Afghan War Blog

Sunday, October 30, 2016

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Sunday, October 23, 2016

Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter - October 23, 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.

Biometrics Training for ANDSF . . . . Again

Twitter feed 6 Oct 2016 - @ResoluteSupport

Every year the Coalition forces (under the International Security Assistance Force - ISAF and now under Resolute Support Mission) conducts a re-vamped biometrics training program in an attempt to get the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police to register their soldiers and policemen under the MoD and MoI biometrics systems. If successful, the biometrics datebase can streamline personnel assignments, pay issues, and manning rosters. But it seems every year the MoD and MoI falls short in implementation of the biometrics registration - which affects the ability to manage personnel, reduce ghost soldiers and policemen, and reduce corruption. Ah, there's the rub. The Afghan's simply don't want to have the biometric system to work. Because that would expose the significant ghost soldier and policeman problem - which in turn (because the salaries are received by corrupt leaders) reduce the amount of money commanders receive. ISAF (now RS) has been trying to implement a biometric system since at least 2008 (see page 36 of the Progress toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan, DoD 1230 report, January 2009). So as much as we wish Essential Function 4 great success in the biometric implementation programs we should all acknowledge this that time next year a new set of advisors will be helping the Afghans to implement their biometric systems.

Social Scientists and the Military - Collaboration Needed?

A U.S. military officer at West Point's Modern War Institute, Jonathan Bate, has wrote an article about the need for the military and academia to work together to enhance our understanding of war. He believes that there is an ongoing need for a program to foster collaboration - similar to the arrangement under the Human Terrain System (HTS). He believes both camps will benefit - the military tapping into a vast pool of intellectual talent while the social scientists get access to raw data pertaining to the military and conflict. Read more in "Getting the Military and Social Scientists Back Together: The Need for 'Expeditionary Social Science'", Modern War Institute, September 30, 2016.

Afghan War News Snippets

Air Advisors Assist Afghans with CAS. The Afghan Air Force (AAF) has a couple of platforms that will provide air strikes in support of its ground troops. However, this is not an easy task to master and NATO advisors are assisting the AAF to become more proficient in providing close air support. Read more in "NATO trains Afghan troops to make air strikes more accurate", Reuters, October 20, 2016.

TACP's Train ATACs. Members of the U.S. Air Force are working hard to get the Afghan close air support capability up and running. Part of this endeavor is to train up the Afghan Tactical Air Coordinators or ATACs. Watch a short video on this topic (DVIDS, October 18, 2016)

CIVCAS. The United Nations is concerned with the high rate of civilian casualties caused by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). I wonder if they have the same level of concern for casualties caused by the Taliban. Hmmmm. Read more in a news report by Gandara Blog, October 19, 2016.

RS Press Conference - Some Spin. The Resolute Support mission's deputy chief of staff for communications (BG Cleveland) said at a recent press conference that the ANDSF are improving but still have a ways to go. Currently government troops control almost 70% of the population (mostly in large or medium sized cities) while the Taliban control 10% of the population (mostly in rural areas). The other 20-30% is contested. Resolute Support is somewhat hesitant to say how much of the actual ground terrain is held by the respective opponents. That number would be somewhat discouraging and work counter to the RS messaging plan I suspect. Read more in a U.S. defense news release from October 21, 2016.

More Spin. When you tell the world that the Taliban's big objective is to take and hold a provincial capital then it is easy to say that the Taliban have failed during the Summer Campaign 16 fighting season. But if you look at the large number of districts held or heavily contested by the Taliban across the country then the security situation looks much different. Watch a short video by Gandhara Blog (Oct 17) where General Nicholson (Resolute Support commander) explains the apparent failure of the Taliban.

OIG Report on US Embassy Support. The U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General has published a report entitled "Lessons Learned from Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, Operations and Maintenance Contract", AUD-MERO-17-04, October 2016. The report covers the maintenance and facilities contract awarded to PAE Government Services since 2011. Some irregularities to fix.
https://oig.state.gov/system/files/aud-mero-17-04.pdf

Afghan National Police Code of Conduct

The European Union Police (EUPOL) is backing (that would be money) a campaign by the Afghan government to make the ANP police code of conduct common knowledge among the citizens of Afghanistan. The code of conduct is a guide on ethical behaviour in conducting police work and was approved in 2011. The Ministry of Interior (MoI) conducted a survey in May 2016 to gauge the Afghan public's knowledge and perception of the code of conduct. The results were disheartening and pointed to the need for a media campaign to change the limited awareness. It is hoped that the media campaign will bring positive change to police behaviour and improve transparency and integrity within the Afghan National Police. Read more in "To serve and protect: Media awareness campaign promotes ANP Code of Conduct", European Union External Action.

Commentary

Generals Failed Us. Jason Dempsey, a retired military officer with a few tours in Afghanistan, provides us with his perspective on things we did wrong. Unit rotations were not ideal for the counterinsurgency environment, programs like the AfPak Hands not fully supported, and advisor assignments that hinder military careers. While the Security Force Assistance (SFA) mission was the right approach; it was not adequately resources with trained advisors. Take every word he writes as the absolute truth! Read more in "Our generals failed in Afghanistan", Foreign Policy, October 18, 2016.

High Casualties Worrying. The Afghan security forces are again on track for a record year of high casualties. This is a matter of great concern for the Coalition nations supporting the Resolute Support mission. Read more in "Afghan Forces' Battlefield Casualties Worry NATO", Gandara Blog, October 15, 2016.

Obama's Sorriest Legacy. America's longest war will remain a muddle for the next president. Read more in "Afghanistan 15 Years On: Obama's Sorriest Legacy", by Mark Perry, Politico Magazine, October 5, 2016.

Interactive Timeline of Afghan Conflict - CFR

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) presents an interactive timeline of the conflict in Afghanistan. It is entitled "1999-Present: U.S. War in Afghanistan". The timeline covers all the major events of the Afghan conflict encompassing the security and political aspects of the war.

http://www.cfr.org/afghanistan/us-war-afghanistan/p20018

Angelina Jolie to Star in Afghanistan War Drama

One of America's favorite movie stars may be featured in a war drama about Afghanistan called Shoot Like a Girl. The film is based on a memoir by Major Mary Jennings Hegar. The film chronicles Hegar's accomplishments on the battlefield where she served three tours of duty as a rescue pilot (earning a Purple Heart on one tour) and also documents her role in helping to end the Pentagon ban on women serving in direct combat jobs in the military. The book - a memoir- is due out in the spring of 2018 with the movie to follow. Read more in a news report by Entertainment Weekly, September 30, 2016.

Afghanistan Development News

Aid Successes in Afghanistan. A short news report cites the successes in development aid that have taken place in Afghanistan despite the severe deterioration in security. Read "Aid successes in Afghanistan: Schools, hospitals and roads", Europe Online Magazine, October 5, 2016.

Govt of Canada Funding Help for Women & Girls. The humanitarian group called War Child Canada has announced that it will receive $14.5M from the Government of Canada to enhance women and girl's rights and for the protection of children in Afghanistan. War Child Canada has been working in Afghanistan for over a decade. Read more in a news report by the Edmonton Journal, October 4, 2016.

600 Years of Afghan History on Hard Drive

A major initiative by the U.S. Library of Congress will provide the next generation of Afghans access to digital information about their countries history. The "Afghanistan Project" has digitized the library's collection of materials related to the country. This includes books, photographs, maps, manuscripts, and newspapers. Read more in "600 years of history finds its way home - on a hard drive", McClatchy, September 23, 2016.

Stay Current on Happenings in Afghanistan

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter - October 16, 2016

Commentary

Is the Afghan War a "Lost Cause"? A veteran argues why it is hopeless. It is a 15-year-old war, the Taliban is much stronger, the Afghan security forces casualties keep rising, and now we have a few thousand Islamic State fighters in the mix. "We'll Never Win the War in Afghanistan", Task & Purpose, October 7, 2016.

Fighting for Kunduz . . . Still

Fight for Kunduz. The U.S. has come to the aid of the Afghan security forces trying to re-establish security in the northern provincial capital of Kunduz. "Enablers" such as air support, air transport, ISR, and SOF advisors on the ground are making a difference in the fight against the insurgents.

The fighting has gone on for several days. Over 24,000 residents have fled the city. Water and food are seriously short. Medical assistance is scarce; with many medical personnel having been pulled out of the city. Electricity in on and off; mostly off.

Who to believe? The Afghan national government spokesmen says the situation is under control and only remnants of the Taliban were in the city. However, media reports and local government officials paint a different picture. Nearly a week after Resolute Support stated that remnants of the Taliban in Kunduz were being dispatched with the New York Times (Oct 9, 2016) says that central Kunduz is still in turmoil with Taliban fighters firmly entrenched.

Taliban Objective. The insurgents know that they will be unable to capture a provincial capital and hold it. The Taliban's intent was to make the Afghan government look bad during the Brussels Conference held last week. It worked. During the initial assaults many of the government security forces retreated - some to the airport to the southeast. Once the Afghan special operations forces arrived (with U.S. SOF advisors) the government forces went on the offensive to dislodge the Taliban from the city center and other neighborhoods.

Read more:
"US airstrikes aid Afghan forces pushing Taliban out of Kunduz", Stars and Stripes, October 9, 2016.
"Majlis Podcast: What is Happening In Kunduz, and Why Again", Radio Free Europe, October 8, 2016.
"Sleeping in Graveyards: Embattled Afghan City of Kunduz Facing Humanitarian Crisis", Radio Free Europe, October 7, 2016.
"Anger as fighting in Afghan city Kunduz forces people to flee", Reuters, October 8, 2016.
Conflict analysis: Kunduz city, Kunduz province, Cooperation for Peace and Unity, March 2009.
"Why Kunduz Fell", Small Wars Journal, October 10, 2016.

Afghan Security News

Bulgarian Contingent Completes Afghan Tour. The 31st contingent of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria returned to their home country after a 6-month tour in Afghanistan. Read more in "Bulgaria's 31st Contingent Returns from Afghanistan", Novinite.com, October 8, 2016.

'Ghost Soldiers' Still a Problem. Much of the Afghan police force and army is absent or does not exist. Read more in "Pentagon Asked to Explain Reports of Afghan 'Ghost Soldiers' On Payrolls", Radio Free Europe, October 7, 2016.

Helmand Battle Continues. The Resolute Support commander, General John "Mick" Nicholson, recently visited Lashkar Gar - the provincial capital of Helmand province in an effort to reassure residents and local leaders that the insurgents will not capture the capital. Read more in "US Commander Visits Embattled Southern Afghan City", Voice of America, October 8, 2016.

The news on Helmand province just seems to get worse as time goes on. A recent news report indicates that over 100 ANDSF were killed in a one-day battle. Seems the Afghan govt forces negotiated a truce with the Taliban that would allow them to vacate their position and fall back to Lashkar Gar (Helmand's provincial capital). The Taliban reneged as the govt forces retreated and there was quite a massacre. Read more in "Afghan Forces, Their Numbers Dwindling Sharply, Face a Resurgent Taliban", The New York Times, October 12, 2016.

Afghan Security Forces Struggling. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) are finding the 2016 fighting season (call it Summer Campaign 2016 if you desire) a big struggle. Read more in "On Their Own, Afghan Forces Strain to Combat Taliban Offensives", The New York Times, October 9, 2016.

Helmand Suicide Bombing. A car bomb killed 14 people, including ten Afghan police officers in Lashkar Gar, the provincial capital of Helmand province on Monday, October 10, 2016. Read more in a news report by CBC News, October 10, 2016.

Taliban on the Offensive; ANDSF Playing Defense. The Afghan security forces have been responded to one security crisis after another. Several provincial capitals have been threatened in the past month - to include Tarin Kot, Kunduz, and Laskar Gah (surrounded for months). With each emergency the over-used and miss-used Afghan Special Security Forces (ASSF) are moved around the country to counter the threats. In addition, the Afghan forces (clinging to a checkpoint mentality and lacking the basic knowledge of how to conduct a counterinsurgency campaign) are taking horrendous losses. Many times U.S. air support has been the difference on the battlefield. Other enablers (ISR and SOF advisors) have been extremely helpful. Read more in "On Their Own, Afghan Forces Strain to Combat Taliban Offensives", The New York Times, October 9, 2016.

Video - "Political and Human Rights of Women" by EU

Afghan Women Playing Football (Photo EU Oct 2016)

A video has been published by the European Union in Afghanistan entitled Political and Human Rights of Women (October 2, 2016). The video focuses on Afghan women's basic rights as well as their political involvement. It highlights the past achievements, persisting challenges, and future plans.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xESVukAhqpo

Remembering - Six Lives Lost in Puma Crash (2015)

One year ago six lives were lost in the crash of a British Puma helicopter at Camp Resolute Support in Kabul, Afghanistan. Resolute Support Headquarters gathered to remember the crash victims in Kabul.

Report - Transition from Intervention to CT Policy

William Maley, of the Australian National University, has wrote a report entitled "Transitioning from Military Interventions to Long-Term Counter-Terrorism Policy: The case of Afghanistan (2001-2016)". The report is dated April 2016 but is very current. The 62-page paper is an interesting read for those students of the Afghan conflict.

https://www.icct.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/transitioning_from_military_intervention_afghanistan_2016.pdf

Afghan War News Snippets

Proxy War in Afghanistan. Ariane M. Tabatabai thinks that a proxy war in Afghanistan between Iran and Saudi Arabia is a real possibility. Read "Saudi Arabia and Iran Face Off in Afghanistan", Foreign Affairs, October 5, 2016.

Wakhan Corridor. A part of Afghanistan is extremely remote and almost untouched by the war. Read more in Daily Mail, October 9, 2016.

"Neutral" Humanitarian Aid. An organization providing medical care in Afghanistan has adopted a 'neutral' stance when it comes to providing medical assistance. Read more in "Afghanistan: challenging aid neutrality in war-torn Helmand", by Laura Cesaretti, Offiziere.ch, October 10, 2016.

Afghans Returning from Iran. Every day thousands of Afghans cross the border from Iran to Afghanistan. The sad story of their plight is told in this report - "Broken on the Border", International Organization for Migration (IOM), October 10, 2016.

Opium Production Increases in 2016. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports annually on opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. The country is the world's largest producer of opium and heroin. Read more in "Afghan opium production increases as eradication collapses, U.N. says", Reuters, October 5, 2016.

Read the Afghan War News with Your Sunday AM Coffee

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter - October 9, 2016

U.S. Service Member Dies in Afghanistan (4 Oct 2016)

Resolute Support Headquarters reported that a U.S. service member died in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 from injuries resulting from the blast of an improvised explosive device (IED). SSG Adam Thomas, of the 10th Special Forces Group based at Fort Carson, Colorado was killed during operations in the Achin district of Nangarhar province. The combat operation was part of a larger U.S. - Afghan counter-terrorism mission targeting the Islamic State - Khorasan. Read more about SSG Adam Thomas:

www.sof.news/afghanistan/ssg-adam-thomas/

Report on Brussels Conference

The Brussels Conference took place this past week. Over 75 nations and many international organizations and agencies took part in the two-day event. President Ghani and CEO Abdullah both attended as well. A major focus were presentations by the Afghan leaders on their vision on how to implement reforms, establish security, and become a more self-sufficient nation over the next five years. For their part, the attending nations renewed their commitment to continue funding the Afghan nations' security, development, and government.

Agreement on Afghan Migrants. It appears that a deal has been agreed upon between the Afghan government and the EU on the return of Afghan migrants who have been refused asylum in Europe. Reportedly the Afghan government needed to accept the deal - accepting forcibly returned immigrants (or refugees) - as a condition of continued foreign aid. Read more in "EU Publishes Agreement to Speed Return of Afghan Migrants Refused Asylum", The Wall Street Journal, October 4, 2016.

Comments by NATO Secretary General. On Wednesday, October 5, 2016, Jens Stoltenberg conducted a 6-min press conference at the Brussels Conference where he expressed his support of the results of the conference and answered questions on the current security situation in Afghanistan. Posted by NATO on Youtube.com, Oct 5, 2016.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=loqrXFu5EZM

Speech by ICRC President. Mr. Peter Maurer of the International Committee of the Red Cross delivered a speech at the Brussels Conference. (ICRC, 5 Oct 2016).

Secretary of State John Kerry Remarks. John Kerry has to provide his spin of course. Read his transcript from Oct 5th.

Speech by CEO Abdullah. The Afghan Chief Executive Officer provided a presentation on 5 Oct. Transcript is available on his official website - ceo.gov.af.

Speech by President Ghani. The president of Afghanistan spoke before the Brussels Conference on 5 Oct. The transcript has been posted by Office of the President website.

Need more info? The Afghan government has a website set up to provide info on the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan to include agendas, speakers, achievements (hmmmm), Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework (ANPDF), progress reports, documents and speeches, photo gallery, media resources, news, and more. http://policymof.gov.af/bca/

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

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.