Agency and the ISI (Pakistan's intel service), were not on speaking terms. However, there is a thaw in the air and some collaboration is taking place. According to Nawaz, the atmosphere can improve if the CIA would only try to understand ". . . Pakistan's aspirations and fears." (Hmmmm.) He says that the CIA ". . . should attempt to broaden its official relationships inside Pakistan to strengthen the country's civilian intelligence bureau and the newly formed National Counter Terrorism Authority." Yep. Work more closely with the ISI - the same organization from a country that sheltered Osama bin Laden, keeps Mullah Omar safe, and provides support and sanctuary to the Afghan Taliban. Read more in his opinion piece in The New York Times, December 21, 2014.

Kandahar PCoP & Cross-Border Opns

The Provincial Chief of Police (PCoP) for Kandahar has authorized his forces to respond to insurgent attacks from across the Afghan-Pakistan border. He states that insurgents will fire there weapons within 100 meters of Pakistani forces. The Ministry of Interior says that the support PCoP Raziq's actions. Read more in "MoI Backs Raziq to Respond to Cross Border Attacks", Stars and Stripes, December 22, 2014.

Hope for Afghanistan

The Director of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) provided a briefing on December 17, 2014 for the Asia Society Policy Institute. You can read the transcript at the link below. Despite continued Taliban violence, a slowing economy, and political uncertainty (no cabinet thus far) there is some cause for hope. The Taliban were not able to disrupt the elections and the international community has signaled continued support in the coming years. Read more in "Afghan Think Tank Director Sees 'Growing Political Maturity' and Support for Democracy", Asia Society, December 18, 2014.

Backgrounder: Taliban

Zahid Hussain provides us with a backgrounder on the Taliban's re-emergence since 2001 on both sides of the Durand line. Hussain is the author of Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam and several other books and journal contributions. He is currently a columnist for Pakistan's daily Dawn newspaper and is a former correspondent for the Times of London and the Wall Street Journal. From 2011 to 2012 he was the Pakistan Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. His extensive and informative article is entitled "The Taliban Question", The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, October 19, 2014.

Challenges of Afghan Government

Afghanistan is entering the new year with a host of new challenges; and they will be getting less help in meeting those challenges. The cabinet has still not been formed up by Ghani and Abdullah, the insurgency is intensifying, attacks in Kabul have increased, and the Afghan National Security Forces are still experiencing capability gaps in logistics, aviation, and intelligence. The drug trade and corruption hampers development and governance in the rural areas. While the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan government officials are issuing confident messages about the "National Unity Government", "transition", and "Afghan security forces in the lead" - others are more wary about the future. One of those expressing concern is Kate Clark of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN). Read more in "After Pivotal 2014, Afghanistan Faces New Challenges With Less Help", Voice of American, December 22, 2014.

Revisit Afghan Endgame

Bruce Riedel, writing for Brookings, provides us with his opinion on what is to be done in Afghanistan. He says that President Obama's decision to publicly lay out his timeline for ending American troop involvement in Afghanistan was a mistake. Riedel also informs us that Pakistan needs to be pressured to end its support to the Taliban.

"But the real problem has not changed: Pakistani support for the Taliban insurgency. Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, has been providing the Taliban with safe haven and sanctuary in Pakistan for over a decade. The ISI participates directly in planning Taliban operations and target selection against Nato and Afghan targets. It helps arm and fund the Taliban and assists its fundraising efforts in the Gulf states".

Riedel concludes with a recommendation that the withdrawal from Afghanistan should be event driven and not time driven; that Obama should revisit his timeline and endgame. In addition, he thinks that India should step up and assist Afghanistan more than it does and that real pressure needs to be applied to Pakistan to stop their support of the Afghan Taliban. Read his article in "Revisit Afghanistan's End Game Plan", Brookings, December 15, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 23, 2014)

Afghan refugees currently living in Pakistan are worried that Pakistan may forcibly expel them to Afghanistan. Pakistan issues a month deadline to refugees living in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province. Nearly 3 million Afghan refugees live in Pakistan but half of them are registered with  Pakistan's government. Read more in "Afghan Refugees Oppose Pakistan's Repatriation Deadline", Tolo News, December 22, 2014.

New PGov. President Ghani has appointed a new governor for Paktika province. Abdul Karim Mateen will take over the PGov duties of the province located in eastern Afghanistan. 

Tajik Border Guards. Four members of the Tajik border guard force were abducted by the Taliban on December 20. The Taliban hope to exchange the guards for Taliban supporters being held in Tajikistan.

Human rights groups are fearful that CIA 'ghost prisoners' will vanish into Afghan jails. After the closure of the U.S. detention center in Bagram there are concerns for some of the prisoners in the hands of Afghan intelligence and detention authorities. Read more in "Fears build as CIA's 'ghost prisoners' vanish into Afghan jails", The Guardian, December 20, 2014.

The deteriorating security situation in Pakistan is turning into a national security threat to that country and poses difficulties for other countries in the region. The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) provides us with their take on the situation in "Pakistan headed for a dangerous denouement - analysis", IDSA, December 22, 2014.

Catherine Powell of the Council of Foreign Relations asks us "What does security in Post-2014 Afghanistan really mean?" - in the context of what it means for women in Afghanistan. She "redefines" security for us - providing us with a broader interpretation. (Defense One, December 22, 2014).

Bowe Bergdahl is either going to jail or will get paid lots of money in back pay upon his departure from the Army. The investigation into his "disappearence" and subsequent capture by the Taliban was completed. The investigation was reviewed. And now it is going to be sent to General Mark Milley to decide what is next. Some people say that Bergdahl has suffered enough. However, others point out he hurt the war effort in that area of Afghanistan for a significant amount of time. Even more, some of the former Soldiers who served with him state that six Soldier died during operations intended to find and recover Bergdahl. Members of Congress point out that five very important Taliban detainees were traded for Bergdahl. (The Washington Times, Dec 22, 2014).

Share Your Afghan Knowledge

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.

staff@afghanwarnews.info

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Paper - Pakistan's Posture toward Afghanistan

Khalid Homayun Nadira has wrote an academic paper about the Pakistan posture towards Afghanistan. Pakistan has followed competing courses of action in regard to Afghanistan. In some respects it is working with the United States to transport equipment and material along its LOCs, allowing aircraft to overfly its territory, and allowing drone attacks (in some cases). However, its intelligence agency and parts of its military work with the Taliban opposed to the Afghan government; providing sanctuary, information, money, and equipment. Nadira's paper attempts to explain the multifaceted approach of Pakistan. Read "Old Habits, New Consequences: Pakistan's Posture Toward Afghanistan since 2001", International Security, Fall 2014, Vol 39, No. 2, Pages 132-168, posted online November 21, 2014, MIT Press Journal. Read abstract below:

"Since September 11, 2001, Pakistan has pursued seemingly incongruous courses of action in Afghanistan. It has participated in the U.S. and international intervention in Afghanistan at the same time as it has permitted much of the Afghan Taliban's political leadership and many of its military commanders to visit or reside in Pakistani urban centers."

Chak Valley, Wardak: Contested Area

Chak Valley in Wardak province is a highly contested area. 6th Battalion, 4th ANA Brigade is charged with securing the valley and the district - but it is a tough fight. Over the past several years the best the battalion has done is securing the district center, several small outposts in the immediate vicinity of the district center, and from time to time the road that leads east to Highway One. In 2014 the ANA stepped up the fight but progress has been costly - and could be fleeting. Chak Valley, located to the west of Highway One, is a refuge and support zone for the Taliban who seem able to interdict the highway running from Kabul to Kandahar at will with ambushes and IEDs. This year the fighting season has lasted longer than usual with indications that Taliban forces - who usually return to Pakistan or to their families in Afghanistan - will fight throughout much of the winter. Read "In a strategic valley, a glimpse of Afghan troops' future after most U.S. forces leave", The Washington Post, Dec 21, 2014.

Taliban Camp in Faryab Province

The Taliban have released a video showing their members training in a camp in the northern province of Faryab. Faryab is located in the Train, Advise, and Assist Command - North (TAAC-N) area of operations. The video, released on December 18, 2014, is one hour long. In the video Taliban fighters are shown undergoing weapons training to include firing weapons from a vehicle. Read more in "Taliban publicize training camp in northern Afghanistan", The Long War Journal, December 21, 2014.

Fort Bragg and Afghanistan

A correspondent from the Fort Bragg area writes up on the connection between Fort Bragg units and Afghanistan. Drew Brooks provides us with a glimpse of the strong ties that Fort Bragg has with Afghanistan. Many of Fort Bragg's units have seen multiple deployments to Afghanistan; to include:

Special Forces
82nd Airborne Division
18th Airborne Corps
1st Theater Sustainment Command

Read more in "Afghanistan was Fort Bragg's war", The Fayetteville Observer, December 20, 2014.

Afghan Cabinet Picked?

It appears that some cabinet positions may be nominated; although the list has not been finalized. Some key positions may be filled by:

Defense Minister - Sher Mohammad Karimi
Interior Minister - Fazi Ahmad Manawi
Foreign Affairs Minister - Salahuddin Rabbani

Afghanistan Times, Dec 20, 2014.
www.afghanistantimes.af/news_details.php?id=10187

Interview - UN Official Talks about Aid

A United Nations offical - Haoliang Xu, assistant secretary-general for Asia and the Pacific and director of the UN Development Program's regional bureau - is interviewed by Corinne Podger about Afghanistan, the recent London Conference, and whether aid should be "on-budget" or "off-budge". Read "A critical moment for Afghanistan's decade of transformation", DEVEX, December 11, 2014.

Fair: Explains Politics Behind Pak School Attack

Dr. Christine Fair, Assistant Professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University, explains the politics behind the December 16th, 2014 attack on the military-run children's school in Peshawar, Pakistan. 145 people were killed in the attack, including 132 children. The Pakistani civilian and military leaders vowed to attack the Taliban of all types but there is deep skepticism about that promise. The interview of Dr. Fair is by The Diplomat, is about 12 minutes long, and helps explain the difference between the "Good Taliban" and the "Bad Taliban". Posted on YouTube by The Diplomat.

http://youtu.be/-ah7oj5CmPo

Daily News Snippets (Dec 22, 2014)

Four Released Prisoners. An article posted by Eurasia Review (Dec 20, 2014) by Andy Worthington states that the four recent prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay U.S. military detention facilty are insignificant and probably should have been released years ago. The four have been repatriated to Afghanistan. The four detainees were flown to Kabul in a U.S. military plane and released to Afghan authorities.  More details are provided in an article by Radio Free Europe (Dec 22, 2014) and in an article by The Telegraph (Dec 21, 2014). You can also read the news release by the DoD in "Detainee Transfer Announced" (Dec 20, 2014).

Drones. For over a decade American defense contractors have dominated the business of building UAVs or drones. However, the Americans are seeing some competition from across the Atlantic. The U.K. is stepping in the fray (The Motley Fool, Dec 20, 2014).

The Polish President, Bronislaw Komorowski, has approved the deployment of up to 150 military personnel to Afghanistan in 2015. (Radio Poland, Dec 19, 2014).

Afghan Cabinet. The picking of the Afghan cabinet has been a slow and laborious process. There are a lot of interest groups on all the issues that need consulting. President Ghani is eager to build a meritocratic government and move away from the corruption that characterized former President Karzai's government. Read more in "Afghan Leader's Two-Man Government Raises Concerns", ABC News, December 20, 2014.

Romania. The country of Romania will be sending an extra 450 troops to Afghanistan. Romania will provide advisors in addition to troops who will provide force protection to the Kandahar airport and military base in southern Afghanistan. (Radio Free Europe, Dec 21, 2014).

7 Afghan Local Police Killed. Seven members of the ALP were killed by the Taliban at a police outpost in Qush Tepa district of Jowzjan province. There were seven more ALP wounded in the evening raid. (Los Angeles Times, Dec 21, 2014).

Practice Your Writing Skills

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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