NATO's Deadliest Days In Afghanistan

[ejaz007]

Afghan war at critical stage, says Gen Petraeus
Monday, July 05, 2010


KABUL: The nine-year war in Afghanistan has reached a critical stage, US General David Petraeus said on Sunday, as he formally took command of the 150,000-strong Nato-led force fighting a growing Taliban insurgency.

“We are engaged in a tough fight. After years of war we have arrived at a critical moment,” Petraeus told guests at a change-of-command ceremony at the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters in Kabul.

“We all recognise the threat that the Taliban, al Qaeda and the other associated syndicate of extremists pose to this country, this region and to the world,” he said. “We are in this to win.” Petraeus was last week appointed to lead all foreign forces in Afghanistan after his predecessor, General Stanley McChrystal, was dismissed for insulting remarks he and aides made about the US administration in a magazine interview.

The shift comes as the Taliban are at their strongest since being overthrown in 2001, and with ISAF casualties mounting daily. Suicide bombers and insurgent fighters also attacked a US aid contractor’s office in northern Kunduz last week, killing five people and wounding dozens more.

Petraeus, wearing camouflage fatigues and speaking near a marble column dedicated to ISAF troops killed in the Afghan campaign, told senior commanders and several Afghan ministers his appointment signalled a change in command, not strategy.

Despite last month being the bloodiest yet for international troops, he said gains were being made in the increasingly difficult war and a pushback by insurgents had been expected ahead of an offensive by US and Nato troops on Taliban strongholds in the country’s south.

“Nothing has been easy in Afghanistan,” he said. “However, we can all take heart from the progress that has been made on the security front and beyond.” New Afghan interior minister Besmillah Mohammadi said after watching Petraeus take command that US troops and Afghan police had killed 63 Taliban fighters during a two-day sweep in the restive southern Helmand province.

Petraeus landed in Kabul on Friday after his appointment was confirmed by the US Senate and the US House of Representatives approved $33 billion in funding for a troop surge he hopes will turn the tide of the war.

The surge will bring to 150,000 the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan just as a new strategy takes root. It entails tackling the Taliban in the south while relying on the government to improve local governance and development.

“We must demonstrate to the Afghan people and to the world that al Qaeda and its network of extremist allies will not be allowed to once again establish sanctuaries in Afghanistan,” Petraeus said, calling again for unity between the government and international forces.

Petraeus accepted ISAF and US command flags on a small lawn and under tight security, watched over by rooftop snipers and with several top commanders arriving in a convoy of helicopters.

His appointment could be a last throw of the dice for Washington to end an increasingly costly conflict that is draining budgets of Western nations as they emerge from one of the worst global recessions in history.

He is charged with not only winning the war against a growing Taliban insurgency, but also with starting a promised withdrawal of US forces from July next year as Afghan security forces assume more control of the country.

Nearly 1,900 foreign troops have died in Afghanistan since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001 — including more than 100 the last month.

German Nato commander General Egon Ramms paid tribute to McChrystal’s efforts against the Taliban, but said Petraeus was the “first choice for ISAF” given his deep counter-insurgency experience and the many challenges now facing the country. “There was not the slightest concern about mission command about the unexpected developments of the last 10 days,” Ramms said.

With Petraeus’ appointment and a conference in Kabul in coming weeks called to review progress in the country and chart a way forward, Ramms said the international community was signalling it was not beating a path to Afghanistan’s exits.

Afghan war at critical stage, says Gen Petraeus

 

[ejaz007]

No Change In Afghanistan Strategy: NATO Chief
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 2 Jul 2010 11:15

LISBON, Portugal - The change of top commander in Afghanistan will not bring a change in strategy of NATO-led forces fighting the Taliban insurgency, alliance secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said July 2.

He was speaking after the appointment of Gen. David Petraeus as top Afghan war commander in place of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, fired by President Barack Obama for disparaging remarks about administration officials.

"It has been a change of command, but it will not be a change of strategy," Rasmussen said at a press conference in Lisbon with Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado.

I can assure the Afghan people that we'll stay as long as it takes to secure their country," he added, noting that Petraeus had given a similar message.

Obviously that's not forever," he said. "Our mission will end when the Afghans are capable to secure their own country themselves."

Rasmussen was on his first visit to Portugal as NATO chief to discuss with local officials, including Prime Minister Jose Socrates, the summit of the alliance to be held in Lisbon at the end of November.

"I hope that we will be able to make an announcement at the summit that transition can start in some provinces (of Afghanistan) but of course conditions must be fulfilled." he said.

"This is a reason why our training mission in Afghanistan is so important.

We have to train and educate Afghan soldiers and Afghan police."

Rasmussen said the summit of the alliance's 28 member states would shape the future of NATO.

"We'll take important decisions as to how NATO can adapt to the security challenges of the 21st century," he added.

No Change In Afghanistan Strategy: NATO Chief - Defense News

 

[GUNNER]

KABUL, July 5, 2010 (AFP) - Three NATO soldiers have been killed fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, two of them in a bomb attack in the relatively peaceful west of the country, the military said Monday.

A third soldier was killed on patrol in the south, where the nearly nine-year war is at its fiercest, on American Independence Day, NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

It later announced two soldiers died in western Afghanistan on Monday following an improvised explosive device (IED) attack.

Such bombs are a high-profile Taliban weapon and responsible for the overwhelming majority of deaths of both troops and civilians in the war.

The nationalities of the soldiers were not given.

The deaths bring to 331 the number of foreign soldiers to have died in the war so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on that kept by the independent icasualties.org website.

The deaths come after US General David Petraeus took command on Sunday of the 140,000 NATO and US troops in Afghanistan, replacing US General Stanley McChrystal, who was sacked for insubordination.

---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:35 PM ----------

LONDON, July 5, 2010 (AFP) - A British soldier was killed in an explosion Monday while on patrol in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence in London said, bringing the national death toll there to 311 since 2001.

The soldier from the Royal Dragoon Guards died on a vehicle patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, where most of Britain's 9,500 troops in Afghanistan are serving as part of an international coalition.

"He was part of a screening force that was providing protection to enable the building of a road in the Babaji area such that local Afghans could move more freely when he was struck by an explosion," said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith.

His death brings to 311 the total number of British troops killed in operations in Afghanistan since October 2001. Most of them died in southern Afghanistan, where they are battling Taliban insurgents.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

How is this possible ? If you have a gun you have 6 bullets you fire it you need ammunition ?

If you have sandwhich you eat it , and you need food

So where is the taliban getting the food & weapons ?

Russia?
Drug money?
or funds being transfered over thru nepal ? from India

Something does not adds up ....

 

[ejaz007]

How is this possible ? If you have a gun you have 6 bullets you fire it you need ammunition ?

If you have sandwhich you eat it , and you need food

So where is the taliban getting the food & weapons ?

Russia?
Drug money?
or funds being transfered over thru nepal ? from India

Something does not adds up ....

As far as I know Taliban were quite strict on drugs. Popy growing had declined in Afghanistan and that was even acknowledged by the UN. So drug money is perhaps not the source of income.

You are forgetting Iran. With oil prices going high Iran can sponsor Taliban and even Russia as they would love to inflict wounds on Americans.

 

[GUNNER]

How is this possible ? If you have a gun you have 6 bullets you fire it you need ammunition ?

If you have sandwhich you eat it , and you need food

So where is the taliban getting the food & weapons ?

Russia?
Drug money?
or funds being transfered over thru nepal ? from India

Something does not adds up ....

Funds from Gulf countries..

Drug trafficking [Although Taliban may not actually grow poppy, but they exact taxes on it's growth and is a big source of income..

Also, they collect taxes for movement on roads in areas under their control..


Black market weapons..NATO supply tankers are attacked as well..!

Foreign support cannot be ruled out but their is no concrete evidence of Iran's or any other country's involvement !

Food is not really an issue.. !

 

[GUNNER]

KABUL, July 6, 2010 (AFP) - The number of international troops to die in the Afghan war so far this year hit 334 with the announcement Tuesday of three more deaths in the volatile south of the country.

All three soldiers died Monday in bomb attacks, NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said, referring to improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, which are the Taliban's main weapon in the ongoing war.

The nationalities of the soldiers were not given, according to policy.

An AFP tally based on that kept by the icasualties.org website puts the death toll for foreign soldiers in 2010 at 334, compared to 520 for all of 2009.

Military commanders -- including US General David Petraeus, who took command of foreign forces in Afghanistan on Sunday -- have warned the summer months would see intensified fighting and a consequential spike in casualties.

June's death toll of 102 was a monthly record for the war.

Petraeus commands 140,000 US and NATO troops, with another 10,000 deploying in coming weeks to push forward the counter-insurgency strategy, focusing on the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand, where fighting is fiercest.

 

[GUNNER]

LONDON, July 8, 2010 (AFP) - A 100th British soldier died in Afghanistan's Sangin area Thursday, the day after it was announced British troops there would hand control of the region to US forces.

The soldier, from 5th Regiment Royal Artillery, was killed by an explosion while on foot patrol, the Ministry of Defence said. His family have been informed.

The latest death brings to 313 the number of British foreces personnel who have died in Afghanistan since 2001.

The news came 24 hours after Defence Secretary Liam Fox said British troops would hand over control of violence-wracked Sangin in southern Afghanistan to US forces by the end of the year.

 

[GUNNER]

KABUL, July 12, 2010 (AFP) - This year has been the most violent since the Afghan war began in 2001 and civilian deaths have risen slightly with the increased insecurity, a local rights group said Monday.

A massive US-led increase in troops has failed to quell the Taliban-led insurgency, Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM) said.

"In terms of insecurity, 2010 has been the worst year since the demise of the Taliban regime in late 2001," it said.

"Not only have the number of security incidents increased, the space and depth of the insurgency and counter-insurgency-related violence have maximised dramatically," ARM said.

In late December, US President Barack Obama ordered an extra 30,000 American troops into Afghanistan as part of a new counter-insurgency strategy designed to reverse the Taliban momentum and speed up an end to the nine-year war.

But ARM's mid-year report "Civilian Casualties of Conflict" said Obama's policy of intensifying operations against the Taliban has not disrupted, dismantled or defeated the insurgents.

On the contrary, it says, "the insurgency has become more resilient, multi-structured and deadly".

About 1,074 civilians were killed and more than 1,500 injured in war-related incidents in the first six months of 2010, compared with 1,059 killed in the same period last year, ARM said.

"Up to 1,200 security incidents were recorded in June, the highest number of incidents compared to any month since 2002," it said.

Military commanders had warned that boosted troops numbers would lead to more battles, and subsequently higher death tolls.

But ARM said "little or no justification has been offered as to why a defeated Taliban is gaining strength, popularity and the ability to threaten the future of Afghanistan" nine years after being overthrown.

In a breakdown of parties to blame for civilian deaths, ARM says 61 percent were caused by insurgents, 30 percent by US, NATO and Afghan forces, six percent by "criminals and private security firms", with three percent unknown.

The United States and NATO have more than 140,000 troops in Afghanistan with another 10,000 due in coming weeks as part of the counter-insurgency strategy.

The Taliban's main weapon, bombs known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), were blamed for most of the Afghan civilian casualties, with suicide attacks the second biggest killer, ARM said.

It said a reduction in air strikes, ordered by the recently sacked commander of foreign forces, US General Stanley McChrystal, had resulted in fewer civilian deaths attributed to US-led forces.

Other country-insurgency measures introduced by McChrystal "were also deemed helpful", the report said.

Last week NATO apologised for the deaths of six civilians in a mistaken air strike and said that six Afghan soldiers died in a "friendly fire" incident.

Rules of engagement that aim to prevent civilian casualties have come under fire from some quarters, however, with the arrival of McChrystal's successor, US General David Petraeus, who took command on July 4.

Many soldiers complain they are hamstrung by the rules, attributing to them a spike in deaths and injuries. ISAF officials say the rules will not change.

So far this year, more than 350 foreign soldiers have died in the Afghan war, around 30 for July alone. The total last year was 520.

ARM's findings echo those of a UN report late last year that found most civilian casualties in 2009 -- up 11 percent in the first 10 months of the year over the same 2008 period -- were caused by Taliban attacks.

 

[ejaz007]

2010 worst year of Afghan war: report

* Rights group says it will take a miracle to win the war under Karzai
* 2010 the deadliest year since 2001, with 14 civilian causalities on average each day
* Insurgency has become more resilient and deadly
* NATO and Afghan forces are responsible for 30 percent of civilian deaths


KABUL: As the US troop-surge fails to quell the Taliban-led insurgency, this year has been the most violent since the Afghan war began in 2001 and civilian deaths have risen slightly with the increased insecurity, a local rights group said Monday.

The Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM) said that the 30,000-strong troop lift was also clouding US foreign policy objectives, with regional powers such as Pakistan, India and Iran flexing their muscles in the country ahead of an expected US and NATO pullout, starting next year.

The group also said that it would take “a miracle” to win the war and restore viable peace in Afghanistan under the inept government of President Hamid Karzai.

The surge had also driven violence to its worst levels since the Taliban’s 2001 ousting, with 14 civilians killed or wounded on average each day.

“Contrary to US President Barrack Obama’s promise that the deployment... would disrupt, dismantle and defeat Taliban insurgents and their al Qaeda allies in the region, the insurgency has become more resilient, multi-structured and deadly,” the group said.

The report said the crisis of bad governance and inept leadership in Afghanistan had been compounded by a disorganised, half-heartedly-committed and concomitantly mistaken international community.

Casualties among NATO and US forces fighting the Taliban hit a record monthly high of over 100 in June, and commanders expect violence to rise amid an anti-insurgent offensive in coming months and as the country prepares for lower-house parliamentary elections on September 18.

At least 1,074 civilians had been killed in the conflict this year and more than 1,500 injured, although the number killed in US and NATO airstrikes fell considerably due to tough restrictions driving down troop reliance on air power, the ARM said.

Coalition forces spokesman General Josef Blotz said at the weekend that while restrictions would be altered to better protect the 150,000 international troops now in the country, the overall rules of engagement would remain unchanged.

Blotz also defended NATO’s record in protecting civilians, and said while foreign troops had killed 42 civilians between June 1 and July 10, 464 died in insurgent bombings and shootings.

The ARM said that 61 percent of its 661 recorded civilian deaths this year were due to insurgents who had “little or no respect for the safety and protection of non-combatants”.

Improvised bombs, or IEDs, killed 282 civilians, more than any other war activity, followed by insurgent suicide attacks in which 127 civilians lost their lives.

Use of homemade bombs, the Taliban weapon of choice, has now risen to record levels and they are blamed for two-thirds of US and NATO fatalities. More than 300 exploded or were detected before detonation in the last week of June, US defence officials said last week.

So far this year, more than 350 foreign soldiers have died in the Afghan war, around 30 for July alone. The total last year was 520.

US and NATO forces were responsible for 210 civilian deaths from January to June, a fifth of the total and down from 26 percent last year. Many were killed in “violent and barbaric intrusions” during counter-insurgency raids, it said.

Local security forces loyal to the Afghan government, including the army, police and militias, were responsible for 108 civilian deaths during the six-month period.

“Many call 2010 the ‘make or break’ year given the enhanced military presence and the preplanned political show games. We, however, fear it will be more of a ‘breaking’ year mostly for Afghan civilians who are increasingly falling victim,” the ARM report said. agencies

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[GUNNER]

KABUL, July 13, 2010 (AFP) - An Afghan soldier killed three British soldiers in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, said a defence ministry spokesman in Kabul.

"We confirm that an Afghan army solider has opened fire and killed three British soldiers," Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP.

He gave no immediate further details, but said the ministry would soon release a statement.

The US-led NATO force in Afghanistan earlier announced that three foreign soldiers had been killed in an "attack" in southern Afghanistan but gave no further details nor their nationalities.

 

[GUNNER]

LONDON, July 13, 2010 (AFP) - An Afghan soldier who killed three British army Gurkha soldiers "betrayed" his comrades in a "suspected premediated attack," officials said in statements released on Tuesday.

The man responsible for killing the troops was still on the run, but the military has been making "strenuous efforts" to find him, the two statements added.

The troops killed were Gurkhas, who are drawn from Nepal. The attacks came on an army base in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Confirming the attacks, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement: "The soldiers were killed in a suspected premeditated attack by a member of the Afghan National Army using a combination of weapons."

A spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, added: "It is with deep sorrow I must inform you that three soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles Battle Group were killed this morning in southern Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand Province.

"We believe these were the actions of a lone individual who has betrayed his ISAF and Afghan comrades."

 

[ejaz007]

Afghan army soldier kills three British troops
Wednesday, July 14, 2010


KABUL: An Afghan soldier attacked his coalition allies with a rocket-propelled grenade and other weapons early on Tuesday, killing three British troops and wounding four more before fleeing, officials said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the killings as “appalling” but insisted the incident should not change the strategy of working alongside the Afghan army.

It was the second time in eight months that an Afghan turned against British troops partnering with local security forces. In November, an Afghan policeman killed five British soldiers at a checkpoint — also in southern Helmand province, where Tuesday’s attack happened.

Afghan police in the past have also attacked American soldiers and their own police stations. While such intentional attacks are rare, they emphasise the difficulties in rapidly expanding the Afghan forces to take over responsibility for security from international troops.

Critics have said a rushed schedule — aimed at allowing US forces to begin drawing down by next year — makes it difficult to screen out insurgent sympathisers and also to properly train up Afghan forces in military discipline.

President Hamid Karzai quickly sent a letter of apology to the British government. Gen David Petraeus, the commander Nato forces in Afghanistan, called for unity among international troops and the Afghan soldiers in the fight against the Taliban.

“We have sacrificed greatly together, and we must ensure that the trust between our forces remains solid in order to defeat our common enemies,” Petraeus said in a statement.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said the soldiers from 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles died in a “suspected premeditated attack” by an Afghan soldier “using a combination of weapons.” They were serving at a base in Helmand’s Nahr-i-Saraj district.

The renegade Afghan soldier used a shoulder-mounted launcher to fire a grenade at British soldiers inside a base control room at around 2 am, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zaher Azimi said.

The soldier escaped and is being sought, he said, adding that the motive of the attack was not yet clear. A joint coalition-Afghan team is investigating. Afghan army Chief of Staff Gen Sher Mohammad Karimi expressed regret and pledged to capture and prosecute the attacker.

“The loss of any of our coalition partners affects us deeply,” Karimi said.

Deputy commander of the Nato-led forces, Lt Gen. Nick Parker, said details of the attack are still unclear but it appeared the soldier betrayed his unit and international partners.

“It does look to us as if this is another example of a member of the Afghan National Security forces attacking our soldiers,” Parker said, referring to the earlier, November incident.

The speed with which Afghan security forces are growing — the allies set an interim goal of expanding the Afghan army from 85,000 in 2009 to 134,000 troops by 2011 — has raised concerns about infiltration by the Taliban and the professionalism of the recruits. The police force is facing similar challenges.

Previous turncoat attacks include a policeman who threw a grenade and opened fire on a US foot patrol, killing one soldier in October 2008.

One month before, a policeman opened fire at a police station, killing a soldier and wounding three before he was fatally shot.

“Our Afghan partners have got to look very carefully at what’s happened and they’ve got to reassure us that they are doing everything they can to minimize it happening again,” Parker said Tuesday.

Liam Fox, Britain’s defense secretary, echoed Cameron’s reaffirmation of Britain’s policy to work alongside Afghan forces to reverse Taliban gains and eventually turn over security to the national force.

“Training and developing the Afghan National Security Forces is vital to the international mission in Afghanistan and today’s events will not undermine the real progress we continue to make,” Fox said, adding that British forces would continue “working shoulder to shoulder with Afghans.”

Britain is the largest contributor to the NATO force after the United States, with about 10,000 troops in Afghanistan, most deployed in volatile Helmand, an insurgent stronghold. Since 2001, a total of 317 British forces have died serving in Afghanistan. Last month was the deadliest of the war for international forces, with 103 foreign troops killed.

Afghan army soldier kills three British troops

 

[GUNNER]

KABUL, July 14, 2010 (AFP) - Three foreign soldiers and five Afghan civilians were killed in a brazen Taliban attack on a police base in the southern province of Kandahar, NATO and Afghan authorities said Wednesday.

The rebels set off an explosives-laden car before firing rockets and small arms on Tuesday evening, they said.

Afghan police backed by international forces fought back "and prevented insurgents from penetrating the compound perimeter," NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.

ISAF did not reveal the nationalities of the troops.

Zalmai Ayoubi, a spokesman for the Kandahar government, told AFP the car bomb was set off by a suicide bomber.

Several other insurgents attacked the base with rockets and machine-gun fire for more than 20 minutes, he said.

The attackers fled the area after reinforcements arrived, Ayoubi said.

 

[GUNNER]

KABUL, July 14, 2010 (AFP) - Five foreign soldiers were killed in two separate attacks in volatile southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, NATO said.

Four of the soldiers were killed in a Taliban-style bomb attack, while the fifth died in a militant small-arms attack, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a statement.

The latest deaths mark a spike in the number of foreign troops being killed in Afghanistan, following the deaths of seven NATO soldiers -- four from Britain, three Americans -- on Tuesday.