SF Team Cleared in Friendly Fire Incident

Two Special Forces Soldiers from the 5th Special Forces Group have been cleared of wrongdoing in a friendly fire case that occurred on June 9, 2014. A B-1B bomber dropped two bombs on the position of a Special Forces team killing five Americans and one Afghan sergeant. U.S. Central Command conducted an investigation and pinned some of the blame on the SF team on the ground. The lead investigator, Air Force MG Jeffrey Harrigian, called for charges against the two Green Berets. However, the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), commanded by LTG Charles Cleveland, conducted a review of the incident and cleared the SF team leader and team sergeant of any wrongdoing. The B-1B was conducting a five-mile orbit at 12,000 feet - placing it outside of the effective range of the radios used by the ground team - which caused a decrease in communications effectiveness between the aircrew and the ground team. In addition, the air crew was relying on night vision devices that did not have sufficient range to detect ground team signals. An Air Force Joint Terminal Air Controller (JTAC) on the ground with the SF team called in the air strike. The bombs landed directly on the SF teams position. The B-1B, flying too high and too distant from the SF teams position, was unable to properly execute a mission more suited to the Air Force A-10. The A-10 has crews that specialize in close air support of ground units and can fly low and slow - increasing the effectiveness of communications and able to observe the situation on the ground. Read more in "Green Berets cleared in Afghanistan friendly fire deaths", The Washington Times, December 28, 2014.

Central Asia and Afghan Drawdown

Central Asian states are concerned about the spread of ISIS and the possible flow of insurgents northward from the Afghan nation. The situation in northern Afghanistan gets worse and worse as years go by. The ability of the Coalition under the new Resolute Support Mission to influence or shape events on the ground in what used to be referred to as Regional Command North (RC North) is minimal. Train, Advise, Assist Command - North, under German leadership, has little strength in numbers and very little combat power. Air support is non-existent and comes out of Bagram if at all. The small amount of troops not dedicated to staff, command, advising, or support are providing "force protection" and "guardian angel" services. Confined to Camp Marmal, except when advisors and their force protection detail head to the 209th Corp HQs, the Coalition sees very little on what is happening in northern Afghanistan. TAAC North's intelligence assets are very likely limited and probably blind on the true tactical situation. Relying on the intelligence provided by the 209th Corps, OCC-R, ANP, and ABP is problematic.

The Taliban, IMU, and other insurgent groups have made great inroads into northern Afghanistan and the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have proven themselves not up to the challenge. There is a very real threat to the Central Asian states to the north. While ISAF may be blind to the situation the Central Asian states are aware of what the future may bring.

Read more in "Central Asia and Afghanistan as the Drawdown Deadline Arrives", Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, December 29, 2014.

Life of an ANP EOD Specialist

A news account details the life of an Afghan specialist in defusing improvised explosive devices (IEDs). He works for the Afghan police in Helmand province - and according to some accounts has defused over 6,000 IEDs. Simply amazing. "The war in Afghanistan is over, but the battle against the Taliban - and their IEDs - goes on", The Independent, December 29, 2014.

NATO Transition to Resolute Support

There is lots of news out there on the Internet about the NATO transition from the ISAF mission to the Resolute Support mission. The mission officially ends at midnight on December 31. Listed below are some of the news articles:

"Nato marks transition to new Afghanistan mission", BBC News Asia, December 28, 2014

"NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan", NATO, December 18, 2014

"Nato ends its war in Afghanistan as insurgency rumbles on", The Telegraph, December 28, 2014.

"A Nation Towards Transformation", Khaama Press, December 29, 2014.

"The war in Afghanistan is over, but the battle against the Taliban - and their IEDs - goes on", The Independent, December 29, 2014.

View photos of ISAF's change of mission ceremony posted on Facebook. See "ISAF to RS Change of Mission Ceremony".

"Taliban vows to continue fighting as NATO combat mission ends", Khaama Press, December 29, 2014.

Operation Freedom's Sentinel is the name of the U.S. military's campaign in Afghanistan - replacing the 13 year long Operation Enduring Freedom.

Canada's Secret Soldiers

Canadian SOF, nicknamed "CANSOF" by some, were an early entry in the Afghan War - deploying as early as 2002. A recent news article posted online provides us an inside look at the training and employment of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) based in Petawawa. Read more in "Canada's secret soldiers: Special Forces' work takes place under the radar", The Vancouver Sun, December 28, 2014.

Afghan Nat Sec Advisor Remarks at Ceremony

Mohammad Hanif Atmar, Afghanistan's National Security Advisor, made some remarks at the ISAF / Resolute Support transition ceremony in Kabul on Sunday, December 28, 2104. He expressed Afghanistan's deepest gratitude for the NATO Coalition's efforts and sacrifices in Afghanistan since 2001. Read his comments posted on ISAF News (Dec 28, 2014).

PSYOP Tab Now Awarded

Photo courtesy of Duffel Blog

Members of the Psychological Operations community are celebrating the long-awaited recognition that they deserve for being part of the Special Operations community. The PSYOP community has always been associated with the Special Warfare mission - going back to the early 1950s. Those individuals who are graduates of a recognized PSYOP course - the PSYOP correspondence course counts - are eligible to wear the "Psychological Operations" tab. Current service members can start wearing the tab once they have by-name orders published - the personnel action is initiated by their unit S1. Former members of the Army can send a letter (with an attached DD 214) to the S1 of the 4th Military Information Support Group for award of the PSYOP tab. The award of a tab for completion of a specialized Army course is not without precedent. Members of Special Forces who have undergone Special Forces training are awarded the 'Special Forces' tab for completion of the SF qualification course. This is often informally referred to as the 'long tab'. However, SF dudes are now calling the PSYOP tab 'the longest tab' because of the number of letters required (see picture at left). In the tabbed world there are a lot of changes afoot - from the establishment of the PSYOP tab to the soon-to-be seen spectacle of women wearing the Ranger Tab. Get ready for it! Progress is unstoppable! Read more in "Psychological Operations Debuts New 'Longest Tab'", Duffel Blog, December 29, 2014.

Book - "Answering the Pashtun Question"

Abu-Bakr Siddique has wrote a book entitled The Pashtun Question: The Unresolved Key to the Future of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The book examines the Pashtun jihadists ("good" and "bad"), history of jihadism in Pakistan, Pakistani motivation for supporting the Afghan Taliban ("good"), and the significance of the Durand Line. The book is also very rich in analysis and provides a good history of the Pashtuns. The book is reviewed by Myra MacDonald, a former Reuters journalist and book author. Read the book review in "Answering the Pashtun Question", War on the Rocks, December 29, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 30, 2014)

After years of ignoring them, Pakistan has begun to crack down on violent Islamists. Read more in a news report (The Washington Post, December 28, 2014).

Russia is in the process of drafting a framework agreement that would govern the providing of weapons to Afghanistan. Read more in a news report (Radio Free Europe, Dec 29, 2014).

The Taliban have declared victory against the foreign invaders with the observance of the end of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. Read more in "Taliban declare 'defeat' of U.S., allies in Afghanistan", Thomas Reuters Foundation, December 29, 2014.

William Dalrymple, author of Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42, writes up a piece comparing the first Anglo-Afghan War to the present conflict. Read "Road to Gandamak", The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, October 19, 2014.

The head of the Ulama Council of central Maidan Wardak, his son and a bodyguard were wounded by a bomb planted on a vehicle on Sunday morning.

Taliban Declares Victory. The Taliban has cranked up its Information Operations machine in celebration of the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan. Read more in "Taliban: U.S. Leaving Afghanistan in Defeat", Foreign Policy, December 29, 2014.

Shashank Bengali writes that "U.S. airstrikes remain crucial to Afghan forces in Taliban battles", Los Angeles Times, December 28, 2014.

Pakistan remains a very strong ally in the fight against terrorism. The suspected mastermind of the 2008 militant attacks on Mumbai that killed 166 people has won his appeal against detention in Pakistan. Hmmmm. (Voice of America, Dec 29, 2014).

Some press reports say that the closing ceremony for the ISAF mission in Afghanistan was "held in secret". Read more in "One sentence that shows how badly America failed in Afghanistan", VOX.com, December 29, 2014.

Robert Scales, a retired major general and former commandant of the Army War College, has penned a piece about the infamous U.S. Army M16/M4. Read "Gun Trouble", The Atlantic, December 28, 2014.

Which country is the worst Narco-State in history? According to RAWA News it is Afghanistan.

Russia's special representative to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, has warned that Islamists in Afghanistan are concentrating along the Tajik and Turkmen borders. He believes that the number run into the thousands and that a number of training camps exist in northern Afghanistan as well. (Radio Free Europe, Dec 29, 2014).

Max Boot says you can re brand (ISAF to Resolute Support) the Afghan War however you want but Afghanistan is still at war. (Los Angeles Times, Dec 30, 2014).

Pakistan has increased the requirements for the process of buying SIM cards. The government started requiring call centres, franchises, and authorized dealers to have every customer scan his or her Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) and thumbprint into biometric machines as part of the process of buying SIM cards. This will make it difficult for criminals and terrorist as the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked Afghan-based subscriber identity module (SIM) cards from access to roaming services. (Central Asia Online, Dec 29, 2014).

Pakistan is not a fan of the U.S. TV spy drama "Homeland". Seems their feathers have been ruffled by the unflattering portrayal of Pakistan's powerful spy agencies. It appears the TV show links the Haqqani Network with the Inter-Service Intelligence agency. (Newsstalk ZB, Dec 29, 2014).

Stay One Step Ahead!

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.

Australia Pre-Deployment Handbook

The Australia Department of Defense has published a useful publication that will assist Security Force Assistance advisors who are deploying to Afghanistan. It is entitled Pre-Deployment Handbook: Afghanistan (post 2014). The handbook provides information that will assist in understanding the complex environment that is Afghanistan in 2014 and beyond. The research and analysis supports Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel operating in Afghanistan as part of the NATO mission Op Resolute Support. The authors, David Matthews and Raspal Khosa, are part of the Joint and Operations Analysis Division of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation. The code for the handbook is DSTO-GD-0909 and it is dated May 2014. It is an Adobe Acrobat PDF, is 141 pages long, and is 9 MBs big.

www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a605161.pdf

Transition Ceremony Kicks off Resolute Support Mission

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) held a ceremony concluding operations in Afghanistan and transitioning to the new NATO-led Resolute Support mission. The ceremony paid tribute to the international efforts launched in 2001 to help establish a new government and security in Afghanistan. The Resolute Support mission will consist of more than 12,500 troops focused on building Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) sustainability. This will be done through the implementation of Functionally-based Security Force Assistance. The force will consist of 28 NATO allies and 14 partner nations. Under Resolute Support, efforts to train, advise, and assist Afghan Security Institutions (ASI) and the ANSF at the ministerial, operational, and institutional levels will focus on eight essential functions. These 8 EFs comprise the systems and processes required for the professionalism and sustainability of the ASI and ANSF. There was no mention of whether the NATO RS mission would advise and train the ANSF in counterinsurgency operations - an area in which the ANSF desperately needs assistance. Read more in "Transition ceremony kicks off Resolute Support Mission", NATO News, December 28, 2014.

Polish Advisors now with TAAC East

After several months of preparation in Poland a unit of advisors has arrived at Tactical Base Gamberi to take part in the Resolute Support Mission as an element of the Train, Advise, Assist Command - East (TAAC East). They arrived on December 19, 2014 and are part of a larger Polish contingent known as Task Force White Eagle. The advisors are detailed to the Military Advisory Team and Police Advisory Team and are conducting a transition with the current advisors from the U.S. Army's 3d Cavalry Regiment. Read more in "Polish advisers ready for Resolute Support in Afghanistan", DVIDS, December 27, 2014.

ANA Logistics Still Broke

Despite an intense effort over the past two years to fix the Afghan National Army logistics and supply system prior to the departure of ISAF at the end of 2014 the ANA log system is broke, units are suffering from lack of ammunition, supplies, and material, and vehicles sit in boneyards broke and unusable. Read more on this deplorable situation in "Uh-oh in Afghanistan", by David Wood, Senior Military Correspondent, The Huffington Post.

Herat Govt Officials Dismissed by Ghani

Afghan President Ghani has fired several governmental officials in Herat province due to charges of corruption. Ghani visited Herat and announced the dismissal of the provincial head's of the attorney, oil, power, customs and education offices. He also fired the heads of police in all of Herat's 15 districts. Very welcome news indeed! Read more in "Afghan President Dismisses Officials in Western Province", Radio Free Europe, December 27, 2014.

NATO Troops End on Mission, Start Another

The end of 2014 sees the ISAF mission in Afghanistan end and the NATO Resolute Support Mission begin. The Afghan War, which has lasted over 13 years, has seen critics expound upon the successes and failures of the NATO mission thus far. Read more in "NATO troops end one Afghanistan mission, start another", Deutsche Welle (DE), December 27, 2014.

ISAF Flag is Lowered in Afghanistan

A ceremony was held at ISAF Headquarters ending the NATO commitment to Afghanistan under the ISAF mission. Beginning in January 2015 NATO will continue to provide support and assistance to Afghanistan under the Resolute Support Mission. Read more in "NATO flag lowered in Afghanistan as combat mission ends", The Washington Post, December 28, 2014. See also "US, NATO mark end of mission to Afghanistan", Yahoo! News, December 28, 2014.

UN Afghanistan Quarterly (Winter 2014)

The United Nations Afghanistan Quarterly most recent edition has been published. Some of the articles include comments from the UN Special Envoy, "Young Afghan activist wins UNDP peace award", "UN political chief urges new approach to Afghanistan", "Country's solutions are political and not military", "Campaign to eliminate violence against women", "Violence against Afghan women widespread", "UN: Universal Declaration for all people everywhere", "UN envoy, Afghan President decry rights violations", "Winter comes to Afghanistan, affecting most vulnerable", Information law hailed as press freedom milestone", and "UN urges reform to ensure country's security".

United Nations Afghanistan Quarterly, Volume 4, Issue 3, Winter 2014.

UK SIGINT in Afghanistan

In a counterinsurgency environment Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) is extremely important. Many of the Coalition troop contributing nations deployed their own SIGINT units. Some units were 'national' assets while other units were 'tactical' elements. The United Kingdoms' Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), an intelligence and security organization, sent SIGINT equipment and personnel in Afghanistan to develop targeting information and for force protection purposes. Read more in "GCHQ ran string of front-line listening posts in Afghanistan", The Telegraph, December 28, 2014.

Timeline of Afghan War

Now that the ISAF mission in Afghanistan has ended everyone is updating their timelines of the history of the Afghan War. The UK's Daily Mail has their version posted here.

Operation Freedom's Sentinel

It appears that the name of the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan under the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission will be called Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 29, 2014)

Five provinces received new science class packages worth over AFN 5 million from Germany. The Afghan Ministry of Education's Provincial Education Directorates (PEDs) of Balkh, Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz, and Sar-e-Pul received the new science equipment. The equipment was funded by the German government and includes laboratory materials for math, chemistry, biology, and physics classes. GIZ BEPA was the agency responsible for the handover of the science equipment. BEPA, or Basic Education Programme for Afghanistan, is a joint program of the German Government with the Afghan Government and is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammmenarbeit (GIZ). Read more in "5 provinces receive new science class packages worth over AFN 5 million from Germany", Wadsam - Afghan Business News Portal, December 27, 2014.

The NATO Secretary General issued a statement on the upcoming Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. Read more in "NATO Secretary General's statement on a new chapter in Afghanistan", NATO News, December 28, 2014.

NATO has published an online Fact Sheet (Dec 2014) on NATO's commitment to Afghanistan after 2014. You can read the backgrounder here.

A regional Taekwondo championship with the nations of Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Malaysia competing saw Afghanistan place very well. Read more in "Afghanistan wins 48 medals in International Taekwondo Championship", Khaama Press, December 24, 2014.

An IED killed a local tribal leader in Alingar district in the eastern province of Laghman on Sunday afternoon. Read more in "Tribal elder among 2 killed in Laghman explosion", Khaama Press, December 28, 2014.

Plans by the United States to transfer military equipment to the Ukraine is opposed by Afghanistan. The U.S. is in the process of moving excess MRAPs to the Ukraine and President Ghani is not happy. He intends to discuss this development with President Obama soon. Read more in this news report by Eurasia Review (Dec 27, 2014).

CIVCAS. NATO mistakenly killed three Afghan nomads in an air strike in Logar province on Friday. An additional two people were wounded. The victims were inside a house. Reuters, December 27, 2014.

Daily Newsletter on 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.

Gardens of Afghanistan

In a war torn country like Afghanistan there are sometimes few pleasures to enjoy. This is especially true if you are member of the international military spending a lot of your time on a huge Coalition base - built of concrete, crushed stone, and pre-fabricated buildings. A first impression of Afghanistan is that of a country with lots of open spaces covered with rock and sand and little in the way of vegetation. For someone from a forested area of the United States Afghanistan can appear to be a desolate region. However, a lot of my time was spent on Afghan military bases where I discovered the Afghan joy of gardening. While the ANA may not be the best fighting force in the world they certainly are adept in planting gardens. The ANA has an abundance of new bases with modern buildings (paid for by Uncle Sam) - and although the ANA might have trouble maintaining the buildings - they certainly can spruce the surrounding areas up quickly with gardens. This was especially true of the 209th ANA Corps in northern Afghanistan where on any given day over 200 ANA soldiers were engaged in gardening and landscaping activities. Many SFA advisors often wondered which was more important to the 209th - providing security for RC North or tending to their flowers. Certainly the ANA far outclassed the U.S. military in this area; the U.S. military bases were essentially very drab places to live. The only U.S. military attempt at providing vegetation on a meaningful level that I can remember (I am sure there were a few others) occurred in 2013 when Disney Avenue at Bagram Air Field got a row of trees planted from one end to the other. ISAF HQs compound in Kabul has a nice garden but I think it dates from when it was the Afghan Army Sports Center; I am sure that somewhere along the way there was an American general officer who wanted to pull the trees and plants out to put in some pre-fab buildings. Read more about the importance of gardening in Afghanistan in a online report by Lalage Snow posted on the Afghanistan Analyst Network (27 Dec 2014).

Paper - Aviation Security Cooperation

The U.S. Air Force, over the past decade, has engaged in assisting the Iraqi Air Force and Afghan Air Force in rebuilding from scratch. Over the course of the last ten years (and more) the U.S. Air Force has had to revamp its air advisor and training programs to meet this challenge. Over the years the U.S. Air Force advisory effort has had some mixed results but seems to be on track now. However, it appears that the Air Force may be ditching the ability to execute 'Security Cooperation' (SC) in order to find money to fund big ticket programs like the J-35.

A recently published paper argues that ". . . it is in the Air Force's interests to OT&E an effective standing operational SC Capability in the GPF". Doing so would help the service realize its vision of global vigilance, global reach, and global power; help deal with the challenges of highly contested environments; and provide a low-cost way to support US strategic interests and the nation's emphasis on shaping the strategic environment to prevent or deter conflict". The paper then states that the requirements for attaining such a standing SC capability is an investment of dozens of billets and tens of millions of dollars annually in the short term.

Read the paper entitled "Aviation Security Cooperation", Air & Space Power Journal, September-October 2014, pages 92-117.
http://www.dtic.mil/get-tr-doc/pdf?AD=ADA610320

J-35 to Replace A-10? Let's Hope Not

The news just doesn't get any better for the use of the new J-35 as a close support aircraft for ground troops. The Air Force would like to replace the A-10 with a version of the J-35 but it seems the "top-of-the-line" aircraft can't see the battlefield that well. In fact, the technology designed for the J-35 is ten years behind that being used right now by legacy aircraft. Read more in "Newest U.S. Stealth Fighter 10 Years Behind Older Jets", The Daily Beast, December 26, 2014.

Afghan Interpreter Finds New Life in U.S.

An Afghan interpreter who spent years working for the U.S. military and who's life was threatened by the Taliban has started a new life in the United States. He is being aided by a U.S. Marine in his fresh start. Read more in "Afghan Interpreter Finds Refuge at Marine's Home", Military.com, December 26, 2014.

NATO Airstrike CIVCAS in Logar

According to Afghan news agencies a NATO airstrike caused civilian casualties in the Baraki Barak district of Logar province on Friday. The airstrike hit a civilian home.  Read more in "NATO Airstrike Kills 5 in Logar", Tolo News, December 27, 2014.

Foreign Investment in Afghanistan? Unlikely for Now

Everyone acknowledges that the Afghan economy, despite some bright spots here or there, is in trouble. Foreign investment is stalled and Afghan money is flowing to Dubai and other locations. According to the World Bank the country has the lowest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the region with an average per capita annual income of around $670. Many are calling for government policies to encourage foreign investment but . . . with an ongoing insurgency that shows no signs of going away and a continuing problem with rampant corruption . . . it is unlikely that very much foreign investment will take place at a significant level. Read more in "Attracting Foreign Investments to Afghanistan: A Reality or Dream?", Khaama Press, December 27, 2014.

Advising and Training the Afghan Air Force

A female air advisor and trainer, Maj Mary Clark, recently completed a one-year tour at Shindand Air Base, in western Afghanistan training and advising students learning to fly Mi-17 helicopters. Read her thoughts about her experience, the value of a female instructor/advisor, and on the Afghan Air Force in "Female aviator makes difference training Afghan AF", U.S. Air Force News, December 26, 2014.

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. 

Newsletter Every Day

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.

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

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.

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.

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Merry Christmas!

Christmas - Afghanistan 2002

Christmas Eve 2002 Camp Vance, Bagram Air Field