The New York Times reports that the “Taliban Leader in Secret Talks Was an Impostor.” The headline says it all, and I didn’t make it up either. We’ve been duped. No legitimate peace talks have been taken place. So I guess the Power Point slide used for the ongoing Afghanistan policy review describing these peace talks will simply be put on “Hide” mode now. Maybe we should take heed of what Sayed Amir Muhammad Agha, a onetime Taliban ...
Continue Reading →Military News Highlights: November 19, 2010
U.S. deploying heavily armored battle tanks for first time in Afghan war
Let’s be frank about why a company of M1 Abrams tanks are being added to the fight in Helmand province – because of their survivability and the firepower they bring to the fight against the current threat in Helmand (i.e. IED’s that disrupt lines of communications, concentrated enemy positions supported by complex IED/minefields, lack of local support). The reality on the ground is that in order to ...
Continue Reading →Military News you may have missed: November 9, 2010
Gates Hopes Taliban Think U.S. Will Leave Afghanistan
In interviews conducted in Australia, where public support for the war in Afghanistan is faltering, Secretary Gates made it very clear that only one option exists, and that is to maintain an increased US/NATO presence in Afghanistan past the July 2010 date and forgo significant troop reductions. In fact he wants the Taliban to believe that July 2010 will be the end date for US/NATO operations – he wants them to be surprised. ...
Continue Reading →Military News you may have missed: November 8, 2010
The narrative is set for the Administrations pending Afghanistan Policy Review slated for this December – who to believe whether sufficient progress is currently being made, the lack of viable options to address the ongoing threat that emanates from Pakistan’s tribal regions, and how soon will Karzai’s government be capable of providing security on its own? The following news reports provide background on this Gordian Knot.
Some Skeptics Questioning Rosy Reports on War Zone
- The recent reports ...
Afghan government falls short in Kandahar
In an article published by the Washington Post on November 2, it would appear that the Afghan government falls short in Kandahar. A “learning” experience for the US military.
Highlights:
- Despite months of American prodding, the Afghan government has failed to fill dozens of key positions in Kandahar, leaving an ineffectual local administration that U.S. officials fear will cripple the battlefield progress the military says it is making in the Taliban stronghold. Just a month before President Obama ...
Update on the Kandahar Campaign
The New York Times reports that a NATO field commander suggests that the “fate” of the Kandahar Campaign will not become clear until June (2011).
Key Highlights:
- A NATO offensive to secure the Taliban’s birthplace of Kandahar is putting pressure on militants, but genuine success will not be clear until next June, the region’s top commander said on Thursday. British Major-General Nick Carter’s comments were the latest by U.S. and NATO ...
Insurgent Lose Momentum in Helmand Province, Afghanistan
According to a recent article published by the Department of Defense, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills says Nato and Afghan forces are seeing a reduction in violence in Helman Province in Afghanistan.
Key Highlights:
- Insurgents in Afghanistan’s Helmand province have lost the momentum to NATO and Afghan forces, and those forces will continue to take on the Taliban all through the winter, the commander of NATO’s Regional Command Southwest said today. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills ...
Military News you may have missed: Oct 27, 2010
Policy – Corruption Perceptions Index 2010
Key Highlights:
- The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in 178 countries around the world.
Afghanistan is 176 of 178 and scored a 1.4 on the index.
- Iraq is 175 of 178 and scored a 1.5 on the index.
Analysis: After almost 10 years of war in Afghanistan and almost 7 years after the US toppled the Saddam regime we have these lovely ...
Continue Reading →Military News you may have missed: Oct 26, 2010
Policy – A Firefight Exposes Afghan Weakness
(Wall Street Journal – Pay to View: Article Obtained via OSINT)
Key Highlights:
- An account of the six-hour siege on the U.S. agency on July 2, drawn from interviews with witnesses and survivors and an internal investigation by the aid agency, shows an Afghan force that appears ill-equipped to take over national security from their foreign counterparts.
- About 15 to 20 minutes after the attack began, the Afghan army and police occupied a ...
Military News you might have missed: Oct 25, 2010
Policy — 8 Enemy Deaths, 46 Shootings: War by the Numbers
Key Highlights
- He’s done laundry twice, mailed five letters and received two. He’s spent 378 hours on post and 256 hours on patrol. He’s crossed 140 miles (230 kilometers) of thorny bomb-laced farmland and waist-high trenches of water on foot. Along the way, he’s ...