Soldiers in Afghanistan Focused on Allen’s 2012 Objectives

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2011 – As the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan looks to 2012 as a time to build on gains made and extend the security zone east of Kabul, the soldiers of Regional Command East know they have a vital role to play in making that possible.

Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of U.S. and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan, told reporters traveling here last week with Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta he hopes to consolidate gains made in Afghanistan’s north, south and west over the next year.

And as “significant counterinsurgency operations” continue in the east, Allen said his goal is to push the security zone east of Kabul.

In addition, he cited an evolution toward an advisory mission in Afghanistan to enhance capability within the Afghan security forces as the United States looks toward scaling back its combat mission there.

Army Col. Edward T. Bohnemann, commander of the 172nd Infantry Brigade, recognizes the emphasis that puts on his soldiers in remote but strategically important Paktika province.

Bohnemann’s brigade is deployed from Grafenwoehr, Germany, with its headquarters just 30 miles from the Pakistan border at Forward Operating Base Sharana. Among his combat outposts sprinkled through the province, some are directly west of the border.

Paktika province is home to historic transitory routes between the two countries. It’s also an infiltration point for fighters, munitions and weapons filtering into Afghanistan bound for Kabul, Kandahar and the northern regions.

Bohnemann noted the challenge of stretching his soldiers and their Afghan counterparts to cover such a vast region. “There are too many small goat trails [and] small dirt roads to say I am going to have a hard stop at the border,” he said. “It’s too big of a border.”

Some of the border areas are so remote that when an incident occurs, “trying to get there rapidly becomes problematic,” he said.

So Bohnemann and his soldiers concentrate on improving the trends and making the most effective use of the capabilities they have. “I focus my soldiers on, how do we interdict, neutralize, slow the flow so that other places can build capacity [and] build on the security gains they have seen throughout the areas of Afghanistan,” he said.

Choking that flow, he recognizes, will be critical to Allen’s goal of expanding the security zone around Kabul. “My piece of that is … to stem the flow of weapons [and] fighters to the security zone,” he said.

Exacerbating the challenge, he acknowledged, is Pakistan’s decision to scale back cross-border coordination following the Nov. 24 border incident that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

“There is not a whole lot of cross-border coordination right now,” he lamented. “I would love to see the lines of operation open up.”

On the positive side, Bohnemann told reporters he’s seen enemy attacks drop significantly during the five months since his brigade arrived here.

He expressed growing confidence in the capability of Afghan security forces in his area of responsibility, and in the work his troops have done to establish conditions for their long-term success.

“Every day, when you look at the Afghan security forces, they are in the lead,” he said, noting that Afghans are independently leading two-third to three-quarters of operations here.

“The Afghans are in charge in Paktika province,” he said. “And they are doing more and more every day.”

Based on their growing capability, Bohnemann said he believes, “there is no insurgent force in Paktika that is going to overwhelm the Afghan security forces out there.”

“They have had some fights, [and] the Afghan security forces have stayed and held their ground,” he said. “On occasion, they have called for us for support,” particularly when they need to evacuate a wounded or fallen comrade. “But they are holding their ground.”

Bohnemann said he anticipates a natural progression as his soldiers transition toward an advisory role with the Afghan security forces.

He acknowledged areas where the Afghans still need assistance, including logistics and the systems to make the supply train more efficient. “What I am focused on is: Are they tactically sufficient to maintain security in the province? Can they support themselves?” he said. “My mission, my focus is getting the Afghans ready for the future.”

Bohnemann said he’s confident he has “the right soldiers in the right units” on the ground to support that mission.

Looking to the future, he said he expects the U.S. and ISAF drawdowns to maintain that balance, based on conditions on the ground and “not on a particular glide path to zero.”

During his visit here last week, Panetta told Bohnemann’s troops he believes the effort in Afghanistan has reached a turning point, thanks to the work they and other coalition and Afghan forces are doing.

“I really think that for all the sacrifice that you’re doing, the reality is that it is paying off,” he told them. “We’re moving in the right direction. And we’re winning this very tough conflict in Afghanistan.”

Allen Condemns Death of Afghan Official, Promises to ‘Root Out’ Criminals

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2011 – U.S. and Afghan leaders are condemning the death of an Afghan border official and say his killers will be held accountable, military officials reported.

U.S. Army Gen. John R. Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, joined Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday in condemning Saturday’s assassination of Abdul Baqi Raghbat in the Shikar Por Darwaza area of Kandahar province.

Raghbat, an advisor to Karzai’s Tribal and Border Affairs ministry (which works with the Afghan Border Police), “played an instrumental role in advancing many areas of Afghan society,” Allen said in an ISAF press release. “He made a difference to the people of this nation, and shamefully, the enemies of peace and stability have taken his life.

“Our heartfelt and sincere condolences go out to the families and friends of Mr. Raghbat and the Kandahar community," he added.

"ISAF will continue to work closely with our Afghan partners to root out these criminals who kill and injure innocent Afghans working toward stability, peace and prosperity for all Afghan people," Allen continued.  "These enemies of Afghanistan must be held to account."

In other news from Afghanistan, combined forces yesterday:

- Discovered a drug cache consisting of about 500 pounds of hashish in Kandahar’s Zharay district.  Security forces destroyed the cache on site without incident.

- Discovered a munitions cache in Helmand province’s Lashkar Gah district consisting of 10 antipersonnel mines, 11 electrical boxes used as detonation devices, and detonation cord. Security forces destroyed the munitions on site without incident.

In Dec. 17 operations, combined forces:

- Discovered a drug cache in Helmand’s Reg-e Khan district consisting of 2,500 pounds of marijuana, 30 pounds of poppy seeds and 75 pounds of marijuana seeds. All of the drugs were destroyed on site without incident.

- In Kandahar’s Zharay district discovered two weapons caches consisting of two 155 mm rounds, one 107 mm round, one antipersonnel mine, two 88 mm rounds, 12 pressure plate detonation devices, and various improvised explosive device-making components. The security force destroyed all munitions on location.

- Discovered a weapons cache in Kandahar’s Panjwa’i district consisting of four emplaced IEDs, one rocket-propelled grenade warhead with two boosters, multiple radios, explosive material and various assortments of wire and small arms ammunition. The security force confiscated all materials for destruction at a later date.

-Captured a Taliban operative involved in a recent suicide bomb attack in Baghlan province during an operation in Kunduz province’s Khanabad district.

In Dec. 16 operations, combined forces:

- Detained multiple suspects in Helmand’s Kajaki district after searching for a Taliban leader who coordinates shipments of explosives and weapons in support of insurgent operations.

- Killed an insurgent during a search for a Taliban leader in Logar province’s Pul-e ‘Alam district after the armed man displayed hostile intent.  The force recovered an AK-47 assault rifle and detained a suspected insurgent.

- Discovered a weapons cache in Uruzgan province’s Tarin Kot district consisting of five 107 mm rockets with fuses. The security force confiscated all rockets for destruction at a later date.

- Discovered an 800-pound marijuana cache in Kandahar’s Arghandab district. Security forces burned the marijuana on site without incident.

- Captured a Haqqani network leader in Khost province’s Sabari district. The man conducted attacks on Afghan forces and coordinated the movement of bomb-making materials throughout the area. The security force seized multiple firearms and detained four additional suspects.

Mullen Confident Afghans Will Be Ready to Shoulder Security

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 30, 2011 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is satisfied the U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan is being done in a responsible manner and that the Afghan national security forces will be able to shoulder the defense burden by 2014.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines at Kandahar Air Field this morning, and he was asked for his opinion on the subject.

President Barack Obama announced in June that the United States would draw down 10,000 personnel by the end of the year and withdraw another 23,000 personnel by the end of September 2012.

The drawdown has begun with some small units not being replaced at the end of their tours. Mullen said the new commander of the International Security Assistance Force, Marine Corps General John Allen, is working on the plan to draw down the rest of the personnel. The drawdown cannot be seen in a vacuum, Mullen said. Earlier this month, coalition forces began transitioning security responsibility for seven areas of the country containing 25 percent of the population to Afghan national security forces.

“That’s the beginning of the security transition that will take place where (the Afghans) are in control of the country by the end of 2014,” the chairman said.

The seven areas are the provinces of Bamiyan and Panjshir, the western city of Herat, the capital area of Kabul, eastern Laghman province, Mazar-i-Sharif in the north and Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. A second set of transition areas will be announced in December.

This should be enough time, Mullen said, especially with the progress made against the Taliban. Even after the drawdown, “there will still be 68,000 U.S. troops on the ground here through next summer,” he said. “The Taliban had a pretty bad year last year. They’re having a bad year this year, and I think they’re going to have a bad year next year. So that’s three fighting seasons where the surge is really able to impact on them and make a difference, and we’ll see where we go from there.”

U.S. and Afghan leaders are negotiating a long-term strategic relationship. “I’m confident that we will have that kind of document,” Mullen. “To me that sends a very strong signal of continued commitment to Afghanistan and to the region.”

But the nature of the commitment will change. The Afghans are leading in some areas – not too many – right now. This will grow, and coalition forces will go into a tactical overwatch mode. As the Afghan national security forces gain more capability, the coalition forces will move a bit farther back and do strategic overwatch. Ultimately, Mullen said coalition forces will move into a training and assist mode, as they are doing today in Iraq.

“That’s the kind of transition we are looking at over the next two to four years,” Mullen said. “The specifics of what it would look like after 2014 is what we need to work at.”

Obama Taps Allen to Command Forces in Afghanistan

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2011 – Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John R. Allen, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, is poised to become the first Marine to command all U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

President Barack Obama today named Allen as his pick to replace Army Gen. David H. Petraeus as commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan as part of a reshuffling of his national security team.

Obama is nominating CIA Director Leon E. Panetta to succeed Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who is retiring June 30. Obama plans to pull Petraeus from Afghanistan to become the new CIA director in September, after he retires from the Army. The president also announced his nomination of Ryan C. Crocker, former ambassador to Iraq, as the next ambassador to Afghanistan. All must be confirmed by the Senate.

Allen assumed his current duties in July 2008. He served briefly as Centcom’s acting commander when Petraeus, Centcom commander at the time, left for Afghanistan until Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis succeeded Petraeus.

“It is absolutely critical we have this team in place to sustain our mission,” Obama said in announcing his selections at a White House event. The new team, he added, would provide “the continuity and unity of effort that this time in history demands.”

Obama called Allen “a battle-tested combat leader in Iraq who helped turn the tide in Anbar province,” where Allen served as deputy commanding general of Multinational Division West and the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from 2006 to 2008.

Since becoming Centcom’s deputy commander, Allen also has been immersed in the war in Afghanistan, helping to execute military strategy there, Obama said.

“I understand well the demands of this mission,” Allen said at the White House today. “If confirmed, I will dedicate my full measure to the successful accomplishment of the tasks before us.”

A senior administration official speaking to reporters on background yesterday said Allen and the others were chosen because they have a proven record of working closely as a team. For his part, Allen is well-known to White House officials for working through some of the toughest problems in dealing with Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, the official said.

Allen is a 1976 Naval Academy graduate who holds three master’s degrees in national security-related subjects. He is a former commander of The Basic School and deputy commandant of the Naval Academy. In 2002, he became the first Marine to serve as the academy’s commandant of midshipmen.