A team of Taliban jihadists attacked Counterpart International, a USAID-backed NGO operating in Kabul. The Taliban claims that Counterpart’s work is “anti-Islamic” and criticizes the NGO for promoting “western culture,” as well as the “mixing” of men and women.
The Taliban blocked off all roads leading into Bala Murghab district, overran 11 security outposts and put an Afghan National Army company stationed there to rout. They also killed 44 Afghan security personnel and captured another 190, and advanced to within one kilometer of the district center.
According to the report, insufficient US oversight and Afghan capability led to mismanagement and an overall lack of assurance as to exactly where DoD funds ended up.
The Congressionally mandated Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) issued a detailed report evaluating the current challenges facing the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and the lessons learned from America’s nearly 15-year campaign in the country. The report argues that security priorities guiding US decisions early in the war effort negatively impacted […]
The Afghan Army commander in charge of the fighting in Helmand characterized the Army’s withdrawal from Musa Qala as a redeployment of forces.
The Taliban video praises rogue Afghan National Army soldier Lambar Khan, who participated in a deadly July 9 “green-on-blue” attack at Kandahar Airfield, as well as a second rogue ANA soldier, Lieutenant Ihasanullah, who helped free Khan from custody a few days later. Both men are seen pledging allegiance to the Taliban.
The two ISAF soldiers were killed in western Afghanistan. So far this year, there have been six such attacks, which account for 13 percent of ISAF’s deaths.
In the 10th attack by Afghan security forces on Coalition troops so far this month, an Afghan soldier shot and killed three ISAF troops in the south. The green-on-blue attacks this month have already killed 25 Coalition troops and wounded six more.
Coalition and Afghan forces have conducted seven raids against the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan this month.
General Allen said in testimony before Congress that US was scaling back its planned operations in Eastern Afghanistan due to reduced forces available.
Afghan security personnel have killed seven ISAF soldiers in the past 10 days, while the Taliban have killed six during the same time period. Already this year, 15 ISAF troops have been killed by Afghan security personnel.
In June 2011, President Obama announced a drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan. But no new strategy to accommodate a smaller force was announced. Finally, there might be one.
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan said commanders and fighters from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Russia, and Germany have been killed during fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Ongoing Afghan security operations in Ghazni province have resulted in the death of one senior Taliban commander and the arrest of a top Taliban financier, according to Afghan authorities.