Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

Taliban Expands Control of Nuristan

'Taliban Expands Control of Nuristan', Al Jazeera, 11 November 2009

EXCERPT: "Taliban fighters are expanding their control of Afghanistan's Nuristan province, an area they claim to have recaptured from US troops. A video obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera purports to show Taliban fighters in the Kamdesh district. Their leaders say they have appointed some local officials and reopened schools. Sections of the footage also show Taliban fighters brandishing what appeared to be US weapons. The fighters said they had seized the arms cache from two military outposts in eastern Nuristan, abandoned by US forces last month. Angela Eggman, a Nato spokeswoman, said it was not clear from the video where or when the weapons were obtained. 'Before departing the base, the units removed all sensitive items and accounted for them,' she said. But General Mohammad Qassim Jangulbagh, Nuristan's provincial police chief, disagreed, saying: 'The Americans left ammunition at the base.'"

Read the full article.

Related articles:
'TV footage shows Afghan insurgents with US ammo', The Associated Press, 10 November 2009
'Afghan militants carrying US weapons?', CBS News, 10 November 2009

Related posts:
'Emerging goal: Weaken, not vanquish, Taliban', 9 October 2009
'Taliban widen Afghan attacks from base in Pakistan', 24 September 2009
'Conflict assessment Afghanistan', 15 September 2009
'Taliban present in 80% of Afghanistan', 10 September 2009
'Taliban "out-governing" the government', 31 August 2009

Eight US Soldiers Dead In Attack In Nuristan

'Eight US Soldiers Dead In Bold Attack In Afghanistan', The New York Times, 4 October 2009

EXCERPT: "Insurgents besieged two American outposts in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, American and Afghan officials said, killing eight Americans and two Afghan policemen in a bold daylight strike that was the deadliest for American soldiers in more than a year. The attack took place in the Nuristan province, a remote area on the border with Pakistan. It began Saturday morning, when insurgents stormed the area, pounding the two American base camps with guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Americans fought back, striking their attackers with helicopters, heavy guns and airstrikes, but the insurgents were persistent and the battled lasted into the afternoon, said Col. Wayne Shanks, a spokesman for NATO forces in Afghanistan. It was unclear whether insurgents made it inside either of the two compounds, but Colonel Shanks said that by the end of the battle, American forces still controlled the outposts. The Americans shared the compounds with Afghan security forces."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'"What’s the point? The Taliban will be back within a week"', Times Online, 4 October 2009
'For US troops, Afghanistan's green zone "like Vietnam without the napalm"', Dallas Morning News, 4 October 2009
'On Afghanistan, US military puts Obama on the spot', AFP, 4 October 2009
'Deployments and diplomacy', Newsweek, 3 October 2009

Related posts:
'Conflict assessment Afghanistan', 15 September 2009
'2009 deadliest year for NATO troops', 25 August 2009
'Challenges facing US counterinsurgency effort in Kunar and Nuristan', 28 July 2009
'The Afghanistan campaign: Can we win?', 22 July 2009
'Afghan insurgent violence accelerates in 2009', 12 June 2009

Challenges Facing US Counterinsurgency Effort In Kunar And Nuristan

'Kunar And Nuristan: Rethinking US Counterinsurgency Operations', Institute for the Study of War, 28 July 2009

EXCERPT: "Counterinsurgency, successfully applied in Iraq, has become an integral component of U.S. military doctrine. Indeed, an effective counterinsurgency strategy will be crucial in stabilizing Afghanistan. However, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are quite distinct, and assumptions true in Iraq will not necessarily hold true for Afghanistan. Thus, U.S. forces will need to tailor their strategy and tactics to the specific condition in each region of Afghanistan. Examining events in Kunar and eastern Nuristan in 2007 and 2008, this paper begins with a brief overview of Kunar and Nuristan provinces and their strategic importance to both U.S. and enemy forces followed by a discussion of U.S. force disposition and strategy. The next section describes the 'enemy syndicate' in the region, while the second half of the paper documents operations and major developments in three areas: the Pakistani border, northern Kunar and eastern Nuristan, and the interior of Kunar province, including the Pech and Korengal River Valleys. In conclusion, this paper challenges some of the assumptions about the U.S.’s counterinsurgency strategy in Kunar."

To continue reading the report, click here [pdf].

See also:
'Nuristani elders want peace, development', ReliefWeb, 28 July 2009
'Video: Kunar deployment puts US troops to the test', Al Jazeera, 15 July 2009
'Don't bomb us, Osama is in Kunar: Pakistan interior minister', Daily Times, 13 July 2009

Related posts:
'Assessing counterinsurgency and stabilization missions', 4 May 2009
'Afghan insurgency stronger than ever', 11 November 2008
'Insurgents increasingly employing complex attacks', 30 October 2008
'Counterinsurgency literature reviewed, prevailing wisdom questioned', 29 May 2008
'Insurgent attacks still up in Afghanistan's east', 28 May 2008

US Troops Pull Out Of Afghan Base

'US Troops Pull Out Of Afghan Base', The Globe and Mail, 16 July 2008

EXCERPT: "US troops abandoned a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan where militants killed nine U.S. soldiers this week and insurgents briefly overran the area, officials said Wednesday [16 July 2008], underlining the difficulties faced by forces in the border region. Militants seized the village of Wanat in Nuristan province after driving out the handful of Afghan police left behind to defend government offices, Afghan officials said. Fifty more officers were deployed Wednesday and soon regained control, said Ghoolam Farouq, a senior provincial police official. Sunday's [13 July 2008] attack by some 200 militants armed with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars was the deadliest for the U.S. military in Afghanistan in three years. Rebels fought their way into the newly established base, wounding another 15 Americans and suffering heavy casualties of their own, before the defenders and warplanes could drive them back."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'More US troops may go to Afghanistan this year', The Associated Press, 16 July 2008
'US, Afghan troops abandon base overrun by militants', VOA News, 16 July 2008
'Taliban breached NATO base in deadly clash', International Herald Tribune, 16 July 2008

Related posts:
'Taliban flexing muscle in Afghanistan', 14 July 2008
'Bush acknowledges tough fight in Afghanistan', 2 July 2008
'Nearly 40,000 troops to be deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan', 20 May 2008
'Afghanistan More Dangerous than Iraq for US Troops', 30 November 2007

Afghanistan Probes Civilian Deaths Claim: Ministry

'Afghanistan Probes Civilian Deaths Claim: Ministry', Agence France Presse, 7 April 2008

EXCERPT: "Afghanistan authorities said Monday [7 April 2008] they were investigating claims by provincial officials that up to 33 civilians were killed in a weekend offensive by US-led troops. The defence ministry said it could not confirm that civilians were killed in the raids by US and Afghan forces in the eastern province of Nuristan, a known stronghold of Taliban-led militants. The US-led coalition had earlier reported 'significant' insurgent casualties during the operation. Mohammad Aleem, Nuristan deputy governor, told AFP that 33 civilians, including women and children, were killed and dozens more injured in the day-long operation in the mountainous province's Do'aab district. District chief Qari Daud put the death toll at 28, all of them civilians. The defence ministry said in a statement that reports from the area 'indicate that non-civilians were hurt during that operation.' On Sunday, it had reported 'heavy' militant casualties."

To continue reading the article, click here.

For more information on civilian deaths in Afghanistan, please see the Monitor's Fatality Data, Civilian section.

See also:
'Afghan troops say they inflict heavy casualties on insurgents', Voice of America, 7 April 2008
'US-Afghan strikes claim 19 lives', Press TV, 7 April 2008