February 06, 2010

God, grant them victory and grant it swiftly:

In a break from traditional military secrecy, American, British and Afghan commanders have announced that Marjah, the last town in Helmand under Taliban control, will be attacked.

Operation Moshtarak (“Together”) will be by far the largest offensive since General Stanley McChrystal, the American commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, instigated his counter-insurgency strategy, backed by President Barack Obama’s 30,000-troop “surge”.

About 1,000 Taliban, mostly Afghans but with some foreign fighters in their ranks, are believed to be in Marjah, an opium centre and local headquarters for bomb-making and sending out suicide bombers.

Military sources described the use of publicity as a psychological tactic to intimidate the Taliban into laying down their weapons or fleeing.

January 30, 2010

Hopefully this isn't a trend but another isolated incident. But perhaps that's wishful thinking:

A NATO official says an Afghan interpreter killed two U.S. service members before he was killed himself at a combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan.

NATO forces clashed with Afghan troops Saturday at a snow-covered highway outpost, calling in an airstrike that killed four Afghan soldiers, U.S. and Afghan officials said.

The former? No explanation being offered right now. But the Taliban have publicly announced that they are going to try and and penetrate the Afghan military and government. And then of course there was the recent CIA killings by a Taliban double-agent.

I'm not jumping to conclusions here -- this really could be a couple of heated argument on the relative merits of Jessica Alba vs. Shakira gone bad -- I'm only offering this as one possible explanation on every one's mind yet the MSM unlikely to vocalize it.

Thanks to Ken.

January 29, 2010

Via IFTSOW

Stretching from Egypt to Yemen, Iran and Pakistan, General David H. Petraeus commands the most challenging area of responsibility in the war against terrorism. In addition to deterring non-state aggressors, he also oversees the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On Friday morning, January 22nd, the Institute for the Study of War held an on-the-record conversation with General Petraeus hosted by ISW President, Dr. Kimberly Kagan. General Petraeus discussed his competing regional priorities at U.S. Central Command and offered a strategic overview of his AOR, explaining the dynamic effect it has on American national security.

Original post here

Recommend story here

Do it for the akhis on the forums, they will love you and maybe, just maybe I will get a Fatwa?!?!?!

January 22, 2010

This guy:

January 21, 2010

Ha!

Israeli drones take over Afghan skies

While Israeli soldiers can't fight in the war in Afghanistan, Israeli drones can. Starting next week, five NATO member countries will be operating unmanned aerial vehicles produced in the Jewish state in anti-Taliban operations in the Central Asian country.

h/t Avi

I suppose they didn't feel the need to ask him about his child porn operation.

Bill Roggio has the lowdown and vid

I prefer to post this vid, in case anyone has forgotten. This bastage needs to be dead.

BTW, a commenter called the maker of this vid (Allahakchew) a twat! Ya gonna stand for that?

January 18, 2010

Stratfor:

A major Taliban attack began on Kabul Jan. 18. The fighting is being reported by both American and Taliban sources. According to one American source, reports of an imminent attack began circulating Jan. 17. Heavy fighting is being reported at multiple locations, apparently focused around the Serena Hotel. The hotel, which is frequented by foreign journalists and government officials, has been attacked in the past. According to the Taliban, 20 suicide bombers are taking part in the attack. They claim the Presidential Palace, Ministries of Justice, Finance, Mines and Industry are among the targets. There are reports of casualties, but numbers and locations are unclear.

I'm also receiving some reports from contacts there on other platforms. The Taliban has posted their usual claims.

More here.

January 13, 2010

The UN finally getting it right?

The survey found that the Taliban and other insurgents killed more than twice the number of civilians as the American-led coalition and Afghan government forces last year, mostly by suicide bombings, homemade bombs and executions.

The 1,630 civilians killed by insurgents — two-thirds of the total — represented a 40 percent increase over the previous year. .

By contrast, the number of civilians killed by the NATO- and American-led coalition and Afghan government forces in 2009 fell 28 percent, to 596, about a quarter of the total number.

The UN credits new rules instituted by Gen. Machrystal making it more difficult to call in air strikes. These same rules, though, seem to have led to an increase in US military casualties. In the long run it's hoped that fewer civilian casualties will lead to greater support for the Coalition's mission and the Afghan government. But I can't help but wonder whether or not that ship has already sailed?

January 06, 2010

A good friend of mine asks that as this winter storm arrives we remember the people of his country. Afghanistan isn't exactly a cakewalk in winter either. Let alone with a war going on there.

People displaced from southern provinces due to fighting live under horrible conditions in Kabul and need help.

This has been a known problem since last year. Taliban attacks on NGO's have not helped matters any.

In winter of last year the count was 235,000 displaced and that number can only have grown.

As we brace for a very bad winter storm its worth remembering that at least we don't have to face it living in a tent.

See slideshow here.

If anyone has any good organizations that can help. Please link in comments and we'll put up em up.

January 01, 2010

Just saw this and wanted to post:

Kick ass and stay safe!!!!!!!!!!!!!

December 31, 2009

As I understand he's heading out today but this really is a must read.In honor of the 1-17th Infantry Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

On this small base surrounded by a mixture of enemy and friendly territory, a memorial has been erected just next to the Chapel. Inside the tepee are 21 photos of 21 soldiers killed during the first months of a year-long tour of duty. The fallen will belong forever to the honor rolls of the 1-17th Infantry Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, and they will join the sacred list of names of those who have given their lives in service of the United States of America.

December 30, 2009

December 18, 2009

Terrorists babies:

Those little ones above should be doing this:

h/t The Anchoress

December 17, 2009

Sweet...

Via Bill Roggio

A commander in al Qaeda's military organization was among 17 Islamist extremists killed during today's strikes in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan in Pakistan.

Zuhaib al Zahibi, a commander in al Qaeda's Shadow Army, or the Lashkar al Zil, was among seven Arab "foreigners" and nine Taliban fighters killed in one of two airstrikes in the Datta Khel region in North Waziristan, a senior US military intelligence official told The Long War Journal. Two other Taliban fighters were also killed in an earlier, separate strike in the Datta Khel region.

This video would be almost funny, you know, if lives weren't depending on the Afghan Army.

You know, Mr. Obama its times like this that I'm glad I don't have your job. Good luck with getting that Afghan Army trained. You're going to need it.

Sometimes I think we should just nuke the site from orbit. Its the only way to be sure.

Sigh.....

Hat Tip: Brad.

December 14, 2009

From the forums, no English translation yet. Bumming them out so gasp one of the akhi's used a kaffir website to copy and paste for more information.......blasphemer!!!

al shala inshalla shala mohammad inshallah shalalalalalala allah allah allah blahlashallah alalalalalalala

From Ynet

Al-Qaeda's deputy leader has accused President Barack Obama of cheating the Arab world by failing to advance Middle East peace talks.

In a new Internet posting, Ayman Al-Zawahri also scoffs at key American allies in the region - the Egyptian president and the Jordanian king - for making peace with Israel

The 25-minute audio message focuses on Obama.

Al-Zawahri says the US president's Mideast policy is "another cycle in the Crusader and Zionist campaign to enslave and humiliate us."

The bumb on his forehead is getting reading to splode....inshallah

December 13, 2009

Dhimmi, dhimmi, dhimmi!!

The Rt Rev Stephen Venner called for a more sympathetic approach to the Islamic fundamentalists that recognises their humanity.

The Church of England’s Bishop to the Forces warned that it will be harder to reach a peaceful solution to the war if the Afghan insurgents are portrayed too negatively.

I guess throwing acid in young girls faces doesn't matter to the Bishop, we just have to be nicer....aaaarrrggghhhh. Jawa has a archive full of Taliban shit. Or the beheading archives, plenty there from the sick bastages.

December 11, 2009

Congrats to the controller of the drone, you hit a biggy!

A senior U.S. counterterrorism official has confirmed the identity of a top Al Qaeda operative killed in Pakistan on Friday.

The U.S. official told Fox News that the operative is Saleh al-Somali, the network's external operations chief for plots outside Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Zawaqueery, al libiliee, and godamn, hope you slpode next.

Bill Roggio chimes in. Read it all as they say.

According to this report his real name is Abdirizaq Abdi Saleh.

Our Marines search for explosives, the Afghan police eat candy.

Hat Tip: Robert.

(Howie again stomps off into the Sandcrawler muttering NSFW things to himself)

December 10, 2009

The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point recently released a stunning report which found that Muslims have accounted for 85 percent of the casualties from al Qaeda attacks between 2004-2008. Even more astounding, during the last two years of the study (2006-2008), the percentage of al Qaeda's Muslim victims skyrocketed to an almost-unbelievable 98 percent.

The report's findings decimate the claims made in 2007 by al Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al Zawahiri. More...

December 09, 2009

Via Jammie Wearing Fool

This is some incredible footage of some Blackhawk helicopters inserting and picking up troops in the mountains of Afghanistan. The blur spots on the screen are there to hide the data contained on the heads up display that could give the location away.

December 04, 2009

Yahoo News:

KABUL – U.S. Marines and Afghan troops Friday launched the first offensive since President Barack Obama announced an American troop surge, striking against Taliban communications and supply lines in a southern insurgent stronghold, a military spokesman said.

Hundreds of troops from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines and the Marine reconnaissance unit Task Force Raider were dropped by helicopter and MV-22 Osprey aircraft behind Taliban lines in the northern end of the Now Zad Valley of Helmand province, scene of heavy fighting last summer, according to Marine spokesman Maj. William Pelletier.

A second, larger force pushed northward from the Marines' Forward Operating Base in the town of Now Zad, Pelletier said. Combat engineers were forcing a corridor through Taliban minefields with armored steamrollers and explosives, Pelletier said.

In all, about 1,000 Marines as well as Afghan troops were taking part in the operation, known as "Cobra's Anger," he said.

Wish finds me asking, why has the Pakistani offensive slipped from the news? Is it over?

This can only work if the Taliban and squeezed on both sides. And I guess that's what worries me about Obama's new push. Just handing Pakistan a check and asking them to take out the Taliban hasn't exactly been very productive in the past. We need to be sure we supply equipment and support and make sure they do their part.

December 01, 2009

My emotions are pretty high after the speech. I'm not sure how logical I can be at this moment.

On a visceral level I'm pissed and I don't know why.

I support the surge strategy so why would I be pissed?

Maybe it's because it was so full of contradictions? That is, he says we must win, but then gives a timeline for withdrawal.

So, must we win or must we get out?

Maybe it's because he says it's a war of necessity, but then goes on and says that we must do a cost - benefit analysis when reviewing our military commitment in Afghanistan.

It's necessary, but only if it doesn't cost too much?

Remember that time when Churchill made that speech about fighting on the beaches and stuff, but only if it cost less than two-pence per capita? Classic.

I'm just not convinced that Obama gets this war or any war. In fact, it sounds to me like he thinks of this war as a distraction from his real priority which is the economy.

We're supposed to all sacrifice for victory, but not too much ya know. Not if that means some unknown number of jobs lost or some unspecified level of deficit.

Then all this stuff about diplomacy. Um, so reaching out to Pakistan is going to make Islamic fundamentalists like us more how?

So, even though I agree with the overall sentiment of the surge I guess I'm just not confident yet that Obama is willing to see this thing through.

Maybe I'll update this later. What do you guys think?

In the meantime I'll direct you to the usual places: AllahP here and Ace here.

UPDATE: On cue, I wasn't the only one who saw the contradiction here.

Pay special attention to how much the surge costs each year compared to say the deficit for this month alone.

November 25, 2009

The Telegraph reports that Defence Minister Robert Ainsworth is publicly blaming Obama for dropping the ball:

A “period of hiatus” in Washington - and a lack of clear direction - had made it harder for ministers to persuade the British public to go on backing the Afghan mission in the face of a rising death toll, he said.

Senior British Government sources have become increasingly frustrated with Mr Obama’s “dithering” on Afghanistan, the Daily Telegraph disclosed earlier this month, with several former British defence chiefs echoing the concerns.

But Mr Ainsworth is the first Government minister to express in public what amounts to personal criticism of the US president’s leadership over the conflict which has so far cost 235 British lives.

Polls show most voters now want an early withdrawal, following the death of 98 British service personnel this year alone.

November 20, 2009

A great photo essay courtesy of the Denver Post.

Thanks to KB.

November 14, 2009

Headless Goat Polo

The competition, which will be held November 19-21, consists of players on horseback who try to hold on to a headless goat as long as possible while riding full gallop to gain sympathy from the viewers.

Other players attempt to tear the goat carcass from its "owner" using practically any means. The carcass is sometimes thrown over a goal line, or slam-dunked into a vat. [...]

The Buzkashi competition is typically fierce, as other players may use any force short of tripping the horse in order to thwart scoring attempts.

Riders usually wear heavy clothing and head protection to protect themselves against other players' whips and boots.

November 12, 2009

How about a collective aaaahhhhh?

An Australian Special Forces explosives detection dog has been found alive and well almost 14 months after going missing in action (MIA) in Afghanistan.

Sabi spent more than a year in the desolate south of Afghanistan and repeated attempts were made by the Special Operations Task Group to find her.

The US soldier who found her, and who can only be identified by his first name John, was aware Australian Special Forces soldiers were missing one of their explosive detection dogs.

Story here at ABC AU:

Via MSNBC:

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

Please consider that not only is the US perceived as an "invader" at times. There's another side to that coin. There are many who want freedom, who would love it. But they fear, with pretty good reason, that the US is not good for its word and will leave their ass hanging in the wind. So therefore they play the fence.

If we abandon the people of Afghanistan to the Taliban it will destroy our credibility for years to come.

Its time the US says what it means and does what it has said it will do.

November 11, 2009

Wired by way of Ace:

So it is an extremely big deal that NATO and Afghan troops announced today that they found 500,000 pounds of the stuff — along with 5,000 improvised bomb components — in a Kandahar compound.

The fertilizer, ammonium nitrate, is illegal in Afghanistan. “This find will undoubtedly save many lives,” NATO spokesman Lt. Col. Todd Vician said in a statement.

He’s right; more than 70 percent of coalition casualties are now caused by improvised bombs.

Sweet haul.

November 01, 2009

Via Bill Roggio:

Al Qaeda and the Haqqani Network coordinated last week's deadly assault on a UN guest house in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

The attack, which killed five foreign UN workers and three Afghans, was launched by three terrorists who were dressed as policemen and were armed with grenades, assault rifles, and suicide belts. The terror assault team jumped the walls of the compound and began hunting foreigners in the Kabul compound.

Residents of the guesthouse bolted themselves in rooms and escaped to the rooftop during the two-hour gun battle, which ended when Afghan police and soldiers began clearing the building. The attack has forced the UN to evacuate non-essential personnel just one week ahead of the runoff presidential election.

Afghan intelligence claimed the attack was carried out by three Pakistanis from the Swat Valley, which was under the sway of the Taliban until this spring. The information was obtained from eight suspects who served as the support cell for the UN compound attackers, Amrullah Saleh, an Afghan intelligence official told The New York Times.

October 19, 2009

October 05, 2009

This story in the UK's Telegraph adds a new dimension to the General's reported 25 minute meeting with the President aboard Air Force One in Copenhagen.

Apparently, McChrystal was being called on the carpet for being too free with his opinions:

According to sources close to the administration, Gen McChrystal shocked and angered presidential advisers with the bluntness of a speech given in London last week.

The next day he was summoned to an awkward 25-minute face-to-face meeting on board Air Force One on the tarmac in Copenhagen, where the president had arrived to tout Chicago's unsuccessful Olympic bid.

Gen James Jones, the national security adviser, yesterday did little to allay the impression the meeting had been awkward.

Asked if the president had told the general to tone down his remarks, he told CBS: "I wasn't there so I can't answer that question. But it was an opportunity for them to get to know each other a little bit better. I am sure they exchanged direct views."

An adviser to the administration said: "People aren't sure whether McChrystal is being naïve or an upstart. To my mind he doesn't seem ready for this Washington hard-ball and is just speaking his mind too plainly."

Since McChrystal isn't an idiot, it follows that the situation in Afghanistan is every bit as dire as the general has said, and he is willing to take extraordinary risks with his career to protect his troops.

September 30, 2009

Via the Daily Beast:

The women of Afghanistan, left behind as their men fought, did what the women of World War II did—used their wits and resourcefulness to preserve some semblance of civilization. The Taliban’s backward vision of a radical Islamist state was a utopian fantasy. Except in the rural villages of the south, women before the Taliban worked as doctors, judges, teachers, broadcasters, and budding politicians.

Now Afghan women are terrified we will abandon them again. Anne McBride, who observed the elections last month, emailed me: “The women I met at polling stations risked their lives to come out and vote, but they are angry that the Taliban ruined their lives and are willing to risk it. They are not tolerant of half-steps for women.” Are we really considering throwing them back into the dark, leaving them even more vulnerable after their return to freedom?

Hat Tip: That liberal tard, Steve Inskeep.

September 25, 2009

"The Europeans are there [in Waziristan]. The most dedicated people there are from Europe. They will do anything for Islam. They are not there because their father's are Muslim, but by choice,"

Muslims from Britain, Sweden, and now Germany are reportedly fighting against NATO troops in Afghanistan. Recently investigators have discovered a village in Waziristan, near the Afghan border, which is full of white muslim converts.

Afghanistan is not the only destination for muslims from Western countries. Muslims from the US, Canada, Britain, Sweden and Holland are presently waging jihad with al Shabaab in Somalia.

Are these the white European trained suicide bombers that al Qaida has threatened us with? Telegraph

The village, in Taliban-controlled Waziristan, is run by the notorious al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which plots raids on Nato forces in Afghanistan.

A recruitment video presents life in the village as a desirable lifestyle choice with schools, hospitals, pharmacies and day care centres, all at a safe distance from the front.

In the video, the presenter, "Abu Adam", the public face of the group in Germany, points his finger and asks: "Doesn't it appeal to you? We warmly invite you to join us!"[...]

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which has a foothold in several German cities, has capitalised on growing concern over the rising profile of German forces in Afghanistan. Their role has become increasingly controversial in Germany in recent weeks after dozens of civilians were killed in an air strike ordered by German officers.

Last night a foreign ministry spokesman told The Daily Telegraph they were now negotiating with Pakistani authorities for the release of six Germans, including "Adrian M", a white Muslim convert, his Eritrean wife and their four year old daughter, who were arrested as they were making their way to the "German village". They are particularly concerned about the welfare of the child.

September 09, 2009

Helicopter-borne British commandos raided a Taliban compound and freed kidnapped New York Times journalist Stephen Farrell, 46, taken last Saturday in Kunduz. Sadly, two good men were lost. It's reported that a British commando and Farrell's interpreter, Mohammad Sultan Munadi, were killed during the rescue operation.

Mr Farrell said that Mr Munadi went forward, shouting: “Journalist! Journalist!” but dropped in a hail of bullets. “I dived in a ditch,” he said, adding that he did not know whether the shots had come from allied or militant fire.

After a minute or two, the dual Irish-British national who is a former Middle East correspondent for The Times, said that he heard more British voices and shouted: “British hostage!” The British voices told him to come over. As he did, he saw Mr Munadi's body.

“He was lying in the same position as he fell,” Mr Farrell said. “That’s all I know. I saw him go down in front of me. He did not move. He’s dead. He was so close, he was just two feet in front of me when he dropped."

September 01, 2009

I'm not sure what to make of George Will's call to leave Afghanistan.

On the one hand he makes a good point in stating that the so-called "surge" in Afghanistan may not be nearly enough to be effective. Point well taken.

On the other hand, since the immediate goal of the Taliban is the expulsion of Western troops from Afghanistan, then how is Will's call for the U.S. to withdraw any different?

I've always been wary of the idea of nation building. That didn't go so well in Iraq, a country with far more potential as a nation.

If nation building is our goal in Afghanistan, then our strategy is seriously flawed. Our goal should be to make sure the Taliban never come back to power.

Will's notion that we can do this "offshore" is absurd. In fact, it's the kind of 9/10 thinking that gave us 9/11.

Will has fallen for the fantasies of the Dovish Left who have long claimed that all it takes to control a foreign threat are good intelligence, precision strikes, and superhuman secret agents.

While I enjoy a good thriller, I know that in the real world that a Scott Harvath or Mitch Rapp rarely gets the bad guy. And when they do? Another bad guy takes his place.

What Will and others need to realize is that our war in Afghanistan is one of attrition. The Taliban know this.

Their goal is not to defeat us outright, it is to bleed us until we no longer wish to stay.

Apparently, in Will's case it has worked.

But leaving Afghanistan would mean that the Taliban have won.

Whatever happened to patriots simply wanting their country to win its wars?

I agree that our present strategy is flawed. The kind of nation building that occurred -- and continues to occur -- in Iraq will probably not succeed in Afghanistan as it has in Iraq.

But is leaving the solution? I don't think so.

We must do whatever it takes to ensure that the Taliban never return to power in Afghanistan.

And by whatever it takes I mean exactly that.

Will says there aren't enough troops in Afghanistan and that even tripling the number of troops it would still take 10 years to succeed. If that is the case, then so be it. Triple the number of troops. Stay for ten years.

Whatever. It. Takes.

UPDATE: On George Will's flip-flops. (H/T: Hot Air).

Summary: George will is for wars, as long as they are short and sweet. If not he changes his mind.

I have another thesis: George Will argues for wars when they are popular inside the beltway, against them when they lose their popularity inside the beltway.

Neither of which says anything positive about Will's alleged sage wisdom.

August 31, 2009

Noah Shachtman of Wired's Danger Room blog has been embedded with the marines of 2/8 Echo company in Helmand province. They've been fighting the Taliban nearly non-stop for eight weeks, in one of the war's most active
battlegrounds.

After a brief lull in the fighting, the Taliban began attacking the Marines. This is their story.

August 20, 2009

Despite threats from the Taliban and sporadic reports of violence, it appears that Afghan people are briskly lining up to vote in many places.

Reports from Jalalabad, Lashkar Gah, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jowzan province indicate strong voter turnout.

Kabul and Kandahar, however, are under tight security with sporadic attacks keeping people away from the polls. Low turnout reported in Ghazni due to Taliban threats. Turnout nationally could be termed as patchy.

Here's some election-related statistics.

17 million registered voters;
up to 7,000 polling centres;
more than 40 presidential candidates (two female);
3,200 provincial council candidates;
3,000 donkeys transporting voting materials.

The general consensus is that President Hamid Karzai will be reelected, however, he faces strong opposition from Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. Karzai is strong in the Pashtun south and Abdullah is the favorite in the Tajik north. (More ....)

August 13, 2009

Well, this seems to be a new, novel way to kill the enemy.

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. — The Air Force general in charge of the air war in Afghanistan says a new strategy means warplanes in some cases may be buzzing rather than bombing some insurgents.

Lt. Gen. Gilmary Hostage said Thursday that his job is to support the strategy of winning Afghan support as formulated by the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. As part of that, McChrystal imposed restrictions on air power to limit civilian casualties.

Let it be noted that the officer who released this information has the last name of "Hostage."

Chuckle at will.

Thanks to Longhorn.