Afghan War News Snippets

DIVIDEND$. The August 2015 monthly newsletter (really just a one page PDF) for the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) is now posted online. Topics include joint budgeting process, rule of law conference (attended by Afghans and EF3 advisors), and anti-corruption. http://www.rs.nato.int/images/media/150821augustdividends.pdf

COIN and FETs in Afghanistan. Gabrielle Cook has conducted an thorough analysis of the Female Engagement Teams (FETs) performance. Read Counterinsurgency and Female Engagement Teams in the War in Afghanistan. E-International Relations, August 16, 2015.

DoD Dir - Language & Culture Program. The Department of Defense has release a new directive entitled Defense Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture Program (DLRECP), DoD Directive No. 5160.41E, August 21, 2015.
www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/516041p.pdf

JMRC - A Lab for a Complex World. The Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) at Hohenfels, Germany has an excellent reputation for training up European Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams or OMLTs (and later the SFAATs) for their subsequent deployment to Afghanistan as advisors. (I observed two training rotations during 2013 and I was very impressed). Advisor training for NATO has shifted to the Joint Forces Training Center (JFTC) in Poland and JMRC has a change in focus. A recent article posted online provides us an update in "A Laboratory for Preparing Forces to Win in a Complex World", by William R. Orkins, Small Wars Journal, August 20, 2015.

"What Are We Still Doing in Afghanistan?" A combat tourist (okay, he is a news photojournalist) gives us his take on his recent trip to Afghanistan - photos and all. (Slate, August 19, 2015).

Expatriates Sticking it Out in Kabul. Despite the pullout of most international troops in 2013-2014, increased success of the Taliban on the battlefield, inability of the ANDSF to defeat the insurgency, and continued bombings and attacks in Kabul a determined group of expatriates have decided not to leave. Read more in "There's Something Here - The Expatriates Sticking it Out in Afghanistan", Radio Free Europe, August 20, 2015.

CoC of Army Field Support Battalion - Afghanistan. There was a change of command for the Army Field Support Battalion - Afghanistan held on August 5th. Read more in "Susnis hands over command of AFSBn-Afghanistan", DVIDS, August 19, 2015. 

Australian Advisors. There are about 400 Australian Defence Force personnel deployed across Afghanistan in a variety of roles as part of Operation Highroad, supporting the NATO-led Resolute Support mission. Read about three of the advisors working in the EOD field in a very short news release by EPE, August 17, 2015. Not much text but some good photos.

EF5 from DCOS-SPT to DCOS-SA. The Essential Function 5 (Force Sustainment) advisors have transitioned from Deputy Chief of Staff - Support to Deputy Chief of Staff - Security Assistance.

DoD IG Audit. The DoD Inspector General's office will be conducting an audit in August 2015 to determine whether contracting officer's representatives were properly appointed and trained and were able to effectively perform their oversight responsibilities for contracts in Afghanistan. See a DoD IG letter announcing the audit.

PTSD and Women. Robert Gebelhoff has penned an article entitled "Military women are at the same risk of PTSD as men, study finds", The Washington Post, August 21, 2015.

Origins of the "Woobie". The Woobie or poncho liner was the greatest invention ever fielded by the U.S. Army. It is warm (even when wet), lightweight, easy to pack, multi-purposed and revered by infantrymen. The poncho liner has been a staple of deployed life since it was first introduced in Vietnam. I never called it a "Woobie" - just called it a poncho liner. Hmmm. Learn more in an article posted on Task & Purpose (August 18, 2015).

Afghan ANA Officer Missing in Australia. The ANA member was attending a training course at the Asia Pacific Center for Military Law. He was last seen in the foyer of his hotel in Sydney waiting for relatives. (Khaama Press, Aug 18, 2015).

JIEDDO Becomes JIDA. The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization or JIEDDO has now morphed into the Joint Improvised Threat-Defeat Agency or JIDA. JIDA is charged with targeting threats that are improvised but not necessarily limited to explosive. Read more in "JIDA: The next chapter of anti-improvised weapons efforts", C4ISR & Networks, August 18, 2015.

Signup for Weekly Afghan Newsletter

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Confusing ALP with Illegal Militias

A recent news article by Carlo Munoz in Stars and Stripes (August 8, 2015) informs us about militias in northern Afghanistan.

 "The re-emergence of government-backed local militias in northern Afghanistan outweighs the benefits for the fight against the Taliban because those armed groups could turn into "hired guns" for warlords and bandits once the insurgent threat subsides, coalition military officers say."

The author of this article, manages to insert a comment about the Afghan Local Police or ALP in his writing - which lumps the ALP in a grouping with illegal or informally government-supported militia's - a common mistake that leads to confusion about militias and the ALP.
www.stripes.com/news/military-leaders-worry-about-afghan-militias-1.362114

SOF News

Special Forces Soldier Killed in Kabul Bomb Blast. The Department of Defense announced the death of MSG Peter A. McKenna of Bristol, Rhode Island. He was killed during a Taliban attack on Camp Integrity (Kabul) at the headquarters of the Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (SOJTF-A). (DoD News Release, Aug 9, 2015). The United States Army Special Forces Command (USASOC) issued a press release (August 10, 2015) on his death.

Google Earth and Calling in Air Strikes. For a short period (and maybe even today) SOF advisors to the ANASF kandaks were teaching the tricks of using Google Earth to do Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield. Looks like this is being done in Syria as well. It appears that Kurdish militia fighters are using Android-powered Samsung tablets and free Google Earth mapping tools to track battle lines and coordinate close air support with the US military. I wonder if our EF 7 advisors are expounding upon the virtues of Google Earth when they interact with the ANA Corps MI kandaks? Read "Google Earth is Helping Syrians Call in US Air Strikes", Defense One, August 11, 2015.

CONOP Process Broke. The Best Defense Blog shares with us the complexity involved for a Special Forces unit to get approval to conduct a relatively minor mission in Afghanistan. Read "Tales of War: Getting 12 approvals for a relatively minor mission in Afghanistan", Foreign Policy, July 22, 2015.

SMW Fleet Maintenance. Most of the maintenance for Special mission Wing (SMW) is now performed by contract technicians. As new Afghan aircraft mechanics complete their training and become more proficient they are assigned to support the maintenance effort. It is hoped that in three to five years, the Afghans can take over the entire maintenance operation. Read more in "Special Mission Wing maintenance training aims at sustaining fleet", DVIDS, August 12, 2015.

Brit SF Still Kicking Down Doors in Afghanistan. Read more in "British special forces back in Afghanistan tackling Taliban and Islamic State terrorists", The Mirror, August 15, 2015.

JSOC ignoring Taliban as Bombings Rise. One news report says that America's most elite troops are largely ignoring the militants who once sheltered al Qaeda. Read "Insurgent Bombings Rise as U.S. Eases off the Taliban", By Sean D. Naylor, Foreign Policy, August 14, 2015.

CSTs and SOF in Afghanistan. Gary Owen provides us his opinion about Cultural Support Teams (CSTs), women in the Rangers, and women in combat in "Of Course the CSTs were Women", Sunny in Kabul Blog, August 14, 2015.

LTG Cleveland Interview. LTG Charles Cleveland, former commander of USASOC and SOCCENT, is interviewed by the Fletcher Security Review on a variety of topics to include special operations. Read "Special Operations Today: FSR Interviews LTG Charles Cleveland", FSR, Vol. 2, No. 2, August 12, 2015.

MG Kraft Now Leads SF Command. MG Jim Kraft, an SF officer who has seen multiple deployments to Afghanistan, is now in command of Special Forces Command (USASFC). Kraft has commanded at many levels to include the CJSOTF-A. In addition, he served as deputy commander of CFSOCC-A recently. Read more in a news report by The Fayetteville Observer, August 13, 2015.

Security News

Kunduz Bombing Death Toll Rises. According to some news reports the death toll from a recent bombing (Sat, Aug 8) reached 29 people. Many of those killed were members of a militia fighting the Taliban in Khanabad district. Read more in a news report by Gandhara Blog, August 9, 2015.

Kandahar Road Blast. Two civilians were killed in a roadside mine blast in Kandahar on Sunday, 9 Aug. Nine were wounded in the attack on the passenger bus.

15 Police Killed in Helmand Attack. A large group of Afghan policemen were killed in Musa Qala district of  Helmand province when Taliban insurgents attacked their post. (Afghanistan Times, August 12, 2015).

BG Shoffner Discusses Afghan Forces. Shoffner briefed the Pentagon press corps live from Kabul by telephone where he discusses a range of topics about security, the ANDSF, and Islamic State in Afghanistan. Read a DoD News article (August 13, 2015).

Dostum on Front Lines. Vice President Dostum has been visiting the front lines in northern Afghanistan wearing a military uniform and body armor. Two of his sons are performing duties as bodyguard to the VP. Read more in a news report (Tolo News, Aug 11, 2015).

Drone Strikes. According to some Afghan government sources a large number of Taliban and Daesh insurgents have been killed in numerous drone strikes in eastern Nangarhar province over the past month. (Tolo News, Aug 11, 2015).

Drone Crash. A U.S. drone is reported to have crashed in Kapisa province in the last week.

Pakistan Continues Cross-Border Rocket Attacks. The governor of Kunar confirmed on Sunday (Aug 9) that over the past several days at least 43 rockets have hit the border areas of Kunar province killing one civilian and wounding a nine-year-old Afghan child. The cross border firing of rockets and artillery by the Pakistan military has long been a source of tension between the two nations. Not to mention the ISI's support of the Taliban. (Tolo News, Aug 9, 2015).

"Aren't You Afraid to Live in Afghanistan?" A civilian from Canada living in Kabul for the past ten years answers the question. (The Huffington Blog, Aug 11, 2015).

Kabul Airport Car Bomb. A car bomb killed four (maybe five) and wounded more than 15 people near Kabul airport on Monday, August 10th. The incident took place at the first Entry Control Point (ECP).

IMU with Taliban or ISIS? There is confusion among many observers of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan as to how the group is aligned. Some think that it is still allied with the Taliban while recent press releases indicate it has become part of the Islamic State. Read more in "Who Controls the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan?", The Diplomat, August 15, 2015.

Guide to U.S. Military Casualty Statistics. An August 7th report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) is available. www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22452.pdf

Combat-Related TBI. A new report  by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) obscures the extent of combat-related traumatic brain injuries. Read more in Military.com, August 12, 2015.

Can Civilian Academics Offer Advise to the Military on Defense Policy? Hmmmm. Maybe their advise is not as good as they think. Read more in "Political Scientists and the Military", The RAND Blog, August 10, 2015.

Afghan MPs receive training from TAAC-Air. Advisors from the Train Advise Assist Command - Air provided training to Afghan military police from the Kabul Air Wing. Read more in a news report by DVIDS, August 14, 2015.

ANDSF Clearing Opn in Nangarhar. The distrrcts of Khogyani, Sherzad, and Hisarak have been the brunt of an Afghan security forces 'clearing operation'. This large and multi-organizational operation involving the ANA, ANP and other elements was designed to disrupt networks of Taliban and other 'enemies of Afghanistan'. One goal is to provide continued security to the area; something that most clearing operations fail to do - especially in these three districts where the ANA only ventures periodically. Read more in a cheerleading-like news release by RS HQs (DVIDS, Aug 15, 2015).

Kabul Friends of Chicago. There are lots of international groups and organizations in Afghanistan assisting with security, governance and development. Here is one I never heard of before. It seems it consists of representatives from 10 donor nations and they were recently presented with a series of briefs by the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A). I guess that brief can be boiled down to "Yes, you have given us lots of your donor money and we know that half of it is now invested in Dubai real estate . . . but we feel that the Afghan government and security forces - despite advances by the Taliban on the battlefield - are making great progress." Read more in "International partners strategize funding for Afghanistan's future", Resolute Support News, August 12, 2015.

Drug Smuggling Arrests Increase. The Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) has reported that drug crime arrests are up by five percent from the same period last year. Read "2015 Sees Increase in Drug Smuggling Arrests", Tolo News, August 11, 2015.

Now Zad District Flying Taliban Flag. Afghan government officials confirm that the Taliban now control the district of Now Zad in Helmand province. The district was overrun by the Taliban a few weeks back at the end of July. ANA vehicles and equipment were captured. (The Long War Journal).

13,000 ANDSF Dead in 3 Years. While Resolute Support Headquarters is quite quick to proclaim the number of Taliban attacks is down since last year there are a couple of statistics that shed more light on the topic of how well the Afghan security forces are doing. In the last three years the security forces have suffered over 13,000 killed. This current year will likely see a 40% increase in fatalities. Certainly not good news no matter how you try to smear on the lipstick. Read more in an ABC news report, August 14, 2015.

Ashraf Ghani blasts Pakistan. On Monday, August 10th President Ghani posted on Twitter the following: "We can no longer tolerate to see our people bleeding in a war exported and imposed from outside." Has he finally lost patience with Pakistan? The recent string of Kabul bombings may have ended the 'pivot to Pakistan'. He presented a speech on Monday afternoon (August 10th) slamming Pakistan. Read more in a press report by Tolo News, August 10, 2015. Read also "Ghani Closes Window on Pakistan", Gandhara, August 11, 2015.

Security News In Closing - "Things are not actually going so great in Afghanistan". A foreign policy essay on the Lawfare Blog by Gary Owen (not his real name) wrote on Sunday, August 9, 2015.

Security News In Closing - "Things Are Not That Bad in Afghanistan". At least, according to Michael O'Hanlon. He writes as much in a news posting on the National Interest Blog (August 6, 2015). He provides us with his perspective on a recent discussion with General Campbell (RS Cdr) on August 4, 2015 at the Brookings Institution.

Development News

Report on Canada's Afghanistan Development Program. The Canadian government hired the Dutch company Ecorys Netherlands in 2013 to conduct an evaluation of the Canadian development program in Afghanistan. The report was completed in the spring of 2015 and is posted online. The report suggests that the Canadian mission lacked a clear vision and failed to fully grasp the origins of the conflict in Afghanistan. Read more in "Early Afghanistan development mission lacked focus, report finds", iPolitics, August 10, 2015.

Paper on Development and Conflict. Todd Diamond, a development analyst and practitioner with more that 20 years of experience, provides us with his thoughts on the role of development in conflicts (pre-, during, and post-). Read "Development Challenges and Tools in Conflict Environments", Fletcher Security Review, August 3, 2015.

Underutilized Power Plant built by USAID. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) published a letter on August 13 highlighting its concerns about the Tarakhil Power Plant located outside of Kabul. Although the power plant is supposed to be a vital component of the electrical grid serving Kabul it appears that this $335 million power plant continues to be severely underutilized - even in the midst of very bad power shortages in Kabul. The plant is operating at 1 % of its capacity over the past year. Read the SIGAR letter.

Peace Talks

Afghan Peace Talks. A listing of news reports and publications about Afghan peace talks is available here: www.afghanwarnews.info/peacetalks.htm

Thematic Dossier by AAN. The Afghanistan Analysts Network or AAN has provided us (dated August 4, 2015) with their Thematic Dossier X: Peace talks and reconciliation which is a comprehensive guide to the history of the Afghan peace talks.

Pakistan and Peace Talks. While the Pakistan government postures to the world about the need for peace talks the Pakistan intelligence service continues support the Taliban in its insurgency against the government of Afghanistan. Most observers see a fracturing of the Taliban leadership in the wake of the announcement that Mullah Omar is now "officially dead". Pakistan says that until the Taliban resolve the leadership question it is unlikely that peace talks will resolve anything. Probably just the way the Pakistanis want things. (VOA News, Aug 9, 2015).

Afghan Air Force (AAF)

MD Cayuse Warrior Choppers now in Combat. The long awaited arrival of the Afghan Air Force's MD-520F Cayuse Warrior scout-attack helicopter on the field of battle has occurred. It appears that the helicopter has made its first foray into the fray in some rural districts south of Jalalabad. The helicopters have been armed with 50 calibre machine guns and armored protection. (Flight Global, Aug 12, 2015). Read also "Afghan Air Force to receive 5 More Attack Helicopters", The Diplomat, August 14, 2015. In addition, Khaama Press (August 13, 2015) chats on the same topic.

Afghan Visit to U.S. Air University. Two Afghan Air Force officers from Pohantoon-e-Hawayee (PeH) or the Afghan Air Academy visited the United States Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. (Where it almost gets as hot as Afghanistan!). They were escorted by a TAAC-Air senior advisor. Read more in a news release by DVIDS, August 15, 2015.

Intel & CT News

"The Dead Drop". A new intelligence website provides with intel tidbits on various topics to include the declassification of secret documents, the buzz on the CIA's reorganization, and more.

http://www.thecipherbrief.com/articles/dead-drop

Islamic State in Afghanistan

IS to Benefit from Fractured Taliban. Some analysts believe that that the Islamic State in Afghanistan will benefit from the unrest and confusion within the Taliban ranks (and leadership) as a result of the succession battle since the announced death of Mullah Omar. Mullah Omar was one jihadist that could compete with Abu Bakr al-Baghydadi - the leader of the Islamic State. Read more in "ISIS stands to gain from Taliban crisis", The Guardian, August 10, 2015.

Taliban Unhappy with IS. Afghanistan's Taliban is disenchanted with the Islamic State's video that shows IS militants blowing up bound and blindfolded Afghan prisoners with explosives. The video was supposedly shot in eastern Afghanistan but confirmation of its being authentic is still ongoing. Of course, there was no mention in the Taliban statement of its own brutal history of beheading and killing innocent civilians and captured Afghan soldiers and policemen. (Radio Free Europe, Aug 12, 2015)

U.S. General Says IS Gaining in Afghanistan. A recent news report says that BG Wilson Shoffner said the Islamic State is increasing their capabilities in Afghanistan. Read more in "US General Says Islamic State Gaining in Afghanistan", AP, August 13, 2015.

COIN and Social Psychology

A new manual recently published is entitled Trust, Attitudes, and Social Influence: The Cross-Cultural Social Psychology of Counterinsurgency. The abstract below describes the pub.

"Dr. Sarai Blincoe wants to provide soldiers with what she believes to be the most effective weapon in contemporary warfare: not an M-16 but the ability to win the trust of local civilians. How U.S. armed forces can leverage psychology to wage successful counterinsurgencies in places like Iraq and Afghanistan is spelled out in a recently published manual co-authored by the Longwood psychology professor. The key to gaining the political support of the local population is understanding and utilizing principles of persuasion, influence and trust, accompanied by cross-cultural awareness, say Blincoe and her co-authors."

Well, everything above is true. But in Afghanistan, even though someone wants to use the methodology described above, there are other factors that will hinder a counterinsurgency effort. For one, massive corruption within the host nation government will be a stumbling block - eroding popular support for the government and security forces. Another problem is the illegitimacy of the supported host nation government (fraudulent elections are an Afghan pastime). Still a third is a host nation army modeled after western conventional armies (with the requisite D-30s, C-130s, MRAPs, multi-echelon corps level operations, etc.). That doesn't mean that the publication presented above is not useful. After all, the war in Afghanistan is a counterinsurgency fight. I know the Resolute Support HQs crowd would say the RS mission is Security Force Assistance (SFA) through its regional and centrally located Train, Advise, and Assist Commands or TAACs but the ANDSF are doing counterinsurgency (or at least they should be). So the pub is worth a read if you are a commander or advisor in Afghanistan.

Read a description of the publication in "Psychologist hopes to aid counterinsurgency efforts with social psychology manual", Longwood University News, August 14, 2015.

Life Under Taliban - Baghran District, Helmand Province

Life under the Taliban rule for the few years that they ran Afghanistan was extremely harsh. Recent proclamations by the Taliban would indicate that they have modified their stances on some of those harsh policies - such as girls attending schools. However, a glimpse of life under the Taliban in Baghran district of Helmand province will provide clues as to how the Taliban would run a future Afghan government. Baghan district is considered by some to be almost completely under Taliban control - the Afghan security forces have thus far been unsuccessful in dislodging them. Read more in "Taliban Present Gentler Face but Wield Iron Fist in Afghan District", The New York Times, August 14, 2015.

Al-Qaeda and the Taliban

The death of Mullah Omar and the emergence of the Islamic State has changed the insurgent (terrorist) landscape in Afghanistan. The Taliban seems to be in competition with the Islamic State; as is al Qaeda. The relationship between the Taliban and al Qaeda would seem to be strengthened over the past few weeks based on some of the "press releases" sent out on behalf of the two groups. Read "Taliban Chief, Facing Struggle for Power, Welcomes Al-Qaeda Alliance", Radio Free Europe, August 15, 2015 and "Al-Qaeda Leader Declares Loyalty to New Afghan Taliban Leader", Radio Free Europe, August 13, 2015.

There are lots of conspiracy theories floating around in the news and on the Internet (some people think those two items are the same). One theory is that the Pakistan ISI is purposely fragmenting the Taliban while putting forth the facade of trying to unit the Taliban in an effort to advance peace talks. Another theory revolves around the al Qaida - Taliban endorsements. Read more in "Complex Conspiracy Theories Shadow al-Qaida-Taliban deal", Voice of America, August 14, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets

Let's Talk about Afghanistan Again. Michael Kugelman examines why news about Afghanistan has dropped off the radar screen over the past few years but then provides us with four valid reasons why we must still pay attention to Afghanistan in "Bringing Afghanistan Back Into the Spotlight", Foreign Policy, August 10, 2015.

Think Tanks and Afghanistan. While many think tanks are leaving the topic of Afghanistan behind and moving on to more current events (Russia, Ukraine, ISIS, Pacific, etc.) one is helping to keep Afghanistan in the news. The Atlantic Council has started an initiative to help solidify support for Afghanistan with efforts to clarify issues and policy options, generate public and political support for continued investment, and to sustain and accelerate the momentum required to generate important change in the country. I wish them well in that endeavor! Read more in "Afghanistan Rising".

Preserving COIN Expertise. As the U.S. conducts its pivot to the vast Pacific area and other international concerns (leaving Afghanistan in the dust) it is important that the experience garnered in counterinsurgency operations is not squandered (as it was in the post-Vietnam period). Read an article on this topic entitled "Rapid Regeneration of Irregular Warfare Capacity", Joint Force Quarterly,  78, July 1, 2015.

Book Review - In a Land Far From Home. In 1948 a visiting Indian wrote a book about Afghanistan in the 1920s. Jolyon Leslie has penned a review of this book and recommends it as reading for those foreigners who are working in Afghanistan as a way to understand Afghan culture, society, and culture. Read the book review posted on the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN).

HTS - Turnaround Story. The U.S. Army's Human Terrain System (HTS) started out shaky but quickly gain momentum as a valuable contribution to the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Clifton Green provides us a look at the HTS and how came to become an effective organization in "Turnaround: The Untold Story of the Human Terrain System", Joint Force Quarterly, July 1, 2015.

UN Peace Operations. The United Nations has a website that shows where all the UN Peace Operations are being conducted. That includes the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan or UNAMA.

Afghans Need Passports to Flee Country. There are many factors that lead Afghans to want to leave their country - insecurity, violence, poverty, and unemployment are a few. But passports are sometimes difficult to acquire. Read more in "Afghans Queue for Passports to Flee Country", Tolo News, August 11, 2015.

Afghan Interpreters Left Behind by French. Afghan interpreters put their lives at risk performing services for the international armies that have occupied Afghanistan over the past decade and more. Now that these coalition troops have left the need for Afghan interpreters has diminished significantly. In addition, many are being targeted by the Taliban because of their service to the international community. Read more in a news report by France 24, August 14, 2015.

Afghan History of a Better Time. Learn about the "Johnny Appleseed of Afghanistan" in Afghanistan's Better History, With Lessons for Today, August 13, 2015 by United States Institute of Peace (USIP).

Chayes and Corruption. Sarah Chayes is a leading voice in the battle against state corruption - not only in Afghanistan but in other parts of the world as well. Read more in a news report by The Christian Science Monitor (Aug 13, 2015).

Women Imprisoned. Gabriela Maj, a Polish-Canadian photojournalist, writes about women and prisons in "Afghan women imprisoned by their culture", The Washington Post, August 14, 2015.

Canadian Envoy - Deborah Lyons. The Canadian Embassy in Kabul has been in the forefront of women's issues in the country. (The Star, August 14, 2015).

2-300th FA Battalion Heading to Afghanistan. A Battery is at Camp Guernsey, Wyoming honing their field artillery skills in preparation for an Afghan deployment.  Read more in "2-300th FA Battalion prepares for historic deployment", DVIDS, July 6, 2015.

CT Scanner for BAF Hospital. The Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield recently received a new high tech computerized tomography scanner. The new CT scanner cost $1.2 million and replaces a 2006 model. Read more in a news release by DVIDS, August 8, 2015.

NYT on Law of War Manual. The New York Times has published an editorial slamming the Defense Department on the 2015 release of the Law of War Manual (June 2015). The document includes guidelines on the treatment of journalists covering armed conflicts and the Times is not happy with them. Read "The Pentagon's Dangerous Views on the Wartime Press", August 10, 2015.

IO and Conflict. Today's fight against terrorists and insurgents takes place on the battlefield but also in peoples minds. The increasing use of social media by terrorists and insurgents forces us (counterterrorists and counterinsurgents) to become more proficient and effective in the information operations arena. Read more in "A Foreign Diplomat Just Taught America How to Win the War of Ideas", by Kori Schake in War on the Rocks Blog, August 14, 2015.

Senate Caucus for Veterans. The United States Senate has launched the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Caucus in August with the goal of building a legislative force on veterans and military issues. There are 32 members of the House and Senate who served in the post-9/11 military - 26 of the deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan. (Military Times, Aug 7, 2015).

U.S. Military Pay & Benefits Guide. Military Times has published its annual Benefits Guide - a one-stop resource on pay and benefits programs offered to active-duty and reserve component service members, retirees, veterans, and their families. The 76-page guide is available online. Read more in a news report by Military Times, August 10, 2015.

Earthquake. An earthquake took place in Afghanistan that was also felt in places like India on Monday, August 10th. It was measured as a 6.2 magnitude quake.

Sunday Morning - AWN Blog Newsletter

You can receive the Afghan War News Newsletter by email. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 a.m. U.S. East coast time or just after lunch (1330) in Kabul every Sunday. It is easy to subscribe. To submit your subscription request go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and enter your email in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. You will receive a confirmation email asking you if you want to subscribe. Just confirm and you are done. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Paper on SOF in Afghanistan

RAND Corporation has published a paper (121 pages, PDF) entitled Building Special Operations Partnerships in Afghanistan and Beyond, July 2015. The paper is extremely detailed and wrote by some long-term observers (and participants) of special operations forces in the Afghan War.

"Building the capacity of Afghan special operations forces (SOF) is a key goal of the United States and its coalition partners. In February and March of 2013, RAND analysts conducted extensive battlefield circulations in Afghanistan and visited multiple training sites for Afghan SOF. The mentors at these sites hailed from a variety of International Security Assistance Force contributing nations, including the United States, Lithuania, Romania, Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom. This report summarizes key partnering practices across these international partners and presents findings from SOF partnership case studies in Iraq and Colombia. The goal is to identify best practices for SOF partnership that can benefit the development of the Afghan special operations capability. These best practices also have broader applicability for special operations partnerships beyond Afghanistan."

Building Special Operations Partnerships in Afghanistan and Beyond

Security News

BG  Paul Bontrager, TAAC-South Cdr confers
with ANA 205th Corps Cdr in Aug 2015
(Photo by Lt.Kristine Volk, RS PAO)

Afghan Forces Chopper Crash. An Afghan helicopter crashed in Zabul province killing ANA soldiers and the aircraft crew on Thursday, August 6th. Reports vary on casualties - but numbers are from 17 to 24 dead. The aircraft was an Mi-17 transport helicopter. (Stars and Stripes, Aug 6, 2015).

Kabul Suicide Bombings of Aug 7th. Kabul was hit with four different bomb attacks in one day. One attack killed approximately 20 Afghan National Police recruits at the ANP Academy. Another attack reportedly struck a U.S. special operations compound (one new report says 3 U.S. personnel were wounded). Estimates range as high as 50 dead and hundreds wounded in the four attacks. Read more in "A Day of Devastation in Afghanistan's Capital", The Los Angeles Times, August 7, 2015. See also a Resolute Support HQs statement on the attacks in a August 7th news release.

U.S. Service Member Killed at SOF Base. Fox News is reporting that one U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier was killed in the August 7th militant attack at Camp Integrity (near the Kabul airport) during the rash of bombings. The death occurred outside the hqs of Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (SOJTF-A). Eight (or nine) contracted Afghan civilians were killed as well as four insurgent attackers. There were also numerous wounded who were airlifted by helicopter for medical treatment. Camp Integrity is run by the U.S. security contracting firm known as Academi (formerly called Blackwater). Resolute Support HQs issued a very short statement on the death. Read one early report about the casualty. (North West Florida Daily News, August 8, 2015). Senator Reed's office (Rhode Island) has sent out a notice providing the slain Soldier's name (WPRI.com, August 8, 2015).

Are The New York Times writers on crack? For reasons I cannot fathom The New York Times carried the following headline - "In Handling Barrage of Attacks, Afghan Forces Show Training is Paying Off", August 9, 2015. Things that make you go "Hmmm".

"The Cry from Kunduz". Jade Wu, a former Rule of Law advisor in northern Afghanistan, writes about the deteriorating security situation in Kunduz and the plight of her former staff (lawyers, interpreters, etc.) now seeking refuge in the United States. Read her report in "The Cry from Kunduz", The Hill Blog, August 4, 2015.

22 Killed in Kunduz on Aug 8. A Taliban suicide bomber drove a vehicle loaded with explosives into a group of pro-government militia and detonated it. (Radio Free Europe, Aug 9, 2015).

Kandahar Police Station Attacked. A group of Taliban attacked a police station in PD4 in Kandahar city on Thursday, August 6th.

"ANSF Continues to Progress". General John Campbell (see bio here) expressed his optimism about the security forces in Afghanistan during an August 4th conference at the Brookings Institute Center in Washington, D.C. He says that the Taliban, despite the significant casualties suffered by the ANSF, will not be able to overthrow the Afghan government. What was not mentioned is when he expects the ANSF to defeat the insurgents. Read more in a DoD press release entitled "Afghan Security Forces Continue to Progress, U.S. General Says", DoD News, August 5, 2015. You can view the conversation online (courtesy of C-SPAN) in his 1 1/2 hour long discussion at the Brookings Institution.

Civilian Casualties at Record High. The United Nations has come out recommending that Afghan government forces stop firing mortars and grenades into civilian-populated areas in order to diminish the high rate of civilian casualties. According to a United Nations report civilian casualties for 2015 will be one of the deadliest years for Afghanistan.

Sorobi District Op. The Afghan security forces have launched a major military operation in Sorobi district of Kabul province named "Operation Musalas-e-Fuladi". Members of the ANA, ANP, and NDS are taking part in the operation. According to one Afghan general (Gen. Zaheer) the operation would target insurgents supported by the Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI). (Tolo News, Aug 6,2015).

Palace Bombing Attempt. Reports issued on Monday (Aug 3) say that the National Directorate of Security (NDS) spoiled an attempt to bomb the Presidential palace. At the time President Ghani was allegedly in Germany recuperating from surgery on his foot (or leg or knee?).

Clearing of Faryab Province? News reports indicate that the Afghan government forces have commenced a clearing operation in Faryab. First Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum has been spending some time in the province encouraging support for the operation. (Tolo News, Aug 3, 2015). Some observers have been criticizing Dostum for supervising the anti-Taliban offensive (Gandara Blog, August 8, 2015). He is apparently diverting scarce military resources to a province with a large Uzbek population (his favorite ethnic group I presume) at the expense of other provinces with security situations as bad as Faryab.

Uzbekistan and NATO. Of all the post-Soviet Central Asian countries Uzbekistan has been the most independent of Russia. The country faces an insurgent problem posed by the IMU and is aligning itself in some respects with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The growing unrest in northern Afghanistan has the Uzbeks concerned and good relations with NATO will hopefully provide some assistance in the future should the conflict move across the border. (Silk Road Reporters, Aug 7, 2015).

IMU and Islamic State. According to some news reports the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) has now announced its membership in ISIS. Read more in "IMU Declares It Is Now Part of the Islamic State", Radio Free Europe, August 8, 2015. Read more in "IMU Pledges Allegiance to Islamic State", Inside the Cocoon - Eurasianet.org, August 1, 2015. www.eurasianet.org/node/74471

Islamic State Recruiter Detained. Recruited for Daesh - known as the "Facebook Recruiter" - has been detained in Kabul. He was among six people detained by the National Directorate of Security (NDS). (Khaama Press, Aug 6, 2015).

Suicide Truck Blast. A truck blast occurred in Logar. The attack took place in Pol-e Alam (provincial capital). There were many wounded. (Radio Free Europe, Aug 6, 2015).

Governance News

NUG with an Expiration Date? The combined leadership of Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah is failing - and the Afghan parliament is not helpful. The former president, Hamid Karzai, is on the political circuit - no doubt undermining the current regime and positioning for his return to the palace or paving the way for one of his hand-picked cronies. What's a man to do? General Campbell thinks you should cover all the bases by meeting with some of the opposition leaders. Read "Gary Owen's" take on the NATO commander meeting with former warlords in "NATO Ready to See Other Presidents?: General Campbell Meets the Opposition", Sunny in Kabul Blog, August 1, 2015.

National ID Card Update. The Afghan Council of Ministers has approved a scheduled roll-out of the national digital identity card system. The roll-out will be phased starting in the Kabul area. The launch date is August 19th. The Ministry of Interior is responsible for the program's ID card distribution. The ethnicity of the individual will not be noted on the card but a description of the individuals will be included in a database at the Ministry of Interior. USAID has cut aid to the program because of persistent delays and the European Union (EU) was also threatening to cut aid. (Tolo News, Aug 3, 2015).

Development News

TAPI Pipeline. A consortium leader has been chosen for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline. Turkmenga has been picked to help build and establish this very important development project. TAPI is designed to carry 33 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas annually over a 30-year period to buyers in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. The pipeline, once completed, will transport natural gas through a very volatile part of the world to include the dangerous south of Afghanistan and the Quetta region of Pakistan. The estimated time of completion is sometime in 2018 - although that may be somewhat optimistic given the lack of progress in establishing security and stability in Afghanistan. Read more in a news article by EurasiaNet.org, August 6, 2015.

Hydro Plant for Afghanistan. Afghanistan will soon sign a preliminary deal with a firm from China to build a 240 megawatt hydropower plant. Read more in a news report by Economic Times, August 6, 2015.

Challenge of Economic Sustainability in Afghanistan. Elly Rostoum reports on the problems of Afghan reconstruction in Rebuilding Afghanistan: The Way Forward, Foreign Policy Association, August 6, 2015.

Peace Talks

There are some who are optimistic about the prospects of peace talks with the Taliban. Certainly the regional powers in the area (India, China, and Central Asia) are hoping stability comes to Afghanistan. The jury is out on Pakistan; while that nation is hosting the peace talks it is hard to tell what game it is playing. The President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, seems intent in pursuing a negotiated settlement. Why not, victory for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) is far into the future - years.

Two very well-informed observers of Afghanistan have penned an article entitled "Time to Negotiate in Afghanistan: How to Talk to the Taliban", Foreign Affairs, July/August 2015. James Dobbins was the Obama administration's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and Carter Malkasian was a political advisor to General Dunford when he was the commander of ISAF.

Islamic State in Afghanistan

IMU Supports IS. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) has reportedly sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. This information comes from a video posted by the IMU-controlled Furqon TV on July 31st. Read more in "IMU Pledges Allegiance to Islamic State", Inside the Cocoon - Eurasianet.org, August 1, 2015. www.eurasianet.org/node/74471

Update on New Taliban Leadership

New Taliban Leader. Shortly after the death of Mullah Omar the Taliban leadership appointed their new leader - Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour. Mansour released an audio message where he asks for unity within the Taliban organization and seemingly backtracks from joining the negotiation table with the Afghan government. Not everyone is happy with the selection of Mansour; reports indicate that some of the senior leadership walk out of the Taliban council meeting when he was appointed. Other sub-groups say that the full Taliban leadership was not represented at the meeting.

Haqqani Network. Jalaluddin Haqqani, despite being dead, has issued a new letter saying he supports the newly appointed leader of the Taliban. Haqqani's son, Siraj, has been appointed as one of Mansour's (new Taliban leader) top two deputies. The Haqqani Network is a member of the Quetta Shura, is closely allied with al Qaeda, and has a long and close relationship with Pakistan's Inter-services Intelligence Directorate.  Read more by Bill Roggio of Threat Matrix - The Long War Journal, August 2, 2015.

Mullah Omar's Son? Some news reports say that the oldest son of Mullah Omar - Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, age 27 - was recently killed just after the selection of the new leader. However, other news reports indicate he is under house arrest per the instructions of Mullah Mansoor, the new Taliban leader. The son recently graduated from a Madrasa in Karachi, Pakistan. (Tolo News, Aug 4, 2015).

Qatar Taliban Office Head Resigns. On Monday, August 3, Tayyab Agha resigned his position as head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar.He was a close aide to Mullah Omar. He also said it was a "historical mistake" to hide the death of Mullah Omar for over two years. (Dawn, Aug 4, 2015).

Islamic State and Death of Mullah Omar. The new networks and social media is ablaze with analysis about what effect Mullah Omars announced demise will have on the overall Afghanistan situation. Naturally, some commentators are chiming in on the Islamic State in Afghanistan. One commentator believes that with Mullah Omar no longer on the scene the Islamic State will have better success in recruiting and establishing operations in Afghanistan. Read more in "Will Mullah Omar's Death Help the Islamic State?", Foreign Policy, August 3, 2015.

The Myth of Mullah Omar. Jeff Goldstein provides us his analysis of the 'death of Mullah Omar' in his article entitled "Afghan War's Convenient Myth: A Living Mullah Omar", The New York Times, August 7, 2015.

Omar Aftermath. Arif Rafiq forecasts the future in his article entitled "After Omar: The Future of the Taliban and the War in Afghanistan", World Politics Review, August 3, 2015.

Seize the Moment for Peace Talks. Anatol Lieven and Rudra Chaudhuri say that the Taliban acknowledgement that Mullah Omar is dead presents an opportunity that should be recognized and acted upon. Read "Seize Upon the Taliban Split", The New York Times, August 6, 2015.

Security Force Assistance (SFA)

 The July-September 2015 edition of Special Warfare (Volume 28, Issue 3) has several articles related to Security Force Assistance that could be of interest to those Resolute Support advisors currently engaged in the Train, Advise, and Assist mission in Afghanistan. Major Aaron Southard writes "SFA Metrics: Blood and Treasure" where he informs us about the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School's efforts to develop ". . .a concept and methodology to collect, collage, analyze and quantify SFA operations in order to better educate and inform senior military and civilian leadership as to the value and necessity for continued resources and support." (see pages 26-28). Captain Rachel Rice has provided us with "Security Force Assistance Initiatives" - an article (see pages 29-31) that recognizes that ". . . lessons learned and after action review comments have shown that there is institutional shortfalls surrounding Regionally Aligned Forces pre-deployment training/preparation, interagency knowledge and country-specific requirements". We learn through her article about the Security Force Assistance Deployment Handbook developed by the Special Operations Center of Excellence. (TC 3-05.3, April 2015). The handbook is available at this link but requires a CAC login.
https://armypubs.us.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_c/pdf/tc3_05x3.pdf

The SFA articles are available at this link for Special Warfare - Aug-Sep 2015
www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/26508

Drones

Army Contractor Lost Three $500K drones. Although only for a brief period (eight months?) an Army contracting firm lost three (maybe four) drones before they were found. The three flying cameras were only worth 1/2 million dollars a piece; so not to worry. Read more in a news report by Motherboard, August 5, 2015. NOTE: In the midst of a war (and retrograde activities) this is really not that hard to do - losing sight of equipment. Constant mission changes, personnel replacements (both military and contractor), and unit rotations provide for constant chaos in the midst of a counterinsurgency campaign. I can recall once entering a locked up room in a storage building in Iraq in 2006 and coming across a small WASP drone that nobody could account for. It was in its original shipping box and had been at this location for a few years - never used. So we had a guy put it together, get smart on it, and sent it out to an SFODA to use during the remainder of their tour.

Drone Strike in North Waziristan. Two Pakistani intelligence officials say a suspected U.S. drone attack has killed some militants in a border area in Pakistan. Two missiles hit a militant hideout of the Haqqani Network. North Waziristan has been a refuge and sanctuary for groups such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), al-Qaeda, and Taliban insurgents. (ABC News, Aug 7, 2015).

A Smarter, Deadlier UAV. The U.S. Air Force is looking to upgrade its drone fleet with improvements to situational awareness, automation, weapons, and more. Read more in a news report by Defense News, August 5, 2015.

Intel and Counterterrorism

Article - "The Limits of Counterterrorism". The Obama administration has a robust (some observers believe) counterterrorism strategy while it attempts to avoid significant involvement in costly wars (a difficult feat to accomplish given today's security environment). However, one commentator believes that the counterterrorism strategy is not enough. He believes that the " . . . United States should devote particular attention to defense institution building (DIB). Too often counterterrorism assistance is seen as a technical capacity issue, when poor governance is usually the root of the problem." This is excellent analysis by Daniel Byman - a foreign policy editor of Lawfare Blog. Read his August 2, 2015 article. www.lawfareblog.com/limits-counterterrorism

Intel Contract w/ U.S. Army. CACI International, Inc. has been awarded a prime position on a multi-million dollar contract to continue support to the U.S. Army's CERDEC I2WD program. Under the terms of contract CACI will offer a broad range of solutions and services for intelligence, electronic warfare, and information system development. Read a CACI news release dated August 3, 2015.

Army Hiring Counterintelligence Agents. The Army's community of counterintelligence is growing. Currently there are openings in the Counterintelligence (CI) enlisted school.  Enlisted CI agents serve around the world, investigating threats of all types alongside CI officers and law enforcement officials from multiple agencies. Their skills and experience, plus a top-secret security clearance, can create a path to a post-service career with the FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security or similar organizations. (Army Times, August 3, 2015).

FBI HRT. The website We Are The Mighty profiles the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) in "This is the FBI's dream team of elite counterterrorism operators", July 24, 2015. www.wearethemighty.com/fbi-hostage-rescue-team-2015-07

EU Counterterrorism Policy. Marc Pierini examines the EU's CT policy in Adjusting the EU's Counterterrorism Policy, Carnegie Europe, July 31, 2015.

State's CT Bureau. The Department of State (DoS) has a counterterrorism bureau but it appears it has not been fully funded or staffed. Read more in "State's Counterterrorism Bureau Still Needs to Evaluate Countering Violent Extremism Efforts", Homeland Security Today, July 27, 2015.

Book Review: The Great War of Our Time. Another former CIA agent, Michael Morell, has penned his memoirs providing us with an inside look of the period leading up to the 9/11 attacks and the long years after. He highlights the CIA successes (initial invasion of Afghanistan supporting the U.S. Army's "Green Berets") as well as its failures (saying that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction justifying the stupid invasion of Iraq in 2003). Read a review of his book in "A Soldier of the Great War", by Gabriel Schoenfeld, Lawfare Blog, August 6, 2015.

Book: Relentless Strike. This book is about the secret history of the Joint Special Operations Command or JSOC. This organization has been at the forefront of America's fight against the forces of terror and in the war against insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. The author, Sean Naylor, is a noted defense observer and has wrote about special operations in books and news reports for many years.

Site Exploitation, ATP 3-90.15, July 2015. An important part of intelligence gathering at the tactical level (and at other levels as well) is proper site exploitation of sensitive items that can provide intelligence. The Army has released a publication on this topic.
http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/atp3_90x15.pdf

Perspectives on Terrorism. The journal has released its latest issue (August 2015) with a focus on ISIS that provides readings which will help you understand the Islamic State (structure, ideology, goals, tactics, etc.). www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot

SF / CIA Legend Profiled. At age 71, Billy Waugh was in Afghanistan as a member of a CIA team sent in shortly after the 9/11 attacks. Read more in "This 85-year-old Special Forces legend has one of the most badass military resumes we've ever seen", We Are the Mighty, August 7, 2015.

Paper - Counterterrorism Strategies: Leadership Decapitation vs Mid-Tier Elimination. A key component of counterterrorism strategies is kinetic - the use of armed drones by the CIA or hit-teams of the U.S Army Special Forces (or Special Mission Units or SMUs like JSOC) to capture or kill terrorist leadership. The author of this paper examines the both approaches (killing top leadership vs mi-tier leadership) and concludes with three major policy implications for examination.
www.strausscenter.org/images/ISP/Nichols_Phil.pdf

Afghan War News Snippets

Video - "Resolute Support Update Edition 2".  RS headquarters has started to disseminate a video update of its news. The second video is now available for viewing and covers the topics of what Gen Campbell sees for the future of the ANDSF, how NATO medical supplies help the ANP, how the ANP and ANA are working side-by-side (not shoulder-to-shoulder?) in Herat province, how slow CSM Biggs can run (it reminds me why I always hated to run in formation), and how TAAC Air is helping the Afghan forces see better. Interestingly, Gen Campbell expounds upon how much equipment and technology that the ANA has - thus in the comparison between the ANA and the Taliban the ANA will 'overmatch' the Taliban. But I thought this was an insurgency where the guerrilla fighter doesn't hold terrain and thus doesn't need the airplanes, tanks, communications that a counterinsurgency force needs? Sounds like more of the same - get the ANA to look like a western army and it should be victorious on the battlefield. Uhhh, not so much.  (DVIDS, Aug 7, 2015, 8 minutes). I was the second "web view". Maybe you can be the third?
www.dvidshub.net/video/418397/resolute-support-update-edition-2

President Ghani and Foot Surgery. Ghani recently underwent foot surgery in Germany. Presidential palace statements (issued Aug 2nd) say it went well.

Navy Guys Can Get Fatter. The Navy is adopting a new set of easier body fat standards. It is not yet known if the Navy will adopt the "Tape Under the Fold" technique that the U.S. Air Force recently has instituted. Read more in "New body fat rules, big changes to Navy BCA", Navy Times, August 3, 2015.

DoDIG Audit Report on Drawdown of Equipment. The DoD Office of the Inspector General has issued an audit report entitled "Drawdown of Equipment in Afghanistan: Summary of Weaknesses Identified in Reports Issued from August 19, 2011, through May 18, 2015", August 5, 2015.

www.dodig.mil/pubs/report_summary.cfm?id=6566

10th Mountain Division Troops to Afghanistan. It appears that the 10th Mtn will deploy more troops to Afghanistan (as well as Iraq) over the coming months. About 300 troops from the division hqs at Fort Drum will head to Afghanistan along with about 1,000 troops from the divisions 3rd BCT based at Fort Polk. Read more in a news report by Army Times, August 5, 2015.

Russian Soldier Convicted in U.S. A Russian Taliban soldier was convicted of terrorism in a U.S. court. He will face a sentence that could be life in prison for planning and leading a 2009 Taliban attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan. (Radio Free Europe, August 8, 2015).

MG James Rainey. A new general is in charge of the U.S. National Support Element (NSE) in Afghanistan as well as serving as the deputy commanding general of U.S. Forces Afghanistan. He will be working at Bagram Airfield. Read more in "Rainey takes command of 3rd ID", Savannah Now, August 3, 2015.

TAAC-Air Maintainers. The Afghan Air Force has four C-130s and they require not only pilots, navigators, and load masters but maintainers as well. Train Advise Assist Command - Air provides training to the AAF maintainers at Bagram Airfield (as well as other locations). Read more in "TAAC-Air maintainers instruct Afghan Air Force on C-130H maintainance", DVIDS, August 8, 2015.

Dan Feldman (SRAP) Reports. The outgoing Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan or SRAJP provided comments at a conference held by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on August 5, 2015 where he reflected ". . . on the successes that have been achieved while also acknowledging the many challenges that remain." (U.S. Department of State, Aug 5, 2015).
www.state.gov/p/sca/rls/rmks/2015/245767.htm

Lack of Diversity in SOF Units. Many of the Pentagon's elite units lack diversity in its personnel ranks. Read more in "Pentagon's elite forces lack diversity", USA Today, August 6, 2015.

Mongol's Visit Afghanistan - Again. The Mogols have been to Afghanistan a few times (1206, etc.) - visiting places like Bamyan, Herat, Balkh, and Ghazni. In the past several years they have provided troops for the ISAF and now the RS mission. The Mongolian military will deploy a second shift of military servicemen for the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. Read more in InfoMogolia.com (Aug 7, 2015).

North Korea Joins Afghanistan in 30 Minute Time Zone Difference. For a long time, Afghanistan was one of the few countries in the world that had a 30 minute difference in the time; following what is know as Afghanistan Time (AFT). For instance, if it is 0700 (or 7:00 am) in the morning in eastern United States then it is 1530 (or 3:30 pm) in Kabul. Go figure. Now North Korea wants to be different as well. Read "North Korea to Move 30 Minutes Backward to Create Its Own Time Zone", The New York Times, August 7, 2015.

Sunday Morning Afghan War News Blog Newsletter

You can receive the Afghan War News Newsletter by email. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 a.m. U.S. East coast time or just after lunch (1330) in Kabul every Sunday. It is easy to subscribe. To submit your subscription request go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and enter your email in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. You will receive a confirmation email asking you if you want to subscribe. Just confirm and you are done. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Death of Mullah Omar?

Periodically reports reach us about the death of the reclusive Mullah Mohammed Omar. Mullah Omar is (or was) considered by many as the leader of the Taliban - or at least the part of the Taliban commanded from Quetta, Pakistan. Several news outlets are informing us that he died from tuberculosis in a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan in April 2013. The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) has confirmed his death. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) have released a statement saying the same. (statement can be read on jihadology.net). We shall see. Read more of his reported death in a CNN report (July 30, 2015).

Omar's demise will set the stage for some internal drama within the Taliban. First of all is the appointment of a new leader. (See Taliban statement on appointment posted on jihadolgy.net). Some reports indicate that Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour is taking the position as head of the Quetta Shura. Other reports indicate he may have to work something out with the son of Omar who may be interested in heading up the position. It appears that the new guy in charge has close ties with Pakistani authorities - read more in "Afghanistan's New Taliban Leader", Real Clear Defense, July 30, 2015. Some observers note that the Taliban's new leadership is allied with al-Qaeda - read an post by The Long War Journal (July 31, 2015).

Analysis of Taleban's Leadership Shift. Thomas Ruttig, of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), provides us with an analysis of the leadership change in "From Mullah Omar to Mansur: Change at the Taleban's top leadership", Afghanistan Analysts Network, July 31, 2015.

In addition, the peace talks - the second round has been postponed - will be affected by whoever is in charge now. Lot's of speculation. Read about the internal disagreement in "Walkout at Taliban Leadership Meeting Raises Specter of Split", The New York Times, July 31, 2015.

Haqqani Network Founder Dead

Not only are we observing the passing of Mullah Omar but now news reports say that the founder of the Haqqani Network has been dead for quite a while as well. Jalaluddin Haqqani had been seriously ill for years. Mr. Haqqani rose to command a group of the mujahedeen rebels who were fighting the Soviet occupation. He later allied his group with the Taliban when they took power in the 1990s. Over the past few years his son, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is believed to be running the Haqqani Network. Read more in  "Founder of Haqqani Network Is Long Dead, Aide Says", The New York Times, July 31, 2015. Of course, the Taliban are denying the death report. (Threat Matrix - The Long War Journal, August 1, 2015).

Taliban Take Badakhshan District

Over 100 Afghan police surrendered to the Taliban after three to four days of fighting during the last week of July in northeastern Afghanistan. Some news reports indicate that the police made a deal with the Taliban. After the surrender of the police post the Taliban released over 100 of the Afghan police. (Numbers of those released vary from about 100 to almost 150). The surrender of the Tirgaran base in Warduj district is regarded as one of the largest mass surrenders in recent times. The District Chief of Police (DCoP) for Badakhshan accused the Afghan Local Police (ALP) and the Afghan Border Police (ABP) for the loss of the district base. There were approximately 100 ABP and 40 ALP at the base. A large quantity of weapons and ammunition was seized by the Taliban.

Read more in:
"Afghan Taliban Takes Remote Military Base", Gandhara Blog, July 26, 2015.
"Taliban overrun base,capture and release 100 Afghan security personnel", The Long War Journal, July 26, 2015.

SIGAR Quarterly Report - July 2015

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has released its July 2015 Quarterly Report to Congress. Some key findings in the report:

- Since 2002, Congress has appropriated nearly $109 billion for Afghanistan reconstruction and of that amount almost $12 billion remains to be spent.
- The U.S. has provided $8.2 billion for counternarctics efforts in Afghanistan, and the country is the global leader in illicit opium cultivation and production.
- After recent meetings with senior Afghan officials, SIGAR remains unconvinced that either USAID or the Afghan ministries are able to accurately account for the investments in health and education made by the United States and our allies.
- The report suggests that placing conditions on international assistance to Afghanistan can help achieve its purposes of thwarting corruption, making the country capable of standing on its own, and providing accountability for donor nation funds.

- AND MUCH MORE

www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2015-07-30qr.pdf