Afghan War Blog

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Afghan War News Snippets

MoI Support & Supply. General Campbell, Resolute Support Mission Cdr, and the Ministry of Interior Minister recently visited MoI support & supply center to assess current capacities and needs. The logistics operation for the Afghan police has been broke for a long time.

Hamid Karzai Visits Germany. Karzai, the ex-president is visiting Germany - he has lots of meetings, interviews, and speeches scheduled. He has been busy traveling overseas quite a bit since his departure from government.

Blood-Clotting Gel. The UK's Forces.TV (April 20, 2015) is reporting on a battlefield advancement in medical care that could make a huge difference in surviving an injury or wound with severe bleeding. A graduate from Polytechnic Institute of New York University has invented a gel that can stop bleeding and seal serious wounds in 15 seconds.

http://forces.tv/13424457

Ghani's Calculated Risk With Pakistan. President Ghani is pursuing peace talks with the Taliban and is hoping that Pakistan will cease its support of insurgent groups carrying out attacks against Afghanistan and that Pakistan will steer these insurgent groups to the peace table for talks. Read more in "Afghan President's Taliban predicament", by Aryaman Ghatnager, Observer Research Foundation, April 20, 2015.

India - A Thorny Issue. Stephen Tankel writes about the relationship between India and Afghanistan in "India in Afghanistan: Tackling a Thorny Issue", War on the Rocks, April 201, 2015.

China - and Relationships. China is trying to extend its influence in Central and South Asia for a number of reasons (security, economic, political, etc.). China has to balance a number of issues to ensure relationships with India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the U.S. are not damaged - which could affect its aspirations in the region. Read more in "Reimagining the Triangle", Observer Research Foundation (India), April 20, 2015.

Paper on IEDs in Afghanistan. Hannah Bryce and Henry Dodd have a paper posted on the website of The Royal Institute of International Affairs entitled "The Impact of IEDs on the Humanitarian Space in Afghanistan", April 9, 2015. (Adobe Acrobat PDF, 15 pages).

USAID Empowering Women in Animal Health Services. USAID has posted a photo and short story on how it is ensuring women in Afghanistan have access to animal health services.

6th Annual Warrior Competition. The country of Jordan is running its annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah Special Operation Training Center. This annual competition pits anti-terrorism squads from 18 different countries against each in shooting and anti-terrorism skills. Afghanistan is sending a team from its Afghan National Security Special Forces (ANASF) to compete - as it has in previous years.

New Zealand Commits to Afghanistan. The Kiwis are staying in the fight until December 2016. Read more in "Extension of NZDF commitment in Afghanistan", Scoop.co.nz, April 20, 2015. See also a news story in The New Zealand Herald, April 20, 2015.

51st Battalion Completes Tour. Georgia's 51st infantry battalion completed its tour of Afghanistan. (Agenda.ge, April 20, 2015). http://agenda.ge/news/33601/eng

Video - BAF Base Defense Exercise. Watch a one-minute long video by US Forces Afghanistan on base defense at Bagram Airfield.

State Department Visit to Central Asia. The DoS is sending an interagency team to Central Asia for consultations about Afghanistan. The team will visit Kazakhstan, Krygyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan from April 20-24. The group will discuss recent developments in Afghanistan, including the election of the Government of National Unity, the current security situation, and the NATO Resolute Support Mission. Read more in "Interagency Team Travels to Central Asia for Afghanistan Consultations", U.S. Department of State Media Note, April 20, 2015.
www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/04/240890.htm

$1B in Helicopters to Pakistan. A commentator asks "Why Are We Sending This Attack Helicopter to Pakistan?", The Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2015.

Culture Clash in U.S. Miltary. Carl Forsling, as senior columnist for Task & Purpose writes about the departure of military officers and NCOs from the military and reasons for their leaving in "There is a Cultural Clash Erupting Within the Military", April 20, 2015.

Women Now in Ranger School. The first course to allow women to go through the very demanding Ranger School started on Monday, April 20th. As many as 20 women are expected to start this one-time integrated assessment. The assessment is part of a wider effort to determine whether and how to open combat arms positions to women. Read more in "Women to start Ranger School Today", Army Times, April 20, 2015. On the first day the prospective Rangers are administered a physical fitness test early in the morning. 19 women were among the 400 plus students. They were tested (same standards for men and women) in their ability to do a minimum of 49 pushups, 49 situps, six chinups, and a five-mile run in 40 minutes or less. 16 of the 19 female students passed the test (Ledger-Enquirer, April 20, 2015).

Women and Cultural Support Teams (CST). While much talk has been generated about bringing women into combat arms - it would appear that the Special Operations community has been already on board. A few years back the Army created the Cultural Support Team program to work along side Special Forces teams in Afghanistan. Read more about the CSTs in this news report in the New York Post (April 19, 2015)

Army vs Marines & Women in Combat. Unit assignments and gender integration research varies between the services according to Gretel C. Kovach in a news story posted in U~T San Diego, April 18, 2015.

Rumi Spice. A female veteran of the Afghan War and Harvard Business Student has formed a venture that imports saffron to the United States benefiting Afghan farmers and hopefully providing an alternative crop to opium. Learn more in a PBS Newshour report by Larisa Epatko, April 20, 2015. www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/afghan-grown-saffron/

Afghan Women Hindered from Access to Justice. Deutsche Welle (Germany) has published a news story on "How Afghan women are dissuaded from asserting their rights", April 20, 2015.

India Promoting Women's Rights in Afghanistan. Catherine Powell, writing in the Development Channel Blog of Foreign Policy (April 20, 2015) tells us that India can be a useful partner in promoting Afghan stability and advancing the future of Afghan women.

Export of Opium to India Trucks carrying opium from Afghanistan through Pakistan are entering India and the drug problem in India is getting bigger. Read more in "Kashmir's Heroin Highway", Slate.com, by Michael Edison Hayden, April 2015.

Trouble South of Border. Ambreen Agha writes about the enduring tragedy in Balochistan, Pakistan in Eurasia Review, April 20, 2015.

Obama's Drone Problem. Read "All the President's Drones: Obama's Targeting-Killing Problem", The National Interest, April 20, 2015 for Rachel Stohl's explanation of why the White House's secrecy regarding the U.S. drone program has not done it any favors.

Author Interview. A fiction book wrote 40 years ago provides us a look at the military-civilian divide during the Vietnam War. The author says that the divide is more wide now (2015) than during the Vietnam War. Read an interview with the author of a science fiction war story called "The Forever War" in War is Boring, April 19, 2015.

Guest Bloggers Wanted

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. Frequency of submission is up to you. 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. If I missed an important story about Afghanistan - please let me know. Send the link! And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links please let us know.

staff@afghanwarnews.info

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Monday, April 20, 2015

LOFTA Under Attack

A United Nations sponsored report has found that Afghanistan government officials who headed up an organization that provided oversight of the Afghan police has not been doing their job. The report found that only 9 cases of 2,000 were referred for prosecution. The senior Afghan police officials suppressed corruption complaints against the police. The report was commissioned by the Law and Order Trust Fund of Afghanistan (LOTFA) late last year. It was completed in January 2015 but never shown to senior UN officials. LOFTA has received around $3.6 billion from international donors to pay for Afghan police force salaries and other expenses but investigation after investigation finds that the money is re-routed into the personal accounts of senior police officials. (Those villas in Dubai can be expensive!).

Read News Reports:

"UN investigation finds corruption in Afghan police oversight division", Thomson Reuters Foundation, April 19, 2015.
www.trust.org/item/20150419043015-b3w06/

Additional Resources about LOFTA:

Ministry of Finance Afghanistan Explanation of LOFTA
United Nations Development Program - LOFTA
Bahum Newsletter - LOFTA Monthly Newsletter

Pakistan's "Deep State"

Understanding Pakistan helps us to understand the conflict in Afghanistan. There is a reason for the existence of the term AFPAK; the two countries are intertwined when it comes to security issues in South Asia. Christine Fair, a well-known expert on Pakistan, is interviewed by Aasim Zafar Kahn - a columnist with The News International - a widely read English daily in Pakistan. Christine says that the 'deep state' term is a way of describing how the Pakistan Army runs the country behind the scenes. She discounts the 'independence' of Pakistan's intelligence service from the Pakistan Army and provides us with her understanding of why Pakistan supports terrorist groups that attack India and the Afghan Taliban that are running amok in Afghanistan. Read the interview in "Pakistan Army continues to run and ruin the country: Fair", Alternative.co, April 19, 2015.

www.alternarrative.co/pakistan-army-continues-to-run-and-ruin-the-country-fair/

Assessing DoD Efforts to Inform, Influence, & Persuade

If you are in the Strategic Communications field in a conflict area then the below listed three references from the RAND Corporation may be useful to your line of work. These could be useful to the Resolute Support advisors working in Essential Function 8 - STRATCOM.

"DoD has struggled with assessing the progress and effectiveness of its IIP efforts and in presenting the results of these assessments to stakeholders and decisionmakers. To address these challenges, a RAND study compiled examples of strong assessment practices across sectors, including defense, marketing, public relations, and academia, distilling and synthesizing insights and advice for the assessment of DoD IIP efforts and programs. These insights and attendant best practices will be useful to personnel who plan and assess DoD IPP efforts and those who make decisions based on assessments, particularly those in DoD and Congress who are responsible for setting national defense priorities and allocating the necessary resources."

Assessing and Evaluating Department of Defense Efforts to Inform, Influence, and Persuade
RAND Corporation, April 17, 2015

Desk Reference

www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR809z1.html

Handbook for Practitioners
www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR809z2.html

Annotated Reading List

www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR809z3.html

Webcast - "Advancing Gender Equality" (20 April, 2015)

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) will be hosting a panel discussion on "Advancing Global Gender Equality" on Monday, April 20, 2015. The event will take place at CSIS in Washington, D.C. but can also be viewed online as well. The panel is moderated and hosted by Bob Schieffer (Chief Washington Correspondent for CBS News) and panelists include Catherine Russel (Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, U.S. Department of State), Carrie Hessler-Radelet (Director, U.S. Peace Corps), and Dr. Sarah E. Mendelson (Senior Advisor and Director, CSIS Human Rights Initiative).

Monday, April 20, 2015, 4:45 PM - 6:30 PM. Register for webcast online at link below.
http://my.csis.org/csis/CSIS1700/CSISEventRegistration.aspx?eventcode=2015_149

Afghan War News Snippets

Ghani and Iran. Iran says it is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism in the region. Yep. They said that. I saw it on Twitter so it must be true. President Ghani is on a two-day (starting Sunday) visit to Iran to discuss security, drug trafficking, and refugee issues.

MoD Minister Nominated? News reports say that General Abdullah Khan has been nominated to head up the Ministry of Defense.

General Campbell on Key to Peace. General Campbell, in a DoD News video says the key to Afghan peace is the Taliban to engage in the political process. (April 17, 2015).
www.defense.gov/video/default.aspx?mediaid=2001038941

Nangarahar Bombing. The death toll from the suicide bomber on a motorcycle is around 33 fatalities with many more injured. The Taliban issued a statement saying they are not the guilty party; ISIS has claimed the responsibility. Resolute Support HQs issued a statement condemning the bombing on Facebook.

Afghan Law and Sharia Faculties in Competition. The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs funded the 2014-2015 Afghanistan National Rounds of the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Teams from nearly 550 law schools in more than 80 countries take part in the competition. Two Afghan teams took part in the competition outside of Afghanistan. Read more in a news report by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, April 19, 2015. http://kabul.usembassy.gov/pr-04192015.html

ISIS and Afghanistan. Matt Chiavenz writes about "Afghanistan's Growing War With ISIS" in The Atlantic, April 18, 2015.

Lashkar Gar Police Station Attacked. Gunmen attacked a police station in Lashkar Gar, Helmand province on Sunday wounding two officers and a civilian. (Military Times, Apr 19, 2015).

Obama's Failed Afghan Peace Strategy. One commentator feels that Obama is fooling himself if he thinks he can get a peace settlement with the Taliban. Read his column in Project-Syndicate.org (India), April 15, 2015.

Controversial Border Security Trench. Pakistan is making good progress on the digging of a security trench along the Afghan-Pak border. The purpose of the trench is to limit cross-border activity of militants; however, Afghan officials have objected to the trench saying it will escalate tensions between the two countries. The 8 ft deep and 10 ft wide trench, when completed, will be 470 miles long and will travel along the Durand Line - which Afghanistan objects to - as it separates the Pashtun people on both sides of the border. Read a news report in UPI, apr 17, 2015.

Torture in Uzbekistan. A country to the north of Afghanistan is under the spotlight due to a report issued by Amnesty International that says that "Torture has become a defining feature of the Uzbekistani criminal justice system". Read more in "Turning a Blind Eye to Torture in Uzbekistan", by Catherine Putz, The Diplomat, April 16, 2015.

Central Asia Evolving. Read one commentators view of how Central Asia will become integrated with Europe, Russia and China. (Asia Times, Apr 18, 2015).

Deminers Abducted. Afghan officials report that 19 deminers were kidnapped by insurgents in Paktia province on Sunday.

Develop Your Writing Skills!

Afghan News in a Newsletter

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Day in the Life of a RoL Advisor

One of the hardest jobs in Afghanistan is that of a Rule of Law advisor. I have known and worked with several RoL advisors and trainers and they had a frustrating job. On one hand there were the Afghans that had no clue what RoL was (and if they did, had no desire to observe it) and on the other hand were American military officers that brushed the whole concept aside - at least in the early and mid years of the Afghan conflict. Even in a later period of the war (just a few years back) I can recall RoL advisors at the national level working at ISAF being reassigned to other jobs because there was not much progress being made in RoL within the Afghan government, military, and police. It wasn't all gloom and doom for the RoL advisor - there were some success stories and some progress; just not enough.

With President Ghani now running the government and the appointment of new ministers to the cabinet perhaps the Rule of Law advisors working in Resolute Support Essential Function 3 will see the doors open a little wider and be able to assist the Afghans with some measurable and meaningful progress.

Jade Wu, a former Rule of Law advisor in Afghanistan, provides us her perspective on the Rule of Law advisor assignment in "A Day in the Life of a Rule of Law Advisor", International Policy Digest, April 17, 2015. Jade is a foreign policy analyst, author, and lawyer. She has worked on humanitarian assignments in Iraq, Kosovo, Philippines, Germany, and Malawi. She is currently writing a book with the working title "Moments that Flashed". You can follow her on Twitter at @jadejournal.

Paper - "Body Count"

The Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) has published an extensive study of the deaths caused by the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. The short name of the paper is "Body Count"; the long name is "Body Count: Casualty Figures after 10 years of the War on Terror". For those that can remember (yes, I do) the term 'body count' gained much attention during the Vietnam War. One of the methods the military command in Vietnam measured progress on the battlefield in Vietnam was using a body count metric - how many of the enemy were killed during a certain operation or period. It became a focus of the military during the 'Five O'clock Follies" - the public affairs office briefings to the press that occurred in Saigon every day at 5:00 pm. The military, in an effort to show progress, would trot out charts depicting the latest body count information. Unfortunately, this public affairs practice turned into a negative. As a result, the US has learned to not release enemy casualty figures; and when they do, they are not tallied from day to day. So it is not surprising that the PSR 'borrows' the term for the title of their paper; as the negative association of the term fits their political agenda and resonates with many of their readership and will likely influence others beyond their usual audience. The paper by PSR attempts to fill the information gap of the casualties not tracked by the U.S. in Afghanistan (and Iraq and Pakistan as well). The paper is dated March 2015, is an Adobe Acrobat PDF, and is over 100 pages of graphs, charts, maps, pictures, figures, etc. In regards to Afghanistan, the paper provides estimates of the number of war deaths from October 7, 2001 to December 31, 2011. It examines the casualty figures of civilians, Afghan security forces, ISAF and OEF Soldiers, private security contractors, civilian employees of the US government, journalists, and insurgents.

www.psr.org/assets/pdfs/body-count.pdf

Afghan War News Snippets

Parliament Approves Ministers. It appears that President Ghani's cabinet is growing. The parliament has approved many of the more recent nominees for ministry positions. Perhaps the Afghan government can start governing now that the ministries have some leadership. Evidently enough bribes were paid to enough MPs to get all 16 ministers approved. Now if only folks could agree on the MoD minister - because, like, there's a war going on. Kate Clark, of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, provides us a detailed look at the ministers and the approval process.

Ghani Visits Troubled Badakhshan. President Ghani visited this contested province and provided a speech calling Afghans to unite against the insurgents and to support the Afghan National Army. He indicated that the province's leadership was poor and dominated by a few powerful individuals.

Jalalabad Suicide Bombing kills Scores. There were a lot of fatalities in Jalalabad on Saturday from a suicide bomb blast. Estimates indicate that there were about 35 fatalities with over 100 wounded. The Taliban have said they are not responsible; the Islamic State has claimed responsibility. News reports are below:

The Washington Post
Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe
UNAMA

Islamic State and Afghanistan. This news story covers a broad range of topics including the fear of the growth of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, persecution of the Hazaras, Afghan Local Police, militias, and warlords. Read "Has the Caliphate Come to Kabul?", by Leela Jacinto, Foreign Policy, March 23, 2015.

India and Pakistan - Proxy War in Afghanistan. Catherine Putz provides us with a summary of the involvement of India and Pakistan in the Afghan conflict and the evolving relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Learn more about why ". . . we may be fighting the wrong enemy in the wrong country". (The Diplomat, April 15, 2015).

Iran Shoring up the Shiites? President Ghani's charm offensive seems to be working. He has reached out to regional neighbors requesting assistance. Iran has responded with a statement by the Iranian Interior Minister (April 13th) that Iran was willing to execute joint operations with Afghanistan. Hmmmm. Does that mean providing stability to neighboring Herat and Ghor provinces (and maybe even Bamian) through advisors or even security forces ensuring that the Shiites are protected and that their favorite strongman is shored up (is that still Ismail Khan?). This could all be part of the wider Sunni-Shiite War currently engulfing the Middle East. Perhaps Iran is worried about Islamic State penetration in Afghanistan - a bordering neighbor to its east. So, Iranian advisors in Afghanistan working side by side with American advisors. Just like in Iraq! Actually they would probably be engaged with the Spanish and Italians in TAAC West. Are the Spanish and Italians in Iraq? Likelihood of it happening? 1%.

Russia Fearing Islamic State? On April 15th the Russian Foreign Minister said that his nation was prepared to support Afghanistan. This fight would be against terrorism and drug trafficking. A big part of the opium grown in Afghanistan finds its way to Russia's many addicts. In addition, Russia does not want to see the Islamic State make any inroads into Central Asia - an area of the region that Russia feels is in its sphere of influence - economically, politically, and militarily. Russia back in Afghanistan - wouldn't that be simply lovely. So . . . Russian advisors, probably assisting in northern Afghanistan working side-by-side with their TAAC North NATO allies at Camp Marmal in Mazer-e-Sharif. Wouldn't that be special. Likelihood of it happening? 1 %.

Cast Your Vote for "Return to Hope". NATOs web movie is one of three contestants for the 19th Annual Webby Awards. It is nicely done. You can cast your vote at webbyawards.com.

Britain Suspends $ for MoI/ANP Pay. Britain has suspended payments to a multi-billion pound aid project in Afghanistan following allegations of corruption and mismanagement of a UN-led payroll contract. Read "Corruption claims halt police aid for Afghanistan", The Times, April 17, 2015. Ahhh, good old Afghan corruption.

Book Review - "The CIA in Hollywood". Julius Taranto reviews a book about how the CIA helps out Hollywood in the film business and improves its public image (Lawfare, Apr 17, 2015).

Georgian CoS visits RS HQs. The Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces visited Resolute Support officials and Georgian troops currently supporting the RS mission at Bagram Airfield, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Kabul. Georgia has been assisting in the counterinsurgency fight since 2004 and they are currently the second largest contributing nation in Afghanistan. Read a news report by RS HQs, April 18, 2015.

'Muhajideen Special Group" training camp. The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan released a lengthy video of some fighters attending the "Mujahideen Special Group" training camp in Pakistan. This group is the movements version of 'special forces'. The film was released on April 17th by Umar Media - the official propaganda unit of the the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. Read more in a news story by Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal, April 18, 2015.

United Nations Women Peacekeepers. The UN has provided an info piece that shows women have become an increasingly part of the peacekeeping family. (UN, April 17, 2015).
www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/issues/women/womeninpk.shtml

Capital Guardians Heading to CENTCOM. The D.C. National Guard's 276th Military Police Company is heading to the Resolute Support Mission. They will actually be at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait assisting in the management of the Theater Field Detention Facility. (ReadMedia, Apr 17, 2015).

High Cost of Afghan Weddings. Read Joseph Goldstein's story in The New York Times about Afghan weddings (April 18, 2015) - "At Afghan Weddings, His Side, Her Side, and 600 Strangers".

The F-35 We Can't Afford. A new report by the GAO says America can't afford the replacement for the A-10 and other types of aircraft. Read a news story on War is Boring, by Matthew Gault, April 18, 2015. You can read the GAO report here.

Afghan Novelist Reminisces. Rahnaward Zaryab is interviewed in this New York Times story by Mujib Mashal (April 17, 2015) - "Writer Retreats to a Kabul That Lives Only in His Memories and Books".

DCGS-A. The Big Army's IO machine is at work again trying to convince us that the Distributed Common Ground System - Army or DCGS-A is a good deal getting better. Read more in "Army says intelligence system is getting easier to use", Defense Systems, April 17, 2015.

New Acronym - "CF / SOF I3". You learn something new everyday while traveling through the Internet. www.specialforcestraining.info/glossary/glossary_C.htm

Send in News to Add to Newsletter

If I missed an important story about Afghanistan - please let me know. Send the link!

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. Frequency of submission is up to you. 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

Afghan News with Your Morning Tea

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Social Media and Afghanistan

"Social media is another component of unconventional strategies, and the security environment in general, that is playing a central role in recruiting individuals to causes. We must therefore develop our ability to interact with key influencers through this medium, or else risk blinding ourselves to this important conduit of information and influence in unfolding crises. We all must view this space as routine operational area; it is redefining how humans interact. Our success in leveraging these tools will be determined by how well we cultivate the networks in which we participate; it is important to note that these are not 'our' networks - the very nature of these relationship tools is decentralized and participatory, rather than centrally controlled. We require new thinking on this subject". Statement of General Joseph Votel, USSOCOM Commander, before the House Armed Services Committee, March 18, 2015.

By now everyone who studies or works within the conflict area in today's world should be aware of the growth of importance of social media. Some of our opponents have proved very adept at the use of social media to recruit fighters and supporters for their cause and to influence the conversation about their movement. One obvious example is the Islamic State.

Unknown to many Americans is the fact that there are a few U.S. organizations that are actively engaged in a 'Twitter' fight with the Islamic State. The effectiveness of this fight is still to be determined. It is ". . . like most governmental campaigns, long on bureaucracy and short on details". Adam Weinstein has several recommendations for the U.S. government social media organizations. You can read them in "Here's How the US Should Fight ISIS with Social Media" (Wired.com, March 12, 2015). Some of these recommendations could be of use in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Department of State's Center Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC) is America's combatant in the social media area. The website for the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications is www.state.gov/r/cscc/. Read a news report on the CSCC by Hayes Brown (Think Progress, September 18, 2014) - "Meet the State Department Team Trying to Troll ISIS into Oblivion".

Social media is also important in a counterinsurgency fight - like the one taking place in Afghanistan. Many observers see the Afghan counterinsurgency effort focused on three areas; security, governance, and development. Some COIN adherents would add a fourth - information operations, inform and influence activities, or social media - pick your favorite phrase.

In the past ISAF has had a dismal record in the information operations field and ISAF was clearly outclassed by the Taliban. The Taliban could post a video of a roadside IED attack against a Coalition convoy on social media within an hour of the incident. ISAF would comment on it one or two days later. For the most part the Taliban smoked ISAF in the IO fight; although ISAF did have some bright moments and effective practices (use of the RIAB for instance). ISAF would tell you there are an abundance of TVs, radio stations, and print media where the Afghan government's message is being carried. But the reach of those media outlets is limited mostly to urban areas; where households have radios, TVs, and are sometimes literate. In the rural areas, the contested areas where the COIN fight takes place, a 'night letter' tacked on a villagers front door by insurgents has much greater effect.

Resolute Support HQs (replacing ISAF) is continuing the IO effort; with some success stories. They are doing a much better job at informing the public through its use of Facebook, Twitter and their website. At the same time RS HQs has reduced the frequency of 'cheerleader' news releases that discredited their message - something which plagued ISAF in the past with reduced credibility.

While the Coalition continues its efforts in this area of the conflict (IO and the use of social media) it is also working to improve the Afghan capability to conduct Strategic Communications through its advisors working in Essential Function 8 - STRATCOM. One good example of the Afghans conducting work in this field is the Afghan RMIC located in Mazar-e-Sharif (TAAC North's AO - the Europeans can take some credit for this). The RMIC has their own website (Bayanshamal) up and running supporting the Afghan governments message. The RMIC is something the other TAACs should check out. It is worth the visit to Camp Marmal to see what right looks like when it comes to Afghan IO. And you can always sneak into one of the many discreet pubs for a beer or two! The Rose Garden (all allowed except U.S.) or GPPT pub (invitation only) comes to mind.

Afghan War News Snippets

NATO Soldier Wounded. Press reports say that a NATO soldier was wounded while training Afghan soldiers in Logar province. (Stars and Stripes, April 17, 2015).

MoD Spokesman Resigns. According to tweets on Twitter the MoD spokesman has resigned but he is still head of the Strategic Relations department of the ministry.

NATO Website Nominated for Award. A NATO website about its mission in Afghanistan has been nominated for the prestigious Webby Awards. The documentary Return to Hope is nicely done and worth viewing. Read more in a news release by NATO (April 15, 2015).

Fight over MoD Minister Position. The Afghan Ministry of Defense desperately needs leadership; but leadership at the helm of the government is lacking. Neither President Ghani nor CEO Abdullah can agree on who should lead the MoD. Many observes believe that there is an ethnic divide at play. Read more in "Rivals row over top Afghan defence posts as Taliban goes on attack", Thomson Reuters Foundation, April 16, 2015.

Paper - "How to Ensure Project Sustainability". The International Network to Promote the Rule of Law (INPROL) has published a paper by Ena Dion that addresses building RoL systems and processes that are sustainable by the host nation once the international community walks away. Could be useful for the Resolute Support Essential Function 3 - RoL advisors assisting and advising in the MoI and MoD.

http://inprol.org/publications/14646/how-to-ensure-project-sustainability

Rula Ghani. The 1st lady of Afghanistan has been selected by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people. (Time.com, April 16, 2015).

General Martin Dempsey. Rula Ghani is in good company. Another member of this year's 100 most influential people is the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Time.com, April 16, 2015).

Passengers Beheaded. Tolo News is reporting that four of 11 passengers kidnapped a week ago from Ghazni have been killed.

Women in Combat. "Last week, the Marine Corps announced the scheduled end of an 18-month experiment to vet females through its Infantry Officer Course. The results were bleak: 0 of 29 women made it past the three-month course." The USMC trained the women to the same standards as men. Some critics think that medical research should be conducted to develop new physical fitness and training standards for women. Read more in "Opinion: It's time to reevaluate standards for women in the military", The Washington Post, April 16, 2015.

Bastogne Troops Return from Afghanistan. Fort Campbell welcomed home troops from the 1st Brigade Combat Team after a six month deployment. (The Leaf Chronicle, Apr 16, 2015).

Bergdahl. Former platoon mates provide more info on his desertion. (Fox News, Apr 17, 2015).

Operation Reliable Tempo. This retrograde operation took place in Afghanistan from June 2012 to December 2014. Read about it in "Reliable Tempo draws down 13-year combat footprint in Afghanistan", DVIDS, April 16, 2015.

Army Morale Low. Most of the Army's Soldiers are pessimistic about their future in the military and many are unhappy with their jobs. The Army has spent over $247 million to improve morale over the past six years but seems to be making little progress. (Military Times, Apr 16, 2015).

Badakhshan Province Fighting. Mustafa Sarwar writes in Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe (April 14, 2015) that there are problems brewing in northern Afghanistan. Read "Afgahn Underbelly Exposed in Remote Region".

Failing Defense Strategy. One observer believes that the Afghan government is failing in the fight against the insurgents and that peace talks with the Taliban is futile. Read Dr. Florance Ebrahimi's thoughts on this topic in "Afghanistan with no defence strategy", Khaama Press, April 17, 2015.

CIA Agent - Afghanistan Overwhelmed with U.S. Assistance. A former CIA agent says the US intervention in Afghanistan undermined infrastructure-building efforts. The Daily Texan, Apr 17, 2015.

Drones - A War Crime? An article by Brenda Mwale explores the legal issues of using drones in a counterterrorism or counterinsurgency campaign. Read "Is Use of Drones a War Crime According to International Criminal Court", Euroasia Review, April 17, 2015.

Afghans Abused in Serbia. Human Rights Watch says that Afghan asylum seekers and migrants in Serbia are being harassed and abused by Serbian police. (Tolo News, April 17, 2015).

Haqqani Ldr Killed in Pakistan. Government (and Taliban) sources say that a key commander in the Taliban-linked Haqqani Network has been killed in a clash with security forces in Pakistan's south Wazirstan tribal area. (Radio Free Europe, April 17, 2015).

Tajikistan: Religious practice controlled by state. Religion is tightly controlled by the government of this Central Asian country to the north of Afghanistan. Read more in "Tajikistan: No Hajj, No Hijab, and Shave Your Beard", The Diplomat, April 17, 2015.

Leidos gets Intel Contract w/ U.S. Army. The U.S. Army has a $7.2 billion contract for the provision of world-wide intelligence support services for the US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM). Leidos, a firm providing defense services, has been awarded a prime contract as part of the five-year program. (Shepard Media, April 17, 2015).

Video - Economy Faltering in Kleptocracy. Afghanistan's government, despite President Ghani's best efforts thus far, is a sophisticated kleptocracy. This rampart corruption in Afghanistan is hurting the ability of the Afghan government to finance its government, hurts the confidence of the Afghan people, and has an impact on the likelihood of continued international financial assistance in the future.. Listen to a video (4 mins, April 8, 2015, CNN) on this topic - "Afghanistan hit by faltering economy".

Effective Use of CAS. A U.S. Advisor to an ARVN Ranger Battalion recounts a day of combat where the South Vietnamese unit escaped annihilation because of superb close air support. At the end of the day only 32 Rangers of over 400 escaped the battlefield. Read "Memories of Vietnam: Bombing our way out of being encircled by the VC", The Best Defense Blog, Foreign Policy, April 16, 2015.

U.S. Woman Shot in Karachi. A U.S. woman was shot by gunmen in Karachi, Pakistan who claim Islamic State allegiance. The incident happened on April 16th. The gunmen says she was targeted because she was from the U.S. Debra Lobo was a vice principle at a dental college in Karachi. She was shot in the face and hand by gunmen on a motorcycle while driving home from her office. (Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, April 17, 2015).

Send Me Your Stories!

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. Frequency of submission is up to you. 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 17, 2015

TAAC-South Commander Profile

BG Viet Luong, the 1st Cavalry Division's Deputy Commander of Maneuver, has been deployed to Afghanistan with about 60 1st Cav unit members since January 2015. He is in charge of the Train, Advise, Assist Command - South (TAAC-South) based at Kandahar Airfield. Many of the troops in his Afghan command are from the 101st Airborne Division. In addition he commands Coalition personnel from other countries including Australia, Bulgaria, and Romania. His last deployment to Afghanistan was in 2011 when he was a brigade commander with the 101st Airborne Division. The members of the 1st Cav - who form the principal staff of the TAAC - will redeploy in the summer to their home base. They will be replaced by staff from the 7th Infantry Division.

A detailed biography of BG Luong is posted on the Resolute Support portal at this link.

More info on TAAC-South is available on the Resolute Support portal at this link.

Read more about BG Luong in the news story "A closer look: 1st Cav's ongoing mission in Afghanistan", Fort Hood Herald, April 15, 2015.

Afghan War Glossary

The Afghan War has provided us with a wealth of new terms, phrases, and words that were not in our vocabulary prior to September 2001. Add to this terminology the large "military" vocabulary that already existed and it is easy to understand how the novice or non-military person may be confused. Even if you have years in the military, if you have not deployed to Afghanistan before, then you have to learn certain words and phrases quickly. For instance, one common mistake is referring to Afghans as "Afghanis". A quick reference guide could be helpful in avoiding this mistake. Fortunately, there is one available entitled the Afghan War Glossary. Enjoy.

Afghan War News Snippets

Electoral Reform Commission. There is lots of confusion about who is heading up the Afghan ERC. Currently Shukria Barakzai insists she is a member of the commission but others say she has been removed.

Fighting in Badakhshan. The Afghan government will be (or currently is) launching a counteroffensive to reverse some recent gains by insurgents. Khaama Press reported on Twitter that the Interior Minister, Noorulhaq Uloomi, recently visited Badakhshan checking things out. Other reports indicated that four Afghan Local Police were killed in the province recently. It appears that the Taliban pickup a lot of military equipment as a result of the recent fighting. Read more in a news report by Tolo News, April 16, 2015.

Afghan Institute for Civil Society (AICS). This organization was recently established in February 2015 as an independent, national agency to improve the quality and credibility of Afghan Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). The AICS will also strive to act as a national platform for fostering cohesive relationships between CSOs, the government, donors and the broader sector. The process for establishing this Institute has been facilitiated by the Agha Kahn Development Network with support from the USAID-funded Afghanistan Civic Engagement Programme. Read more about the AICS in an news report by the director of the AICS, Maiwand Rahyab, in "A step forward for civil society", posted on the British & Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG) website, April 16, 2015.

Drug Trafficking and Russia. The EastWest Institute has released a new report that says Russia and the United States can jointly combat narcotrafficking out of Afghanistan. Much of the Afghan heroin finds its way to Russia to supply the many addicted customers living there. Read more in "Can the United States and Russia Jointly Combat Afghan Heroin?", by Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat, April 16, 2015.

Lariam - Problems with Use Plague UK Military. The United Kingdom military is under fire for continuing to use a drug that has resulted in cases of mental health problems among British soldiers who served in Afghanistan. Read more in a news report by The Independent, April 16, 2015.

Video about Magnetic Bomb on ANP Vehicle. In this video - "Lucky bomb escape leaves clue for Afghan police", NATO Channel, April 13, 2015. (3 minutes, posted on YouTube.com).

https://youtu.be/Ul4gOkbwhxI

Pakistan Army Discovers Small Unit Tactics. The Pakistani military is adapting the way it trains so it can field a more effective counterinsurgent fighting force against the Pakistani Taliban and other insurgent and terrorist groups. They are incorporating something bizarre called 'small unit tactics' or SUT into their COIN training. This is something Resolute Support could encourage the Afghan National Army to do - but at the moment the RSM advisors are concentrating on some essential functions in the areas of procurement, strategic planning, personnel management, and other areas at the ministry level - because the ANA already knows how to fight - and presumably uses SUT as well. Read more in "To Fight the Taliban, Pakistani military turns to unorthodox but simple tactics", by Tim Craig, The Washington Post, April 16, 2015.

Police Commander Killed. A local police commander was killed by the Taliban in Bati Kot district, Nangarhar province. Tolo News, April 16, 2015.

Ghani Going to India. President Ghani is due to visit India; probably around April 27th. There's lots to talk about - continued Indian support in the economic sector, military training, and India-Pakistan relations.

Book Review. Leigh Neville has penned The British Army in Afghanistan 2006-2016 (Osprey Publishing, 2015). His book is reviewed by George Vlachonikolis in War on the Rocks, April 16, 2015.

Podcast on Kabul Security. Tom Bowman, NPR correspondent, provides us his thoughts on Kabul security and the Afghan security forces in "Kabul Appears to be More Tense Since U.S. Troop Drawdown", NPR podcast, April 16, 2015 (3 minutes). Podcast.

Anti-Corruption Advisor for Ghani. A news article profiles an anti-corruption advisor for President Ghani. One of his first inquiries was the Ministry of Defense (MoD) fuel contract. (aquila-style.com, April 16, 2015).

News Clip on JIEDDO. The director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) explains the organizations mission in this short (1 min) video posted on YouTube.com on April 16, 2015.

https://youtu.be/quPMEe9IzYA

Another News Clip on JIEDDO. The short news clip (1 min) explains how JIEDDO was recently realigned (can you say downsized?) to become a combat support agency - because our future enemies will be using jet fighters, big tanks, submarines, and aircraft carriers - not homemade explosives. Posted on YouTube.com on April 13, 2015.

https://youtu.be/UR98w6TiFcg

Guest Bloggers Wanted

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. Frequency of submission is up to you. 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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Thursday, April 16, 2015

Badakhshan Offensive

The Taliban scored some initial successes in the opening rounds of the 2015 fighting season in Badakhshan where it overran some army and police posts. Now the Afghan military is planning some operations to try and reverse those gains. Most of the fighting will be done by units of the 209th Corps based in Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province. The corps hqs is there but its three brigades are spread out across northern Afghanistan. One of those brigades has responsibility for Badakhshan province and several other nearby provinces. Those troops will likely be augmented by a Special Operations Kandak of Afghan National Army Commandos. In addition, one or two special police units may find its way from Kabul to the conflict area. Read more in "Afghan military prepares for major counterinsurgency operation in north", Stars and Stripes, April 14, 2015.

LTG Sacolick & Hostage Policy Review

The Obama administration has faced some harsh questioning on its hostage policy. For years the United States position has been that it won't negotiate with terrorists - and for the most part the country doesn't. However recent events have put that policy into the spotlight - the trade of five Taliban commanders (long-term residents of the Guantanamo detention center) for SGT Bowe Bergdahl, failed rescue attempts in Yemen and elsewhere, and the beheading of U.S. citizens in Syria. In addition, some hostage family members feel that they are not kept informed by the U.S. government of attempts to release or recover hostages. The Department of Defense has a Personnel Recovery (PR) program (see Joint Personnel Recovery Agency or JPRA) that educates its service members on avoiding capture, surviving captivity, and coordination personnel recovery. However, while this PR program and structure is robust in war zones (like Iraq and Afghanistan), it isn't as mature or developed in other trouble areas of the world and usually does not extend beyond the military. American citizens who are in the news media, humanitarian organizations, business, or in the wrong place at the wrong time are subject to capture - but many feel there is not a coordinated effort among all U.S. agencies for their recovery. LTG Bennet Sacolick, a long-time Special Forces officer, is tasked with a review of the hostage recovery program. Read more in "Meet the General Shaking Up America's Yemen, ISIS, and Hostage Rescue Plans", The Daily Beast, April 15, 2015.

Panel Discussion - Private Sector Investment

John Hopkins University will be hosting a panel discussion entitled "Sounding the Bell: Opening the Market to Private Sector Investment in Afghanistan and Pakistan" on Thursday, April 16, 2015 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm (EDT). The panel event will explore how international aid organizations can partner with the private sector to support economic growth and promote foreign investment. The university and USAID are hosting and organizing the event. Panelists include:

Larry Sampler, USAID
Gulmaqsood Sabit, Ministry of Finance, Afghanistan
Dr. Asad Khan, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Pakistan
Arsalan Lutfi, Chief of Operations, Trivision
Dean White, President, Tetra Tech ES Inc.

You can access the webcast at this link "Sounding the Bell".

Afghan War News Snippets

Islamic State 'Psychological Warfare'. A former Afghan spy chief (National Directorate of Security) Amrullah Saleh says that the presence of the Islamic State amounts to propaganda and does not reflect reality on the ground. Read more in a news report by Gandhara (Radio Free Europe), April 14, 2015.

Ismail Khan on ISIS. In an interview the former warlord, governor, cabinet member, muhjahideen fighter, and "Lion of Herat" says that the Islamic State is a huge problem. (Yahoo! News, April 14, 2015).

IED in Kandahar. A road planted IED killed two civilians in Podena village of Arghandab district on April 15th. (@KandarharMedia, Twitter).

Kabul Hail Storm. Kabul saw some big chunks of hail fall on Wednesday.

Faryab Province Under Taliban Control? A member of the Afghan parliament representing northern Faryab province says that insurgents have much of the province under their control. He says that a prominent leader of the ANSF in the area is corrupt and he has sent his family to Canada and Sweden to live. He also says that clearing operations are ineffective - as soon as security forces depart a 'cleared area' the insurgents move back in. See news report. (Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, April 15, 2015).

Blackwater. The private military corporation known as Blackwater was in the news again. This company provided many security contractors (and other specialties) to the Iraq and Afghan conflicts over the years. Former employees involved in an incident in Baghdad years ago were just sentenced to lengthy prison sentences. James Risen and Matthew Rosenberg look into the history of Blackwater in their article "Blackwater's Legacy Goes Beyond Public View", The New York Times, April 14, 2015.

Afghan Cabinet. Some nominees for the cabinet are having difficulty with current or past dual citizenship status. Many are 'technocrats' with years of foreign work experience and residence but that is a hard sell for some conservative members of the Afghan parliament.

Soft Security Issues in Central Asia. Kazakhstan has taken regional leadership on soft security issues (water management, regulating migrations and refugees, disaster preparedness, etc.) in Central Asia. Read more in "Addressing Soft Security Challenges in Kazakhstan and Central Asia", Central Asia Program (CAP), February 15, 2014.

MARSOC and Glock 19. It appears that the Marines Special Operators will be using the 9mm Glock 19. Read a recent news report in the Daily Caller, April 145, 2015.

Women in Combat and the "Silent Majority". Those members of the military who favor the integration of women into infantry units and on Special Forces Operational Detachments (ODAs) usually will not be suffering the consequences - as they are far removed from those units activities on the battlefield or the training environment. On the other hand - there appears to be a majority that are keeping their opinions to themselves - worries about retaliation for not supporting the administration's efforts and because they are avoiding the label of 'chauvinist'. Read more in "Women in Ground Combat Units: Where's the Data?", by Anna Simons in War on the Rocks, April 15, 2015.

Women and Ranger School. The Washington Post has a news story about the women that are helping the Army with integrating women into Ranger School. (April 14, 2015).

F-35 Fighter's Maintenance System. The next-generation software system designed to detail maintenance problems and issues for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is having some debut issues. Read a news story in Air Force Times, April 15, 2015.

Pentagon Channel No More. The Defense Department's Pentagon Channel is being discontinued. Read more in Defense One, April 14, 2015.

Afghan Interpreters and the UK. There are some who say that the United Kingdom has let down the loyal Afghans who served as interpreters for British forces in Afghanistan. Read a news story on the topic (Express, April 15, 2015).

Publish Your Paper on Afghanistan

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. Frequency of submission is up to you. 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