Afghanistan

British and Afghan forces launch operation in central Helmand

British and Afghan forces, led by 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, launched an operation this morning to continue the momentum generated by Operation MOSHTARAK and further squeeze insurgents in central Helmand.

Operation TOR SHEZADA - Black Prince - has been planned and is being executed by ISAF forces working hand-in-hand with their Afghan counterparts.

The operation involves British troops partnering Afghan forces from 3rd Brigade, 215 Corps, to clear insurgents from Sayedabad to the south of Nad 'Ali in Helmand province and prevent insurgents from being able to use the area as a base from which to launch attacks.

Read more at: mod.uk - British and Afghan forces launch operation in central Helmand 

Reuters: Hearts and mind hard to reach in Afghan valley

By Rob Taylor

SAIDON KALACHEH, Afghanistan, July 30 (Reuters) - Defeating insurgents in Afghanistan's volatile Arghandab Valley would take time, but there were now enough U.S. and Afghan troops to defeat the Taliban, the area's U.S. commander says.

A two-day push to widen security to "friendly" villages around a besieged U.S. combat post in Arghandab went awry this week, with American soldiers drawn into an insurgent fight and arguing with local people about their presence.

Soldiers shot and killed two suspected Taliban who had opened fire on them, although local people said the men were farmers. They accused U.S. troops of reacting to a backfiring tractor, underscoring how difficult the American mission to win support in the Taliban's birthplace will be.

Continues at: alertnet.org - Hearts and mind hard to reach in Afghan valley

Al Jazeera: Portrait of an occupied country

By Evan Hill 

In the days since whistleblower website Wikileaks released more than 90,000 military reportschronicling the war in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2009, journalists and commentators have written extensively about the deteriorating security situationthey describe.

The mass of classified communications has served to highlight links between the Taliban and Pakistan,the spreading danger of improvised explosive devices and the woeful disciplineof Afghan security forces.

The flip side of the war effort, the attempt to rebuild a wartorn country, has not caught the headlines.

Continues at: english.aljazeera: Portrait of an occupied country 

New CT scanners improve trauma care at Camp Bastion

A new facility housing two cutting edge CT (computerised tomography) scanners has been officially opened at the UK military field hospital at Camp Bastion in Helmand, southern Afghanistan, today.

The new facility will significantly improve the treatment available to injured Service personnel in theatre, and was opened by the Director General Army Medical Services, Major General Mike von Bertele.

Continues at: mod.uk - New CT scanners improve trauma care at Camp Bastion 

Al Jazeera: Lesson from the theatre of war

Amid discussions about the future of Afghanistan, Britain's military leaders have been getting an unusual kind of lesson on the country's past.

Some critics of the US-led presence in Afghanistan argue that not enough attention has been paid to the military interventions of the last two centuries.

General David Richards, Britain's military head, agrees and has told his colleagues that they could learn a thing or two by going to the theatre.

Nadim Baba reports for Al Jazeera from London.

Sky News: Second Missing US Navy Officer Found Dead

Tom Bonnett, Sky News Online

The second of two US Navy officers who vanished in a dangerous part of Afghanistan has been found dead.

The family of Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, 25, has been told of his death, a US military official said.

PO3 Newlove and Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin McNeley got into a gun battle when they drove into an insurgent stronghold in Logar province on Friday.

Continues at: news.sky.com - Second Missing US Navy Officer Found Dead

NATO Training Mission: Afghan Women Soldiers Don’t Struggle Alone

By Staff Sgt. Sarah Brown, USAF

A group of NATO Training Mission –Afghanistan mentors hosted a women’s forum for female Afghan National Army members July 18 at the Logistics Command in Kabul.

Afghan women face many challenges; cultural, societal and religious views create barriers that often prevent them from entering the work force, attending school or joining their military. The minority of women who do confront the status quo are faced with attitudes about women’s roles in society, discrimination and sexual harassment.

Currently there are 301 women serving in the Afghan National Army and just fewer than 1,000 in the Afghan National Police. While the ANA is on schedule to meet its overall recruiting goals of 134,000 by October 2010, the Ministry of Defense is struggling to fill the mandate of having women make up 10 percent of the army’s end strength.

Continues at: ntm-a.com - Afghan Women Soldiers Don’t Struggle Alone

Channel 4 News: Interpreting the truth, Afghan-style

Blog by Lindsey Hilsum

“You can learn an awful lot by passing the time of day with Afghans,” said Lt Colonel Jopp as he showed me round the bazaar.

Very true, provided you understand not only what’s being said but why. And for that you need more than a translator. I’ve been in three bazaars in Helmand over the past few days, passing the time of day with the help of ‘terps’ – British military interpreters. Now I’ve been through the tapes with another ‘terp’.

All is not as it seemed.

I was worried that people would give the answers they thought the British would like to hear - we were, after all, accompanied by half a dozen of Britain’s finest, all armed.

Continues at: blogs.channel4.com - Interpreting the truth, Afghan-style

Reuters: Britain to launch two new Afghan war investigations

Two new inquiries will examine Britain's role in the Afghanistan war, a parliamentary body said on Wednesday after leaked U.S. military documents cast a new light on civilian casualties.

Parliament's defence committee said issues it would look at in the first inquiry include the justification for Britain's continued participation in the nine-year war, the reporting of civilian casualties and the timetable for withdrawal.

The second inquiry will examine the context for a political settlement in Afghanistan, it said in a statement.

Continues at: alertnet.org - Britain to launch two new Afghan war investigations

ISAF: Insurgents Kill 6 More Civilians, Wound 3 More in IED Strikes

KABUL, Afghanistan (July 29) - Insurgents killed six more Afghan civilians and wounded three more in improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in southern Afghanistan yesterday.

Four civilians were killed and three wounded when an IED detonated in the Mizan district of Zabul province. The wounded were airlifted to a military medical facility in Qalat to receive treatment. In the Khash Rod district of Nimroz province, two Afghan civilians were killed when their vehicle struck an IED.

In an earlier report, numerous civilians were killed when their bus was stuck by an insurgent -placed IED, also in the Khash Rod district yesterday.

Continues at: isaf.nato.int - Insurgents Kill 6 More Civilians, Wound 3 More in IED Strikes

ISAF: Afghan Air Force Protects Base from Unexploded Ordinance

Kabul, Afghanistan (July 29) - Following multiple rocket attacks on the Kabul International Airport during the evening of July 19, 2010, Internal Security Assistance Force and Afghan Air Force reacted to clean up after the attack.

The AAF Security Forces notified Combined Air Power Transition Force mentors of a unexploded ordinance location between the taxiway and runway in the early morning. CAPTF mentors notified Kabul North Operation Center and initiated response.

AAF and CAPTF mentors marked the unexploded ordinance and provided grid coordinate for ISAF Explosive Ordinance Disposal team and directed their response. ISAF EOD spent several hours digging out the rocket buried approximately 1 meter deep. Both ISAF and AAF provided security and observation during incident.

Continues at: isaf.nato.int - Afghan Air Force Protects Base from Unexploded Ordinance

ISAF: ISAF Spokesman Highlights ANSF-led Efforts

KABUL, Afghanistan – German Army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, International Security Assistance Force spokesman, shared that Coalition forces, in many cases led by Afghan National Security Forces, have intensified efforts to defeat insurgent networks operating throughout Afghanistan.

“One highlight of these efforts recently was ANSF and international forces operations against insurgents who sought to disrupt President Karzai’s Kabul Conference,” said Blotz.

Insurgents failed to disrupt the conference, despite moving several attack cells and large caches of illicit weapons into the city.

Continues at: isaf.nato.int - ISAF Spokesman Highlights ANSF-led Efforts

Al Jazeera: Fierce fighting in Afghan valley

US and Afghan soldiers have launched a series of raids against the Taliban in the Arghandab Valley in southeastern Afghanistan.

With the American soldiers being ill-prepared for the kind of war the Taliban is fighting, attempts to defeat the enemy have not yet been successful.

Al Jazeera's Clayton Swisher, embedded with US troops, reports from the base Combat Outpost Nolen.

Click here to see the video report: english.aljazeera.net - Fierce fighting in Afghan valley

Wall Street Journal: The Missing Word in Our Afghanistan Strategy

Neither the British prime minister nor the U.S. president is talking about 'victory.'

By KARL ROVE

What President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron didn't say during last week's joint news conference may have mattered more than what they did say. The omissions could lead to a grave setback in the war on terror and deadly results for the Afghan people.

The president and prime minister declared their solidarity on the Afghanistan war. Both leaders "reaffirmed our commitment to the overall strategy," in Mr. Cameron's words. Mr. Obama said that approach aimed to "build Afghan capacity so Afghans can take responsibility for their future," a point Mr. Cameron called "a key part" of the coalition's strategy.

All well and good. But neither leader uttered the word "victory" or "win" or any other similar phrase. They made it sound as if the strategic goal was to stand up the Afghan security forces, leave as soon as that was done, and hope the locals were up to keeping things together.

Continues at: online.wsj.com - The Missing Word in Our Afghanistan Strategy

Canadian cowboy trains British soldiers to spot IEDs

The British Army has recruited a Canadian cowboy to teach soldiers how to look for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) hidden in the ground when deployed in Afghanistan.

The cowboy is professional tracker Terry Grant, aged 52, who is famed for his hit reality television show 'Mantracker' in which he tracks contestants over vast swathes of the Canadian wilderness.

He has now been employed to pass on his unique ground sign awareness skills to the soldiers of 7th Armoured Brigade (the Desert Rats) who are set to deploy to Afghanistan next year.

Read more at: mod.uk - Canadian cowboy trains British soldiers to spot IEDs

Beating the IED threat in Helmand

Men, machines, and most recently, animals, are working together to beat the biggest threat to troops in Afghanistan - improvised explosive devices (IEDs) laid by insurgents. Report by Sharon Kean.

A combination of search teams and bomb disposal experts (Advanced Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal) from across the forces form Counter-IED (C-IED) teams.

These work alongside the infantry battalions fighting on the front line in Helmand province, and can be called upon to deal with any IEDs soldiers find.

Read more at: mod.uk - Beating the IED threat in Helmand 

Reuters: Special forces relieve pressure in Afghan valley

By Rob Taylor

OUTPOST NOLEN, Afghanistan, July 28 (Reuters) - Elite U.S. special forces soldiers are relieving insurgent pressure on American outposts in the volatile Arghandab Valley with a series of night attacks on suspected Taliban hideouts.

The raids, backed by a "Spectre" C-130 gunship and Afghan commandos, began four days ago in the village of Khosrow Sofla, and followed weeks of near-daily attacks by insurgents on American bases near the town of Jelawar.

"We considered it an area of Taliban sanctuary, or at least of tacit or semi-permissive support," said U.S. Army Major Brendan Raymond, of Woodbridge, Virginia.

Continues at: alertnet.org - Special forces relieve pressure in Afghan valley

Reuters: Bomb blast kills 25 bus passengers in Afghan west

HERAT, Afghanistan, July 28 (Reuters) - At least 25 Afghan passengers were killed and over a dozen wounded when their bus was hit by a roadside bomb in western Afghanistan on Wednesday, the provincial governor said.

"Afghanistan once again saw a day of bloodshed of innocent civilian lives," Ghulam Dastgir Azaad, the governor of Nimroz where the incident occurred, told Reuters.

The bus was on its way from Delaram district, about 700 kms (430 miles) from the capital, Kabul, when the bomb exploded.

Continues at: alertnet.org - Bomb blast kills 25 bus passengers in Afghan west

United States Department of Defense: Obama: Issues in Leaked Documents Led to Review

By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2010 – President Barack Obama today issued his first comments on WikiLeaks’ release of Afghanistan war documents, saying he is concerned about the leaks, but that they don’t reveal any new issues.

“While I’m concerned about the disclosure of sensitive information from the battlefield that could potentially jeopardize individuals or operations,” Obama said, “the fact is that these documents don’t reveal any issues that haven’t already informed our public debate on Afghanistan. Indeed, they point to the same challenges that led me to conduct an extensive review last fall.”

The president made the comments from the White House Rose Garden after meeting with members of the House and Senate on a variety of issues, including Afghanistan war funding, job creation, and energy policy.

Continues at: defense.gov - Obama: Issues in Leaked Documents Led to Review

United Nations News Service: UN stresses civilian protection after latest incident in Afghanistan

The United Nations today underscored the need for all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan to ensure the protection of civilians, following reports of a large number of civilian deaths and injuries during a recent incident in the southern province of Helmand.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Afghan Government are investigating the incident in Rege on 23 July during which more than 50 civilians, including women and children, were reportedly killed.

“While the Government and ISAF determine the facts of what occurred in Rege, where reports detail a large number of civilian deaths and injuries, I once again highlight the need for all sides to meet their obligations to protect civilians,” said Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.

Continues at: un.org - UN stresses civilian protection after latest incident in Afghanistan

Channel 4 News: Human bait: tracking the Taliban with the US Army

Channel 4 News cameraman Stuart Webb blogs from southern Afghanistan where he is currently embedded with the US Army.
You know that game at the fair where you try to shoot down ducks with an air rifle to get a prize? Well just lately I’ve been feeling a bit like one of those ducks.

I’ve been going on patrols with Americas’ 82nd Airborne in the green zone around Kandahar. But this isn’t like the Green Zone in Baghdad; the heavily fortified area where the Americans operated in relative security. No, the green zones in Afghanistan are the most dangerous places to be.

They refer to the green strips of cultivated land that run alongside the rives in this largely arid and desert like country. The green zones are where the majority of the population live, and where the majority of the fighting takes place, because the trees and crops that grow here provide perfect ambush country for the Taliban. Among the soldiers in Afghanistan the green zone is a by-word for war, for fear, for ambushes and fighting.

Continues at: blogs.channel4.com - Human bait: tracking the Taliban with the US Army