Afghan War News Snippets

More Visas for Interpreters. A U.S. Senate committee has approved 4,000 more Visas for Afghans who worked for the U.S. military as interpreters or support staff. The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program is designed to help Afghans who assisted the U.S. in the Afghan conflict to immigrate to the United States. See "U.S. Senate Committee Approves 4,000 More Special Visas for Afghans", Gandhara, June 29, 2017.

U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan? None. Despite having over 8,400 U.S. troops engaged in the Afghan conflict supporting a corrupt and dysfunctional Afghan government the Trump administration has yet to nominate a U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan over six months into its time in office. See "Lack of US Ambassador to Afghanistan Draws Criticism", Voice of America, July 7, 2017.

China's Silk Road - More Than an "Economic Highway". China is making quite an ado about its "Silk Road" connecting China with the rest of the Eurasia continent in an economic belt. Afghanistan is playing a small part in the overall plan. Slowly, and under the radar, China is positioning naval and ground forces at strategic locations around the world. There are current plans to position elements of the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps (PLAMC) in Djibouti and Pakistan. Could we see some Chinese military in Afghanistan at some point in the future? Sounds far-fetched but . . . Read more in "The Muscle Behind China's New Silk Road Is Over the Horizon", Reconnecting Asia, June 26, 2017.

Norwegian Refugee Council. The NRC is busy in Afghanistan helping Afghans to learn a livelihood so they can support their families. Read "New hope for young Afghans", Norwegian Refugee Council, July 7, 2017.

Afghan Procurement Reform. The Afghan government is changing how it conducts its procurement process. Read more in an article by The Diplomat, July 8, 2017.

Afghanistan's 'Hill of Widows'. Read about "Zanabad" - the city of women that is home to a cluster of women who have eked out independence after being widowed. Read "Afghanistan's 'hill of widows' live in a world apart", Daily Mail, June 22, 2017.

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Afghan War News Snippets

More Visas for Interpreters. A U.S. Senate committee has approved 4,000 more Visas for Afghans who worked for the U.S. military as interpreters or support staff. The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program is designed to help Afghans who assisted the U.S. in the Afghan conflict to immigrate to the United States. See "U.S. Senate Committee Approves 4,000 More Special Visas for Afghans", Gandhara, June 29, 2017.

Key Leader Training for RS HQs Advisors. The Resolute Support Headquarters conducts a 4-day training course for those military personnel who are assigned to be advisors to the MoD or MoI. One day the 'newcomer's briefing day' - learning the aspects of living and working in Afghanistan on Camp RS in Kabul. A second day is Guardian Angel training - ensuring that you are aware of and know how to respond to an insider threat or green-on-blue incident. Two days is spent on learning how RS HQs conducts its Security Force Assistance (SFA) mission and how the RS HQs staff works within the 8 Essential Functions framework. Read more in "Resolute Support trains its people, improving advisor training", U.S. Central Command, June 26, 2017.

Logistics Advising in Afghanistan. The current coalition mission in Afghanistan is to train, advise, and assist (TAA) the Afghan police and military. From a logistics standpoint, creating a self-sustaining afghan military is an important step forward to ensure the Afghans can independently secure their borders and provide for internal security. A logistics advisor, to be effective, must understand that the Western military logistics framework and culture is not a good fit for Afghanistan's military or culture. Read more in "Moving forward with logistics advising in Afghanistan", Army.mil, May 1, 2017.

Report: Islamic State in Afghanistan. Abdul Basit has penned a 21-page article entitled "IS Penetration in Afghanistan-Pakistan: Assessment, Impact and Implications", Perspectives on Terrorism, Volume 11, No 3, June 2017. IS is now competing with al-Qaeda and the Taliban over recruitment, resources, and the loyalties of local militant groups. This has complicated the militant landscape, contributed to the Sunni-Shia conflict, and adds complexity to the effort of the Afghan government and its coalition partners.

Air Force Cross Awarded. An airman was awarded the Air Force Cross for heroism during the 2002 Operation Anaconda that took place in the Takur Gar area of Afghanistan. TSgt Keary Miller provided critical medical care to 10 wounded U.S. service members under dangerous conditions. Read more in "Survival on Takur Gar", Air Force Magazine, August 2017.

Bowe Bergdahl Trial Update. Bergdahl's long, drawn-out trial is proceeding ahead. A military judge made a key ruling saying that prosecutors can try the soldier on the charge of endangering his comrades by walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009. See "Bowe Bergdahl case: Judge lets rare misbehavior charge proceed", Army Times, June 30, 2107.

BBC Podcast on Silk Road. This 40-minute long podcast is entitled "Silk Routes: Two Thousand Years of Trading". The economic highway from China, across Central Asia and Afghanistan, to Iran.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p056srhv

China's Silk Road in Afghanistan is a Bumpy Ride. The Chinese have made some important steps forward in providing investments in some key sectors of the Afghan - most notable is the mining sector. However, the return on investment is disappointing due to the deteriorating security situation. Read more in "Difficult Trek on Silk Road in Afghanistan", Asia Sentinel, June 29, 2017.

Afghans Fighting for Assad in Syria. Iran, over the past several years, has pressed into service citizens of Afghanistan to fight for the Assad regime in Syria. There are an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 Afghans fighting in the Syrian conflict. Read "How Iran Recruited Afghan Refugees to Fight Assad's War", The New York Times, June 30, 2017.

General Dunford Visits Afghanistan. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (and former ISAF commander) visited Kabul and Helmand province to gain ground truth on the Afghan conflict. See "Dunford arrives in Afghanistan as Marines work to rekindle relations in Helmand", Military Times, June 26,2017.

Video of Guardian Angel Training. Australian troops in Afghanistan are conducting the train, advise, and assist mission. This entails advisors and trainers visiting Afghan police and Army installations and garrisons. With the constant threat of insurgent attacks as well as the insider threat the need exists for a force protection element to accompany the advisors on their missions. Watch a short video about Australian soldiers assigned the "Guardian Angel" task of keeping their fellow Aussie soldiers safe in Guardian Angels Protecting Australian Soldiers in Afghanistan, Perth Now, June 27, 2017.

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Afghan War News Snippets

Female Journalists at Risk in Afghanistan. According to a recent news report "Afghanistan is Deemed Most Insecure Place for Female Journalists", Ariana News, November 14, 2016. Read more about the insecurity of Afghan journalists at the website of Reporters Without Borders.

Refugees Forced Back to Afghanistan. "After America's Longest War, Refugees Face Forced Return to Afghanistan", Lima Charlie News, by J. David Thompson, November 17, 2016.

Cash instead of Food, Tents, and Blankets. Some humanitarian organizations are looking at dispensing cash instead of material goods to the needy in Afghanistan. Read "The increasingly popular way to aid the needy in war-torn nations: Give cash", The Los Angeles Times, November 11, 2016.

Laura Bush Honored. Former First Lady Laura Bush was recently honored for her work on behalf of Afghan women. The International Republican Institute presented her with an award. (IRI, Nov 15, 2016).

UN General Assembly Supports Afghanistan. The United Nations unanimously adopted its annual resolution in support of the Government of Afghanistan. Of concern is the rise in civilian casualties and influence of violent extremists. Read more in a news release by the United Nations (17 Nov 2016).

$85 Million for a Kabul Hotel (that didn't open!). A hotel, built but not finished, is located right across from the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan. It was to have more than 200 rooms, a conference center, and attached apartments. The plans to build the hotel were announced with great fanfare by the U.S. Embassy in 2009 . . . but . . . some things went very wrong. The money was funneled through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) - an agency run by the U.S. government to uses money to finance development projects overseas. A recent government watchdog report found that there was "troubling management practices and lax oversight". Hmmmm. The unfinished hotel is right across the street from the U.S. Embassy - how could you not be providing proper oversight? Read more in "How $85 Million Failed to Build a Swanky Hotel in Kabul", National Public Radio, November 17, 2016.

Trump and Afghanistan. Some believe that the Trump administration will want to fix Afghanistan right away - and in the process apply quick solutions that may not work. Observers believe that the Afghan conflict will only be solved with long-term strategies. Read "Trump's easy solutions won't work in Afghanistan", Deutsche Welle, November 17, 2016.

Germany to Repatriate Afghans. Some 12,500 Afghans have had their asylum applications rejected by Germany and will soon be on their way back to Afghanistan. It is estimated that about 5 percent of the 1/4 million Afghans who have reached Germany may be forced to leave. Read more in "Germany to repatriate about 12,000 Afghans", Deutsche Welle, November 17, 2016.

Where are the Visas? Thousands of Afghans served as interpreters for U.S. military forces across Afghanistan for a number of years. Many were promised Visas as a reward for their service in dangerous times. Now they are being hunted down by insurgents and they can't escape Afghanistan. The U.S. Congress and Department of State have fallen short in this respect. Read more in "Where are the Visas for the Afghans Who Helped American GIs?", The Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2016.

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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

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Refugees, Migrants, and Interpreters

Afghan Migrants. Many refugees from Afghanistan are making their way (via people smugglers) across Iran into Turkey where they hope to either find work (and a place to live) or a way to get to Europe. However, Europe has begun the process of closing its doors after being overwhelmed with refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and north Africa in 2015. Read more in "Afghans feel forgotten in Europe's migrant crisis", Reuters, March 6, 2016.

Young People Desperate to Leave Afghanistan. There is not a lot of opportunity for young Afghans. However Europe is no longer the promised land. Slovenia, Croatia, and Macedonia (long the transit nations for the migrant populations heading to Scandinavia and Germany) has been closing its borders. Economic migrants from Afghanistan are no longer welcome. Watch a video 1-minute long video entitled Determined to Leave Afghanistan, Even as Europe's Borders Close, Radio Free Europe, March 10, 2016.

Empty Promises for Migrants. Many Afghans making the treacherous journey to Europe are finding the promises made by human smugglers are not fulfilled. Read more in "European Dream Unfulfilled for Afghan Economic Migrants", Radio Free Europe, March 10, 2016.

CRS Report SIV. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently published a report on the Special Immigrant Visa program for Iraqi and Afghan interpreters (February 26, 2016).
www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=790970

Canada: Interpreters Wait While Refugees Accepted. I guess one has to wonder which government is treating former Afghan interpreters worse. Is it Canada or the United States. Neither government seems to give much priority to the Afghan interpreters to whom our military owes so much. Read more in "Refugees fast-tracked but interpreter forced to wait", Toronto Sun, March 8, 2016.

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Afghan War News Snippets

Pakistan Harboring Taliban Leaders? It would seem this is true based on recent statements by Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan's advisor for foreign affairs. In an unusually candid admission he said that Islamabad has considerable influence over the Taliban because its leaders live in the country. Read more in "Senior Official Admits Pakistan Housing Afghan Taliban Leaders", Gandhara Blog, March 2, 2016.

Pakistan and Durand Line. Former President Karzai recently said that Pakistani leadership wanted recognition of the imposed international border called the Durand Line in exchange for better relations with Afghanistan. Read a news report by Khaama Press, March 1, 2016.

Russia Seeking Role in Afghanistan. "More than two decades after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Moscow is once again seeking to play a major role in the country by boosting military and economic cooperation with Kabul." Read more in "Russia's new role in Afghanistan", Deutsche Welle, March 2, 2016.

Peace Talks? Move Along . . . Nothing to See Here. It appears that all the talk about talking about an end to the conflict is just that . . . just a lot of talk. Read more in "Afghan Taliban refuse peace talks with government", Associated Press, March 5, 2016. See also "Afghan Peace Talks Face Uncertainty", Voice of America, March 4, 2016. And one more "Paying High Price for Peace: The Afghan High Peace Council Quagmire", Eurasia Review, March 5, 2016.

Curbing the Afghan Refugee Influx. The northern European nations started out welcoming refugees of all sorts (Syrian, Afghan, African, etc.) but they were soon overwhelmed - and now the tune has changed. Read more in "Rolling Up the Welcome Mat" Berlin Moves to Curb Afghan Refugees Influx", Spiegel Online International, March 2, 2016.

Young Boys as Refugees. There is a rise in the number of young Afghan boys who are now in Europe. Read more in "Afghan Boys: the New Face of Europe's Migrant Crisis", Associated Press, March 3, 2016.

UK Says Afghanistan "Safe". A United Kingdom court has ruled that Afghanistan is now safe enough to resume deportations of Afghan.

State Dept Fixes Blunder On SIV Visa. Some Afghan interpreters received a reprieve when the Department of State fixed a mistake in the government's management of a special visa program for Afghan interpreters. Some former interpreters had found out their applications had been denied through a faulty interpretation (or was it intentional?) by the State Department of a recent Congressional law. Read more in "State Department Fixes Unfair Visa Change", The New York Times, March 1, 2016.

Movie Review - "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot". Tina Feys new movie about a TV reporter on her first international assignment is getting mostly positive reviews. Read "Q. and A. With Tina Fey: Live Form Kabul, It's a Feminist Comedy", The New York Times, March 4, 2016.

Agricultural Research. Ongoing research on wheat and other crops in research farms across Afghanistan is contributing to better harvests and improved welfare among farmers. Read more in "Agricultural Research Gives Farmers a New Lease on Life", The World Bank, March 2, 2016.

Gender Stuff. The United Nations has released its 2015 report entitled The World's Women 2015: Trends and Statistics.

More on TAPI. "Afghanistan is preparing to start work on the key Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline project." The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum will be implementing the project. Of course, 735 kilometers of the pipeline will pass through Afghanistan . . . so what is the security plan? There is none other than some schemes and dreams on the part of the MoI and MoD. Read more in "Afghanistan Prepares to Start Work on TAPI", Tolo News, March 2, 2016.

India-Iran-Afghanistan Trilateral Transit Corridor. Afghanistan is attempting to revitalize its economy with a number of regional initiatives to revitalize trade and commerce. Of course, a huge factor is the establishment of security and stability in Afghanistan. Read more in "India-Iran-Afghanistan transit corridor talks in progress", Economic Times (India),  March 2, 2016.

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News Snippets

CoC RS Commander.  March 2nd will be the change of command from General John Campbell to recently promoted General John Nicholson. Gen Campbell will retire from the Army. Read "Pentagon Sets Date for Change of Command in Afghanistan", Voice of America, February 18, 2016.

Social Media and Young Afghans. Younger Afghans are increasingly finding marriage partners online using social media. This method allows them to circumvent the strict segregation of the sexes in this deeply conservative society. Read more in "Afghans skirt strict rules to find love on social media", CNS News.com, February 14, 2016.

Skiing in Afghanistan. Some day, many years from now, people will fly to Afghanistan to ski the mountains. But for now, the skiing opportunities are primarily limited to the central province of Bamyan. However, it is a work intensive sport. No ski lifts. So you trudge up a mountain for almost an hour for a couple of minutes of downhill pleasure. I will pass for now. Hopefully, if peace comes to Afghanistan . . . and if I live long enough . . . I too will ski the slopes of that picturesque country with beautiful mountains. But for now I must be content to watch this 3-minute long video entitled "Ski Afghanistan: A Challenge Unlike Any Other", Radio Free Europe, February 15, 2016.

Poker on Friday Nights. So how do the Resolute Support soldiers sequestered at "Camp Kabul" spend their free time? Evidently some try their hand at the card game of poker. Learn more by reading "Poker in Afghanistan: Strategy and Tactics at the NATO Base in Kabul", Poker News, February 15, 2016. The article also provides insight about life confined to a small base with lots of people.

Afghan Refugees / Migrants. According the the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Afghans represent 26% of the Mediterranean sea arrivals to Europe.
http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php

Child Soldiers. According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization the Taliban are training Afghan children in Madrasas to fight and plant IEDs. Read Afghanistan Taliban Child Soldier Recruitment Surges, HRW, February 17, 2016.

Video - ANA's Med Ctr Gardez. Watch a 2-min YouTube video posted by Resolute Support HQs on the ANA's regional medical center located in the 203rd ANA Corps region. Not in English!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXiszHz1VP0

Corruption . . . and more Corruption. Transparency International (TI) has release a report about one of Afghanistan's most serious problems - corruption. Read National Integrity System Assessment Afghanistan 2015, February 16, 2016.

FORSCOM CG visits BAF. General Robert Abrams, the commander of Forces Command, visit Bagram Air Field.  Read more in a news release by DVIDS, February 12, 2016.

Bergdahl Probe. The Justice Department is considering whether to review allegations that the U.S. paid for SGT Beau Bergdahl's freedom and what the role the FBI played in his release. Read more in "Justice Department May Probe Alleged Bergdahl Ransom Payment", The Daily Beast, February 19, 2016.

Afghan Journalists Fleeing to Europe. So the people that report the news in Afghanistan have been making their way to Europe. Some are paying big money to make that dangerous trip. Many do it for economic reasons but some are in fear for their lives - as a result of their reporting corruption in Afghan society. Read more in "Hundreds of Afghan Journalists Have Fled to Europe", Gandhara Blog, February 18, 2016.

Afghan Interpreters - State Dept Folly. A recent rule change by the U.S. Department of State has left over 3,000 Afghan interpreters stranded in Afghanistan. These faithful interpreters who served the U.S. military in Afghanistan have already submitted their requests for U.S. visas so they can escape retaliation by the Taliban. However, the State Dept is once again doing everything they can to ensure they can't flee a dangerous situation. Read more in "Rule Change Dashes Hope for Afghan Military Allies Seeking Refuge in U.S.", Free Beacon, February 16, 2016.

Federal Court Rules on Afghan Interpreters. A federal district court in Washington, D.C. has ruled in favor of Iraqi and Afghan interpreters who are suing the U.S. Government over failure to act on visa applications. The decision reaffirms the government's obligations to thousands of U.S. allies trapped in life-threatening circumstances as a result of their service to the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read more in a news release by the Urban Justice Center (Feb 16, 2016).

Another Afghan War Film. As is the case with many conflicts as they start to wind down Hollywood begins to crank the movie machine up. There are good, bad, funny, sad, accurate, and inaccurate movies about almost every conflict the U.S. has been in. We are now starting to see an increase in the frequency of films being released about the Afghan War (or so it seems to me). Just last week I reviewed a Danish film about Afghanistan - see movie review of A War. A new film soon to be released is about an Afghan interpreter. These folks are the unsung heroes of the Afghan War - without them the U.S. military was very ineffective. Read more about the new film in "Why a US Army Vet Cast a Muslim-American Woman to Lead His Afghan War Movie", Defense One, February 15, 2016.

Soviet Union Departure - Anniversary. February 15th was the 27th anniversary of the exit of the former USSR Red Army from Afghanistan.

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Commentary

Rethinking Afghanistan - Pakistan. Seema Sirohi believes the U.S. needs to do an analysis of its relationship with Pakistan. Read "Afghanistan-Pakistan: Obama Needs to Urgently Rethink", Eurasia Review, February 12, 2016.

Unworthy Ally. C.Christine Fair says it is time to cut Pakistan loose in "An Unworthy Ally", Foreign Affairs, February 12, 2016.

Durand Line, India, and Pakistan. One commentator says there are two outstanding issues the stand in the way of peace in Afghanistan. Afghanistan's recognition of the Durand Line and India - Pakistan relations. Until those are resolved, Pakistan will continue to support the Afghan Taliban. Read more in "A Solution to the Afghanistan-Taliban Conflict?", The World Post, February 11, 2016.

CSIS Report on Afghanistan. Anthony Cordesman provides us with an updated report containing his astute analysis of the security situation in Afghanistan. Read "Afghanistan: The Uncertain Impact of a Year of Transition", Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), February 11, 2016.

Germany and Afghanistan. Dr. Gale A. Mattox, Director of the AICGS's Foreign & Domestic Policy Program and a Professor of Political Science at the U.S. Naval Academy examines Germany's role in post-2014 Afghanistan and offers recommendations for continued engagement. Read Afghanistan: A Difficult Year Ahead, American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS), February 10, 2016.

Stay the Course. Gary Anderson, a retired Marine colonel and former member of the Defense Adaptive Red Team, says we should maintain our status quo in Afghanistan until the next president takes office and sets the agenda for the future. Read "In Afghanistan, how about trying this?: Don't just do something, stand there", Best Defense Blog of Foreign Policy, February 11, 2016.

Stay the Course (Part II). Claude Rakisists, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, says we need to maintain a military presence in Afghanistan until it can fully defend itself - something that might not be achievable until 2024. (Way past my retirement age - I'm out!). Read "Letter from Washington: Afghanistan and the changing of the American guard", The Strategist, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), February 11, 2016.

Unpaid Debt to Interpreters. Just when you thought the State Department had turned the corner on the abhorrent treatment towards Afghan interpreters you find that they are up to their same dirty tricks once again. Read more in "An Unpaid Debt to Afghan Interpreters", The New York Times, February 4, 2016.

Military Career Management. One writer, Colin Griffin - a field artillery officer, writes that the military could do a much better job in assigning newly-minted officers in their career field. I totally agree. Read more in "Who's Out of Control?", Small Wars Journal, February 6, 2016.

HTS Analysis. Christopher Sims writes about the life and death of the Human Terrain System (HTS) in "Academics in Foxholes", Foreign Affairs, February 4, 2016.

Population-Centric COIN. Afghanistan has been fighting an insurgency since 2002 when the Taliban regrouped after being toppled from power. As in most insurgencies the Afghan conflict is lasting a long time. There are different ways to conduct counterinsurgency and military commentators attempt to classify the different methods. One is population-centric counterinsurgency. General McCrystral, then ISAF commander, introduced this type of COIN to Afghanistan in 2009. The author of this paper examines certain conditions that affect the likelihood of success for a population-centric approach to counterinsurgency. Read more in "On Winning Hearts and Minds: Key Conditions for Population-Centric COIN", by Gregory D. Miller, Small Wars Journal, February 8, 2016.

Future of Army - Missed Opportunities. Nadia Schadlow thinks that the National Commission on the Future of the Army missed out on some key observations. Some of these include pulling its punches on end strength needs, lack of content on stability operations (key to the ability to close out a COIN war and consolidate combat gains), less than robust attention on modernization needs, need for forces in Europe, and an inability of the Obama administration to identify threats by name (movement vs. organizations). Schadlow is a senior program officer at the Smith Richardson Foundation who writes on defense and foreign-policy related issues. Read "Squeezing Water From a Stone: Five Missed Opportunities in Planning the Future of the U.S. Army", War on the Rocks, February 8, 2016.

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Afghan Refugees & Interpreters

Culture Shock. Many Europeans and Americans (and the occasional Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, and others) are surprised during their first trip to Afghanistan by the culture of their temporary assignment. There are lots of things to observe and learn quickly (unless of course, you are a fobbit who doesn't venture into the real Afghanistan). Reverse that situation and think about what an Afghan visitor (refugee, migrant, etc.) faces when he first ventures into Europe. For instance, what goes through an Afghan man's mind when he adjusts to life in Germany where a women is the national leader, pork is the national dish, and beer and wine is prevalent everywhere? Read "Culture Shock in the Promised Land of Germany", The New York Times, November 18, 2015.

Night Letters. There are many compelling reasons to leave Afghanistan - economic, social, security, opportunity, and more. But it is not that easy to pick up and leave. And having left . . . you need a destination. Enter the fabricated 'night letter'. If you have threatening letter from the Taliban then you may be able to start a new life in Europe. Most such letters were tacked on the door (usually at night by Taliban) of government officials and, Afghan policemen, school teachers, and interpreters working for Coalition military units. However, if the Taliban didn't give you a night letter then you can buy one from someone who sells forged threat letters. Read more in "Afghans seeking asylum buy fake Taliban threat letters", Stars & Stripes, November 22, 2015.

"Moderate Muslims" Left Behind - Interpreters Betrayed. A former serviceman with tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan wonders why the United States has abandoned the interpreters that helped the U.S. military accomplish its mission. He points out that the U.S. has an unfair and archaic visa process at the State Department. Read more in "The Moderate Muslims We Left Behind", The Blog - Huffington Post, by Eli Williamson, November 24, 2015.

An Interpreters Story. A former Afghan interpreter now resides in South Carolina courtesy of the Lutheran Services Carolinas. Read "From Afghanistan to South Carolina: A refugee's story", The Post and Courier, November 21, 2015.

CHF Afghanistan Factsheet. "The Afghanistan Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) is a country-based financing mechanism for humanitarian organisations under the oversight of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC). It is used to provide anticipated and timely funding towards jointly prioritised needs and critical gaps in the humanitarian response in Afghanistan." Read an updated CHF Factsheet (Nov 2015), posted on ReliefWeb, November 23, 2015.

UNHCR IDP Report. Read Durable Solutions for IDPs in Afghanistan, November 2015.
http://www.refworld.org/docid/5655550a4.html

Halting the Exodus. President Ghani is making pleas to his countrymen to stay in Afghanistan and help rebuild the nation. But many Afghans continue to leave for more security and better economic opportunity. Those that can't buy a passport, visa, and airline ticket turn into refugees fleeing Afghanistan via smuggling routes. Read more in "Afghan Leaders Try to Halt Exodus, but Pleas Ring Hollow", The New York Times, November 23, 2015.

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Afghan Refugees & Interpreters

Afghan Refugees. Afghanistan is once again experiencing a huge departure of its citizens. Many are seeking to escape the ongoing (and increasing) violence, some are fearful of a return of the Taliban regime, while others are seeking a greater economic opportunity. Afghan refugees are the second largest group of refugees entering Europe (next to Syrian refugees). The refugee crisis in Europe is at a crisis level and the initial tide of 'reception' is quickly turning to 'rejection' - especially in light of the recent terrorist events in Paris. Some nations are tightening up its refugee policies (Finland, Norway, Germany, etc.). Read more in "Berlin To Fast-Track Deportation of Afghan Economic Refugees", Tolo News, November 16, 2015. See also "Germany launches campaign to deter refugees leaving Afghanistan", Khaama Press, November 15, 2015. See also "German Campaign Asks Afghans to Think Twice Before They Go", Gandhara Blog, November 20, 2015.

Pak Police Not So Friendly to Afghan Refugees. The Human Rights Watch has alleged that police abuses against Afghan refugees in Pakistan have increased significantly during the past year. (Voice of America, Nov 18, 2015). See also "Pakistan: Police Abusing Afghans", Human Rights Watch, November 18, 2015.

Afghan Interpreters. Currently the world is engaged in a debate about what to do with the Syrian refugees. Some want to cut the amount of Syrian refugees entering their countries - citing economic and security reasons. Others want to open the doors to refugees. But there is another group of people that may be more deserving of refuge in Europe and the United States. Read more in "Forget the Syrian refugees. America needs to bring its Afghan and Iraqi interpreters her first", The Washington Post, November 17, 2015.

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Afghan Interpreters Betrayed

Interpreters Betrayed. When American troops conducted combat operations in Afghanistan their link to the Afghan population was the Afghan interpreter. The past few years - in the time of the 'train, advise, and assist mission' - the American advisors link to the Afghan security forces is the Afghan interpreter. However, with the huge drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan many of the interpreter were soon unemployed and . . . even worse . . . subject to persecution by the Taliban. Many former interpreters hope to find safety in the countries of the Soldier they served with but there are some bureaucratic obstacles that stand in the way. Read more in "The Long, Slow Betrayal of America's Interpreters", War is Boring, November 9, 2015.

Some Help Available. The U.S. has expanded a special immigrant visa program - a provision in the 2016 defense authorization bill would further expand the number of SIVs for Afghan interpreters to 7,000 a year, up from 4,000. One organization, called No One Left Behind, is helping out the interpreters. Read more in "Some struggling Afghan, Iraqi interpreters get help from charity", Military Times, November 14, 2015. Visit www.nooneleft.org

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Afghan Interpreters Before Syrian Refugees

The refugees of Syria have gained international attention and worldwide support yet Afghan interpreters who loyally aided American military forces during the Afghan conflict are left at risk in their own country. Why? Why doesn't our State Department do the right thing? Where are our high-ranking military leaders? I don't hear them speaking out. Read more in "Forget the Syrian refugees. American needs to bring its Afghan and Iraqi interpreters here first", by Dane Bowker, The Washington Post, September 17, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets

DynCorp Contractors Honored. Three contractors killed in August were honored by Resolute Support Headquarters in Kabul on September 9, 2015 during a memorial ceremony. Richard McEvoy, Barry Sutton, and Corey Dodge were killed when their convoy was attacked by a car bomb in Kabul. They were working in support of the Afghan National Army / Afghan National Police Advisor and Mentor Program. (DVIDS, Sep 11, 2015).

Martyrs Week. Government officials, dignitaries, former Jihadi leaders, family and friends of Ahmad Shah Massoud marked the 14th anniversary of Massoud's assassination on Wednesday (Sep 9) at a wreath laying ceremony in Massoud Square in Kabul. Other ceremonies observed the popular Northern Alliance leader who was killed two days before 9/11. (Tolo News, Sep 10, 2015).

RS Cdr's 9/11 Commemoration Message. View General Campbell's message to the force posted on his Facebook account (Facebook, Sep 11, 2015). See also a video about a 9/11 ceremony held on the RS compound in Kabul (YouTube.com, posted by RS HQs, Sep 11, 2015).

UNAMA Report to SC on Afghanistan. The United Nations organization working in Afghanistan is required to submit a update report every three months to the United Nations Security Council. The latest report is dated September 1, 2015.
http://unama.unmissions.org/Portals/UNAMA/SG%20Reports/SG_Report_September_2015.pdf

Paper "Medical Care in Armed Conflict". The Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (PILAC) at Harvard Law School has published a paper entitled Medical Care in Armed Conflict: IHL and State Responses to Terrorism, September 8, 2015. The paper explores the many questions about medical care of insurgents and terrorists. http://pilac.law.harvard.edu/medical-care-in-armed-conflict-report

Afghan Casualty Evacs. The Afghan security forces are having trouble treating their wounded. Read more in "Afghans Struggle to Get Injured Off the Front Lines", Stars and Stripes, September 8, 2015.

Army 3 Star Says Language & Culture Important. The deputy commander of TRADOC recently toured the Defense Language Institute (DLI) and made some comments about the importance of language and culture during deployments to conflict areas. (Army.mil, Sep 3, 2015).

Marines and Women in Combat. "Over the past nine months, the Marine Corps tested a gender-integrated task force in both Twentynine Palms, Calif. and Camp Lejeune, N.C. in an attempt to gauge what the Marine Corps might look like with women in combat roles". Read more in "Marine's women in combat experiment gets mixed results", The Washington Post, September 8, 2015.

UK and Interpreters. A former head of the Army - Lord Dannatt - says that the UK government should allow Afghan interpreters into Britain. Read more in a news report in The Telegraph, September 5, 2015.

Kyrgyzstan Conflict History. Insight on Conflict provides a brief history of conflict in Kyrgyzstan - one of the Central Asian States to the north of Afghanistan. With a diverse ethnic makeup the country experiences periods of strife. Read more in "A Brief History of Conflict in Kyrgyzstan", September 9, 2015.

Afghan Refugee Crisis. The world's attention has focused on the refugee crisis in Europe; but little is mentioned in the world press about Afghanistan's long-term refugee problem. For three decades Afghanistan was the world's largest producer of refugees. Millions have returned to Afghanistan but many problems remain. Read more in "Afghanistan's 32-year Refugee Crisis", The Diplomat, September 9, 2015.

Story of an Afghan Refugee. A news report chronicles the trip of an Afghan refugee departing through Europe along an illegal human smuggling route. Read of his preparations in "Dangers Fail to Deter Afghans from Embarking on the Dangerous Journey to Europe", Gandhara Blog, September 9, 2015.

Karzai Being Karzai. The former president says he didn't know if al-Qaeda existed and if they were in Afghanistan prior to the 9/11 attacks. Sure . . . Read "Karzai: Al Qaeda never operated in Afghanistan", Politico, September 10, 2015.

Afghan Migrant - Hardship on the Road. Read the story of one Afghan migrants journey to escape his life in Afghanistan. "From Prey to Predator: An Afghan Migrant Trafficker's Story", Radio Free Europe, September 13, 2015.

Thirty Afghans Killed in Mecca. hundreds of people were killed and injured when a crane collapsed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Among the dead are 30 Afghans. (Khaama Press, Sep 12, 2015).

Bowe Bergdahl Case. Military prosecutors have decided to proceed in its case against Bergdahl using a seldom used section of military law. He was charged with misbehavior before the enemy - which carries a potentially stiff penalty. Read more in a news report by Military Times, September 7, 2015.

Fuel Overcharge Being Investigated. NATO spent vast sums of money keeping vehicles and facilities supplied with fuel. It was very expensive to supply fuel to the many remote NATO bases located throughout Afghanistan. There is now an investigation into allegations of NATO being overcharged millions of dollars by a contractor. Read more in "MoD police called in over 460 Million Pounds fuel overcharging for Afghanistan", The Telegraph, September 7, 2015.

FM 6-22 - Leader Development. The Army has released Field Manual 6-22, Leader Development, June 2015. http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/fm6_22.pdf

Ammo Abatement and Retrograde. There is lots of work involved the retrograde process of moving units from Afghanistan back to the United States. One important task is ammo abatement. Read more in "Ammo abatement Soldiers perform critical tasks", DVIDS, September 8, 2015.

3rd BCT, 10th Mtn enroute to Afghanistan. A color casing ceremony was held for elements of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Polk. The unit is about to deploy about 1,000 Soldiers to Afghanistan. Most of them will work in the eastern part of Afghanistan for Train, Advise, Assist Command - East or TAAC-East. Read more in "Ceremony held for deploying soldiers", Leesville Daily Leader, September 7, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets

SIGAR Inquiry on Camp Brown. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction recently conducted an inspection of a command and control facility at Camp Brown on Kandahar Airfield. Over $2.2 million was spent on a half-finished facility that was never used. Seems the expensive project was started by plagued with contractor failures and ultimately - due to retrograde of U.S. forces - no longer needed. A good example of money wasted it would seem. Read the SIGAR letter dated August 25, 2015.

U.S. Women in Combat. The Army is opening up Ranger School to women an a full-time basis. The announcement follows the graduation of two women in August from the physically demanding two-month long course. Other opportunities are also opening up - the Navy announced that SEAL training is now open to women. Read more in "More obstacles crumble for women in the military", The Washington Post, September 3, 2015.

'Good Listener, Neat Dresser' - Bio of the new Taliban Leader. The Taliban, in an effort to inform the world about its new leader, has published a 5,000-word biography aboutMullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur. It was published on the Taliban's official website on August 31st. Read more in a news report by Radio Free Europe, September 1, 2015.

Donor Aid Should be Conditional on Women's Rights. Women's groups are calling on international donors to make future funding conditional on promotion of gender equality amid fears security will overshadow human rights issues. Read more in a news report in The Guardian, September 5, 2015.

General Breedlove Explains Difference b/t NATO and U.S. Mission. In a short video General Breedlove - the Commander of Supreme Allied Command Europe (SACEUR) - explains that U.S. combat actions in Afghanistan are not part of the NATO mission - which is "Train, Advise, and Assist". (DVIDS, Sep 3, 2015).

Paper on IO. Arturo Munoz and Erin Dick have penned a paper entitled Information Operations: The Imperative of Doctrine Harmonization and Measures of Effectiveness, September 2015, RAND Corporation.

UK and Afghan Interpreters. The pressure is mounting on the UK government to take action over the Afghan interpreters. (Forces.tv, Sep 1, 2015).

Afghanistan's Music Institute and Women. "The Afghanistan National Institute of Music is providing girls an equal opportunity to learn and excel in their musical and academic studies. It is dedicated to promoting women's rights and ensuring gender equality in the music sector." Read more in "Girls find their Place in Afghanistan's Music Institute", The World Bank, September 2, 2015.

West Point: Pillow Fights and Dirty Tactics? Thirty cadets received injuries to include broken legs and concussions as a result of a traditional pillow fight the marks the end of the summer training session. It appears this years event got a little out of hand. Read more in "At West Point, Annual Pillow Fight Becomes Weaponized", The New York Times, September 4, 2015.

Security News

CRS Report on Afghanistan. Kenneth Katzman, a specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs for the Congressional Research Service (CRS) has wrote a report entitled Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, August 17, 2015. The report (PDF) is 80 pages long and has numerous charts, references, pictures, and more.
www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL30588.pdf

Kabul Attacks Up Since Last Year. A spokesman for Resolute Support Headquarters, RS Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications BG Wilson Shoffner, said last week that insurgent attacks have increased in Kabul compared to the past year. Read more in a news report by Tolo News, August 23, 2015.

3 Abducted ABP Found Dead in Ghazni. Three Afghan Border Police (ABP) officers kidnapped by insurgents in mid-August were killed. They were enroute to their base after a visit to families when captured. Read more in a news report by The New York Times, August 23, 2015.

Taliban Kill Uprising Civilians in Andar District. For a while there was hope that 'local uprisings' would spread throughout Afghanistan along the model of the Anbar Uprising that occurred in Iraq. However that hope soon fizzled out as ISAF had a hands-off approach and the Karzai regime played politics with the issue (only supporting those groups that advanced his political and corrupt agenda). The 'local uprising' groups have not fared well. Andar district was once highlighted by the press and others as an example of how to keep the Taliban in check at the local level. Without good support from ISAF (now RS HQs), the ANDSF, and the NDS these groups slowly melted away or were decimated by the Taliban. The insurgents recently killed 7 members of an Andar district, Ghani province group. (Note: sometimes uprising groups and the Afghan Local Police are lumped together in news reports). Read a news report by Khaama Press, August 29, 2015.

Policewoman Shot in Parwan. Unidentified gunmen killed a policewoman in Parwan province. See report in Tolo News, August 29, 2015.

Taliban Squabbles. Mullah Mansoor, the successor to Mullah Omar, is reported to have sent over 600 of his men to fight Mullah Dadullah in Zabul province. It appears that Dadullah favors the son of Mullah Omar as the leader of the Taliban. Read more in a news report by Khaama Press, August 2015.

Chart Depicting Taliban Leadership Crisis. Radio Free Europe has posted a diagram detailing the Taliban's leadership struggle. www.rferl.mobi/a/27183381.html

Warduj District Requests Assistance. The central government of Afghanistan is being urged to launch a military operation with air support to defeat Taliban insurgents in the Warduj district of Badakhshan province. Read more in a news report by Khaama Press, August 29, 2015.

Report on Afghan Journalists. The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) released its six-month report in a press conference on August 27th. In the first six months of 2015 the AJSC recorded 39 cases of threat and violence against journalists. One journalist was killed and another 4 wounded. This is a 43% decline compared to the first six months of 2014.

Provincial Ulema Council Head Dies in Ambush in Uruzgan. At least three people were killed in an ambush by insurgents in central Uruzgan province on Saturday morning. See report by Tolo News,  August 29, 2015.

4 Bomb Makers Killed by Own Explosives. The PCoP of Khost province says that four militants who were making bombs were killed by their own explosives. Two others were wounded. (Khaama Press, Aug 27, 2015).

Taliban in Northern Afghanistan Swear Allegiance to New Emir. According to a posting by The Long War Journal (August 27, 2015) ". . . hundreds of heavily armed Taliban fighters gathered in the open in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz to pledge an oath of allegiance to Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, the new emir of the group". Read the news report.

Afghan Interpreter Killed. The Taliban killed a 22-year-old Afghan interpreter who worked several years for British forces. Read "Betrayal of the brave", Daily Mail, August 28, 2015. Read also "Britain curmudgeonly and ungraceful for abandoning Afghan interpreters", The Telegraph, August 24, 2015.

6 Policemen Disappear in Garamser District. At least six policemen have mysteriously disappeared from a checkpoint in Garamser district, Helmand province. A cook serving with the policemen was found dead. Read news report by Khamma Press, August 29, 2015.

22 ALP Members Reported Killed in Faryab. According to one Afghan news outlet 22 members of the Afghan Local Police or ALP were killed in Faryab province during an ambush. Read a news report in Afghanistan Times, August 28, 2015.

Attack on Gen Dostum Foiled. Three suicide bombers were arrested before they could attack the First Vice President of Afghanistan - who is sometimes referred to as General Dostum. They were arrested in the vicinity of Dostum's residence in Qaisar district.

Afghan Interpreters

The United States Department of State failed miserably over the last decade in 'taking care' of its Afghan interpreters (denying visas for those wishing to relocate to the United States). In the past few years it appears that DoS is making a greater effort although sometimes it is difficult to motivate the bureaucracy. The U.S. is not the only nation with a poor track record of taking care of their Afghan interpreters. Other coalition nations have fell short as well. 

Has the UK Abandoned its Afghan Interpreters? The United Kingdom has come under attack by critics but the UK Ministry of Defence has issued a clarification saying such claims are "completely erroneous". Read more in "HMG Policy on Afghan Interpreters", Defence in the Media Blog, GOV.UK, August 21, 2015.

New Zealand and Interpreters. A recent news report states that Afghan interpreters given residency after working with Kiwi troops are calling on the Government to allow them to bring their parents and siblings to New Zealand. Read more in a news report by 3 News, August 18, 2015.

UK Afghan Interpreter Slain by Taliban. An Afghan interpreter who was denied asylum by the UK has been captured and executed while trying to flee the Taliban. Read more in "Britain's shame: Afghan hero interpreter refused asylum is slaughtered by Taliban", Daily Express, August 18, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Security News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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