Pentagon: U.S. Forces Conduct Airstrike After Taliban Take Kunduz

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, September 29, 2015 — U.S. forces conducted an airstrike today on the outskirts of Kunduz, a provincial capital in northern Afghanistan that was taken yesterday by Taliban forces, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said today.

The airstrike was a "force-protection strike conducted by a fixed-wing manned aircraft" to eliminate a threat to coalition and Afghan forces in the area, Cook told reporters. In a statement later, he said the strike was conducted by an F-16 against a Taliban target that was advancing toward the airport and presenting a threat to U.S. and coalition personnel.

"We strongly condemn the attacks in Kunduz, and stand with the Afghan people in our commitment to Afghanistan's peace and security," he said during his briefing with reporters.

Confidence in Afghan Forces

The situation is a setback for Afghan forces, Cook acknowledged, but he said the the United States has confidence in the Afghan government forces.

"We've seen them respond in recent weeks and months to the challenges they face, and they're doing the same thing in Kunduz right now," he said.

The situation remains fluid, the press secretary said, adding that it highlights the "ongoing challenge that the Afghan security forces are taking on every single day [and] the very dangerous situation that they face." In his statement, Cook said Afghanistan has amassed a force numbering in the thousands to retake the city.

The United States will continue to work closely with its international partners and the Afghan government, Cook said, to ensure Afghan forces have the capabilities and training necessary to "preserve the gains made by the Afghans and the international community over the last 13 years."

Policy Chief Notes Progress During Afghan Fighting Season

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, July 13, 2015 – Although the fighting season in Afghanistan has been tough this year, with Afghan forces taking 60 percent more casualties than they did last year, progress has continued there, the undersecretary of defense for policy said here today.

Christine E. Wormuth, speaking at a Center for Strategic and International Studies military strategy forum, said Afghan forces are coping in a very difficult environment and that the Taliban “does not pose an existential threat to the Afghan government.”

The Taliban are testing Afghan security forces as the coalition draws down, she said. The Taliban’s strategy is to launch high-profile attacks that are “aimed at harming innocent civilians and trying to undermine the credibility of the government in Kabul,” she added. But the Taliban are not the only threat, Wormuth said. The Afghan government also must contend with al-Qaida, the Haqqani network and other extremist groups, including a branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Taking the Fight to the Enemy

Afghan forces are absorbing the blows in the fighting season, she said. “Those casualty rates are up … because the Afghan security forces are actually increasing their operational tempo -- they are doing more, they are taking the fight to the enemy,” the undersecretary said.

“A few of the commanders I talked to out there said the whole concept of a fighting season may not really have the same meaning it used to,” Wormuth noted. “The periods of fighting are not constrained to a point on the calendar as they once were.”

Many of the casualties come from Taliban attacks on remote outposts, she said, and coalition forces are working with Afghans to protect these vulnerable positions. “We’ve actually seen when the Afghans go on the offensive … against the Taliban, they have much lower casualty rates,” Wormuth said. Coalition advisors also are working with Afghan planners in planning these more complex operations.

But if Afghan security forces casualties have gone up, so have the casualty rates for the Taliban, she noted. “They are taking more hits than last year, they have not been able to achieve their strategic and operational goals, and while they are claiming they are fighting foreigners in Afghanistan, this claim is really starting to ring hollow as the Afghan security forces themselves are doing more and taking the responsibility for defense and the coalition footprint gets smaller,” the undersecretary said.

Pakistan has helped to maintain the pressure on the Taliban by launching operations against the group on its side of the border, Wormuth said. “This is causing the Taliban to not have the same sense of security and the same sanctuaries it once had,” she added.

Phased Withdrawal

Wormuth said President Barack Obama’s time-phased approach to withdrawal from Afghanistan is helping the process. Under the approach, she explained, the United States -- which now maintains about 9,800 troops in the country -- will draw down until there is a “normalized embassy footprint” by the end of next year.

“By putting out that time-phased approach and putting out timelines, we are focusing the security forces on what they need to do, and I think that has resulted in a lot of progress in the last year,” Wormuth said. “And it has given us a roadmap to what we have to do in the year and a half we have left.”

Still, she said, the timeline will be driven by events on the ground. She noted that the president decided to keep the current level of troops in Afghanistan through 2015. All along the way, U.S. commanders and advisors will assess the situation and make recommendations up the chain, Wormuth said.

In the meantime, the undersecretary said, U.S. and coalition trainers and advisors will continue to work with Afghan forces at the corps level, with Afghan special operations forces and the Afghan special mission wing.

“I was very impressed with the dedication, the enthusiasm and the professionalism of the Afghan soldiers I saw, even in the face of these high casualty rates,” she said. “They are very focused on a committed to the missions they have.”

Wormuth said she has high hopes for a joint counterterrorism strategy with the Afghan government that goes well beyond the 2016 end date for the advise-and-assist mission. Negotiations are underway.

Combined Force Detains Insurgents, Seizes Narcotics

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 27, 2012 – A combined security force detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Taliban facilitator in the Washer district of Helmand province today, military officials reported.

The facilitator is alleged to coordinate the movement of insurgent fighters and weapons, as well as coordinating attacks across northern Helmand province, officials said.

The security force also seized multiple assault rifles and several pounds of illegal narcotics, officials said.

Also today, an Afghan-led, coalition-supported force killed a number of insurgents and detained two suspects during a search for a Haqqani leader in the Sabari district of Khost province. The sought-after insurgent leader is linked to multiple rocket-propelled grenade attacks on Afghan and coalition security forces. The security force also seized several assault rifles and other military equipment.

In Sept. 26 operations:

An Afghan-led, coalition-supported force recovered a cache of weapons, improvised explosive devices and IED-making components in the Qalat district of Zabul province. The force found some pressure plate IEDs, 573 pounds of ammonium nitrate, 220 pounds of potassium chloride, 55 pounds of homemade explosive, 33 pounds of aluminum powder, RPGs, ammunition, and two Afghan National Security Forces uniforms.

In Sept. 23 operations:

-- Al-Qaida facilitator Abdul Rauf was killed along with two other insurgents during an airstrike in the Marawarah district of Kunar province. Abdul Rauf was a Pakistani al-Qaida facilitator who coordinated the movement of foreign fighters into Afghanistan. He also constructed IEDs for use in attacks against security forces. No civilians were harmed and no civilian structures were damaged during the operation.

Coalition, Afghan Troops Arrest 2 Taliban Leaders

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 26, 2012 – A combined coalition and Afghan security force arrested two Taliban leaders -- an attack commander and an improvised explosive device expert -- during an operation in the Ghazni district of Afghanistan’s Ghazni province today, military officials reported.

The attack commander is suspected of having directed IED attacks against coalition and Afghan security forces across the district, officials said, in addition to coordinating the construction of homemade bombs and providing training on their use and placement. He also is believed to be involved in suicide bomber training. The security force also detained three other suspected insurgents in the operation.

Also today, an Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader in Ghazni province’s Wali Muhammad Shahid Khugyani district. He is believed to have coordinated with insurgent groups to conduct direct-fire and IED attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained four other suspected insurgents.

In operations around Afghanistan yesterday:

-- A precision airstrike killed Malang, a Taliban leader, in the Sayyidabad district of Afghanistan’s Wardak province after a combined security force saw him engaged in insurgent activity and ensured that no civilians were in the area. Malang was directly involved in planning attacks using improvised explosive devices against Afghan and coalition forces, as well coordinating the movement of insurgent fighters throughout the region. A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no civilian property was damaged during the operation.

-- Provincial Response Company Wardak, mentored by coalition forces, reinforced another response company patrol that came under enemy fire in Wardak province’s Maidan Shahr district. The combined force defeated the attack, killing seven insurgents. Responding to a request for a quick-reaction force, the combined element reached the unit in contact and was itself engaged by small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire from insurgents before fighting off the attack. Coalition officials said the rapid and effective response from PRC Wardak demonstrates their increased capability and their dedication to supporting their fellow Afghans in arms.

-- A combined U.S. Army Special Forces and Afghan National Army force killed an insurgent after being attacked at a local bazaar and at a combined outpost in Wardak province’s Bahadur village. After eight to 10 insurgents opened fire with small arms and rocket propelled grenades, the combined force returned fire, secured the bazaar and village, and killed the insurgent at his fighting position. No civilians or Afghan forces were injured or killed during the engagement.

In a Sept. 24 operation, a combined security force arrested a Haqqani network IED attack leader in Khost province’s Khost district. Officials said he is suspected of coordinating and planning IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the region and was directly involved in acquiring and distributing a large amount of explosives and weapons, as well as providing training on the use of homemade bombs. He also is believed to have been trying to infiltrate Afghan security forces. The security force also seized firearms and heavy weapons ammunition.

In other news, an orphaned Afghan boy escaped from insurgents who were trying to use him as a suicide bomber and fled to the Afghan National Police in Helmand province’s Nawa district Sept. 22.

The boy told Afghan police that insurgents had given him money to influence him to wear a suicide vest and detonate it near coalition or Afghan security personnel. He refused, and now is receiving care and support from the police.