Time, Trust Key to Progress in Afghanistan

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2010 – Before he went to the southern area of Afghanistan’s Helmand province in October 2009 he wondered whether success was possible, a Marine Corps colonel said during an interview here today.

“I’m now convinced that it absolutely can be done, having watched the Marines do it on a regular basis for a year,” said Col. Randy Newman, commander of the 7th Marine Regiment based in Twenty Nine Palms, Calif.

As commander of Regimental Combat Team 7, Newman led Marine Corps forces fighting to establish security in Marjah, while working to stabilize Nawa and Garmsir, where Marines had largely cleared out insurgents.

“In Nawa, we’re seeing great progress,” Newman said. “The Afghans were able to assume some of the security, as I left [in November]. We still have work to do in developing the government and the economic base, but it’s headed in the right direction. Same thing in Garmsir, we’re seeing progress.”

In Marjah, where Marines have operated since February 2009, the fighting isn’t over, he said.

“It will take us some time, but I saw all the encouraging signs that we would expect to see out of Marjah, given where it is in the process,” he said.

The Marine strategy in southern Helmand is to place eight-to-10-man groups in villages to ensure security for the locals.

“I think it’s a partnership with the Afghan people that formed out of being there with them on the ground, in their village, living there with them,” Newman said. “The benefits of that just come automatically.”

After 30 years of conflict, Afghans are ready for something else, he said, adding, “You give them the opportunity to pick that something else, they will do so.”

Comparing Afghanistan counterinsurgency operations to those in Iraq, he said fighting the threat is similar in some ways, but the people are very different.

“In Afghanistan the population is widely dispersed, with very little of what we consider the modern effects on infrastructure: electricity and paved roads, things like that,” Newman said. “Whereas Iraq was used to having robust government, robust infrastructure, and I guess I would say more modern in terms of the infrastructure and how it touched the people.”

That means that counterinsurgent forces in Afghanistan have to be widely dispersed, where the people live, he said.

“Small units of men partnered directly with small groups of people in as wide an area as we can reach - that’s what the Marines are doing in the Helmand river [valley],” he said.

Those small groups of Marines see success in ways that others can’t, Newman said.

“They are in place where before they got there, a guy told these people how to live, treated them brutally and gave them very little freedom,” he said. “[The Marines] come there, that man leaves, and the Afghan people get to determine what they want their future to be – for their kids, for themselves, for everyone. I think that’s why the Marines enjoy going back, because they can see success, very clearly.”

Newman said there are three groups in Helmand that the Marines are contesting with: the Taliban, an ideologically based group; people who are hungry for power or are in powerful positions and want to keep them; and people who are “just trying to make a buck, money.”

“So whether it be ideology, politics or money, I think we find three groups of people who will find nothing of benefit from us coming there and providing additional security and making their government more effective,” he said.

Newman said in the Afghan struggle for money, power, and ideological control – “the way things ought to run there” – the Marines are working to disarm the various factions.

“We’ve got to get them to understand that they can’t pursue it by means of force [or by] threatening people,” he said. “If they want to enter into the political realm and discuss, and vote, that’s the right way to go about letting them decide what their future is. It can’t be done by force of power.”

Meanwhile, the population is skeptical of Marine efforts, he said.

“I think what they’ve conditioned themselves to now is to play their cards very close to their chest, take a look at who’s there and what their intentions are and how trustworthy they are,” he said. “And earning the trust of the people takes time – we go back to that issue in counterinsurgency of time. With the Afghan people especially, we’ve got to take the time to earn their trust, before we can take great steps forward.”

Marine forces are earning the trust of the people by being present and demonstrating their intentions are in the Afghans’ interest, he said.

“In the Helmand river valley, the places where we’ve been long enough to start to earn trust, two years or so, I think we begin to see the people recognize that they can trust what we’re showing them as an option for the future,” Newman said.

Helmand has a primarily agrarian economy, and one focus in more secure areas is establishing legal crops, he said.

“Farmers are growing whatever farmers can make money on. Before we got there it was poppy. But in the area where we’ve been for a while, like Nawa, the poppy production fell off and they were more than happy to grow wheat, cotton, or any other crop,” he said. “In places we haven’t been yet, it’s poppy, but that’s changing as we spread our influence through the Helmand river valley.”

The three groups fighting for control in Helmand make it almost risk-free for people to grow poppy, he said.

“There’s a high profit margin for the farmer. They’ll come to the farmer and get it, they’ll give the farmer the supplies to plant it, so it eliminates a lot of the risk that can be associated with farming,” Newman said.

Now, Newman said, the Marines have proven to the people they can grow other crops and still support their families.

In discussing what the Afghan people need to sustain the gains coalition forces have helped make possible, Newman said a couple of resources are the most critical.

“If they say a school needs to be built, they’re more than happy to build a school. They don’t want somebody to come in and build it for them, all they’d like for us to do is help with the resources, and then let them build a school,” he said. “It will be the school that they want, and most importantly the one that they built. So they need help with materials, and most importantly they need human resources.”

Establishing local governments in Afghanistan requires a level of literacy and education in the population, Newman said. While coalition nations and the Afghan government are working to educate more of the remote population, those efforts will take time.

“When you talk about them moving forward in their ability to govern themselves, there may be a period of time where that’s not achievable, for them to have local representation that meets all those requirements,” he said. “So I think it’s resources, again – all they’re looking for is a little bit of peace and security for them to operate within, with some resources that we provide them, both human and material.”

Gates Visits Afghanistan Bases

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 7, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived in Afghanistan today for troop visits and meetings with key U.S. leaders and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said that although the secretary visits Afghanistan quarterly, this visit has particular significance because it comes a year after President Barack Obama announced the new U.S. strategy for the war and as the National Security Council assesses the strategy's effectiveness.

"So clearly, what the secretary learns here, what he sees here, what he thinks here will inform the discussion that is taking place back in Washington," Morrell said. "I think that coming into this visit, we have a pretty good sense that the strategy is working on the security side and elsewhere, but I think this [visit] is important to inform that discussion back in Washington.”

Morrell added that he thinks the secretary arrives here "feeling very good" about the progress in Afghanistan over the past year.

Gates' aircraft touched down at Bagram Airfield at about noon local time, and his party immediately boarded helicopters for a flight to Forward Operating Base Joyce for an operations briefing and a visit with soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 327th Infantry Regiment.

From there, the secretary was scheduled to fly to Forward Operating Base Connolly. There, he'll meet with 18 soldiers who lost six members of their platoon Nov. 29 when an Afghan border guard opened fire on them. He'll also meet with soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry.

Later, Gates will meet in the Afghan capital of Kabul with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, International Security Assistance Force commander; Army Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of ISAF Joint Command; and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry.

IED Eradication Needs Global Attention, General Says

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2010 – Stopping the construction and use of improvised explosive devices is more than a military problem and must be addressed broadly by all governments, the director of the agency devoted to that effort said yesterday.

IEDs are the biggest killers of coalition forces in Afghanistan, where the crude, but effective, devices are made of homemade explosives, usually fertilizer ingredients like ammonium nitrate, said Army Lt. Gen. Michael L. Oates, director of the Joint IED Defeat Organization, known as JIEDDO.

“When you look at [IED] precursor materials it’s not just a military problem,” Oates said yesterday at the Foreign Press Center here. “You need the whole of government to work on the IED, whether it’s in Iraq or Afghanistan or the rest of the world.”

In Pakistan and Afghanistan, for example, government officials are trying to reduce the flow of ammonium nitrate fertilizer into Afghanistan, he said.

No ammonium nitrate is produced in Afghanistan; it all comes in across the border.

“Ammonium nitrate has a legitimate purpose as a fertilizer in Pakistan, but we don’t want it [moving] into Afghanistan,” Oates said. “President [Hamid] Karzai has declared it illegal to import ammonium nitrate fertilizer and the Pakistan government has worked very hard with the producers to limit the export, legal or illegal, into Afghanistan.”

The general said his organization believes this effort will have a positive impact over time.

“As we look at trying to reduce sophisticated detonation systems, our Commerce Department works with governments all over the world to limit the financing of terrorist networks,” he said.

Commerce “works with commercial industries to make sure devices made for legitimate purposes are not modified to be used for destruction,” Oates said.

But almost anything that’s electronic can be used as a detonator, he added, noting the recent incidents of ink toner cartridges turned into IEDs and placed on cargo planes in Britain and Dubai.

“It was just through the vigilance of security personnel that they were able to detect that device. So getting all of the government involved in this process is very important to the solution,” Oates said.

IEDs are being used worldwide to impact stable governments, he said.

“We track 300 to 400 incidents a month occurring outside Iraq and Afghanistan where people are using improvised explosive devices against law enforcement or against military security forces,” he added.

Over the past 90 days, at least three vehicle-borne explosive devices have been employed in attacks against Mexico’s security forces –- a tactic similar to terrorist actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, he said.

Criminals use IEDs to maintain control of their illegal enterprises, and ideological groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia use the devices in their fight against the standing government, he said.

“Why do they use the IED? It works. It’s easy to obtain the precursor material you need for a homemade explosive,” said Oates, whose organization has been asked for help by other countries.

Peru’s minister of defense, Oates said, has asked for assistance through the U.S. Southern Command, which arranged for engagement through JIEDDO. The Peruvian government, he said, is experiencing an increase in criminals’ use of IEDs because of a resurgence of the “Sendero Luminoso,” translated as the “Shining Path,” a Maoist insurgency in Peru that partners criminals in the drug trade.

“The Peruvian government is interested in how we might use some of our experience with IEDs to help them, principally with vehicle-borne bombs and those that are in place to kill their policemen,” he added.

“Across the globe, these are very easy-to-use devices,” Oates said. “They’re very concealable, they’re inexpensive and they are terribly devastating in most cases against civilian populations.”

Washington Man Charged in Connection with Attempts to Ship Sensitive Military Technology to China

Man Arrested in FBI Sting Operation After Attempting to Smuggle Parts Out of United States

SEATTLE—A Woodinville, Washington man made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Seattle today following his arrest in connection with an attempt to smuggle sensitive military technology to the People's Republic of China.

Lian Yang, 46, came to the attention of the FBI early last year when agents were tipped that Yang was looking for a way to purchase and smuggle certain restricted parts from the United States. Law enforcement agents and a person working with law enforcement posed as possible sources to monitor Yang’s efforts. Yang was arrested on Dec. 3, 2010, when he was scheduled to meet with undercover agents to exchange cash for five of the parts he had ordered. Yang is charged by complaint with conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act.

“The Arms Export Control Act is a critical safeguard for our nation. Our national security and economic competitiveness rely on vigorous protection of our sensitive technologies,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Jenny A. Durkan. “I commend the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their work on this case.”

According to the complaint unsealed today, Yang attempted to purchase and export 300 radiation-hardened, programmable semiconductor devices that are used in satellites. The parts are export restricted and require export license or approval from the U.S. State Department authorizing the export of these items. Yang contemplated creating a shell company in the United States that would appear to be purchasing the parts, concealing the fact the parts were to be shipped to China. Yang planned that false purchase orders would be created indicating that parts that could legally be exported were being purchased, not restricted parts. Yang agreed to pay $620,000 to obtain the 300 parts through subterfuge.

According to the complaint, in the early spring and summer of 2010, Yang met with a person working with law enforcement to discuss his desire to purchase the parts and ways to get them. In September and October 2010, there was a series of meetings with undercover agents posing as contacts who could obtain the restricted parts. On multiple occasions Yang and the participants in the meetings discussed legal restrictions on exporting these types of parts. In late July 2010, Yang was detained when he returned from a trip to China and was questioned about some equipment in his luggage. Customs and Border Protection personnel as well as HSI agents reviewed with Yang the laws regarding technology going to China. Yang continued to try to purchase the parts for export, arranging to wire transfer funds to an account controlled by those he thought would assist him. In fact, the account was set up by the FBI.

The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act is punishable by up to five years in prison.

The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from HSI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd Greenberg and Tom Woods.

Marine Portrays Deployment Via Video Blog

By Elaine Wilson

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2010 – When Marine Corps Cpl. Bryan Lett deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year, he decided to create a video blog of his life on the ground there so his family could share in his experiences.

He never imagined he’d gain a worldwide audience in the process.

Although he’s back in the United States now, The Afghan Blog, located at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAfghanBlog, has gained a loyal following on YouTube, with thousands of hits.

“It came to me as a way to show my family, my mom, I’m OK, this is what I’m doing,” said Lett, a native of Columbus, Ohio. “But as I started to get further in my deployment, it became almost therapeutic to do a sit down … and kind of get it out of my head.”

Lett said he also wanted to show other Marines, particularly those early on in their careers or wanting to join, a realistic portrayal of deployment.

Lett deployed to Afghanistan in January as a public affairs specialist assigned to American Forces Network Afghanistan. His training made him handy with a video camera, but he wanted to approach the blog from a personal level, so he kept it unscripted and unedited.

Nearly every entry begins with Lett peering into the camera, speaking candidly about his life in Afghanistan.

Lett tried to get “outside the wire” as often as possible and highlighted events on his blog such as a veterinarian civil affairs project in which servicemembers helped vaccinate livestock. He also showed rule-of-law training and medical training conducted with Afghan security forces.

In one entry, taken a few months into his deployment, Lett bared his soul about some of the atrocities he’d seen and the shots he had to fire.

“I was on a combat outpost … and they tried to overrun it, about 20 to 25 members of the Taliban,” he said. “There was one individual that was obviously firing at me. I fired off a couple rounds at him, he kept popping up, and I’d fire again, and he never popped back up.”

He also talked about being a first responder to a mortar attack. The victim had a missing left arm, and a good portion of his chest missing, Lett said, and despite his efforts to save him, the man died a short while later.

Lett was hesitant about shooting that blog, he admitted, but felt obligated to present life during deployment, both good and bad.

“I put that [blog] off for a little while, not wanting to possibly break down on camera or have overly dramatic explanation,” he said. “I needed to do that blog … to create an honest view.”

Lett also infuses some humor into his blogs. Upon his return to the States, he filmed a blog about being “tased” at the Modern Day Marine Expo in Quantico, Va. He shows a succession of Marines hollering at the shock of it.

Lett recently posted his final wrap-up blog from New Hampshire, where he’s now stationed at Marine Corps Recruiting Station Portsmouth.

He said he’s thrilled that he did the video blog, not only for his own memories, but because of the interest from young people interested in joining the Marine Corps.

“It needed to be done,” he said. “Without a doubt, I’m glad I did it.”

His deployment, he describes on his final Afghan blog, “was quite an experience.”

“It was just amazing. It makes you grow as a man in light years,” he said. “You do things, and see things, you never thought possible.”

Lett added that he just reenlisted for four years.

Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

Military-Writers.com lists 3923 books authored by 1233 US Military Servicemembers. The most recent book listed was Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.

Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell, USN “joined the United States Navy in March 1999, became a combat-trained Navy SEAL in January 2002, and has served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He lives in Texas.” Marcus Luttrell is the author of Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.

According to the book description of Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, “Four US Navy SEALS departed one clear night in early July 2005 for the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border for a reconnaissance mission. Their task was to document the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumored to be very close to Bin Laden with a small army in a Taliban stronghold. Five days later, only one of those Navy SEALS made it out alive.

This is the story of the only survivor of Operation Redwing, SEAL fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, and the extraordinary firefight that led to the largest loss of life in American Navy SEAL history. His squadmates fought valiantly beside him until he was the only one left alive, blasted by an RPG into a place where his pursuers could not find him. Over the next four days, terribly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains and was taken in by sympathetic villagers who risked their lives to keep him safe from surrounding Taliban warriors.

A born and raised Texan, Marcus Luttrell takes us from the rigors of SEAL training, where he and his fellow SEALs discovered what it took to join the most elite of the American special forces, to a fight in the desolate hills of Afghanistan for which they never could have been prepared. His account of his squadmates' heroism and mutual support renders an experience that is both heartrending and life-affirming. In this rich chronicle of courage and sacrifice, honor and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers a powerful narrative of modern war.”

Regional Command Southwest Commanding General and Helmand Provincial Governor to Brief Live from Afghanistan

Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, commanding general for Regional Command Southwest, accompanied by the Governor of Helmand Province, Gulab Mangal, will brief the media live from Afghanistan at 10:30 a.m. EST, Dec. 7, in the DoD Briefing Room, Pentagon 2E973, to provide an update on current operations.

Journalists without a Pentagon building pass will be picked up at the River Entrance only.  Plan to arrive no later than 45 minutes prior to the event; have proof of affiliation and two forms of photo identification.  Please call 703-697-5131 for escort into the building.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Jason A. Reeves, 32, of Odessa, Texas, died December 5 at Gardez District, Paktia Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.  He was assigned to the 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, Hohenfels, Germany.

For more information, the media may contact U.S. Army Europe public affairs office at 011-49-6221-57-5812 or 011-49-6221-57-6315.

Gates Praises USS Lincoln’s Crew for War Contributions

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service

MUSCAT, Oman, Dec. 6, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today praised the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln for its support of the war effort in Afghanistan.

Gates arrived aboard the Nimitz-class supercarrier off the coast of Oman this morning, and in addition to touring the ship, observing operations and meeting with small groups of crew members, he held an “all hands call” with hundreds of sailors.

“This visit gives me the opportunity to thank all of you for your service, personally and on behalf of the American people,” he told the Lincoln’s crew. “I want you to know that the entire nation is praying for you and for the success of your mission.”

Though they’re hundreds of miles from Afghanistan, the secretary said, their efforts are making an important impact for ground forces there.

“When your aircraft come screaming, our troops hear the sound of relief and the enemy knows what’s coming next,” Gates said. “You are delivering lethal blows to them and protecting the lives of our men and women on the battlefield. Still, recognizing the complexities of this battle environment, you have been extraordinarily conscious about the need to avoid civilian casualties.”

The secretary invited questions from the crew, and their topics included the defense budget, the prospects for repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, and North Korean provocation.

In response to a sailor who asked whether defense budget cuts might affect the Navy’s ability to buy ships, Gates said that while the country is facing a $1.3 trillion deficit, the defense budget should not be a target.

“People are going to look to us to be responsible and to contribute to addressing these problems,” he said. “My view is that we don’t address those problems by cutting the defense budget. We address those problems by making sure that every dollar spent for defense is spent wisely and intelligently. It means cutting wasteful programs and overhead and excess staff, and investing that in force structure and capabilities.

“I don’t see the world getting safer over the next 10 years; there will continue to be significant challenges even after Iraq and Afghanistan,” he continued. “And so my hope is that the Congress will work with us, recognize the efforts that we have made to rid the defense budget of waste and abuse and allow us to use the monies we’ve identified in overhead and apply them against capabilities.”

Failing that, he added, the military’s ability to sustain its force structure, including the number of ships, “will be seriously in jeopardy, in my view.”

Another sailor asked whether, in light of recent North Korean provocation, the Lincoln crew might head to that region next. Gates replied that it’s not likely.

“I think the general feeling is that what we are seeing in these provocations in North Korea is a part of the succession, as Kim Jong-Il prepares for his son to take his place,” he explained.

The sinking of a South Korean ship earlier this year, the revelation of a North Korean nuclear enrichment facility and the recent artillery attack on a South Korean island seem to be designed to show the North Korean people, and most importantly, its military, that the ailing leader’s son and heir apparent is tough and strong enough to take leadership, Gates said.

“I think this is a difficult and potentially dangerous time,” the secretary added. “The North Koreans have engaged in some very provocative actions. They get everyone upset, then they volunteer to come back to talks, and we basically end up buying the same horse twice.

“So I think we need to figure out the way ahead with North Korea,” he continued. “Nobody wants a war on the Korean peninsula. And I think we just have to work with the Chinese and with others to see if we can’t bring some greater stability, some greater predictability to the regime in Pyongyang.”

Another crew member wanted to know whether Gates thinks the current Congress will repeal the law that bans gays from serving openly in the military after a Defense Department working group that studied the issue released its report last week.

“I’d have to say I’m not particularly optimistic that they’re going to get this done,” he said, noting that Congress has only two weeks remaining in the current session. “I would hope that they would,” he added.

Gates reiterated his concern that if Congress doesn’t act on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” legislation –- which would repeal the law once he certifies, along with the president and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that the military can handle it -- the courts might overturn the policy on their own.

“My greatest fear is that we will be told that this law will be overturned by a court and we will be told to implement it without any time for preparation for training [or] any of the other efforts that need to be undertaken to prepare us for such a change,” he said. By contrast, he added, the legislative repeal route gives the Pentagon “enormous latitude” to prepare for such a change.

The service chiefs provided testimony on the matter before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, and some said that while they believe the law eventually will be repealed, now may not be the right time for that to happen.

“I agree with the service chiefs,” Gates said today. “A change in this law is inevitable. Their concern is whether it ought to be done now, while the force is under such stress, with such continuing rotations, or deployments, still having the war in Afghanistan, and still having 50,000 troops in Iraq.

“Their view is, by and large, that it should come, but not now,” he continued. “And we’ll see where the Congress goes with it.”

If Congress does repeal the law, Gates told the group, he would put a lot of stock in the service chiefs’ views in terms of when to certify the military is ready to implement repeal.

Gates will remain aboard the carrier overnight.

Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Lucas C. Scott, 20, of Peebles, Ohio, died Dec. 3 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 2nd Marine Division public affairs office at 910-449-9925 or http://www.marines.mil/unit/2ndmardiv/Pages/Media/default.aspx.

Officials Confirm Leader’s Capture

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2010 – Officials from NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan today confirmed the identity of a Taliban leader captured Dec. 4 in Paktika province, military officials reported.

Afghan and coalition forces captured the Taliban leader in the province’s Yosuf Khel district. He is believed responsible for attacks on security forces in the area. Coalition troops killed another insurgent during the operation after he brandished a weapon at the troops.

Also today in Afghanistan, Afghan and coalition forces confiscated two weapons caches. Troops found one rocket-propelled grenade launcher and more than 100 rounds of assault rifle ammunition in Helmand province’s Marja district. Troops also found two hand grenades, one assault rifle and various small-arms ammunition during an operation in Kandahar.

In operations yesterday:

-- ISAF officials confirmed the death of Taliban leader Par Gul Khan, a known weapons trafficker and scout. Coalition forces tracked Khan to a remote area of Wardak’s Sayyidabad district Dec. 3 and killed him with an airstrike.

-- Afghan and coalition forces detained three suspected insurgents, including an alleged Haqqani network member, in Paktiya province’s Gardez city. Troops surrounded a compound where the Haqqani member apparently based operations. He allegedly is connected to a suicide bombing that killed two coalition troops and wounded several others in the area earlier in the day.

-- Afghan and coalition forces captured a Haqqani network leader and two suspected insurgents in Khost province. The Haqqani leader reportedly carried out and ordered bombing and direct fire attacks on security forces in the province. The men were detained without incident.

-- In Paktiya’s Tsamkani district, security forces removed a homemade bomb from a local hospital before insurgents could detonate it. The bomb consisted of two mortar rounds connected to a cell phone and was covered with a scarf. No troops or civilians were injured during the incident.

-- In Wardak province’s Maiden Shahr district, an Afghan and coalition patrol confiscated more than 200 rounds of small-arms ammunition, 100 bomb detonation fuses, 10 rocket-propelled grenades, and 9 various rockets and mortars.

In Dec. 4 operations:

-- ISAF officials confirmed the identity of a Taliban leader killed Dec. 1 in Helmand. Juma Gul, a Taliban leader known for running a bombing cell was killed in an airstrike. Afghan and coalition surveillance teams tracked Gul traveling with an associate on a motorcycle for several hours. The airstrike occurred once the two rode into a remote area.

-- ISAF officials confirmed the identities of a two Taliban leaders captured recently in Ghazni and Zabul provinces. The Taliban leader from Ghazni was captured Dec. 2 in the Gelan district without incident. He is believed responsible for planning and ordering attacks on Afghan and coalition forces.

The Taliban leader from Zabul reportedly leads a bombing cell responsible for ambushing Afghan and coalition troops. He was detained Nov. 30 without incident in the province’s Shah Joy district.

-- Afghan and coalition forces killed one insurgent and detained another in Paktikia’s Yosuf Khel district. Security forces were searching for a senior Taliban leader responsible for planning and coordinating attacks against them when they came under attack during a search of the suspected leader’s compound. No troops or civilians were injured during the operation.

-- Afghan and coalition forces captured several suspected insurgents, including an alleged Haqqani network leader, in Khost’s Sabari district. The Haqqani leader is known for planning and conducting attacks against security forces. Tips from local residents led security forces to the leader’s location. The suspects were detained without incident.

-- Security forces detained two suspected insurgents, including an alleged Taliban leader, in Wardak’s Sayyidabad district. The Taliban leader has links to several recently-captured Taliban members who operated in the province. The insurgents fled the compound while security forces moved in to surround them. However, troops pursued the insurgents, capturing them later that night.

-- Troops in Helmand’s Dishu district found an explosive chemicals cache that included 2,800 pounds of urea nitrate, two empty fuel tanks, and $6,500. Several suspected insurgents were detained.

-- In Zabul’s Qalat district, troops found more than 550 pounds of ammonium nitrate.

-- Separate operations in Kandahar resulted in the confiscation of more than 2,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition, more than 100 pounds of explosives, 27 hand grenades, 12 rocket-propelled grenades and one assault rifle.

Face of Defense: Father, Son Reunite in Afghanistan

By Army 1st Lt. Andrew B. Adcock

Joint Sustainment Command Afghanistan

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Dec. 6, 2010 – It’s not often that a father and son meet in a combat zone, but that’s what happened when Missouri Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Robert W. Pharris reunited with his son, Marine Corps Cpl. Benjamin J. Pharris here Nov. 17.

The last time the two had seen each other was Christmas 2009, when Cpl. Pharris was home on leave.

Staff Sgt. Pharris now is serving in Afghanistan on his first deployment as a member of the Nangarhar Agri-Business Development Team IV, with Task Force Bastogne.

“We’re one component of rebuilding the Afghan infrastructure. We take graduates from Nangarhar University and work with them as they improve their agricultural and farming skills,” the staff sergeant said.

First enlisting in the Army in 1981, and later in the Army National Guard, Pharris has more than 14 years of service in a variety of assignments. Primarily serving as an infantryman, he also has served as a drill sergeant and recruiter. After leaving military service in 1997 and experiencing an 11-year break, Pharris re-joined the Missouri Army National Guard in 2008 after he learned that an infantry unit was being formed.

“I surprised my son by having him show up at my re-enlistment ceremony. He had no idea I was re-enlisting,” Pharris said.

Pharris’ Marine son, also on his first deployment, is serving at Kandahar Airfield as an individual augmentee supply specialist with the 184th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, a Mississippi Army National Guard unit that assumed the responsibilities of Joint Sustainment Command-Afghanistan, Oct. 17.

“As a Marine individual augmentee, I had no idea I was coming to a National Guard unit. It’s been a great experience so far and I want to continue to learn and do well,” the Marine said.

Military tradition runs deep in the Pharris family. In addition to Cpl. Pharris’ father, his mother, grandfather, and great-grandfather served in the military. His great grandfather served in the South Pacific during World War II.

The Marine recounted one of his childhood memories that buoyed his decision to join the military.

“When my mom received an award on the parade field,” he said, “I knew that I would serve. The only question that was left unanswered for quite some time was which service I would join.” Pharris enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2007 after completing high school early.

Pharris said he’s fully supportive of his son’s decision to serve in the military.

“He has done very well and I’m looking forward to his promotion to sergeant,” the father said of his son. “He has continued the family’s military tradition with the same pride in service.”

While deployment is never easy on families, the father and son agree that being together is one of the best things about deploying to a combat zone.

“Like any dad, I worry about my son. I just wish we served in closer proximity to each other,” Pharris said.

“I love it that my dad is over here the same time as I am,” the son said.

The father and son have found effective ways to deal with stress while serving in a combat zone. Both like to exercise during their “down” time, and honing their video-game and card-playing skills.

“I came to Afghanistan to make a tangible difference,” the father said. “Hopefully, 20 years from now, someone will remember an American who was here and be thankful their life is better.”

California Man Charged with Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to al Shabaab

SAN DIEGO—An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of California charging Anaheim resident Ahmed Nasir Taalil Mohamud, 35, with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced.

Mohamud appeared today in federal court in San Diego, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Jan M. Adler arraigned him on the indictment and ordered him held without bail pending a detention hearing on Dec. 7, 2010, at 2:00 p.m.

According to the indictment, returned on Nov. 19, 2010 and unsealed today, Mohamud conspired with Basaaly Saeed Moalin, Mohamed Mohamed Mohamud, and Issa Doreh to provide money to al Shabaab, a violent and brutal militia group in Somalia. In February 2008, the U.S. Department of State designated al Shabaab as a foreign terrorist organization.

The indictment alleges that al Shabaab has used assassinations, improvised explosive devices, rockets, mortars, automatic weapons, suicide bombings, and other tactics of intimidation and violence to undermine Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government and its supporters.

According to court records, Moalin, Mohamed Mohamed Mohamud, and Issa Doreh are charged with the same offenses in a separate indictment already pending in federal court in San Diego.

The arrest of Mohamud arises from an investigation that involves the Orange County Joint Terrorism Task Force, the San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection.

The charge of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of conspiracy to kill in a foreign country carries maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

An indictment itself is not evidence that the defendant committed the crimes charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

‘Rear D’ Moves Into High Gear as Tragedy Strikes

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2010 – When Army Maj. Bradd Schultz, rear detachment commander for the 101st Airborne Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, got a middle-of-the-night phone call from Afghanistan earlier this week, he knew the news wasn’t going to be good.

Six soldiers from the brigade’s 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, were killed Nov. 29 in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province –- reportedly at the hands of an Afghan border police officer. The soldiers killed were Sgt. 1st Class Barry E. Jarvis, Staff Sgt. Curtis A. Oakes, Spc. Matthew W. Ramsey, Pfc. Jacob A. Gassen, Pfc. Austin G. Staggs and Pfc. Buddy W. McLain.

The deaths bring the losses since the “Curahee Brigade” deployed to Afghanistan in August as the final element of the troop surge to 13.

“It’s the worst kind of call you can get,” Schultz said of receiving the news. “But I know, when that phone rings, this is it. This is why we are here. This is our time to do it right.”

Schultz leads the “Rear D,” a 54-person skeletal staff that remained at Fort Campbell, Ky., when the brigade deployed.

The Rear D performs a broad range of missions, from maintaining property and equipment to untangling deployed soldiers’ pay and legal problems. In addition, since the brigade deployed, the detachment has trained more than 450 soldiers, many of them fresh out of advanced individual training, to join the brigade in Afghanistan.

But these missions take a back seat to what Schultz called the Rear D’s most important calling: taking care of families and honoring the fallen. As they juggle myriad missions, he said, they never lose sight of the needs of deployed soldiers’ families, particularly families of troops killed.

So the Rear D moved into high gear after getting word of the latest casualties. Following painstakingly thought-out procedures, they went to work to support the families of the fallen, as well as those of their deployed comrades-in-arms.

The Rear D arranged for the next of kin to be notified, delivering the heartbreaking news personally to families living in or near Fort Campbell, and serving as casualty assistance officers to provide administrative assistance and ongoing support. “We want Currahees taking care of Currahees,” Schultz said.

For families living outside the area, the Rear D made contact with notification teams and casualty assistance officers to provide any support required.

Meanwhile, Schultz consulted his list of family care team volunteers -- spouses from the brigade specially trained to come to a family’s side immediately after being notified of their loved one’s death. The team, which is deployed to the home only if the family requests it, arrives with a box of household staples, a shoulder to cry on and helping hands to do whatever the family needs, from straightening up the house to prepare for visitors and answering phone calls to walking the family dog.

The idea, Schultz explained, is to ensure there’s no gap between when a family receives notification and either their personal support network or the official military support network arrives. “We drop this devastating news on them, and we don’t want to leave them,” he said. “We will work to make sure someone is there as long as they need them.”

While tending to the families, the brigade’s Rear D also is working to provide its fallen soldiers the honor they deserve. A Rear D team processes paperwork for each casualty, ensuring that any awards earned during the deployment are ready to be presented in time for the funeral.

And as the remains of the fallen Currahee soldiers arrived at Dover Air Force Base, Del., late Dec. 1, the Rear D prepared to dispatch several of its members to escort them to their funeral or burial sites and to represent the command at their funerals.

Schultz recognized the devastation of the soldiers’ deaths to the entire brigade, but particularly to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment. The squadron has lost nine soldiers since deploying in August. Army Capt. Ellery Wallace, its company commander, was among the first, killed by a rocket-propelled grenade almost immediately after the unit arrived in Afghanistan.

Just as the squadron has suffered, so, too, have its family members, Schultz said. So on Dec. 1, as families struggled with news of the six casualties, the Rear D organized a “Caring Hearts” session to provide information and comfort. Joined by post chaplains and counselors, the team explained what happened, read messages sent by Army Col. Sean Jenkins, the brigade commander, and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Hector Santos, and gave the families a chance to grieve together and talk openly about their feelings.

“These families have really been though a lot,” Schultz said. “Some of these families are really torn up, and we were able to sit and, as the Currahee family, talk about it.”

Schultz and his Rear D soldiers spend the vast majority of their time providing a vital link between forward-deployed troops and their families and helping families deal with issues that arise during the deployment. “These guys are really at the front of leading the families through,” Schultz said of his team. “Every day, we deal with something new and different.”

During the first month of the brigade’s deployment, the Rear D handled more than 100 family issues, although Schultz said that number has dropped as families adjust to the deployment. But regardless of how busy he and his soldiers get, Schultz said, they drop everything to tend to families’ needs or concerns.

“We are the problem solvers in the rear detachment,” he said. “If we don’t take care of the families that are here and that come to us for help, we are failing.”

Early in the war, deploying units often left their weakest members behind to serve in the Rear D, not fully recognizing the consequences, Schultz said. “They quickly realized that if you don’t man your rear detachment properly, you are going to have issues with your home front,” he said.

Schultz praised the professionalism of his Rear D soldiers, most of whom are seasoned combat veterans and all hand-picked by their commanders for their strengths.

He admitted that most, given the choice, would prefer deploying over serving in the Rear D. “You joined the Army to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” he said. “You don’t join the Army to stay back here in the rear, dealing with all these issues. You would rather be out maneuvering.”

Schultz, who had been slated to attend a military school rather than deploying, said he did the unthinkable by volunteering to serve as Rear D commander. It allowed him to continue serving the Currahee, and also to remain at home with his children while his wife is deployed with the NATO International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Afghanistan.

“When I was named for the job, I think every field grade officer in the brigade sighed with relief,” Schultz said.

Although they’re not on the front lines, the Rear D soldiers play a critical part of the war effort through support for Currahee families, Schultz said.

“If you can go day to day without worry about anything at home, it takes away those distractions so you can focus on the mission,” he said. “And if something happens, you don’t have to worry about your families sitting back here by themselves. You know that someone is here for them and is going to step in.”

Schultz underscored the importance of the Rear D mission to his soldiers the day he took charge. “I told them on Day One: They don’t make movies about the rear detachment. They don’t write books about the rear detachment. Nobody even knows we exist.

“But if we don’t do our job right,” he continued, “our soldiers aren’t going to be focused on what they need to be focused on.”

Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. Matthew T. Abbate, 26, of Honolulu, Hawaii, died Dec. 2 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

SFC James E. Thode, 45, of Kirtland, N.M., died Dec. 2 at Sabari District, Khowst Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.  He was assigned to the 1457th Engineer Battalion, 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Salt Lake City, Utah.

For more information, the media may contact the Utah National Guard public affairs office at 801 432-4407 or 801 420-4778.

Officials Confirm Terrorist Leader’s Death

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2010 – Officials from NATO’s International Security Assistance Force today confirmed the death of a Taliban leader killed Nov. 20 in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, military officials reported.

A coalition airstrike killed Noor Mohammad and 12 other insurgents during a Taliban leadership meeting in the province’s Kajaki district, officials said.

Troops on the ground called in the airstrike after several hours of surveillance and reporting numerous armed guards patrolling the area. Mohammad was a bomb facilitator who planned and executed bombing attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, officials added.

Officials also confirmed the identities of two Taliban leaders captured recently by Afghan and coalition forces.

Tips from local residents led security forces to one of the Taliban leaders Dec. 1 in Ghazni province’s Ab Band district. His fighting cell is responsible for planning and attacking Afghan and coalition forces and is known for planting roadside bombs along public roads, officials reported. The other Taliban leader was captured Nov. 30 in Kandahar province. He allegedly is responsible for trafficking bomb-making materials and narcotics to and from Kandahar and Pakistan.

Also today in Afghanistan, Afghan and coalition forces confiscated two weapons caches.

Troops found six rocket-propelled grenades, four hand-held radios and an automatic rifle with more than 250 rounds of ammunition in Helmand province’s Marja district. Troops also found 12 rockets and various small-arms ammunition during an operation in Kandahar.

In operations yesterday:

-- A partnered Afghan and coalition force killed several insurgents in Helmand province’s Kajaki district. Troops surrounded a compound where a Taliban leader reportedly based his operations. Troops immediately began taking fire from insurgents in the compound. Coalition aviation assets arrived on scene, killing the insurgents. Numerous suspected insurgents were questioned and detained following the firefight.

-- Afghan and coalition forces captured a man in Khost province who provided weapons and ammunition to Haqqani terrorist network fighters. He also led a team of assassins responsible for kidnappings and killings throughout the province’s Sabari district. He and two of his associates were detained.

-- In Kandahar province’s Panjwai district, security forces detained a Taliban logistician responsible for coordinating weapons and munitions transportation throughout the province, along with an associate.

-- In Wardak province’s Sayyidabad district, Afghan and coalition forces captured a Taliban leader responsible for planning and conducting kidnappings there.

-- Afghan and coalition forces detained a man in Ghazni province’s Gelan district after initial questioning led security forces to believe he was associated with a known terrorist cell in the district.

Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Cpl. Chad S. Wade, 22, of Bentonville, Ark., died Dec. 1 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766.

Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of six soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died Nov. 29, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an insurgent attacked their unit with small arms fire.

Killed were:

Sgt. 1st Class Barry E. Jarvis, 36, of Tell City, Ind.

Staff Sgt. Curtis A. Oakes, 29, of Athens, Ohio.

Spc. Matthew W. Ramsey, 20, of Quartz Hill, Calif.

Pfc. Jacob A. Gassen, 21, of Beaver Dam, Wis.

Pfc. Austin G. Staggs, 19, of Senoia, Ga.

Pvt. Buddy W. McLain, 24, of Mexico, Maine.

They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

For more information, please contact the Fort Campbell public affairs office at 270-798-3025.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

1st. Lt. Scott F. Milley, 23, of Sudbury, Mass., died Nov. 30 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.

For more information media may contact the Fort Drum public affairs office at 315-772-8286.

Officials Confirm Terrorist Leader’s Capture

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 – Officials from NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan today confirmed the identity of a Haqqani terrorist network leader captured by Afghan and coalition forces Nov. 28 in Khost province, military officials reported.

The Haqqani leader is responsible for transporting foreign fighters to the mountains near the Musa Khel district to plan and stage attacks on Afghan and coalition forces, officials said.

Also today in Afghanistan, Afghan and coalition forces confiscated a number of weapons and munitions.

In Faryab province, forces found a cache of more than 30 artillery rounds, rocket-propelled grenades with launchers and bomb-making materials. Security forces plan to destroy the weapons, officials said.

In southern Afghanistan’s Helmand and Uruzgan provinces, Afghan and coalition forces found and plan to destroy more than 260 rounds of munitions, more than 20 homemade bombs, several rifles and bomb-making materials.

In operations last night, four suspected insurgents were detained. Afghan and coalition forces captured two men in Kandahar who allegedly are connected to a narcotics- and weapons-trafficking network. Two others were detained in Kunduz province in an operation that targeted an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader. The targeted individual is responsible for facilitating suicide bombers from Pakistan, officials said.

Afghan and coalition forces killed several militants and detained a suspected insurgent yesterday in Khost province while searching for a senior Haqqani leader who allegedly is responsible for coordinating bombing attacks against security forces in the area. Afghan and coalition forces approached a building where they believed he was hiding. They immediately took fire from inside the building. After the firefight, several insurgents surrendered. A number of weapons, munitions and bomb-making materials were confiscated.

In Zabul province yesterday, Afghan police at a checkpoint detained a man who was transporting more than a ton of ammonium nitrate from Pakistan. Insurgents use the fertilizer, banned by the Afghan government, in making homemade bombs.