Afghanistan - News & Discussions

arnabmit

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You are talking about pre-bleedingheart Gujral era. RAW has 0 first party HUMINT today... only ELINT & SIGINT and 3rd party HUMINT.

Well, this is an age-old proven technique of "counter-intelligence" in the realm of espionage. RAW & MI also specialize in infiltrating extremist/secessionist groups.

This weaken these groups from within (by exposing their plans/hideout's /organization hierarchy/funding/safe-havens/sponsors/communication links etc.), from outside (by alienating the local population) & eventually, they are eliminated, by playing one group against the other.

One example: Hizb-ul-Mujahiddin vs. JKLF & other splinter groups. & the tactics of erstwhile RAW chief : AS Daulat
 

TrueSpirit

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You are talking about pre-bleedingheart Gujral era. RAW has 0 first party HUMINT today... only ELINT & SIGINT and 3rd party HUMINT.
Yes, you are close but we still continue to have some HUMINT in this region (Pak, Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh). However, that capability has been severely deteriorated w.r.t Sri Lanka, Maldives & Mauritius. Greater reliance on SIGINT & ELINT is world-wide phenomena , no agency has escaped that.
 

MLRS

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June 10, 2013
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan security forces put down a coordinated Taliban attack on Kabul International Airport after four hours of heavy fighting early Monday, in an exchange that shook the city and rerouted air traffic but left only the bombers dead, officials said.
A group six insurgents attacked the Provincial Council Office in southern Zabul province early Monday, local officials said. 15 civilians and three police officers were injured in the attack. "The incident took place Monday morning in Qalat, capital of the province. One of the insurgents first blew himself inside a vehicle loaded with explosives near the office building," Provincial Deputy Governor Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar said. "Five other insurgents were gunned down by the police officers, before they could enter the building," he added.
The Afghan police is getting a lot better at dealing with these attacks.
 

MLRS

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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan | Mon Jun 10, 2013

(Reuters) - Taliban fighters beheaded two boys aged 10 and 16 as a warning to villagers not to cooperate with the Afghan government, local officials said.

The boys, named Khan and Hameedullah, had travelled to Afghan army and police checkpoints near their home in the southern province of Kandahar, scrounging for leftover food to bring to their families, the officials said.
Taliban's spokesman has already denied it. Some possibilities:
1. He's lying (most obvious).
2. They have lost control over their fighters, who vent their frustrations at civilians.
3. Foreign fighters (Pakistanis, Arabs, Uzbeks), among their ranks beheaded the children. They are more fanatic and extreme than the common Pashtun Talib.
 

MLRS

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Kabul, Afghanistan | Mon Jun 10, 2013
Explosion hits Kabul diplomatic area

At least nine killed, many others injured in car bomb blast near the Supreme Court compound and the US embassy gates. A suicide car bomber has rammed a bus carrying employees of Afghanistan's top court in Kabul, killing at least nine people and wounding 24 others, officials say.
Sad news. The intelligence agencies has let their guard down. It would not surprise me if terrorists managed to slip through security by wearing a burka.

Perhaps this is a shift of tactics after recent Taliban failures.
 

TrueSpirit

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Taliban's spokesman has already denied it. Some possibilities:
1. He's lying (most obvious).
2. They have lost control over their fighters, who vent their frustrations at civilians.
3. Foreign fighters (Pakistanis, Arabs, Uzbeks), among their ranks beheaded the children. They are more fanatic and extreme than the common Pashtun Talib.
They can be Chechen, who are known to go to any extreme to make their point. But, they can be normal Afghan Taliban also, there are no angels either.
 

datguy79

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U.S. says it will buy Russian helicopters for Afghan military

(Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Monday it will spend $572 million to buy 30 Russian-built military helicopters that will be used by Afghan security forces.

The Mi-17 helicopters will be used by Afghanistan's National Security Forces Special Mission Wing, which supports counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics and special operations missions.

The contract with Rosoboronexport, the Russian arms company, covers spare parts, test equipment and engineering support. The Pentagon said the work would be performed in Russia. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.

A year ago, the Defense Department purchased a dozen of the Mi-17 aircraft from Rosoboronexport for $217.7 million, as part of a larger contract originating in 2011.
 

TrueSpirit

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Why doesn't our diplomat-entrepreneur community lobby enough when it matters?

For starters, why not convince the Americans to buy ALH; it does the intended job really well. What's stopping the GoI ?
 

datguy79

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Why doesn't our diplomat-entrepreneur community lobby enough when it matters?

For starters, why not convince the Americans to buy ALH; it does the intended job really well. What's stopping the GoI ?
An illogical fear of Pakistan and this
 

nrupatunga

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'Day of honor': Afghans take over national security from US-led forces

U.S.-led troops handed complete control of security to Afghanistan authorities Tuesday – an act of faith in country's fledgling police and army in the face of near-constant insurgent attacks.

The formal transfer of responsibility is major milestone in the process of withdrawal from the country, 12 years after NATO-led mission ISAF began its mission to end Taliban rule.
Among the problems is a high desertion rate in local police forces, meaning thousands of new recruits are needed each month.

In additional The Afghan army has suffered a sharp rise in casualties since it began slowly assuming greater control of security, the BBC reported. By comparison, international coalition casualties have been steadily falling since 2010, it said.

Afghans are now responsible for security in all districts of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, completing a transfer of power from NATO that began in 2011.
The security handover means the remaining US-led forces will play only a supporting role, providing help if needed but no longer taking the lead in tackling insurgent attacks. As combat troops are scaled down, the U.S. focus will shift to Special Operations forces who will advise the Afghan military on hunting down top insurgent or terrorist leaders.
As mentioned in article, desertions are common, add to that corruption which means taliban have a ready pool which they just need to tap into. :sad::tsk: Testing times for a'stan in particular and region in general. India may soon start to see the effects of a resurgent taliban(?)
 

TrueSpirit

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'Day of honor': Afghans take over national security from US-led forces

As mentioned in article, desertions are common, add to that corruption which means taliban have a ready pool which they just need to tap into. :sad::tsk: Testing times for a'stan in particular and region in general. India may soon start to see the effects of a resurgent taliban(?)
More than the desertions, it is fragging that is taking a toll on ANA. This is no answer to that with anyone.

Neither do they have any answer for IED's & RPG's in the hands of a well-funded, trained & motivated militia. US/NATO realized it late. They paid the price & are forced to leave, without any semblance of achieving their hallowed objective (of nation-building) in Af-stan.

Af-stan is the eternal quagmire of deceit, subterfuge, treachery, & lawlessness dominated by the independence-loving gun-runners, drug-smugglers, warlords, extortionists & retrograde gun-toting Jirgas (living off their medieval-era Pukhtoon-wali) on a mutual genocidal spree. Everyone is welcome to join the party & get sunk.
 

nrupatunga

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Is a'stan difficult to govern, maybe yes. But myths like it was last conquered by alexander is more of a myth only. It certainly was playground for lot of superpowers, due to its strategic location (it being place where south, west, central asia meet). If alexander could take it, why not today with all the technological advances. But unless pakistan is handled, it will be difficult to quieten a'stan. Pakistan showed how easy is it to wage an asymmetric war even on a superpower who has to depend on on who else the same backstabbing pakis.


I feel, it was british who messed up the af-pak policy and created a big nuisance for the region, which is today troubling entire globe.
 

MLRS

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The Taliban has seized on the desire of the US and NATO for a negotiated settlement in Afghanistan and manipulated the negotiations process from the very beginning to achieve the goal of acquiring international legitimacy. While the US and Afghanistan have insisted that the Qatar office be used only as part of negotiations, the Taliban has used the office to serve as its de facto embassy to the world. The raising of the Taliban flag and the designation of the facility as the "Political office of The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the same name the Taliban used during its rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, show that the Taliban has every intention of presenting itself as the legitimate party in Afghanistan.

The Obama administration is apparently so desperate to achieve a negotiated settlement that it is willing to sideline the Afghan government and hold direct talks, and even release five senior al Qaeda-linked Taliban commanders in exchange for a captive US soldier. All the while, the Taliban has made it very clear it will neither denounce al Qaeda and sever ties with the group nor join an Afghan government. Instead, the Taliban continues to insist on an end to the presence of foreign troops and a return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, ruled by the Taliban.

The sooner the West recognizes it is being played by the Taliban and wasting precious time and energy on negotiations that serve only to legitimize the Taliban, the better.
longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2013/06/afghan_taliban_balk_at_removin.php
 

ladder

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longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2013/06/afghan_taliban_balk_at_removin.php
While the US and Afghanistan have insisted that the Qatar office be used only as part of negotiations, the Taliban has used the office to serve as its de facto embassy to the world. The raising of the Taliban flag and the designation of the facility as the "Political office of The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the same name the Taliban used during its rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, show that the Taliban has every intention of presenting itself as the legitimate party in Afghanistan.
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But Kerry, who spoke to Qatari leaders before flying to India, said he may even seek to close the Taliban office in the Gulf Arab monarchy after the rebels provocatively used symbols of their former government.
John Kerry tries to ease India's concerns on Afghanistan - Livemint
 

nrupatunga

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@datguy79 @MLRS @TrueSpirit @ladder

A slightly dated but an relevant article on troops withdrawal from a'stan in NY times
Afghan withdrawal

The president who ascended to office as a change agent decides to end the costly and unpopular war in Afghanistan. He seeks an exit with honor by pledging long-term financial support to allies in Kabul, while urging reconciliation with the insurgency. But some senior advisers lobby for a deliberately slow withdrawal, and propose leaving thousands of troops behind to train and support Afghan security forces.

This account is actually drawn from declassified Soviet archives describing Mikhail S. Gorbachev's closed-door struggles with his Politburo and army chiefs to end the Kremlin's intervention in Afghanistan
The main thing the Soviets did right was that they continued large-scale military assistance to the regime they left behind after the final withdrawal in '89. As long as the Afghan regime received the money and the weapons, they did pretty well — and held on to power for three years. The combat effectiveness of Kabul's security forces increased after the Soviet withdrawal, when the fight for survival become wholly their own.

But then the Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991, and the new Russian leader, Boris N. Yeltsin, heeded urgings of the United States and other Western powers to halt aid to the leadership in Afghanistan, not just arms and money, but also food and fuel. The Kremlin-backed government in Kabul fell three months later.
Around the time of the Soviet withdrawal, an article by Pravda, the Soviet Communist Party mouthpiece, clutched for a positive view as the Soviet Army pulled out. Read today, it bears a resemblance to the news releases churned out by the Pentagon detailing statistics on reconstruction assistance.
 
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TrueSpirit

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@datguy79 @MLRS @TrueSpirit @ladder

A slightly dated but an relevant article on troops withdrawal from a'stan in NY times
Afghan withdrawal
@nrupatunga: Very relevant post.

It remains to be seen how long would the West be capable & willing to foot the bill for Afghan govt. & ANA.

The only thing that has emerged so far from the negotiations is: if not on the ground, the sole Superpower & yet another Western power has been made to bite dust, at the negotiating table.

Taliban's persistence in face US Marines & drone strikes paid off. Taliban won.

US' terminal folly of diverting its attention from Afghan to Iraq, midway in "fight against terror", its failure to deepen engage well-meaning partner nations & instead, resorting to complete reliance on the Saudi-PAK-ISI nexus (the main culprits) for everything (including supply-lines) & its economic factors ensured the complete route of US-NATO combine.

For US, this is far worse than Vietnam debacle with far-reaching ramifications. An ominous future is what awaits the US & Western nations.
 
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nrupatunga

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@TrueSpirit Much before iraq was attacked i.e. GW-II, US succumbed to pakis in their afghan policy post 9/11. The airlifting of pakis from a'stan and escape of taliban leadership, osama signals US had lost it to pakis in the game. Iraq or no iraq, it had to be a downhill slide for nato.
 
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TrueSpirit

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@TrueSpirit Much before iraq was attacked i.e. GW-II, US succumbed to pakis in their afghan policy post 9/11. The airlifting of pakis from a'stan and escape of taliban leadership, osama signals US had lost it to pakis in the game. Iraq or no iraq, it had to be a downhill slide for nato.
That's right, Paki's were perpetually the biggest factor in the game, all along. Everyone remembers how & why Tora-bora campaign failed. But, diversion of focus & resources to Iraq was another major contributor to a jaded & insipid US performance in Af-stan. The magnitude of violence in Iraq during that interval can never be matched by Af-stan & US did have a extremely tough time there, as well. Further, US economy, as of today, is no longer capable of sustaining such protracted campaigns in distant geographies especially if the conflict is marked by insurgents like Taliban & Arab zealots.
 
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