Meanwhile In Afghanistan

[Roman Alymov]

 

Then Putin must be an idiot, because only a fool could reckon on the arming an enemy of the United States being taken as anything but a hostile action in Washington.

Not so long ago Russia was declared by US President speaking in front of UN Assembly as global enemy of mankind, after Ebola, but above ISIS. How more hostile could US consider Russia – more dangerous than Ebola? Leaving national interests for what – to become #3 enemy, not #2? After certain level, caring about US view of Russia is useless.

 

 

 

Stuart had indicated some months back that the US could stomp Russia out of Asia and the Middle East in one week. Oddly, the Russians don’t seem to agree and the Taliban are under the impression that after 16 years of fighting the US and allies, they are starting to win.

They are not “under impression” - Afghan Gov and foreign troops are now, after 16 years of war, in less favorable position then Afghan Gov and Soviet troops were, and there is nothing US could do with it. Not because of Russia, but because they have created too many problems for themselves. So it is quite logical for Taliban (who are now, mostly, coalition of local forces) to consider themselves winners, at least in some regions. US leaving Afghanistan is question of time, and the options to feel vacuum left is Taliban or ISIS. Time to make friends with Taliban.

[klahtinen]

They are not “under impression” - Afghan Gov and foreign troops are now, after 16 years of war, in less favorable position then Afghan Gov and Soviet troops were, and there is nothing US could do with it. Not because of Russia, but because they have created too many problems for themselves. So it is quite logical for Taliban (who are now, mostly, coalition of local forces) to consider themselves winners, at least in some regions. US leaving Afghanistan is question of time, and the options to feel vacuum left is Taliban or ISIS. Time to make friends with Taliban.

 

 

So basicly there's a bad and a very bad option for Afghan people and especially for the women. I really hope there's an other way, but the current level of corruption makes that very unlikely. USA is not very good at nation building, but neither seems to be anyone else.

[Roman Alymov]

 

 

So basicly there's a bad and a very bad option for Afghan people and especially for the women.

 

It is not so simple question – as far as I remember first action of Taliban was collective assassination of group of mojahed field commanders who were practicing rape of local girls. Not surprising locals in many cases support Taliban (who are medieval, but still stuck to at least some rules) against West-supported mojahed forces with simple “my gun-my rules” behavior.

[glenn239]

Roman They are not “under impression” - Afghan Gov and foreign troops are now, after 16 years of war, in less favorable position then Afghan Gov and Soviet troops were, and there is nothing US could do with it. Not because of Russia, but because they have created too many problems for themselves. So it is quite logical for Taliban (who are now, mostly, coalition of local forces) to consider themselves winners

 

You’re saying the Afghan army is in worse shape right now than Assad was in 2015.? I think not. Did Putin decide Assad had to go because he was in bad shape two years ago? No, he sent in the reinforcements to stabilize the situation, just like he could to bolster the Afghan government if he wanted. Did Putin’s reinforcements concentrate on ISIS? No, ISIS was set lower on the priority list and received little attention until Aleppo was secured.

 

The Afghan government has an army, and it is in the field right now against ISIS. Russia is supporting the Taliban, the group that is dedicated to defeating the Afghan army, but Russia will claim it’s because of ISIS. That makes no sense, because if the Taliban takes Kabul ISIS will carve out a large sphere of influence in the outbacks of Afghanistan and the Taliban won’t care.

 

US leaving Afghanistan is question of time, and the options to feel vacuum left is Taliban or ISIS. Time to make friends with Taliban.

 

 

NATO and the US/EU decided in 2013/2014 they wanted push for influence in Ukraine. Everything that has followed since in Asia and Africa flows from that horrible decision. You believe the backing of the Taliban is because they are against ISIS. It is not. It is because they are against the US and against ISIS. So, for Russia, sorry about your luck Kabul, but you’re an American lackey so you have to go to teach the Americans that they are delusional about the reach of their power and that when they listen to globalist idiots like Obama and Kerry in places they don’t belong, they will suffer the consequences there and elsewhere. That’s Putin’s policy in Afghanistan, IMO. Far from the US 'leaving' Afghanistan, the purpose of Putin supporting the Taliban is to draw them back in for another Iraqi-like shit show. To do that, Putin needs ISIS existing in Afghanistan.

 

Edited May 24, 2017 by glenn239

[Roman Alymov]

You’re saying the Afghan army is in worse shape right now than Assad was in 2015.? I think not. Did Putin decide Assad had to go because he was in bad shape two years ago? No, he sent in the reinforcements to stabilize the situation, just like he could to bolster the Afghan government if he wanted. Did Putin’s reinforcements concentrate on ISIS? No, ISIS was set lower on the priority list and received little attention until Aleppo was secured.

 

Afgan is WAY worse shape then Syria. I think your problem is limiting problem to Afghan army – while it is state\society in general. Syria, until about 5 years ago, was developed modern multicultural society with full set of institutions both civil and military, including big Army, Air Forse, security services etc., so there is at least somebody to provide help to, and big areas still not touched by war, where normal life is under way. Last time Afganistan was having at least urban side of it was before USSR forces left, then it was civil war all against all, and another foreign invasion after it. Generation of Afgans matured in conditions of this war. Helping Kabul Gov? Was already tested by Russia (when helping Northern alliance against Taliban), but this efforts only resulted in additional destruction of the country. Now priority is not allowing ISIS to Tajikistan borders (while ISIS is ALLREADY active in Tajikistan – see Gulrod Khalimov case)

[Roman Alymov]

Russian Uragan MLRS deployed to Tajikistan - i think to provide cross-border fire support to groups in Afganistan

https://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/93890/

[glenn239]

Roman Afgan is WAY worse shape then Syria.

 

 

Than Assad in mid-2015? No. IMO, Afghan army right now is in better shape than that.

 

Putin could back Kabul against ISIS, but that would help the US. So he doesn’t. You’re claiming Russian security, but in truth the policy in Moscow is set by the determination to call the shots in Russia’s near abroad, of which Afghanistan is one theatre of many. ISIS is the ticket for that policy, by existing. If Putin could be made to talk about this what would he say? I think he'd say this clearly must be what Kerry wanted by going to Kiev in 2013, so this what Kerry gets.

Edited May 25, 2017 by glenn239

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

You’re saying the Afghan army is in worse shape right now than Assad was in 2015.? I think not. Did Putin decide Assad had to go because he was in bad shape two years ago? No, he sent in the reinforcements to stabilize the situation, just like he could to bolster the Afghan government if he wanted. Did Putin’s reinforcements concentrate on ISIS? No, ISIS was set lower on the priority list and received little attention until Aleppo was secured.

 

Afgan is WAY worse shape then Syria. I think your problem is limiting problem to Afghan army – while it is state\society in general. Syria, until about 5 years ago, was developed modern multicultural society with full set of institutions both civil and military, including big Army, Air Forse, security services etc., so there is at least somebody to provide help to, and big areas still not touched by war, where normal life is under way. Last time Afganistan was having at least urban side of it was before USSR forces left, then it was civil war all against all, and another foreign invasion after it. Generation of Afgans matured in conditions of this war. Helping Kabul Gov? Was already tested by Russia (when helping Northern alliance against Taliban), but this efforts only resulted in additional destruction of the country. Now priority is not allowing ISIS to Tajikistan borders (while ISIS is ALLREADY active in Tajikistan – see Gulrod Khalimov case)

 

Yes, and now they are all blown to ratshit. The nearest Syria has to a functioning insititution is the Air Force.

 

You can argue Afghanistan is no better and no worse. At least someone has started rebuilding their infrastructure. The sugar daddy with infinite pockets that wants to rebuild Syria has yet to present his credentials, or more usefully, his credit card.

[mattblack]

There isn't going to be a rebuilding of Syria,or at least a restoration as what was. There are still far too many Sunnis who need to leave and who will be encouraged to do so after whatever relative version of peace happens.

[Roman Alymov]

 

 

Yes, and now they are all blown to ratshit. The nearest Syria has to a functioning insititution is the Air Force.

 

You can argue Afghanistan is no better and no worse. At least someone has started rebuilding their infrastructure. The sugar daddy with infinite pockets that wants to rebuild Syria has yet to present his credentials, or more usefully, his credit card.

 

As far as I understand most of “Useful Syria” areas, where ~80% of population live, were always in Gov hands or at least was not scene of fighting with heavy weapons, and are undamaged, with life going on more or less as it was before the war. Places with WWII-style destruction are relatively limited. The same was in Civil War in Russia by the way: when enemy unit, called “division” but consisting of company-size infantry unit and supported by single armored train with couple of 3-inch guns take city, there is very limited amount of damage they could inflict (not because of behaving nice, but just because of not having enough firepower).

In Afghanistan, as far as I understand, there are no safe havens like this.

[mattblack]

Where in Afghanistan is remotely as damaged as Aleppo,Raqqa,Manbij,Dier ez-Zor?

[Roman Alymov]

Where in Afghanistan is remotely as damaged as Aleppo,Raqqa,Manbij,Dier ez-Zor?

Again, you are looking from wrong perspective IMHO: Aleppo was city of ~2mln, best half of it (modern districts) was always under Gov control and is almost undamaged (yes it was bombarded by hell cannons, but it was more of terrorism, less of industrial-scale destruction as in WWII). Rebel part was captured in relatively brief campaign, without house-to-house fighting, so it is also mostly undamaged (more of looted during years of rebels rule). Blocks that were frontline for years – yes they are destroyed to WWI style moon terrain, but it is little damage compared to whole city. Now they have running water, city transport service, electricity etc.

Raqqa (300k) – can’t say to what extent it is destroyed. Now it is partly flooded by Kurds opening water reservoir, but in other aspects it seems more or less ok except blocks blasted by aviation (again, not WWII scale carpet bombings). And is well counterweighted by Latakia (500K) – zero damage except few suicide bombers.

Manbij was city of ~80k, very small (even small Tartus is bigger – and there is zero damage in it).

Dier ez-Zor (220k) is also mostly undamaged – as both sides having next to no heavy weapons, and aviation is bombing mostly hills around the city, where the most of fighting taking place.

Syria is functioning modern society with schools and universities. Contrary to that, in Afghanistan the very foundations of society are destroyed by two decades of civil war, and was mostly feudal before that.

[Panzermann]

 

Syria is functioning modern society with schools and universities. Contrary to that, in Afghanistan the very foundations of society are destroyed by two decades of civil war, and was mostly feudal before that.

nearly four decades of war in afghanistan.

[Panzermann]

car bomb exploded near embassies district in Kabul:

 

 

Massive Explosion Rips Through Downtown Kabul

 

A suspected car bomb was detonated at about 8.30am in the diplomatic zone of Kabul city, leaving at least 60 people wounded.

 

A massive explosion rocked Kabul city at about 8.30am on Wednesday in rush hour traffic.

The explosion ripped through the diplomatic zone causing widespread damage.

Early indications are that explosives had been placed in a water tanker.

Ministry of Public Health officials said so far at least 60 people have been wounded. Not details yet on the death toll.

However, the Wazir Akbar Khan hospital confirmed that 90 wounded were transported to their hospital, as well as three dead.

TOLOnews journalist Sharif Amiri, who is reporting from the scene, said the explosion happened close to the German embassy and Roshan telecommunications company in downtown Kabul.

The exact target is not yet known.

 

 

map and video at link: http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/massive-explosion-rips-through-downtown-kabul

[Panzermann]

A powerful car bomb exploded in the center of Afghanistan’s capital on Wednesday, killing or wounding dozens of people and sending clouds of black smoke into the sky above the presidential palace and foreign embassies, officials said.

Basir Mujahid, a spokesman for Kabul police, said several people were killed and wounded in the blast near the fortified entrance to the German embassy.

„It was a car bomb near the German embassy, but there are several other important compounds and offices near there too. It is hard to say what the exact target is,“ Mujahid said.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast-idUSKBN18R0DT?il=0

 

 

---

 

Bomb blast rocks Kabul during rush hour, killing dozens of civilians

By Thomas Joscelyn | May 31, 2017 | tjoscelyn@gmail.com | @thomasjoscelyn

A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) was detonated near diplomatic facilities in the Afghan capital during rush hour this morning. Preliminary casualty reports say that at least 80 people were killed in the blast and dozens more wounded. A photo of the aftermath of the bombing (seen above) was posted on Twitter by Afghanistan’s Ariana News.

The bomb exploded at 8:22 am local time “in Kabul near Zambaq Square outside the Green Zone, which houses diplomatic and government facilities,” according to NATO’s Resolute Support. Afghan security forces “prevented the VBIED from gaining entry to the Green Zone,” but dozens of nearby civilians perished.

The Taliban has already denied any involvement via a statement attributed to Zabihullah Mujahid, the group’s spokesman. It is likely that the Islamic State, which has carried out large-scale operations in Kabul this year, will claim responsibility.

Even though the Taliban-led insurgency is responsible for many civilian casualties, the organization is concerned with how its violence is perceived by the Afghan population. Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s loyalists have no such concern.

Resolute Support quickly pointed out that the “attack demonstrates a complete disregard for civilians and reveals the barbaric nature of the enemy faced by the Afghan people.” It “also highlights the hypocrisy of the enemy who claim that they only target Afghan Security Forces and Foreign forces, yet continue to cause death and suffering amongst innocent Afghans.”

Mujahid’s statement reads like a response to Resolute Support. “This explosion has nothing to do with the Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate,” the statement reads. “Our Mujahideen are not involved in this incident and neither are the Mujahideen allowed to carry out such…large explosions at ill-defined areas.” The Taliban’s spokesman says the group “condemns every explosion and attack carried out against civilians, or in which civilians are harmed and [there is] no legitimate target.”

“Our countrymen must rest assured that the Kabul attack is not the work of Mujahideen,” Mujahid says.

The German government confirmed that the bombing was “carried out in the immediate vicinity” of its embassy. “It hit civilians and it hit those who are in Afghanistan to work with the people there on a better future for the country,” Germany’s minister of foreign affairs, Sigmar Gabriel, said in a statement. “It is particularly despicable that these people were targeted.” Gabriel said that German Embassy staff members were injured, but all of them “are now safe.” An Afghan security officer who was guarding the grounds wasn’t so lucky, as he was killed in the explosion.

BBC News reported that Mohammed Nazir, an Afghan driver who worked with the service’s journalists, was killed. Afghanistan’s ToloNews has also reported at least one death as a result of the bombing.

The Islamic State has carried out several high-profile attacks in Kabul this year.

On Feb. 7, the group launched a suicide bombing outside of the supreme court, killing at least 20 people.

Then, on Mar. 8, an Islamic State suicide team assaulted the Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital in Kabul. According to the UN, the hospital is “the largest military medical facility in Afghanistan” and “treats sick and wounded members of the armed forces and their family members.” The jihadists dressed like hospital personnel in order to confuse their victims. There are conflicting reports with respect to the total number of casualties, but dozens were killed or wounded.

On May 3, another suicide bomber detonated his VBIED at an Afghan security checkpoint near the US Embassy in Kabul. The Islamic State’s jihadist was targeting a NATO convoy, but at least eight civilians were killed. Three coalition service members were also wounded, according to Resolute Support.

The US has been leading a counterterrorism operation against the Islamic State’s Wilyah Khorasan (or Khorasan province) in eastern Afghanistan. In April, three American service members were killed during raids in Nangarhar, which has been Wilayah Khorasan’s stronghold. The so-called caliphate’s men have lost ground in Nangarhar, but are still able to execute high-profile operations in Kabul and elsewhere. [For more on the US-led effort against the Islamic State’s Wilayah Khorasan, see FDD’s Long War Journal report: 2 American service members killed fighting Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan.

 

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/05/bomb-blast-rocks-kabul-during-rush-hour-killing-dozens-of-civlians.php

 

 

---

 

 

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Resolute Support Condemns Improvised Explosive Device Attack

Press Operations

Release No: 17-206

May 31, 2017

NEWS RELEASE

2017-05-31-01

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 31, 2017 – At 8:22 am, a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device was detonated in Kabul near Zambaq Square outside the Green Zone, which houses diplomatic and government facilities. The vigilance and courage of Afghan security forces prevented the VBIED from gaining entry to the Green Zone, but the explosion caused civilian casualties in the vicinity.

The attack demonstrates a complete disregard for civilians and reveals the barbaric nature of the enemy faced by the Afghan people. It also highlights the hypocrisy of the enemy who claim that they only target Afghan Security Forces and Foreign forces, yet continue to cause death and suffering amongst innocent Afghans.

We offer our condolences to the families of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to those wounded. We praise the courage of Afghan Security Forces, especially the police and first responders. Attacks such as these only serve to strengthen our commitment to our Afghan partners as they seek a peaceful, stable future for their country.

-30-

 

 

http://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/1197497/resolute-support-condemns-improvised-explosive-device-attack/

 

[Roman Alymov]

Where USAF do bombing, ISIS is advancing....

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/captures-tora-bora-once-bin-ladens-afghan-hideout-005258005.html

"Jalalabad (Afghanistan) (AFP) - Islamic State fighters have captured Tora Bora, a mountain cave complex in eastern Afghanistan that was once the hideout of Osama bin Laden, officials said Thursday, despite pressure on the jihadists from US-led forces.

The militants seized the territory from the Taliban this week after days of heavy fighting, in a show of strength just two months after the US military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat on a nearby IS stronghold.

"Tora Bora has fallen into the hands of IS fighters," government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP. "Afghan troops last night launched an operation to take it back from IS."

Tora Bora in eastern Nangarhar province was the site of a major US military offensive in late 2001, when Al-Qaeda chief bin Laden was believed to be hiding there.

He later crossed into neighbouring Pakistan, where he was killed in a US raid in 2011.

Local tribesmen confirmed to AFP that the Taliban had retreated from large parts of Tora Bora.

"When Daesh (IS) fighters launched their operation to seize Tora Bora, the Taliban fled the area and left us alone to protect our women and children," said Juma Khan, a tribesman who fled the area with hundreds of other local families.

First emerging in 2015, IS's local affiliate has made rapid inroads into Afghanistan, overrunning large parts of Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.

The fresh IS assault and capture of Tora Bora comes despite a heavy US-backed Afghan offensive against the militants.

The deployment in April of the US military's so-called Mother Of All Bombs on another tunnel-and-cave complex in nearby Achin district killed dozens of jihadists, but fighting in the area has continued unabated.

The fall of the Tora Bora has also prompted heated discussion in the Afghan parliament, with lawmakers warning the government of growing IS activity in eastern Afghanistan.

"Is this government unaware of the problem? Is this government here to kill us?" asked MP Hazrat Ali."

[Dark_Falcon]

A nice military human interest story, and a little trolling of a certain German fellow:

 

 

This Afghan man served 3 years as a translator for the military — now he's a US Marine

 

While some children grow up with aspirations to become scientists, professional athletes or actors, Mohammad Nadir’s goal was to become a United States Marine, stemming from an early childhood amid a strong military presence.

 

As the sixth of ten siblings, Nadir grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he constantly lived amongst uniformed personnel.

 

“My mom would tell me stories about the military when I was younger, my father was a cop with the Afghan police . . . and many people welcomed the Americans, even during times of strife,” Nadir explained.

 

Intrigued by the lifestyle, Nadir’s curiosity for the military grew after he graduated high school and discovered several private companies hiring Afghan locals.

 

“They were hiring Afghan locals to work as interpreters for the International Security Assistance Force,” said Nadir. “This was my chance to be around the military.”

 

Under the impression Nadir would be safe, his family wished him well as he left to the Sangin District of Helmand province, Afghanistan, in October 2011, where he spent the next three years working with multiple operational units and serving as a key influencer to the community.

 

[break]

 

Mohammad Nadir (center) poses with a group of Marines during a base construction project for the Afghan police in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Sgt. Jessica Quezada/US Marine Corps

 

[break]

 

As an interpreter, Nadir also had the opportunity to apply for a Special Immigrant Visa, which helps provide protection for translators and their families to migrate to the U.S. after their service.

 

Through this program, Nadir took his first steps on American soil on Nov 10, 2014, the Marine Corps’ much-celebrated birthday, and set forth on his journey to become a United States Marine.

 

“I told my family I was going to come to America and become a Marine, so I did,” said Nadir.

 

Nadir traveled to Camp Pendleton, Calif., where he stayed with Marine Corps Maj. Mark Nicholson, a former administration advisor for the Afghan National Police Advisory Team with Marine Expeditionary Brigade Afghanistan.

 

“We met him at the airport and brought him to our home,” said Nicholson. “Nadir helped us out when we needed him. He had been in some pretty dangerous situations, but was as good as they got. Interpreters put themselves in a lot of danger, more than we do.”

 

Nicholson built a strong bond with Nadir and other interpreters as he supervised a majority of the administrative tasks handled for these employees. The type of relationship between the interpreters and U.S. service members require a lot of trust and reliability.

 

“Nadir is a really smart guy,” said Nicholson. “We relied on interpreters for our safety and knowledge of the culture. I trusted him with my life.”

 

Nadir found work soon thereafter to help support his family back home. He also took lessons to help improve his English fluency and prepare for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.

 

“My English was terrible, so I had to study,” Nadir joked. “I moved to Anaheim, Calif., with a friend and that’s when I met a Marine recruiter, Sgt. William Soukthavong.”

 

Nadir enlisted in February 2017 and recently graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on May 26, 2017.

 

Marine Corps Gen. William Jurney, commanding general of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and the Western Recruiting Region, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, shakes hands with Private Mohammad Nadir at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on May 26, 2017. Sgt. Jessica Quezada/US Marine Corps

Edited June 15, 2017 by Dark_Falcon

[Roman Alymov]

 

A nice military human interest story, and a little trolling of a certain German fellow:

 

 

 

Marine Corps Gen. William Jurney, commanding general of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and the Western Recruiting Region, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, shakes hands with Private Mohammad Nadir at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on May 26, 2017. Sgt. Jessica Quezada/US Marine Corps

 

Some kind of special handshake, or General got less fingers then normal?

The story seems similar to Dieter Dengler one.

[Dark_Falcon]

 

 

A nice military human interest story, and a little trolling of a certain German fellow:

 

 

 

Marine Corps Gen. William Jurney, commanding general of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and the Western Recruiting Region, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, shakes hands with Private Mohammad Nadir at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on May 26, 2017. Sgt. Jessica Quezada/US Marine Corps

 

Some kind of special handshake, or General got less fingers then normal?

The story seems similar to Dieter Dengler one.

 

1. Either its a less-common form of handshake or the camera caught the general's hand in mid-motion.

 

2. I do not know who Dieter Dengler is or was.

[mattblack]

The Islamic State has taken Tora Bora

 

https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/captures-tora-bora-once-bin-ladens-afghan-hideout-005258005.html

[bojan]

 

2. I do not know who Dieter Dengler is or was.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Dengler

[Dark_Falcon]

 

 

2. I do not know who Dieter Dengler is or was.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Dengler

 

Thanks. I do see the similarities now.

[Panzermann]

Imigrants joining the armed forces of the USA has a long tradition.

---

alas back to Afghanistan. because of the recent outbreaks of peace love and happiness in Afghanistan troop numbers are to be raised by Trump:

Afghanistan
Politics
North America
Taliban
Donald Trump
AP Top News

APNewsBreak: About 4,000 more US troops to go to Afghanistan
By LOLITA C. BALDOR and ROBERT BURNS
Today

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will send almost 4,000 additional American forces to Afghanistan, a Trump administration official said Thursday, hoping to break a stalemate in a war that has now passed to a third U.S. commander in chief. The deployment will be the largest of American manpower under Donald Trump’s young presidency.

The decision by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis could be announced as early as next week, the official said. It follows Trump’s move to give Mattis the authority to set troop levels and seeks to address assertions by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan that he doesn’t have enough forces to help Afghanistan’s army against a resurgent Taliban insurgency. The rising threat posed by Islamic State extremists, evidenced in a rash of deadly attacks in the capital city of Kabul, has only fueled calls for a stronger U.S. presence, as have several recent American combat deaths.

The bulk of the additional troops will train and advise Afghan forces, according to the administration official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the decision publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A smaller number would be assigned to counterterror operations against the Taliban and IS, the official said.

Asked for comment, a Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, said, “No decisions have been made.”

Daulat Waziri, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s defense ministry, was reluctant to comment on specifics Friday but said the Afghan government supports the U.S. decision to send more troops.

“The United States knows we are in the fight against terrorism, ” he said. “We want to finish this war in Afghanistan with the help of the NATO alliance.”

There was no immediate report whether NATO allies would also increase their troop commitment to Afghanistan. The U.S. currently has 8,500 troops deployed in Afghanistan.

“We are the frontline in the war against international terrorism,” Waziri said.

Although Trump has delegated authority for U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan, the responsibility for America’s wars and the men and women who fight in them rests on his shoulders. Trump has inherited America’s longest conflict with no clear endpoint or a defined strategy for American success, though U.S. troop levels are far lower than they were under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. In 2009, Obama authorized a surge of 30,000 troops into Afghanistan, bringing the total there to more than 100,000, before drawing down over the rest of his presidency.

Trump has barely spoken about Afghanistan as a candidate or president, concentrating instead on crushing the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. His predecessors both had hoped to win the war. Bush scored a quick success, helping allied militant groups oust the Taliban shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, before seeing the gains slip away as American focus shifted to the Iraq war. In refocusing attention on Afghanistan, Obama eliminated much of the country’s al-Qaida network and authorized the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, but failed to snuff out the Taliban’s rebellion.

Mattis’ deployment of more troops will be far smaller than Obama’s.

While military leaders have consistently said more forces are needed, a decision had been tied up in a lengthy, wider debate about America’s long-term military, diplomatic and economic strategy for ending the war. Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander there, has said the troops are necessary to properly train and advise the Afghan military and perform work handled at greater cost by contractors. Afghan leaders endorse the idea of more U.S. troops, having lost significant ground to the Taliban in recent months.

But despite repeated questions from Congress this week, Mattis wouldn’t reveal his thinking on a troop increase. He said that while counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan are making progress in weakening al-Qaida and IS, “their defeat will come about only by giving our men and women on the ground the support and the authorities they need to win.”

Obama set a cap a year ago of 8,400 troops in Afghanistan after slowing the pace of what he hoped would be a U.S. withdrawal.

Nevertheless, there are at least another 2,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan not included in the official count. These include forces that are technically considered temporary even if they’ve been in the warzone for months.

Trump’s decision Tuesday to give Mattis authority to set force levels in Afghanistan mirrored similar powers he handed over earlier this year for U.S. fights in Iraq and Syria. The change was made public hours after Sen. John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Republican chairman, blasted Mattis for the administration’s failure to present an overarching strategy for Afghanistan. McCain said the U.S. is “not winning” in Afghanistan, and Mattis agreed.

The finality of the decision isn’t entirely clear. While Trump has handed over the troop level decision-making, there is nothing preventing him from taking it back.

Mattis has repeatedly stressed that increasing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would take place within a broader, long-term strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan. In congressional testimony this week, he said the strategy will take into account regional influences, such as Pakistan’s role as a Taliban sanctuary. Regional powers Iran, India and China, which all have political stakes in the fate of Afghanistan, also must be considered.

While the new troops could raise fears of mission creep, Mattis told lawmakers this week he didn’t envision returning to the force levels of 2010-11, when Obama thought he could pressure the Taliban into peace talks. Despite heavy losses, the Taliban fought on.

“Reconciliation” remains the goal, Mattis told a House Appropriations panel Thursday, along with reducing Afghan government corruption.

“We’re not looking at a purely military strategy,” he said. “All wars come to an end. Our job is to end it as quickly as possible without losing the very mission that we’ve recognized, through several administrations, that was worth putting those young Americans on the line for.”

There have been almost 2,400 U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001. Three U.S. soldiers were killed and another was wounded in eastern Afghanistan this weekend in an attack claimed by the Taliban.

 

https://apnews.com/b76f5d92b38d429c877564ad9ff9661a/APNewsBreak:-About-4,000-more-US-troops-to-go-to-Afghanistan

Edited June 16, 2017 by Panzermann

[Panzermann]

Taliban claim green onblue in Camp Shaheen near Mazar-e-Sharif

7 U.S. Service Members Wounded In 'Insider Attack' In Afghanistan
June 17, 201712:52 PM ET

For the second time in a week, a man in an Afghan army uniform opened fire on U.S. service members at a base in Afghanistan. The attack Saturday at Camp Shaheen left seven American soldiers wounded, according to officials with the NATO-led mission in the country.
Officials at the northern base tell Jennifer Glasse, who reported from Kabul for our Newscast unit, that the shooter was killed. At least one Afghan soldier was also wounded in the attack. A tweet from the NATO-led Operation Resolute Support described it as an "insider attack."
"At this time, we can confirm there are no U.S. or NATO Resolute Support fatalities," the mission said in a statement.

UPDATE: Seven U.S. service members wounded, evacuated for treatment. Insider attack Camp Shaheen, Mazar-e Sharif under investigation https://t.co/WXujMMXA3U
— Resolute Support (@ResoluteSupport) June 17, 2017

The violence comes just seven days after an Afghan soldier turned his weapon on his U.S. counterparts in another region of Afghanistan, killing three soldiers and wounding another. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack, which unfolded on June 10 in eastern Afghanistan.
And earlier this year, Taliban fighters dressed as Afghan soldiers stormed Camp Shaheen, killing more than 160 people at the base in northern Afghanistan.
"The Taliban have been able to bring in soldiers into the Afghan army and make them sleepers, as it were, until the right time," journalist Ahmed Rashid told Weekend All Things Considered in April. "This is a strategy that has been working very effectively for the Taliban and is something that the Americans and the Afghan command has been able to do very little about."
(...)

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/17/533338363/7-u-s-service-members-wounded-in-deadly-insider-attack-in-afghanistan

Edited June 18, 2017 by Panzermann

[Panzermann]

Afghan soldier opens fire on US troops, wounds 7

By Bill Roggio | June 17, 2017 | admin@longwarjournal.org | @billroggio

An Afghan solider opened fire on US troops today at a military base in Balkh province and wounded seven American soldiers. Today’s insider attack, also known as green-on-blue attack, is the second of its kind in the last week, and the third reported so far this year.

Resolute Support, NATO’s command in Afghanistan, confirmed that seven US troops were wounded and “evacuated for treatment.” One Afghan soldier was killed and another was wounded.

UPDATE: Seven U.S. service members wounded, evacuated for treatment. Insider attack Camp Shaheen, Mazar-e Sharif under investigation

https://t.co/WXujMMXA3U

— Resolute Support (@ResoluteSupport)

June 17, 2017

The Taliban claimed credit for the attack in a statement released on its website, Voice of Jihad. According to the Taliban, “Masood from Paktia province” was “working inside Shaheen Corps” with the Afghan commandos.

This latest insider attack took place at the Afghan National Army’s 209th Shaheen Corps Headquarters in Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province. The 209th Shaheen Corps Headquarters was the scene of a deadly assault just two months ago, when 10 Taliban fighters fought their way into the base and slaughtered more than 140 Afghan soldiers before being gunned down. The Taliban said it infiltrated the Afghan National Army to carry out that attack. Afghanistan’s Minister of Defense and the Army chief of staff resigned, and four Army corps commanders were fired in the wake of the assault.

Taliban views insider attacks as a key tactic to defeat US

In the past, the Taliban has infiltrated Afghan security forces to carry out such strikes or convinced soldiers or policemen to turn their weapons on coalition personnel. In 2012, Mullah Omar, the founder and first emir of the Taliban, announced that he created the “Call and Guidance, Luring and Integration” department “with branches … now operational all over the country,” to encourage defections and strikes on coalition forces.

Since Omar’s announcement, the Taliban has said that insider operations are a key part of its military strategy when announcing the commencement of its annual spring offensive.

“These operations will involve conventional attacks, guerrilla warfare, complex martyrdom attacks, insider attacks, and use of IEDs to achieve their objectives,” the Taliban said in its statement on Operation Mansouri, the 2017 offensive.

 

Insider attacks on the rise

Today’s insider attack is the third recorded by FDD’s Long War Journal so far this year. Many go unreported as they may not cause casualties. It is is also the second of its kind in the past week.

The first incident this year, on March 19 at a base in Helmand province, resulted in three US troops being wounded. The culprit, an Afghan National Army officer from the 215th Maiwand Corps, was killed. The Taliban did not claim credit for the shooting, but did acknowledge it. Zabihullah Mujahid, an official Taliban spokesman described the Afghan solider as “an Afghan with a sense of patriotism.”

These incidents have decreased from 44 in 2012 to just two in 2016 and three more so far this year. This is due to a dramatic decrease in coalition forces after the end of the surge in 2012 as well as improved security measures. [For in-depth information, see Green-on-blue attacks in Afghanistan: the data.]

The insider attacks have ramped up as the Trump administration sent an additional 4,000 soldiers to Afghanistan in an effort to halt the Taliban’s gains over the past several years. The bulk of these forces are expected to partner with Afghan soldiers in the field in an attempt to improve their combat effectiveness.

 

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/06/afghan-soldier-opens-fire-on-us-troops-wounds-7.php

Edited June 18, 2017 by Panzermann