Afghan War Blog

Sunday, January 10, 2016

SOF News

Joe Votel to CENTCOM. News reports indicate that General Votel, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), is being nominated for commander of Central Command (CENTCOM). No word on who will take USSOCOM (another SEAL, another JSOC dude, or just maybe - a Green Beret!).

Tony Thomas to USSOCOM? Some news reports say that the current commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), LTG "Tony" Thomas, will take the helm at USSOCOM. Thomas commanded the Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (SOJTF-A) a few years ago. If selected "Thomas would be the third former JSOC commander in a row to head up SOCOM; the last time a career Green Beret held the post was more than 15 years ago, before the war on terror began, even though Green Berets account for by far the plurality of SOCOM's special operators and are seeing increased use from Africa to Afghanistan as the military tries to shape the war efforts of allied militaries and irregular forces". Read more in "This shadowy JSOC general is expected to be the next leader of America's special operations forces", The Washington Post, January 7, 2016.

Other Contenders for USSOCOM? LTG John Mulholland, currently assigned to the CIA, is being considered. A long-shot might be LTG Ken Tovo - currently commanding USASOC.

BG Brower Returns to Campbell. General Scott Brower, former commander of the 5th Special Forces as well as a former commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - AP (Iraq), has taken up a position with the 101st Airborne Division. He previously was CoS at USASOC and had been deployed to Islamabad, Pakistan. Read more in a news report by The Leaf-Chronicle, January 5, 2016.

Does the UK Need "Tier 2" Units? One commentator says the UK should develop a force similar to the U.S. Army Special Forces Green Berets. The Telegraph, January 4, 2016.

Live to Tell - New Documentary Series. Film 45 is rolling out a 8-part series on elite forces that have been fighting the war on terror since 2001. The program, Live to Tell, airs on the History channel on Sunday nights. First show was on January 10th. www.history.com/shows/live-to-tell

How Not to Do Unconventional Warfare. There are certain steps that need to be taken to successfully form up a resistance group or guerrilla band. These phases of Unconventional Warfare (UW) are learned during Special Forces training for future Green Berets. The recent debacle in forming a resistance fighter group in Syria should certainly be integrated into a 'lessons learned' portion of the the instruction at the Special Warfare school at Fort Bragg. Call it "What Not to Do in UW." Read "What really happened to the U.S. train-and-equip program in Syria?", McClatchy DC, December 21, 2015.

Commentary

"War of Ideas". Retired General Eric T. Olson explains the importance of the war of ideas when confronting the Taliban and the Islamic State. He believes the 'human terrain' is an important part of the conflict in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Read "Wars of Ideas" From the Taliban to the Islamic State", War on the Rocks, January 6, 2016.

2015 Success & Failures. Aziz Amin Ahmadzai says that "2015 saw Afghanistan face several challenges, but the National Unit Government (NUG) saw modest success as well." Failures include the Taliban's fragmentation, fall of Kunduz, NUG's ineffectiveness, rise of Islamic State, and migration of Afghan's young people to Europe. Successes are the regional approach to peace, security, and stability, India's support of the Salma Dam, and forward movement of the TAPI pipeline. Read "Afghanistan's Successes and Failures in 2015", The Diplomat, January 4, 2016.

C-SPAN2 Panel Discussion on Afghanistan. On January 4, 2016 a panel discussion took place, hosted by the Brookings Institution, on the Future of Afghanistan. The panelists (Vanda Felbab-Brown, Che Bolden, Jason Cone, Ann Vaughan, and Michael O'Hanlon) talked about the status of the war in Afghanistan and the efforts to stabilize the country. This 1 1/2 hour long video can be watched at the following link.
www.c-span.org/video/?402677-1/discussion-stability-security-afghanistan

Reasons for a Resurgent Taliban? Dawood Azami of the BBC World Service tells us why the Taliban are resurgent in Afghanistan. He cites three factors. First is the withdrawal of the bulk of the international forces from Afghanistan to include a significant reduction in advisors and air support. Second is the Pakistan military operation in 2014 that dislodged many Uzbek, Arab, and Pakistani militants from Pakistan area sanctuaries into Afghanistan. The third reason is the lack of capability of the Afghan security forces in air support, intelligence, and command and control. Naturally there are other factors as well. (BBC, Jan 5, 2016).

RoL & Afghanistan. Greg Klepois served as Senior Advisor to the Afghan Deputy Minister of Interior. He has penned a paper about the importance of understanding local legal structures and traditions before attempting to re-establish the Rule of Law and Police Reform. Posted on Small Wars Journal, December 31, 2015.

China & Afghanistan. China is participating more and more in activities relating to Afghanistan to include economic development and the pursuit of peace talks. Read China and Afghanistan After the NATO Withdrawal, Jamestown Foundation, Richard Weitz, November 2015.

"Red Teaming" - But Just Tell Me Good News! One of the unique endeavors of the Afghan War was an attempt by the U.S. military to look at different aspects of the conflict. The intent was to provide an alternative perspective to courses of action developed as a result of the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) and other staff processes used by many U.S. military staffs. The establishment of "Red Teams" (and there was an 18-week long course run by the Army to train up individuals in this job) at major headquarters went a long way to analyze operations (and their effects) from an different point of view. However, the 'bad news' was not always well-received. Read more in "Red Team: A tale of how a general didn't listen to internal criticism in Afghanistan", Best Defense - Foreign Policy, January 7, 2016.

Bloody Transition. The results of the past year of transition looks pretty grim with both Afghanistan's political condition and its security having sharply deteriorated. Read an analysis entitled "A bloody year of transition", The Economist, January 9, 2016.

Central Asia - Future Outlook. Fatemeh Safavi writes about the security prospects in the future for West and Central Asia in a report posted by Euroasia Review, January 5, 2016.

IR Theory and Gray Zone. USSOCOM has rolled out a concept called the "Gray Zone" in an attempt to inform government leaders and senior ranking military officers on the current and future nature of conflict in the space between peace and war. Many critics and observers are taking stock of this new term and providing their comments. The latest is from Stephen Okin in his blog post entitled "IR Theory and the Gray Zone", January 2, 2016.

Asia Expert Speaks on Afg. Andrew Wilder, vice president of Asia programs at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), speaks with National Public Radio's Scott Simon about why the war in Afghanistan intensified in 2015. He does mention state corruption under Karzai as one of the failures of Afghan leadership. Read "Asia Expert: Taliban's Resergence Threatens Afghanistan's Stability", NPR, January 2, 2016.

Air Power and Afghanistan (and Iraq . . and . . Syria)

A-10 - Photo by USAF

Pub - Airpower in Afghanistan. Dag Henriksen has penned a report about what worked and what did not work during NATO air operations in Afghanistan. He has compiled the perspectives of nine general officers who served in top airpower leadership positions in Afghanistan during the 2005-2010 time frame. Included are recommendations on how joint combined forces can work together in a counterinsurgency or counterterrorism environment. Read Airpower in Afghanistan 2005-2010: The Air Commanders' Perspectives, 2014, 340 pages, Air University Press.

Limits of Air Power. The United States has the best Air Force in the world. But there are limits to its effectiveness in some types of conflicts. Recent disclosures by the State Department and the military say that over 20,000 ISIS militants have been killed with airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. At the beginning of 2015 there were about 30,000 ISIS fighters; at the end of 2015 there are about 30,000 ISIS fighters. Hmmm. Either our 'body count' is wrong or the Islamic State has one heck of a recruiting program! Read more in "Kill-Em-All with Airstrikes Is Not Working" by Micah Zenko, Best Defense, January 7, 2016.

IMU in Afghanistan

Map of Uzbekistan (CIA)

"The 2015 fall of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a Central Asian jihadi movement that has long fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, highlights the impact of two fundamental shifts in the jihadi landscape during 2015. Mobilized by the Afghan Taliban's two-year-long deception over the death of the Taliban's enigmatic and magnetic former leader, Mullah Omar, the IMU responded to the Islamic State's (IS) attempts to create a foothold in Afghanistan".

Read more in "2015 Restrospective: How the Fall of the IMU Reveals the Limits of IS' Expansion", by Margaret Foster, INSITE Blog on Terrorism & Extremism, January 4, 2016.

"Expeditionary Advise and Assist"

The United States plans to keep the troop levels in 2016 the same as 2015 - meaning about 9,800 troops. Many of these military personnel will be conducting the "Train, Advise, and Assist" mission (a part of Security Force Assistance) - which is best done on a full-time and daily basis. It appears that the U.S. is going to move to "expeditionary advise and assist teams" in 2016. This is currently what is in effect for two of the six Afghan Army Corps - the 203rd in Gardez (eastern Afghanistan) and 2015th in Helmand province (southwest Afghanistan). The other four ANA corps have full-time advisors co-located or nearby the corps hqs. Of course the "expeditionary advising" (called Level 2 or Level 3 advising) is no way as effective as daily and persistent advisor presence (called Level 1 advising). Read more in a news report by Military Times, January 3, 2016.

Peace Talks

January 11th Peace Talks. Multi-state peace talks including the nations of China, U.S., Afghanistan and Pakistan are scheduled for January 11th. A second round of talks, not yet scheduled, will be held in Kabul. The participation of China and the United States is consider key by many observers - with hopes that the two nations can keep the talks on track. The representatives of the four nations will meet in Islamabad, Pakistan to revive peace negotiations that stalled in July after the disclosure of the death of the Afghan Taliban leader - Mullah Omar.

Iran & Peace Talks. It is being reported that Iran officials want to have full presence and direct participation in the Afghanistan peace talks process. There is no indication that the United States, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China are having any of that.

Pakistan's Role? Lisa Curtis, a senior research fellow in The Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center, examines Pakistan's role in the never-ending quest to get peace talks established between the Afghan government and the Taliban. She paints a disquieting picture. Afghanistan After America's War, December 2016.

Winter Surge - Taliban Seeking Upper Hand? One commentator believes that the unprecedented winter surge of 2015-2016 by the Taliban points to a desire for an upper hand in peace talks. Read "Afghan Taliban seek leverage in dangerous winter surge", The Times of India, January 6, 2016.

Include Women in Peace Talks? The Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization has come out strongly endorsing the participation of women in the upcoming peace talks scheduled for January 11th. Afghan women and international observers are fearful that the government (and international players) will trade away women's rights as a concession to the Taliban. Read more in "Afghanistan: Include Women in New Peace Talks", Human Rights Watch, January 4, 2016.

Intelligence News

Defense Clandestine Service. A relatively new kid on the block in the intelligence community is the Defense Clandestine Service (DCS). It is part of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and is charged with conducting clandestine activities around the world. The DCS is part of the DIA's Directorate of Operations and is, in part, a consolidation of the Defense Human Intelligence Service. Read more in an entry by WikipediA and in a recent news article by SPEC OPS, January 5, 2016.

Intelligence Reports and Literary Aspirations. Many of us in the military (or those who used to be . . . like me) had literary ambitions that went unsatisfied due to restraints imposed by a bureaucratic institution (as in the U.S. Army). However, sometimes the writer 'just comes out'! Read more in "Fighting Words: Spies, Soldiers, and Stylish Scribes", War on the Rocks, January 8, 2016.

Covert Intelligence and War on Terror. Joshua Perkins, an Army officer, writes about the importance of having covert intelligence agencies that serve a vital function for our nation. Read "Covert Intelligence versus the American Body Politic?", Small Wars Journal, January 7, 2016.

Security News

Kabul Airport Suicide Bombings. A VBIED struck the gates of Kabul airport on Monday morning, January 4th. The driver's suicide vest went off but the explosives in the truck did not. (Reuters, Jan 4, 2016). A second truck bomb attack took place later in the day in the vicinity of the airport - near a contractor's compound. Some reports say that this was Camp Baron. The Baron Hotel in Kabul (one mile from the international airport) is a nice place to live as a contractor (or visitor) if you can afford it. Other reports say it was Camp Sullivan - a location that houses U.S. embassy employees and security personnel. Read more on these attacks in "Taliban claim suicide attack on contractor camp in Kabul", Yahoo! News, January 5, 2016.

U.S. Embassy Low-Balling Compound Damage? The second truck bomb caused extensive structural damage against the outer wall and inside wall of the compound. Over 30 people were injured including nine children. There were also a number of deaths - but the U.S. embassy seems to be mum about the entire incident. Read more in "Is the U.S. Embassy in Kabul the next Benghazi?", Project on Government Oversight (POGO), January 7, 2016.

Bombed French Restaurant Update. See "Taliban target was a pricey French restaurant, but their victims were Afghans", Los Angeles Times, January 2, 2016.

Winter Offensive. "Afghanistan's mountainous terrain and heavy snowfall have traditionally prompted a winter lull in fighting, with the militants using the colder months to rest and regroup ahead of an annual spring offensive". Frud Bezhan tells us about the Taliban's fighting during the 'winter lull' in "The Taliban's Rare Winter Offensive in Afghanistan", Radio Free Europe, January 8, 2016.

Map of Taliban Control. The year 2015 saw the Taliban controlling more territory than at any other time in the 14 year long conflict (U.S. involvement) since 2001. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have been pummeled by the insurgents and significant areas of Afghanistan are now under Taliban control. Read more in "Mapped: The Taliban Surged in 2015, but ISIS is Moving In on Its Turf", Foreign Policy, January 4, 2016.

Mi-17 Crash. On Sunday, January 3rd an Afghan Air Force (AAF) Mi-17 helicopter crashed south of Kabul killing 3 Afghan soldiers. The crash took place in the Mohammad Agha district of Logar province. Reports indicate that the chopper was on a training day time flight. (Pajhwok Afghan News, Jan 3, 2016).

General's Convoy Attacked. A convoy carrying a German general was hit in a suicide car-bomb attack near the Kabul airport this past Monday. (Daily Mail, Jan 4, 2016).

Helmand Province. The 215th Maiwand Military Corps commander, MG Mohammad Moin Faqir, says that the security situation in Helmand should improve slowly over time. He says that widespread poppy cultivation and drug trafficking fuels insecurity and provides revenue to the Taliban. The general says that recent operations helped secure several of the provinces districts to include Marjah. Representatives of the Afghan Local Police dispute this claim saying the road from the provincial capital to the district of Marjah is not secured. Read more in "Helmand security to improve soon, says military commander", Pajhwok Afghan News, January 8, 2016.

Provincial HPC Chief Shot Dead. Qari Saifuddin Sadat, the chief of the High Peace Council for the northern province of Samangan was killed on Tuesday, January 5th.

Celebration Fires. On January 6th Kabul erupted with lots of weapons firing into the air on the occasion of the Afghan cricket team defeating Zimbabwe. There seems to be a lack of understanding of what goes up will eventually come down. Some good ammo wasted that could have been better used at some police district centers in Helmand province.

IS & Taliban Fight. Three districts of Nangarhar province are seeing intense fighting between groups of the Islamic State and the Taliban. The usual winter break in the fighting is not being observed very well this year.

Special Anti-IS Force. The Afghan army is forming up a special battalion (kandak) comprised of about 750 former Afghan army members to fight the Islamic State in the eastern part of Afghanistan. They will be based at the 201st Corps headquarters in Laghman province. The base is just a few klics from the Nangarhar province border - where IS is operating. (Voice of America, Jan 6, 2016).

Indian Consulate Attacked in MeS. The consulate for India was attacked in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif on January 3, 2016. No Indian fatalities were reported among the staff and it appears the gunmen were unsuccessful in breaching the security of the consulate. It took a few days for Afghan commandos to dislodge some of the attackers from a house near the consulate compound. All three attackers were killed as well as one (maybe two) Afghan policeman. Some reports say there were four attackers and that the incident lasted 25 hours; not a few days. See "Siege Ends Near Indian Consulate in Northern Afghanistan", Gandhara Blog, January 5, 2016.

Taliban Review 2015. The Taliban has disseminated what some are calling a progress report on its 2015 activities. Read more in "Taliban Claims Large Swath of Afghan Territory During 2015", Voice of America, January 2, 2016.

Information Operations (IO) News

Counter-Messaging IS. Much has been wrote about how the western nations are having trouble in the information operations arena in countering the Islamic State's narrative. IS has mastered the art of using social media to advance its status among Muslims and for recruitment purposes. David Gartenstein-Ross and Nathaniel Barr believe they have some solutions to this vexing problem. They are saying that there is a gap in the analytic framework that leaves Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) practitioners at a disadvantage. Read "Fixing How We Fight the Islamic State's Narrative", War on the Rocks, January 4, 2016.

"Safe to Say". You have to love the spokespersons for the Defense Department. Adm Kirby was the last one that I could really like. The others . . .

Question: "Is it safe to say that there is still a combat mission in Afghanistan?"
Peter Cook: "It's safe to say Afghanistan is a dangerous place."

Women in Combat

Member of a Female Engagement Team
(FET) in Afghanistan. Photo by DVIDS.

8% of Army Women Want Combat Arms. In 2013 the Army conducted a survey of women in the active duty, reserves, and Army National Guard ranks on their feelings toward entering the combat arms. Of the 30,000 women who responded less than 7.5% said they would want one of the infantry, armor, artillery or combat engineer jobs. Most women who would opt for the combat arms would go with aviation. Certainly flying above the fray rather than slogging along the ground with 60 pounds of rucksack, body armor, radio, medic kit, ammo, helmet, water, food, etc. is much more preferable. But, at some point in the future, women might not get a choice. They may find themselves assigned to combat units whether they like it or not. Read more in "Few Army women want combat jobs, survey finds", USA Today, February 25, 2014.

Women and Navy SEALs. The Navy is looking to recruit more women for the SEAL teams. Read "Admiral outlines push to integrate Navy SEALs, recruit women", Navy Times, January 4, 2016.

"Infantryperson". Nope. Sorry. Not as the same as "Infantryman". Not going to have anyone quivering in fear. Read more in "Marine Corps boot camp, job titles to be gender neutral by April", Marine Corps Times, January 6, 2016.

Marines Not Quite on Board. It appears that there are some high-level 'discussions' going on between the USMC and DoD on the topic of fully integrating women into combat units and in its recruit training. In addition, General John Kelly, head of U.S. Southern Command, came out with some statements that would lead you to believe he doesn't fully endorse the recent changes in regard to integrating women. Read more in "Marine Corps debate over women in combat continues to roil", Marine Corps Times, January 9, 2015.

Women in Combat. A dissenting view is provided by Jude Eden about the full integration of women into the combat arms of the military. Read "The Vast Majority of Military Women Don't Want to be Fully Integrated into the Combat Arms", The Stream, December 22, 2015.

Advice for Women Seeking the Infantry. A U.S. Army infantry officer has some advice for females seeking the thrill (and agony) of the infantry. "Now women need to seek those combat jobs", USA Today, January 9, 2016.

Army Plan to Integrate Women. The Army has submitted its plan to open its infantry, armor, and special operations ranks to women to the Defense Department. (Army Times, Jan 4, 2015).

Bergdahl Update

The court martial for SGT Bergdahl is scheduled for August 2016. There will be several hearings between now and August. In the meantime, if interested, you can listen some podcasts about the whole incident that is airing on Task & Purpose Radio. Lauren Katzenberg of Task & Purpose describes her personal feelings toward the whole event - ranging from empathy for the struggles of Bergdahl during his five-year captivity to her feelings about why he might deserve some punishment after listening to Mike Waltz (an SF company commander) who had to divert his SFODAs from hitting Taliban targets to join the search for Bergdahl. Read "My Ongoing Personal Conflict With Serial's Bergdahl Coverage", Task & Purpose, January 7, 2016.

Afghan War News Snippets

CRS Report on Afghanistan. Kenneth Katzman of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) writes a periodic report on the situation in Afghanistan entitled Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, dated December 22, 2015. 80 pages.
www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=789303

Danish War Film. A fictional war film starring Danish actors and military personnel fighting in Afghanistan will soon (hopefully) be hitting the theaters. Read more in "This is the fictional war film which features real life soldiers", BBC Newsbeat, January 4, 2016.

The Wakhan Front - Move Trailer. A new move about Afghanistan is out. Watch the trailer on YouTube.com. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBn9hCg-OSw

Embassy Employees & Dari. A short video posted on YouTube.com by the U.S. Embassy Kabul shows some of its staff demonstrating their language skills. (2 mins).

Internal Taliban Squabbling. It appears that Mullah Mansoor is cleaning house of the Taliban senior leadership. Two senior members (Razzaq and Rehmani) were expelled from the leadership council for refusing to accept Mansoor as the organizations leader. (Pajhwok Afghan News, Jan 7, 2016).

MSF Worker Chats on Helmand Province. An Australian pediatric nurse talks about his experience working in Helmand province from Dec 2014 to Sep 2015 for Doctors Without Borders. Seems we didn't bomb his hospital while he was there - so that's a good thing! Read "Afghanistan: Nine Months Fighting Malnutrition in Helmand Province", Medecins Sans Frontiers, January 7, 2016.

Upcoming Rotational Deployments to Afghanistan. The Department of the Army announced that 2nd BCT, 101st Abn Div will deploy in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Elements of the 10th Mountain will deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel. See "DA Announces Rotational Deployments", Army.mil, January 8, 2016.

Afghan Astronomy in a War Zone. Looking through a telescope in the dead of night in a field can attract a lot of attention. Especially if your telescope looks a lot like a rocket launcher. Read more in "Amateur Afghan Astronomy is Risky Business", Newsweek, January 2016.

More HMMWVs and MSF Vehicles. The Afghan armed forces will be receiving over 100 HMMWVs (M1151 Enhanced Armament Carrier) and 55 Mobile Strike Force vehicles over the next several weeks. Now if we can only get the ANDSF to repair and maintain the vehicles they have we would be accomplishing something. (Khaama Press, Jan 7, 2016).

Warriors, Spartans, and Vikings. One commentator looks at the rise in popularity the fighters from Greece, Rome, and the Norse lands in "Our odd 'Valhalla' obsession", Carrying the Gun, January 7, 2016. Being of Swedish descent on both sides of my family I don't find it odd at all. Hmmm . . .

Russia Playing both Sides? Russia is reportedly going to provide 10,000 AKs to the Afghan military (along with ammo) and is currently in talks to provide attack helicopters to the Afghan Air Force. At the same time they are indicating that (through spokes-persons) that they may exchange intel with the Taliban about the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan. Hmmmm. Read more in "Russia Plays Both Sides in the Afghan Conflict", Gandhara Blog, January 5, 2016.

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Sunday, January 3, 2016

Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter - Jan 3, 2016

Welcome to the Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter. Articles are posted every Sunday morning (5:00 am EST) or early afternoon Kabul time. In addition, all blog posts are sent out via an email newsletter on Sunday am. We welcome comments, ideas for stories, contributions, and guest writers! Visit our website at www.afghanwarnews.info and follow us on Twitter at @AfghanWarBlog.

Playing Catch Up

Due to an additional work load, travel schedule, and the holidays I was unable to send out the weekly newsletter the past two weeks. This one catches us all up from mid-December to now. Having said that - the newsletter is a bit longer than usual and contains some news that may be dated to some folks reading this weeks newsletter.

Six U.S. Killed by VBIED in Afghanistan

Photo by DVIDS Dec 21, 2015.

Six U.S. Air Force personnel were killed near Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan on Monday, December 21st by a vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED). The suicide bomber was driving a motorbike in the attack. Among the victims were a detective with the New York City police department, the son of a DC restaurateur (and AF investigator), and a female major in the Air Force. The Airmen were conducting a meeting with local figures in the area. Additional members of the U.S. military were wounded as well as a small number of Afghan police officials. The Embassy of the United States issued a statement on the attack near Bagram. The six airmen are identified in a news report by Air Force Times. Some news reports say that the attack was partially enabled by a failure of Afghan police to conduct an adequate search of people entering the area where the patrol was working.

U.S. Aid Worker Killed in Afghanistan

Photo from "Lisa Akbari
Foundation" Facebook

A U.S. aid worker was killed in Kabul by an Afghan man. Lisa Akbari, an Afghan-American (age 35), was shot while leaving the gym in her apartment complex and returning to her room. She worked for the DoD as a member of the Human Terrain System from 2009 to 2013, and then for several humanitarian aid organizations in Afghanistan. Her father is from Afghanistan and her mother from Iran. Lisa grew up in California. The attacker was captured shortly after the incident. A non-profit organization called the "Lisa Akbari Foundation" has been established to raise money for Afghan women and children.

Some news stories of the incident are below:

"American women killed in Kabul wanted to help Afghans, sister says", CNN, Dec 22, 2015.
"Mullah Accused of Killing Afghan-American Woman in Kabul", Breitbart.com, Dec 22, 2015.

Troubles in Helmand Province

The Taliban have not taken the usual break in fighting during the 2015-2016 winter season. The snow has fallen but the conflict continues in several parts of Afghanistan. One area where the conflict continues is Helmand province in the southwest of Afghanistan. Only two or three of the districts of Hemand province are controlled by the government; the Taliban control the other eleven (?) districts. The Afghan government disputes this assessment; guess it depends on what you mean by district control. Sangin district is noted as the latest to fall - although the government maintains that it still controls the district and the ANDSF are attempting to (or have) relieve(d) the small district center compound. The Taliban are supported by the Ishaqzai tribe who constitute a sizable part of the population of the province. The U.S. alienated this tribe early in the Afghan conflict pushing them into the Taliban fold. While the Taliban will likely control 95% of Helmand it is doubtful that the Taliban will take the provincial capital Lashkar Gah as the 215th Afghan Army Corps is located there.

ANA and ANP Not Up to the Task. There is still a large amount of corruption, numerous "ghost soldiers and policemen", poor leadership, a lack of coordination among the security forces, and a lack of intelligence. The western nations constant refrain is that the ANDSF are able to stand up to the Taliban - it is obvious that this is not true in some areas of Afghanistan (Helmand for one).

Refugees Flood Provincial Capital. Many Helmand residents fleeing the fighting have gone to Lashkar Gah but safety may be fleeting as the fighting is now at the suburbs of this provincial capital. (The New York Times, Dec 28, 2015).

U.K. SOF units were rushed to the province to shore up the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF) - see a UK MoD statement confirming this. See also a news report by BBC News (Dec 22, 2015). According to the UK MoD the UK troops are advisors sent to the former Camp Bastion (now called Camp Shrabak) and they are not engaged in combat (Hmmmm.). There are about 450 U.K. troops throughout Afghanistan in a mentoring and advisory role. Learn more about the UK's involvement in Helmand province in "UK troops in Afghanistan: Timeline of key events", BBC News, December 22, 2015.

U.S.SOF. U.S. Special Forces troops are also deployed to Helmand - most likely advising the Afghan Special Operations Kandaks.

Strategic Importance of Helmand? Well, . . . it depends on who is talking. The U.S. Marines, U.K., Danes, and a few other nations expended a lot of money and the human toll was significant - so they have some strong feelings about the importance of the province. The Brits lost about 100 personnel in the Sangin area along with many more severely wounded. The U.S. Marines also took significant casualties. How would the loss of Helmand province affect Kandahar, Herat and Kabul? Probably not much in the eyes of some analysts. The biggest loss to the government would be the drug trade revenue taken from corrupt army, police and government officials as well as local power brokers. The Taliban would gain a significant source of revenue and a secure area from which to operate - as well as score an important IO victory. They may also consider moving leadership from the safe sanctuary of Pakistan into Helmand province (or at least spread an IO message that this has happened).

R.S. Says Not So Strategic. Perhaps the biggest indicator of the strategic importance of Helmand is by taking a look at where the Resolute Support Train, Advise, and Assist Commands (TAACs) are positioned. There are six field corps of the Afghan Army located at Herat (207 Corps), Mazer-e Sharif (209 Corps), Laghman province (201st), Gardez (203rd), Kandahar (205), and Lashkar Gah (215th). The 215th does not have an advisory team stationed at the Corps HQs. That should tell you something.

Location of TAACs w/ ANA Corps

DoD 1225 Report on Afghanistan - Dec 2015

The Department of Defense has published its semi-annual report on the current situation in Afghanistan. The report, entitled Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan, was published in mid-December 2015. It has 96 pages of information spanning all aspects of the Afghan conflict. It is commonly referred to as the "1225 report" and is required in accordance with Section 1225 of the NDAA for FY 2015. It includes a description of the strategy of the U.S. for security and stability in Afghanistan, a current and anticipated threat assessment, and a description of many aspects of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). The period covered is from June 1, 2015 to November 30, 2015. Previous reports and assessments on the conflict in Afghanistan can be read at the following link: www.afghanwarnews.info/assessment-reports.htm. The current 1225 report is available on a DoD site at the link below:

www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/1225_Report_Dec_2015_-_Final_20151210.pdf

Bergdahl to Face Court-Martial in Desertion

SGT Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Army Soldier who deserted his post in Afghanistan, will face a general court-martial charges. He disappeared from his outpost in 2009, was shortly later captured by insurgents, and then held prisoner for five years. The Obama administration set free five high-level Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay for his release in May 2014. A arraignment hearing will be held in the future at Fort Bragg, N.C. The presiding general officer, General Abrams, is probably putting his career in jeopardy. Any consideration for command after this decision by him will be likely be looked at unkindly by the Obama administration. Bergdahl is currently still in the Army and assigned to Joint Base San Antonio, Texas at a desk job. Read more in "Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to face most serious kind of court-martial in Army desertion case", The Washington Post, December 14, 2015.

A Shattered Life. One man who was severely injured during an attempt to find and rescue Bergdahl provides some background on just how costly the Army deserter's actions were to him. (Stars and Stripes, Dec 22, 2015).

Female Suicide Bombers

In early December 2015 a woman in Afghanistan blew herself up after being stopped at a checkpoint in eastern Nangarhar province. She killed her three children and a member of the ANDSF. The number of women involved in suicide bombings has increased across the globe in places like Afghanistan, Africa, Iraq, and Syria. Kathleen Turner, a LTC in the U.S. Army currently serving as an Army War College Fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace, examines this vital issue in "Femme Fatale: The Rise of Female Suicide Bombers", War on the Rocks, December 14, 2015.

Afghan Air Force Update

A-29 Tucanos to Arrive. Afghanistan will be getting a COIN airframe - the A-29 Tucano - to assist in the never-ending and escalating threat posed by the insurgents. The Afghan Air Force (AAF) will soon receive 4 light attack aircraft in January 2016. The long-delayed program will be a significant boost to the AAF - which has been lacking in air support capability since the U.S. has withdraw the bulk of its Army and Air Force airframes. It took the USAF a long time to award the contract (Congress interfered as usual in addition to the USAF bureaucracy) and get the program up and running. But then . . . we have only been fighting this war since 2001. Read "Afghan Air Force expecting to receive 4 light attack aircraft in January", Khaama Press, December 22, 2015. See also "After Delays, A-29 Attack Aircraft to arrive in Afghanistan in 2016", Military.com, December 28, 2015.

Afghan A-29 Pilots Trained - or at Least Some of Them. Eight (or nine, depending on which USAF press release you read) Afghan Air Force pilots just completed (Dec 15) almost a year's worth of training on the A-29 aircraft at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia (U.S.). There would have been two more but in the early part of December, just prior to graduation, two of the prospective pilots left base and disappeared. (Some news reports now say they were maintenance personnel). I presume they have crossed over into Canada or have found employment washing dishes in a D.C. Afghan restaurant. Along with the graduating pilots are twelve maintainers that also completed training. The crews are expected to be ready for combat operations at the beginning of the spring fighting season. More pilot training is expected to take place in the future. Read more in "First Afghan A-29 pilots, maintainers finish training", Air Force Times, December 22, 2015.

Mi 25 Attack Helicopter Arrives. India has decided to help out the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF) with some counterinsurgency aircraft as well. It decided - just a few months ago in November 2015 - to provide four of the extremely effective COIN helicopters to the Afghans and one has reached Kabul already. Contrast that with the plodding of the U.S. Air Force in the A-29 program! Three more of the Mi 25's will soon arrive. The Mi-25 come equipped with machine guns, rocket and grenade launchers. Earlier in the year the Indians provided three Cheetal utility helicopters. (The Economic Times, Dec 22, 2015). For one observer, Michael Kugelman, this apparent shift by the Indian government to provide military arms speaks volumes. Read "The most important arms deal you've never heard of", War on the Rocks, December 22, 2015.

Air Power Turning the Tide? Some are heartened by the addition of more aircraft to the AAF inventory. The added capability will provide better close air support to the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. I am not so sure. Afghanistan's security problems are more related to poor leadership, corruption, lack of cross-pillar coordination, and a horribly ineffective and divided government. A few additional airframes that probably won't fly much because of maintenance problems won't make that much difference. But it is a new year - let's be optimistic! Read "Air Power Could Turn Tide in Favor of Afghan Forces in 2016", Voice of America, December 31, 2015.

Commentary

Gen Campbell on NATO's Commitment and Performance of ANDSF. COMRS or Commander Resolute Support has provided us with his perspective (think positive) on the situation in Afghanistan. He acknowledges that over the past year the persistence of the Taliban, growth of ISIS, continuing presence of al-Qaida, and insurgents pushed by a Pakistan-offensive into Afghanistan have presented challenges to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). Yet he points to ability of the ANDSF to roll back Taliban gains (I guess he is ignoring places like Helmand, Bakdakshan, Nuristan, and other provinces), the formation of a new government (yes, he means the dysfunctional National Unit Government known as "NUG"), and the initiatives of the Afghan government and security forces to address corruption (Ummm, SMH), promote human rights and gender equality (which ISAF and now RS says about the Afghans each and every year). All in all this end of year pep talk includes all the important phrases such as "continuing improvement", "remain optimistic", "the insurgents cannot win militarily", etc. This assessment was issued just a week or so prior to six U.S. personnel being killed within the outskirts of the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan. Read "Commitment to Afghan National Defense and Security Forces is Working", Defense News, by General John Campbell, December 13, 2015.

Adm Stavridis on Afghanistan. The retired Admiral - now working at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy as "Dean", tells us that all is not lost in Afghanistan and he recommends 5 steps we should take to improve the situation. I think he is overly optimistic and somewhat influenced by the holiday spirit. (The World Post, Dec 23, 2015).

"Losing the War at Every Level". Anthony Cordesman injects some reality into the assessment of the Afghan conflict in his report entitled "Afghanistan a Year After Transition: Losing the War at Every Level", Center for Strategic & International Studies, December 22, 2015.

The Aftermath of Kunduz. Residents of Kunduz now live in constant fear that the Taliban will come back, retaking the city (if only for just days), and wreaking havoc once again. Read more in "Afghanistan: After Kunduz", by Patricia Gossman, The Diplomat, December 16, 2015.

Afghanistan - Another 30 Years War? Mark Thompson, writing for Time.com (Dec 22, 2015) says we might be in for another 15 years of conflict in Afghanistan. Read "Fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan Echoes the 30 Years War".

An Assessment & Recommendations. Michael O'Hanlon gives us his take on the current situation and proscribes the way forward (what he would do if King) in "Why Americans Are Still Dying in Afghanistan", Politico Magazine, December 22, 2015. (Caution: Cheerleader at work!). Read an article by O'Hanlon entitled "Afghanistan - the case for staying", USA Today, December 28, 2015. (More of the same). O'Hanlon does, however, point out that we should maintain TAAC's at each of the six ANA corps as well as some selected brigades. Good insight to pick up on that and spot on. Why we pulled our brigade level Security Force Assistance (SFA) teams off is a mystery. And to pull the corps level advisory platforms off of the 203rd and 215th ANA corps is simply bewildering!

Essay on Ground Combat. The U.S. has an effective military that can fight extremely well in conflicts such as Desert Storm and the initial weeks of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It has not done so well in conflicts that are essentially irregular, hybrid, or insurgent in nature (as in Afghanistan). David E. Johnson, a historian with RAND Corporation, provides us with his thoughts in "Ground Combat", The Cipher Brief, December 20, 2015.

Rule of Law Culture. A 320-page publication and practical guide by the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) entitled Towards a Rule of Law Culture explores effective responses to justice and security challenges. (USIP, Washington, DC, December 2015).

What of the Taliban? Chayankika Saxena, a research associate at the Society for Policy Studies in New Delhi, provides her assessment of the current state of the Taliban - to include aspects including peace talks, ISIS, Pakistan, Helmand province, public support, and more. Read more in "What has become of Taliban in Afghanistan?", South Asia Monitor, December 29, 2015.

What is BPC? The U.S. has military members spread across the globe in an attempt to increase the security and counterterrorism capabilities of our allies. This type of mission has been called many different names to include Foreign Internal Defense (FID), Counterinsurgency (COIN), Security Cooperation (SC), Security Force Assistance (SFA), and many more. Each has its own niche to fill although the terms could really be interchangeable. One such term in 'Building Partner Capacity' or BPC. Read an explanation of BPC in What is "Building Partner Capacity?": Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report, December 18, 2015. This 64-page report is posted on the website of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). Pages 20-23 specifically address BPC in Afghanistan from 2001-2015.

www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R44313.pdf

UW - Can the U.S. Government and Military Accept It? Dave Maxwell, a retired SF officer and now Associate Director of the Center for Security Studies in the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University, is one of the Special Force's community's foremost experts on Unconventional Warfare. In this article he talks about the recent passage of the NDAA of 2016 and verbiage in it that proscribes a more robust involvement of the govt and military in UW and counter-UW activities. Read "Congress has Embraced Unconventional Warfare: Will the US Military and the Rest of the US Government?", Small Wars Journal, December 29, 2015.

India-Pakistan Detente - Good for Afghanistan? Colin Cookman has penned an article entitled "How India and Pakistan Detente Could Carry Over into Afghanistan", World Politics Review, December 21, 2015. He examines the possibilities - but let's not hold our breath.

Afghanistan's Various Challenges. "Security in Afghanistan deteriorated in 2015, while the national government struggles to promote national unity and economic development". New Europe provides an analysis in this Dec 23, 2015 article.

CVE and Gender Inequality. Julia Santucci, she works women's issues at the State Department, has penned an article entitled "Countering Violent Extremism Means Countering Gender Inequality", War on the Rocks, December 16, 2015. Not so sure there really is a connection; but she seems intent on spreading the message.

Don't Abandon Afghanistan. Amb. Ron Neumann, Vanda Felbab-Brown, and David Sedney collaborate on a piece in Foreign Policy (Dec 22, 2015) encouraging the U.S. to stay the course. Read "Now is not the time to abandon Afghanistan".

Army War College. Adam Davidson recently spent time in a classroom at the United States Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Read his observations in "Rebuilding the Middle Class the Army Way", The New York Times Magazine, December 15, 2015.

Intelligence News

Logo of the NDS

An examination of the story behind the resignation in early December 2015 of the chief of the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) will point to the discord found within the National Unity Government (NUG) and the divide between those who favor increased dialogue and reconciliation (some call it appeasement) with the Pakistan government and those who accuse Pakistan as the source of all problems with the insurgency (which, of course, they are!). The NDS chief resigned at the same time that President Ghani was in Islamabad attempting to reopen the dialogue with Pakistan and re-start the postponed peace talks that would resolve the conflict with the Taliban. Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) provides this analysis for us in Political Cleavages over Pakistan: The NDS chief's farewell, December 23, 2015.

CIA and Tora Bora 2001. Gary Berntsen, the CIA head of operations for eastern Afghanistan in 2001, recounts the battle of Tora Bora, missed opportunities, and inability of DoD to react to quick-changing situations. Read "Remembering the battle of Tora Bora in 2001", PRI, December 22, 2015.

CIA's Top Stories of 2015. The Central Intelligence Agency has listed its top stories for the past year. Jedburghs, Area 51, Saigon, William F. Buckley, research tools, and more.

Task Force Longhorn. A short article published on Army.mil tells us about the success that the members of the 303rd Military Intelligence Battalion, 504th Military Intelligence Brigade has been having since they deployed to Afghanistan in September 2015. The Fort Hood Soldiers report to Task Force ODIN - a theater-wide military intelligence team supporting U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. The task force's multi-functional teams or MFTs help facilitate actionable intelligence at the lowest echelon. The MFTs are comprised of human intelligence, signal intelligence, and analysts that provide a multi-disciplined approach to intelligence exploitation. Read more in "Task force already successful in Afghanistan intel mission", www.army.mil, December 15, 2015.

Got a TS Clearance? The Chinese are the only ones that have you on a database. Doyle Quiggle gives us something to think about in "The Cognitive Delusions of a Top Secret Clearance", Small Wars Journal, December 26, 2015.

Russia & Taliban Sharing Info? A CNN report says that the Taliban and Russia are sharing intelligence about the Islamic State. Russia is worried about jihadists based in Russia's Caucasus region and former Soviet republics going off to fight in Syria . . . and then returning. The article explains the many reasons that (if true) Russia would cooperate with the Taliban. (CNN, Dec 25, 2015).

Inside the TAA Mission in Afghanistan

The columnist Franz-Stefan Gady provides us with an inside view of the NATO Train, Advise, and Assist Mission in Afghanistan. He spent some time with the TAAC-South advisory team in Kandahar learning how they conduct their mission. Of note are his observations about the significant use of Guardian Angels to prevent or mitigate insider attacks by Afghan security force members, the reduced footprint of the advisory effort, and the difficulty of how to measure the effectiveness of the Afghan security forces. In addition, the article stresses the importance of the effort in eight areas of focus - called the "8 Essential Functions" by Resolute Support HQs. It is interesting to note that one of the advisors profiled is a 1LT - mostly likely (unless former enlisted) on his first tour of duty in combat - and advising Afghan officers senior to him in rank, age, experience and with many years of combat in Afghanistan. That, of course, says something about the U.S. advisor selection process! Read "How NATO Advises Afghanistan's National Security Forces", The Diplomat, December 22, 2015.

SOF News

ANASF Trains ALP Recruit

SOF and Helmand Province. The fight for Helmand province is still ongoing despite the end of the fighting season. The Taliban control a number of the provincial districts (see what constitutes 'control of district') and the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) are barely holding on to some district centers. The United States has supported the ANDSF with air strikes and with SOF teams on the ground working with Afghan SOF units. Read more in "Afghan Province, Teetering to the Taliban, Draws In Extra U.S. Forces", The New York Times, December 13, 2015.

Book Review - Relentless Strike. Dr. J. Paul De B. Taillon reviews a book about the secret history of the Joint Special Operations Command. (Mackenzie Institute, Dec 1, 2015).

Tip of the Spear - Dec 15. The latest issue of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Tip of the Spear magazine has been posted online.
www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/28078?sub_id=43948

Homeless Man Lives in 3rd SFGA Barracks. According to one news report - "Almost Valor: Homeless Man Gets Away Living in the 3rd Special Forces Group Barracks as Fake Soldier", SOFSPACE.com, December 22, 2015 - a civilian got a free ride for a few months living rent free (no doubt he had a meal card for the dining facility as well). Not so hard to do. Just square away your uniform, buzz cut your hair, be on time for morning formations, and the SGMs will leave you alone. Kind of reminds me of my four-month long backpacking trip through Europe in the 70s - I ran out of money at the end of the trip and spent some time in the transient barracks at Vicenza, Italy. Nice place.

UW Fills Gap b/t Peace and War. David Maxwell, a retired SF colonel explains Unconventional Warfare to us and says we need to develop a strategy to counter UW being conducted by our adversaries. Read his article "Congress Has Embraced Unconventional Warfare: Will the US Military and the Rest of the US Government?", Small Wars Journal, December 29, 2015. Learn more about unconventional warfare.

SOF and Global Deployments. Special Operations forces have been deployed to many countries over the past several decades. This has not changed under the Obama administration - especially given that the Global War on Terrorism (yes, some folks still use the term GWOT) has expanded in the last decade. Read more in "Obama's 'Boots on the Ground': U.S. Special Forces Are Sent to Tackle Global Threats", The New York Times, December 27, 2015.

Origins of Women in SOF History. A profile of a women who worked for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. The OSS was the fore-runner to the CIA and U.S. Army Special Forces. An 8-min video posted on YouTube.com on December 9, 2015.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIFW3xEYvvw

SOF and the Push for Women in Combat. A RAND study conducted on behalf of USSOCOM found that 85% of SOF operators were not in favor of fully integrating women onto the SOF teams. Many advocates of the push to have women fully integrated into special operations combat units are discounting the views of these SOF operators saying they lack experience with working with women and that they are only interested in preserving their "male-only domain". This viewpoint sells these very experienced SOF operators short. In fact, the SOF community was way ahead of most of the military with its use of female Cultural Support Teams (CSTs) as enablers with Special Force ODAs, SEAL platoons, and MARSOC units in Afghanistan. Read more on this issue in "Pentagon's women-in-combat push faces chilly headwinds", The Hill Blog, December 30, 2015.

More on Women and Combat Arms. It appears that the move to fully integrate women into the combat arms will see lots of attention put on SOF units. Read "How Not to Integrate Females into Combat Arms", Small Wars Journal, December 30, 2015. And what about the 'draft thing'? Is it time for women to register for the draft - I mean equal rights and equal opportunity should equate to equal responsibility.

JSOC Secrets. The Joint Special Operations Command, commonly called JSOC, is busy around the world. The personnel of the secret and lethal organization work in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, and other conflict-ridden areas. Read more in "The not-so-secret history of JSOC", The Washington Post, December 15, 2015.

Security News

ANASF prepare for wpns training

Attack on Spanish Embassy Guesthouse. Some more fidelity on the attack on Friday, December 11th. The guesthouse, belonging occupied by Spanish Embassy personnel in the Sher Pur part of Kabul was attacked with a car bomb against the gate and the gunmen rushed inside. The event took place for many hours until the last gunman was killed.

India - Pak - Afg Meeting. Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah met with the Pakistan COAS Raheel Sharif in Kabul on Sunday, December 27th. This follows a flurry of meetings involving the head of the India government who first visted Kabul and then Islamabad. Are peace talks in the air? Maybe. But I doubt much will come of it. Read more on the recent meetings and prospects for peace in "The Observer view on India's role in bringing peace to Afghanistan", The Guardian, December 27, 2015.

French Restaurant Bombed. On January 1st a restaurant / guest house (Le Jardin) in Kabul's Qalai Fatullah area (Taimani PD4) was attacked; two people killed including a 10 year old child killed - about 15 others wounded It is in the vicinity of many foreign embassies and government buildings.

Bombers Experience a Premature Explosion. Three (maybe four) bombers had a bad day when their truck bomb blew up ahead of schedule in the Zer-e-Koh area of Herat on Saturday, January 2nd. (Khaama Press, Jan 2, 2016).

Child Suicide Bombers. "Terrorists in Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries are training children to blow themselves up in suicide bomb attacks. Minors are kidnapped or sold and then taken to terrorist training camps". Read more in "Children used as suicide bombers in Central Asia", Deutsche Welle, December 30, 2015.

Prisoners Freed by ANDSF. Afghan Special Forces freed dozens of prisoners (as many as 59) from a Taliban jail in Nahr-e-Saraj district, Helmand province the evening of January 1st. The freed were 37 soldiers, seven policemen, and the remainder were civilians. (Radio Free Europe, Jan 2, 2016).

Al-Qaeda Re-emerges. Al-Qaeda camps seem to be sprouting up in Afghanistan and there are worries that they will become breeding grounds for more attacks against the U.S. Read "As U.S. Focuses on ISIS and the Taliban, Al Qaeda Re-emerges", The New York Times, December 29, 2015. Read a history of U.S. action against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan over the years in "ISAF raids against al Qaeda and allies in Afghanistan 2007-2014", by Bill Roggio and Patrick Megahan, The Long War Journal, May 30, 2014.

Bagram Long-Term US Base? Some reports say that the Pentagon is looking to keep Bagram Air Field as a US base beyond 2017. This huge US base located 40 klics north of Kabul has been one of the principle transit hubs, logistical centers, and airfields (for air support) since 2002. The US Special Operations forces continue to operate from this base as well. Drones will likely be launched from here when Kandahar and Jalalabad shut down. (Tolo News, Dec 29, 2015).

Campbell: Delay Withdrawal. General Campbell, the commander of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, would like to delay the US troop withdrawal for as long as possible. (The Hill Blog, Dec 30, 2015).

Canadian General (Rtd) Speaks Out. A retired Canadian general says the Taliban's recent victories in Afghanistan could reverse progress made by western armies during more than a decade of fighting. "We're all holding our breath". (Edmonton Sun, Dec 28, 2015).

ANA Cadets Graduate from Indian Military Academy. 31 Afghan Army cadets graduated from the Indian Military Academy in December. Training the Afghan Army cadets is part of India's rehabilitation support towards the Afghan security forces. (Khaama Press, Dec 13, 2015).