Forces Continue Offensive Against Insurgents

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Compiled from International Security Assistance Force and ISAF Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2011 – Coalition forces continued their offensive against the Haqqani network and other insurgents in Afghanistan, detaining numerous enemy fighters in recent days, military officials reported.

A combined Afghan and coalition security force today killed an Afghan man during a search for a Haqqani operative in Badakshan province’s Argo district. The wanted man is known to coordinate suicide attacks with other insurgent leaders in the northeast corner of the country.

During the search, the Afghan man failed to comply with repeated warnings and displayed hostile intent toward the security force, which engaged the man, resulting in his death.

The security force then confiscated a shotgun and intelligence information linking the Afghan man to the Haqqani network. They also detained two suspected insurgents during the operation.

In other ISAF news today:

--In Helmand province’s Musa Qal’ah district, a combined security force detained multiple suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban operative who provides financial, material and logistical support to insurgents throughout northern Helmand, Farah and Nimroz provinces. They confiscated multiple assault rifles, a shotgun, two ammunition pouches, and bomb-making materials during the operation.

--In Kandahar province’s Zharay district, a combined force detained a Taliban leader responsible for planting improvised explosive devices and supporting insurgents in the district. The security force also seized bomb-making materials.

--In Nangarhar province’s Behsud district, a combined force detained a Taliban operative who gave logistical support to local insurgents, and two other suspected insurgents. Also during the operation, the force engaged a man armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, killing him. Another man was wounded after firing at the force.

In operations yesterday, a combined patrol in Kandahar discovered a vehicle-borne IED after receiving a tip from a local civilian. The vehicle was packed with 500 pounds of explosives, which the patrol defused and confiscated. The force also detained multiple suspected insurgents while searching the surrounding area for additional explosives. The confiscated explosives will be destroyed at a later date.

On Nov. 5 Afghanistan operations:

--In Paktiya province’s Zurmat district, a combined force detained several insurgents during a security operation. The detained leader was responsible for IED attacks and recruiting insurgents to conduct suicide attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

--A combined force detained a Taliban leader and multiple suspected insurgents during an operation in Wardak province’s Nerkh district. The leader directed attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the area and coordinated weapons and financial support for insurgents. The security force seized a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with multiple RPGs, five AK-47 assault rifles, several ammunition pouches, fragmentation grenades, and bomb-making materials.

--In Paktiya’s Lajah-Ahmad Khel district, a combined force detained multiple suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader who coordinates direct and indirect fire attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and supplies insurgents with explosives.

--A combined force detained a Haqqani network operative and two suspected insurgents during an operation in Khost province’s Khost district. The detained man planned and conducted attacks, including kidnappings, against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force seized an AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition pouch during the operation.

--In Logar province’s Pul-e’Alam district, a combined force detained multiple suspected insurgents while searching for a Haqqani network leader who directs roadside bomb and indirect fire attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, and supplies weapons and IEDs to his network.

Also, in a Nov. 5 ISAF statement, ISAF Commander Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen said he joined Afghan President Hamid Karzai in condemning a suicide attack that day at a mosque in the Jirqishlaq Hasan Tal area of Baghlan province, which reportedly killed seven civilians and wounded 17 others.

“It is obvious by these acts that the insurgents do not respect the holy religion of Islam or the people of Afghanistan,” Allen said. “To conduct a senseless attack during this sacred time on the Islamic calendar is despicable. We send our condolences to the victims of today’s heinous event, and to the family and friends also affected by this attack.”

Allen noted that Taliban leader Mullah Omar issued an Eid message two days earlier that saying civilian casualties are a concern and must be minimized. “Apparently, when looking at today’s suicide attack, Taliban fighters are either uninformed or don’t care about the specific guidance given by their leaders to protect innocent Afghan civilians,” he said.

The general called on Omar to condemn the attacks publically.

In Nov. 4 Afghanistan operations:

--A combined force discovered 220 pounds of explosives and other bomb-making materials during a routine patrol in Zabul province’s Qalat district. The explosives and materials were removed by coalition forces and no civilians were injured during the operation.

--In Kandahar’s Maiwand district, a combined force detained several insurgents and seized a cache of 1,254 pounds of opium, which was destroyed on site. The detainees were taken in by Afghan forces for processing and further questioning.

--A coalition security force discovered a cache of unexploded ordinance in the Kunduz district of Kunduz province. The cache consisted of 20 40mm grenades, 40 30mm cannon casings and one 130mm casing. The items were safely destroyed by the security force at the scene.

--Acting on a tip by a local national, coalition forces discovered a weapons cache in the Faizabad district of Badakhshan province. The cache consisted of 29 rocket-propelled grenades, which were safely destroyed at the scene.

--A combined force seized a narcotics cache during an operation to disrupt an insurgent network in Helmand’s Washer district. The force seized 1,430 pounds of opium, which was safely destroyed on site.

--A local national led a coalition security force to a weapons cache in the Kahmard district of Bamyan province. The cache consisted of five 82mm recoilless rifle rockets, six 73mm rockets, 13 85mm rockets, six other rockets, and 400 12.7mm rounds.

Rotate Your Clocks, Rotate Your Stock

“Rotate Your Clocks – Rotate Your Stocks”
Another Set of Disaster Preparedness Tips by Paul Purcell

In our never-ending war on terror, those of us in charge of protecting others should first start by making sure the family we have to leave at home in a crisis is as well-protected as possible. We don’t accomplish this by massive single undertakings, but by the little day-to-day bits and pieces we put into place. Today gives us another opportunity to take a step.

It’s time to change the clocks again. Normally that just means we get an extra hour’s sleep this weekend, but for those in the know it means we also get an opportunity to check our family’s safety. We do this by using the twice-a-year time change as a reminder to review the parts of our family emergency assets that might need to be updated.

Here’s a quick list of but a few things to look at:

1. Change your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector batteries.
2. Check the batteries in your emergency gear (you should always write the dates of purchase on them).
3. Expiration dates of medications (including over-the-counter stuff and meds for your pets).
4. Conduct a fire drill along with a seasonal / regional drill such as a tornado or hurricane drill.
5. Check the expiration dates on important documents and policies (and list all dates in a calendar program).
6. Check the dates on any stored water you’ve put away.
7. Review maintenance needs for your vehicles.
8. Rotate and/or use any food in the pantry that is approaching its expiration date.
9. Look at the purchase or inspection dates on your fire extinguishers (do this when conducting your fire drill).
10. Change your password and run an anti-virus and anti-spyware scan and data backup your computer.
11. Put any stored gasoline in your vehicles and refill the spare cans with fresh gas.
12. Health improvement: review your exercise plan or get a medical / dental checkup.
13. Gotten your flu shots yet?
14. Update your emergency contact information.
15. Log on to www.disasterprep101.com for additional how-to articles.

Feel free to pass this list along to others! (Provided all portions stay intact that is; Copyright 2011 – Paul Purcell.)

Flournoy: Coalition Continues Progress in Afghanistan

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By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2011 – Despite recent high-profile attacks, the international coalition is making significant progress in Afghanistan, the Pentagon’s top policy official said today.

Recent violence in Afghanistan, such as an Oct. 31 suicide bombing at a U.N. compound in Kandahar that killed 10 people and an Oct. 29 suicide bus bombing that killed 13 Americans in Kabul, reminded Americans that “bringing about a peaceful Afghanistan is far from complete,” Michéle Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, said at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

Such isolated attacks should not cause people to think that U.S. and NATO operations are “doomed,” Flournoy said. Events on the ground prove “momentum has shifted in Afghanistan and the strategy is working.”

Flournoy, a former term member of the council who just returned from her seventh trip to Afghanistan in two years, said the coalition is degrading the insurgency, building up Afghan forces, and holding territory.

A semiannual Defense Department report to Congress last week shows that violence decreased during the spring-summer fighting season this year for the first time in at least five years, Flournoy said. “This is the most sustained downturn in enemy-initiated violence, so far, in Afghanistan,” she said.

The improved security is making it increasingly hard for insurgents to hold ground, Flournoy said.

The insurgency continues to benefit from support in Pakistan, the undersecretary said, and corruption hinders reforms. But millions more Afghans have access to education, health care and political representation, she noted. Afghanistan’s gross domestic product has increased at about 12 percent each year in 10 years, and exports are up 30 percent since the Taliban were in power, she added.

“These statistics offer perspective and, I believe, hope, … with more and more Afghans seeing the extremist worldview as nothing but a dead end,” Flournoy said.

The United States and NATO have been successful in Afghanistan because of President Barack Obama’s decision in 2009 to surge coalition personnel, then build up Afghan forces, the undersecretary said. Afghan security forces are on track to meet both quantitative and qualitative goals, and increasingly take the lead in security and humanitarian operations, Flournoy told the group. Coalition forces are on the verge of transferring more territory to Afghan control, placing half the country’s population under Afghan security, she added.

That process will continue until Afghan forces are in control of security for the whole country in 2014, Flournoy said, but that will not end U.S. involvement.

“We have no intention of abandoning Afghanistan,” Flournoy said. “We have done that before, with terrible consequences.”

As the United States draws down troops in Afghanistan, the U.S. focus increasingly will turn to economic growth, including cataloging the country’s mineral wealth and partnering with Silicon Valley, Calif., technical entrepreneurs on incubators, she said. “The [histories] of our two nations have become very intertwined,” Flournoy said. “We share the common core goal of disrupting and defeating transnational terrorist networks that emanate from that region.”

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn.

1st Lt. Dustin D. Vincent, 25, of Mesquite, Texas, died Nov. 3, in Kirkuk province, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

For more information the media may contact the Fort Riley public affairs office by email at matthew.howard1@conus.army.mil, nathaniel.s.smith@us.army.mil, or by phone at 785-240-6359/4928.

Local Man Pleads Guilty to Providing Material Support to Terrorist Organization

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ST. LOUIS—The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that Mohamud Abdi Yusuf, 31, pled guilty to providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

According to court documents, from February 2008 through at least July 2009, Yusuf, conspired with others to provide money to al Shabaab, which was designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization in February 2008. Yusuf transferred money to al Shabaab under fictitious names and telephone numbers utilizing money remitting businesses operating in the United States.

Al Shabaab is a terrorist organization based in Somalia, whose objective is the overthrow of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), eliminating the African Union support for TFG, and the imposing Shari’a law in Somalia. Al Shabaab has engaged in, and used, violence, intimidation, and acts of terrorism in Somalia and elsewhere to further its objectives.

Yusuf admitted to soliciting money from inside and outside the Eastern District of Missouri and coordinating the transfer of the money to al-Shabaab. Members of the conspiracy frequently communicated in coded language as they planned the means by which they transferred money to al Shabaab members and affiliates in Somalia.

Duane Mohamed Diriye, who is a resident of Kenya, and Abdi Mahdi Hussein, who worked for a money remitting business in Minneapolis, were also indicted along with Yusuf on October 21, 2010. Diriye remains at large; Hussein has appeared in court and his case is still pending.

Yusuf entered guilty pleas to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and three counts of providing material support to a designated terrorist organization. Each count carries a maximum penalty of fifteen years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000 In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges. United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey set Yusuf’s case for sentencing on January 31, 2012.

“Since 9/11, this is the first international terrorism case prosecuted in Eastern Missouri,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennis L. Baker. He continued, “At least 20 American citizens from other parts of the U.S. have already traveled to Somalia to join al Shabaab, which is responsible for assassinating Somali peace activists, international aid workers, numerous civil society figures, and journalists. Senior leaders of al Shabaab are affiliated with al Qaeda.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force, in conjunction with task force agencies. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Drake and Howard Marcus will be handling the case, in conjunction with the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

Combined Force Captures Haqqani Network Leader

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2011 – A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Haqqani network leader and detained a suspected insurgent during an operation in the Zarghun Shahr district of Afghanistan’s Paktika province yesterday, military officials reported.

The Haqqani leader operated a fighter cell in the Zarghun Shahr district, officials said. He also directed attacks against Afghan forces in western Paktika province.

The security force seized two assault rifles during the operation.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- In the Nawah-ye Barakzai district of Helmand province, a combined force detained multiple suspects while searching for a Taliban leader. The insurgent leader operates a roadside-bomb and fighter cell and distributes equipment and weapons for attacks across the region.

-- A combined force seized a weapons cache containing six 82 mm mortars in the Tarin Kot district of Uruzgan province.

-- A coalition force called in close air support to prevent two insurgents from planting a roadside bomb in the Kajaki district of Helmand province. The airstrike destroyed the bomb and damaged a nearby building. No civilians were harmed during the operation.

-- A combined force captured a senior Haqqani official and detained two other individuals in the Qarghahi district of Laghman province. The official worked with the Haqqani network and al-Qaida and supported insurgent activity in Kabul province.

-- In the Mohmand Darah district of Nangarhar province, a coalition force seized 300 gallons of ammonium nitrate -- a substance that can be used to make explosives -- in an abandoned semi-trailer near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

-- A combined force discovered a weapons cache containing 11 82mm mortars, two 40 mm grenades, a 30 mm grenade, and 60 rocket engines in the Bala Boluk district of Farah province.

Meanwhile, Afghan and combined forces killed six insurgents and detained 14 suspects during operations in eastern Afghanistan:

-- Combined forces killed three insurgents in the Watahpur district of Kunar province.

-- Coalition forces killed three insurgents in the Nike district of Paktika province.

-- Combined forces detained three suspects in the Alingar district of Laghman province.

-- Afghan soldiers detained a suspect in the Andar district of Ghazni province.

-- Coalition forces detained two suspects in the Chak district of Wardak province.

-- Afghan police detained three suspects in the Bati Kot district of Nangarhar province.

-- Combined forces detained three suspects in the Qarghaee district of Laghman province.

-- Afghan police detained two suspects in the Andar district of Ghazni province.

Forces in Iraq Pursue ‘Methodical, Flexible’ Exit Plan

The best Iraq War books are these Second Gulf War books written by real veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, – With some 33,000 U.S. troops still in Iraq and less than two months left to complete withdrawal by Dec. 31, the redeployment operation under way there is extraordinary, a senior officer with U.S. Forces Iraq said today.

Army Maj. Gen. Thomas Spoehr, the command’s deputy commanding general for support, briefed Pentagon reporters here on the massive relocation effort via video teleconference from Baghdad.

“There are trucks and planes and people moving very quickly, … [but] this is not a rush to the exits,” he said.

At the height of the troop surge, U.S. forces inhabited 505 bases throughout Iraq, Spoehr noted. When Operation New Dawn began in September 2010, the number had dropped to 92; today, there are 12, he said.

Troop levels are down from more than 165,000, and equipment once numbering more than 2 million pieces is down to 600,000, he added.

Most of the remaining troops will take military flights to Kuwait and return to the United States from there, while some will take direct commercial flights from Iraq to the United States, the general said.

Spoehr oversees logistics, personnel, communications and contracting for U.S. forces in Iraq, and said the scope of the redeployment effort there is unequalled since World War II’s “Red Ball Express” truck convoys supplied Allied combat forces in Europe.

“What we’re executing is a deliberate plan to safely and responsibly withdraw from Iraq by Dec. 31,” he said. “This plan is flexible enough to account for change -- no plan should be so rigid that it cannot account for adverse weather or enemy activity -- but it’s a methodical and measured plan.”

As redeployment efforts ramp up, the general said, some 55 U.S. military logistics convoys involving up to 1,650 trucks crisscross Iraq at any given time, funneling military equipment to Kuwait for shipment. The military and contracted drivers on those convoys are backed up by U.S. forces that have searched the roads for bombs and gathered intelligence on security threats, the general said.

“If they get in any trouble, of course, the U.S. Forces Iraq stand behind them with all kinds of combat power and medical care, should they need it,” Spoehr added.

The general noted the State Department will lead U.S. efforts in Iraq as of Jan. 1, 2012, and will oversee the Office of Security Cooperation Iraq, which, among other tasks, will manage the delivery of U.S. weapons purchased by the Iraqi government, including M1 tanks and F-16 fighter jets.

U.S. forces have loaned some military equipment to the State Department, including camera-equipped surveillance systems, radar systems and mine-protected vehicles, the general said.

U.S. forces also have transferred some items to the Iraqi government, he said. Most of that equipment is useful in running bases and would cost more to ship home than to replace, he added. Items transferred to Iraq thus far have a fair market value of $196 million, Spoehr explained, but represent shipping-cost avoidance of $298 million.

The two hallmarks of the operation, the general said, are force protection and stewardship -- keeping troops safe, accounting for military property and returning bases to the Iraqi government “better than we found them.”

While violent attacks now average 14 a day, down from a daily average of nearly 149 from 2007 to 2009, Iraq remains a dangerous place, and U.S. forces there remain committed to ensuring their fellow service members are protected until they reach home, Spoehr said.

“In those last few weeks, few days of this calendar year, the primary people will be those that you can’t let go near the end,” he said. “Our medical people that have to provide access to uninterrupted medical care; our logisticians, who are responsible for safely moving all the people and the equipment out of Iraq; and then the necessary combat power to make sure we’re strong … until the last moment.”

Attorney General Holder Meets with Iraqi Chief Justice

By Tracy Russo
 
Yesterday afternoon, Attorney General Eric Holder met with Iraq’s Chief Justice Medhat al Mahmood at the U.S. Department of Justice.
 
The Chief Justice and Attorney General reaffirmed their commitment to a continuing and strong relationship between their countries under the Strategic Framework Agreement.  The Chief Justice and the Attorney General also spoke about the strength and independence of the Iraqi judiciary and also the continuing challenges it faces.  The two also discussed the lengthy and productive relationship between the Department of Justice and the Iraqi Higher Judicial Council to foster the rule of law in Iraq.
 
Chief Justice Medhat is in Washington, D.C. as part of a senior judicial delegation sent by the Government of Iraq.
 
For more information about the Department of Justice and Iraq, visit Justice.gov/Iraq.

International Arms Dealer Viktor Bout Convicted in New York of Terrorism Crimes

This terrorist was apprehended thanks to the combined efforts of international police!  Check out the best international police books written by real cops from around the world!

Bout Convicted on All Four Counts, Including Conspiring to Kill Americans and Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorists

NEW YORK – International arms dealer Viktor Bout was found guilty today of conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) – a designated foreign terrorist organization based in Colombia – to be used to kill Americans in Colombia, announced the Department of Justice.  

 “Today, one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers is being held accountable for his sordid past,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.   “Viktor Bout’s arms trafficking activity and support of armed conflicts have been a source of concern around the globe for decades.   Today, he faces the prospect of life in prison for his efforts to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to terrorists for use in killing Americans."

 “ As the evidence at trial showed, Viktor Bout was ready to sell a weapons arsenal that would be the envy of some small countries,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara.   “He aimed to sell those weapons to terrorists for the purpose of killing Americans.    With today’s swift verdict, justice has been done and a very dangerous man will be behind bars.   I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents who investigated this case on three different continents and helped to bring Viktor Bout to justice.”

Bout was arrested in Thailand in March 2008 based on a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court.   He was subsequently charged in a four-count indictment in May 2008 and extradited to the Southern District of New York in November 2010.   Bout was convicted today of   conspiring to kill U.S. nationals; conspiring to kill U.S. officers and employees; conspiring to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles; and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.   The three-week jury trial was presided over by U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin.

According to the indictment and evidence presented at the trial:

Since the 1990s, Bout has been an international weapons trafficker.   As a result of his weapons trafficking activities in Liberia, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control within the Department of Treasury placed him on the Specially Designated nationals list in 2004.   The designation prohibits any transactions between Bout and U.S. nationals, and freezes any of his assets that are within the jurisdiction of the United States.

Between November 2007 and March 2008, Bout agreed to sell to the FARC millions of dollars’ worth of weapons – including 800 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), 30,000 AK-47 firearms, 10 million rounds of ammunition, five tons of C-4 plastic explosives, “ultralight” airplanes outfitted with grenade launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles.   Bout agreed to sell the weapons to two confidential sources working with the DEA (the “CSs”), who represented that they were acquiring them for the FARC, with the specific understanding that the weapons were to be used to attack U.S. helicopters in Colombia.

During a covertly recorded meeting in Thailand on March 6, 2008, Bout stated to the CSs that he could arrange to airdrop the arms to the FARC in Colombia, and offered to sell two cargo planes to the FARC that could be used for arms deliveries.   He also provided a map of South America and asked the CSs to show him American radar locations in Colombia.   Bout said that he understood that the CSs wanted the arms to use against American personnel in Colombia, and advised that, “we have the same enemy,” referring to the United States.   He also stated that the FARC’s fight against the United States was also his fight and that he had been “fighting the United States…for 10 to 15 years.” During the meeting, he also offered to provide people to train the FARC in the use of the arms.

The evidence presented at trial included a recording of the March 6, 2008 meeting between Bout, the CSs, his former associate Andrew Smulian, and others.   Smulian was charged along with Bout in the government’s March 2008 complaint and pleaded guilty in May 2008 to the four conspiracy counts of which Bout was just convicted.   Smulian cooperated with the government and, along with the two CSs, provided testimony at the trial.

Bout faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on counts one through three, including a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison for count three.   He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison on count four.  

Bout is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Scheindlin on Feb. 8, 2012.

The case was investigated by the DEA, with assistance from the Royal Thai Police; the Romanian National Police; the Romanian Prosecutor’s Office Attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice; the Korps Politie Curacao of the Netherlands Antilles; and the Danish National Police Security Services.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anjan Sahni and Brendan R. Mcguire from the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit.   The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.

Combined Forces Kill 3 Insurgents, Detain Another

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From an International Security Assistance Force News Release

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Nov. 3, 2011 – Afghan and coalition forces killed three insurgents, detained one suspect and seized two weapons caches during operations in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, military officials reported.

A coalition airstrike killed three insurgents, officials said, as they were planting device roadside bomb in the Khogyani district of Nangarhar province.

Coalition troops detained a suspect in the Tirzaye district of Khost province.

Elsewhere, insurgents killed four Afghan civilians when a roadside bomb detonated in the Sayidabad district of Wardak province.

In Ghazni province, Afghan soldiers seized 62 82 mm rounds, 24 107 mm rocket igniters, 10 mortar igniters, seven 107 mm rockets and a bucket of ammunition in the Qara Bagh district. Also, a combined force patrolling in the region seized explosive-making materials and a smoke grenade.

Army Casualty

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

Staff Sgt. Ari R. Cullers, 28, of New London, Conn., died Oct. 30, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when an insurgent rocket-propelled grenade exploded near him.  He was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

For more information related to this release, media may contact the Fort Drum public affairs office at 315-408-3087 or email bruce.m.drake@us.army.mil .

Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died Nov. 1, in Paktia province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.  They were assigned to the 700th Brigade Support Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma National Guard, Tulsa, Okla.

Killed were:

Sgt. Christopher D. Gailey, 26, of Ochelata, Okla.; and

Pfc. Sarina N. Butcher, 19, of Checotah, Okla.

For more information related to this release, the media may contact the Oklahoma National Guard at 405-228-5212 or 918-381-1173.

UPDATE:  Nov. 3, 2011 -- Spc. Gailey was posthumously promoted to sergeant.

Rasmussen Cites Progress in Afghanistan, Libya

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2011 – Condemning weekend violence in Afghanistan, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen emphasized today that it won’t undermine the alliance’s commitment to Afghanistan as progress there continues.

Rasmussen, just returned from a historic visit to Tripoli, also praised NATO’s role in liberating Libya. “We did the right thing in the right way, and we achieved the right result,” he said. “I saw that it with my own eyes in Tripoli.”

The secretary general noted continued progress in Afghanistan that he insisted won’t be derailed by desperate attacks by a weakened enemy.

“Spectacular attacks capture the headlines. But they don’t capture more ground,” he said. “They do not allow the enemies of Afghanistan to seize and hold ground. And the bigger picture is different: overall enemy attacks are decreasing, and the enemy has been weakened.”

Enemy attacks dropped 26 percent from July to September this year, compared to the same period last year, he noted. In Helmand province, attacks decreased by 30 percent, and in some districts, by 80 percent, he added.

Meanwhile, NATO’s training mission has passed a new milestone in developing Afghan security forces. “Our target for this October was to have 306,000 Afghan soldiers and police trained, and we did it,” Rasmussen said.

“Transition is on track,” he declared, noting that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to announce shortly the next group of provinces and districts to transfer to the Afghan security lead. “A quarter of the Afghan population already has day-to-day security provided by Afghan forces,” he said. “And I expect the next group to be equally significant.”

Rasmussen cited other signs of progress in Afghanistan: a growing economy, more paved roads that promote trade, improved education programs and an increasing role for women, among them.

Acknowledging that “much hard work lies ahead” while transition proceeds, he called engagement with Afghanistan’s neighbors critical.

Yesterday’s meeting in Istanbul, where more than a dozen countries from the region agreed not to interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs represented an important part of that process, he said. Under the Istanbul Protocol, these nations pledged to protect Afghanistan’s sovereignty and to cooperate in dismantling terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens.

Turning his attention to Libya, Rasmussen praised the accomplishments of Operation Unified Protector.

He became the first NATO secretary general to visit Libya, marking the end of NATO’s mission there at midnight Oct. 31, exactly seven months after it began.

“NATO’s mission is over, and the new Libya has been born,” he said.

“I am proud of what we achieved,” the secretary general said. “We called our operation Unified Protector, and that is what we did: we unified the international military response in support of a historic United Nations resolution, and we protected the people of Libya.”

Rasmussen said many of the Libyans he met thanked him personally for NATO’s assistance. “NATO is in the heart of the Libyan people,” he said Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chairman of Libya’s National Transitional Council, told him.

Paying tribute to the courage and determination of the Libyan people who fought for and won their freedom, Rasmussen said it will now be up to them to shape a true democracy and move their country forward.

“Freedom comes with responsibilities,” he said he reminded the Libyans. “And the National Transitional Council has an immense responsibility, to the Libyan people and to history.”

The United Nations Security Council made clear this week that the new Libya must be based on respect for human rights, the rule of law, justice, reconciliation and inclusion, he noted.

In addition, Rasmussen called on Libya to play a responsible role in the region that includes working with neighbor states to stop the spread of arms through North Africa.

“As the Security Council stressed, the National Transitional Council must do whatever it takes to bring the situation under control,” he said.

As the NTC deals with these and other challenges, Rasmussen stressed that “Libya is not alone.” It can call on the international community for support, if needed, he said, and on NATO, which stands ready to help with defense and security reforms, if asked.

“Despite all the challenges, this is a time of optimism,” Rasmussen said, with the Libyan people now holding their country in their own hands.

“They have the chance to make the future better than the past,” he said. “And, as I saw in Tripoli this week -- that is what they are determined to do.”

NATO Builds on Afghanistan’s Once-modern Air Force

By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2011 – Afghanistan’s military retains the vestiges of a modern air force, and its skilled and eager airmen have NATO trainers encouraged as they build up the force, the commander of NATO Air Training Command Afghanistan said today.

The Afghanistan air force has about 5,000 of its 8,000-member goal, and 66 of 145 aircraft NATO plans to provide it, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Timothy Ray said during a meeting with reporters at the State Department’s Foreign Press Center here.

“Back in the 1970s and ’80s, they actually had a very modern air force,” Ray said. The force had mostly Russian-made aircraft, which were new then, but either were lost in later combat or weren’t maintained after the country fell to the Taliban, he said.

“But I can tell you that we are building on that expertise and bringing in a young force behind them,” Ray said.

So far, NATO has trained 12 of at least 70 air crews it plans for the force “well past 2014,” when coalition forces are to turn over security control to the Afghans, the general said. “There will be an enduring relationship between the United States, NATO and Afghanistan,” he said. “We’re not going to just take everything out. We’re going to stay there and help them train.”

While there are years to go in training, Ray said, some of the Afghan airmen are exceptional. “I’ve flown with the Afghans. I’ve been in the cockpit with them,” he said. “I’ve seen them in action. And I can tell you, they are very good.

“Some of ones I’ve flown with have done a brilliant job,” he continued. “I’ve actually seen them correct NATO instructors. I’ve seen them explain things in the cockpit that I would expect of our own forces. There’s growth going on there, and there’s talent to build on.”

About 80 Afghan airmen are in pilot training in the United Arab Emirates, at least 10 are being trained in the United States, and four others are in the Czech Republic, Ray said. Afghanistan will start its own pilot training in December, which will include its first female air force pilot. More are learning English – the international language for aviators -- as part of the pipeline for becoming a pilot, he said.

The coalition is teaching Afghan forces to train their own, and to be stewards of their vehicles, aircraft and equipment, Ray said, and doing it in ways familiar to the Afghans. Most of the aircraft being bought for the Afghans are Russian made, such as Mi-17 helicopters, and Czech Republic forces have taken the lead in maintenance training, he said.

NATO is focused on leader training and literacy, Ray said. One of the biggest hurdles to the Afghan air force is that 85 percent of its recruits are illiterate and innumerate, he said.

“When you have Afghan police who can’t read a passport, or can’t read the paperwork he’s signing; he doesn’t know how much money he’s being paid,” Ray said. “When you tell an Afghan soldier to put four bullets in his gun, and he doesn’t understand that, [it’s a problem]. … It’s an absolute game changer when you teach them to read and write.”

The NATO trainers are getting the recruits to third-grade literacy, “and that’s a fundamental difference in the culture of Afghanistan,” he said.

“The Taliban did absolutely nothing for this country,” he added. Now, we have over 8 million kids in school. So, we’re raising the overall level of the Afghanistan people in a meaningful and lasting way.”

Thirty-seven NATO and partner nations are involved in building Afghan security forces, and more countries send money, Ray said.

The air force buildup is part of the command’s goal to grow Afghan forces – army, air force and national police – from about 200,000 currently to 352,000. The NATO goal would put the army at 187,000, and the police at 157,000 to last well past 2014, when the coalition plans to turn over all of Afghanistan’s security to its own forces, Ray said.

Afghan security forces are in control of security for 25 percent of the country’s population, he said, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to announce soon the transition of more areas to fall under Afghan security.

NATO trainers also are seeing much improvement in army and police forces, Ray said. The army is doing “a much better job embedding with our coalition partners,” and the national police “have done an amazing turnaround and are far more capable” than two years ago when, he acknowledged, they were “a questionable crowd.”

The command raised police pay, extended training from six to eight weeks, and started human rights training, Ray said. The police are responding more on their own now, including in recent severe flooding in the northeast, and “showing people that the Afghan government is there for them,” he said.

Officials: Kabul Attack Reflects Insurgents’ Desperation

Get the real story of the front lines in Afghanistan from real Afghanistan War veterans!
 
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
 
WASHINGTON – The weekend attack on an International Security Assistance Force convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, indicates the insurgents’ desire to counter growing coalition pressure, Pentagon officials said today.
 
A car bomb smashed into an ISAF convoy Oct. 29 killing 13 coalition personnel, NATO officials said. Five of the dead were service members, and eight were ISAF civilian employees. The attack also injured several Afghans, coalition personnel and civilians.
 
“These attacks are designed for psychological impact,” Navy Capt. John Kirby, deputy assistant secretary of defense for media operations, told reporters. “To give these attacks, as lethal as they have been and as pointed as they have been, more weight than they deserve wouldn’t be warranted.”
 
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, who was informed of the convoy attack soon after it happened, sent condolences to the families of those who were killed and wounded.
 
News reports from Kabul said the Taliban took credit for the attack, but Little said there is no new information about who is responsible. “We continue to look at that closely,” he said, adding that there is still no word about how many Americans were among the dead.
 
Recent insurgent-conducted car bombings, assassinations and other attacks in Afghanistan, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters, “reflect, in our view, their concern about pressure that’s being brought to bear on them in other parts of the country.”
 
Kabul is Afghanistan’s capital city. Kirby said the insurgents believe that by attacking coalition forces in Kabul “they can have an even greater psychological effect on the Afghan government and on Afghan citizens.”
 
In response to insurgent attacks yesterday that killed nine Afghans, the ISAF commander, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, joined Afghan President Hamid Karzai in condemning the violence.
 
"These callous acts against civilians are just more examples of the insurgents’ murderous ways and lack of respect toward the people of Afghanistan," Allen said today in a statement.
 
Four children from the same family were murdered by a roadside bomb explosion in Khajegan village of Nerkh district in Maidan Wardak.
 
In a separate insurgent attack, five Afghans were killed and six were wounded in a bombing at the U.N. High Commission for Refugees in Kandahar.
 
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families of these victims,” Allen said.
 
“Killing innocent civilians,” he added, “and in particular the children who are the future of this great nation, is unacceptable and we will hold these terrorists accountable.”

Face of Defense: Twin Brothers Serve in Iraq

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By Army Staff Sgt. Paul Evans
77th Sustainment Brigade

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq, Nov. 1, 2011 – The Saunders brothers have plenty in common -- they’re twins, and they’re both Kentucky National Guard soldiers serving together in Iraq.

Army Sgt. Jonas Saunders, a 25-year-old communications specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, said he’s glad to serve in Iraq with his brother, Army Cpl. Jason Saunders, an infantryman with the battalion’s Alpha Company.

Jonas, who joined the Guard in 2005, said he enlisted due to the encouragement of Jason, a vehicle commander for Company A, who joined the Guard in 2004.

As for deploying together, the twin brothers, who both hail from Barbourville, Ky. said they are OK with the idea, especially since they know what to expect.

“We did it once before, when the 149th deployed [to Iraq] in 2006,” Jonas said.

Yet, Jason said, it’s hard not knowing where his brother is sometimes, or knowing “if he’s OK.”

In the end, the brothers said, every little thing helps a soldier’s morale while serving in Iraq.

For these two brothers, they added, a big morale boost comes from knowing they’re serving together.

Additional Campaign Phase Identified for Afghanistan Campaign Medal

The Department of Defense announced today that an additional campaign phase has been approved for the Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM).  Accordingly, an additional campaign star corresponding to the campaign phase is now authorized for wear on the ACM.

ACM campaign stars recognize a service member’s participation in DoD-designated military campaigns in the Afghanistan Campaign Medal’s area of eligibility. 

Service members who have qualified for the ACM may display a bronze campaign star on their medal for each designated campaign phase in which they participated.  The stars are worn on the suspension and campaign ribbon of the campaign medal.

The additional ACM campaign phase and associated dates are:

·         Transition I – July 1, 2011 through a date to be determined. 

The four previously approved ACM campaign phases are:

·         Liberation of Afghanistan - Sept. 11, 2001 to Nov. 30, 2001 
·         Consolidation I - Dec. 1, 2001 to Sept. 30, 2006 
·         Consolidation II - Oct. 1, 2006 to Nov. 30, 2009 
·         Consolidation III - Dec. 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011. 

Service members should contact their respective military departments for specific implementation guidance.

Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died Oct. 29, in Kabul province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. 

Killed were:

Lt. Col. David E. Cabrera, 41, of Abilene, Texas, assigned to Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md.;

Staff Sgt. Christopher R. Newman, 26, of Shelby, N.C., assigned to Medical Company A, Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii;

Sgt. James M. Darrough, 38, of Austin, Texas, assigned to 101st Finance Company, 101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; and

Sgt. Carlo F. Eugenio, 29, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., assigned to 756th Transportation Company, 224th Sustainment Brigade, California Army National Guard, Van Nuys, Calif.

For more information on Cabrera, media may contact the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences public affairs office at 301-295-3578.

For more information on Newman, media may contact the Pacific Region Medical Command public affairs office at 808-433-2809.

For more information on Darrough, media may contact the Fort Campbell public affairs office at 270-798-9966.

For more information on Eugenio, media may contact the California Army National Guard public affairs office at 916-854-3304.