Afghan War Blog

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Kunduz City Attacked by Taliban in October 2016

The Taliban have once again attacked Kunduz City in Kunduz province, northern Afghanistan. The attack was launched on Monday, October 3, 2016. Reports indicated it was a coordinated assault - taking place a little more than a year after they had seized the provincial capital and held it for almost two weeks. Some reports indicate that civilian houses are being used by the Taliban as bases to fire upon Afghan government forces. The Taliban attack appears to be coming from all sides of the city. The Afghan government forces are being supported by U.S. aircraft conducting airstrikes (helicopter support and maybe some fixed wing) on Taliban positions. (Military Times, Oct 5, 2016).

Spin, spin, and more spin. As usual, the Resolute Support HQs provided its optimistic view of the situation. At first denying that Kunduz was under attack; and then shortly after saying that the ANDSF had full control of the city. This at a time when half the city was under the control of the Taliban. Read more in a report by The Long War Journal (Oct 4, 2016).

Read more on the Taliban attack on Kunduz city:
October 3, 2016, "Taliban Fighters Launch Assault on Afghan City", by Jessica Donati and Ehsanullah Amiri, The Wall Street Journal.

Commentary

Local Level Participation to Reduce Corruption. Nassir Ahmad Taraki, a university lecturer in Kabul, believes that people's participation at the local governance level is needed to reduce corruption within Afghan government. Read "Transparency, Accountability: People's Agenda", Eurasia Review, October 5, 2016.

"Making Afghanistan Self-Reliant". Rohullah Osmani and Jan Brecht-Clark write on what needs to happen to improve Afghanistan's self-reliance over the next five to ten years. Foreign Affairs, October 2, 2016.

Afghan Security News Update

Georgia Continues Mission in Afghanistan. The country of Georgian, the largest non-NATO contributor to the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, is rotating another of its battalions into the war-torn country. The 32nd Battalion has completed its initial training in Georgia, followed by exercises at military bases in Germany. The unit will serve as peacekeepers for several months. Read more in "Georgian peacekeepers depart for Afghan mission", Agenda.ge, October 5, 2016.

Afghan's AWOL from Military Training in U.S. In less than two years at least forty-four Afghan military members have gone missing from U.S. training programs. It is thought that they are now living in the U.S. (and perhaps Canada) illegally. Read more in a news report by Reuters, October 6, 2016.

Two US Military Members Injured. Resolute Support HQs reported that two service members were injured on Saturday, October 8th due to an incident with an Improvised Explosive Device in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.

Taliban Overrun Another Helmand District. The Taliban temporarily seized control of another district in the strife-torn province of Helmand in southern Afghanistan. On October 2 (Sunday) it was reported that the government lost control of Nawa district. The district's chief of police was killed during the attack. The district had fallen to the Taliban in August 2016 but it was recaptured by Afghan security forces. Spokesperson from Resolute Support HQs says that the district center is back under the control of government forces. So . . . a small group of buildings inside a government compound is controlled by the Afghan security forces; one wonders who controls the rest of the district. Read more in "Taliban Overruns Another District in Helmand", Threat Matrix - The Long War Journal, October 3, 2016.

Afghanistan: The Australian Story - A Documentary

Afghanistan: The Australian Story was commissioned by the Australian War Memorial. The film tells the story of the Australian men and women who served in the long fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. The documentary features interviews with engineers, medics, Special Forces, and relatives affected by the combat and by the war. Australian SAS and conventional troops have been deployed in Afghanistan for many years. One specific area of Afghanitan was Uruzgan province where the Australians suffered many casualties. Read more in "Afghanistan: The Australian Story documentary gives insight into military involvement", ABC News (Australia), October 2, 2016.

Afghan War News Snippets - 9 October 2016

ECC-A Transition Ceremony. In a ceremony on Sunday, October 2nd, the Expeditionary Contracting Command - Afghanistan (ECC-A) transferred mission authority for the Regional Contracting Center - Afghanistan form the 925th Contracting Battalion (Fort Drum, N.Y.) to the 901st Contracting Battalion (Fort Hood, Texas). Read more in "Contracting Battalion Transfer of Authority", DVIDS, October 2, 2016.

UN Envoy Provides His Perspective. Tadamichi Yamamoto, the United Nations envoy for Afghanistan, provides his perspective on the current political, development, and security situation in Afghanistan via UN Centre, October 3, 2016.

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Sunday, October 2, 2016

Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter - 2 October 2016

Welcome to the Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter. Articles are posted online on the blog and sent out via email newsletter on Sunday morning. We welcome comments, ideas for stories, contributions, and guest writers! Visit our website at www.afghanwarnews.info, follow us on Twitter at @AfghanWarBlog, and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/afghan-war-news.

Commentary

Panel Discussion. On Monday, October 3, 2016 the Brookings Institution will host a panel of 'experts' on Afghanistan who will discuss "Charting a way forward in Afghanistan". Panel participants will include Ambassador James B. Cunningham, Ambassador James Dobbins, Ambassador Ronald Neumann, General David Petraeus (Ret.), and Michael E. O'Hanlon. This is an in-person event only and requires registration.
www.brookings.edu/events/charting-a-way-forward-in-afghanistan/

Book Review: A Kingdom of their Own. The former Washington Post bureau chief in Kabul, Joshua Partlow, takes a deeper look at Afghanistan, the Karzai family, and the failure of the U.S. to win the Afghan conflict. Read a book review of Parlow's book in The Christian Science Monitor, September 27, 2016.

Why Stay Committed to Afghanistan. This is a question many Americans ask themselves as young service members continue to die in that remote country and billions of dollars are squandered by an Afghan elite more interested in how much money they can steal than in establishing a democratic and secure Afghanistan. A group of "experts" on Afghanistan to include former ambassadors, military commanders, and Afghan scholars have signed a letter that explains American interests and objectives in Afghanistan. Read "Forging an Enduring Partnership with Afghanistan", The National Interest, September 14, 2016.

U.S. Airstrike in Afghanistan Kills 15 Civilians

According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) a U.S. airstrike (probably an unmanned drone) killed 15 civilians in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. A U.S. drone strike against ISIS in eastern Afghanistan this past Wednesday (28 Sept 2016) was targeting insurgents. Sources indicate that 18 to 21 people were killed. Many of those struck were civilians according to the police chief of Achin district where the attack took place. At least 13 civilians were wounded. The group was in a compound visiting an elder who had just returned from Hajj. (Reuters, Sep 28, 2016). Read the UNAMA press release.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Thursday (Pajhwok, Sep 29, 2016) that the drone was carried out on Islamic State elements based on intelligence information. The MoD has appointed a commission to investigate the claims of civilian deaths. The United States is conducting its own review of the airstrike.

Afghan Security News Update (20161002)

Nangarhar Province: A ISIS Enclave. The Islamic State attempted to set up base areas in several provinces within Afghanistan; but it's success was largely limited to Nangarhar. A writer from the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) in "Descent into chaos: Why did Nangarhar turn into an IS hub?", AAN, September 27, 2016.

From Frying Pan to the Fire. Nangarhar residents are speaking out about the cruelty of the ISIS enclave. Read "From the Taliban Frying Pan to the Islamic State Fire", by Heather Barr, Foreign Policy, September 27, 2016.

Pakistan Attempts to Plug Illegal Border Crossings. The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is remote, sometimes desert, sometimes mountainous and is extremely porous. The two countries share a 2,600 kilometer border that has several hundred irregular crossing points. Pakistan is building some outposts to try and halt some of the smugglers and 'terrorists' who cross unofficially. (Voice of America, Sep 27, 2016).

Training Foreign Air Forces a "Core Mission". The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joe Dunford, recently called the training of foreign Air Forces a core mission of the US Air Force. He recently visited Afghanistan and was worried when told that being a U.S. Air Force trainer in Afghanistan wasn't a 'good job posting'. Read more in "Dunford: US Air Force Should Incentivize Foreign Training Mission", Defense News, September 26, 2016.

Afghan Medevacs Overworked. The heavy casualty rate experienced by the ANDSF during the Summer Campaign 2016 has seen the Afghan Air Force medevac system stressed. Read more in "One Week. Hundreds of dead and wounded. How Afghan forces are struggling with heavy casualties", The Washington Post, September 30, 2016.

Afghan AWOLs in U.S. Seven members of the Afghan military have gone 'absent without leave' in the United States in the month of September. All of them were attending military training in the United States as part of the International Military Student program. Read more in a Fox News report (Sep 27, 2016).

NATO Troops Injured by IED. According to some news reports four Romanian troops and an Afghan interpreter were injured by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.

Checkpoints: Still Hindering the ANDSF. According to the commander of the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan the high number of checkpoints maintained by the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army are caused by poor leadership and politics. It appears that the 'Checkpint Reduction' campaign waged by Resolute Support advisors last spring has been relatively ineffective. Read more in "Checkpoints Continue to Plague Afghan Security Forces", The Diplomat, September 27, 2016.

Insider Attack Kills 12 ANA. Afghan National Army soldiers were killed in their sleep last week by fellow comrades in an outpost near the city of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. Two soldiers joined up with the Taliban after conducting the insider attack. (The World Post, Sep 27, 2016). See also a story by Radio Free Europe, September 27, 2016.

Brussels Conference: 4-5 October 2016

The European Union (EU) and Afghanistan are going to be co-hosting the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan during 4-5 October 2016. More than 70 countries and 20 international organizations and agencies are expected to participate. The aim of the conference is to endorse a program of comprehensive reforms within the Afghan government and society that will ensure the continued support of the international community (funding, military assistance, etc.). The results of the conference will likely provide additional assurance to the Afghan government and people of the support of the international community over the next several years. Whether the conference results are instrumental in the attainment of reforms by the Afghan government is very much in question.

President Ghani and CEO Abdullah will be attending as well as other Afghan governmental officials. Afghanistan will attempt to present in a positive light the achievements it has made since 2014 and also highlight its vision of peace, stability, and prosperity for Afghanistan for the next several years.

It will be interesting to see if the European nations (and others) accept Afghanistan's attempts to convince them that progress is being made in the oversight and accountability of funding, on women's issues, and on important reforms that will provide good governance and reduce the rampart corruption.

Also, an interesting aspect will be what concessions Afghanistan will make in regards to the thousands of Afghans who illegally found their way to Europe and who the European nations would like to repatriate. A news report in The Guardian (Sep 28, 2016) states that there is a secret European Union memorandum that Afghanistan will need to agree to accepting 80,000 deportees or lose aid.

Read more about the conference:
EU Statement, European Union, September 27, 2016.
EU Memo on Afghan Refugees, European Union, 3 March 2016.
"Will the World Keep Funding Afghanistan?", The Diplomat, Sep 29, 2016.

"Assist" Part of "Train, Advise and Assist"

The two-part mission of the United States in Afghanistan consists of 'counterterrorism' and 'train, advise, and assist'. An example of 'training' is where instructors and trainers are assisting the Afghan National Army (ANA) to employ and maintain the recently field ScanEagle UAV to the ANA corps. An example of 'advising' is where advisors work with senior members of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) to reduce the number of ANA checkpoints across the country so that offensive power can be generated. An example of 'assist' is where the U.S. provides funding or equipment to the ANA. Pictured above is one type of assistance - the providing of weapons and ammunition to the ANA by the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan Security Assistance Office (CSTC-A SAO). The photo shows CSTC-A members in the process of receiving, inventorying, and transferring rifles and ammo to the ANA at the international airport in Kabul. The transfer is part of SAO's Foreign Military Sales process. (Photo by Lt. Christopher Hanson, RS HQs, Sep 17, 2016.)

Peace with HIG?

A peace deal was signed between the Afghan government and the Hezb-e Islami (led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar). The HIG has been relatively dormant the last few years. The Taliban have come out against the peace deal that the insurgent group HIG and Afghan government recently signed. According to some reports the agreement was signed via conference over the Internet using Skype! The U.S. was not a party to the agreement; which was negotiated by the Afghan High Peace Council.

The exiled leader of HIG has been granted amnesty for past offenses (he is referred to as "The Butcher of Kabul"). Of course, the United Nations is listing members of HIG to include its leader as terrorists; so the Afghan government could conceivably ask for the HIG names to be removed. One wonders if Hekmatyar will be running in the next presidential election? Expectations need to be managed because the peace agreement with HIG will hardly affect the level of violence within the country or of war on the battlefield. HIG is not the military power it once was.

Read more about the peace agreement with HIG:
"Peace With Hekmatyar: What does it mean for battlefield and politics?", by Borhan Osman, Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), September 29, 2016.
"Taliban Lambast Afghan Peace Deal", Gandhara Blog, September 26, 2016.
"Critics Protest Afghan Peace Deal with Black Facebook Profiles", Radio Free Europe, Sep 29, 2016.

Ambassador Olson (AfPak) Presents Narrative

On Thursday, September 29th, Ambassador Richard Olson (Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan) presented his views about Afghanistan's security, future, government, and the upcoming Brussels Conference at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Some points the ambassador made are provided below.

Security. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) are improving over time. The Taliban have not been able to take and hold a significant population center and have not achieved their strategic goals during 2016.

National Unity Government (NUG). Ambassador Olson says the National Unity Government is not perfect but it is the best way forward at this time. Both the Afghan President and Afghan CEO remain committed to conducting elections in the future. The United States will continue to stand behind and support the Afghan government. The U.S. is encouraging the Afghan government to institute governmental reforms, hold elections, and conduct a constitutional Loya Jirga.

Brussels Conference. The Afghan agenda will guide the international agenda at the Brussels Conference for the future of Afghanistan's security and development. The Resolute Support mission was extended by NATO in July at the Warsaw Summit. The Brussels Conference will provide a guide to the future development needs of Afghanistan. The antecendent for Brussels was the Tokyo Conference four years ago. Olson said international support is conditional and conditioned; not a blank check.

Afghan Interpreters. He waffles here. Says all the right things but . . . offers little concrete suggestions on how to improve the situation for more SIV for the Afghans who put their lives at risk for the U.S. military.

Lots of other topics were discussed during the question and answer session about India, NUG, peace deal with HIG, Pakistan, conditionality of continued funding by donor nations, economy, anti-corruption, refugees, and more. An informative presentation and Q&A on lots of topics; but beware of the party line when he talks about security, corruption, and progress in Afghanistan.

You can view the conference at the link below:
https://webcast.jhu.edu/Mediasite/Play/95590766d4ee4ef69715ba08cc99ca341d

Afghan Governance News

The two-year anniversary of the formation of the National Unity Government (NUG) is approaching and many of the expected actions (political and electoral reforms, scheduling of parliamentary elections, convening of Loya Jirga, etc.) that were supposed to take place have been put on hold. This raises the question of the legitimacy of the NUG and may likely cause some increased political turmoil in Afghanistan. The constitutional crisis and political deadlock is being carefully watched by donor nations and those countries providing troops for the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. Read more in "The Coming Political Crisis In Afghanistan - Analysis", Eurasia Review, September 27, 2016.

SIGAR Report - Lessons Learned. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has issued a report entitled "Conference Report - Lessons from the Coalition: International Experiences from the Afghanistan Reconstruction", September 2016.
www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-16-59-LL.pdf

Fighting Corruption? Not so much. "Out of 83 senior officials in the past two Afghan governments, only one - the current president, Ashraf Ghani - fully complied with financial disclosure laws . . ." Read more in "U.S.-Backed Effort to Fight Afghan Corruption Is a Near-Total Failure, Audit Finds", The New York Times, September 27, 2016.

Haqqani Network and Pakistan

General John Nicholson, the commander of Resolute Support in Afghanistan, said recently in a news conference that the Haqqani Network poses a significant threat to Coalition forces. In addition, he stated that Pakistan has not done enough to curtail the Haqqani Networks activities within Pakistan. Afghan authorities have accused Pakistan of providing covert support to the Haqqani Network. Read more in "Pakistan Not Doing Enough Against Haqqani Network, US General Says", Voice of America,September 24, 2016.

Contractors in War Zones

If you have spent any time in a war zone then you have run across them . . . or perhaps . . . you are one of them. We are talking about contractors in a war zone. Sometimes as you walk around the compound or large FOB you see them. The contractor or actually . . . lots of them. And you wonder what do all these contractors do? Do they really make all the outlandish and sinful money that everyone says? Many times - based on their demeanor and dress - you tend to categorize the contractors into tidy little groups. Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. Read one humorous article about how to neatly arrange the contractors in a war zone based on dress and demeanor in "The 6 Types of Contractors You Encounter Overseas", Task & Purpose, September 28, 2016.

Afghan War Blog Snippets

Video - Mercy Corps. Learn how Mercy Corps provides economic opportunity for Afghan women in this short 5-min long video. www.youtube.com/watch?v=35BGPm1Flpk

Missing Afghan Food. One writer tells us of his fondness for Afghan food that he experienced as an Embedded Training Team (ETT) member during a deployment to Afghanistan. Read "Afghan Food Was One Great Thing about Deployment", Task & Purpose, September 26, 2016.

AGO and HOOAC in War of Words. There is disagreement between the Afghan Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (HOOAC) about how much the AGO is doing in pursuing corruption within the Afghan government. Read more in a news report by Tolo News, September 26, 2016.

Gas-fired Power Plant to be Built. The Ghazanfar Group has been awarded a contract by the Afghan government to build and operate a 50 MW plant in Mazar-e-Sharif. The plant will increase the country's power generation capacity by 30%. Read more in "Gas-fired power plant a first for Afghanistan", Power Engineering International, September 2016.

2nd LT Artillery Officer Advising Afghan Police. A female U.S. Army 2nd LT on her first Afghan deployment is advising the Afghan police in Train, Advise, and Assist Command - East. Read more in "Atypical Afghan Advising", Army.mil, August 26, 2016.

Coalition Patrol Delivers Med Supplies. A combination of Czech Republic, Polish, Afghan, U.S., and other international members delivered medical supplies to the Charikar Hospital in Parwan province. Read more in a news report by Army.mil, September 21, 2016.

Kajaki Dam and COIN. Jeff Goodson, a former USAID employee with extensive experience in Afghanistan, writes about the Kajaki Dam and its role in counterinsurgency. Read "An Afghanistan Perspective: The Kajaki Dam - Counterinsurgency (Part II)", Real Clear Defense, September 27, 2016.

SIGAR Report on Lessons from Afghanistan. In April 19-20, 2016 the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) held a two day conference entitled "Lessons from the Coalition: International Experiences from the Afghanistan Reconstruction". Participants included senior officials and experts from the nations and organizations involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. A number of themes emerged from the conference. Read more in the 24-page conference report recently published by SIGAR (September 2016).
www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-16-59-LL.pdf

Female Afghan Musicians. If you are a female musician and performer in Afghanistan you face some daunting challenges. Read more in "Hip-Hop and the liberation of Women in Kabul", Pacific Standard Magazine, September 27, 2016.

Afghan War Supplemental Request. Congress will be presented a request for a supplemental spending measure to fund the continued involvement of the United States in the Afghanistan conflict. The request will be presented to Congress in November 2016 by the DoD. Read more in a news report by Defense News, September 26, 2016.

Presidential Debate and the Taliban. It seems the Taliban watched the presidential debate this past Monday night (from a secret location) and were disappointed that Afghanistan did not get much attention. (NBC News, Sep 27, 2016).

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Sunday, September 25, 2016

Resuming Afghan War Blog Newsletter

Six months ago I temporarily suspended publication of the "Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter" due to other work commitments and a heavy overseas travel schedule. I am now able to resume the newsletter. Those who are currently signed up for this weekly email but no longer have an interest or requirement to read updates on the Afghan conflict can easily unsubscribe at the bottom of this newsletter. Those who wish to continue to receive the newsletter are welcome to send comments, suggestions, and encouragement to the authors at staff@afghanwarnews.info.

Articles are posted online on the blog and sent out via email newsletter on Sunday morning. We welcome comments, ideas for stories, contributions, and guest writers! Visit our website at www.afghanwarnews.info, follow us on Twitter at @AfghanWarBlog, and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/afghan-war-news.

Kunduz - Still a Fragile Situation

Map of Kunduz Province

A year ago the Taliban took control of the capital of Kunduz province. Even though the Taliban were outnumbered by the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and various militia groups around Kunduz City the government forces quickly fled to the safety of the Kunduz Airport. Although U.S. and Afghan government spokesmen said that the Taliban were removed from the city within days the truth is that it took two weeks to dislodge the insurgents. The recapture of Kunduz City took place only after the government rushed its special operations forces to the area and the U.S. provided vital air support and the assistance of Special Forces teams on the ground. The security situation has not improved significantly in the Kunduz province. Read more in "Afghan government's control over Kunduz remains fragile", Deutsche Welle, September 21, 2016.

Bad ALP and Good ALP - It's All in the Vetting

Photo: PO Matthew Leistikow
ALP rifle training, Jan 2013

The Afghan Local Police (also referred to as the ALP) have a mixed record in Afghanistan. On one hand the ALP provide a local security force to communities that lack the benefit of a robust presence of the Afghan National Army or Afghan National Police. The ALP was designed to provide security in remote districts and communities to degrade the influence and control of insurgents. In many cases this was the case. However, there are many instances where the ALP also became the tool of local power brokers and warlords and adopted predatory practices - eroding support for the Afghan government at the local and national level. There was a robust methodology for the establishment of the Afghan Local Police, and when followed, it resulted in a properly selected, vetted, trained, equipped, and led local police force. However, when the vetting process was not adhered too, the results were far from satisfactory. Read an example of where the ALP first went bad and then good in Shah Joy district, Zabul province in an article entitled "How to replace a bad ALP commander: in Shajoy, success and now calamity", by Fazal Muzhary, Afghanistan Analysts Network, September 21, 2016.

Corruption - Still the Number One Enemy

General John Allen (retired) once said that "Corruption is the existential strategic threat to Afghanistan". The former International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander was correct. Not much has changed since his statement a few years back.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has just released a report entitled Corruption in Conflict: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan, September 2016. This 164-page document contains 'lessons observed' (versus 'lessons learned') from the Afghan conflict. The report contains some recommendations on how to do stability operations in a remote, impoverished, conflict-ridden country. You can view the report (Adobe Acrobat PDF) at this link:

www.sigar.mil/pdf/lessonslearned/SIGAR-16-58-LL.pdf

Read one writers thoughts on the report and corruption in Afghanistan in "How Corruption Defeated Afghan Reconstruction", by Matthew Gault, War is Boring, September 21, 2016.

Video - "Afghanistan's Proudest Achievement"

ANA Soldiers Exiting AAF Chopper (photo from GoIRA video)

An inspirational video pushed out by the Afghan government on September 21, 2016 provides a 3 1/2 minute look at the progress the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have made over the past 15 years. While the video states that the ANDSF have attained many of their objectives the reality is that they are not quite there. Not by a long shot! If you need to be inspired by how much progress the Afghans have made in the security arena and don't mind a lot of embellishment and wishful thinking then the video is worth watching.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-iBlUMmIkY

RS Cdr's News Conference - Some Facts and Some Spin

General John Nicholson recently conducted a press conference with reporters in Washington, D.C. Nicholson is the current commander of Resolute Support in Afghanistan. He had a few interesting comments to make. While his comments have a certain amount of spin it is also a very informative news conference.

GoIRA Controls 70%. According to Nicholson, the Afghan government forces controls 65% to 70% of the population, the Taliban controls 10% of the population, and the remainder is 'contested'. Hmmm. Lots of analysis could be done with those 'facts'. First of all control of the population is much different than control of terrain. If much of the population lives in the large cities then the percentage of terrain controlled by the Taliban is likely much more than 10% (which of course it is). Read more on this in "US commander in Afghanistan downplays Taliban control of 10 percent of population", The Long War Journal, September 23, 2016.

DoD News Release. For more DoD spin read "Afghan Security Forces Growing to Take Over Mission, General Says", Defense Media Activity, September 23, 2016. Nicholson emphasizes that the mission has changed from counterinsurgency to 'train, advise, and assist'. He stated that the Afghan security forces executed 'Operatin Shafaq' (or Dawn) in three successful phases - the defense of Kunduz (April and May), expansion of the security zone in Helmand, western Kandahar and Uruzgan (June and July), and then in Nangarhar later in the summer. The problem with his analysis is that the situation in Kunduz is still critical, Helmand's provincial capital (Lashkar Gah) is threatened (with 90% of the province controlled by the Taliban), and Uruzgan's provincial capital (Tarin Kowt) now under attack. So . . . . .

Checkpoints, SOF, and more. He points out the problem of too many checkpoints, how it dilutes offensive power, and leaves police units isolated and vulnerable. Nicholson also speaks about the effectiveness of Afghan SOF units but also about the misuse of these units (using them for conventional force units). A lot of topics (ISIS, ISK, TTP, IMU, troop levels, array of forces, expansion of advisory effort, framework nations, enablers, etc.) covered in this news conference.

DoD Video of News Conference- "Resolute Support Commander Briefs Reporters". Watch a 42-minute video of General Nicholson's news conference held on September 23, 2016 at the Pentagon.
www.dvidshub.net/video/484589/resolute-support-commander-briefs-reporters

Afghan Security News - Good and Bad

Helmand Province still at Risk. A war correspondent takes us on a journey to Lashkar Gar, the provincial capital of Helmand province in southwestern Afghanistan. The province has been the scene of heavy fighting with most of the districts controlled by the Taliban. Although the government (and U.S. spokesmen) say that many of the districts are under Afghan government control the reality is that the government forces occupying several district administrative buildings within a small walled compound and the Taliban are free to roam the rest of the district. A lot of spin at play here. For a more realistic version of what is happening in this war-torn province read a report entitled "First Helmand, Then Afghanistan", Foreign Policy, September 21, 2016.

Govt Forces Control only 70% of Afghanistan. According to General Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (and former ISAF Cdr), says that the Afghan security forces are taken more casualties "than we're comfortable with" and that they still are lacking in key areas including air power, special operations, and intelligence. He called the war in Afghanistan a stalemate during an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Overall his assessment was on the gloomy side. Read more in a news report by The Washington Post, September 22, 2016.

U.S. Army Secretary Visits Afghanistan. Secretary Fanning visited artillerymen from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment in Laghman province in mid-September. Read more in "Army Secretary engages with artillerymen in action", Army.mil, September 22, 2015.

U.S. Airstrike Allegedly Kills 8 Afghan Police. Read more in a news report by Stars and Stripes, September 20, 2016.

Afghanistan and the Little Bird. The Afghan Air Force has received the last four of 27 MD-530F armed helicopters. Read more about these versatile choppers of the AAF in "Warplanes: Afghanistan Adopts Little Bird", Strategy Page, September 18, 2016.

ISIS Regrouping in Nangarhar Vicinity. The Islamic State in Afghanistan has suffered some setbacks this year but are still a problem in eastern Afghanistan. Afghan government leaders are hoping that 'popular uprising' and Afghan Local Police can contain the threat. Read more in "Tribal Leaders Say IS Regrouping in Afghan-Pakistan Border Areas", Voice of America, September 21, 2016.

News Article: "Losing in Afghanistan". A recent report by Foreign Affairs (Sep 22, 2016) suggests that the United States is losing the war in Afghanistan based on data released by the Pentagon. Measures of insurgent activity are the highest since in five years, Afghan government security forces are suffering high levels of casualties, and civilian deaths are rising.

Local Uprising Group in Badakhshan. A freelance reporter, Franz Marty, travels to Raghistan district, Badakhshan province and spends time with a local defense force that has taken the districts security into their own hands. The author asks what this means for the central government over the long-term. Read "Afghanistan's Anti-Taliban Vigilantes: Blessing or Curse?", The Diplomat, September 15, 2016.

Reports and Publications Recently Issued

SIGAR Quarterly Report. Four times a year the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction issues a report on the Afghan conflict and where are tax payer money is spent in Afghanistan. Topics in the latest report include electrifying Afghanistan, SIGAR oversight activities, reconstruction update, and other SIGAR reports. Overall, the report is (like most SIGAR reports) a bit pessimistic; unlike RS or DoD reports which are overly optimistic). But it is a good read to balance out the spin coming out of the Department of Defense or what the Afghan government media sources are spouting out. Things are not that good from a security standpoint, the economy is not faring well, young educated people are leaving in droves, and the international community and Resolute Support Headquarters still have not got a handle on accountability and oversight on how their funds are being spent by the Afghans. Read the Quarterly Report to the United States Congress, July 30, 2016.

Report on Recruitment by Armed Groups in Afghanistan. The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) published a report on the recruitment of armed groups in Afghanistan (Taliban and other insurgent factions) on September 19, 2016..

SIGAR Report on Afghanistan's High Office of Oversight (HOO). The High Office of Oversight is the topic of a special report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. The report finds that the HOO, which has broad responsibility for combating official corruption, lacks enforcement power, and was likely just 'window dressing' to satisfy the international community's desire for progress on fighting corruption. Read the report published on September 19, 2016.
https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/special%20projects/SIGAR-16-60-SP.pdf

Commentary

Afghan's Lacking Air Support? One freelance journalist based in Afghanistan who writes on security and military issues, Franz J. Marty, comments on the supposed lack of close air support for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). Read "The Fallacious Claim of Lacking Air Support in Afghanistan", The National Interest, September 13, 2016.

NUG Not So Unified. The power sharing agreement of the National Unity Government (NUG) expires on September 30th. Read more in "The Coming Political Crisis in Afghanistan", The Diplomat, by Abdul Basit, September 23, 2016.

Photographer Interview. A photojournalist chats on his time in Afghanistan in "Andrew Quilty: Three years photographing Afghanistan", The Sydney Morning Herald, September 24, 2016.

Afghan Govt Losing Battle of Legitimacy. Christopher D. Kolenda, a former Pentagon senior advisor, is interviewed about Afghanistan. Read "Afghanistan at an Inflection Point", Council on Foreign Relations, September 22, 2016.

"Forgotten War". Max Fisher writes "15 Years Into Afghan War, Americans Would Rather Not Talk about It", The New York Times, September 20, 2016. The topic of Afghanistan is noticeably absent from the election dialogue - neither candidate wanting to talk about it or offer solutions. It seems the "Forever War" is also the "Forgotten War".

Peace Accord With HIG? A Deal with the Devil?

It appears that the Government of Afghanistan and the Hizb-e Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) insurgent group have reached an agreement to stop fighting. The insurgent group was formed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the mid-1970s. It became one of the main mujahideen factions during the fight against the Soviets and puppet Afghan regime in the 1980s and a main player during the civil war after the Soviet withdrawal. The group has been accused of numerous human rights abuses by many international groups. In recent years the militant group has been relatively ineffective and relegated to the sidelines. This peace agreement with the "Butcher of Kabul" may more symbolic in nature with an unlikely effect on the level of hostilities. The peace agreement with the HIG will (in the view of the U.S.) hopefully set the stage for successful peace talks (and agreements) with other insurgent groups fighting the Afghan government.

Read more:
"Afghanistan Signs Peace Deal With Hard Line Militant Group", Radio Free Europe, Sep 22, 2016.
U.S. Embassy Peace Accords Statement, Embassy of the United States, Kabul, Afghanistan, September 22, 2016.
Draft Peace Agreement Between Government and Herb-I-Islami Gulbuddin, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), September 22, 2016.

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Sunday, March 20, 2016

A Short Break

Unfortunately there will be a temporary break in posting on the Afghan War News Blog and in the publishing of the Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter. I am beginning several back-to-back short-term overseas contracts. My work will preclude my writing activities; however I will be able to resume this coming fall. Heading back to Afghanistan.

Best regards, Staff at Afghan War News Blog

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter - March 13, 2016

Afghan Security News

AAF A-29s to MeS. According to Afghan press accounts the Afghan Air Force has posted two A-29 Super Tucano Light Attack Aircraft to the northern Balkh province of Afghanistan. Many parts of Afghanistan has seen a deteriorating security situation and this includes northern Afghanistan. The A-29s can carry heavy weapons to target anti-government armed militants. The aircraft is a multi-role, fixed-wing aircraft that provides a air-to-ground capability and aerial reconnaissance capabilities IOT support the country's counterinsurgency efforts. Read more in "Afghan Air Force receives light attack aircraft in Mazar-e-Sharif", Khaama Press, March 7, 2016.

AAF - Full Strength in 2020? The outgoing Resolute Support commander, Gen Campbell, recently said that the Afghan Air Force won't receive all of its aircraft until 2018 and that it won't be fully effective until 2020. No worries, the aircraft will still have plenty to do in 2020. This war will continue for several more years. Read "Afghan Air Force To Reach Required Strength Levels by 2020", Tolo News, March 12, 2016.

TAAC-Air & AAF. The advisors from the Train, Advise, Assist Command - Air are working 'shoulder to shoulder' with the AAF to build a sustainable air force. Read more in a press release by DVIDS, March 10, 2016.

Govt Retreat from Shahidid Hassas District. On March 1st Afghan government troops abandoned a district in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan. See "Afghan forces withdraw from district in Uruzgan", Threat Matrix, March 9, 2016.

Kabul Fire Dept Targeted. A suicide bomber attacked the Kabul Fire Department on Wednesday afternoon (Mar 9th) in Kabul city. (Tolo News, Mar 9, 2016)

Suicide Blast in Kabul. A heavy explosion rocked Kabul city on March 9th (Wed) after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in PD 2. The bomber was the only fatality as he experienced a premature explosion. The incident happened near the Ministry of Finance. (Khaama Press, Mar 9, 2016).

Taliban Infighting in Herat. There are reports of fierce clashes between Taliban factions in the western province of Herat, Afghanistan. It appears that two top Taliban leaders have been killed, over 60 killed, and more than 60 wounded. (Khaama Press, Mar 9, 2016). See also "Scores of Taliban Fighters Killed in Infighting", Gandhara Blog, March 9, 2015.

Premature Withdrawal? The outgoing commander of U.S. Central Command told lawmakers this past week that it may be prudent to reconsider the plan to reduce the American military forces presence in Afghanistan. Given the recent increase in the Taliban's activity it is likely that the reduction from 9,800 to 5,500 by the start of next year is going to be delayed. Read more in "Planned Drawdown of US Forces in Afghanistan May be Premature: Centcom", Military.com, March 8, 2016.

More Authorities Needed in Afghanistan? According to one news report General John Campbell, prior to his departure as the Resolute Support commander, was seeking a modification of authorities for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Although he recognized he would not see an increase in troops he was able to get the Obama administration to slow down the withdrawal rate of troops. What is unclear is if he was able to loosen up the Ruled of Engagement (ROE) for air support (air strikes) and the levels that U.S. troops could conduct the Train, Advise and Assist mission. Currently advisors are located at the MoI, MoD, and the the Afghan National Army corps (although two corps - 201st and 203rd - see part-time advisors) and SOF troops are advising at the kandak level for the Afghan special operations units. We certainly pulled our advisors off the 201st and 203rd corps way too early; and it probably was inadvisable to take them off the brigade hqs as well. Read more in "U.S. general sought greater powers in Afghanistan before exit", Reuters, March 11, 2016.

China Offering Military Aid. One news report indicates that the deteriorating security and emergence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan has prompted China to deepen its engagement. Read more in "China Offers Afghanistan Army Expanded Military Aid", The Wall Street Journal, March 9, 2016. (requires subscription).

Ireland Ends Mission. Resolute Support Headquarters held a ceremony a week ago to observe the completion of the Irish Defense Forces military mission in Afghanistan. Following fifteen years of unbroken service with both the NATO ISAF and RS missions the final contingent will redeploy to Ireland. See "Ireland commemorates end of military mission in Afghanistan", Khaama Press, March 12, 2016.

Video - Gurkhas Training Up. A unit of the UK is going to deploy to Afghanistan. Naturally the soldiers will do some predeployment training. We get to view (in five quick minutes) some of that training in No Rest for Gurkhas On Intensive Afghanistan Training, Forces TV (UK), March 10, 2016. www.forces.tv/72138100

Fractured Taliban? One defense official says that ISIL is contained in Afghanistan and that the Taliban is fractured. Sounds almost optimistic. Read more in a defense press release by DoD News, March 10, 2016.

Commentary

Paper - The Afghan National Army After ISAF. The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) has published an 18-page paper (March 2016) about the state of the ANA and the current security situation in Afghanistan.

Worries on Afghanistan. Manoj Joshi writes about the current situation in Afghanistan. The Taliban's recent refusal to participate in peace talks has serious implications for the security and stability of Afghanistan. The Taliban clearly feel that time is on its side - and given its recent gains on the battlefield - that there is little point in engaging in peace negotiations with the Kabul regime. Read more in "Worrying signals from Afghanistan", ORF Online, March 8, 2016.

Developing Emotional Calluses. Nathan K. Finney has wrote a short essay on how military members, as a result of their exposure to years of direct and indirect trauma, develop emotional calluses to the world around them. Read "Consequences of Fear: Callousness", Consequence Magazine, March 6, 2016.

Too Much Mandatory Training. While senior leaders of the military recognized that there are too many mandated training activities it would seem that little is done to lighten the load. Read more in "No Time, Literally, For All Requirements", by Maj. Crispin J. Burke, Army Magazine, March 8, 2016.

Mandatory Training - Part II. There is no doubt that the training requirements for the U.S. Army far exceed the time available to train. Many Soldiers would cut much of the training they receive. For instance, do Soldiers really need to endure a class presentation where they learn that American society attaches privilege to being white, male, and heterosexual. Yep, it happened. Read more in "U.S. Army Lectured Soldiers on Dangers of "White Privilege", Fox News, March 10, 2016.

Do We Need Better Generals? Michael Vickers, the former under secretary of Defense for Intelligence seems to think so. Read "Vickers: Fastest way to improve strategy is to prepare and pick better generals", Foreign Policy, March 9, 2016. See Mike Vickers testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee entitled Improving the Pentagon's Development of Policy, Strategy and Plans, December 8, 2015.

"Silk Road" and Afghanistan. China is pushing the integration of China economic interests into the Central and South Asian regions. Expanding China's direct interests in Afghanistan would open new avenues for U.S.-China cooperation. Hmmmm. Okay, but I say "Advantage China". Read what Andi Zhou has to say in "Can China's 'One Belt, One Road' Save the US in Afghanistan?", The Diplomat, March 11, 2016.

Australian Documentary. "In their own words and their own extraordinary, never-before-seen helmet-cam battle footage, Australia's fighting men and women lay bare their hearts in an epic series - not just how they waged a war, but why and to what end." If you live in Australia then you can watch "Afghanistan: Inside Australia's War", ABC.net.au, March 8, 2016. Unfortunately, unless posted on YouTube.com, the rest of us can't.
www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/afghanistan-inside-australias-war/

Movie Review - A War. Several weeks back I reviewed the newly released Danish movie A War. Since then numerous reviews have come out. The latest that I have read is by David Franke - who manages to input a bit of commentary at the end of his review. Read "The Danes in Afghanistan", The American Conservative, March 11, 2016.

Recalibrating ROE. In past decade the Rules of Engagement at theater level have seen some changes. Some believe the rules are too tight; sacrificing safety of military members in order to avoid civilian casualties and unfortunate situations that will explode in the world's media. Others see the tightening of ROE necessary in a counterinsurgency environment. Not my favorite topic, but if you are a lawyer you might be interested in a 57-page paper on SROE /SRUF by Colonel Gary P. Corn and published in the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 49:1, 2016.

Panel - "What to Do About Afghanistan". The Council on Foreign Relations hosted a panel discussion on the security situation of Afghanistan. Former ISAF commander General (Ret) John Allen, Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James B. Cunningham, and Mary Beth Long - a former Assistant Secretary of Defense and President of Metis Solutions were on the panel. You can watch the one hour long video at the link below.
www.cfr.org/afghanistan/hbo-do-afghanistan/p37591

Hybrid Warriors. The military community (uniformed, academic, think tanks, included) has been struggling with defining the new era of warfare since 2011. The crux of the matter is how to attach a term to the space between peace and war. Lots of terms are out there: unconventional warfare, Gray Zone, Hybrid Warfare, political warfare, etc. One security observer and commentator - Douglas A. Ollivant - has penned a paper that sees past the terminology and concentrates on the participants of this new type of conflict. Read "The Rise of the Hybrid Warriors: From Ukraine to the Middle East", War on the Rocks, March 9, 2016.

Understanding COIN. Dr. Geraint Hughes, a student of counterinsurgency and formerly of the London Regiment of the Territorial Army, writes that the terminological distinctions between COIN, PSO, 'stabilisation', and 'major combat operations' are potentially becoming increasingly less relevant. Read "Uncertain Coinage", Defense-in-Depth, King's College, London, March 7, 2016.

Islamic State

3,000 or 1,000 ISIS in Afghanistan? Most analysts say that the Islamic State has about 3,000 fighters in Afghanistan. Mostly in Nangarhar province. However, the IS has been taken some losses. The Taliban are getting after ISIS in eastern Afghanistan. The 201st Corps is taking the fight to ISIS. And, in addition, lots of drones are attacking ISIS positions from the sky. Looks like ISIS is caught between a rock and a hard place. Nice to see good things happen on the security front for a change. Outgoing Resolute Support HQs commander, General John Campbell, says that the current ISIS strength in Afghanistan is more likely 1,000. If true, that is good news.

"Follow the Money" is now "Destroy the Money". The Islamic State in Syria and Iraq had for a long time enjoyed financial success. It had installed a tax system, gained money from oil proceeds, and took control of banks with millions of dollars. Now it appears that repeated air strikes against the oil fields and ISIS controlled banks plus a plunging economic situation in Syria has made the finances of ISIS less robust. In fact, the group is now offering captured women as payment to some of its members and ensuring that these women are on birth control to ensure payments can be made on a regular basis. Read more in "The Islamic State's Money Problems", RAND Corporation Blog, March 5, 2016.

West Lacking a Strategy to Defeat ISIS. Michael W. S. Ryan of the Jamestown Foundation has penned a short article examining the Islamic States strengths and weaknesses. He says that while we have made some significant gains in the battle against ISIS we still lack a comprehensive strategy to defeat the organization and we lack a strategic narrative to stop its metastasis. Read more in "The ISIS Paradox: Strength in Weakness", The CIPHER Brief, March 10, 2016.

SOF Scoffing up Prisoners. So . . . we can't put our captured terrorists into Guantanamo anymore (because President Obama won't do it); so perhaps we keep them a while (for interrogation) and then pass them on to someone else. Well, . . . I guess that is the plan. Read "U.S. Detentions of ISIL Members in Iraq Will be Short-Term Only", DoD News, March 9, 2016. See also "US military won't hold detainees more than 30 days", Fox News Politics, March 11, 2016.

Peace Talks

Taliban Reluctant to Join Peace Talks. Despite lots of optimism by the U.S. State Department (publicly at least) and the Afghan government it appears that the Taliban are not all the eager to join in on peace talks. Read more in "Road to Quadrilateral-Backed Peace Talks Uncertain as Taliban Refuse to Participate", The Diplomat, March 7, 2016.

Accusations of Interference. Former Minister of Interior (MoI) Daudzai slams Pakistan for its interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and its sabotage of the Afghan-Taliban peace negotiations in recent news report. (Tolo News, Mar 12, 2016).

Podcast - History of Peace Talks. Task & Purpose Radio have aired an episode that discusses Beau Bergdahl's role in negotiating peace talks with the Taliban in "The Complex History of the Taliban Peace Talks", March 8, 2016.

Peace Talks Failure - Plan B? Michael Kugelman presents the obstacles to concrete progress in the Afghan / Taliban peace talks that are (or are not) about to take place over the next several months. He asks "If Reconciliation Fails in Afghanistan, What's Plan B?", War on the Rocks, March 10, 2016. (CAUTION: He offers no Plan B . . . ).

Bloody Summer? The rejection of peace talks by the Taliban has dire implications for the coming fighting season. Read more in "Afghanistan braces for bloody summer as Taliban reject peace talks with government", Washington Times, March 7, 2016.

Women in Afghanistan

International Women's Day. The world recognized the annual International Women's Day this past week. All the major players provided news releases on the progress and obstacles in advancing women's rights.

CSTC-A and Women. The Combined Security Transition Command j- Afghanistan (CSTC-A) recently celebrated International Women's Day. A keynote speaker (see photo above) was Maj. Gen. Gordon "Skip" Davis, Jr. Every photo I ever see of this guy has him smiling! There is something seriously wrong here. Doesn't he know that he has three very good reasons not to be so jolly? 1) He lives and works on that small postage stamp of real estate in Kabul known as Camp Resolute Support, 2) he is in a war zone, and 3) he is tasked with training up the ANA and ANP. Hmmmm. Read more in a news press release by DVIDS, March 9, 2016.

AAF and Women. The Afghan Air Force hosted an International Women's Day conference on March 6th at the Kabul Air Wing. Approximately 200 AAF and Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air (TAAC-Air) military men and women attended the event to include guest speakers from the AAF commander to a young Afghan girl reading poetry. (DVIDS, Mar 8, 2016).

Role of Afghan Women. Laura Bush (former 1st Lady) is an honorary co-chair of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council and chair of the Women's Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. She has penned an opinion piece about women in Afghanistan where she explores the progress made for women in Afghanistan over the past 15 years and identifies the areas that still need further advances. Read "How Afghanistan's women are helping the country move forward", The Washington Post, March 7, 2016.

Book - We Are Afghan Women. The George W. Bush Presidential Center is publishing a book about Afghan women. The book is being released . . . timed with International Women's Day. "The book spotlights the stories of 29 inspiring and heroic Afghan women in their own voices and records their extraordinary struggles, resolve, and will to triumph in present-day Afghanistan." Read more about We Are Afghan Women: Voices of Hope.

Former Female Afghan War Vets Import Saffron. Members of the Harvard University community who are also veterans of the Afghan conflict have been importing saffron from Afghanistan. They operate a firm called Rumi Spice. The founders of the firm are a unique group of people - male, female, route clearance, Cultural Support Team, etc. Read more in "Veterans behind Rumi Spice source saffron directly from Afghan farmers", Food Navigator, March 9, 2016.

Court Reduces Sentences in Mob Killing of Farkhunda. Four men sentenced to death for the killing of a woman named Farkhunda (which received widespread international attention) have had their sentences reduced to as little as ten years in prison. (The New York Times, Mar 9, 2016).

Short Film - Masculinity in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) conducted some research titled The Other Side of Gender Inequality: Men and Masculinities in Afghanistan. A film based on this research was filmed. It has English subtitles and is 20 minutes long, and posted on YouTube.com on March 9, 2016. A little bit of culture about being a man and a women in Afghan society.

IDLG Wants More Women in Govt. The Independent Directorate of Local Governance has called for a stronger presence of women in local governance across Afghanistan. (Tolo News, Mar 7, 2016).

Radio Shaesta - Back on the Air. An Afghan women's radio station was put off the air as a result of the Taliban attack and subsequent occupation of the Kunduz city this past fall. The radio station was ransacked and the broadcasting equipment was confiscated or destroyed. But . . . they are back up and running. Read "Afghan Women's Radio Returns After Taliban Attack", Voice of America, March 8, 2016.

Women Reporters in Afghanistan. There are some difficulties and cultural barriers that women journalists face when reporting from Afghanistan. Read the story of two women reporters that were in northern Afghanistan in late 2001 in "No Woman's Land: On the Frontline with Female Reporters", International News Safety Institute, March 7, 2016.