Afghan War Blog

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Afghan War News Snippets - (Apr 4, 2015)

Logar Landmine Kills 7 Civilians. Seven civilians were killed in a landmine explosion in Logar province on April 3rd. All of the dead were from the same family. They were traveling in a civilian vehicle from Kabul to Baraki Barak district of Logar province. (Khaama Press, Apr 3, 2015).

Hybrid Warfare in Europe Explained. Learn why some countries in Europe think that the use of the term "hybrid warfare" gives NATO and the U.S. a pass in confronting the danger posed by Russia. Of course, hybrid warfare is not a new concept - it is just the type of war that is fought unconventionally (such as the insurgency in Afghanistan). (War on the Rocks, April 3, 2015).

A Call for More Humanitarian Aid for Afghanistan. In a letter to the editor of The New York Times (April 3, 2015) David Miliband (former British foreign secretary and president of the International Rescue Committee) says that more humanitarian aid needs to be provided to community-based programs in Afghanistan (such as the National Solidarity Program).

Senator Worried on Afghan Withdrawal. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis recently visited Afghanistan. Following his trip the senator said that the U.S. military must remain in Afghanistan beyond President Obama's projected troop withdrawal in early 2017 to discourage prospects for the Islamic State militants to get a toehold there. The senator met with high-ranking U.S. generals as well as President Ghani. He stated that current counterterrorism efforts and advising Afghan forces gives U.S. leaders ground information about potential threats. North Carolina is the home of the USMC's Camp Lejeune and the Army's Fort Bragg. (Military Times, Apr 3, 2015).

OCP Uniforms Ready for Issue. The Army will soon start issuing combat uniforms in its new camouflage pattern to deploying Soldiers. The uniforms will also be available at military clothing sales stores in late summer or early fall. New gear matching the camouflage pattern will soon be issued as well. The new camouflage pattern is similar in appearance to Crye Precision's popular MultiCam.(Army Times, Apr 3, 2015).

Video - "Bridging the Civil Military Divide: The Role of the Media". The New America Foundation and the Yale Veterans Association presented this panel discussion about the civil - military divide. This 1 hour and 15 minute video features a number of panel participants to include Tom Ricks (war correspondent and author), Adrian Bonenberger (former Army and currently a journalist), and Kayla Williams (former Army and book author).
https://youtu.be/ZJF7nO9uAEM

Women's Rights - and Education. Despite Ashraf Ghani's pledges in the United States, Afghanistan still has a long way to go on women's rights. Read "Afghanistan's 'Separate but Equal' Education System", The Diplomat, April 2, 2015.

Fears of Abductions Grow. Recent abductions in northern Balkh and Sar-e-Pul provinces (as well as the ones that took place in Zabul and Ghazni) have put many citizens who travel on edge. Read more in "Increased Abductions Grow Fears of Citizens", Tolo News, April 2, 2015.

Afghan Cabinet Vote on Monday. The Afghan House of Representatives has scheduled a vote of confidence for approving or rejecting the 16 new candidates for the cabinet. The house is currently reviewing the academic documents, dual citizenship, and background of the candidates. (Khaama Press, Apr 3, 2015).

Date for Bergdahl Article 32. The Article 32 hearing for SGT Bowe Bergdahl is scheduled for July 8th at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Bergdahl was charge on March 25th with one count of desertion and one count of misbehavior before the enemy. General Mark Milley, the former commander of ISAF Joint Command (IJC), made the decision to charge Bergdahl. (Army Times, April 2, 2015).

ADT Member Talks about Developing Rapport. Deploying to Afghanistan is a cultural shock -especially if your job involves interacting with Afghans. There is the cultural differences and the language barrier. And lots of tea drinking. But sometimes a hot pepper can break the ice. Learn how eating a hot pepper helped a female member of an Agribusiness Development Team establish rapport in "One hot pepper equals three cups of tea", DVIDS, April 2, 2015.

Peace Talks. Under President Karzai - the United States and India played a leading role in trying to get peace talks under way with the Taliban. With President Ghani now in charge - the scene has changed - Pakistan and China are now leading the effort. China has a lot at stake here - a stable Afghanistan will be needed if China is to have ready access to the immense deposits of minerals (Mes Aynak copper mine) available in Afghanistan and can contribute to its vision of a "New Silk Road" connecting all of Central Asia to Europe and China. The wild card is Pakistan - will it stop supporting the Taliban? Read more in "Afghanistan Peace Talks: At a Geopolitical Crossroads", The Diplomat, April 2, 2015.

Mine Awareness Day - April 4, 2015. U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan - P. Michael McKinley - has published an Op-Ed in Khaama Press about how 80% of minefields from past conflicts have been cleared in Afghanistan. Since 1989 almost 600,000 mines of various types (anti-personnel, anti-tank, and explosive remnants of war) have been cleared.

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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. If you wrote a paper on a relevant topic and would like to share it send it to us for posting on the blog and website. And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links please let us know.

staff@afghanwarnews.info

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Friday, April 3, 2015

Report - World Bank Group in Afghanistan

The World Bank Group has issued a report (April 2015) on its activities in Afghanistan for development and emergency reconstruction projects. Some of the ongoing operations include the "Second Education Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP II)", "Afghanistan Skills Development Project", "Music Institute", "Afghanistan Financial Sector Rapid Response Project", "System Enhancement for Health Action in Transition (SEHAT) Program", "Afghanistan Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Sector Development Project", "Central Asia South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA-1000)", "Irrigation Restoration and Development Project (IRIP)", "Second Customs Reform and Trade Facilitation Project (SCRTFP)", and many more.

Raouf Zia, Abdul, 2015. The World Bank Group in Afghanistan: country update. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/04/24231016/world-bank-group-afghanistan-country-update

Afghan News Snippets (Apr 3, 2015)

Khost Suicide Blast Kills 16 or more. Reports say that a suicide attack against an anti-corruption protest killed at least 16 and wounded around 40 in Khost province. An MP from Khost province was wounded in the explosion. The acting governor of Khost has been accused of land-grabbing (a common practice in Afghanistan) and rampant corruption (also a common practice among government officials). Civilian casualties have jumped by 22% in 2014.

Hope and Obstacles in Afghanistan. President Ghani's recent trip to the United States secured continued funding and a pause in the U.S. troop withdrawal. His visit also inspired some hope that Afghanistan can turn the corner; yet having hope won't fix the many obstacles in Afghanistan's path. Much work has to be done. Read "Tentative Hope, Continued Obstacles After Leaders' U.S. Trip", by Farishta Jalazai, Gandhara Blog, April 2, 2015.

China's Fiber-Optic Silk Road. One of the overlooked benefits of China's "New Silk Road" initiative (which involved connecting China with Central Asia and Afghanistan with rail and road LOCs) is the building of a fiber-optic regional network. The fiber-optic cable (1/10th the cost of satellite usage) can be laid alongside rail lines. This will benefit Afghanistan as well. Read more in "A Fiber-Optic Silk Road", by Nadege Rolland, The Diplomat, April 2, 2015.

Video - AMC Perspective on Afghanistan Retrograde. General Dennis Via, commanding general of Army Materiel Command provides an AMC perspective during the 2015 Global Force Symposium. (Posted by US Army TRADOC on YouTube.com on April 1, 2015, 30 mins).

https://youtu.be/7QocyaEk5GE

SIGAR Questions USAID's PROMOTE Project. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is spending lots of money on the Promoting Gender Equity in National Priority Programs (Promote) project. This project is committed to provide support for Afghan women. However, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) office is concerned that USAID will not be able to effectively implement, monitor and assess the impact of Promote. Read a SIGAR letter (March 27, 2015) to USAID expressing its concerns and requesting additional information.

www.sigar.mil/pdf/special%20projects/SIGAR-15-44-SP.pdf

Expensive Wedding Cap. Afghan lawmakers have passed a law limiting the costs for weddings. The cap is now at $3,500. Over the past ten years the cost of weddings have grown significantly and become a huge social problem and a burden for families. The law caps the number of wedding guests to 500 and the cost per head at 400 afghanis (which is about $7 U.S.). (NBC News, April 1, 2015).

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Thursday, April 2, 2015

SIGAR Report on DoD Contracts for Afghanistan

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released a report looking at the Department of Defense's contracts for Afghanistan reconstruction funding. The report notes that DoD contracts for Afghanistan reconstruction comprised $21 billion (out of $66 billion appropriated to DoD) through the award of 18,962 contracts to 2,542 vendors. The Afghan Security Forces Fund (ASFF) accounted for $17.3 billion in contracts. The Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) accounted for $795 million in contracts. The Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities Fund (DoD CN) accounted for $1.8 billion in contracts. The top recipient of DoD CN contracts was Academi Training Center (formerly known as Blackwater). You can read the full report on SIGAR's website at the link below.

Department of Defense Spending on Afghanistan Reconstruction: 2002 - May 2014, SIGAR, March 2015. http://www.sigar.mil/pdf/special%20projects/SIGAR-15-40-SP.pdf

Afghan War News Snippets (Apr 2, 2015)

Kabul Bank Case. President Ghani met with investigators of the Kabul Bank case as part of his commitments during his inauguration to finalize the country's largest corruption scandal. The Kabul Bank, once the country's largest institution, collapsed in 2010 due to corruption - much in part by the Karzai family.(Tolo News, 31 Mar 15).

Fighting in Helmand Gets Bloodier. The northern Helmand province area is seeing an upsurge in casualties as Afghan forces take the lead. (The Wall Street Journal, April 1, 2015, requires login).

10 Most Dangerous Countries in the World. Afghanistan made the list and is ranked fifth. Other countries include Nigeria, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine. (Radio Free Europe, April 1, 2015).

Taliban and Hezb-i-Islami Fight Each Other in Maidan Wardak. The Taliban and another insurgent group continue to fight each other in Wardak province. So there is a three-way fight going on there - The ANSF, Taliban, and Hezb-i-Islami. (Khaama Press, Apr 1, 2015).

11 Passengers Kidnapped Sari-e-Pul. Passengers were kidnapped in Sari Pul. Looks like this is an ongoing event at least once a week across Afghanistan.

Ghani. One writer says things are different with Afghanistan. He wants us to "Give Ghani a Chance". The RAND Blog, March 31, 2015.

Females & Ranger School. Six more women qualified to attend Ranger School by passing the March rotation of the Ranger Training Assessment Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. That brings the number of women qualified to attend the 60-day course to 12 total. (Army Times, April 1, 2015).

Turkmenistan-Afghan Border History. Do you ever wonder why Afghanistan's border with Turkmenistan looks so odd? Read "How the British and the Russians Drew the Afghan-Turkmen Border", by Akhilesh Pillalamarri, The Diplomat, March 31, 2015.

U.S. Vision for Central Asia. Antony J. Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State, addressed the Brookings Institute on March 31, 2015 and the topic was on Central Asia and how it relates to security in Afghanistan.

New Focus on Central Asia By U.S. Joshua Kurcera writes in The Bug Pit of Eurasia.net that Washington has rolled out a new Central Asia policy with a focus on counterterrorism. (April 1, 2015).

What's Next for Central Asia? Richard E. Hoagland, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the State Department, addressed a gathering at Georgetown University on March 30, 2015. Topic was Central Asia.

ISIL in Central Asia. Silk Road Reporters published a post by Joe Peerson on April 1, 2015 entitled "ISIL in Central Asia - Swiftly Becoming a Reality".

Blackwater and Afghan Drugs. An article in Fortress America says that the paramilitary firm "Blackwater Is Still Getting Rich Screwing Up Our War on Afghan Drugs". (March 31, 2015).

Relying on Pakistan. The Huffington Post has an article that says securing Afghanistan means relying on the Pakistani Army. (March 31, 2015).

Taliban Commander Captured. The NDA captured a senior Taliban commander who is involved in targeting foreigners in Kabul. (The Long War Journal, Mar 31, 2015).

IED Analysis Course. ANA soldiers have recently graduated from the "Improvised Explosive Device Analysis Course". The ten-day long course is intended to help the ANA students build on their existing intelligence analysis skills to assist them in countering IEDs. IEDs are the number one cause of casualties for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Learn more about this IED course in "Afghans learn to analyze IED threat", RS News, April 1, 2015.

Customs Revenue Increases. The Ministry of Finance announced a four percent increase in government financial income in the first quarter of this year. (Khaama Press, April 1, 2015).

$400,000 Helmet. An infantryman's kevlar helmet costs a few hundred dollars but the helmet that an F-35 pilot wears is much more expensive. Read "Meet the most fascinating part of the F-35: The $400,000 helmet", The Washington Post, April 1, 2015.

Resistance to DCGS-A Persists. The Army's main intelligence gathering component, the Distributed Common Ground System, continues to face criticism among lawmakers and members of the military. The DCGS will eventually cost the military over $10 billion. (GCN, March 31, 2015).

Parliamentary Election Postponed? Second Vice-President Sarwar Danish revealed on Wednesday that the parliamentary election will be postponed and held in 2016. (Khaama Press, April 1, 2015).

More on Ghani. Dr. Harland K. Ullman writes about President Ghani in an article entitled "Winston Spencer Ghani", The Huffington Post Politics Blog, March 31, 2015.

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Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Resolute Support Bibliography (April 2015)

Afghan War News has posted an update of the "Resolute Support Annotated Bibliography" (April 2015) on its website. The bibliography is an Adobe Acrobat PDF with over 200 pages filled with links to websites, documents, and publications about the Resolute Support Mission, Security Force Assistance, Advising, and Afghanistan. It will be extremely helpful to the advisor and staff working at the corps, zone, institutional, or ministerial level in Afghanistan. It is also a good reference for those conducting research or pre-deployment training for Afghanistan. You can view or download the publication at the link below.

www.afghanwarnews.info/pubs/RSM-Bibliography.htm

DoDIG Report on "Train, Advise, Assist, and Equip"

The Department of Defense Inspector General (Do DIG) office has issued a report about the Security Force Assistance mission in Afghanistan and Iraq. The reports overall objective was to provide DoD military commanders and other stakeholders responsible for Operation Inherent Resolve a summary of lessons learned gleaned from DoD IG assessment oversight of U.S. and Coalition "Train, Advise, Assist, and Equip" efforts during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. The DoD IG reviewed 30 assessment reports issued by the DoD IG between July 2008 and January 2015. These reports contained 342 observations related to U.S. and Coalition efforts to develop the national security forces of Iraq and Afghanistan. In this summary project the authors sought lessons learned that might apply to future contingency operations as well as to Operation Inherent Resolve. The report identifies five systemic challenge and problem areas, with related lessons learned.

Training and Equipping of Partner Nation Security Forces and Ministries
Advisory Assistance in Support of Partner Nation Security Forces and Ministries
Logistics Development and Sustainment
Accountability and Control of U.S.-Supplied Equipment
U.S. Contract Management

Summary of Lessons Learned - DoD IG Assessment Oversight of "Train, Advise, Assist, and Equip" Operations by U.S. and Coalition Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan
Report No. DODIG-2015-093
March 31, 2015

http://www.dodig.mil/pubs/documents/DODIG-2015-093.pdf

Article - What I Learned from ANSF

Carl Forsling, in an article about his time spent with a battalion of the Afghan Border Police (ABP), writes about what he learned from the Afghan security forces. In Everything I Really Need to Know I learned from Afghan Security Forces, Task & Purpose, March 31, 2015 he makes the following observations.

There is such a thing as too much planning
Risk is part of war
Speed and mobility can be force protection
Minimize logistical requirements
Aggressiveness can make up for a lack of skill
Don't be afraid to leave a subordinate in charge
Uneducated does not mean stupid
No better friend. No worse enemy
Always make time for tea

Afghan News Snippets (Apr 1, 2015)

Haqqani Network to Return to Home Base in Pakistan. Nearly 1 million civilians were forced from their homes in northwestern Pakistan as the result of a Pakistan military offensive over the past several months. These civilians are now able to return to their homes. Among those returning civilians will be thousands of Haqqani Network fighters who also fled their sanctuaries to avoid the fighting. Observers are contemplating how the return of the Haqqani Network to their home base will affect the recent thaw in Pakistan - Afghan relations. Read more in "Dangerous Afghan Taliban Network Prepares Return to Pakistan Sanctuary", Gandhara Blog, March 31, 2015.

Citizens Say Sar-e-Pul Districts Controlled by Taliban. Residents and local officials say that several districts of Sar-e-Pul province are on the verge of falling to the Taliban and other groups that oppose the central government. Reports indicated that some police in these districts have not been paid for four months. Read "Concerns Raised as Sar-e-Pul Districts on Verge of Collapse", Tolo News, March 30, 2015.

Afghans Demand Elected Mayors. Although the Afghan constitution has a provision requiring mayors to be elected in local elections - most of the mayors are appointed by the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Those appointments are generally made as a result of corruption, nepotism, or personal connections - less frequently are appointments based on qualifications or merit. Read more in an article entitled "Afghans Demand Elected Mayors", Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR), March 31, 2015.

"Rare Moment of Hope". Jonah Blank, a senior political scientist at RAND Corporation and former U.S. official who handled Afghan issues, gives us his reasons for optimism when it comes to the future of Afghanistan under President Ghani's watch. Read "Give Ghani a Chance: Why this time is different", The RAND Blog, March 31, 2015.

Women in Peacekeeping. As peacekeeping has evolved to encompass a broader humanitarian approach, women have become increasingly part of the peacekeeping family. Women are now deployed in all areas of peacekeeping as members of police, military, and civilian entities. They are key in supporting the role of women in building peace and protecting women's rights. Learn more about women in peacekeeping from this online article by the United Nations.
www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/issues/women/womeninpk.shtml

DoDIG Report on GIRoA Controls over Contract Management. This Department of Defense Inspector General report found that the government of Afghanistan's Ministries of Defense and Interior did not have effective controls over the contract management process for U.S. direct assistance funding provided to sustain the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The Ministry of Finance (MoF) was also found to be at fault. The report also found that ". . . CSTC-A did not hold the ministries accountable for not instituting the necessary controls over the contract management process and did not enforce the requirements within the commitment letters". The report recommends that CSTC-A use the ministerial advisory contract to place subject matter experts within the ministries to develop and increase the capacity of MoI and MoD to manage contracts appropriately. Read the report, DODIG-2015-082 dated February 26, 2015.
www.dodig.mil/pubs/report_summary.cfm?id=6269

ProPublica. An independent, non-profit newsroom that does investigative journalism in the public interest is looking for input on fraud and abuse of U.S. dollars in Afghanistan. ProPublica wants YOU to get involved. Read more at "Help ProPublica Investigate".

USASOC Video on "ARSOF Next". The United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) presents a 30-minute long video on what the future of Army Special Operations looks like. Key concepts include adaptability, autonomy, empathy, and expertise. Attributes of the Special Forces Soldier are discussed. Video posted on YouTube.com on March 31, 2015.
https://youtu.be/vC99Apc5ijc

AWG to Stay. The Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) will be staying on but at a reduced level. It will become part of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). AWG brings back lessons learned from around the globe and they had a big role in Afghanistan in advising in the field and providing lessons learned as well. Currently AWG is studying new threats and devising immediate materiel and doctrinal answers. (Defense News, March 31, 2015).

Afghan Women Mountain Climbers. Afghanistan has lots of high mountains. Anyone who has had the opportunity to fly over or drive through the Hindu Kush knows this for sure. As a former mountain climber / rock climber I was struck by the many climbing locations and often wondering if anyone had climbed this particular mountain or that rock face - ever. Mountain climbing in Afghanistan is not a very well developed sport and it certainly is not one where Afghan women participate. Yet there is a budding group of Afghan women who aim high. Ascend is an organization that helps Afghan women to become mountain climbers. Read more on this topic in "The Ascent of Afghan Women", by Sandra Caligaro for National Public Radio (NPR), March 31, 2015.

ATP 3-35. The U.S. Army has updated its deployment and redeployment doctrine. Check out Army Deployment and Redeployment (March 2015).
http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/atp3_35.pdf

Bergdahl Desertion. An article by Kate Brannen in The Cable Blog of Foreign Policy (March 30, 2015) says that "Bergdahl's Biggest Worry is Rare Misbehavior Before the Enemy Charge". This charge is far more serious than the desertion charge and carries a maximum punishment of life behind bars, a dishonorable discharge, a reduction in rank, and lost of thousands of dollars of pay and benefits that Bergdahl earned after joining the military. The charge isn't necessarily related to his time in captivity but rather from the time he walked off his remote outpost to when he was captured by the Taliban. He left his unit and his actions exposed men to danger who went searching for him over a period of months in very hostile areas of eastern Afghanistan.

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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Interview with Mike Waltz on Afghanistan

James Rosen on "The Foxhole" of Fox News interviews Michael G. Waltz - a Special Forces officer with multiple tours in Afghanistan and also a former high-level employee of the Department of Defense. The interview is on the topics of Afghanistan, the Islamic Jihad, President Obama as the commander-in-chief, Pakistan offering sanctuary to insurgents, the distraction that Iraq caused in winning in Afghanistan, reliance on NATO as a central player in Afghanistan, and more. Waltz is a reserve component member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, served as special advisor to Vice President Cheney on South Asia and counterterrorism, and worked in the Department of Defense in the office responsible for counternarcotics in Afghanistan and South Asia. Waltz currently serves as a senior national security advisor with the New America Foundation. Waltz is also the author of the book Warrior Diplomat. Watch the 18-minute long interview with Mike Waltz.

Afghan Daily News Snippets (Mar 31, 2015)

Bergdahl Desertion. Members of Bergdahl's platoon are undercutting his defense. Bergdalh claims he left his remote outpost in Afghanistan to meet with higher level ranking officers about abuses within his unit. However, his platoon was due to redeploy back to FOB Sharana the next day - which was the largest base nearby with high level ranking officers. Bergdalh's defense attorney has a tough fight ahead of him. Read more in "Some in Bergdahl's platoon undercut his emerging defense", CNN News, March 29, 2015. A military judge writes on the defense team's tactics in "Did Bergdahl's Defense Team Reveal Its Strategy Too Soon?", Task & Purpose, March 30, 2015. Meanwhile the Republicans are using the prisoner swap to mount an attack on President Obama's foreign policy - criticizing the exchange of a deserter for five high-level Taliban commanders who were imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay - see "GOP puts Bergdahl swap on trial", The Hill Policy Blog, March 28, 2015.

Five Passengers Abducted. Tolo News reported (Mar 30, 2015) that five passengers were abducted in Balkh province by unknown gunmen. The incident took place in the Sholgara district on Monday.

IMU and ISIS. A group of Uzbeks in northern Afghanistan claiming to be from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) says it is pledging allegiance to the Islamic State extremist group. (Radio Free Europe, Mar 30, 2015).

Suicide Attack in Kabul. An attack kills 3 people and wounds a lawmaker and seven others. Some reports say that a member of parliament was the apparent target of the attack. (Gandhara Blog, Mar 30, 2015).

Power Shortage Due to Clashes. Fights between the ANSF and Taliban have cut off the main supply of power from the Kajaki power plant in Helmand to consumers in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. Clashes have made it difficult to repair the cut power lines. (Reuters, Mar 30, 2015). In addition, Kabul is still suffering from power shortages due to extreme winter conditions and avalanches.

Medical Lessons from Battlefield. The first responder sector is benefiting from medical lessons learned from the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Read more in "Lessons from the battlefield are transforming emergency medicine in huge ways", Business Insider, March 29, 2015.

Ghani and CFR. President Ghani, during his U.S. tour, spent time with the Council on Foreign Relations discussing the many challenges that lie ahead for Afghanistan. Hannah Gais, reports on the address by Ghani in her column "How Ashraf Ghani's Government Will Address Afghanistan's Endemic Problems", The Diplomat, March 30, 2015.

Arming Police Militias. Arming vigilantes in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to work alongside struggling police forces isn't a solution - it's a time bomb. Or at least so says Hassan Abbas and Nadia Gerspacher - the authors of a news article entitled "The Irregulars", Foreign Policy, March 30, 2015. I can't say I agree with the authors and it is very likely they don't have a clue about the Afghan Local Police.

Desert Warrior Course. The Army is starting up a new school in Texas called the Desert Warrior Course where Soldiers will learn combat tracking, night land navigation, medical skills, basic desert patrolling, hazardous desert wildlife (can you say snakes?), and other skills. The 20-day long course will be filling a gap in small-unit tactics that have gone neglected. The school will be modeled after previous desert training events (such as the desert training phrase - BTDT - that Ranger School used to offer back when it was really hard). The first Desert Warrior Course starts in June 2015. Read more in "Army to launch new desert school", Army Times, March 30, 2015.

SF Recruiting Video. It looks like U.S. Army Special Forces has released a new SF recruiting video in an attempt to get folks to volunteer for SF training. Shooting skills, parachuting, fast-roping and more! A one minute long video posted on the USASOC Facebook site.

Women in Balochistan Suffer. Just south of Afghanistan is Pakistan's largest province - Balochistan. Life is grim for women living there - honor killings, acid attacks, maternal mortality and illiteracy. Read more in "Shocking Conditions for Balochistan's Women", The Diplomat, March 29, 2015.

Upcoming Event on Pakistan. The Wilson Center will hold a presentation by Pakistani journalist and security specialist Zahid Hussain who will provide an evaluation of Pakistani's countermilitancy efforts since last December on April 2, 2015 from 3:00 - 4:30 pm. The event is titled "Pakistan's Intensified Countermilitancy Push: Real Deal or False Hope".

Guest Bloggers Invited

Afghan War News w/ Morning Coffee

Monday, March 30, 2015

Afghan News Snippets (Mar 30, 2015)

Light News Day! There wasn't much news on the Internet Sunday when I put this newsletter together. I suppose everyone is suffering from "news fatigue" on the topics of the Ghani-Abdullah visit to D.C., the Farkhunda murder, and ISIS in Afghanistan. There is lots of other stuff going on in the world capturing the headlines to include Iran nuclear talks, crashed German airliner, troubles in Yemen, and the ongoing conflict in Syria and Iraq. Of course, the weekends are usually relatively slow when it comes to news.

Then again, maybe I got scared of being on the computer most of the day after reading the newly released (2015) report by RAND Corporation entitled "A Review of Research on Problematic Internet Use and Well-being: With Recommendations for the U.S. Air Force". It seems that 6% of the Air Force personnel suffer from Problematic Internet Use or PIU.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR849.html

"Just as the Internet was becoming part of everyday life in the mid-1990s, mental health professionals started seeing patients who were so absorbed in their online activities that they were neglecting their important social relationships, their work responsibilities, and even their health."

More Afghan Tour of U.S. News. The U.S. State Department released a statement (through its Bureau of International Information Programs) on the recent President Ghani visit to the United States. Read "Afghanistan is moving forward, with help from its friends", Share America, March 27, 2015.
https://share.america.gov/afghanistan-is-moving-forward/

Abdullah Interview - BBC. CEO Abdullah is interviewed by BBC where he expressed optimism that his country was on the path towards self-reliance but noted that more must be done for continued strength. He discusses the need for continued international assistance, possibility of peace talks, threat from ISIS, women's rights, and more. Watch the four minute video. (4 mins).
www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32080321

Abdullah Interview - NPR. Dr. Abdullah is interviewed by National Public Radio (NPR). Some observations by the CEO: Karzai ruined the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship and it needed to be repaired; Ghani and Abdullah put aside their egos for the good of Afghanistan and formed the National Unity Government, it is good to leave the door open for peace talks with the Taliban, and more.

Ghani, U.S. Assistance, and Women's Rights. Catherine Powell, writing for the Development Channel Blog of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) hesitantly supports the modified departure of U.S. troops in Afghanistan as it will help Afghanistan to ensure women's rights are improved over the next several years. Read "Mr. Ghani Goes to Washington", March 27, 2015.

Graphics Showing US Public's Thoughts on Afghanistan. USA Today says that the percentage of Americans who think it was a mistake to enter Afghanistan has increased by 40 percentage points over the past 13 years. (March 29, 2015).

Foreign Fighters in Afghanistan (1980-1992). Dr. Avraham Sela presented a talk entitled "State, Society and Transnational Islamic Volunteer Fighters in Comparative Perspective: Palestine 1948 and Afghanistan (1980-92)" at the Center for Security Studies of of Georgetown. Read more on his talk in an article by Georgetown Security Studies Review (March 28, 2015).

Loose Nukes in Pakistan? An article in Eurasia Review says that Pakistan's nukes (between 90 to 120) are a lot safer than folks think. Read "Safety and Security of Pakistan's Nuclear Installations", (March 29, 2015).

Video - LTG Eikenberry and Dr. Ali Jalali. A 50-minute long video provides us with a presentation by former LTG Karl Eikenberry and Dr. Ali Jalali who talk about state-building in Afghanistan. Eikenberry did two tours in Afghanistan and was also an ambassador to Afghanistan. Dr. Jalali was born in Kabul and has been a U.S. citizen since 1987. He currently is a professor on Near East and South Asia studies at the Center for Strategic Studies of the U.S. National Defense University. (Posted by the United States Institute for Peace on YouTube.com, March 20, 2015, 50 minutes long).

https://youtu.be/JHoLD0aWYIk

Guest Bloggers Wanted

Afghan War News with your Morning Coffee

Sunday, March 29, 2015

History of Task Force Musketeer (France)

EC-665 Attack Helicopter - Tiger
(photo by Erwan de Cherisey)

Task Force Musketeer was the name of the French aviation task force in Afghanistan. French military forces have been involved in Afghanistan since 2001 and for most of that time the French ground forces were supported by French rotary wing aircraft of many different types. The French helicopters performed a wide variety of duties to include air support, MEDEVAC, personnel movement, resupply, convoy escort, and reconnaissance. Erwan de Cherisey is a guest writer for the Afghan War News Blog. He has wrote a detailed history of France's aviation support in Afghanistan entitled - Task Force Musketeer. Erwan de Cherisey has wrote numerous articles for many different publications about aviation, Afghanistan, defense and other topics. He holds a master's degree in contemporary history and travels to many conflict zones around the world to report on peacekeeping, stability, and security operations. Erwan will provide articles and book reviews to the Afghan War News Blog on an occasional basis and we are proud to have him on the writing team! Read more about Erwan de Cherisey.

View the online article about Task Force Musketeer.

Trains Connecting Afghanistan to . . . Everywhere

President Ghani of Afghanistan envisions ". . . a strategic railroad stretching from Central Asia to China, Europe and its neighbors that would allow Afghanistan to develop its untapped mineral resources." He sees Afghanistan as being a transit country connecting the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, and China by road and rail. Currently the railways in Afghanistan are extremely limited and government regulations and management of the railways is haphazard at best. Read more in "Afghanistan's Big Project: A Train to Europe", Newsweek, March 26, 2015.

Paper - Economics in COIN

It is estimated that the Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of State (DoS) combined spent over $100 billion in reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. The Commission on Wartime Contracting estimates that much of this money was lost due to fraud, waste and abuse. Employing economics in a stability situation such as Afghanistan always presents challenges. However, many problems in this field were the result of the lack of an overall unified strategy for economic reconstruction. This paper compares previously deployed economic development plans (WWII and Vietnam) to efforts undertaken in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read "Economics in Counterinsurgency Operations", by Hayes J. Weidman, IAS-004, March 2015. The paper is a special study published by the Simons Center for Interagency Cooperation.

http://thesimonscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/IAS-004-March15.pdf

Paper - Russia, COIN, and Lessons (Not) Learned

A paper recently published (Dec 2014) entitled "Russian Organizational Learning in the Context of Afghanistan and Chechnya Counterinsurgencies" provides us with an examination of the Soviet Unions approach to counterinsurgency in Afghanistan (violently offensive mindset that alienated the populace they needed to succeed). The paper compares this approach in Afghanistan to the Russian counterinsurgency approach in Chechnya (essentially the same). The 47 page long paper seeks to understand why the lessons learned (or perhaps not learned) in the Afghan COIN environment were not implemented in the later counterinsurgency situation found in Chechnya. In addition, the author notes that the United States did not learn its counterinsurgency lessons in Vietnam and when presented with the counterinsurgent struggle in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. had to relearn those lessons. The author of this paper, MAJ Anthony M. Roh, wrote the paper as a student in the School of Advanced Military Studies at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The paper can be read online or downloaded at the link below on the Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL).

https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=763327

Afghan War News Snippets (Mar 29, 2015)

Afghan Goodwill Tour Successful. President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah made big points in their smoothly choreographed week-long blitz of D.C. Lots of good press, a reset of Afghan-U.S. relations, and renewed commitments by the U.S. to continue support for Afghanistan. Read more in "A New Day in US-Afghan Relations, But for How Long?", Defense One, March 26, 2015.

Abdullah at Brookings. Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah recently attended a session at the Brookings Institute where he discussed a number of issues. See a report by the Brookings Institute (March 27, 2015) on his visit.

American Folly and Afghan Gratitude. A commentator, Steve Chapman, writes in The Chicago Tribune (March 27, 2015) that the Afghan leader(s) visit to the U.S. was refreshing in that they expressed their thanks for the sacrifice U.S. troops have made in Afghanistan (and the bags of money we have handed over) but he fears that we are stuck in Afghanistan for the long haul with doubts on the success of establishing a stable Afghanistan.

"Afghanistan's Next Chapter". The New York Times has published an editorial about the "Afghan Tour" recently completed by Ghani and Abdullah. There are two major challenges for Afghanistan - The Afghan Army needs to stem the attrition and turnover of it Army and the endemic corruption must be significantly cut back.

Generals Fired. President Ghani fired over 60 Afghan general officers in recent weeks. Many were forcibly retired - and they, for the most part, won't be missed. Among the 60 plus generals there were no doubt some that didn't show up for work or they did not have any real job. This move should save a lot of money and create a less bureaucratic security structure.

Video - Professor Tom Barfield. An expert on Afghanistan and book author speaks about state building in Afghanistan. Additional topics is state building mixed with counterinsurgency and counterterrorism. Dr. Barfield is a professor of anthropology at Boston University and president of the American Institute for Afghanistan Studies. (posted by the United States Institute for Peace on YouTube.com, March 20, 2015, 31 minutes).

https://youtu.be/pomICnvu5UU

Presentation on Central Asia at Brookings. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will give remarks on current priorities and future prospects for U.S. engagement in Central Asia at the Brookings Institution on Tuesday, March 31, at 3:30 p.m. He will discuss how the U.S. plans to deepen our partnerships in the region to enhance regional security, economic integration, and address common foreign policy challenges.

www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/03/239867.htm

Hazara Captives. It has been almost one month since 31 Hazaras were taken captive by unknown gunmen in Zabul province. Still no resolution.

Zulfiqar Operation Ongoing. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are still conducting their operation in Helmand province. It is an attempt to shape the environment prior to the start of the 2015 fighting season and put the insurgents off balance.

Farkhunda Case to AGO. The Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoI) has sent the cases of 28 suspects involved in the killing of the woman named Farkhunda to the Attorney Generals Office (AGO).

Turkmen-Afghan Border. Turkmenistan is increasingly worried about its border with Afghanistan and the threat posed by ISIS. Read "ISIS and Turkmenistan's Border Worries", The Diplomat, March 28, 2015. Turkmenistan has asked the U.S. for military aid to address Afghan border instability. Read more on this topic in "Turkmenistan Asks U.S. for Military Aid to Address Border Instability", Eurasia.net, March 27, 2015.

South of Afghan Border. In Balochistan, a part of Pakistan south of Afghanistan, the Chinese have a major development project ongoing. Pakistan is preparing to hand over its deep sea Gwadar port to Chinese interests in the next month. However, it appears that Baloch insurgents are targeting Chinese interests in the area. In an attack on Monday at least five oil trucks were set on fire and some drivers abducted. Insurgents accuse multinational firms of looting Balochistans natural resources - little gain is seen among the Balochs of the large enterprises operating in the Baloch region. The internal strife has prompted many Balochs to resettle in southwestern Afghanistan - an area where some Balochs live. Read more in "Chinese Operations in Balochistan Again Targeted by Militants", The Diplomat, March 27, 2015.

Karzai on ISIS. Former President Karzai is visiting Australia. He was recently interviewed by CNBC where he made some comments about the presence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan. He says ISIS lacks the necessary support to make gains and that there is a lot of media hype going on. He was also very critical of the U.S. and the Coalition's efforts in Afghanistan - saying that not much was accomplished over the past 13 years. He accused the U.S. of having a flawed policy with Pakistan - who he considers at fault for its support of the Taliban. Read more in "Karzai: Islamic State is not in Afghanistan", CNBC, March 28, 2015.

White House and Bergdahl. The Army's decision to charge Beau Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy is not a good move for the White House. It was just ten months ago that the White House made a big deal of the release of Bergdahl by the Taliban in exchange for five high-level Taliban fighters to include a ceremony on the White House lawn. The White House celebration seems a bit misguided and inept. Read more in "How the White House bungled the Bowe Bergdahl case", LA Times, March 28, 2015.

Indiana NG MPs Afghan Bound. Members of the 939th Military Police Detachment are heading to southern Afghanistan. (WTHR.com, Mar 28, 2015).

Move Toward Parliamentary System? One observer of the Afghan governmental system thinks that Afghanistan should move from a centralized governmental system (where the President has lots of power - such as appointing all 34 provincial governors) to one based on parliamentary procedure that is more decentralized. It would appear, based on comments made during his U.S. tour, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah (CEO) is in agreement with this idea as well. Read more in "Afghans in America: Takeaways from Ghani and Abdullah's US visit", The Diplomat, March 27, 2015.

Postes Afghanes. Learn about the 'snail mail' service of Afghanstan before the 1980s. Thomas Ruttig of Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) looks back on 135 years of Afghan postal service and provides a first-hand view of 30 years of personal experience with the Afghan postal service. Read "Post Runners, Aerogrammes and the Big E-Mail Challenge: Scenes from 135 years of Afghan postal service". (March 29, 2015).

Team Shield Police Advisory Team. Read a short story on how TAAC East police advisors are assisting the Afghan police. (Army.mil, Mar 28, 2015).

Task Force Corsair. TF Corsair is a multifunctional aviation task force that aids Afghan forces by providing full-sprectrum aviation support in TAAC South. Read "Task Force Corsair assists from above", DVIDS,i March 28, 2015.

AP Journalist Killer Sentenced. The killer of an AP journalist was sentenced to 20 years of prison by an Afghan court. (Stars and Stripes, Mar 28, 2015).

Keep the A-10. The Huffington Post Blog has published an article by Robert Slayton (Professor of history at Chapman University) saying the U.S. Air Force has to keep the A-10. He says "Simply put, the A-10 is the best plane ever designed to support troops in combat. By any nation, anytime." Read more in "Protect Our Troops", Huffington Post Blog, March 27, 2015.

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Saturday, March 28, 2015

43rd Battalion (Georgia) to Deploy to Afghanistan

43rd Battalion of Georgia. A farewell ceremony was held for the 43rd Battalion of the IV Mechanized Brigade of the Georgia Armed Forces prior to its departure for a deployment to Afghanistan as part of the Resolute Support Mission (RSM). The 43rd Battalion will replace the 51st Battalion on Bagram Air BAse (BAF) located just north of Kabul. The deployment will be six months long and the mission is to provide security for BAF. (The Messenger Online (GE), March 26, 2015.

www.messenger.com.ge/issues/3337_march_26_2015/3337_2.html

Beau Bergdahl Should Get Jail Time

Bergdahl Should Pay. A Special Forces commander who was in Afghanistan when Bergdahl went missing describes the effect his disappearance had on operations. The SF teams that he commanded were re-missioned to searching for Bergdahl instead of going after militants. Equipment was diverted, drones were reallocated, key missions were scrapped, and his men were sent into some of the most hostile areas of Afghanistan to conduct the search for the missing Soldier. The SF officer says Bergdahl is lucky - as he survived captivity and is back in the United States. However, "the soldiers who died looking for him never had the opportunity to return home". Read Michael Waltz's opinion piece in "Bergdahl should pay for betrayal: Opposing View", USA Today, March 26, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets (Mar 28, 2015)

New Banking Law? The Afghan parliament may approve a new banking law that includes provisions for Islamic banking. Read more in "New Afghanistan banking law may jump-start Islamic finance", Yahoo! News, March 27, 2015.

ISIS and Taliban. Some experts think that certain elements of the Taliban may end up pledging allegiance to ISIS. Listen to the thoughts of regional analysts Scott Stewart and Michael Waltz on the operational capabilities of ISIS in South Asia and the importance of the U.S. to rethink its withdrawal strategy. (Fox News, Mar 25, 2015).

NATO Backs Slower US Exit. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has embraced the U.S. decision to slow down the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Voice of America, Mar 26, 2015).

China and India. The two regional powers of China and India are competing for influence in Afghanistan - but they will also have to work together. (The Diplomat, Mar 27, 2015).

Spin Boldak Bank Robbery. Five officials of the Spin Boldak Branch of the Central Bank of Afghanistan were arrested in connection with the theft of 76 million AFN five weeks ago in southern Kandahar province. (Tolo News, Mar 26, 2015).

UK Troops Exposed in Helmand. A recent news report says that British soldiers were left dangerously exposed in the volatile province of Helmand due to poor decision making. Military chiefs underestimated the strength of the Taliban in Helmand province and there were deep failings in decision making at higher levels. (Guardian, Mar 26, 2015).

CEO Abdullah Optimistic. John Grady writes in USNI News that the Afghanistan Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah is optimistic about his countries future. He says that the new National Unity Government is functioning but security is still the number one problem in Afghanistan. (March 26, 2015).

Afghans Want Faster Training of AAF. The Afghan government has asked the United States to accelerate the training and equipping of Afghan pilots to fly aeromedical evacuation and close air support missions. Currently the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing headquartered in Kabul conducts in-country training of the Afghan Air Force. There are also 30 Afghan pilots and 90 maintainers at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia receiving training n the A-29 Super Tucano. Training is also conducted by defense contractors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Read "Afghans want U.S. to speed up training of Afghan air force", Air Force Times, March 26, 2015.

Video - Ambassador James Dobbins. The former ambassador spoke in this video about state strengthening in Afghanistan. He was a special representative for the State Department for Afghanistan and Pakistan. The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) hosted a conference and one of the speakers was James Dobbins. (USIP, March 23, 2015, 42 minutes).

https://youtu.be/A0AViKj8EGk

Former U.S. COP in Bakwa district captured by TB. The Taliban have released a video showing the capture of a former U.S. base in Farah province. (Khaam Press, Mar 27, 2015).

ISIS Recruiting in Afghanistan. CNN has received a video that shows ISIS recruiters in Afghanistan. (CNN, March 24, 2015).

Guest Bloggers Wanted

AWN Newsletter Daily

Friday, March 27, 2015

Video - EU in Afghanistan

The European Union in Afghanistan has published a short video entitled "This is How Afghanistan Can Become Peaceful and Prosperous" (March 19, 2015, 2 minutes long). The narrator says that "When we think of Afghanistan, we think of war, conflict and its violent past. But what about the future?" The video sends the message that Afghanistan sits at the centre of a natural corridor for trade and transit but in order to take advantage of this geographic advantage cooperation with other regional countries like China, Pakistan, Iran, India, and the Central Asian states is crucial. This video explains how regional cooperation would benefit Afghanistan and what the EU Delegation in Kabul is doing to help. https://youtu.be/5oQ3vMLyrc4