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Posts Tagged afghanistan
UK troops to pull out of Sangin in Helmand province
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News on 8/Jul/2010 01:40
“British troops in the Sangin area of Afghanistan’s Helmand province are to be replaced by US forces, the UK’s Defence Secretary Liam Fox has said.
The UK has suffered its heaviest losses in the area, with 99 deaths since 2001.
About 1,000 Royal Marines are expected to leave and be redeployed to central Helmand by the end of 2010.
The military insists the move is a redeployment, now there are more US troops on the ground, but the Taliban are certain to portray it as a defeat.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/10533771.stm
Using culturally familiar strategies to make progress in Afghanistan
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News on 7/Jul/2010 17:41
“Panjwayi, Afghanistan: As reports circulate that insurgents may have attacked a nearby unit with rocket-propelled grenades, a Canadian Army sergeant major lets out several profanities. He’s just realized that his soldiers forgot to bring paper plates for the snacks they were going to serve the Afghans.
Rather than helping with the fighting, his unit here in southern Kandahar Province has been tasked with organizing a shura, a meeting of village elders…”
The Longest War?
Many media outlets have recently started calling the war in Afghanistan the “longest war in United States history”. That statement is factually incorrect and they don’t care because it just makes things simpler by calling it the longest war. There are other wars which have gone on longer but have not had the continuous conflict of the Afghan war, which is actually what the media is referring to. The Korean War was never officially ended. An armistice was signed but there has been no official document which would end the state of war that existed between the United States and North Korea.
Oliver North has a few other examples in an article he wrote:
The U.S. Army’s campaigns against Geronimo, Cochise and other Apache leaders in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas went on continuously for nearly 40 years. Though Afghanistan has surpassed Vietnam in duration, it isn’t even our longest foreign military engagement. That distinction belongs to U.S. military operations during the Philippine Insurrection — which began concurrently with the end of the Spanish-American War, in 1898, and lasted until 1913. Notably, the number of U.S. casualties suffered in the Philippines — more than 7,100 — is approximately the same as the number of U.S. casualties to date in Afghanistan.
The 30-Year War in Afghanistan
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Threat Watch on 1/Jul/2010 15:24
This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR
By George Friedman
The Afghan War is the longest war in U.S. history. It began in 1980 and continues to rage. It began under Democrats but has been fought under both Republican and Democratic administrations, making it truly a bipartisan war. The conflict is an odd obsession of U.S. foreign policy, one that never goes away and never seems to end. As the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal reminds us, the Afghan War is now in its fourth phase.
The Afghan War’s First Three Phases
The first phase of the Afghan War began with the Soviet invasion in December 1979, when the United States, along with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, organized and sustained Afghan resistance to the Soviets. This resistance was built around mujahideen, fighters motivated by Islam. Washington’s purpose had little to do with Afghanistan and everything to do with U.S.-Soviet competition. The United States wanted to block the Soviets from using Afghanistan as a base for further expansion and wanted to bog the Soviets down in a debilitating guerrilla war. The United States did not so much fight the war as facilitate it. The strategy worked. The Soviets were blocked and bogged down. This phase lasted until 1989, when Soviet troops were withdrawn. Read the rest of this entry »
New Threat to U.S. Troops: Toxic Sand
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News on 28/Jun/2010 22:35
U.S. troops already face plenty of threats in Afghanistan: AK-47–wielding insurgents, improvised bombs, an intransigent and incompetent government. Now add a less familiar challenge to that list of woes: Afghanistan’s toxic sand.
The pulverized turf, it turns out, contains high levels of manganese, silicon, iron, magnesium, aluminum, chromium and other metals that act as neurotoxic agents when ingested.
Task Force 2010 follows the money trail
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News on 28/Jun/2010 22:32
“More good news from Afghanistan: the U.S. military has no idea where the billions it’s spending on warzone contractors is actually ending up. And nine years into the war, the Pentagon has barely started the long, laborious process of figuring it out.”
Failed State Of Kyrgyzstan?
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 25/Jun/2010 23:02
Two Uzbek refugees from the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh wait for permission to cross into Uzbekistan at the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. Recent ethnic violence displaced 200,000 people. Sergei Grits/AP
A wave of brutal ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan, which officials now admit killed as many as 2,000 people, threatens to turn the mountainous Central Asian nation of 5 million into a failed state. A failed Kyrgyztan could destabilize its neighborhood, offer a target for the region’s Islamist radicals, and provide a haven for narcotraffickers working the opium pipeline from Afghanistan, experts warn.
2 reasons why the Afghan situation is different from the Iraqi surge.
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 25/Jun/2010 18:40
“…two major factors distinguish the Afghan from the Iraqi surge. First is the alarming weakness and ineptness — to say nothing of the corruption — of the Afghan central government. One of the reasons the U.S. offensive in Marja has faltered is that there is no Afghan “government in a box” to provide authority for territory that the U.S. military clears.
In Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, after many mixed signals, eventually showed that he could act as a competent national leader rather than a sectarian one when he attacked Moqtada al-Sadr’s stronghold in Basra, faced down the Mahdi Army in the other major cities in the south and took the fight into Sadr City in Baghdad itself. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, President Hamid Karzai makes public overtures to the Taliban, signaling that he is already hedging his bets.
But beyond indecision in Kabul, there is indecision in Washington. When the president of the United States announces the Afghan surge and, in the very next sentence, announces the date on which a U.S. withdrawal will begin, the Afghans — from president to peasant — take note.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/24/AR2010062404870.html
Two views on McChrystal’s firing – through the eyes of business leaders
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Opinion on 25/Jun/2010 01:48
Clint Greenleaf, Founder and CEO, Greenleaf Book Group
“First off, lets be honest. It’s not accepting a resignation, it’s firing the general for one specific comment made (and several from unnamed sources who work for him).
The specific comment wasn’t bad. It was what McChrystal thought was accurate — that the president doesn’t know as much as he should about the war. True or not, I don’t think he was out of line at all. In fact, he tried to make the same point to Obama during their first meeting.
I have the highest respect for our military and think the president made a huge mistake. It makes him look petty and insecure that he can’t handle someone who disagrees with him.
“As a CEO, I relish an opportunity to hear what my staff really thinks. Especially when it comes from a respected person who is good at what they do.
Anyone who has met me knows I’m not perfect — and my staff isn’t there to hide my flaws from me. They work with me to show me where I can improve, and if that means calling me out when I make a mistake, I want to hear about it. Even if it’s in public, and even if it makes me look like I made a mistake.
“The real question is, what is more important? To make the right decisions for the country or to try to protect the image of our leader?”
Rob Adams, Director, Global Moot Corp Program at the University of Texas
“I think the context needs to be set here — this is a military organization with an established chain of command that follows orders from the top.
All the commentary on the situation pointed to those in the military understanding this and expecting severe action, and those more on the commercial side expecting lass harsh action.
The real question is, What would McChrystal have done to those reporting to him in the same situation? I suspect similar treatment to what Obama did.”
The bottom line for President Obama was, “I welcome debate among my team, but I won’t tolerate division.”
http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2010/06/23/the-mcchrystal-scandal-how-would-you-handle-it/
Stopping Bad Guys is not the only mission.
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News on 22/Jun/2010 19:05
Afghan boys reacted as they played a game of marbles with a US officer (not shown) in the village of Damman, Kunar Province on Feb. 16. Oleg Popov/Reuters
“This sucks – let’s kick the hacky sack around”
Posted by Jack Sinclair in Opinion on 22/Jun/2010 19:01
One admirable trait of soldiers is their ability to endure miserable conditions, keep their sense of humor, laugh at the craziness of it all – like playing hacky sack in a sandstorm.
During a sandstorm at forward operating base Dwyer in the Helmand province, US Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit played hacky sack. David Guttenfelder/AP
“Whatever happens, we just keep doing our jobâ€
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News on 22/Jun/2010 18:54
A US Marine from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit had a close call after Taliban fighters opened fire near Garmser in Helmand Province of Afghanistan, on May 18. The Marine was not injured in the fire fight. Goran Tomasevic/Reuters
Politicians squabble and play political game. Soldiers simply keep on doing what they are there to do, and ignore the bull****.
“The top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has been recalled to Washington to explain controversial remarks he made about leading Obama administration figures. But those on the front lines of the war say that the political squabble and inevitable fallout to come means little for them or the mission ahead.
But Canadian soldiers stationed in Kandahar Province, the birthplace of the Taliban and currently home to the war’s most intense fighting, mostly shrugged off the political firestorm.
“Whatever happens, we just keep doing our job,†says Canadian Army Master Cpl. Mathieu Jacob of Cap-Pelé, Canada. “Our job is our job.â€
McChrystal, Obama At Odds Over Afghanistan
Posted by Brian in News, Threat Watch on 22/Jun/2010 17:21
CIA officer Darren James LaBonte
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News on 5/Jun/2010 12:33
This is photo provided by family shows Darren James LaBonte, 35, in Afghanistan in 2007. LaBonte was one of seven CIA employees who died when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a U.S. base in Khost, Afghanistan
“LaBonte grew up in Connecticut. He played baseball and football at Brookfield High School. He turned down a shot at professional baseball with the Cleveland Indians when he graduated from high school in 1992 and opted for the Army, said his father, a former Navy SEAL.
LaBonte earned the celebrated black and yellow Ranger patch and was assigned to First Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, one of the toughest units.”
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/06/05/4467370-veil-of-secrecy-shrouding-dead-cia-officer-lifted
From a statement by CIA Director Leon E. Panetta in December 2009:
“Yesterday’s tragedy reminds us that the men and women of the CIA put their lives at risk every day to protect this nation,†Director Panetta said. “Throughout our history, the reality is that those who make a real difference often face real danger.â€
https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/cia-casualties-in-afghanistan.html
Afghanistan – Royal Marines Storm IED Factory
Posted by Gary in News, Threat Watch on 26/May/2010 14:19
From: Royal Marines Online
Royal Marines smash bomb factory and seize explosives
A bomb-making factory at the heart of one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan has been smashed in a high-profile operation by West-based Royal Marines.
In their biggest find to date, members of 40 Commando stormed an insurgent compound in the Sangin district of Helmand province.
They seized 40kg of homemade explosive, along with numerous weapons, pressure plates and components for making improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The Taunton-based group’s operation manager, Major Duncan Forbes said they had severely hampered insurgents in their efforts to undermine security in the area.
He said a stark message had been sent to enemy forces that there are no longer any “no-go” areas in the difficult Sangin District.
“We will ruthlessly target those who seek to destabilise the region,” said Maj Forbes.
The isolated IED factory was targeted after Royal Marines were involved in a series of fire fights with people based in compounds on high ground near a frontline Forward Operating Base and Patrol Base.
As a result of their suspicions being raised, the Royal Marines and their Afghan partners watched the area closely in advance.
The Commandos then leapt into action during a covert overnight insertion of troops from two separate locations, which involved a mobile Quick Reaction Force Patrol primed to support the operation.
At first light, the patrol made their final approach towards the compound where weapons were visible through the open archways.
Using their well-rehearsed Counter-IED drills, Royal Marines isolated the compound and, on discovering the explosives cache which could have been turned into lethal landmines and rockets, called in their experts.
The operation was a complete success with no casualties and no collateral damage, said Maj Forbes. The bomb disposal team destroyed the explosives and recovered the remaining items for further examination.
“It was like finding a mini factory of IEDs,” he said.
“All the components and materials required to construct them were stored inside the compound.”
Sangin is an area of Afghanistan’s Helmand province which has long been regarded as a powder keg.
The Taunton-based commandos took over the watch last month, the second time they have deployed to Sangin.
A marine from 40 Commando was killed in an explosion in Helmand Province yesterday.
His next of kin have been informed and he will be named later today.
Article from http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk