Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

Afghan Forces Will Not Meet Takeover Deadline: US General

US General Cites Goals to Train Afghan Forces, The New York Times, 24 August 2010

EXCERPT: "The US commander in charge of building up Afghanistan's security forces has said that in the next 15 months he would have to recruit and train 141,000 soldiers and police officers to meet President Barack Obama's goals for getting Afghan forces to fight the war on their own. That figure is more than the current size of the Afghan army. Lieutenant-General William Caldwell, said the large recruiting number was to allow for attrition rates in some units of nearly 50 per cent. He said it would not be until October 2011 - three months after the deadline for the start of US withdrawals set by Mr Obama - that he will have built the Afghan security forces to their full capacity. For now, he said, 'they cannot operate independently'. General Caldwell's remarks, made by video feed from Kabul, to reporters at the Pentagon, underscored the challenge the Obama administration faces in trying to turn around the nine-year war, which has deteriorated on the ground and become increasingly unpopular among Americans. The Afghan army now numbers 134,000, with a goal of 171,600 by October 2011. The Afghan National Police has 115,500 officers, with a goal of 134,000 by October 2011. Desertions and resignations continue to be a problem."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Attrition, illiteracy big challenges in Afghan security growth, ABC News, 23 August 2010
If Afghan troops can’t read Cat in the Hat, this war is screwed, Wired News, 23 August 2010
Training Afghan police remains biggest challenge, CBS News, 22 August 2010

Related posts:
Afghan security forces will be ready by 2014: Karzai, 21 July 2010
Karzai is said to doubt West can defeat Taliban, 14 June 2010
Corrupt Afghan police blamed for locals joining the Taliban, 4 June 2010
Shaping ANSF: What it will take to implement Obama's new strategy, 10 December 2009
Karzai wants ANA to replace foreign forces in five years, 20 November 2009

NATO Slack Forces US to Send Afghanistan Trainers

NATO Slack Forces US to Send Afghanistan Trainers, NPR, 13 August 2010

EXCERPT: "American soldiers — and even private contractors — are spearheading the effort to build an Afghan army and police force, so American and NATO troops can one day leave. But Pentagon officials and military officers say NATO nations still aren't doing enough. A few weeks ago, hundreds of artillery troops and air defense artillery soldiers from Fort Sill in Oklahoma and Fort Campbell in Kentucky started heading over to Afghanistan. They weren't part of the so-called surge in combat troops. Instead, Defense Secretary Robert Gates signed orders for them to work as trainers because European nations were too slow in helping out. 'We're still not getting NATO able to force-generate and deploy forces in the numbers that we need,' says Army Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, who leads the training effort in Afghanistan. 'So Gates said, "OK then, I'm going to give you another unit."' It was the second time this year Gates said OK to more American trainers because NATO wasn't picking up the slack. An 800-soldier battalion from the 82nd Airborne Division just got back from Afghanistan on a three-month training mission, designed to serve as a 'bridge' to more NATO troops. But with the NATO troops still not arriving, the troops from Oklahoma and Kentucky were sent — for a year."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
The State of the War - Editorial, The New York Times, 12 August 2010
Planned Afghanistan drawdown a sensitive issue, CNN, 1 August 2010
Pentagon sees training allies as its greatest hope, Stars and Stripes, 30 July 2010

Related resource:
Tommy Sowers: Who Will Pay for the Afghan Military? The Question Congress Must Answer Now, The Huffington Post, 22 July 2010

Related posts:
Training of Afghan military, police has improved: NATO, 31 May 2010
Hundreds more trainers may be needed: NATO, 18 May 2010
A force in fragments: Reconstituting the Afghan National Army, 13 May 2010
US troops fill NATO training gap in Afghanistan, 28 April 2010
NATO falls short in push for new trainers, 24 February 2010

Afghan Army Offensive Goes "Disastrously Wrong"

Afghan Army Offensive Goes "Disastrously Wrong", BBC News, 13 August 2010

EXCERPT: "An Afghan National Army operation - initially run independently of Nato - in the eastern province of Laghman went 'disastrously wrong', officials say. They say that what should have been a routine 'mopping up' operation turned into a 'major confrontation' after the Taliban launched an ambush. Defence officials told the BBC that at least seven Afghan soldiers had been killed and 14 injured. They say that Nato troops and air support have now joined the fighting. Officials say that while troops were caught by surprise in the Taliban ambush, they have now fought back and inflicted heavy casualties on the insurgents over the last few days. The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says that questions are bound to be asked as to why the Afghan National Army (ANA) went into a remote and mountainous area - known to be Taliban and al-Qaeda strongholds - initially without Nato support. Our correspondent says the fact the the ANA had to call on Nato ground and air support will be something of an embarrassment to it and coalition forces."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Showcase Afghan army mission turns into debacle, The New York Times, 12 August 2010
Afghan National Army reaches benchmark, but are they fit for duty?, ABC News, 12 August 2010
Foreigners boost insurgency in eastern Afghanistan, The Associated Press, 12 August 2010

Related posts:
Afghan troops reach 240,000 goal early, 11 August 2010
Afghan security forces will be ready by 2014: Karzai, 21 July 2010
Afghanistan "unable to pay for troops for 15 years", 8 December 2009
Karzai wants ANA to replace foreign forces in five years, 20 November 2009

Afghan Troops Reach 240,000 Goal Early

Afghan Troops Reach 240,000 Goal Early, USA Today, 11 August 2010

EXCERPT: "NATO has reached its goal of expanding the size of Afghanistan's army and police to 240,000 three months ahead of schedule, achieving a key measurement that will be used to gauge progress in the war. The size and quality of Afghan security forces will be a central part of a review that the White House will be conducting in December to measure the effectiveness of its strategy of emphasizing protecting civilians in Afghanistan. The improved recruitment and retention follow a pay raise and improvements in a payroll system. NATO has also increased the number of trainers dedicated to working with Afghan soldiers. The quality of the recruits is also improving, according to statistics. A year ago, only about 25% of the soldiers graduating from basic training passed a weapon-qualification test. Today, between 90% and 95% pass the test, said Jack Kem, deputy director of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Taking on the Taliban in Kandahar, BBC News, 11 August 2010
Over 1,400 newly graduated Afghan soldiers commissioned to army, People's Daily Online, 10 August 2010
Force for change: the women of the new Afghan army, The Daily Telegraph, 5 August 2010
Conditioning the Afghan withdrawal, The News International, 4 August 2010

Related posts:
Afghan army struggles with ethnic divisions, 28 July 2010
Afghan security forces will be ready by 2014: Karzai, 21 July 2010
Report faults US for being too optimistic about Afghan security capabilities, 29 June 2010
Afghan army improves, but still lacks leaders, 2 June 2010
NATO falls short in push for new trainers, 24 February 2010

Drug Use, Poor Discipline Afflict Afghanistan's Army

Drug Use, Poor Discipline Afflict Afghanistan's Army, The Wall Street Journal, 29 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Use of marijuana, opium and heroin among Afghan troops, even while on patrol, is just one of the challenges coalition forces face in working with the Afghan National Army as they begin a major push against the Taliban in and around the southern city of Kandahar. U.S. soldiers complain that poor discipline, drug use, a trigger-happy attitude and general carelessness by Afghan soldiers are putting American lives in danger and could ultimately undermine efforts to win over wary Afghans, the main aim of the campaign. The U.S. strategy for leaving Afghanistan is heavily dependent on building capable Afghan military and police forces that can take over. At a conference in Kabul last week, Afghan President Hamid Karzai won international backing for his forces to take the lead in securing Afghanistan by 2014. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staffs, backed Mr. Karzai's deadline in comments in Kabul this weekend, but he acknowledged that significant challenges first must be overcome."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Resurgence of Taliban in northern Afghanistan strains NATO troops, San Francisco Examiner, 29 July 2010
Leaked documents show Afghan forces infighting and using drugs, CNN, 27 July 2010
Taliban pays its troops better than Karzai pays his, Wired News, 26 July 2010

Related posts:
Afghan army struggles with ethnic divisions, 28 July 2010
Afghan security forces will be ready by 2014: Karzai, 21 July 2010
Rogue Afghan soldier kills three UK troops, 13 July 2010
Report faults US for being too optimistic about Afghan security capabilities, 29 June 2010
Afghan army improves, but still lacks leaders, 2 June 2010

Afghan Army Struggles with Ethnic Divisions

Afghan Army Struggles with Ethnic Divisions, The Associated Press, 28 July 2010

EXCERPT: "The Afghan soldiers look like they belong. They wear beards, carry Soviet-era rifles and stride confidently through fields of wheat, melons and okra. In one village, a young girl brings them a jug of milk to drink under the shade of a tree. Officers in the U.S. Army routinely praise their Afghan partners: They know the culture, can relate to the villagers and understand regional politics. But in southern Afghanistan, the focus of the U.S. war effort, nearly all the Afghan soldiers are foreigners too. Most don't even speak the local language. They have to communicate through interpreters hired for the Americans. Despite ethnic quotas and recruiting drives, the Afghan army is still dominated by northern minorities who were oppressed by the Taliban. Nearly all Taliban are ethnic Pashtuns. Although many Pashtuns, the country's biggest ethnic community, are not connected to the Taliban, the rift between northerners and the southern Pashtuns runs deep."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Viewpoint: Why Afghans fear village defence forces, BBC News, 27 July 2010
Friction among Afghans looms as challenge in south, The Associated Press, 22 July 2010
Are Afghan forces loyal enough to take control by 2014?, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2010
Ethnic divide threatens in Afghanistan, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2010

Related posts:
Taliban violence creating social revolution among Pashtuns, 23 July 2010
Reluctant Pashtuns hamper Afghan recruitment drive, 4 March 2010
Karzai may institute conscription, 8 February 2010
For US, vast challenge to expand Afghan forces, 22 December 2009

Afghan Security Forces Will Be Ready by 2014: Karzai

Karzai says Afghan Security Forces Will Be Ready to Be On Their Own by 2014, The Dallas Morning News, 21 July 2010

EXCERPT: "A landmark international conference on Tuesday endorsed President Hamid Karzai's plan for Afghanistan's security forces to take over responsibility for safeguarding the country within four years, setting a potential timeline for foreign troops' departure. The Afghan capital was under virtual lockdown for the high-level gathering, which passed without any major attack. However, insurgents fired rockets at Kabul's international airport overnight, forcing the diversion of a plane carrying U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Bagram air base, north of the capital. Helicopters thundered overhead as the delegations arrived and departed. Below, the streets of Kabul were nearly deserted except for patrolling police. 'I remain determined that our Afghan national security forces will be responsible for all military and law enforcement operations throughout our country by 2014,' Karzai told the delegates, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and dozens of foreign ministers and other dignitaries."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Afghanistan makes promises, but no guarantees, AFP, 21 July 2010
Analysis: Taliban ties at heart of conference, The National Post, 21 July 2010
Kabul Conference sets lofty goals, Newsweek, 21 July 2010
Achieving Kabul Conference objectives a challenging mission, China View, 21 July 2010
Kim Sengupta: Throwing cash at a corrupt government shows how the West is desperate for an exit, The Independent, 21 July 2010

Related resources:
PRESS CONFERENCE (near verbatim transcript): At the close of the Kabul International Conference on Afghanistan, held at the Government Media Information Centre, Kabul [pdf], United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, 21 July 2010
A Renewed Commitment By The Afghan Government To The Afghan People [pdf], The Government of Afghanistan, 21 July 2010

Related posts:
Karzai pledges reforms in exchange for int'l backing, 20 July 2010
Afghan conference eyes 2014 security handover: Report, 19 July 2010
Karzai is said to doubt West can defeat Taliban, 14 June 2010
Violence, political uncertainty plague post-jirga Afghanistan, 10 June 2010
Karzai's plan to negotiate with the Taliban, 18 May 2010

Afghan Conference Eyes 2014 Security Handover: Report

Afghan Conference Eyes 2014 Security Handover: Report, AFP, 19 July 2010

EXCERPT: "International powers fighting in Afghanistan will agree next week to hand over control of security in the country to Afghan forces by 2014, a British newspaper reported Sunday. A leaked communique circulated ahead of Tuesday's meeting of donor nations in Kabul will set out a phased transition beginning this year, according to the Independent on Sunday. 'The international community expressed its support for the president of Afghanistan's objective that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) should lead and conduct military operations in all provinces by the end of 2014,' the agreed statement says, according to the paper. It also pledges that foreign powers will continue to 'provide the support necessary to increase security during this time, and the continued support in training, equipping and providing interim financing to the ANSF'. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and senior officials from over 60 countries and international organisations are scheduled to attend the Kabul conference to discuss the rebuilding of the troubled nation. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said this month he would be 'very surprised' if Afghan forces had not taken over security by 2014, and Prime Minister David Cameron has said he wants Britain's troops home by 2015."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Suicide bomber kills 3 as Kabul prepares to host diplomats, The Washington Post, 19 July 2010
Liam Fox: Troops will leave Afghanistan by 2014, The Daily Telegraph, 19 July 2010
2,000 US troops to exit Afghanistan early next year: Biden, Eurasia Review, 18 July 2010
Afghan army key to Nato withdrawal, BBC News, 13 July 2010
Petraeus warns it could be years before Afghan troops manage on their own, The Guardian, 30 June 2010

Related posts:
Karzai is said to doubt West can defeat Taliban, 14 June 2010
Violence, political uncertainty plague post-jirga Afghanistan, 10 June 2010
NATO suffers deadliest day this year in Afghanistan, 8 June 2010
Taliban fighters estimated at 36,000: UK general, 3 March 2010
Taliban vow guerrilla warfare against NATO, 11 February 2010

Rogue Afghan Soldier Kills Three UK Troops

Rogue Afghan Soldier Kills Three UK Troops, Financial Times, 13 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Nato’s operation in Afghanistan suffered a setback on Tuesday when a rogue Afghan soldier killed three British troops and wounded four others inside a compound in Helmand province where he was being trained. In an incident that raises renewed questions about the reliability of the Afghan national security forces, the rogue soldier fired a range of weapons at his victims in Nahar-e-Saraj, a district of Helmand. It is understood that one of the soldiers was shot; the other two were killed by a rocket-propelled grenade. The perpetrator escaped and was being hunted. The incident is damaging to the Nato mission because it risks undermining the trust of soldiers training Afghan national army and police forces, a task that is essential if the US-led ­mission is to leave the country. Tuesday’s incident was the second rogue killing of its kind in seven months. An Afghan policeman shot dead five British soldiers in November and seriously wounded six others in their compound."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Nato chief urges UK to "stay course in Afghanistan", BBC News, 13 July 2010
Analysis: Killings by 'rogue' soldier another setback for Afghanistan policy, The Guardian, 13 July 2010
Afghanistan war: Afghan soldier kills three British troops and escapes. Now what?, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2010
Revealed: How strategy to train Afghan forces is in deep trouble, The Independent, 11 July 2010
Liam Fox: British troops will be last to leave Afghanistan, The Daily Telegraph, 30 June 2010

Related posts:
British combat role "could be over in three years", 8 July 2010
British advances in Afghanistan have escalated conflict: UN, 21 June 2010
Britain reaffirms support for Afghanistan effort, 10 June 2010
Support for Afghan mission drops in UK, Canada, 16 October 2009
British commanders demand more troops, 21 September 2009

Russia to Deliver 21 Transport Helicopters to Afghanistan

Russia to Deliver 21 Transport Helicopters to Afghanistan, RIA Novosti, 12 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Russia will supply Afghanistan with 21 Mi-17 Hip military transport helicopters, an Afghan television channel reported on Monday. According to Tolo television, the contract is worth $300 million and was concluded with the approval of the сentral command in Afghanistan. Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin told RIA Novosti on Monday that NATO had yet to agree on the exact delivery date of some time in July, although the alliance has voiced the need for Russian transport helicopters a long time ago. The Mi-17 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Afghan Air Force currently has 25 Mi-17 helicopters, which are widely used for troop and cargo transport, rescue and evacuation missions in the fight against Taliban militants. Afghanistan plans to increase the number of Mi-17 helicopters to 56 by 2012. The majority of Afghan helicopters pilots were trained in the Soviet Union in the 1980s."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
NATO to purchase Russian choppers for Afghanistan despite congressmen’s protests, Pravda, 8 July 2010
US seeks to mend frayed ties on Russia border, The Wall Street Journal, 3 July 2010

Related posts:
Poppy eradication pits Russia vs. NATO, 22 April 2010
Russia slams foreign forces over Afghan drugs, 4 March 2010
Russia rules out sending troops to Afghanistan, 10 February 2010
Russia to allow US arms shipments to Afghanistan, 3 July 2009