By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 25, 2010 - The U.S. military footprint in Iraq is down to fewer than 50,000 servicemembers because Iraq's security forces are ready to provide for their nation's security, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.
"It wasn't that long ago that there were 170,000 [U.S.] troops in Iraq," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told reporters. "What has dominated is growth and confidence in Iraqi security forces."
U.S. forces are confident in their Iraqi counterparts, as the U.S. military's combat mission there ends and Operation New Dawn begins Sept. 1, he said. Iraqi army and police are more than capable of assuming security responsibilities in their country, he added.
"We're very comfortable in Iraqi security forces that can provide for their security," Mullen said. "They've got some challenges in their future, but they have led in operations now for a significant period of time, and we have confidence they'll be able to meet the threat."
For the past 18 months, U.S. forces have been transitioning security responsibilities to Iraqi forces. The remaining U.S. troops will work in an "advise and assist" role in support of Iraqi forces for the next 16 months.
The U.S. troop reduction doesn't mean the U.S. military's role in Iraq is over, the admiral said, noting that 50,000 "is a lot of troops."
"It's not a small number," he added, "[and] it's a lot of capability. It will continue to have a significant impact."
Mullen said he's confident that the U.S. mission in Iraq will end on schedule Dec. 31, 2011.
"I don't see the role changing," he said. "[U.S. forces] are clearly in support of Iraqi security forces. They've got a very close, integrated relationship with the Iraqi security forces, [and the] support role will continue."
Mullen is here as part of a three-day "Conversation with the Nation" tour across the Midwest. The trip is geared toward helping local community leaders, business leaders and academics hone military veterans' skills and life experience.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Officials Probe Western Afghanistan Shooting Incident
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2010 - Officials are investigating a shooting incident today in western Afghanistan's Badghis province that left an Afghan National Police member, two International Security Assistance Force servicemembers and a civilian dead.
The cause of the shooting incident is still unclear, ISAF Joint Command officials said, but reports indicate that during a mentoring session between ISAF forces and Afghan National Police, an ANP member fired several rounds and ISAF members returned fire. The ANP member was killed, along with the two ISAF soldiers and the civilian.
After the incident, a demonstration occurred near the camp where the shooting took place. Afghan soldiers and police monitored the demonstration, officials said, adding that further details would be released as they become available.
In other news from Afghanistan, a combined Afghan police and ISAF patrol found a large weapons cache in Uruzgan province's Deh Rawud district yesterday. The cache of 150 rocket-propelled grenades was destroyed at a nearby coalition facility.
Elsewhere, an Afghan boy was killed and another boy was wounded when insurgents attacked Afghan and ISAF soldiers Aug. 23 in Logar province's Pul-e Alam district.
Officials said the soldiers were attacked while conducting a search near a compound. The combined force, recognizing the risk to civilians in the area, did not return fire, officials said, but instead moved a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle between the civilians and the attacking insurgents when they saw two children who were fleeing the area fall to the ground. Insurgents' small-arms fire hit only the two boys.
A medic rushed to the children's aid and began to treat their injuries. The unit requested a medical evacuation aircraft for the injured boys and support from armed helicopters in the fight against the insurgent element.
The boys, both in their teens, were transported by coalition vehicles to a coalition hospital. The elder boy died, and the younger boy underwent surgery for wounds to his legs.
Afghan Police Training Will Take Time, General Says
By Ian Graham
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity
Aug. 25, 2010 - Some of Afghanistan's biggest threats come – or seem to come – from within. To help the country solve internal problems, coalition officials are employing lessons from the best national police departments around the world.
Brig. Gen. Carmelo Burgio of the Italian army is in charge of police training for NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan. During a "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable yesterday, he spoke about recent improvements in training for the Afghan National Police, especially in developing leaders.
This year, Burgio said, his organization has started courses for noncommissioned and commissioned officers and has taken steps to open the Afghan National Police Staff College.
"We developed the first seminar for police commanders in August, and by the end of September, we will start some courses for company commanders and staff officers at the battalion level," Burgio said. "And by the end of December, we will start the first staff courses for the Afghan national police."
Among the courses offered to Afghan police are driving courses, anti-corruption classes and gender-issues seminars to help in combating sexual abuse and integrating women who want to serve Afghanistan into the force.
"We were able to develop two cycles of seminars about gender issues -- domestic violence, sexual abuse, women integration in the police -- in April and in August," he said. "And we have a program to develop these courses in December and in the next year."
Burgio said different classes are offered only a few times each year because the focus in training police isn't to rush a lot of trainees through a classroom, but rather to teach leaders how to run a police force as best they can.
"So it means that we are not focusing on quantity, because we strongly believe that quality affects quantity," he said. "If you want to achieve a big number of patrolmen, a big number of policemen, we have to pay them better, we have to train them better, we have to keep them better."
The original approach when the training mission stood up was to update the police training plan that already was in place in Afghanistan, managed by a smattering of nations working semi-independently, Burgio said. The philosophy was that every stakeholder trained what they liked to train, he added.
"We started to find out what the Afghans need to learn," Burgio said. "And in this country, they are policemen, but they are also the so-called 'peace target.' We have to think that for every Afghan National Army soldier killed, we have three or four policemen killed. For this reason, we train them as policemen, but we also provide them some specific survival capability skills."
But police aren't trained as ad hoc soldiers, the general said.
"We don't want to militarize the police," he explained. "We want to make a realistic approach to the training, so the training consists of the so-called 'blue part,' the police skills, and the 'green part,'" Burgio said. "The green part means that we train them how to shoot, how to react to an ambush, how to create a defensive perimeter, how to defend or how to attack a small position, how to defend a checkpoint, etc."
Burgio said what the Afghan police need most is time. More trainers are coming to help, he added, including Canadian and Jordanian police and more Carabinieri from Italy and gendarmes from France. But the central element to any force's development, he emphasized, is time for growth.
"I spent some years in Italy as a provincial commander in a particular area in which organized crime is very strong," he said. "And I always say to my bosses, to my commander, 'We need time. We cannot solve this problem in one year.'
"We cannot solve this problem in one month, because the main challenge is the changing of the mindset," he continued. "Changing the mindset means working for years."
"If the international community will be able to push in the same direction for years," Burgio said, "we could achieve some results."
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity
Aug. 25, 2010 - Some of Afghanistan's biggest threats come – or seem to come – from within. To help the country solve internal problems, coalition officials are employing lessons from the best national police departments around the world.
Brig. Gen. Carmelo Burgio of the Italian army is in charge of police training for NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan. During a "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable yesterday, he spoke about recent improvements in training for the Afghan National Police, especially in developing leaders.
This year, Burgio said, his organization has started courses for noncommissioned and commissioned officers and has taken steps to open the Afghan National Police Staff College.
"We developed the first seminar for police commanders in August, and by the end of September, we will start some courses for company commanders and staff officers at the battalion level," Burgio said. "And by the end of December, we will start the first staff courses for the Afghan national police."
Among the courses offered to Afghan police are driving courses, anti-corruption classes and gender-issues seminars to help in combating sexual abuse and integrating women who want to serve Afghanistan into the force.
"We were able to develop two cycles of seminars about gender issues -- domestic violence, sexual abuse, women integration in the police -- in April and in August," he said. "And we have a program to develop these courses in December and in the next year."
Burgio said different classes are offered only a few times each year because the focus in training police isn't to rush a lot of trainees through a classroom, but rather to teach leaders how to run a police force as best they can.
"So it means that we are not focusing on quantity, because we strongly believe that quality affects quantity," he said. "If you want to achieve a big number of patrolmen, a big number of policemen, we have to pay them better, we have to train them better, we have to keep them better."
The original approach when the training mission stood up was to update the police training plan that already was in place in Afghanistan, managed by a smattering of nations working semi-independently, Burgio said. The philosophy was that every stakeholder trained what they liked to train, he added.
"We started to find out what the Afghans need to learn," Burgio said. "And in this country, they are policemen, but they are also the so-called 'peace target.' We have to think that for every Afghan National Army soldier killed, we have three or four policemen killed. For this reason, we train them as policemen, but we also provide them some specific survival capability skills."
But police aren't trained as ad hoc soldiers, the general said.
"We don't want to militarize the police," he explained. "We want to make a realistic approach to the training, so the training consists of the so-called 'blue part,' the police skills, and the 'green part,'" Burgio said. "The green part means that we train them how to shoot, how to react to an ambush, how to create a defensive perimeter, how to defend or how to attack a small position, how to defend a checkpoint, etc."
Burgio said what the Afghan police need most is time. More trainers are coming to help, he added, including Canadian and Jordanian police and more Carabinieri from Italy and gendarmes from France. But the central element to any force's development, he emphasized, is time for growth.
"I spent some years in Italy as a provincial commander in a particular area in which organized crime is very strong," he said. "And I always say to my bosses, to my commander, 'We need time. We cannot solve this problem in one year.'
"We cannot solve this problem in one month, because the main challenge is the changing of the mindset," he continued. "Changing the mindset means working for years."
"If the international community will be able to push in the same direction for years," Burgio said, "we could achieve some results."
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Officials Note Low Insurgent Morale in Afghanistan
From an International Security Assistance Force News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 25, 2010 - Intelligence reports indicate some pockets of low insurgent morale, with some insurgent fighters reluctant to keep fighting and some refusing to assume district commands when commanders are captured or killed, International Security Assistance Force officials in Afghanistan said today.
In a written statement, officials said the low morale among enemy fighters and insurgent leaders can be linked to successful security operations by Afghan and ISAF forces.
Coalition and Afghan forces conducted more than 2,800 counterterrorist operations over the past 90 days, the statement said, killing or capturing more than 365 insurgent leaders and 2,386 fighters. These counter-insurgency successes have also led to a growing sense of distrust among insurgent fighters, heightened fear of spies in their midst and increased suspicion among rival tribes, officials said.
"While the coalition strength and capability of the [Afghan forces] are on the rise, we are seeing evidence of low insurgent morale, which is affecting their capability across the country," said German Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, an ISAF spokesman. "The coalition will continue to neutralize insurgents and eliminate their safe havens, expanding areas that are secure enough for improved governance and development."
The ISAF statement cited the Taliban commander in Helmand province's Marja district as an example, noting that he openly acknowledged to his fellow insurgents that the Taliban are losing Marja and that their chances of winning are poor.
ISAF officials said intelligence reports indicate the Taliban commander based his assessment on battlefield losses -- insurgents killed or captured by the coalition forces -- and increasing resentment of the insurgent methods by average Afghans.
"The increases in troop strength and continued growth in capability allowed coalition forces to conduct 83 percent more kinetic operations in July 2010 than we initiated in July 2009," Blotz said. "We are intensifying our campaign in areas previously held by the insurgents, including the central Helmand River valley, in and around Kandahar City, and in the vicinity of Baghlan in northern Afghanistan."
The troop increases to ISAF are nearly complete, with about 90 percent of the 40,000 additional ISAF servicemembers already in theater. The Afghan army already has achieved the October 2010 strength goal of 134,000 soldiers, and recruiting totals for the national police are ahead of schedule, with more than 104,000 police officers serving in uniform, officials said.
The security ring in Kandahar City continues to strengthen, and operations have begun in the Arghandab district of northwestern Kandahar, a traditional Taliban stronghold and source of insurgent strength in the region, the ISAF statement said. The clear-and-hold operation known as Amaaliat Motahed Kardan Arghandab -- "Unity Arghandab" -- supports the ongoing Hamkari operation in Kandahar by denying the insurgents safe haven in the province, officials added.
Another operation designed to deny insurgent freedom of maneuver was Task Force Helmand's recent air assault into the last remaining insurgent stronghold in Nad-e Ali in Helmand province. Also in Helmand, elements of the 215th Afghan National Army Corps planned and conducted independent counterinsurgency missions in Nar-e Saraj targeting insurgent safe havens relying on only mentoring assistance from ISAF.
In northern Afghanistan, ISAF has increased its capability with the addition of 4,000 U.S. forces and increased Afghan forces, bringing the total number of coalition forces in the region to about 30,000. These additional forces have allowed Afghan and ISAF units to conduct clearing operations in Baghlan focused along key commercial routes to Mazar-e Sharif.
"As [Afghan] and ISAF units continue to achieve success against insurgent networks and sanctuaries, the Afghan people will continue to feel empowered to reject the insurgents within their communities," Blotz said. "As this happens, the insurgency will continue to weaken, and low-level fighters will abandon their losing cause.
"Combining these security successes with anti-corruption programs, reintegration efforts, and long-term development projects will lead to the further weakening of the insurgent cause and greater security for the Afghan people," he added.
KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 25, 2010 - Intelligence reports indicate some pockets of low insurgent morale, with some insurgent fighters reluctant to keep fighting and some refusing to assume district commands when commanders are captured or killed, International Security Assistance Force officials in Afghanistan said today.
In a written statement, officials said the low morale among enemy fighters and insurgent leaders can be linked to successful security operations by Afghan and ISAF forces.
Coalition and Afghan forces conducted more than 2,800 counterterrorist operations over the past 90 days, the statement said, killing or capturing more than 365 insurgent leaders and 2,386 fighters. These counter-insurgency successes have also led to a growing sense of distrust among insurgent fighters, heightened fear of spies in their midst and increased suspicion among rival tribes, officials said.
"While the coalition strength and capability of the [Afghan forces] are on the rise, we are seeing evidence of low insurgent morale, which is affecting their capability across the country," said German Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, an ISAF spokesman. "The coalition will continue to neutralize insurgents and eliminate their safe havens, expanding areas that are secure enough for improved governance and development."
The ISAF statement cited the Taliban commander in Helmand province's Marja district as an example, noting that he openly acknowledged to his fellow insurgents that the Taliban are losing Marja and that their chances of winning are poor.
ISAF officials said intelligence reports indicate the Taliban commander based his assessment on battlefield losses -- insurgents killed or captured by the coalition forces -- and increasing resentment of the insurgent methods by average Afghans.
"The increases in troop strength and continued growth in capability allowed coalition forces to conduct 83 percent more kinetic operations in July 2010 than we initiated in July 2009," Blotz said. "We are intensifying our campaign in areas previously held by the insurgents, including the central Helmand River valley, in and around Kandahar City, and in the vicinity of Baghlan in northern Afghanistan."
The troop increases to ISAF are nearly complete, with about 90 percent of the 40,000 additional ISAF servicemembers already in theater. The Afghan army already has achieved the October 2010 strength goal of 134,000 soldiers, and recruiting totals for the national police are ahead of schedule, with more than 104,000 police officers serving in uniform, officials said.
The security ring in Kandahar City continues to strengthen, and operations have begun in the Arghandab district of northwestern Kandahar, a traditional Taliban stronghold and source of insurgent strength in the region, the ISAF statement said. The clear-and-hold operation known as Amaaliat Motahed Kardan Arghandab -- "Unity Arghandab" -- supports the ongoing Hamkari operation in Kandahar by denying the insurgents safe haven in the province, officials added.
Another operation designed to deny insurgent freedom of maneuver was Task Force Helmand's recent air assault into the last remaining insurgent stronghold in Nad-e Ali in Helmand province. Also in Helmand, elements of the 215th Afghan National Army Corps planned and conducted independent counterinsurgency missions in Nar-e Saraj targeting insurgent safe havens relying on only mentoring assistance from ISAF.
In northern Afghanistan, ISAF has increased its capability with the addition of 4,000 U.S. forces and increased Afghan forces, bringing the total number of coalition forces in the region to about 30,000. These additional forces have allowed Afghan and ISAF units to conduct clearing operations in Baghlan focused along key commercial routes to Mazar-e Sharif.
"As [Afghan] and ISAF units continue to achieve success against insurgent networks and sanctuaries, the Afghan people will continue to feel empowered to reject the insurgents within their communities," Blotz said. "As this happens, the insurgency will continue to weaken, and low-level fighters will abandon their losing cause.
"Combining these security successes with anti-corruption programs, reintegration efforts, and long-term development projects will lead to the further weakening of the insurgent cause and greater security for the Afghan people," he added.
Iraqis Arrest 20 With Suspected Terrorism Ties
Compiled from U.S. Forces Iraq News Releases
Aug. 25, 2010 - Iraqi security forces arrested 20 people with suspected terrorism ties during several operations in Iraq yesterday, military officials reported.
In Kirkuk, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested three people believed to be criminal associates of a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who allegedly is involved in financial and operational coordination for the terrorist organization.
In eastern Mosul, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member and a suspected criminal associate. The suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member allegedly is a courier for the terrorist organization and has ties to senior-level terrorist extortion leaders in northern Iraq.
In another operation in eastern Mosul, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested four people believed to be criminal associates of a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader who allegedly has ties to extortion and weapons-procurement terrorist cells.
Northeast of Fallujah, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested four people believed to be criminal associates of a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader who allegedly has ties to the organization's senior leaders.
In Abu Ghraib, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested seven people believed to be criminal associates of a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader who allegedly is involved in roadside-bomb production and has ties with the organization's senior leaders.
Aug. 25, 2010 - Iraqi security forces arrested 20 people with suspected terrorism ties during several operations in Iraq yesterday, military officials reported.
In Kirkuk, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested three people believed to be criminal associates of a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who allegedly is involved in financial and operational coordination for the terrorist organization.
In eastern Mosul, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member and a suspected criminal associate. The suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member allegedly is a courier for the terrorist organization and has ties to senior-level terrorist extortion leaders in northern Iraq.
In another operation in eastern Mosul, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested four people believed to be criminal associates of a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader who allegedly has ties to extortion and weapons-procurement terrorist cells.
Northeast of Fallujah, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested four people believed to be criminal associates of a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader who allegedly has ties to the organization's senior leaders.
In Abu Ghraib, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested seven people believed to be criminal associates of a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader who allegedly is involved in roadside-bomb production and has ties with the organization's senior leaders.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Air Force Statement regarding Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage pattern
8/24/2010 - WASHINGTON -- "We are committed to equipping Airmen with the most advanced capabilities available at the earliest time possible," Air Force officials said Aug. 24. "Based on feedback from Airmen, we believe the Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern (OCP) provides advanced protection to servicemembers while operating outside the wire in Afghanistan. Army (officials), while beginning an aggressive fielding schedule, (are) working with Air Force (officials) to support developing a long-term joint fielding strategy later this year."
Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Robert J. Newton, 21, of Creve Coeur, Ill., died Aug. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-6573.
Lance Cpl. Robert J. Newton, 21, of Creve Coeur, Ill., died Aug. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-6573.
Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Ronald A. Rodriguez, 26, of Falls Church, Va., died Aug. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 11th 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 760-725-6573.
Sgt. Ronald A. Rodriguez, 26, of Falls Church, Va., died Aug. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 11th 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 760-725-6573.
Afghan Airmen Qualify for Night Vision Flights
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force and ISAF Joint Command News Releases
Aug. 24, 2010 - Some Afghan air force members have qualified to fly helicopters using night vision goggles, military officials reported.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, yesterday praised a group of Afghan airmen for completing their first flight in Afghanistan using night vision goggles during a ceremony held in the capital of Kabul.
The Afghan airmen flew their Mi-17 helicopter in blackout conditions to and from an austere, unlit landing zone during an Aug. 22 training mission.
"This mission represents another milestone in the growth and development of the Afghan national security forces," Petraeus said. "The Afghan air force should be very proud of this accomplishment."
The initial cadre of Afghan crews qualified to fly with night vision equipment will consist of four pilots and two flight engineers. The next phase of training will focus on night vision qualification for Afghan life-support technicians.
In other recent Afghanistan news, Afghan and coalition security forces conducted numerous missions across the country.
In Kabul province:
-- Afghan and coalition forces yesterday continued with an operation that began Aug. 21 to clear Kabul of insurgent fighters before the upcoming Afghan parliamentary elections. The combined force has killed more than 35 Taliban fighters and captured several key Taliban facilitators in recent days. The force also has recovered an assortment of bomb-making material including detonator cord, blasting caps, seven 82 mm mortar rounds, 24 anti-tank mines, about 50 rocket-propelled grenades, and an unknown amount of homemade explosives used to make roadside bombs and suicide vests.
In Paktika province:
-- An improvised explosion device in the Zarghun Shar district wounded seven civilians yesterday. The IED was planted in a wheelbarrow near a barbershop and was allegedly intended for the local Afghan uniformed police chief. Three of the seven were treated at an Afghan army aid station and the other four had minor wounds. The police chief was not injured.
In Kandahar province:
-- ISAF yesterday confirmed the capture of an improvised explosive device commander in Arghandab district during an Aug. 22 combined operation. The commander was detained along with five other suspected insurgents. His fighters are believed responsible for attacks in Kandahar City and Arghandab district. The security force targeted a series of compounds in the village of Mohammad Ya'qub Kalacheh in Arghandab district. They did not fire their weapons and they protected the women and children throughout the searches.
In Khost province:
-- A combined force yesterday detained several suspected insurgents in Khost province, including a Haqqani Network facilitator believed responsible for the movement of weapons and money from Pakistan into the Sabari district. The security force targeted a series of compounds north of Mamad Kala in Sabari district to search for the facilitator. Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to exit the compounds peacefully, and then secured the area. After questioning residents at the scene, the force identified and detained the facilitator along with two additional suspected insurgents. The security force discovered multiple weapons at the scene. They did not fire their weapons and they protected the women and children for the duration of the search.
In Helmand province:
-- ISAF yesterday confirmed the Aug. 20 capture of a Taliban follower believed to provide weapons, money, equipment, and IED materials to the group. Afghan and coalition forces went to a remote compound in the Lashkar Gah district to search for the man. Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to exit the compound peacefully, then secured the area. After questioning residents at the scene, the security force detained the man along with two additional suspected insurgents. The security force did not fire their weapons and they protected the women and children throughout the search.
In Parwan province:
-- The arrest of a villager by Afghan authorities reportedly sparked a demonstration in the Bagram district yesterday. A crowd of about 300 Afghan civilians surrounded a coalition patrol and began throwing rocks and using steel bars to strike coalition vehicles. After several attempts to stop the attack and disperse the crowd, coalition troops received small-arms fire directed at them. Coalition forces returned warning shots that impacted away from the crowd. There were no reports of Afghan civilian injuries.
In Badghis province:
-- Twenty-one former insurgents turned in their weapons to Afghan authorities in the capital of Qal'ah-ye Now on Aug. 22. Afghan officials issued each insurgent a reintegration certificate. Reintegration is an Afghan-led effort where low- to mid-level fighters can be welcomed back into their communities by renouncing violence against the Afghan government and international supporters. They can have no ties to al-Qaida, and must agree to an honest dialogue with Afghan officials. The insurgent leader, who operated in the Muqur area of Badghis, turned over a large number of rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and short-range radios.
Aug. 24, 2010 - Some Afghan air force members have qualified to fly helicopters using night vision goggles, military officials reported.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, yesterday praised a group of Afghan airmen for completing their first flight in Afghanistan using night vision goggles during a ceremony held in the capital of Kabul.
The Afghan airmen flew their Mi-17 helicopter in blackout conditions to and from an austere, unlit landing zone during an Aug. 22 training mission.
"This mission represents another milestone in the growth and development of the Afghan national security forces," Petraeus said. "The Afghan air force should be very proud of this accomplishment."
The initial cadre of Afghan crews qualified to fly with night vision equipment will consist of four pilots and two flight engineers. The next phase of training will focus on night vision qualification for Afghan life-support technicians.
In other recent Afghanistan news, Afghan and coalition security forces conducted numerous missions across the country.
In Kabul province:
-- Afghan and coalition forces yesterday continued with an operation that began Aug. 21 to clear Kabul of insurgent fighters before the upcoming Afghan parliamentary elections. The combined force has killed more than 35 Taliban fighters and captured several key Taliban facilitators in recent days. The force also has recovered an assortment of bomb-making material including detonator cord, blasting caps, seven 82 mm mortar rounds, 24 anti-tank mines, about 50 rocket-propelled grenades, and an unknown amount of homemade explosives used to make roadside bombs and suicide vests.
In Paktika province:
-- An improvised explosion device in the Zarghun Shar district wounded seven civilians yesterday. The IED was planted in a wheelbarrow near a barbershop and was allegedly intended for the local Afghan uniformed police chief. Three of the seven were treated at an Afghan army aid station and the other four had minor wounds. The police chief was not injured.
In Kandahar province:
-- ISAF yesterday confirmed the capture of an improvised explosive device commander in Arghandab district during an Aug. 22 combined operation. The commander was detained along with five other suspected insurgents. His fighters are believed responsible for attacks in Kandahar City and Arghandab district. The security force targeted a series of compounds in the village of Mohammad Ya'qub Kalacheh in Arghandab district. They did not fire their weapons and they protected the women and children throughout the searches.
In Khost province:
-- A combined force yesterday detained several suspected insurgents in Khost province, including a Haqqani Network facilitator believed responsible for the movement of weapons and money from Pakistan into the Sabari district. The security force targeted a series of compounds north of Mamad Kala in Sabari district to search for the facilitator. Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to exit the compounds peacefully, and then secured the area. After questioning residents at the scene, the force identified and detained the facilitator along with two additional suspected insurgents. The security force discovered multiple weapons at the scene. They did not fire their weapons and they protected the women and children for the duration of the search.
In Helmand province:
-- ISAF yesterday confirmed the Aug. 20 capture of a Taliban follower believed to provide weapons, money, equipment, and IED materials to the group. Afghan and coalition forces went to a remote compound in the Lashkar Gah district to search for the man. Afghan forces used a loudspeaker to call for all occupants to exit the compound peacefully, then secured the area. After questioning residents at the scene, the security force detained the man along with two additional suspected insurgents. The security force did not fire their weapons and they protected the women and children throughout the search.
In Parwan province:
-- The arrest of a villager by Afghan authorities reportedly sparked a demonstration in the Bagram district yesterday. A crowd of about 300 Afghan civilians surrounded a coalition patrol and began throwing rocks and using steel bars to strike coalition vehicles. After several attempts to stop the attack and disperse the crowd, coalition troops received small-arms fire directed at them. Coalition forces returned warning shots that impacted away from the crowd. There were no reports of Afghan civilian injuries.
In Badghis province:
-- Twenty-one former insurgents turned in their weapons to Afghan authorities in the capital of Qal'ah-ye Now on Aug. 22. Afghan officials issued each insurgent a reintegration certificate. Reintegration is an Afghan-led effort where low- to mid-level fighters can be welcomed back into their communities by renouncing violence against the Afghan government and international supporters. They can have no ties to al-Qaida, and must agree to an honest dialogue with Afghan officials. The insurgent leader, who operated in the Muqur area of Badghis, turned over a large number of rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and short-range radios.
Conway Predicts Ongoing Marine Presence in Afghanistan
By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 24, 2010 - The commandant of the Marine Corps predicted a continued Marine presence in southern Afghanistan well after July 2011, when a transfer of security responsibilities to the Afghan government is slated to begin. "I honestly think it will be a few years before conditions on the ground are such that turnover will be possible for us," Gen. James T. Conway told reporters today during a Pentagon briefing.
Conway briefed reporters on his recent trip to the Central Command area of responsibility, during which he visited Afghanistan, Pakistan, Romania and Germany. He spent most of his trip visiting Marines and sailors in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, an official said.
Helmand and its neighboring province of Kandahar are the birthplace of the Taliban, Conway noted, and the conditions there vary from other regions. "If you look at the numbers of attacks, numbers of casualties; if you look at the focus of the main effort – that is, the view of the commanders there – the fight is in the south," he said.
Conway declined to pinpoint the length of time a Marine presence would be needed there. However, "I do not believe conditions in ... Helmand or Kandahar ... are going to be such that we think we can simply turn over to Afghan forces and leave," he said.
The key to success in Helmand, Conway said, is to move people's loyalties off the fence and onto the side of Afghan and international security forces. While slow to happen, he's seeing signs of progress toward this end, he said, with less corrupt and better-skilled police forces, more projects, and district and subdistrict governors overseeing the rule of law.
"When [the International Security Assistance Force] is able to construct a self-contained cell phone system," Conway said, "I'm convinced that tips and intelligence will pick up, making it virtually impossible for the Taliban to operate while hiding behind the citizens."
Conway noted that the Taliban are trying to "string" out the situation in Marja, located in Helmand province, for as long as they can since they realize the loss will be a major defeat for them.
"We are dealing with a very intelligent enemy here who realizes that Marja, probably more than any other battle in Afghanistan, has the capture of an international audience," he said. "And so they're not giving up that easily.
"They're sniping at us, there's throwing a few rounds here and there, they're shooting at our helicopters," he continued, "but mainly, they're intimidating people ... so as to maintain a presence there and keep Marja from being, again, this strategic victory on the part of Marines in the south of Helmand."
Conway praised the Marines serving in Helmand province. They embody the meaning of expeditionary, he said. Their ability to be fast, flexible and lethal throws the enemy off balance, he explained, and it's not uncommon to find units away from their forward operating bases for 30 days at a time.
"Using superior firepower and battlefield mobility, I believe that they hold the initiative," he said of the Marines. "Even in the height of the Taliban's so-called fighting season, they are making the enemy react to them."
Conway also acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead. The Afghan army's capacity is hitting a critical stage, he said. Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, commander of NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, is ahead of schedule in training Afghan infantry companies and kandaks, or battalions, he said, although the quality "varies widely."
But the toughest part of Caldwell's mission- recruiting and training Afghan military aviators and enablers - lies ahead, Conway said. Enablers are the equivalent of the Marines' combat support units, he explained.
"Those troops will require a higher level of education and skills training than his 'grunt' units have required to date," he said. "That said, the organization and approach that he and his joint combined team have taken appears to be, to the interested observer, just right for the task at hand."
A military force shapes the environment, Conway said, with better security enabling other lines of operation, such as the economy and government, to take shape.
"That's why what General Caldwell and his people are doing is so important," Conway said. "That's why we're partnering right now, almost on every patrol, with Afghan security forces when we go out. That's why we want to posture the police, so they can be successful."
The goal is to transition an increasing amount of responsibilities to host nation forces.
"When we think that we have sufficiently beaten down the insurgency in the area, we have sufficiently built up the Afghan capability to deal with what's there, then I think we have done the essence of what we were sent there to do," he said.
Conway acknowledged reports that indicate Americans are "increasingly growing tired of the war," but he noted that the last of the 30,000 troops President Barack Obama ordered to Afghanistan have only just arrived this month.
Military leaders need to do a better job of convincing Americans of the need for the war in Afghanistan, Conway said.
"I don't think that we have done a strong enough job in convincing the American people there are good and just reasons why we have to destroy al-Qaida and the associated Taliban in Afghanistan, similar to what we did in Iraq," he said, "certainly to the point where there is no future opportunity for safe haven, certainly to the degree that we can create conditions for that Afghan government to rule the country and avoid safe haven."
While Americans may not all support the war, the general noted that they firmly support the troops. "I am so proud of our American public, that regardless of how they see what happened in Iraq or what's happening in Afghanistan, they support the troops," Conway said. "And that's the message that they get from me; that's the message that they see when they come home to dwell. And in that regard, I'm just incredibly proud of our country."
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 24, 2010 - The commandant of the Marine Corps predicted a continued Marine presence in southern Afghanistan well after July 2011, when a transfer of security responsibilities to the Afghan government is slated to begin. "I honestly think it will be a few years before conditions on the ground are such that turnover will be possible for us," Gen. James T. Conway told reporters today during a Pentagon briefing.
Conway briefed reporters on his recent trip to the Central Command area of responsibility, during which he visited Afghanistan, Pakistan, Romania and Germany. He spent most of his trip visiting Marines and sailors in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, an official said.
Helmand and its neighboring province of Kandahar are the birthplace of the Taliban, Conway noted, and the conditions there vary from other regions. "If you look at the numbers of attacks, numbers of casualties; if you look at the focus of the main effort – that is, the view of the commanders there – the fight is in the south," he said.
Conway declined to pinpoint the length of time a Marine presence would be needed there. However, "I do not believe conditions in ... Helmand or Kandahar ... are going to be such that we think we can simply turn over to Afghan forces and leave," he said.
The key to success in Helmand, Conway said, is to move people's loyalties off the fence and onto the side of Afghan and international security forces. While slow to happen, he's seeing signs of progress toward this end, he said, with less corrupt and better-skilled police forces, more projects, and district and subdistrict governors overseeing the rule of law.
"When [the International Security Assistance Force] is able to construct a self-contained cell phone system," Conway said, "I'm convinced that tips and intelligence will pick up, making it virtually impossible for the Taliban to operate while hiding behind the citizens."
Conway noted that the Taliban are trying to "string" out the situation in Marja, located in Helmand province, for as long as they can since they realize the loss will be a major defeat for them.
"We are dealing with a very intelligent enemy here who realizes that Marja, probably more than any other battle in Afghanistan, has the capture of an international audience," he said. "And so they're not giving up that easily.
"They're sniping at us, there's throwing a few rounds here and there, they're shooting at our helicopters," he continued, "but mainly, they're intimidating people ... so as to maintain a presence there and keep Marja from being, again, this strategic victory on the part of Marines in the south of Helmand."
Conway praised the Marines serving in Helmand province. They embody the meaning of expeditionary, he said. Their ability to be fast, flexible and lethal throws the enemy off balance, he explained, and it's not uncommon to find units away from their forward operating bases for 30 days at a time.
"Using superior firepower and battlefield mobility, I believe that they hold the initiative," he said of the Marines. "Even in the height of the Taliban's so-called fighting season, they are making the enemy react to them."
Conway also acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead. The Afghan army's capacity is hitting a critical stage, he said. Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, commander of NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, is ahead of schedule in training Afghan infantry companies and kandaks, or battalions, he said, although the quality "varies widely."
But the toughest part of Caldwell's mission- recruiting and training Afghan military aviators and enablers - lies ahead, Conway said. Enablers are the equivalent of the Marines' combat support units, he explained.
"Those troops will require a higher level of education and skills training than his 'grunt' units have required to date," he said. "That said, the organization and approach that he and his joint combined team have taken appears to be, to the interested observer, just right for the task at hand."
A military force shapes the environment, Conway said, with better security enabling other lines of operation, such as the economy and government, to take shape.
"That's why what General Caldwell and his people are doing is so important," Conway said. "That's why we're partnering right now, almost on every patrol, with Afghan security forces when we go out. That's why we want to posture the police, so they can be successful."
The goal is to transition an increasing amount of responsibilities to host nation forces.
"When we think that we have sufficiently beaten down the insurgency in the area, we have sufficiently built up the Afghan capability to deal with what's there, then I think we have done the essence of what we were sent there to do," he said.
Conway acknowledged reports that indicate Americans are "increasingly growing tired of the war," but he noted that the last of the 30,000 troops President Barack Obama ordered to Afghanistan have only just arrived this month.
Military leaders need to do a better job of convincing Americans of the need for the war in Afghanistan, Conway said.
"I don't think that we have done a strong enough job in convincing the American people there are good and just reasons why we have to destroy al-Qaida and the associated Taliban in Afghanistan, similar to what we did in Iraq," he said, "certainly to the point where there is no future opportunity for safe haven, certainly to the degree that we can create conditions for that Afghan government to rule the country and avoid safe haven."
While Americans may not all support the war, the general noted that they firmly support the troops. "I am so proud of our American public, that regardless of how they see what happened in Iraq or what's happening in Afghanistan, they support the troops," Conway said. "And that's the message that they get from me; that's the message that they see when they come home to dwell. And in that regard, I'm just incredibly proud of our country."
Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
They died Aug. 22 at Paktika, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked their unit with small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire.
Killed were:
Sgt. Steven J. Deluzio, 25, of South Glastonbury, Conn.
Spc. Tristan H. Southworth, 21, of West Danville, Vt.
They were assigned to the 172nd Infantry, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Jericho, Vt.
For more information related to this release, the media may contact the Vermont National Guard public affairs office at 802-338-3324.
They died Aug. 22 at Paktika, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked their unit with small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire.
Killed were:
Sgt. Steven J. Deluzio, 25, of South Glastonbury, Conn.
Spc. Tristan H. Southworth, 21, of West Danville, Vt.
They were assigned to the 172nd Infantry, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Jericho, Vt.
For more information related to this release, the media may contact the Vermont National Guard public affairs office at 802-338-3324.
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Brandon E. Maggart, 24, of Kirksville, Mo., died Aug. 22 at Basrah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
For more information the media may contact Joint Base Lewis-McChord public affairs office at 253-967-0147 or 253-967-0152.
Sgt. Brandon E. Maggart, 24, of Kirksville, Mo., died Aug. 22 at Basrah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
For more information the media may contact Joint Base Lewis-McChord public affairs office at 253-967-0147 or 253-967-0152.
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Pedro A. Millet Meletiche, 20, of Elizabeth, N.J., died Aug. 22 at Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
For more information, the media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at 719-526-7525.
Spc. Pedro A. Millet Meletiche, 20, of Elizabeth, N.J., died Aug. 22 at Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
For more information, the media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at 719-526-7525.
Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Jason D. Calo, 23, of Lexington, Ky., died Aug. 22 while supporting 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 II Marine Division public affairs office at 910-449-9925 or http://www.marines.mil/unit/2ndmardiv/Pages/Media/default.aspx
Sgt. Jason D. Calo, 23, of Lexington, Ky., died Aug. 22 while supporting 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 II Marine Division public affairs office at 910-449-9925 or http://www.marines.mil/unit/2ndmardiv/Pages/Media/default.aspx
Monday, August 23, 2010
Iraqi Forces Kill 2, Arrest 22 With Suspected Terror Ties
Compiled from U.S. Forces Iraq News Releases
Aug. 23, 2010 - Iraqi security forces killed two enemy fighters and arrested 22 suspects believed to have terrorism ties in recent operations in Iraq, military officials reported.
In Beiji today, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who allegedly is responsible for planning and executing vehicle-borne bomb attacks against coalition forces. Two suspected criminal associates of the al-Qaida in Iraq member also were arrested.
In a separate operation today, Iraqi forces arrested two suspected al-Qaida in Iraq criminal associates in eastern Rashid. The arrests were made as Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors were searching for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who allegedly is involved in vehicle-borne bombing attacks.
Yesterday in eastern Mosul, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors searched a building for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who allegedly has close ties to the terror organization's senior leadership. As the security force moved toward the targeted building, a man on the roof fired at the security force, and Iraqi forces returned fire, killing him, along with an associate who tried to harm the security force. Three suspected criminal associates of the wanted al-Qaida in Iraq member were arrested.
In Baghdad and Fallujah yesterday, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors searched for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader linked to a number of high-profile attacks. Based on information and evidence gathered at the scenes of separate operations, Iraqi forces identified and arrested 13 suspected criminal associates of the wanted man.
Near Balad on Aug. 21, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors searched several buildings for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader allegedly responsible for attacks against ISF and coalition forces. Information and evidence gathered at the scene, including a large amount of explosives detonated by the security force on site, led Iraqi forces to identify and arrest a suspected criminal associate of the wanted man.
Aug. 23, 2010 - Iraqi security forces killed two enemy fighters and arrested 22 suspects believed to have terrorism ties in recent operations in Iraq, military officials reported.
In Beiji today, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who allegedly is responsible for planning and executing vehicle-borne bomb attacks against coalition forces. Two suspected criminal associates of the al-Qaida in Iraq member also were arrested.
In a separate operation today, Iraqi forces arrested two suspected al-Qaida in Iraq criminal associates in eastern Rashid. The arrests were made as Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors were searching for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who allegedly is involved in vehicle-borne bombing attacks.
Yesterday in eastern Mosul, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors searched a building for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who allegedly has close ties to the terror organization's senior leadership. As the security force moved toward the targeted building, a man on the roof fired at the security force, and Iraqi forces returned fire, killing him, along with an associate who tried to harm the security force. Three suspected criminal associates of the wanted al-Qaida in Iraq member were arrested.
In Baghdad and Fallujah yesterday, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors searched for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader linked to a number of high-profile attacks. Based on information and evidence gathered at the scenes of separate operations, Iraqi forces identified and arrested 13 suspected criminal associates of the wanted man.
Near Balad on Aug. 21, Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors searched several buildings for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader allegedly responsible for attacks against ISF and coalition forces. Information and evidence gathered at the scene, including a large amount of explosives detonated by the security force on site, led Iraqi forces to identify and arrest a suspected criminal associate of the wanted man.
Spokesman Denies Pentagon Role in WikiLeaks Founder Charge
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 23, 2010 - A Defense Department spokesman today termed as "ridiculous" the notion that Pentagon officials were involved in recent rape allegations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Swedish authorities issued an arrest warrant Aug. 20, but revoked it soon after.
CNN reported today that Assange said the allegations were part of a "smear campaign" after his website posted tens of thousands of classified U.S. military war records. Assange says WikiLeaks has an additional 15,000 documents it plans to post.
Assange said he has ideas about who may be behind the accusations, but would not share his suspicion "without direct evidence."
Any thought that the Defense Department may be part of such a conspiracy is "absurd," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today when reporters questioned him about the matter.
"No. That's ridiculous," Whitman said.
Whitman said the Pentagon remains firm in its demand for WikiLeaks to remove the posted documents, many of which contain the names of U.S. troops and Afghan nationals who support them.
"I think we've made our position very clear, that this stolen property should be returned immediately," Whitman said. "The information on the Web should be taken down. There should be no further posting of any information, and the department is not interested in any sort of minimization or sanitation exercise."
The Pentagon is working to ensure the safety of the individuals – American and Afghan – named in the documents, Whitman added.
"The mere existence of some of these documents and the names that are in the documents certainly do pose a threat," he said. "We have a moral and ethical obligation to take measures."
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 23, 2010 - A Defense Department spokesman today termed as "ridiculous" the notion that Pentagon officials were involved in recent rape allegations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Swedish authorities issued an arrest warrant Aug. 20, but revoked it soon after.
CNN reported today that Assange said the allegations were part of a "smear campaign" after his website posted tens of thousands of classified U.S. military war records. Assange says WikiLeaks has an additional 15,000 documents it plans to post.
Assange said he has ideas about who may be behind the accusations, but would not share his suspicion "without direct evidence."
Any thought that the Defense Department may be part of such a conspiracy is "absurd," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today when reporters questioned him about the matter.
"No. That's ridiculous," Whitman said.
Whitman said the Pentagon remains firm in its demand for WikiLeaks to remove the posted documents, many of which contain the names of U.S. troops and Afghan nationals who support them.
"I think we've made our position very clear, that this stolen property should be returned immediately," Whitman said. "The information on the Web should be taken down. There should be no further posting of any information, and the department is not interested in any sort of minimization or sanitation exercise."
The Pentagon is working to ensure the safety of the individuals – American and Afghan – named in the documents, Whitman added.
"The mere existence of some of these documents and the names that are in the documents certainly do pose a threat," he said. "We have a moral and ethical obligation to take measures."
Afghanistan Finally Gets Needed Resources, Biden Says
By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 23, 2010 - Any talk of coalition forces being unable to succeed in Afghanistan is premature, given that they are just beginning to get all the troops and equipment that President Barack Obama's strategy there calls for, Vice President Joe Biden said today.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, "now and only now has all the resources that the strategy calls for," Biden said during a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Indianapolis.
The arrival this month of the last of 30,000 additional troops, as well as other additional resources combined with Petraeus' leadership, puts the coalition's nine-year war in Afghanistan in its best position yet to stamp out radical extremism that led to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against the United States, the vice president said.
Afghanistan "is the most intractable problem we face, and we needed the best general we have, and now we have him," Biden said. "So folks, don't buy into [the idea] that we've failed in Afghanistan, because we now are only beginning with the right general and the right number of forces to accomplish our objectives."
Biden noted that the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq to 50,000 troops at the end of this month will allow for a greater focus on Afghanistan. "After too many years of neglect," he said, "we now are making overall progress to disrupt and defeat the al-Qaida safe haven and reverse the Taliban momentum."
That progress will allow for governance that prompts the will of the Afghan people to reject extremism, Biden said.
"We cannot want peace and security in Afghanistan more than they want it," he said.
The vice president also said it was important for the administration to name July 2011 as the start of the United States' transition out of Afghanistan. However, "we are not leaving in July 2001; it's the start of the transition" that will be decided by conditions on the ground on a province-by-province basis, he said.
"The date is important to tell the Afghans that they must step up; they must exercise sovereignty if they are ever going to prevail," he added.
On Iraq, Biden said he is "absolutely confident that Iraq will form a national government that is able to sustain that country."
Despite the Iranian government spending $100 million to influence Iraq's national elections, Biden said, Iran's influence in Iraq "is minimal," as evidenced by the fact that none of the candidates it backed won in two elections held since March.
Because of the work of U.S. military members under the direction of Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the vice president said, Iraq today is a nearly unrecognizable from the height of violence there in 2007. With the improved security, U.S. forces were able to train 650,000 Iraqi security forces, which now can protect the country, he said.
The security also has led to free elections and government leaders who resolve disputes through negotiations rather than violence, Biden said. The issue of who will lead the national government since no single candidate or party earned a clear victory is being worked out under parliamentary procedures, and will reflect the will of voters, he added.
"In establishing a democracy, the most important election is not the first election," said Biden, who has made 13 trips to Iraq to help with the transition process. "It's the second election.
"Politics is not always pretty," he continued, "but the hard work of forming a new government is well under way, and I personally have made it clear to the leading politicians that it's time for them to match the courage of their citizens by completing the process."
The drawdown to 50,000 U.S. troops, which is expected to be completed next week, "does not mean we are disengaging from Iraq," Biden said. Rather, the United States will have a long-term relationship with Iraq, as reflected by U.S. consulates opening in Iraqi cities, he said.
Nine years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq has produced more than 2 million new war veterans, nearly 40,000 of whom are wounded, Biden said. Of those, some 18,000 will require critical care, at an estimated cost of $7 billion, for the rest of their lives, he noted. Biden pledged that the country would meet their needs, no matter the cost.
"Our nation has only one truly sacred obligation," he said, "and that is to prepare and equip those who we send into harm's way and to care for them and their families when they come home."
Already, Biden said, the Obama administration "is involved in the most comprehensive program ever" to provide for veterans, giving the Veterans Affairs Department a $16 billion budget increase this year and seeking $11 billion next year.
"Whether or not we keep our promise to our veterans will say more about who we are as a nation than anything else we do," he said. "Our service to our veterans is non-negotiable."
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 23, 2010 - Any talk of coalition forces being unable to succeed in Afghanistan is premature, given that they are just beginning to get all the troops and equipment that President Barack Obama's strategy there calls for, Vice President Joe Biden said today.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, "now and only now has all the resources that the strategy calls for," Biden said during a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Indianapolis.
The arrival this month of the last of 30,000 additional troops, as well as other additional resources combined with Petraeus' leadership, puts the coalition's nine-year war in Afghanistan in its best position yet to stamp out radical extremism that led to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against the United States, the vice president said.
Afghanistan "is the most intractable problem we face, and we needed the best general we have, and now we have him," Biden said. "So folks, don't buy into [the idea] that we've failed in Afghanistan, because we now are only beginning with the right general and the right number of forces to accomplish our objectives."
Biden noted that the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq to 50,000 troops at the end of this month will allow for a greater focus on Afghanistan. "After too many years of neglect," he said, "we now are making overall progress to disrupt and defeat the al-Qaida safe haven and reverse the Taliban momentum."
That progress will allow for governance that prompts the will of the Afghan people to reject extremism, Biden said.
"We cannot want peace and security in Afghanistan more than they want it," he said.
The vice president also said it was important for the administration to name July 2011 as the start of the United States' transition out of Afghanistan. However, "we are not leaving in July 2001; it's the start of the transition" that will be decided by conditions on the ground on a province-by-province basis, he said.
"The date is important to tell the Afghans that they must step up; they must exercise sovereignty if they are ever going to prevail," he added.
On Iraq, Biden said he is "absolutely confident that Iraq will form a national government that is able to sustain that country."
Despite the Iranian government spending $100 million to influence Iraq's national elections, Biden said, Iran's influence in Iraq "is minimal," as evidenced by the fact that none of the candidates it backed won in two elections held since March.
Because of the work of U.S. military members under the direction of Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the vice president said, Iraq today is a nearly unrecognizable from the height of violence there in 2007. With the improved security, U.S. forces were able to train 650,000 Iraqi security forces, which now can protect the country, he said.
The security also has led to free elections and government leaders who resolve disputes through negotiations rather than violence, Biden said. The issue of who will lead the national government since no single candidate or party earned a clear victory is being worked out under parliamentary procedures, and will reflect the will of voters, he added.
"In establishing a democracy, the most important election is not the first election," said Biden, who has made 13 trips to Iraq to help with the transition process. "It's the second election.
"Politics is not always pretty," he continued, "but the hard work of forming a new government is well under way, and I personally have made it clear to the leading politicians that it's time for them to match the courage of their citizens by completing the process."
The drawdown to 50,000 U.S. troops, which is expected to be completed next week, "does not mean we are disengaging from Iraq," Biden said. Rather, the United States will have a long-term relationship with Iraq, as reflected by U.S. consulates opening in Iraqi cities, he said.
Nine years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq has produced more than 2 million new war veterans, nearly 40,000 of whom are wounded, Biden said. Of those, some 18,000 will require critical care, at an estimated cost of $7 billion, for the rest of their lives, he noted. Biden pledged that the country would meet their needs, no matter the cost.
"Our nation has only one truly sacred obligation," he said, "and that is to prepare and equip those who we send into harm's way and to care for them and their families when they come home."
Already, Biden said, the Obama administration "is involved in the most comprehensive program ever" to provide for veterans, giving the Veterans Affairs Department a $16 billion budget increase this year and seeking $11 billion next year.
"Whether or not we keep our promise to our veterans will say more about who we are as a nation than anything else we do," he said. "Our service to our veterans is non-negotiable."
Operations in Afghanistan Result in Insurgents Killed, Captured
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2010 - Numerous insurgents were killed or captured in recent operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported.
In Baghlan province:
-- Afghan and coalition forces conducted a combined operation yesterday targeting two Taliban commanders known to lead insurgent attacks on Afghan and coalition forces. Numerous armed insurgents moved to target the combined force, which immediately engaged the insurgents. Further insurgent activity throughout the operation caused several more engagements. In all, 12 insurgent fighters were killed. The combined force found and destroyed a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, several RPGs and several boxes of small-arms ammunition at the scene. No civilians were injured or killed.
-- Afghan and coalition members on a combined mission detained a Taliban commander and two additional suspected commanders Aug. 20. The operation in the Pul-e Khumri district was carried out after International Security Assistance Force servicemembers received a tip the commander was hiding in a nearby village. While the Afghan forces were apprehending the three people, they also disarmed three men who were attempting to acquire weapons from within the house. During the encounter, a man went to the roof and pointed a weapon at the combined patrol, which returned fire. After the firing stopped, members of the patrol were unable to locate the person firing from the roof. Insurgents again fired on the force with small-arms fire from a tree line several minutes later, but the firing stopped after the force returned fire.
In Farah province:
-- An Afghan and coalition force pursued a Taliban facilitator known to traffic foreign fighters and weapons from Iran and to associate with senior Taliban and al-Qaida leadership. Six insurgents were killed and several suspected insurgents were detained in the operation. During the engagement, the air weapons team struck the targeted individual's vehicle, which subsequently exploded. The security force conducted a follow-on investigation and assessed the vehicle may have been full of homemade explosives. A woman and two children were found dead at the scene as a result of the coalition force engagement. ISAF officials expressed regret for the civilian casualties, offered condolences to the families, and announced an investigation into the incident would take place.
In Helmand province:
-- An Afghan and coalition security force detained two suspected insurgents in the Lashkar Gah district Aug. 20 while in pursuit of a Taliban commander responsible for attacks against Afghan civilians and Afghan and coalition forces in an area heavy with constant Taliban attacks. The assault force found multiple blasting caps, manuals on mines and a shotgun at the scene. The security force did not fire their weapons, and they protected women and children throughout the search.
-- Also in the Laskar Gah district Aug. 20, Afghan and coalition searching for the same Taliban facilitator detained several suspected insurgents in a separate operation. The security force did not fire their weapons, and they protected women and children throughout the search.
In Kandahar province:
Clearing operations continued as an Afghan and coalition security force detain six suspected insurgents yesterday while in pursuit of a Taliban commander in charge of bombing attacks and training in Arghandab district. The security force did not fire their weapons, and they protected women and children throughout the searches.
-- An Afghan and coalition force detained several suspected insurgents in the Arghandab district Aug. 21, including a Taliban commander involved in ambushes, bombing attacks and the acquisition of weapons and munitions. The security force targeted two Taliban commanders at a series of compounds in a district village. At the first compound, the security force identified and detained one of the targeted commanders and three additional suspected insurgents. The security force then moved to another compound nearby in pursuit of another Taliban commander and weapons expert who served as the chief of staff for senior Taliban commander who was killed in a coalition precision air strike last week. The security force detained three suspected insurgents for further questioning and also found a hand grenade at the scene. The security force did not fire their weapons, and they protected women and children throughout the searches.
-- Also in the Arghandab district, an Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents Aug. 20 while in pursuit of a Taliban commander involved in ambushes, bombing attacks and the acquisition of weapons and munitions. The security force did not fire their weapons, and they protected women and children throughout the search.
In Kunduz province:
-- In the Chahar Darah district Aug. 20, an Afghan and coalition security force went to a series of compounds to search for the Taliban district commander for Aliabad, who is directly involved in the planning of attacks against coalition forces. As the security force approached the first targeted building, two armed insurgents were shot and killed when they engaged them from a nearby ditch. After the area was secure, Afghan and coalition forces went arrested three suspected insurgents at two separate compounds. The security force protected women and children throughout the search.
In Logar province:
-- A combined Afghan and coalition force detained a suspected insurgent last night while in pursuit of the Taliban deputy district commander for the Pul-e Alam district. The security force also found bomb-making materials and ammunition at the scene. The security force did not fire their weapons, and it protected women and children throughout the search.
In Nangarhar province:
-- Coalition forces conducted a precision air strike Aug. 21, targeting a Taliban subcommander in charge of about 10 fighters and facilitation of foreign fighters from Pakistan to Nangarhar. Afghan and coalition forces tracked the commander as he met with at least 25 insurgents armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades in Deh Bala district to plan an upcoming attack. The commander and a group of 15 insurgents eventually broke from the group and began walking toward an insurgent camp. After positively identifying the commander and ensuring no women or children were present, coalition forces conducted the precision air strike against the commander. ISAF officials are gathering information to determine exactly how many insurgents were killed in the strike. The security force estimated the strike killed about 12 insurgents, possibly including multiple Pakistani fighters from Waziristan as well as Taliban fighters. No civilians were wounded or killed.
In Paktia province:
-- A coalition precision air strike yesterday targeted a Taliban subcommander responsible for leading a 20-member insurgent cell that conducts attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. Coalition forces tracked two armed insurgents as they traveled on a motorcycle in the remote Zurmat district. After intelligence verified insurgent activity and ensured no women or children were present, coalition forces conducted the precision air strike against the two insurgents, killing both. The insurgents had assault rifles and ammunition. ISAF officials are collecting information to determine if the commander was among the insurgents killed in the strike. No civilians were wounded or killed.
-- An Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents yesterday while in pursuit of a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator for foreign fighters and Haqqani camps in the Sperah district of neighboring Khost province. As the security force moved toward the targeted compound in the Dzadran district, airborne reconnaissance identified two men moving along a tree line displaying hostile intent toward the ground assault force. An air weapons team engaged both men, an assessment indicated they were killed. After questioning all of the residents at the scene, the security force detained the suspected insurgents and found multiple grenades at the scene. The security force protected women and children throughout the search.
In Zabul province:
-- ISAF officials confirmed that Saad Khan, a Taliban commander, was one of the two insurgents killed Aug. 20 during an Afghan and coalition force operation. Khan led attacks against Afghan civilians and Afghan and coalition forces. The security force targeted a compound in the Shah Joy district to search for the commander. As they approached, an air weapons team saw two armed insurgents demonstrating hostile intent. The air weapons team engaged, killing the commander and his associate. During a follow-on inspection of the area, the security force found an automatic weapon with four magazines and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with two rounds. After the area was secure, Afghan forces called for all residents to come out of the targeted compound peacefully and then questioned the residents. The residents told the security force that insurgents steal their food and then bed down in the vicinity. The security force did not take detainees from the compound.
In other news, Afghan forces were conducting operations in northern Afghanistan's Jowzjan province Aug. 20 when they received small-arms and indirect insurgent fire from an unknown number of insurgents in multiple locations. To suppress the threat, the Afghan forces requested coalition close-air support, which was provided by an air weapons team of two helicopters. The air weapons team fired a Hellfire missile and 30 mm rounds toward an identified firing position. A subsequent battle-damage assessment revealed that three Afghan police officers were accidentally killed and several more were wounded during the engagement. ISAF officials offered condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the fallen servicemembers and sent an initial assessment team to determine the facts.
In the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, two Afghan female civilians, including a child, were killed Aug. 21 when insurgents attacked an Afghan and coalition patrol with rocket-propelled grenades and weapon-mounted grenade launchers. The combined patrol responded with small-arms and mortar fire. Following the engagement, an Afghan man reported that a child had been killed by insurgent RPG fire. The man then took a wounded Afghan woman to a nearby coalition patrol base, where she subsequently died of wounds caused by an insurgent RPG.
Also, an insurgent bomb detonated in northern Afghanistan Aug. 21, killing five civilians and wounding two more. Afghan police and coalition forces responded to the site to provide security and assess the incident.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2010 - Numerous insurgents were killed or captured in recent operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported.
In Baghlan province:
-- Afghan and coalition forces conducted a combined operation yesterday targeting two Taliban commanders known to lead insurgent attacks on Afghan and coalition forces. Numerous armed insurgents moved to target the combined force, which immediately engaged the insurgents. Further insurgent activity throughout the operation caused several more engagements. In all, 12 insurgent fighters were killed. The combined force found and destroyed a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, several RPGs and several boxes of small-arms ammunition at the scene. No civilians were injured or killed.
-- Afghan and coalition members on a combined mission detained a Taliban commander and two additional suspected commanders Aug. 20. The operation in the Pul-e Khumri district was carried out after International Security Assistance Force servicemembers received a tip the commander was hiding in a nearby village. While the Afghan forces were apprehending the three people, they also disarmed three men who were attempting to acquire weapons from within the house. During the encounter, a man went to the roof and pointed a weapon at the combined patrol, which returned fire. After the firing stopped, members of the patrol were unable to locate the person firing from the roof. Insurgents again fired on the force with small-arms fire from a tree line several minutes later, but the firing stopped after the force returned fire.
In Farah province:
-- An Afghan and coalition force pursued a Taliban facilitator known to traffic foreign fighters and weapons from Iran and to associate with senior Taliban and al-Qaida leadership. Six insurgents were killed and several suspected insurgents were detained in the operation. During the engagement, the air weapons team struck the targeted individual's vehicle, which subsequently exploded. The security force conducted a follow-on investigation and assessed the vehicle may have been full of homemade explosives. A woman and two children were found dead at the scene as a result of the coalition force engagement. ISAF officials expressed regret for the civilian casualties, offered condolences to the families, and announced an investigation into the incident would take place.
In Helmand province:
-- An Afghan and coalition security force detained two suspected insurgents in the Lashkar Gah district Aug. 20 while in pursuit of a Taliban commander responsible for attacks against Afghan civilians and Afghan and coalition forces in an area heavy with constant Taliban attacks. The assault force found multiple blasting caps, manuals on mines and a shotgun at the scene. The security force did not fire their weapons, and they protected women and children throughout the search.
-- Also in the Laskar Gah district Aug. 20, Afghan and coalition searching for the same Taliban facilitator detained several suspected insurgents in a separate operation. The security force did not fire their weapons, and they protected women and children throughout the search.
In Kandahar province:
Clearing operations continued as an Afghan and coalition security force detain six suspected insurgents yesterday while in pursuit of a Taliban commander in charge of bombing attacks and training in Arghandab district. The security force did not fire their weapons, and they protected women and children throughout the searches.
-- An Afghan and coalition force detained several suspected insurgents in the Arghandab district Aug. 21, including a Taliban commander involved in ambushes, bombing attacks and the acquisition of weapons and munitions. The security force targeted two Taliban commanders at a series of compounds in a district village. At the first compound, the security force identified and detained one of the targeted commanders and three additional suspected insurgents. The security force then moved to another compound nearby in pursuit of another Taliban commander and weapons expert who served as the chief of staff for senior Taliban commander who was killed in a coalition precision air strike last week. The security force detained three suspected insurgents for further questioning and also found a hand grenade at the scene. The security force did not fire their weapons, and they protected women and children throughout the searches.
-- Also in the Arghandab district, an Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents Aug. 20 while in pursuit of a Taliban commander involved in ambushes, bombing attacks and the acquisition of weapons and munitions. The security force did not fire their weapons, and they protected women and children throughout the search.
In Kunduz province:
-- In the Chahar Darah district Aug. 20, an Afghan and coalition security force went to a series of compounds to search for the Taliban district commander for Aliabad, who is directly involved in the planning of attacks against coalition forces. As the security force approached the first targeted building, two armed insurgents were shot and killed when they engaged them from a nearby ditch. After the area was secure, Afghan and coalition forces went arrested three suspected insurgents at two separate compounds. The security force protected women and children throughout the search.
In Logar province:
-- A combined Afghan and coalition force detained a suspected insurgent last night while in pursuit of the Taliban deputy district commander for the Pul-e Alam district. The security force also found bomb-making materials and ammunition at the scene. The security force did not fire their weapons, and it protected women and children throughout the search.
In Nangarhar province:
-- Coalition forces conducted a precision air strike Aug. 21, targeting a Taliban subcommander in charge of about 10 fighters and facilitation of foreign fighters from Pakistan to Nangarhar. Afghan and coalition forces tracked the commander as he met with at least 25 insurgents armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades in Deh Bala district to plan an upcoming attack. The commander and a group of 15 insurgents eventually broke from the group and began walking toward an insurgent camp. After positively identifying the commander and ensuring no women or children were present, coalition forces conducted the precision air strike against the commander. ISAF officials are gathering information to determine exactly how many insurgents were killed in the strike. The security force estimated the strike killed about 12 insurgents, possibly including multiple Pakistani fighters from Waziristan as well as Taliban fighters. No civilians were wounded or killed.
In Paktia province:
-- A coalition precision air strike yesterday targeted a Taliban subcommander responsible for leading a 20-member insurgent cell that conducts attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. Coalition forces tracked two armed insurgents as they traveled on a motorcycle in the remote Zurmat district. After intelligence verified insurgent activity and ensured no women or children were present, coalition forces conducted the precision air strike against the two insurgents, killing both. The insurgents had assault rifles and ammunition. ISAF officials are collecting information to determine if the commander was among the insurgents killed in the strike. No civilians were wounded or killed.
-- An Afghan and coalition security force detained several suspected insurgents yesterday while in pursuit of a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator for foreign fighters and Haqqani camps in the Sperah district of neighboring Khost province. As the security force moved toward the targeted compound in the Dzadran district, airborne reconnaissance identified two men moving along a tree line displaying hostile intent toward the ground assault force. An air weapons team engaged both men, an assessment indicated they were killed. After questioning all of the residents at the scene, the security force detained the suspected insurgents and found multiple grenades at the scene. The security force protected women and children throughout the search.
In Zabul province:
-- ISAF officials confirmed that Saad Khan, a Taliban commander, was one of the two insurgents killed Aug. 20 during an Afghan and coalition force operation. Khan led attacks against Afghan civilians and Afghan and coalition forces. The security force targeted a compound in the Shah Joy district to search for the commander. As they approached, an air weapons team saw two armed insurgents demonstrating hostile intent. The air weapons team engaged, killing the commander and his associate. During a follow-on inspection of the area, the security force found an automatic weapon with four magazines and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with two rounds. After the area was secure, Afghan forces called for all residents to come out of the targeted compound peacefully and then questioned the residents. The residents told the security force that insurgents steal their food and then bed down in the vicinity. The security force did not take detainees from the compound.
In other news, Afghan forces were conducting operations in northern Afghanistan's Jowzjan province Aug. 20 when they received small-arms and indirect insurgent fire from an unknown number of insurgents in multiple locations. To suppress the threat, the Afghan forces requested coalition close-air support, which was provided by an air weapons team of two helicopters. The air weapons team fired a Hellfire missile and 30 mm rounds toward an identified firing position. A subsequent battle-damage assessment revealed that three Afghan police officers were accidentally killed and several more were wounded during the engagement. ISAF officials offered condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the fallen servicemembers and sent an initial assessment team to determine the facts.
In the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, two Afghan female civilians, including a child, were killed Aug. 21 when insurgents attacked an Afghan and coalition patrol with rocket-propelled grenades and weapon-mounted grenade launchers. The combined patrol responded with small-arms and mortar fire. Following the engagement, an Afghan man reported that a child had been killed by insurgent RPG fire. The man then took a wounded Afghan woman to a nearby coalition patrol base, where she subsequently died of wounds caused by an insurgent RPG.
Also, an insurgent bomb detonated in northern Afghanistan Aug. 21, killing five civilians and wounding two more. Afghan police and coalition forces responded to the site to provide security and assess the incident.
Caldwell Provides Afghan Training Update
By Ian Graham
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity
Aug. 23, 2010 - Training the Afghan security forces was a daunting task when NATO Training Mission Afghanistan first began. Almost no infrastructure was in place, and fewer than 30,000 soldiers and policemen served in the force.
Now, the command is recruiting and training soldiers and police in record numbers, pushing hard to reach the goal of a 305,000-member force by October 2011.
Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, commander of NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, provided an update on his organization's progress in a "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable today.
"Our greatest challenge today is to build a self-sustaining Afghan national security force with professionalism amongst its ranks," the general said. "Professionalism is truly the key ingredient to an enduring force that can serve and protect its people."
In the past nine months, Afghan forces' growth has doubled the average of any previous year, Caldwell said. This year has been the biggest year ever in terms of recruiting, training and retention, he said, and the training mission has exceeded its annual goal three months ahead of schedule.
While this is positive news, Caldwell said, he cautioned that attrition still is a problem, calling it the only "truly endemic enemy of professionalization." Caldwell said losses due to low retention, desertion and casualty have had a major effect on the quality of Afghan soldiers, not just the quantity.
He said with current attrition rates, the training mission will need to recruit and train some 141,000 soldiers and police to keep the 56,000 needed to meet the October 2011 goal.
"In order to meet the 2011 goal, we will need to recruit and train, in the next 15 months, approximately the same number as the total strength of the Afghan National Army today," Caldwell said.
Caldwell said that regardless of numbers, professionalism in the Afghan forces is central to force sustainment. Training and education help to instill leadership with an "ethos of service and loyalty" in officers and noncommissioned officers, the general said.
"It is only when the leaders embrace a culture of service to others that the Afghan national security force will truly be a professional force," he said. "We have made significant progress this year in laying the foundation to professionalize the [force]. We're realistic about the challenges ahead, but we are also optimistic about what we can do together with our Afghan counterparts to begin the process of transition as the Afghan forces take the lead in serving and protecting their people."
Increasing literacy in Afghan forces at every level is a central point to establishing professionalism and helping to instill not only loyalty and service, but also accountability, Caldwell said, noting that only 14 to 18 percent of new enlistees can read.
"Literacy provides us the ability to enforce accountability, it allows for professional military education, particularly specialized skills that are taught in branch schools and continued education," Caldwell said. "And it combats corruption within the [Afghan forces]. Unless we take on and deal with literacy, we'll be extremely challenged with accountability, branch competency, and working anti-corruption within the force itself."
Current literacy training is focused on getting Afghan soldiers to a third-grade reading level, enough to read a manual or pamphlet, understand how their pay system works, and account for their people and equipment on paper.
Caldwell didn't realize the gravity of the situation until he had been on the ground for a few months, he said. He went in with a mindset that he wasn't in the business of teaching people to read, but that he was training soldiers. When he realized trainees on the range couldn't read the serial numbers on their weapons, he knew literacy had to be a top priority.
"How can we establish accountability for the money the American taxpayers are putting in over here if they can't account for their equipment properly?" he asked. "If they're issued a sleeping bag and other equipment and given a piece of paper that shows what they've been issued, how are they able to read that and understand the very basic stuff about what they're responsible for and are supposed to maintain accountability of? They're totally dependent on somebody else who can manipulate the system, and corruption sets in place."
Improving literacy not only will help to combat corruption, a significant problem Caldwell has been dealing with when training leaders, but it also helps systems already in place move more smoothly. About 27,000 police and soldiers are now in mandatory literacy programs. By June 2011, Caldwell said, that number will be about 100,000 in continuous education programs.
One of those systems, an electronic deposit system that ensures lower-ranking soldiers aren't being robbed by corrupt superiors on payday, received a number of complaints. The ensuing investigation found that of the 90 soldiers who said they hadn't been paid, all had been paid in full, but they were illiterate and couldn't understand bank statements or automated teller machines.
"In fact, each of them had been paid. They had a lot of money in their accounts, several months worth of pay, and just did not know how to get at it," Caldwell said. "So a great idea to get at this systemic corruption that was out there, but now we've realized that there's a much lower-level level of corruption that could creep in unless we take on and, again, just give them the basic skill sets."
Caldwell emphasized that the Afghan security forces still are very young. Progress is being made to fill the ranks and train leaders so the Afghans will have a security force that can protect the nation, he said, but it's far from a finished product. Things such as logistics units, mobile medical units and intelligence units haven't been created yet, and the Afghan forces have only a very small transportation unit in place.
"So all those kinds of capabilities that you would need to truly operate independently have not yet been built and fielded into the force structure," Caldwell said. "Again, our focus up until now has been a very infantry-centric force and get as many, you know, ground units out there that could in fact be engaged in fighting the insurgency with the coalition forces providing all their support behind them."
Between now and Oct. 31 next year, Caldwell said the Afghan forces will be expanded and taught better to operate independently of NATO trainers and advisors. For now, he added, the focus is on essential leadership and literacy training so Afghans can independently develop in the future.
"So even though you may find some units today that have leadership that's maturing well and are able to take and do the planning, the coordination and execution of missions, they still are dependent on coalition forces until we finish really the complete build out of the army and the police force," the general said.
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity
Aug. 23, 2010 - Training the Afghan security forces was a daunting task when NATO Training Mission Afghanistan first began. Almost no infrastructure was in place, and fewer than 30,000 soldiers and policemen served in the force.
Now, the command is recruiting and training soldiers and police in record numbers, pushing hard to reach the goal of a 305,000-member force by October 2011.
Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, commander of NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, provided an update on his organization's progress in a "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable today.
"Our greatest challenge today is to build a self-sustaining Afghan national security force with professionalism amongst its ranks," the general said. "Professionalism is truly the key ingredient to an enduring force that can serve and protect its people."
In the past nine months, Afghan forces' growth has doubled the average of any previous year, Caldwell said. This year has been the biggest year ever in terms of recruiting, training and retention, he said, and the training mission has exceeded its annual goal three months ahead of schedule.
While this is positive news, Caldwell said, he cautioned that attrition still is a problem, calling it the only "truly endemic enemy of professionalization." Caldwell said losses due to low retention, desertion and casualty have had a major effect on the quality of Afghan soldiers, not just the quantity.
He said with current attrition rates, the training mission will need to recruit and train some 141,000 soldiers and police to keep the 56,000 needed to meet the October 2011 goal.
"In order to meet the 2011 goal, we will need to recruit and train, in the next 15 months, approximately the same number as the total strength of the Afghan National Army today," Caldwell said.
Caldwell said that regardless of numbers, professionalism in the Afghan forces is central to force sustainment. Training and education help to instill leadership with an "ethos of service and loyalty" in officers and noncommissioned officers, the general said.
"It is only when the leaders embrace a culture of service to others that the Afghan national security force will truly be a professional force," he said. "We have made significant progress this year in laying the foundation to professionalize the [force]. We're realistic about the challenges ahead, but we are also optimistic about what we can do together with our Afghan counterparts to begin the process of transition as the Afghan forces take the lead in serving and protecting their people."
Increasing literacy in Afghan forces at every level is a central point to establishing professionalism and helping to instill not only loyalty and service, but also accountability, Caldwell said, noting that only 14 to 18 percent of new enlistees can read.
"Literacy provides us the ability to enforce accountability, it allows for professional military education, particularly specialized skills that are taught in branch schools and continued education," Caldwell said. "And it combats corruption within the [Afghan forces]. Unless we take on and deal with literacy, we'll be extremely challenged with accountability, branch competency, and working anti-corruption within the force itself."
Current literacy training is focused on getting Afghan soldiers to a third-grade reading level, enough to read a manual or pamphlet, understand how their pay system works, and account for their people and equipment on paper.
Caldwell didn't realize the gravity of the situation until he had been on the ground for a few months, he said. He went in with a mindset that he wasn't in the business of teaching people to read, but that he was training soldiers. When he realized trainees on the range couldn't read the serial numbers on their weapons, he knew literacy had to be a top priority.
"How can we establish accountability for the money the American taxpayers are putting in over here if they can't account for their equipment properly?" he asked. "If they're issued a sleeping bag and other equipment and given a piece of paper that shows what they've been issued, how are they able to read that and understand the very basic stuff about what they're responsible for and are supposed to maintain accountability of? They're totally dependent on somebody else who can manipulate the system, and corruption sets in place."
Improving literacy not only will help to combat corruption, a significant problem Caldwell has been dealing with when training leaders, but it also helps systems already in place move more smoothly. About 27,000 police and soldiers are now in mandatory literacy programs. By June 2011, Caldwell said, that number will be about 100,000 in continuous education programs.
One of those systems, an electronic deposit system that ensures lower-ranking soldiers aren't being robbed by corrupt superiors on payday, received a number of complaints. The ensuing investigation found that of the 90 soldiers who said they hadn't been paid, all had been paid in full, but they were illiterate and couldn't understand bank statements or automated teller machines.
"In fact, each of them had been paid. They had a lot of money in their accounts, several months worth of pay, and just did not know how to get at it," Caldwell said. "So a great idea to get at this systemic corruption that was out there, but now we've realized that there's a much lower-level level of corruption that could creep in unless we take on and, again, just give them the basic skill sets."
Caldwell emphasized that the Afghan security forces still are very young. Progress is being made to fill the ranks and train leaders so the Afghans will have a security force that can protect the nation, he said, but it's far from a finished product. Things such as logistics units, mobile medical units and intelligence units haven't been created yet, and the Afghan forces have only a very small transportation unit in place.
"So all those kinds of capabilities that you would need to truly operate independently have not yet been built and fielded into the force structure," Caldwell said. "Again, our focus up until now has been a very infantry-centric force and get as many, you know, ground units out there that could in fact be engaged in fighting the insurgency with the coalition forces providing all their support behind them."
Between now and Oct. 31 next year, Caldwell said the Afghan forces will be expanded and taught better to operate independently of NATO trainers and advisors. For now, he added, the focus is on essential leadership and literacy training so Afghans can independently develop in the future.
"So even though you may find some units today that have leadership that's maturing well and are able to take and do the planning, the coordination and execution of missions, they still are dependent on coalition forces until we finish really the complete build out of the army and the police force," the general said.
'Training' Equals 'Transition' in Afghanistan, General Says
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 23, 2010 - The training of Afghan security forces is a vital aspect in the American-led war strategy there, the U.S. commander charged with overseeing Afghan training said today during a video news conference from his headquarters in Afghanistan.
Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, commander of NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, updated Pentagon reporters on the training progress of Afghan forces.
Without well-trained troops, U.S. and NATO forces likely will be unable to transfer security responsibilities to the Afghan government by July 2011, Caldwell said.
"In many ways, training Afghan forces is transition," Caldwell said. "Our efforts to build and strengthen the Afghan national security force are providing the professional force that is self-reliant and has the ability to generate and sustain their force to serve and protect the people of Afghanistan."
Afghan forces are more than a year away from being able to operate independently, Caldwell said. Some Afghan combat units are leading missions throughout the country, but enabling support such as engineers, logisticians, military intelligence and other necessary elements are not yet established, he explained, and Afghan troops still rely heavily on U.S. and NATO support in those areas.
Such competencies are planned to be ready by the end of October 2011, Caldwell said. That's when the growth of the country's military is expected to be complete and able to operate without foreign aid, he added.
"It doesn't mean, in small, isolated pockets, that they can't have the lead, with coalition enablers supporting them," the general said. "But to say that they'll be able to do much more before October next year would be stretching it, only because we haven't finished the development of their force."
Afghanistan now has about 290,000 police and soldiers, about 56,000 shy of the necessary projected growth, Caldwell said. So far this year, Afghan security forces have grown by 58,000, more than double their average annual growth since 2002, he added.
Although those results seem promising, Caldwell said, anticipated retention and attrition rates of soldiers and police mean more than 141,000 recruits are needed to guarantee a 56,000-member growth, he said. Attrition losses include desertion, death and low retention, he explained. "[Attrition] poses the greatest threat to both quantity and quality of the Afghan national security force," Caldwell said.
Caldwell's team also is addressing leader development and literacy to professionalize the Afghan force, he said. Literacy is a major training issue, the general said, noting that about 18 percent of entry-level Afghan recruits can't read. Literacy will help to enforce accountability, he said.
"If a soldier cannot read, how can he know what equipment he is supposed to have and to maintain?" he said. "If a policeman does not know his numbers, how can he read and understand the serial number on his own weapon? Literacy allows personnel to provide oversight for all aspects of the force, from equipment to personnel, regulations to training."
Literacy will help to establish enabling competencies, he said, noting that trainees must be literate to attend schools for logistics, maintenance and intelligence. Literacy also will help to prevent corruption within security forces, Caldwell added. Some Afghan troops think they haven't been paid, because they can't read their back statements. About 80 percent of the army and police use electronic payment methods, he said.
But literacy training will not be a quick process, the general acknowledged.
"Through the creation of mandatory literacy courses in the past nine months, we have supported the professionalization of the Afghan national security force, and educated many students," he said. "But this will take time, and it is a sustained effort if we are to educate an entire generation of Afghans to the level necessary to create a professional force."
Producing a professional security force in Afghanistan will take time, Caldwell said. He added that he's confident in his command's capabilities and the abilities of his Afghan counterparts.
"We are realistic about the challenges that lie ahead," he said. "But we are also optimistic about what we can do, together with our Afghan partners, to begin the process of transition as the Afghan national security force takes the lead to protect and serve their people."
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