| U.S. Is Reining In Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan |
Children related to five people, including three women, who died Feb. 12 in a night raid near Gardez in Paktia Province, Afghanistan, stood at their graves last week. |
KABUL, Afghanistan — Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top American commander in Afghanistan, has brought most American Special Operations forces under his direct control for the first time, out of concern over continued civilian casualties and disorganization among units in the field.
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| “What happens is, sometimes at cross-purposes, you got one hand doing one thing and one hand doing the other, both trying to do the right thing but working without a good outcome,” General McChrystal said in an interview. Read more at www.nytimes.com |
The war in Afghanistan has claimed the life of the 1000th U.S. soldier. The number of Afghans and Pakistanis killed is many times more and yet unknown. We mourn the loss of life knowing that more violence will not bring peace. This war must end. |
By year’s end, there will be 100,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. At one million dollars per soldier for deployment, we will be spending in excess of $100 billion a year, on military solutions. Read more at docs.google.com |
This guy might know a bit about Afghanistan and what not to do - ya think - yep. Worth a read for sure. |
Soviet Lessons From Afghanistan
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What began after Sept. 11, 2001, as a seemingly appropriate military response aimed at rooting out terrorism could end in a major strategic failure. |
In 1979, the Soviet leadership sent troops to Afghanistan, justifying that move not just by the desire to help friendly elements there but also by the need to stabilize a neighboring country. The greatest mistake was failing to understand Afghanistan’s complexity — its patchwork of ethnic groups, clans and tribes, its unique traditions and minimal governance. Read more at www.nytimes.com |
Vilsack Promotes Agriculture Improvement In Afghanistan, Announces $20M In Aid |
Vilsack on Tuesday “announced an additional $20 million in aid to help improve Afghanistan’s agriculture ministry deliver services to farmers,” according to Reuters. “‘After decades of conflict, Afghanistan lacks many of the personnel and knowledge resources needed to deliver much-needed services to its people, more than 80 percent of whom rely on agriculture for wages and sustenance,’ he said at a news conference announcing the funds,” Reuters writes. The news service reports that the U.S. will spend an estimated $400 million on agriculture projects in Afghanistan this year, up from $300 million last year (Pleming, 1/12). Read more at globalhealth.kff.org |
How will we measure up in 2010? ASIA/AFGHANISTAN - Nearly 1,050 children die from armed conflict in 2009 |
| Armed conflict killed hundreds of children and adversely affected many others in 2009 - the deadliest year for Afghan children since 2001. This is what the Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM), a Kabul-based humanitarian group, has said in a recent declaration. ARM says that from January to December 2009, nearly 1,050 children died in suicide attacks, roadside blasts, air strikes and in the cross-fire between Taliban insurgents and pro-government Afghan and foreign forces.Read more at www.fides.org |
Up to 56,000 more contractors likely for Afghanistan, congressional agency says |
The surge of 30,000 U.S. troops into Afghanistan could be accompanied by a surge of up to 56,000 contractors, vastly expanding the presence of personnel from the U.S. private sector in a war zone, according to a study by the Congressional Research Service.
Read more at www.washingtonpost.com |
Lawrence of Arabia offers lessons for Afghanistan
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| John Hulsman is the author of the recently released “To Begin the World Over Again: Lawrence of Arabia from Damascus to Baghdad.” |
| Probably the most famous advice given by T.E. Lawrence in his “27 articles” postulates “Better the Arabs do it tolerably than that you do it perfectly.” Has the international community heeded that advice so far in its mission in Afghanistan?Read more at www.dw-world.de |
Seems as though Mark Twain could have been writing about Afghanistan when he said “habit can’t be changed by throwing it down the stairs, it has to be eased down one step at a time.” Some of our military and President’s “advisers” should read this blog! The tribal elders talked about how decisions taken amongst their tribal councils might be legitimized in the eyes of the state. What we foreigners have come to term the ‘informal justice system’ is the tribes’ own way of dealing with problems and crimes which take place in their communities. |
Go to Netflix or where ever you get films - rent Larence of Arabia and watch it as if you were looking for ideas of how to create a success out of Afghanistan. Not a bad idea but remember that - in the end - the Imperialists got the upper hand and that today, we are still paying the price. Gant argues passionately that the key to success against the Taliban is to work with the tribes. He says: We demonstrated month in and month out that a small effective fighting force could unite with an Afghan tribe, become trusted and respected brothers-in-arms with their leaders and families, and make a difference in the US effort in Afghanistan. In doing so, we discovered what I believe to be the seed of enduring success in that country.”
His strategy is based on the idea of Tribal Engagement Teams, working as part of an overall strategy that allows these teams working closely with a tribal group to decide how to engage the enemy. As Gant says: “TETs must be allowed to be on their own, grow beards, wear local garb, and interact with the tribesmen at all levels. They must be allowed to be what they are: American tribesmen…Rules of Engagement must change. Read more at circlingthelionsden.blogspot.com |
| Eight Years in Afghanistan—How
Many More? |
| Let’s tell Obama: We Need an Exit Strategy,
Not an Escalation! |
| In the wake of Obama’s announcement
to escalate military operations in Afghanistan with
30k more troops in 2010, we have found these articles
and analyses very helpful when trying to get a handle
on the Administration’s reasoning for a surge of violence:Read more at www.codepinkalert.org |
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