As U.S. Forces Leave Afghanistan, Locals Demand Rent Money

Afghans Angry At US soldiers Who Drove Away In The Night Leaving Rent Unpaid -- The Guardian

Only sign of huge US base is pile of rubbish and broken vehicles – and a festering land dispute in a volatile province

US forces left behind piles of equipment, an unpaid rent bill and a festering land dispute that threatens to undermine the Afghan government when they moved out of a volatile corner of eastern Kunar province this year, local officials and their former landlords say.

The only clue that a base that dominated Pashengar village for years had been abandoned for good was the midnight rumble of a convoy of trucks. In the morning, locals found guards gone, buildings blown up and, scattered around what had been a forbidding military encampment, piles of detritus from years of western living in a remote, mountainous valley.

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My Comment: More evidence that the U.S. and NATO are leaving, and everyone scrambling to grab as much money as possible.

Over 1,000 Afghan Soldiers Killed In 2012 (Plus 394 ISAF Soldiers)

Sharing Lunch - U.S. paratroopers join Afghan soldiers in a traditional Afghan lunch following a combined clearing operation in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, April 29, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod

Afghan Troop Deaths Rise As Army Expands Its Role -- New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan government has hit a grim record in its quest to take over the country’s security from coalition forces: more than 1,000 soldiers died in 2012, a roughly 20 percent increase from 2011.

Though the Afghan Army’s death rates have outstripped those for international forces in recent years, the new figures show the widest margin yet, as more and more Afghan units have taken the field. International forces were reported to have lost about 400 soldiers in 2012, the lowest number since 2008.

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More News On Afghan - ISAF Fatalities For 2012

Violence in Afghanistan falls in 2012, but more Afghan troops dying and insider attacks rise -- Washington Post/AP
1056 Afghan soldiers killed in 2012: Defense officials -- Khaama Press
Afghan soldier deaths reach record level in 2012 -- Global Post
Record number of Afghan soldiers killed in 2012 -- International News
Record Number of Afghan Soldiers Killed in 2012 -- Defense News/AFP

My Comment: The Afghan military is stepping up .... but they are suffering heavy casualties.

German Concerns On Training the Afghan Police Force

Afghan police instructor Tarek (far right), conducts a training exercise in Mazar-e-Sharif. As the withdrawal of Western troops approaches, such efforts appear to have been insufficient. Andreas Ulrich/ DER SPIEGEL

Ineffective And Unsustainable Failure Threatens Afghan Police Training Mission -- Spiegel Online

German officials have been training police in Afghanistan for a decade, but a visit to their training center in Mazar-e-Sharif creates major doubts about the effectiveness of the mission. Afghan police remain poorly prepared to tackle the mighty challenges they will face as Western forces withdraw.

The Afghan national sport is called buzkashi. It's a game in which horsemen battle over a goat carcass. There are no established teams.

During a match, the competitors forge brief, continuously shifting alliances. They only work together until they have gained a short-term advantage. The game can last for hours, even days. The winner is the rider who manages to carry the carcass to the goal. Buzkashi is a mirror of Afghan society.

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My Comment: No one said that this was going to be easy, but you would think that after 11 years of war and training Afghan's security forces .... we would have something more to show for it.

The Taliban In Afghanistan Do Not Take Prisoners

An Afghan soldier salutes and reports during a security transition ceremony on Camp Sayar in Farah City, Afghanistan, Dec. 12, 2012. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Matthew Stroup

Video Shown of Apparent Execution of Afghan Soldier -- New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — Mohammad Jan’s killers did not even do him the decency of looking him in the eye.

In a distressing video aired on national television stations here on Thursday night, the Afghan National Army soldier first has his army identity card stuck in his mouth and is then ordered to say his name out loud, but can only mumble unintelligibly because of the card.

The scene cuts and one of the killers stands behind him and shoots him in the head with a pistol, five times. Another man stands off to the side, out of his victim’s view, and fires three bursts from his AK-47 rifle into his torso, which convulses at each round.

It was yet another example of a terrible truth, one that has been a commonplace for so long that it is seldom commented upon: insurgents in Afghanistan rarely take any prisoners

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My Comment: Airing this video on Afghan TV is only going to tell the Afghan soldiers that surrender is not an option .... that they must fight to the death. On the flip side .... I will not be surprised if we start hearing numerous reports of the Afghan Army executing Taliban prisoners. With U.S./NATO forces withdrawing, it will only be a matter of time before there will no longer be any ISAF supervision of prisoners captured, and Afghans will start to mete out justice the Afghan way.

U.S. Drone Strikes Becoming The Norm In Afghanistan

The U.S. Air Force supplied information of drone strikes shows a sharp increase from 2011 to 2012

Revealed: U.S. Carried Out 333 Drone Strikes In Afghanistan This Year Alone - More Than The Entire Drone Strikes In Pakistan Over The Past Eight Years COMBINED -- Daily Mail

* U.S. carried out 333 drone strikes in Afghanistan in 2012, report says, up from 294 in 2011
* Controversial method of fighting uses remote pilots to operate aircrafts

The United States carried out more drone strikes in Afghanistan this year than it has done in all the years put together in Pakistan since it launched the covert air war there eight years ago, it has been revealed.

The statistics, published by the U.S. Air Force and published by Wired’s Danger Room blog, show that there were 333 drone strikes in Afghanistan in 2012 alone, up from 294 in the previous year and 278 in 2010.

It is far more than an estimated 338 strikes carried out by the CIA in Pakistan since it began hunting down remnants of al Qaeda, the Taliban and other militant groups in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas eight years ago.

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My Comment: Manned combat aircraft are still the norm .... but the trend is (slowly but surely) going the other way.

These British Soldiers Are Happy To Be Coming Home From Afghanistan Three Months Early

The members of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 Scots), flew back to Edinburgh three months earlier than initially planned

We're Coming Home! Joy Of Hero Troops Flying Back From Helmand Three Months Early To Be With Their Families For Christmas -- Daily Mail

* Soldiers from 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland head home after handing bases over to Afghan control
* Prime Minister announces more than 3,800 troops fighting in Afghanistan will be home by Christmas next year

Sixty soldiers have returned from Afghanistan to spend Christmas with their families. The members of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 Scots), flew back to Edinburgh three months earlier than initially planned.

The Ministry of Defence said the move is part of the planned troop reduction in the country, which will see the number of service personnel in Afghanistan reduce from 9,500 to 9,000 before Christmas.

More than 3,800 British troops fighting in Afghanistan will be home by Christmas next year, David Cameron announced this week.

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My Comment: The war is over for these soldiers.

Behind The Plot To Kill Afghanistan’s Spy Chief

Tale of the Taliban Bomber: Behind the Plot to Kill Afghanistan’s Spy Chief -- Mujib Mashal, Time

For Asadullah Khalid, the morning of Dec. 6 — the day the Taliban tried to kill him — was as routine as any other. Dressed in an embroidered beige shirt, Kabul’s recently-appointed intelligence chief signed papers and reviewed the interior design of the new office he intended to occupy. Then, he left for a lunch meeting in one of his agency’s guesthouses in the Afghan capital. But during the meeting he was critically wounded by his Taliban interlocutor, who had been carrying about 2.5 kgs of explosives in his underwear. Khalid was flown to the U.S. air base in Bagram a few hours after the attack. He regained consciousness the next day, but requires several additional operations after suffering serious abdominal injuries.

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My Comment: Asadullah Khalid's injuries are serious enough that he will be treated abroad. What's my take .... Asadullah Khalid was very lucky to not have joined this list of assassinated Afghan officials.

Is One Doctor's Life Worth One SEAL's Life?

Photo: Nicolas Cheque, SEAL Team 6

One Doctor's Life For One SEAL's Life: Was It Really Worth That? -- Andrew Malcolm, Investors.com

It's the kind of news that makes anyone sick, especially parents and especially around the holidays when families are supposed to be reunited, not shattered.

And when it's the death of just one person, the fatal event allows those watching to personalize this awful Afghanistan war, which is ignored at home and has descended into a meaninglessness drift after a decade of deaths.

Nicolas Checque was a 28-year-old, much-decorated member of the hallowed SEAL Team 6, among the elite of the secret warriors from all the armed forces who will continue to be the discrete spear-point of the dark wars it seems we'll face for a very long time.

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My Comment: Nicolas Cheque .... like everyone else who has decided to serve in the American military .... know the risks and sacrifices. Our prayers are with his familiy and loved ones. As to the question .... One Doctor's Life For One SEAL's Life: Was It Really Worth That? .... that's an impossible question for me to answer. But I do know one thing .... one U.S. soldiers life is worth more than a thousand dead Taliban .... much more.

My 'Take' On The Pentagon's Afghan Report

Coalition force members maintain security in their vehicles during a presence patrol in Afghanistan's Farah province, Dec. 1, 2012. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau

Pentagon Reports Bleak Findings In Afghanistan -- Foreign Policy

Gloomy report

A new report released by the U.S. Department of Defense on Monday finds that just one of the Afghan National Army's 23 brigades is capable of operating on its own without NATO support (NYT, Bloomberg, WSJ). The report's dismal findings continue with an assessment that violence is higher than it was before the 2009 surge, the Taliban have proved resilient, corruption continues to plague the central government, and Pakistan continue to provide support to the insurgency.

The Taliban have said that two of their members will attend a meeting organized by a think tank on the outskirts of Paris to discuss Afghanistan's future, but they will not engage in talks about peace and reconciliation (AP). Representatives from Afghanistan's High Peace Council, anti-Taliban political parties, and the militant group Hezb-e-Islami have also agreed to attend.

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My Comment: The Pentagon's report is gloomy .... in short .... there has been no progress in the past few years. The Taliban are getting stronger and are ready to move into areas that US/NATO forces are leaving. Corruption continues to plague the central government. Pakistan continues to provide support to the insurgency, and with the Taliban safe havens untouched .... it is becoming a guarantee that the war cannot be won.

The Most Extraordinary Battle In The Afghan War

A Firsthand Account Of The Most Extraordinary Battle In The Afghan War -- PJ Media

Badass military heroism: Medal of Honor Recipient Dakota Meyer's Into the Fire is this generation's To Hell and Back.

Does this sound familiar?

1. A group of Americans on a diplomatic mission to reach out to Muslims are pinned down by al-Qaeda and come under overwhelming fire.

2. They repeatedly call for support fire missions, which are denied because they cannot absolutely guarantee no civilians are in the area.

3. A frustrated American warrior disobeys orders to go on what appears to be a suicide mission to try to save them.

4. The pinned down Americans are wiped out because supporting fire missions are denied them.

No, this is not a rush-to-press account of the recent disgrace in Benghazi, but if you think Libya was a unique screw-up during the Obama administration, Into the Fire — the story of the Battle of Ganjigal, by Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer and war correspondent extraordinaire Bing West — will change your perception.

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My Comment: A must read post and a must watch video.

Taliban Increasing Attacks Against Departing U.S. Soldiers And The Afghan Soldiers Replacing Them

Afghan local and national policemen talk with coalition force members during a meeting to discuss self-sustainment of the police forces in Afghanistan's Farah province, Dec. 3, 2012. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau

Pentagon Reports Taliban Attacks Up During Afghan Fighting Season -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Attacks by Taliban insurgents rose slightly during the main part of the Afghan fighting season this year as some U.S. forces withdrew and the transition to a lead role for Afghan security forces picked up pace, according to a Pentagon report released on Monday.

The report to Congress downplayed the rise in violence, saying the key measure was a dramatic increase in security in the country's main cities. While acknowledging the Taliban can still carry out attacks at the same levels as last year, the report said the greatest threats to stability were elsewhere.

"The insurgency's safe havens in Pakistan, the limited institutional capacity of the Afghan government and endemic corruption remain the greatest risks to long-term stability and sustainable security in Afghanistan," said the semi-annual Pentagon progress report on Afghanistan.

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More News On The Taliban Intensifying Military Operations

Afghan Attacks Down Overall, Insider Threat Rises -- ABC News/AP
Report: Afghan insurgents "resilient and determined" -- CNN
Pakistan, Corruption Remain Stumbling Blocks in Afghanistan -- US Department of Defense
U.S. Report Says Pakistan Undermines Afghanistan Security -- Defense News
Pakistan Havens Prevent Insurgents’ Defeat, U.S. Says -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Report: Taliban plan to move in as U.S. withdraws -- Washington Times
Report: Afghanistan drawdown still on track despite violence -- Stars and Stripes

Why Afghan Spy Chief Asadullah Khalid Is Important To The War Effort

The Many Faces Of Afghanistan's Spy Chief -- Al Jazeera

As he recovers from an attempt on his life, Asadullah Khalid's controversial past clouds his rising political influence.

For those that know him best, Asadullah Khalid has always been "a man of action".

His reputation for "assertiveness" has ingratiated the head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) - the Afghan intelligence agency - with some of the most powerful figures in the nation.

But Khalid's literally hands-on methods have also earned him powerful enemies abroad and a reputation for ruthlessness. He has been accused of assassinations, torture, and drug-dealing as governor of Ghazni and Kandahar provinces.

Despite the allegations, Khalid is a favourite among Afghan President Hamid Karzai's inner circle. So it came as little surprise when Karzai rushed to a Kabul hospital to visit his spy chief hours after a December 6 suicide attack wounded him.

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More News On The Taliban Assassination Attempt Against Asadullah Khalid

Wounded Afghan spy chief to be treated overseas -- Express Tribune
Afghan spy master receives hospital visit from General John Allen -- Examiner
Asadullah Khalid Assassination Attempt: Taliban Claims Attack On Afghanistan Intelligence Chief -- Huffington Post
Afghan president says assassination attempt was planned in Pakistan -- CNN
Karzai: Spy Chief Bomber Came from Pakistan -- Voice of America

Afghanistan Is Failing To Take Care Of It's Fallen Soldiers

78-year-old Najmuddin spent 44 days searching for his son Esa's body [Mujib Mashal/Al Jazeera]

The Price Of Dying For Afghanistan -- Al Jazeera

Families forced to search for fallen kin as Afghan army fails to fulfil its promise to return dead soldiers' bodies.

Kandahar, Afghanistan - After searching for 44 days, 78-year-old Najmuddin finally found the body of his son, an Afghan army lieutenant, in a freezer in this southern Afghan city.

"I searched and searched. I asked everyone that I came across," said the old man, looking up to the sky and repeating he now had "no one but God".

His son, 24-year-old Mohamad Esa, had joined the army after he returned from five years of labouring in Iran. He died after a bullet pierced his left torso while serving in the 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 215 Maiwand Corps. Despite an injury to the back of his head, his face was calm and unscathed.

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My Comment: I cannot even imagine what these families must go through.

Are U.S. Soldiers Targeting Children In Afghanistan?

U.S. Army Spc. Samnith Thy provides security outside during a youth meeting in Farah City, Afghanistan, Dec. 2, 2012. Thy is assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Josh Ives

US Military Facing Fresh Questions Over Targeting Of Children In Afghanistan -- The Guardian

Outrage grows after senior officer claimed troops in Afghanistan were on the lookout for 'children with potential hostile intent'.

The US military is facing fresh questions over its targeting policy in Afghanistan after a senior army officer suggested that troops were on the lookout for "children with potential hostile intent".

In comments which legal experts and campaigners described as "deeply troubling", army Lt Col Marion Carrington told the Marine Corp Times that children, as well as "military-age males", had been identified as a potential threat because some were being used by the Taliban to assist in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

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My Comment: I have lost count on how many times I have read stories on the Taliban using women and children in their military operations .... so it should not surprise anyone that children (and adults) are looked on by U.S./NATO troops as possible threats.

Afghan Spy Chief Wounded In Assassination Attempt (Updated)

Head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) Asadullah Khalid. Press TV

Bomber Posing As Peace Envoy Wounds Afghan Spy Chief -- Reuters

(Reuters) - A Taliban suicide bomber posing as a peace messenger wounded Afghanistan's intelligence chief in Kabul on Thursday, another sign that the government is struggling to improve security ahead of a NATO pullout in 2014.

Asadullah Khalid was wounded when the bomber struck in a meeting at a guesthouse used by the National Directorate of Security (NDS).

"The bomber was a peace messenger sent by the Taliban to the Afghan government, around 3 p.m. in a meeting with the head of NDS, detonated his explosives," said NDS spokesman Shafiqullah Tahiri.

"Right now the head of the NDS is in good condition. The surgery was a success."

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More News On The Assassination Attempt Against Afghan's Intelligence Chief

Bombing wounds Afghan intelligence chief -- AP
Afghan spy chief Asadullah Khalid wounded in Kabul attack -- BBC
Afghan Spy Chief Is Wounded in Attack, Officials Say -- New York Times
Taliban claim suicide attack on Afghan spy chief -- Reuters
Afghan intelligence chief wounded in attack -- L.A. Times
Afghan intelligence chief injured in suicide attack -- Washington Post
Afghan Spy Chief Injured in Assassination Attempt -- Wall Street Journal
Afghan Spy Chief Wounded in ‘Terrorist Attack’ -- Voice of America
Afghan spy chief in surgery after assassination bid -- AFP
Afghan spy chief wounded in grenade attack -- Al Jazeera

Karzai Blames NATO And The U.S. For Afghanistan's Insecurity

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 EXCLUSIVE: US, NATO Behind 'Insecurity' In Afghanistan, Karzai Says -- NBC 

Updated at 9:43 a.m. ET: KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan President Hamid Karzai sharply criticized the United States in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Thursday, blaming American and NATO forces for some of the growing insecurity in his country. "Part of the insecurity is coming to us from the structures that NATO and America created in Afghanistan," Karzai said during a one-on-one interview at the presidential palace. However, he also acknowledged that much of the country's violence was caused by insurgent groups.

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More News On Afghan President Karzai Blaming NATO And The U.S. For Afghanistan's Insecurity

Karzai: U.S., NATO share in insecurity -- UPI
Karzai blames NATO, U.S., for violence in Afghanistan -- Yahoo News
Afghan Leader Sharply Criticizes U.S., NATO For Insecurity -- Radio Free Europe
US, NATO behind 'insecurity' in Afghanistan: Karzai -- The Nation
Karzai slams US, NATO for insecurity in Afghanistan -- Frontier Post
Hamid Karzai: Some Afghanistan Insecurity 'Coming To Us From The Structures That NATO And America Created' (VIDEO) -- Huffington Post

One View Of Afghanistan

I Learned In Afghanistan That Everything I Thought I Knew About Humanity Was Wrong -- Geoffrey Ingersoll, Business Insider

When I met Karim Delgado, we were both already out of the Marine Corps, though I felt I already knew him well from seeing his byline. A fellow combat correspondent, essentially a writer/photographer in the Marines, Karim had never deployed to a combat zone, and seemed troubled that he hadn't.

Later he entered Columbia University as a philosophy major, networked, and found himself an opportunity as a contractor to document Special Forces during their tour in Afghanistan. When he returned, he was no less troubled than before.

Here is a short film he produced from what he called his "unclassified" footage. It's worth watching. Below you'll find a description in his own words of what it was like for him to do a tour in Afghanistan.

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My Comment: A must see video.

Afghanistan: The Forgotten War? (Video)

Taliban Launch A Suicide Attack Against A Major NATO Base In Afghanistan

Suicide Bombers Attack NATO-Afghan Airbase -- Voice of America

ISLAMABAD — Eight suicide bombers attacked the Jalalabad air base in eastern Afghanistan Sunday, but were killed by Afghan forces before entering the complex.

Taliban suicide bombers detonated two cars filled with explosives at the main gate of a joint NATO-Afghan airbase in Afghanistan's eastern Nangahar province at dawn Sunday. According to the Ministry of Interior, the vehicles had been stopped by Afghan forces, and follow-up attackers were killed in a fierce gunfight.

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More News On Yesterday's Taliban Attack Against A Major NATO Base In Afghanistan

Taliban fighters, suicide bombers attack U.S.-Afghan base -- L.A. Times
Taliban attack Nato airbase in Afghanistan -- The Guardian
Afghans Are Killed In Attack On Base -- Wall Street Journal
Afghanistan Taliban attack US base in Jalalabad -- BBC
Police: Suicide bombings target U.S.-Afghan base, kill 5 -- CNN
Attackers at U.S.-Afghan Base Wore Coalition Uniforms -- New York Times
Nine suicide bombers hit US airfield in Afghanistan, official says -- NBC
Suicide bombers attack U.S.-Afghan base in eastern Afghanistan -- Daily Mail
Taliban suicide assault team attacks US airbase in Jalalabad -- Long War Journal
Taliban attack on US base in Afghanistan kills 3 Afghan troops, 2 civilians -- RT
Joint U.S.-Afghan Base Attacked By Taliban In Eastern Afghanistan -- NPR

U.S. Closes Forward Operating Base Tillman

FOB Tillman

An Ending In Afghanistan: U.S. Closes Forward Operating Base Tillman -- Washington Post

Just a few short miles from the Pakistani border, on a plateau above the Afghan village of Lawara, sits a small U.S. fire base named after army ranger Pat Tillman. Now, the United States is shutting down the base, according to a report in The Hill.

The former NFL superstar’s life and death have, in a way, followed the twists and turns of America’s war in Afghanistan. Tillman’s decision to leave his NFL career in 2002 to enlist and fight in Afghanistan made him a symbol of America’s sense of duty and national purpose after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. His shocking 2004 death in a firefight that was only later revealed to be friendly fire, a fact possibly covered up by senior military figures, symbolized for many Americans, at a time when the war in Iraq was rapidly disintegrating, the tragedy and perhaps the folly of those wars. In 2006, the army named Forward Operating Base Tillman in his memory.

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My Comment: The U.S. Afghan withdrawal is beginning to mirror the U.S. departure from Iraq .... not with a bang .... but with a whimper.