OTAN – NATO
ISAF
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE AFGHANISTAN
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AFGHAN, INTERNATIONAL FORCE CLEARS HAQQANI STRONGHOLD
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/afghan-international-force-clears-haqqani-stronghold.html
6/14/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-06-CA-045
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (June 14) - ISAF has confirmed a Haqqani network commander, Fazil Subhan, known to facilitate foreign fighters, was killed along with multiple insurgents by Afghan and international forces in a two-day offensive in Khost Province last week.
The Haqqani fighters were in fortified fighting positions in an area known for ambush attacks against international troops, southwest of Kowte Kheyl in the Shamul district.
The Afghan-international force also discovered and destroyed a building used to store ammunition, heavy weapons and explosive materials. Despite enemy fire, no coalition forces were killed or injured during the operation.
Haqqani network commanders continually seek to establish strongholds in Khost province to disrupt local governance and facilitate the movement of fighters, explosives and weapons into the country.
They have ties to al Qaeda and the Taliban, and claimed responsibility, along with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militants, for a deadly suicide attack against intelligence officers in Khost last December.
Afghan and international forces are currently working to eliminate insurgent threats and enable expanded governance and development in the area.
Editor's Note: This operation was initially announced June 11 in IJC News Release #032: IJC Operational Update
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JUNE 14: AFGHAN-ISAF OPERATIONS IN EASTERN, NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/june-14-afghan-isaf-operations-in-eastern-northern-afghanistan.html
6/13/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-06-CA-043
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (June 14) - A joint Afghan-international force detained several suspected insurgents in Kunduz province last night while searching for a facilitator responsible for planning and coordinating attacks against Afghan and international forces. After intelligence information confirmed insurgent activity, the security force searched a compound near Kunduz City and detained six males for further questioning.
One individual was killed after he reached for his weapon and displayed hostile intent.
In the Charkh and Baraki Barak districts of Logar Province last night, a joint Afghan-international force detained a Taliban facilitator responsible for improvised explosive device emplacement and attacks against international forces.
After intelligence information verified insurgent activity, the security force searched a compound northeast of the village of Naebkhel in Baraki Barak district and detained two insurgents, one of whom was the focus of the search by the joint force.
No damage was done to the compounds during these operations; women and children present during the searches were unharmed.
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JUNE 13: AFGHAN-ISAF OPERATIONS IN EASTERN, SOUTHERN, NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/june-13-afghan-isaf-operations-in-eastern-southern-northern-afghanistan.html
6/12/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-06-CA-039
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (June 13) - An Afghan and international security force detained several suspected insurgents in Zabul Province last night.
The security force detained the men for further questioning while searching a compound near the village of Daftani in the Shah Joy district. The team was pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for coordinating and assisting in direct fire attacks and complex ambushes against coalition forces.
An Afghan-international patrol discovered illegal drugs, weapons and ammunition, and detained several suspected insurgents in Kunduz Province Friday.
The patrol discovered 128 kilograms of opium, 2,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition, and several assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades in a compound near the village of Emam Shahib, north of Kunduz city.
Village elders convinced the individuals to surrender peacefully, and the opium and ammunition were destroyed on site.
Afghan National Security Forces with ISAF partners conducted an operation in the village of Chardah, Helmand Province, Friday to disrupt a Taliban network responsible for planning and conducting attacks against Afghan and ISAF forces, and for supplying materials used in constructing roadside bombs.
After surrounding the compound where the Taliban insurgents were suspected to be, Afghan Special Police ensured all residents of the compound exited safely. Multiple women and children were protected while several suspected insurgents were detained.
No shots were fired and no civilians were harmed during these operations.
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JUNE 12: AFGHAN-ISAF OPERATIONS IN EASTERN, SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/june-12-afghan-isaf-operations-in-eastern-southern-afghanistan.html
6/11/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-06-CA-035
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (June 12) - An Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban sub-commander and another individual suspected of insurgent activity in Ghazni Province last night.
The sub-commander is responsible for planning and conducting operations against coalition forces, including improvised explosive device (IED) emplacement and intelligence gathering.
The security force captured the individuals while searching a compound outside the village of Nowabad Khanehdorha, Muqer district, after intelligence information confirmed insurgent activity.
A separate Afghan-international security force detained a number of suspected insurgents while pursuing a Haqqani network IED facilitator in Khost Province last night.
The combined force detained the suspected insurgents in a compound in a rural area of Sabari district after intelligence verified militant activity.
There were no shots fired and no one was harmed during the above operations.
An Afghan-international force conducted a number of operations against the Taliban in southern Helmand Province over the past week. The operations took place in multiple locations in and around Baram Chah, Reg-e Khan Neshin district, and were designed to disrupt and restrict the movement of Taliban fighters and the supply of weapons into central Helmand Province.
Taliban fighters engaged the Afghan-led combined force on numerous occasions, and several of the insurgents who engaged the combined force were killed. The team seized four assault rifles and a sniper rifle with ammunition, and a mortar and rocket during the operations.
No civilians were injured in the operations.
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ISAF,SCR PROVIDE THIS WEEK’S OPERATIONAL UPDATE ON AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/isaf-scr-provide-this-week-s-operational-update-on-afghanistan.html
6/12/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
KABUL, Afghanistan - German Army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, spokesman, International Seccurity Assistance Force, provides an update on recent partnering operations during a press conference June 12. (ISAF photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. LuCelia Ball) Click to download.
ISAF Public Affairs Office
Air Force Staff Sgt.
LuCelia Ball
KABUL, Afghanistan – Tony White, spokesman, NATO Senior Civilian Representative, and German Army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, spokesman, International Security Assistance Force, provided an update June 12 on recent partnering operations in Central Helmand River Valley and Kandahar.
Blotz concentrated on operations in Kandahar.
“In terms of the insurgency, the rural area of Zhari is at the moment contested space,” he said. “In much the same way as Marja was, you’ll find in Zhari, insurgents have freedom of movement and the ability to control, suppress and oppress the population. The same applies to the southwestern part of Panjawa’i.”
“It is estimated that there are between 500 and 1,000 insurgents who regularly operate in the Arghandab and in the areas of Zhari and Panjwa’I,” Blotz added. “The cities have a thriving commercial environment, with bazaars and businesses, but little investment, electricity, sanitation or health care.”
“It’s pretty challenging in terms of productivity and in terms of quality of life,” said Blotz. “But for the average Afghan who lives in the city, what bothers him most is the level of criminality. And it’s a problem more of criminality and disorder than it is a problem of Taliban and insurgency.”
Blotz also spoke of the need to improve the governance to help bring order and administration to the city.
“We will do this using the resources that begin to come online with the second force package of U.S. Army reinforcements that arrive in and around Kandahar, because that provides us with the capacity to train additional policemen and to partner with them,” he said.
After Blotz spoke, White commented on the non-military aspects of the joint effort in Kandahar.
“This effort is more about the people of Kandahar province than it is about the insurgents,” he said.
The effort started several weeks ago, with the political phase, together with a gradually increasing security presence, which will continue to the point where the Government can start delivering basic services and better governance and eventually development.
“There is no planned military offensive and to report only on the anticipation of major fighting is missing the bigger picture and alarming an already fearful public,” said White.
The main effort in the Province of Kandahar continues to be the longer-term governance and development strategy to enhance the public’s confidence in its Government, White added.
“The Government, led by President Karzai, is determined to strengthen governance and ultimately deliver civil assistance and sustainable development to the people of Kandahar and the rest of the country,” said White. “NATO is supporting this transition to Afghan responsibility. The Government is already focusing development and reconstruction resources at the district level to establish or enhance district centers, where the community can engage the government and the government can better serve the community.”
White also talked about plans after the security situation improves.
“Plans are in place to enhance the presence of Kandahar government’s key line ministries including agriculture, education, health and justice with the resources necessary to operate at the district level,” he said. “This effort will repair roads, open schools, and improve healthcare services and more.”
White concluded by saying, “Progress in Afghanistan will not be measured by the level of the insurgency or their ability to intimidate progress, which is their goal. It will be measured by the Afghan people and the way they view their Government and how it deals with poverty, justice and security, but more importantly, their ability to understand how they want to live.”
Blotz provided a general update on operations in Central Helmand.
Operation Moshtarak, where approximately 600,000 people live in central Helmand including the districts of Nahr e Saraj, Nad e Ali, the municipality of Lashkar Gar, and the districts of Marja and Nawa, is now about three months into the operation.
“Operations focused principally on the district of Nad e Ali, where around 100,000 people live,” said Blotz. “In Marja, we have conducted a relief in place with the original Afghan National Army troops that did the operation, and replaced them with new Afghan National Army Kandaks in full partnerships with the U.S. Marine Corps.”
Afghan National Civil Order Police are stationed in Marja to provide protection for the population.
“What is also striking is that we now have freedom of movement throughout central Helmand,” Blotz said. “Before the 12th of February, it wasn’t possible for (Provincial Governor) Mangal to travel from Lashkar Gar to Nad e Ali or to Marja or to Nawa. He can now do that on his own, with his own security detail. So we’re making progress. We’re going in the right direction.”
Blotz added some comments on events that took place earlier in the week: an attack on a wedding party in Arghandab and a roadside mine blast in Kandahar that killed eight civilians and wounded eight others.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends of those who were lost in this horrible attack against a wedding party in Arghandab,” said Blotz. “The recent casualties are a result of confrontations as Afghanistan and ISAF forces clear the Taliban from areas that were previously under their control. Over time, Afghanistan and ISAF forces will establish the security Afghanistan wants, and there will be a reduction in the frequency of violent incidents as the Taliban are defeated or forced to retreat. These cowardly attacks against innocent civilians reflect the Taliban’s lack of vision for a peaceful, prosperous Afghanistan. All this will not deter the overall campaign or process to secure the Afghan people – we will continue with our mission.”
Transcript: Second Operational Update, Opening Statement for ISAF News Conference
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TRANSCRIPT: SECOND OPERATIONAL UPDATE, OPENING STATEMENT FOR ISAF NEWS CONFERENCE
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/transcripts/transcript-second-operational-update-opening-statement-for-isaf-news-conference.html
GERMAN ARMY BRIG. GEN. JOSEF BLOTZ, ISAF SPOKESMAN
Today’s update will cover the following key topics:
• ISAF operational overview w/ special emphasis on • Central Helmand River Valley (CHRV) and Kandahar
• political issues addressed by Mr. Tony White, SCR’s spokesman
Afterwards we will have ample time for Qs&As.
Before starting with the update on security and operations a couple of general remarks concerning last week’s events:
• First of: Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends of those who were lost in this horrible attack against a wedding party in Arghandab.
• The recent casualties are a result of confrontations as AFG and ISAF forces clear the TB from areas that were previously under their control.
• Over time AFG and ISAF forces will establish the security Afghanistan wants, and there will be a reduction in the frequency of violent incidents as the TB are defeated or forced to retreat.
• The TB’s attack on the wedding party in Arghandab reflects their growing desperation as they feel the pressure as AFG and ISAF forces move in to establish security. These cowardly attacks against innocent civilians reflect the TB’s lack of vision for a peaceful prosperous Afghanistan.
• Yesterday morning a roadside mine blast in southern Afghanistan (Kandahar) killed 9 civilians (4 women, 3 children and 2 men were among those who died.
• 8 other people were wounded and taken to a hospital run by our troops.
• All this will not deter the overall campaign or process to secure the AFG people – We will continue with our mission and we - ISAF - join our AFG brothers in steeling our resolve to continue to press the INS out of areas where they can affect the AFG people.
Now I would like to start with a general update on operations:
• Operation Moshtarak in CHRV is now at about D-plus-119, so some three months into the operation.
• Operations focused principally on the district of Nad e Ali, where around 100,000 people live; on the district of Marja; and the area of Kariz e Saydi and Badula Qulp, just to the northeast of Marja where around 80,000 people live.
• In Marja, we have conducted a relief of place with the original Afghan National Army troops that did the operation, and replaced them with new Afghan National Army Kandaks in full partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps who are based there according to our original plan.
• We still have Afghan National Civil Order Police stationed in Marja providing protection for the population, which again is what we'd planned to have up until about D-plus-150.
• Most of the security infrastructure is constructed so that throughout Marja you would find a series of police checkpoints and small patrol bases all partnered with U.S. Marines, the ANCOP and the Afghan National Army.
• My sense is it will probably take another 90 to 120 days before all of the population feels confident and comfortable.
• Now, the reason that they're not forthcoming yet is because there's still a level of intimidation in Marja, which will take the time that I prescribed to sort. • What is also striking -- remember I said we're focusing on central Helmand, of 600,000 people -- is that we now have freedom of movement throughout central Helmand. Again, before the 12th of February, it wasn't possible for Governor Mangal, the provincial governor, to travel from Lashkar Gar to Nad e Ali or to Marja or to Nawa. He can now do that on his own, with his own security detail.
• So we're making progress. And that is what we see at the moment. We're going in the right direction.
A couple of words on Hamkari Baraye (Kandahar):
• Now in terms of the insurgency, the rural area of Zhari, between the Arghandab River and Highway 1 is at the moment contested space.
• And in much the same way as Marja was, you'll find that in Zhari, insurgents have freedom of movement and the ability to control, suppress and oppress the population.
• The same applies to the southwestern part of Panjwa’i, between the Dori River and the Arghandab River.
• We estimate that there are probably between 500 and a thousand insurgents who regularly operate in the Arghandab and in the areas of Zhari and Panjwa’i, and they will be a military challenge to resolve.
• If you go to the city today, you'll find a thriving, bustling commercial environment, with bazaars and businesses and people earning a living.
• What you won't find, though, is much investment, for there's been little investment since the 1970s. You also won't find much electricity. And indeed, if you measure the kilowatts per capita per year of the community in Kandahar, you'll find that they get half of what the average person gets in El Salvador.
• Nor will you find much sanitation or much health care or, indeed, that much education.
• So it's pretty challenging in terms of productivity and in terms of quality of life. • But for the average Afghan who lives in the city, what bothers him most is the level of criminality. And it's a problem more of criminality and disorder than it is a problem of Taliban and insurgency.
• What's also needed is that governance must be improved, because at the moment, the mayor's office is not more – much more than one man deep, and similarly the governor's office. And what's required is for the capacity of those offices to be built up so that they can begin to bring the sort of order and administration to the city that I've described.
• Now, we will do this using the resources that begin to come online with the second force package of U.S. Army reinforcements that arrive in and around Kandahar, because that provides us with the capacity to train additional policemen, to partner with them, to improve the command and control and information-sharing of the Afghan forces in the city and, importantly, to impose a ring of security around the outskirts of the city to keep any potential insurgent intimidation at bay and to keep it out in the rural areas.
• All of that will begin to come in during the course of the next month or two. And by Ramadan, probably, you'll see first improvement in terms of the security in the city.
Opening Statement – SCR Spokesman ISAF News Conference GMIC – 12 Jun
As Josef mentioned I would like to take a few minutes to expand on the non-military aspects of our joint effort in Kandahar.
This effort is more about the people of Kandahar Province than it is about the insurgents.
It started several weeks ago, with the political phase, together with a gradually increasing security presence, which will continue to point where the Government can start delivering basic services and better governance, and eventually development. Will the insurgents try to stop this? That’s up to them but there is no planned military offensive and to report only on the anticipation of major fighting is missing the bigger picture and alarming an already fearful public.
The main effort in the Province of Kandahar, as it is in Central Helmand, has always been and continues to be the longer-term governance and development strategy to enhance the public’s confidence in its Government.
Hamkari is a combined Afghan and international civil-military effort to first improve the political situation by reaching out to disaffected groups, including the general public, tribal elders and community leaders, who feel excluded from the mainstream political process and caught in a web of corruption, criminality and a culture of impunity that is Kandahar.
The Government, led by President Karzai is determined to strengthen governance and ultimately deliver civil assistance and sustainable development to the people of Kandahar and the rest of the country. NATO is supporting this transition to Afghan responsibility and at a Meeting of Defence Ministers, in Brussels yesterday, the Secretary, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said that “Transition to Afghan lead is not only desirable it is inevitable”.
There are many things affecting Kandahar. In the rural areas there are tensions between the tribes and the tribes themselves have very little connection with their Government. Throughout the province there are power brokers and drug lords who exert their influence on the people. In the city where the lack of governance is very evident there is general lawlessness and pervasive corruption. All of these things have trapped the people of Kandahar, in many ways separating them from the rest of the country. This is why the Government needs to demonstrate its sovereignty, reach out to the people and provide for them.
As you can see there is more to the Kandahar story. The insurgents, as you would expect, are lurking in background trying to make matters worse by exploiting these tensions and driving a wedge between the public and their Government with indiscriminate violence, targeted assassinations, and a whisper campaign that tries to convince the people that their Government will never come for them.
A security effort without a political commitment to rebuild the Government’s credibility in Kandahar, or anywhere else, would only anesthetize the violence and the corruption that continues to plague this Southern Province.
Here is what is being done: President Karzai has led this effort from the start with a visit to the region and a major Shura a few months ago. These Shuras are now taking place across the province, on a regular basis led by the Government, including Gov Weesa, Jelani Popal, DG of the Independent Directorate of Local Governance. The Government is listening to the people of Kandahar, to understand the political issues, to determine the civil assistance priorities and find out what the people want their Government to do.
The Government is already focusing development and reconstruction resources at the district level to establish or enhance district centres, where the community can engage the government and the government can better serve the community.
As the security situation improves, plans are in place to enhance the presence of Kandahar government's key line ministries including Agriculture, Education, Health and Justice with the resources necessary to operate at the district level. This effort will repair roads, improve people’s access to electricity, fill vacant government positions, open schools, and improve healthcare services and more.
This Afghan effort, even with the help of the IC, will take considerable time. People won’t see a change overnight. It will take many months and there will be difficult days ahead as the insurgents will continue to try and stop the Government from providing for its people because the insurgents know that a public that has the confidence to stand up and reject their intimidation is a far greater threat than all the Afghan and international forces combined.
ISAF and the rest of the IC are helping to building Afghan government capacity to meet the needs identified by the people.
Just within the ISAF effort there are more than 80 civilians (Canadian and U.S.) are working with their Afghan counterparts are operating from the Kandahar PRT (KPRT) and six District Support Teams (DSTs) in Kandahar Province. These civilians are: diplomats, stabilization officers, development specialists, corrections experts and civilian police, who are doing remarkable work that is rarely reported. Add to this the other aid agencies like US AID and Canada’s CIDA and you will see that the civilian effort is central to the strategy.
Progress in Afghanistan will not be measured by the level of the insurgency, or their ability to intimidate progress, which is their goal, it will be measured by the Afghan people and the way they view their Government and how it deals with poverty, justice and security but more importantly their ability to understand how they want to live.
Happy to take your questions.
BACKGROUND:
As COM ISAF has reiterated and as Josef mentioned;
There are joint ISAF/ANSF security aspects to this effort which are deliberate and carefully paced to garner the support of the people of Kandahar, who are at the centre of this strategy.
Various GIRoA officials, ISAF/NATO representatives, international donor agencies and others will attend a conference June 21 in Kandahar to discuss the plan for implementing the District Delivery Program (DDP) and other ministry initiatives in Kandahar Province.
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ISAF MINISTERS FOCUS ON TRANSITION TO AFGHAN LEAD
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/isaf-ministers-focus-on-transition-to-afghan-lead.html
6/10/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
North Atlantic Council with non-NATO ISAF Contributors Left to right: Admiral James Stavridis (Supreme Allied Commander Europe) speaking with General Stanley A. McChrystal (Commander ISAF) and NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. (Copyright NATO 2010) Click to download.
NATO Opens New Communication Lines to Afghanistan »
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
BRUSSELS (June 11) – The NATO Defence Ministers met with their counterparts from non-NATO nations contributing troops to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Their discussions focused on the process of transition to Afghan lead and the steps to be taken to drive it forward, particularly in terms of training the Afghan security forces.
The meeting began with a briefing by the ISAF Commander, General Stanley McChrystal, on the progress of operations. He explained that the current strategy is working but warned that progress towards real stability will be slow and deliberate in order to make sure that hard-won progress is enduring.
NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative, Ambassador Mark Sedwill, set out how the Alliance will work with the Afghan government to regain the political initiative as operational conditions improve enough to enable transition to Afghan lead.
What General McChrystal heard from 46 nations around the table was equally straightforward: ISAF will stay as long as necessary because a stable, sovereign Afghanistan means a safer world for all.
The NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, emphasized that NATO/ISAF nations are determined to assist the Afghan government in taking over responsibility for its own country. “Afghanistan belongs to the Afghans. Transition to Afghan lead is not only desirable, it is inevitable,” he said.
He also highlighted three fundamental elements with regard to transition. “First, transition does not mean withdrawal of our forces. It means shifting towards supporting Afghan forces, towards long-term training, mentoring and capacity building. Second, the military and civilian conditions have to be in place for transition to be irreversible. And third, we want those conditions to be in place as soon as possible,” he said.
TRANSITION TO AFGHAN LEAD
Addressing transition, the Afghan Defence Minister, General Abdul Rahim Wardak, said: “Transition must be conditions-based, it needs to be supported by governance and development, which are themselves underpinned by security.” He added: “We see transition as a process, not as an event isolated in time”.
Building on the discussions held earlier this year with representatives of the Afghan government, first at the London conference and then at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Tallinn, Ministers continued to discuss what needs to be achieved in the coming months to drive the transition forward in both the military and civilian spheres.
TRAINING
They focused in particular on the training of Afghan forces, welcoming the significant improvement in the capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces but also recognizing that more trainers are needed to support that steady progress.
The NATO Secretary General urged Ministers to commit the 450 trainers still needed, out of the 2 123 required by March 2011. “Training is an investment in transition,” he said, “the more training we do, the sooner transition comes. It is a very simple calculation, and very smart investment.”
Ministers finally welcomed the Afghan government’s recent decision to advance the prospects of national reconciliation and called on the government to take further steps to deliver on its commitments, especially with respect to governance and anti-corruption.
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ISAF FORCES PUSH BACK TALIBAN IN SOUTHERN NAD 'ALI
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/isaf-forces-push-back-taliban-in-southern-nad-ali.html
6/8/10 Operation Moshtarak
British soldiers and Afghan security forces have been involved in a dramatic push south into insurgent-held territory to move Taliban fighters away from the population centres of the southern Nad 'Ali district and establish new patrol bases.
Commanding Officer of Combined Force Nad 'Ali, Lieutenant Colonel Frazer Lawrence, said:
"There are three small population centres down on the southern patrol baseline. At the moment, the patrol bases are right in the population centres. If the insurgent attacks the patrol bases it means the local population could get caught up in the fighting. That is the last thing that we want to happen.
"So the purpose of this operation has been to push the patrol bases further out to increase the security footprint, and to provide a buffer zone between the patrol bases and the local population, so that should fighting occur, the locals are not caught up in it."
The operation saw three new patrol bases taken over by British and Afghan forces. These were then used as footholds to provide protection from insurgents while Army bomb disposal experts cleared roads running into the new locations of IEDs.
At the same time, ground-holding patrols repelled insurgents on the right and left of the new routes, who were attempting to disrupt the operation.
The operation began with a move by the Brigade Reconnaissance Force in Jackal vehicles to pull insurgents away from the intended new patrol base areas. This was followed by a push at dawn by infantry troops to seize the new patrol base locations and establish hasty defensive positions to repel any Taliban attacks until the new compounds had been cleared of possible improvised explosive devices.
The push further south in the Nad 'Ali district continues the efforts made by British forces during Operation Moshtarak earlier in the year to increase the military footprint in the area and improve the lives of the local nationals by increasing freedom of movement and ultimately allowing economic development to take place and undermine the insurgency.
The aim now is to hold this ground and start reconstruction and development projects in the region:
"The next step is to focus on the three communities, make sure governance has improved in these areas, improve reconstruction, and to get these population centres secure," said Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence.
This article was first published on UK Ministry of Defence's website.
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/BritishForcesPushBackTalibanInSouthernNadali.htm
UK Defence News - Afghanistan
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/InDepth/OperationsInAfghanistan.htm
Official Blog for UK Military Operations in Afghanistan
http://www.blogs.mod.uk/afghanistan/
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lundi 14 juin 2010
3884. AFGHANISTAN
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE: OPERATIONAL UPDATE
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/international-security-assistance-force-operational-update.html
6/6/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
International Security Assistance Force's Photo of the Day
ISAF news conference at the Afghan Government Media and Information Center (GMIC), 6 June 2010..
ISAF, SCR PROVIDE THIS WEEK’S OPERATIONAL UPDATE ON AFGHANISTAN
Air Force Staff Sgt. LuCelia Ball
ISAF Public Affairs Office
KABUL, Afghanistan – The International Security Assistance Forces NATO Senior Civilian Representative spokesperson and the ISAF military spokesman held a weekly press conference today to give an operational update on ISAF operations in Afghanistan.
Tony White and German Army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, provided an update on recent partnering operations with Afghan National Security Forces in combating insurgents in Afghanistan, on June 6.
“ISAF’s strategic effort here is building security by building Afghan capacity, particularly the Afghan National Security Forces,” said Blotz. That’s the foundation for security and sovereignty that will develop over time.”
After Blotz spoke, White commented on the Peace Jirga, which ended on Friday.
“Ambassador Sedwill, met with President Karzai yesterday to congratulate the President and pass his sincere appreciation to the Jirga delegates for a comprehensive and productive gathering that he believes will help bring the stability and the peace the Afghans are looking for,” he said. “NATO welcomes the strong national message of peace and unity, which the Jirga has expressed. The Alliance will continue to work with the Afghan people to play our part in this critical peace process.”
White went on to speak about the long-term goals of the partnership.
“President Karzai has the people’s support to put together a formal reintegration and peace plan that will give those insurgents who want to be part of a peaceful Afghanistan the opportunity to live and work with dignity and hope,” he said. “NATO and ISAF will continue to support this peace plan work that is so vital to this country’s future.”
An overview of ISAF operations was provided for each of the regional commands, including the Afghan-provided security at the Consultative Peace Jirga at RC Capital.
“The Jirga sent a very positive message to the opponents, encouraging them to embrace peace and return to a normal life, a life without violence and a chance to live and work as a respected Afghan under a constitution that will protect them,” said White.
In RC East, the overview covered the success of the Afghan Army Command assault to secure Barg-e-Matal and construction of solar wells in the Lal Por District.
RC North operations included partnerships with ANSF that are focused on security in the priority provinces of Kunduz, Baghlan, Balkh and Faryab and the removal of three shadow governors in the Baghlan province between May 14 and June 2.
“The loss of three senior Taliban leaders in less than a month significantly impacts the insurgent groups’ ability to conduct attacks on Afghans or coalition forces in the area,” said Col. Wayne Shanks, ISAF public affairs officer.
At RC West, the command continues to focus its main effort in the north of its area, concentrating on Bala Morgab. In response to increasing insurgent activity in the region, the command is also conducting operations in Herat and Farah provinces.
And at RC South, in Kandahar Province, efforts are underway in Zharay, Panjwa’I, and Arghandab Districts to protect the people from the insurgency. The Afghan National Police are conducting operations aimed at countering criminal activity and improving the public’s perceptions of security across the city. One of these operations targeted an insurgent commander, Haji Amir, in the Dand District on May 30. Amir was the second most dangerous insurgent leader in Kandahar and had escaped from Sarposa prison in 2008. He was tasked with creating a series of improvised explosive device obstacles in anticipation of increasing operations in the region. After tracking the group for several days, Amir and several of his fighters were killed in a precision air strike May 30.
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/international-security-assistance-force-operational-update.html
6/6/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
International Security Assistance Force's Photo of the Day
ISAF news conference at the Afghan Government Media and Information Center (GMIC), 6 June 2010..
ISAF, SCR PROVIDE THIS WEEK’S OPERATIONAL UPDATE ON AFGHANISTAN
Air Force Staff Sgt. LuCelia Ball
ISAF Public Affairs Office
KABUL, Afghanistan – The International Security Assistance Forces NATO Senior Civilian Representative spokesperson and the ISAF military spokesman held a weekly press conference today to give an operational update on ISAF operations in Afghanistan.
Tony White and German Army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, provided an update on recent partnering operations with Afghan National Security Forces in combating insurgents in Afghanistan, on June 6.
“ISAF’s strategic effort here is building security by building Afghan capacity, particularly the Afghan National Security Forces,” said Blotz. That’s the foundation for security and sovereignty that will develop over time.”
After Blotz spoke, White commented on the Peace Jirga, which ended on Friday.
“Ambassador Sedwill, met with President Karzai yesterday to congratulate the President and pass his sincere appreciation to the Jirga delegates for a comprehensive and productive gathering that he believes will help bring the stability and the peace the Afghans are looking for,” he said. “NATO welcomes the strong national message of peace and unity, which the Jirga has expressed. The Alliance will continue to work with the Afghan people to play our part in this critical peace process.”
White went on to speak about the long-term goals of the partnership.
“President Karzai has the people’s support to put together a formal reintegration and peace plan that will give those insurgents who want to be part of a peaceful Afghanistan the opportunity to live and work with dignity and hope,” he said. “NATO and ISAF will continue to support this peace plan work that is so vital to this country’s future.”
An overview of ISAF operations was provided for each of the regional commands, including the Afghan-provided security at the Consultative Peace Jirga at RC Capital.
“The Jirga sent a very positive message to the opponents, encouraging them to embrace peace and return to a normal life, a life without violence and a chance to live and work as a respected Afghan under a constitution that will protect them,” said White.
In RC East, the overview covered the success of the Afghan Army Command assault to secure Barg-e-Matal and construction of solar wells in the Lal Por District.
RC North operations included partnerships with ANSF that are focused on security in the priority provinces of Kunduz, Baghlan, Balkh and Faryab and the removal of three shadow governors in the Baghlan province between May 14 and June 2.
“The loss of three senior Taliban leaders in less than a month significantly impacts the insurgent groups’ ability to conduct attacks on Afghans or coalition forces in the area,” said Col. Wayne Shanks, ISAF public affairs officer.
At RC West, the command continues to focus its main effort in the north of its area, concentrating on Bala Morgab. In response to increasing insurgent activity in the region, the command is also conducting operations in Herat and Farah provinces.
And at RC South, in Kandahar Province, efforts are underway in Zharay, Panjwa’I, and Arghandab Districts to protect the people from the insurgency. The Afghan National Police are conducting operations aimed at countering criminal activity and improving the public’s perceptions of security across the city. One of these operations targeted an insurgent commander, Haji Amir, in the Dand District on May 30. Amir was the second most dangerous insurgent leader in Kandahar and had escaped from Sarposa prison in 2008. He was tasked with creating a series of improvised explosive device obstacles in anticipation of increasing operations in the region. After tracking the group for several days, Amir and several of his fighters were killed in a precision air strike May 30.
jeudi 10 juin 2010
3849. AFGHANISTAN
ISAF FORCES SET SIGHTS ON KANDAHAR
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/isaf-forces-set-sights-on-kandahar.html
5/26/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
By Army Sgt. 1st Class
Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 26, 2010 –
With ISAF forces preparing for a gradual push into Kandahar, Afghanistan, a top commander underscored the complexity of their charge, citing "political problems and impunities" as the main challenge to overcome.
A push into Kandahar follows months of combat and other efforts in Marja, a former Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province. While the goal in Marja was ousting extremists, the ultimate goal for Kandahar is to legitimize the local government into something its citizens can believe in, said Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, a British army officer who commands international forces in southern Afghanistan, in a video news conference with Pentagon reporters from his base there.
"It's about connecting the population to its government," the general said. "That requires building representative governance from the bottom up. We'll define success here by ... credible, transparent, inclusive and representative governance that is genuinely connected to the population."
Carter described life in Kandahar City, citing its historic and cultural significance. The city is traditionally an economic and commercial hub. Yet, though the city bustles with bazaars and businesses, there's little investment, essential services, sanitation, health care or education, he said.
"It's pretty challenging in terms of productivity and in terms of quality of life," he added.
Carter estimated that up to 1,000 insurgents are in Kandahar Province, and he said they have "a degree of control over the battle space" in the rural north and south regions of Kandahar City. "They will be a military challenge," he said, but he added the challenge in the city is more complicated than the insurgency. It's more a problem of order, organization, administration and basic policing than it is contested battle space, he said.
Challenges are present in private-sector security companies and militias, the general noted, explaining that such organizations make it difficult for the Afghan government to compete with salaries for government soldiers and police. He called for a need to regulate private security companies and militias.
Without government oversight and government-backed security forces in place, Carter said, the average Afghan has little in the way of legal rights and freedoms. Criminals and overall disorder pose more problems in the city than the Taliban and insurgency, he said.
"What's needed is that this regulation and proper administration is delivered, so that the police forces have something ... to sort out and bring to order," the general added. What's required, too, he added, is for the capacity of government offices to be built up, so they can bring order and administration to the city.
"If you provide all of those," Carter continued, "then you're not going to have an intimidation problem [from the Taliban] at all."
The surge of U.S. forces arriving in Kandahar will give NATO the muscle it needs to institute the culture of change needed there, he said. More U.S. troops enables more Afghan police training and improved command and control and information sharing, he added, and most importantly, those forces will help to alleviate criminal intimidation and impose "a ring of security" to keep insurgents at bay.
The general stressed that the planning and execution of an offensive in Kandahar are Afghan-led initiatives directed by President Hamid Karzai. The provincial governor is reaching out to his city and district mayors to engage the population and build relationships with the population, he said.
Carter said he expects the offensive to begin in the "next month or two," and that by Ramadan, which begins in August, security improvements will begin to be apparent. It will take some three months before a strong, credible government is formed in Marja, he said, leading him to believe that it could take just as long, if not longer, to sway public support and perception in Kandahar.
"The key point of this is that it's a political movement, the Taliban," he said. "It takes time for people to be convinced. We'll have to be patient over the course of the summer watching as the intimidation reduces and the population becomes more on our side."
This article was first published on the U.S. Department of Defense's website.
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=59352
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/isaf-forces-set-sights-on-kandahar.html
5/26/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
By Army Sgt. 1st Class
Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 26, 2010 –
With ISAF forces preparing for a gradual push into Kandahar, Afghanistan, a top commander underscored the complexity of their charge, citing "political problems and impunities" as the main challenge to overcome.
A push into Kandahar follows months of combat and other efforts in Marja, a former Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province. While the goal in Marja was ousting extremists, the ultimate goal for Kandahar is to legitimize the local government into something its citizens can believe in, said Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, a British army officer who commands international forces in southern Afghanistan, in a video news conference with Pentagon reporters from his base there.
"It's about connecting the population to its government," the general said. "That requires building representative governance from the bottom up. We'll define success here by ... credible, transparent, inclusive and representative governance that is genuinely connected to the population."
Carter described life in Kandahar City, citing its historic and cultural significance. The city is traditionally an economic and commercial hub. Yet, though the city bustles with bazaars and businesses, there's little investment, essential services, sanitation, health care or education, he said.
"It's pretty challenging in terms of productivity and in terms of quality of life," he added.
Carter estimated that up to 1,000 insurgents are in Kandahar Province, and he said they have "a degree of control over the battle space" in the rural north and south regions of Kandahar City. "They will be a military challenge," he said, but he added the challenge in the city is more complicated than the insurgency. It's more a problem of order, organization, administration and basic policing than it is contested battle space, he said.
Challenges are present in private-sector security companies and militias, the general noted, explaining that such organizations make it difficult for the Afghan government to compete with salaries for government soldiers and police. He called for a need to regulate private security companies and militias.
Without government oversight and government-backed security forces in place, Carter said, the average Afghan has little in the way of legal rights and freedoms. Criminals and overall disorder pose more problems in the city than the Taliban and insurgency, he said.
"What's needed is that this regulation and proper administration is delivered, so that the police forces have something ... to sort out and bring to order," the general added. What's required, too, he added, is for the capacity of government offices to be built up, so they can bring order and administration to the city.
"If you provide all of those," Carter continued, "then you're not going to have an intimidation problem [from the Taliban] at all."
The surge of U.S. forces arriving in Kandahar will give NATO the muscle it needs to institute the culture of change needed there, he said. More U.S. troops enables more Afghan police training and improved command and control and information sharing, he added, and most importantly, those forces will help to alleviate criminal intimidation and impose "a ring of security" to keep insurgents at bay.
The general stressed that the planning and execution of an offensive in Kandahar are Afghan-led initiatives directed by President Hamid Karzai. The provincial governor is reaching out to his city and district mayors to engage the population and build relationships with the population, he said.
Carter said he expects the offensive to begin in the "next month or two," and that by Ramadan, which begins in August, security improvements will begin to be apparent. It will take some three months before a strong, credible government is formed in Marja, he said, leading him to believe that it could take just as long, if not longer, to sway public support and perception in Kandahar.
"The key point of this is that it's a political movement, the Taliban," he said. "It takes time for people to be convinced. We'll have to be patient over the course of the summer watching as the intimidation reduces and the population becomes more on our side."
This article was first published on the U.S. Department of Defense's website.
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=59352
3847. AFGHANISTAN
NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: AIMING AT THE HEART OF THE TALIBAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/the-afghan-hands-blog/commanders-blog/nytimes-oped-nato-secretary-general-the-taliban-is-hitting-but-not-winning.html
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasumussen has contributed an op-ed piece to the New York Times detailing a political offensive that aims at the heart of the Taliban.
NY Times: NATO Secretary General - The Taliban Is Hitting, but Not Winning
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/opinion/25iht-edrasmussen.html
Check out the Secretary General's Corner and connect on Facebook and Twitter.
http://andersfogh.info/
*
OPINION
I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor
THE TALIBAN IS HITTING, BUT NOT WINNING
By ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is secretary general of NATO.
Published: May 24, 2010
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/opinion/25iht-edrasmussen.html
The news from Afghanistan over the past few days has been disturbing: a Taliban terrorist attack in Kabul; a failed but dramatic attack on a NATO base; and reports of Taliban intimidation in Central Helmand and Kandahar, where Afghan and NATO forces are ramping up operations.
None of this can or should be dismissed. But it is important to frame accurately what is happening in 2010. We know that there will continue to be Taliban and other insurgent terrorist attacks. It would be impossible to try and stop or prevent each and every one.
The point is that in 2010, preventing each and every attack is not the point. Yes, there is an Afghan and NATO offensive in 2010 — but ours is a political offensive, and it is aimed right at the heart of the Taliban.
The aim of this political offensive is, in essence, to change the political conditions in the key strategic areas of Afghanistan, so that the most extreme elements of the insurgency — those that will not under any circumstances give up terrorism and intimidation — are marginalized. Our aim is to ensure that they will not have the political support that they would need to pose a strategic challenge to the Afghan government — after which they will wither on the vine.
There are a number of steps being taken to address that political challenge. They are all Afghan–led, but NATO is providing support across the board.
First, President Karzai’s peace jirga, which will begin in few days, will pave the way for an internal Afghan peace process. The jirga will set out the conditions by which Afghans who no longer wish to support the Taliban can take on a peaceful, honorable life within the Afghan system.
Second, the Kabul Conference, at the end of July, will agree on the foundations for a transition to Afghan lead, politically and militarily. Our aim is to begin that transition process this year.
Third, there will be elections in September to give the Afghan Parliament a new mandate. The elections must be well run and they must be inclusive. There is already one very encouraging sign: 20 percent of those who have signed up to run in the elections are women. That is remarkable for Afghanistan, and an example for the region.
The political and military operation in Central Helmand and Kandahar reflects this political focus. There will be no D-Day in Kandahar. Our effort there is a combined Afghan and international civil-military campaign to change the political situation, to gradually enhance security, to strengthen governance and to expand the government’s authority in key areas of insurgent influence.
It is slower than a military assault. It is not visible in the same way as an attack on an air base or a suicide attack in downtown Kabul. And it will take time.
But three months after the launch of our effort in Central Helmand, there are clear indications that this political offensive can work. In an area where there had been no governance except Taliban brutality, local leaders are now meeting freely and regularly to chart their own future. Twenty two new schools are teaching over 3,000 students, of which over 400 are girls — something impossible in that area just a few weeks earlier. Because of better security, more than 20 markets are now open for business. And because people feel safer, road traffic has quadrupled in the past 10 weeks.
Of course, the security situation remains difficult. Taliban are hiding among, and attempting to intimidate, the local population. Their weapon of choice — the improvised explosive device (IED) — remains a lethal threat to local residents, government officials and our forces as well. Fortunately, the number of IED strikes in Central Helmand is declining, while the number of IED finds is rising, in part because local people are tipping soldiers off about where they are being planted.
No one has any illusions that success in Afghanistan will be easy. We — the Afghan people and the soldiers in the NATO-led mission — have already paid a heavy price, and there are many difficult days ahead.
But slowly and surely, the Afghan government will continue to get stronger and more legitimate in the eyes of its people. More and more Afghans will turn away from the Taliban. And Afghanistan will become a place where terrorism can find no home, no safe haven, no launching pad and no inspiration.
http://www.isaf.nato.int/the-afghan-hands-blog/commanders-blog/nytimes-oped-nato-secretary-general-the-taliban-is-hitting-but-not-winning.html
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasumussen has contributed an op-ed piece to the New York Times detailing a political offensive that aims at the heart of the Taliban.
NY Times: NATO Secretary General - The Taliban Is Hitting, but Not Winning
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/opinion/25iht-edrasmussen.html
Check out the Secretary General's Corner and connect on Facebook and Twitter.
http://andersfogh.info/
*
OPINION
I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor
THE TALIBAN IS HITTING, BUT NOT WINNING
By ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is secretary general of NATO.
Published: May 24, 2010
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/opinion/25iht-edrasmussen.html
The news from Afghanistan over the past few days has been disturbing: a Taliban terrorist attack in Kabul; a failed but dramatic attack on a NATO base; and reports of Taliban intimidation in Central Helmand and Kandahar, where Afghan and NATO forces are ramping up operations.
None of this can or should be dismissed. But it is important to frame accurately what is happening in 2010. We know that there will continue to be Taliban and other insurgent terrorist attacks. It would be impossible to try and stop or prevent each and every one.
The point is that in 2010, preventing each and every attack is not the point. Yes, there is an Afghan and NATO offensive in 2010 — but ours is a political offensive, and it is aimed right at the heart of the Taliban.
The aim of this political offensive is, in essence, to change the political conditions in the key strategic areas of Afghanistan, so that the most extreme elements of the insurgency — those that will not under any circumstances give up terrorism and intimidation — are marginalized. Our aim is to ensure that they will not have the political support that they would need to pose a strategic challenge to the Afghan government — after which they will wither on the vine.
There are a number of steps being taken to address that political challenge. They are all Afghan–led, but NATO is providing support across the board.
First, President Karzai’s peace jirga, which will begin in few days, will pave the way for an internal Afghan peace process. The jirga will set out the conditions by which Afghans who no longer wish to support the Taliban can take on a peaceful, honorable life within the Afghan system.
Second, the Kabul Conference, at the end of July, will agree on the foundations for a transition to Afghan lead, politically and militarily. Our aim is to begin that transition process this year.
Third, there will be elections in September to give the Afghan Parliament a new mandate. The elections must be well run and they must be inclusive. There is already one very encouraging sign: 20 percent of those who have signed up to run in the elections are women. That is remarkable for Afghanistan, and an example for the region.
The political and military operation in Central Helmand and Kandahar reflects this political focus. There will be no D-Day in Kandahar. Our effort there is a combined Afghan and international civil-military campaign to change the political situation, to gradually enhance security, to strengthen governance and to expand the government’s authority in key areas of insurgent influence.
It is slower than a military assault. It is not visible in the same way as an attack on an air base or a suicide attack in downtown Kabul. And it will take time.
But three months after the launch of our effort in Central Helmand, there are clear indications that this political offensive can work. In an area where there had been no governance except Taliban brutality, local leaders are now meeting freely and regularly to chart their own future. Twenty two new schools are teaching over 3,000 students, of which over 400 are girls — something impossible in that area just a few weeks earlier. Because of better security, more than 20 markets are now open for business. And because people feel safer, road traffic has quadrupled in the past 10 weeks.
Of course, the security situation remains difficult. Taliban are hiding among, and attempting to intimidate, the local population. Their weapon of choice — the improvised explosive device (IED) — remains a lethal threat to local residents, government officials and our forces as well. Fortunately, the number of IED strikes in Central Helmand is declining, while the number of IED finds is rising, in part because local people are tipping soldiers off about where they are being planted.
No one has any illusions that success in Afghanistan will be easy. We — the Afghan people and the soldiers in the NATO-led mission — have already paid a heavy price, and there are many difficult days ahead.
But slowly and surely, the Afghan government will continue to get stronger and more legitimate in the eyes of its people. More and more Afghans will turn away from the Taliban. And Afghanistan will become a place where terrorism can find no home, no safe haven, no launching pad and no inspiration.
3845. AFGHANISTAN
GENERAL MCCHRYSTAL ASSESSES PAST YEAR, LOOKS AHEAD
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/gen.-mcchrystal-assesses-past-year-looks-ahead.html
6/10/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates talks with U.S. Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, during a NATO defense ministerial at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 9, 2010. (U.S. DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison).
By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service
BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 10, 2010 –
A year to the day after he met here with NATO officials on his way to take command of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal today reviewed the progress achieved there over the last 12 months and provided his perspective for the year to come.
McChrystal met with reporters at NATO headquarters here, where the alliance’s defense ministers, including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, are having two days of meetings.
Though much remains to be done in Afghanistan, McChrystal said, much has taken place with a new approach to the mission over the last year.
“I’m not going to try to tell you that everything changed day-to-day,” he said, “because it does not [work] that way, but over the course of the year, it’s been pretty significant.”
The new approach for the Afghanistan mission began with an exhaustive assessment followed by refinements in strategy and some difficult resource decisions, McChrystal said. The past year also has seen an overhaul of the command’s concept of operations, and a retooling of how it develops the Afghan national security forces.
“[The Afghan forces] are the strategic main effort,” he said, “and they are key to the long-term stability of the country.”
Meanwhile, the numbers of Afghan soldiers and national police continue to increase, McChrystal said.
“A year ago, there were about 150,000 total Afghan national security forces,” he said. “Today, there are 230,000. That’s a significant growth in a 12-month period. In 18 months – that 12, plus the next six months – we will have equaled the growth of the last seven years, so you can see that pace has accelerated.”
But numbers aren’t the whole story, McChrystal said. The quality of Afghan forces is moving ahead rapidly over the past year through coalition forces working side by side with their Afghan partners.
“Today, about 85 percent of the Afghan National Army has real partnerships as they go around the battlefield,” he said. Though the Afghan forces are many years away from a level of professionalism that would be expected of long-standing forces such as the U.S. Army, the general said, they have made significant progress.
Building the Afghan National Police remains a challenge, McChrystal acknowledged, noting it needs more training and “in many cases, doesn’t have as much trust of the populace that a police force must have.”
“And we recognize those challenges, and are working to improve,” the general said.
That recognition shows through in a greater than 400 percent increase in national police officer training over the past year, McChrystal noted. A year ago, he added, few Afghan police had received any formal training.
“If you recall,” McChrystal said, “we had a ‘recruit, deploy, train’ model. Today, only about 50 percent of them have had formal training, but that’s significantly up from 12 months ago, and we are now in a ‘recruit, train, deploy’ model.
“And we are going back to pick up deployed police as well,” he added. “That will take time, but that has a significant impact.”
Operationally, the focus over the past year has been in southern Afghanistan, particularly in Helmand province, where the Taliban owned most of the Helmand River valley a year ago, McChrystal said.
“In early July,” he said, “we started putting forces down there to augment the small number that had been there, and [the Taliban] don’t own the Helmand River valley any more.”
Yet, challenges remain in Helmand Province, McChrystal acknowledged, noting that insurgent-committed violence there has continued and will continue.
“It is by no means a completely secure area,” he said. “But a year ago, when they owned it, is starkly different from what exists now.”
When he took charge in Afghanistan, McChrystal said, he was unsatisfied with the structure and unity of command of the organization that was in place.
“Today, we’ve unified that,” he said. “We’ve created some subordinate commands, … and we’ve tied our efforts closer with the civilian side, and [it’s] more integrated than in the past, and I’m happy with that progress.”
Close-air support was a leading cause of civilian casualties in Afghanistan a year ago, McChrystal said, and a sustained focus on that problem has reduced it.
“And Afghans see that,” he added, “and some of the feedback I get from Afghans is appreciation for that. We still have more to do to try to bring civilian casualties by all measures as low as we can, but we’ve made real progress in parts of that.”
Another mark of progress, McChrystal said, is that detention operations are on track to come under Afghan control. “The deputy commander of our Joint Task Force 435 is an Afghan officer,” he said, “and we’re on track to hand over all detention operations at the detention facility in Parwan to Afghans in January 2011 -- and that will constitute all of our detention operations.”
Special operations forces in Afghanistan a year ago were about a third of what they are now, McChrystal said, and in the last 90 days, 121 Taliban leaders have been captured around the country.
“Even in a population-centric [counterinsurgency] campaign, you must have all the aspects,” he said. “You must have that part to target key enemy leaders, you must also have that part which protects the population, and then, of course, the critical government and developmental parts. But this is a significant piece of what we’re doing.”
Regionally, McChrystal said, cooperation has improved significantly with Pakistan. “We’ve established new border coordination centers,” he said. “We’ve renewed the tripartite conference structure that we use, and we’ve increased and improved relationships at all levels, with their forces, primarily.”
Summarizing the past year, McChrystal said it has “put us in a position to make progress.”
As forces have built up in Helmand Province “where we’ve been the longest, we’ve seen the most progress,” the general said. Looking ahead, he added, the Afghans will have to be increasingly involved in the province for that progress to continue.
“We see progress everywhere,” the general said, “but it’s still incomplete. It’ll take time, and it’ll require us to consolidate gains. And importantly, it will require our Afghan partners to be part of that at each step of the way – both the police [and] the army, and then, of course, the governance and development aspects as they rebuild Afghan control of an area that they essentially have not controlled for a number of years.”
Operations under way around Kandahar today couldn’t be done a year ago, McChrystal said.
“We’ve begun extensive planning and shaping operations, and that’s ongoing,” he said. “Our force uplift is expanding our ability to secure and clear, and security forces continue to arrive. A year ago, there were about 7,300 total forces in Kandahar City and the environs, and those are the key districts contiguous to the city. By the end of August, we’ll have about 20,300 forces in that same area.”
McChrystal said he’ll accompany Afghan President Hamid Karzai as he conducts another in a series of “shuras,” or meetings of community leaders, in Kandahar in the next few days.
Karzai will “be focusing on all things to improve in Kandahar: security, governance, reducing corruption, [and] increasing capacity of Afghan governance and development there,” the general said. “We also will be looking at contracting reform, private security companies and what we can do with land disputes [that] underlie many of the problems.”
The past year has seen progress in developing concepts and a program for reconciliation and reintegration of Afghans who had previously sided with the Taliban or other disruptive elements, McChrystal said.
“The recent consultative peace jirga represented an event in that process to bring national consensus to it,” he said, “and I think it was an important step to explain and bring the Afghan people toward more inclusive governance and bringing dialogue on reintegration back. And I think they gathered the thoughts of the people and got the mandate that they wanted to move forward in those programs.”
In the year ahead, McChrystal said, he envisions that the transition to Afghan control of certain areas can begin.
“We view it as a process, and not an event, which enables Afghan ownership and reinforces Afghan sovereignty, and it puts Afghans in the lead and responsible for their future,” he said. “I don’t think it immediately reduces the requirement for international-community support of differing kinds, based upon the conditions in each area.
“In some areas, it will be security assistance,” the general continued. “In some areas, it will be less military, and it will be more based on help with governance and development.”
McChrystal said assessing progress involves a detailed process that focuses on three major areas: the capacity of Afghanistan’s national government, growth and development of the Afghan security forces, and the security situation, which means protecting the population while degrading the insurgency.
“All three show signs of progress,” the general said. “It is slow, but positive. It varies from region to region. And in areas where we have operated, it typically reflects how long effective counterinsurgency efforts have been applied.”
Sometimes, that progress is modest, he acknowledged. “But I think it’s important that the perception of the insurgency having momentum is reversing,” he added.
Violence is up, McChrystal said, and it will continue to rise, particularly over the summer as forces in Afghanistan roll back Taliban influence and move toward increased security.
“Afghan confidence is improving, and they are a courageous and resilient people,” he said. “But they have been at war for 31 years, or they have been impacted by violence for 31 years, and that’s significant. They want a better future, and we think that we’re setting conditions for them to shape their future.”
But success won’t come quickly, the general said.
“Progress won’t show every day,” he said, “but it will show over time, week-by-week and month-by-month. And it will be evident.”
Operations conducted earlier this year in and around the former Taliban stronghold of Marja provided some lessons that are being applied in and around Kandahar, McChrystal said, noting any decisive point in Kandahar may come later than originally envisioned.
“We re-adjust our plans about every day, as most military commanders do, because you react to developments on the ground,” he said. “We haven’t changed the focus of what we intend to produce around Kandahar, nor have we changed the basic force structure. We continue to modify it. I do think that it will happen more slowly than we had originally anticipated.
“As we conduct counterinsurgency operations around the country and the Helmand River valley,” he continued, “we are reminded that it’s a deliberate process. It takes time to convince people. … We are already in the process of doing political and military shaping, but it’s my personal assessment that it will be more deliberate than we thought earlier and communicated.”
Therefore, the general added, operations in Kandahar will take months to play out.
“But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing,” he added. “I think it’s more important we get it right than we get it fast.”
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/news/gen.-mcchrystal-assesses-past-year-looks-ahead.html
6/10/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates talks with U.S. Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, during a NATO defense ministerial at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 9, 2010. (U.S. DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison).
By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service
BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 10, 2010 –
A year to the day after he met here with NATO officials on his way to take command of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal today reviewed the progress achieved there over the last 12 months and provided his perspective for the year to come.
McChrystal met with reporters at NATO headquarters here, where the alliance’s defense ministers, including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, are having two days of meetings.
Though much remains to be done in Afghanistan, McChrystal said, much has taken place with a new approach to the mission over the last year.
“I’m not going to try to tell you that everything changed day-to-day,” he said, “because it does not [work] that way, but over the course of the year, it’s been pretty significant.”
The new approach for the Afghanistan mission began with an exhaustive assessment followed by refinements in strategy and some difficult resource decisions, McChrystal said. The past year also has seen an overhaul of the command’s concept of operations, and a retooling of how it develops the Afghan national security forces.
“[The Afghan forces] are the strategic main effort,” he said, “and they are key to the long-term stability of the country.”
Meanwhile, the numbers of Afghan soldiers and national police continue to increase, McChrystal said.
“A year ago, there were about 150,000 total Afghan national security forces,” he said. “Today, there are 230,000. That’s a significant growth in a 12-month period. In 18 months – that 12, plus the next six months – we will have equaled the growth of the last seven years, so you can see that pace has accelerated.”
But numbers aren’t the whole story, McChrystal said. The quality of Afghan forces is moving ahead rapidly over the past year through coalition forces working side by side with their Afghan partners.
“Today, about 85 percent of the Afghan National Army has real partnerships as they go around the battlefield,” he said. Though the Afghan forces are many years away from a level of professionalism that would be expected of long-standing forces such as the U.S. Army, the general said, they have made significant progress.
Building the Afghan National Police remains a challenge, McChrystal acknowledged, noting it needs more training and “in many cases, doesn’t have as much trust of the populace that a police force must have.”
“And we recognize those challenges, and are working to improve,” the general said.
That recognition shows through in a greater than 400 percent increase in national police officer training over the past year, McChrystal noted. A year ago, he added, few Afghan police had received any formal training.
“If you recall,” McChrystal said, “we had a ‘recruit, deploy, train’ model. Today, only about 50 percent of them have had formal training, but that’s significantly up from 12 months ago, and we are now in a ‘recruit, train, deploy’ model.
“And we are going back to pick up deployed police as well,” he added. “That will take time, but that has a significant impact.”
Operationally, the focus over the past year has been in southern Afghanistan, particularly in Helmand province, where the Taliban owned most of the Helmand River valley a year ago, McChrystal said.
“In early July,” he said, “we started putting forces down there to augment the small number that had been there, and [the Taliban] don’t own the Helmand River valley any more.”
Yet, challenges remain in Helmand Province, McChrystal acknowledged, noting that insurgent-committed violence there has continued and will continue.
“It is by no means a completely secure area,” he said. “But a year ago, when they owned it, is starkly different from what exists now.”
When he took charge in Afghanistan, McChrystal said, he was unsatisfied with the structure and unity of command of the organization that was in place.
“Today, we’ve unified that,” he said. “We’ve created some subordinate commands, … and we’ve tied our efforts closer with the civilian side, and [it’s] more integrated than in the past, and I’m happy with that progress.”
Close-air support was a leading cause of civilian casualties in Afghanistan a year ago, McChrystal said, and a sustained focus on that problem has reduced it.
“And Afghans see that,” he added, “and some of the feedback I get from Afghans is appreciation for that. We still have more to do to try to bring civilian casualties by all measures as low as we can, but we’ve made real progress in parts of that.”
Another mark of progress, McChrystal said, is that detention operations are on track to come under Afghan control. “The deputy commander of our Joint Task Force 435 is an Afghan officer,” he said, “and we’re on track to hand over all detention operations at the detention facility in Parwan to Afghans in January 2011 -- and that will constitute all of our detention operations.”
Special operations forces in Afghanistan a year ago were about a third of what they are now, McChrystal said, and in the last 90 days, 121 Taliban leaders have been captured around the country.
“Even in a population-centric [counterinsurgency] campaign, you must have all the aspects,” he said. “You must have that part to target key enemy leaders, you must also have that part which protects the population, and then, of course, the critical government and developmental parts. But this is a significant piece of what we’re doing.”
Regionally, McChrystal said, cooperation has improved significantly with Pakistan. “We’ve established new border coordination centers,” he said. “We’ve renewed the tripartite conference structure that we use, and we’ve increased and improved relationships at all levels, with their forces, primarily.”
Summarizing the past year, McChrystal said it has “put us in a position to make progress.”
As forces have built up in Helmand Province “where we’ve been the longest, we’ve seen the most progress,” the general said. Looking ahead, he added, the Afghans will have to be increasingly involved in the province for that progress to continue.
“We see progress everywhere,” the general said, “but it’s still incomplete. It’ll take time, and it’ll require us to consolidate gains. And importantly, it will require our Afghan partners to be part of that at each step of the way – both the police [and] the army, and then, of course, the governance and development aspects as they rebuild Afghan control of an area that they essentially have not controlled for a number of years.”
Operations under way around Kandahar today couldn’t be done a year ago, McChrystal said.
“We’ve begun extensive planning and shaping operations, and that’s ongoing,” he said. “Our force uplift is expanding our ability to secure and clear, and security forces continue to arrive. A year ago, there were about 7,300 total forces in Kandahar City and the environs, and those are the key districts contiguous to the city. By the end of August, we’ll have about 20,300 forces in that same area.”
McChrystal said he’ll accompany Afghan President Hamid Karzai as he conducts another in a series of “shuras,” or meetings of community leaders, in Kandahar in the next few days.
Karzai will “be focusing on all things to improve in Kandahar: security, governance, reducing corruption, [and] increasing capacity of Afghan governance and development there,” the general said. “We also will be looking at contracting reform, private security companies and what we can do with land disputes [that] underlie many of the problems.”
The past year has seen progress in developing concepts and a program for reconciliation and reintegration of Afghans who had previously sided with the Taliban or other disruptive elements, McChrystal said.
“The recent consultative peace jirga represented an event in that process to bring national consensus to it,” he said, “and I think it was an important step to explain and bring the Afghan people toward more inclusive governance and bringing dialogue on reintegration back. And I think they gathered the thoughts of the people and got the mandate that they wanted to move forward in those programs.”
In the year ahead, McChrystal said, he envisions that the transition to Afghan control of certain areas can begin.
“We view it as a process, and not an event, which enables Afghan ownership and reinforces Afghan sovereignty, and it puts Afghans in the lead and responsible for their future,” he said. “I don’t think it immediately reduces the requirement for international-community support of differing kinds, based upon the conditions in each area.
“In some areas, it will be security assistance,” the general continued. “In some areas, it will be less military, and it will be more based on help with governance and development.”
McChrystal said assessing progress involves a detailed process that focuses on three major areas: the capacity of Afghanistan’s national government, growth and development of the Afghan security forces, and the security situation, which means protecting the population while degrading the insurgency.
“All three show signs of progress,” the general said. “It is slow, but positive. It varies from region to region. And in areas where we have operated, it typically reflects how long effective counterinsurgency efforts have been applied.”
Sometimes, that progress is modest, he acknowledged. “But I think it’s important that the perception of the insurgency having momentum is reversing,” he added.
Violence is up, McChrystal said, and it will continue to rise, particularly over the summer as forces in Afghanistan roll back Taliban influence and move toward increased security.
“Afghan confidence is improving, and they are a courageous and resilient people,” he said. “But they have been at war for 31 years, or they have been impacted by violence for 31 years, and that’s significant. They want a better future, and we think that we’re setting conditions for them to shape their future.”
But success won’t come quickly, the general said.
“Progress won’t show every day,” he said, “but it will show over time, week-by-week and month-by-month. And it will be evident.”
Operations conducted earlier this year in and around the former Taliban stronghold of Marja provided some lessons that are being applied in and around Kandahar, McChrystal said, noting any decisive point in Kandahar may come later than originally envisioned.
“We re-adjust our plans about every day, as most military commanders do, because you react to developments on the ground,” he said. “We haven’t changed the focus of what we intend to produce around Kandahar, nor have we changed the basic force structure. We continue to modify it. I do think that it will happen more slowly than we had originally anticipated.
“As we conduct counterinsurgency operations around the country and the Helmand River valley,” he continued, “we are reminded that it’s a deliberate process. It takes time to convince people. … We are already in the process of doing political and military shaping, but it’s my personal assessment that it will be more deliberate than we thought earlier and communicated.”
Therefore, the general added, operations in Kandahar will take months to play out.
“But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing,” he added. “I think it’s more important we get it right than we get it fast.”
3842. AFGHANISTAN
INTERNATIONAL
AFGHANISTAN
L'OFFENSIVE À KANDAHAR RETARDÉE
10 juin 2010
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/International/2010/06/10/001-offensive-Kandahar-retard.shtml
L'offensive de l'OTAN contre les talibans dans la province de Kandahar ira « plus lentement » que prévu, selon ce qu'a déclaré le général américain Stanley McChrystal à des journalistes à Bruxelles, où s'ouvrait une réunion des ministres de la Défense de l'OTAN, jeudi.
De son côté, le général Ben Hodges, responsable des forces armées américaines dans le sud de l'Afghanistan, a indiqué qu'une partie de l'opération était repoussée de « deux ou trois mois » dans certains districts.
L'opération, qui devait culminer durant l'été, se répartit sur trois zones : les districts entourant Kandahar et servant de base aux insurgés, en particulier Zhari, à l'ouest, et Arghandab, au nord; la périphérie immédiate de Kandahar pour en contrôler l'accès, et l'intérieur de la ville où les troupes étrangères vont redoubler d'efforts pour former une police afghane encore peu fiable et en sous-nombre.
« Nous allons d'abord nous occuper du district d'Arghandab, et plus tard dans l'année de ceux de Zhari et de Panjwayi »,
a indiqué le général Hodges.
Il a justifié ce report par la nécessité d'attendre qu'une brigade de l'armée afghane déployée dans la zone soit complètement prête à travailler avec les forces internationales.
« Même si toutes les forces armées avaient été prêtes, ça ne servait à rien de "nettoyer" une zone si on n'a pas les moyens de la tenir ensuite » à l'aide de forces de police, d'institutions et de projets de développement, a-t-il souligné.
Selon des sources militaires américaines, le calendrier religieux, avec le ramadan commençant le 11 août, aurait également justifié un report d'une partie des opérations.
CAMERON À KABOUL
Par ailleurs, le nouveau premier ministre britannique David Cameron a effectué une visite à Kaboul jeudi où il a rencontré le président afghan Hamid Karzaï.
M. Cameron a déclaré que son pays n'enverra pas de soldats supplémentaires en Afghanistan, où sont déjà déployés 10 000 soldats britanniques.
« La question d'un renforcement des troupes n'est absolument pas au programme pour le Royaume-Uni »,
a déclaré M. Cameron.
Le premier ministre britannique a qualifié l'Afghanistan « de question la plus importante de la politique étrangère » du Royaume-Uni.
C'est « la question de sécurité nationale la plus importante pour mon pays », a ajouté M. Cameron.
M. Cameron a annoncé en revanche que Londres consacrerait 67 millions de livres (103 millions de dollars) supplémentaires pour la lutte contre les bombes artisanales - l'arme de prédilection des talibans - posées en nombre important notamment dans la province du Helmand (sud) où la majorité du contingent britannique est déployé.
294 Britanniques ont perdu la vie depuis l'intervention des forces internationales dans ce pays fin 2001.
AFGHANISTAN
L'OFFENSIVE À KANDAHAR RETARDÉE
10 juin 2010
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/International/2010/06/10/001-offensive-Kandahar-retard.shtml
L'offensive de l'OTAN contre les talibans dans la province de Kandahar ira « plus lentement » que prévu, selon ce qu'a déclaré le général américain Stanley McChrystal à des journalistes à Bruxelles, où s'ouvrait une réunion des ministres de la Défense de l'OTAN, jeudi.
De son côté, le général Ben Hodges, responsable des forces armées américaines dans le sud de l'Afghanistan, a indiqué qu'une partie de l'opération était repoussée de « deux ou trois mois » dans certains districts.
L'opération, qui devait culminer durant l'été, se répartit sur trois zones : les districts entourant Kandahar et servant de base aux insurgés, en particulier Zhari, à l'ouest, et Arghandab, au nord; la périphérie immédiate de Kandahar pour en contrôler l'accès, et l'intérieur de la ville où les troupes étrangères vont redoubler d'efforts pour former une police afghane encore peu fiable et en sous-nombre.
« Nous allons d'abord nous occuper du district d'Arghandab, et plus tard dans l'année de ceux de Zhari et de Panjwayi »,
a indiqué le général Hodges.
Il a justifié ce report par la nécessité d'attendre qu'une brigade de l'armée afghane déployée dans la zone soit complètement prête à travailler avec les forces internationales.
« Même si toutes les forces armées avaient été prêtes, ça ne servait à rien de "nettoyer" une zone si on n'a pas les moyens de la tenir ensuite » à l'aide de forces de police, d'institutions et de projets de développement, a-t-il souligné.
Selon des sources militaires américaines, le calendrier religieux, avec le ramadan commençant le 11 août, aurait également justifié un report d'une partie des opérations.
CAMERON À KABOUL
Par ailleurs, le nouveau premier ministre britannique David Cameron a effectué une visite à Kaboul jeudi où il a rencontré le président afghan Hamid Karzaï.
M. Cameron a déclaré que son pays n'enverra pas de soldats supplémentaires en Afghanistan, où sont déjà déployés 10 000 soldats britanniques.
« La question d'un renforcement des troupes n'est absolument pas au programme pour le Royaume-Uni »,
a déclaré M. Cameron.
Le premier ministre britannique a qualifié l'Afghanistan « de question la plus importante de la politique étrangère » du Royaume-Uni.
C'est « la question de sécurité nationale la plus importante pour mon pays », a ajouté M. Cameron.
M. Cameron a annoncé en revanche que Londres consacrerait 67 millions de livres (103 millions de dollars) supplémentaires pour la lutte contre les bombes artisanales - l'arme de prédilection des talibans - posées en nombre important notamment dans la province du Helmand (sud) où la majorité du contingent britannique est déployé.
294 Britanniques ont perdu la vie depuis l'intervention des forces internationales dans ce pays fin 2001.
dimanche 30 mai 2010
3706. LES MAÎTRES DU MONDE SONT VRAIMENT TRÈS ÉTRANGES POUR CEUX QUI NE SONT PAS MAÎTRES DU MONDE
LE CHEF DES TROUPES CANADIENNES CHASSÉS
30 mai 2010
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/International/2010/05/29/007-menard-afghanistan.shtml
30 commentaires
Le commandant des troupes canadiennes en Afghanistan, le brigadier-général Daniel Ménard, a été relevé de ses fonctions.
Selon le colonel Simon Hetherington, cette décision a été prise à la suite d'allégations selon lesquelles le brigadier général aurait été impliqué dans une « relation inappropriée ».Le colonel Hetherington n'a pas donné plus de détails sur les allégations, mais a indiqué qu'une enquête a été ouverte.
Il a précisé que le lieutenant-général Marc Lessard avait pris la décision de relever Daniel Ménard de ses fonctions après avoir perdu confiance en la capacité de ce dernier de commander.
Selon CBC, le brigadier-général aurait eu une relation personnelle avec une femme membre de son personnel, ce qui est strictement interdit.
C'est le brigadier-général John Vance qui assurera le commandement par intérim des troupes canadiennes. Il sera ensuite remplacé par le brigadier-général Dean Milner.
Le brigadier-général Ménard était en poste en Afghanistan depuis novembre 2009 comme commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées.
Biographie du brigadier-général Daniel Ménard sur le site Internet de la Défense nationale et des Forces canadiennes
Plus tôt cette semaine, une cour martiale l'a condamné à une amende de 3500 $ pour négligence. L'incident dont il a été reconnu coupable est survenu le 25 mars dernier à la base aérienne de Kandahar.
Le haut gradé peinait à insérer un chargeur dans son fusil d'assaut C8, lorsque deux rafales sont parties. Il s'agit de la peine la plus sévère à être imposée jusqu'à maintenant pour ce type d'incident.
Radio-Canada.ca avec Presse canadienne
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LE BRIGADIER-GÉNÉRAL MÉNARD MIS À L’AMANDE
25 mai 2010
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/International/2010/05/25/010-afghanistan-decharge-amende.shtml
17 commentaires
Une cour martiale a condamné le brigadier-général Daniel Ménard, qui commande les troupes canadiennes en Afghanistan, à une amende de 3500 $ pour négligence.
L'incident dont il a été reconnu coupable est survenu le 25 mars dernier à la base aérienne de Kandahar, alors que le chef d'état-major, le général Walt Natynczyk, était à ses côtés. Les deux hommes étaient sur le point de monter à bord d'un hélicoptère Blackhawk à l'aérodrome de Kandahar.
Le haut gradé peinait à insérer un chargeur dans son fusil d'assaut C8, lorsque deux rafales sont parties. L'arme du brigadier-général Ménard se trouvait à la hauteur de la taille et pointait vers le bas.
Les balles tirées accidentellement ont zigzagué entre deux véhicules blindés, manquant deux hélicoptères Blackhawk et 10 soldats qui se trouvaient à proximité. Personne n'a été blessé et aucun matériel n'a été endommagé.
Le brigadier-général Ménard, qui a pris le commandement de la Force opérationnelle à Kandahar au mois de novembre, a été reconnu coupable en vertu de la Loi sur la défense nationale. Il a jusqu'au 1er août pour payer l'amende.
Il s'agit de la peine la plus sévère à être imposée jusqu'à maintenant pour ce type d'incident. M. Ménard, qui juge lui-même des causes semblables en Afghanistan, a affirmé que la somme maximale à avoir été imposée était de 1200 $.
Lors du prononcé de la sentence, le juge militaire, le colonel Mario Dutil, a affirmé que la sentence lançait un message clair. Les Forces canadiennes, a-t-il dit, traitent avec beaucoup de sérieux les questions relatives à la sécurité des armes à feu.
Daniel Ménard était le deuxième officier général à comparaître devant une cour martiale.
Radio-Canada.ca avec Presse canadienne
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DÉFENSE NATIONALE ET LES FORCES CANADIENNES
www.forces.gc.ca
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-fra.asp?cat=00&id=3396
SALLE DE PRESSE
LE COMMANDANT DE LA FORCE OPÉRATIONNELLE INTERARMÉES EN AFGHANISTAN EST RELEVÉ DE SES FONCTIONS
CEFCOM NR - 10.011 - le 29 mai 2010
OTTAWA — Le commandant du Commandement de la Force expéditionnaire du Canada (COMFEC), le Lieutenant-général Marc Lessard, a annoncé aujourd’hui qu’il avait relevé le Brigadier-général Daniel Ménard de son poste à titre de commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées en Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) et qu’il avait désigné le Colonel Simon Hetherington à titre de commandant intérimaire.
Le Lgén Lessard a pris cette décision suite à des allégations liées à la conduite inappropriée du Bgén Ménard selon les directives de relations personnelles et de fraternisation des Forces canadiennes qui ont fait que le commandant du COMFEC a perdu confiance envers la capacité du Bgén Ménard de commander.
Une enquête entourant les circonstances liées aux allégations est sur le point de débuter.
Dans un proche avenir, les Forces canadiennes enverront l’ancien commandant de la JTF-Afg, le Brigadier-général Jon Vance, en Afghanistan pour assumer le commandement en attendant l’arrivée du prochain commandant de la JTF-Afg, le Brigadier-général Dean Milner.
-30-
Note aux rédacteurs en chef : Aucune autre déclaration liée à ce sujet ne sera faite pour le moment et aucune demande d’entrevue ne sera considérée.
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Défense nationale et les Forces canadiennes
www.forces.gc.ca
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-fra.asp?cat=00&id=3388
Salle de presse
DÉBUT DU PROCÈS EN COUR MARTIALE POUR UN OFFICIER SÉNIOR DES FORCES CANADIENNES
MA - 10.020 - le 21 mai 2010
OTTAWA – Une cour martiale permanente se tiendra le 25 mai 2010 au Centre Asticou à Gatineau, Québec, pour le Brigadier-général Daniel Ménard, commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées en Afghanistan, en lien avec l’incident du 25 mars 2010, où un coup de feu aurait été tiré accidentellement.
Le BGen Ménard, commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées en Afghanistan, a été accusé en vertu de l’article 129 de la Loi sur la défense nationale, pour négligence préjudiciable au bon ordre et à la discipline.
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Défense nationale et les Forces canadiennes
www.forces.gc.ca
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-fra.asp?cat=00&id=3340
Salle de presse
Le commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées en Afghanistan accusé en lien avec une décharge accidentelle
CFNIS NR – 2010-04 - le 19 avril 2010
OTTAWA – Le Service national des enquêtes des Forces canadiennes (SNEFC), l’organisme d’enquêtes de la Police militaire des Forces canadiennes, a accusé le Brigadier-général Daniel Ménard en lien avec l’incident du 25 mars dernier où son arme à feu s’est déchargé accidentellement.
Le Brig-gén. Ménard, commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées en Afghanistan, a été accusé en vertu de l’article 129 de la Loi sur la défense nationale, conduite préjudiciable au bon ordre et à la discipline.
Le SNEFC a pour mandat d’enquêter sur les infractions d’ordre militaire et les infractions criminelles graves ou de nature délicate qui sont commises contre les biens, les personnes et le MDN. Il exerce pouvoir et compétence sur les personnes assujetties au Code de discipline militaire, peu importe leur grade et leur statut, là dans le monde où les FC se sont établies ou sont déployées.
30 mai 2010
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/International/2010/05/29/007-menard-afghanistan.shtml
30 commentaires
Le commandant des troupes canadiennes en Afghanistan, le brigadier-général Daniel Ménard, a été relevé de ses fonctions.
Selon le colonel Simon Hetherington, cette décision a été prise à la suite d'allégations selon lesquelles le brigadier général aurait été impliqué dans une « relation inappropriée ».Le colonel Hetherington n'a pas donné plus de détails sur les allégations, mais a indiqué qu'une enquête a été ouverte.
Il a précisé que le lieutenant-général Marc Lessard avait pris la décision de relever Daniel Ménard de ses fonctions après avoir perdu confiance en la capacité de ce dernier de commander.
Selon CBC, le brigadier-général aurait eu une relation personnelle avec une femme membre de son personnel, ce qui est strictement interdit.
C'est le brigadier-général John Vance qui assurera le commandement par intérim des troupes canadiennes. Il sera ensuite remplacé par le brigadier-général Dean Milner.
Le brigadier-général Ménard était en poste en Afghanistan depuis novembre 2009 comme commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées.
Biographie du brigadier-général Daniel Ménard sur le site Internet de la Défense nationale et des Forces canadiennes
Plus tôt cette semaine, une cour martiale l'a condamné à une amende de 3500 $ pour négligence. L'incident dont il a été reconnu coupable est survenu le 25 mars dernier à la base aérienne de Kandahar.
Le haut gradé peinait à insérer un chargeur dans son fusil d'assaut C8, lorsque deux rafales sont parties. Il s'agit de la peine la plus sévère à être imposée jusqu'à maintenant pour ce type d'incident.
Radio-Canada.ca avec Presse canadienne
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LE BRIGADIER-GÉNÉRAL MÉNARD MIS À L’AMANDE
25 mai 2010
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/International/2010/05/25/010-afghanistan-decharge-amende.shtml
17 commentaires
Une cour martiale a condamné le brigadier-général Daniel Ménard, qui commande les troupes canadiennes en Afghanistan, à une amende de 3500 $ pour négligence.
L'incident dont il a été reconnu coupable est survenu le 25 mars dernier à la base aérienne de Kandahar, alors que le chef d'état-major, le général Walt Natynczyk, était à ses côtés. Les deux hommes étaient sur le point de monter à bord d'un hélicoptère Blackhawk à l'aérodrome de Kandahar.
Le haut gradé peinait à insérer un chargeur dans son fusil d'assaut C8, lorsque deux rafales sont parties. L'arme du brigadier-général Ménard se trouvait à la hauteur de la taille et pointait vers le bas.
Les balles tirées accidentellement ont zigzagué entre deux véhicules blindés, manquant deux hélicoptères Blackhawk et 10 soldats qui se trouvaient à proximité. Personne n'a été blessé et aucun matériel n'a été endommagé.
Le brigadier-général Ménard, qui a pris le commandement de la Force opérationnelle à Kandahar au mois de novembre, a été reconnu coupable en vertu de la Loi sur la défense nationale. Il a jusqu'au 1er août pour payer l'amende.
Il s'agit de la peine la plus sévère à être imposée jusqu'à maintenant pour ce type d'incident. M. Ménard, qui juge lui-même des causes semblables en Afghanistan, a affirmé que la somme maximale à avoir été imposée était de 1200 $.
Lors du prononcé de la sentence, le juge militaire, le colonel Mario Dutil, a affirmé que la sentence lançait un message clair. Les Forces canadiennes, a-t-il dit, traitent avec beaucoup de sérieux les questions relatives à la sécurité des armes à feu.
Daniel Ménard était le deuxième officier général à comparaître devant une cour martiale.
Radio-Canada.ca avec Presse canadienne
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DÉFENSE NATIONALE ET LES FORCES CANADIENNES
www.forces.gc.ca
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-fra.asp?cat=00&id=3396
SALLE DE PRESSE
LE COMMANDANT DE LA FORCE OPÉRATIONNELLE INTERARMÉES EN AFGHANISTAN EST RELEVÉ DE SES FONCTIONS
CEFCOM NR - 10.011 - le 29 mai 2010
OTTAWA — Le commandant du Commandement de la Force expéditionnaire du Canada (COMFEC), le Lieutenant-général Marc Lessard, a annoncé aujourd’hui qu’il avait relevé le Brigadier-général Daniel Ménard de son poste à titre de commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées en Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) et qu’il avait désigné le Colonel Simon Hetherington à titre de commandant intérimaire.
Le Lgén Lessard a pris cette décision suite à des allégations liées à la conduite inappropriée du Bgén Ménard selon les directives de relations personnelles et de fraternisation des Forces canadiennes qui ont fait que le commandant du COMFEC a perdu confiance envers la capacité du Bgén Ménard de commander.
Une enquête entourant les circonstances liées aux allégations est sur le point de débuter.
Dans un proche avenir, les Forces canadiennes enverront l’ancien commandant de la JTF-Afg, le Brigadier-général Jon Vance, en Afghanistan pour assumer le commandement en attendant l’arrivée du prochain commandant de la JTF-Afg, le Brigadier-général Dean Milner.
-30-
Note aux rédacteurs en chef : Aucune autre déclaration liée à ce sujet ne sera faite pour le moment et aucune demande d’entrevue ne sera considérée.
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Défense nationale et les Forces canadiennes
www.forces.gc.ca
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-fra.asp?cat=00&id=3388
Salle de presse
DÉBUT DU PROCÈS EN COUR MARTIALE POUR UN OFFICIER SÉNIOR DES FORCES CANADIENNES
MA - 10.020 - le 21 mai 2010
OTTAWA – Une cour martiale permanente se tiendra le 25 mai 2010 au Centre Asticou à Gatineau, Québec, pour le Brigadier-général Daniel Ménard, commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées en Afghanistan, en lien avec l’incident du 25 mars 2010, où un coup de feu aurait été tiré accidentellement.
Le BGen Ménard, commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées en Afghanistan, a été accusé en vertu de l’article 129 de la Loi sur la défense nationale, pour négligence préjudiciable au bon ordre et à la discipline.
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Défense nationale et les Forces canadiennes
www.forces.gc.ca
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-fra.asp?cat=00&id=3340
Salle de presse
Le commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées en Afghanistan accusé en lien avec une décharge accidentelle
CFNIS NR – 2010-04 - le 19 avril 2010
OTTAWA – Le Service national des enquêtes des Forces canadiennes (SNEFC), l’organisme d’enquêtes de la Police militaire des Forces canadiennes, a accusé le Brigadier-général Daniel Ménard en lien avec l’incident du 25 mars dernier où son arme à feu s’est déchargé accidentellement.
Le Brig-gén. Ménard, commandant de la Force opérationnelle interarmées en Afghanistan, a été accusé en vertu de l’article 129 de la Loi sur la défense nationale, conduite préjudiciable au bon ordre et à la discipline.
Le SNEFC a pour mandat d’enquêter sur les infractions d’ordre militaire et les infractions criminelles graves ou de nature délicate qui sont commises contre les biens, les personnes et le MDN. Il exerce pouvoir et compétence sur les personnes assujetties au Code de discipline militaire, peu importe leur grade et leur statut, là dans le monde où les FC se sont établies ou sont déployées.
mardi 25 mai 2010
3739
OTAN – NATO
ISAF. INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualty-92.html
ISAF CASUALTY
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-091
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 24) - An ISAF servicemember died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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MAY 24: AFGHAN-ISAF FORCES DISCOVER WEAPONS CACHES IN LOGAR, HELMAND
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-24-afghan-isaf-forces-discover-weapons-caches-in-logar-helmand.html
5/23/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-090
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 24) - An Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban commander and several insurgents in Kandahar last night.
The combined force went to a compound in the village of Kukaran, in the Kandahar district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity and captured the insurgents.
The captured commander is responsible for leading Taliban fighters in southern Arghandab, coordinating attacks on coalition forces and distributing rockets, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), small arms and ammunition to fighters throughout the area.
Another joint security force found materials used to build deadly IEDs in Kunduz last night.
The combined force searched a compound in Suian, in the Chahar Darah district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity. During the search the force found explosive materials, a landmine, detonation cord and electrical wiring used in IEDs.
In Logar last night, an Afghan-international security force found a weapons cache and detained several suspected insurgents.
The combined force searched a compound in Qaryeh-ye Dasht, in the Charkh district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity, and found a cache of several rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), multiple automatic rifles, ammunition, grenades and notes on how to conduct suicide bombings. Several suspected militants were detained for further questioning.
In Zabul last night, an Afghan-international security force searched a compound north of Kalay, in the Shah Joy district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity and detained a suspected militant for further questioning.
While conducting a search of a mosque in the Musa Qal'ah district of Helmand Province yesterday, a joint patrol discovered a weapons cache. After being granted permission to enter the mosque and escorted by the Afghan National Army, they found the cache consisting of multiple AK-47s, 90 kilograms (200 pounds) of home-made explosives, pressure plates and a pro-Taliban painting. The cache was removed from the mosque and destroyed.
Also in the Musa Qal'ah district yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol found a weapons cache consisting of 250 kg (550 lbs) of opium and two AK-47s with loaded magazines. Two individuals were detained for further questioning.
A joint patrol found a large weapons cache in a cave and tunnel complex in the Saji Valley of Farah Province yesterday.
The cache contained two complete 82mm mortar systems with extra tube and 34 mortar rounds. The cache also contained a 14.5mm anti-aircraft gun with 200 rounds and three spare barrels, two 82mm recoilless rifle rounds, seven RPGs, 175 mortar fuses, 14.5mm and 12.7mm ammunition, and small-arms ammunition. The cache was confiscated.
In the Kajaki district of Helmand Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol found a weapons cache consisting of two grenades, two mines, six smoke bombs and various explosive components. The cache will be destroyed.
In the Washer district of Helmand Province yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol discovered a weapons cache containing more than 1,200 machine gun rounds, three 82mm mortars and four 120mm mortars. The cache was destroyed.
No shots were fired and no Afghan civilians were harmed during any of these operation.
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MAY 23: AFGHAN-ISAF FORCES DISCOVER WEAPONS CACHES IN SOUTHERN, NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-23-afghan-isaf-forces-discover-weapon-caches-in-southern-northern-afghanistan.html
5/22/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-089 For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 23) - Several individuals suspected of insurgent activity were detained by an Afghan-international security force in Helmand Province last night.
The combined force detained the suspects while searching a series of buildings in Khan Kheyl, Lashkar Gah district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity.
Another Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban commander in Kandahar Province last night.
The combined force moved to a small compound northwest of Kandahar City, near the village of Bibi Hawa Kalacheh, after intelligence information confirmed insurgent activity. When confronted, the Taliban leader immediately surrendered and admitted he was the targeted insurgent.
The Taliban commander operated primarily in the southern Arghandab and Dand districts and was responsible for ambushing coalition forces with small arms, rockets and IEDs. He also supported larger operations with men and weapons.
A separate Afghan-international security force detained a suspected insurgent in Zabul last night. The combined force detained the suspect during a search of a compound in Halal Chineh, Sha Joy district, after intelligence information discovered insurgent activity.
An ISAF patrol discovered a weapons cache in the Pul-e Khumri district, Baghlan Province, yesterday. Recent heavy rains uncovered the previously buried munitions which local children discovered and reported to an ISAF patrol. The cache consisted of 20 82mm grenades, 15 mines and seven artillery rounds. The cache will be destroyed.
An ISAF patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of four 82mm rockets, a machine gun and a rocket propelled grenade, in the Panjwa'i district, Kandahar Province, yesterday. The cache was destroyed.
No shots were fired and no Afghan citizens were harmed during any of these operations.
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MAY 22: AFGHAN-ISAF FORCES DESTROY IED FACTORY IN KANDAHAR
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-22-afghan-isaf-forces-destroy-ied-factory-in-kandahar.html
/22/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-085
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 22) - An Afghan-international security force destroyed an explosives factory with a precision air strike in Kandahar last night.
A combined security force went to a compound in a farming area northwest of Molla Hasan Nikeh, in the Zharay district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity. As the joint force approached they discovered the surrounding area was heavily mined to protect the compound building. In the building the security force found a high explosives factory used by insurgents to produce material for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and mines.
After ensuring the building was empty, it was decided the most efficient way to destroy the factory and prevent the insurgency from using the explosives against coalition forces or the Afghan people was by a precision air strike. The security force called in the strike, which destroyed the building.
No Afghan citizens were harmed during the operation.
In the Bala Baluk district of Farah Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol found eight detonation devices that link several charges to one initiator, four pressure-plate initiation devices, 20 meters of detonation cord, five remote control initiation devices and 40 battery packs. The cache was confiscated to prevent its use in IEDs.
In the Murghab district of Badghis Province yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol found two pressure-plate IEDs. The devices were destroyed in place.
In the Garm Ser district of Helmand Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol found two bags of ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate is a common ingredient used in IEDs which kill many Afghan civilians each year. The material was confiscated and will be destroyed.
In the Now Zad district of Helmand Thursday, an Afghan-international patrol found two IEDs with 10 pounds of homemade explosive each. The devices were designed to detonate when stepped on. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the devices.
Insurgent IEDs kill and injure numerous Afghan citizens each year. Afghan and ISAF forces are committed to providing a safe environment for the citizens of Afghanistan, and seek to find and destroy these devices.
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INSURGENT ATTACK ON KANDAHAR AIRFIELD
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/insurgent-attack-on-kandahar-airfield.html
5/22/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-RC/S/IA/039
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (May 22) - Kandahar Airfield came under indirect fire at approximately 8 p.m. local time tonight. Five rockets were fired at the base.
The base operations centre sounded a ground attack alarm shortly after 8 p.m. A number of insurgents were attempting to enter the base on the north side. They were repelled by security forces.
The alarm has been sounding for several hours, but no insurgents have penetrated the base perimeter.
A number of ISAF personnel and civilian workers have been injured and are receiving medical treatment. There are no confirmed fatalities.
Military personnel and civilian workers on the base are being instructed to remain in safe locations as a precaution.
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ISAF CASUALTIES
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualties-34.html
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-088
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 22) - Two ISAF servicemembers and a civilian working with ISAF died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan today.
In a separate incident also in southern Afghanistan, another ISAF servicemember died following an improvised explosive device attack.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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MAY 21: AFGHAN-ISAF OPERATIONS IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-21-afghan-isaf-operations-in-southern-afghanistan.html
5/20/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-082
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 21) - An Afghan-international security force detained two militants as they pursued a Taliban commander in Kandahar last night. The combined force went to a series of compounds south of Gholam od Din Khan, in the Zharay district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity.
As the security team approached one of the compounds two men ran away. After a lengthy chase they were caught and told the patrol they were Pakistani fighters. They also admitted they had rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles hidden at another location. In Helmand last night, a combined force searched a small compound in Payan Kala, northeast of Marjah, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity and detained several suspects for further questioning.
While patrolling in the Now Zad district of Helmand Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol found 39 large stamped, packaged bags of suspected heroin. The heroin is suspected to have a street value worth $3 million. The drugs were confiscated.
In the Nad 'Ali district of Helmand yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of an AK-47, small-arms ammunition, five magazines and a bundle of electrical wire.
No Afghan civilians were harmed in these operations.
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ISAF HELICOPTER STRUCK BY INSURGENT FIRE
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-helicopter-struck-by-insurgent-fire.html
5/20/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-084
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 21) - An ISAF helicopter was struck by an insurgent-fired rocket-propelled grenade today as it prepared to land at a checkpoint in Nad 'Ali.
No one was seriously injured in the attack.
The helicopter is in a secure site and the damage is being assessed.
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ISAF CASUALTY
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualty-88.html
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-083
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 21) - An ISAF servicemember died following an IED strike in southern Afghanistan today.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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AFGHAN ARMY AND ISAF PLANNING RECOVERY OPERATIONS
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/afghan-army-and-isaf-planning-recovery-operations.html
5/20/10 Ministry of Defense, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan/International Security Assistance Force
Afghan MOD/ISAF
Joint News Release
2010-05-AO-081
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 20) - Aircrews from the Afghan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC) and ISAF have located the wreckage of the civilian Antonov aircraft listed as missing Monday. The ANAAC crews, flying C-27 fixed wing aircraft and Mi-17 helicopters flew numerous missions since the plane disappeared in an effort to find it. ISAF support included Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets, fixed-wing manned and unmanned aircraft and several helicopters.
The crash site was initially observed late Wednesday and confirmed today.
The site is located at approximately 13,500 feet (4,100m) in Shakar Darah district, Kabul Province. The Afghan authorities, supported by their ISAF partners, are planning a way ahead regarding recovery operations based on the elevation and rugged terrain.
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MAY 20: AFGHAN-ISAF OPERATIONS IN WESTERN, SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-20.html
5/19/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-080
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 20) - An Afghan-international security force captured a senior Taliban commander and another insurgent in Baghlan last night. The combined force searched a compound in a rural area of the Baghlan-e Jadid district after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity, and captured the commander and other militant. The Taliban commander is responsible for weapons smuggling, distribution, passing intelligence reports and direct attacks on coalition forces. When he was confronted by the combined force he immediately surrendered and identified himself. Several weapons were found in the compound.
In Kandahar last night, a joint security patrol searched a compound in Bibi Hava Kalacheh, in the Kandahar district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity. During the search the patrol captured a Taliban commander responsible for procuring and emplacing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ambushes of coalition force convoys.
An Afghan National Army patrol found a weapons cache in a field in the Nad 'Ali district of Helmand Province yesterday. The cache consisted of 14 grenades, four rocket-propelled grenade boosters, 40 pull pins, 30 rounds 12.7mm ammunition, and an estimated 1,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition. An ISAF explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team destroyed the cache.
Also in the Nad 'Ali district yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol found a cache containing 150 kilograms (330 pounds) of ammonium nitrate and an AK-47 rifle with ammunition. The ammonium nitrate was destroyed and the weapon was confiscated by Afghan authorities. Ammonium nitrate is a common ingredient used in IEDs, which are responsible for many civilian injuries and deaths each year in Afghanistan.
In the Musa Qal'ah district of Helmand yesterday, a joint patrol searched a compound after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity. The patrol discovered 75 kg (165 lbs) of ammonium nitrate, a shotgun, a 22 caliber rifle with scope, along with a significant amount of heroin, hashish and opium. The owner of the cache was detained by Afghan authorities. The cache will be destroyed.
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U.S. LAUNCHES CRIMINAL PROBE INTO UNLAWFUL DEATHS OF AFGHAN CIVILIANS
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/u.s.-launches-criminal-probe-into-unlawful-deaths-of-afghan-civilians.html
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES FORCES AFGHANISTAN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2010
Release Number 20100520-018
United States Forces-Afghanistan has launched a criminal investigation into allegations that a small number of U.S. Soldiers were responsible for the unlawful deaths of as many as three Afghan civilians.
There are also allegations of illegal drug use, assault and conspiracy.
No charges have been preferred at this time; however, one soldier has been placed in pre-trial confinement.
The Army’s Criminal Investigation Command initiated their investigation after receiving credible information from the Soldiers’ unit earlier this month.
USFOR-A is committed to the security and safety of the Afghan population and will ensure any crimes are investigated fully and those responsible will be held accountable.
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ISAF CASUALTY
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualty-84.html
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-077
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 19) - An ISAF servicemember died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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MAY 19: ISAF FORCES DISCOVER WEAPONS CACHE IN HELMAND PROVINCE
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-19-isaf-forces-discover-weapons-cache-in-helmand-province.html
5/18/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-076
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 19) - Several suspected militants were detained by an Afghan-international security force in Kandahar Province last night.
The combined force searched a compound in Kuh-e Kabutor Khan, in the Zharay district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity, and detained the suspects for further questioning.
No shots were fired and no Afghan civilians were harmed during the operation.
ISAF forces engaged a large group of insurgents who had attacked Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the Murghab district of Badghis Province yesterday. During the fighting, which lasted several hours, Afghan and international forces fired several mortar rounds and dropped two precision-guided munitions on insurgent positions.
Multiple insurgents were killed and wounded. There were no ISAF or ANSF casualties in the engagement.
No Afghan civilians were harmed in the operation.
In the Kajaki district of Helmand Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of four grenades, 375 kilograms (826 pounds) of small-arms munitions, two 40mm rounds and five mini flares. The cache was destroyed.
In the Musa Qalah district of Helmand yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol found several daisy-chained improvised explosive devices (IEDs) with various amounts of homemade explosives. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the devices.
An ANSF patrol found a cache containing 16 pieces of unexploded ordnance in the Nahr-e Shahi district of Balkh Province yesterday. The cache will be destroyed.
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UPDATE: EXPLOSION IN KABUL
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/update-explosion-in-kabul.html
5/17/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-072-UPDATE
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 18) - Six international servicemembers were killed and several wounded when a suicide vehicle-born improvised explosive device exploded near an ISAF convoy and civilian vehicles travelling on Darulaman Road in Kabul this morning.
Numerous Afghan civilians were also killed and injured in the indiscriminate attack.
The injured have been evacuated to medical treatment facilities.
"ISAF strongly condemns the attack on civilians and ISAF Forces. This sort of desperate brutality and aggression reminds us of the pessimism of an enemy who seek to kill the innocent and to stop the progress necessary for a better Afghanistan. This will not deter us from our mission of securing a better future for this country," said Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, ISAF Spokesperson.
The explosion additionally damaged five ISAF vehicles and more than a dozen civilian vehicles.
ISAF is assisting the Afghan National Security Forces in securing the area and investigating the incident.
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MAY. 18: ISAF FORCES DISCOVER WEAPONS CACHE IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may.-18-isaf-forces-discover-weapons-cache-in-southern-afghanistan.html
5/17/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-073
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 18) - In the Tarin Kot district of Uruzgan Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of three rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade fuel cell, two recoilless rifle rounds, a machine gun and a pair of binoculars. The items were confiscated for exploitation.
An Afghan-international security patrol discovered 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of wet opium while conducting a search of a compound in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand Province yesterday. The drugs were confiscated and will be destroyed.
In the Baraki Barak district of Logar Province yesterday, a joint patrol found an improvised explosive device (IED) consisting of four recoilless rifle rounds and a mortar. They also found an IED nearby with recoilless rifle rounds and homemade explosives. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the IEDs.
An Afghan-international patrol in the Now Zad district of Helmand yesterday, found a cache containing 68 kg (150 lbs) of a substance believed to be ammonium nitrate. The material was destroyed.
In the Kunduz district of Kunduz Province yesterday, Afghan children led an ISAF patrol to an 82mm high explosive mortar round. The round was destroyed.
No Afghan civilians were harmed in these operations.
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ISAF CASUALTY
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualty.html
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-074
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 18) - An ISAF servicemember died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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ISAF CASUALTY
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualty-54.html
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-075
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 18) - An ISAF servicemember died following a small-arms attack in southern Afghanistan today.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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PILOTS' ACTIONS SAVE A LIFE
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/pilots-actions-save-a-life.html
5/17/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-067
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 17) - During a recent engagement, ISAF aircrews providing armed overwatch for coalition forces operating in Kunduz Province, April 10, observed insurgents carrying weapons in the vicinity of friendly forces. After positive identification was achieved, the pilots in U.S. Air Force F-16Cs were approved to engage the insurgents with a bombing run.
While preparing to strike the insurgents, one of the pilots observed an Afghan citizen walking in the target area accompanied by a goat. The pilot declared "abort," and the aircraft were called off the target to prevent a possible civilian casualty. The pilots waited until the citizen was safely out of the target area and then engaged the insurgents with strafing runs to eliminate the threat to friendly forces.
Protecting the Afghan population remains the top priority of all ISAF activities in Afghanistan.
To see the video, which includes the audio transmissions between the pilots and joint tactical air controller on the ground, go to (lien sur le site):
Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System
ISAF's YouTube Channel
ISAF. INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualty-92.html
ISAF CASUALTY
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-091
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 24) - An ISAF servicemember died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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MAY 24: AFGHAN-ISAF FORCES DISCOVER WEAPONS CACHES IN LOGAR, HELMAND
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-24-afghan-isaf-forces-discover-weapons-caches-in-logar-helmand.html
5/23/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-090
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 24) - An Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban commander and several insurgents in Kandahar last night.
The combined force went to a compound in the village of Kukaran, in the Kandahar district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity and captured the insurgents.
The captured commander is responsible for leading Taliban fighters in southern Arghandab, coordinating attacks on coalition forces and distributing rockets, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), small arms and ammunition to fighters throughout the area.
Another joint security force found materials used to build deadly IEDs in Kunduz last night.
The combined force searched a compound in Suian, in the Chahar Darah district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity. During the search the force found explosive materials, a landmine, detonation cord and electrical wiring used in IEDs.
In Logar last night, an Afghan-international security force found a weapons cache and detained several suspected insurgents.
The combined force searched a compound in Qaryeh-ye Dasht, in the Charkh district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity, and found a cache of several rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), multiple automatic rifles, ammunition, grenades and notes on how to conduct suicide bombings. Several suspected militants were detained for further questioning.
In Zabul last night, an Afghan-international security force searched a compound north of Kalay, in the Shah Joy district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity and detained a suspected militant for further questioning.
While conducting a search of a mosque in the Musa Qal'ah district of Helmand Province yesterday, a joint patrol discovered a weapons cache. After being granted permission to enter the mosque and escorted by the Afghan National Army, they found the cache consisting of multiple AK-47s, 90 kilograms (200 pounds) of home-made explosives, pressure plates and a pro-Taliban painting. The cache was removed from the mosque and destroyed.
Also in the Musa Qal'ah district yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol found a weapons cache consisting of 250 kg (550 lbs) of opium and two AK-47s with loaded magazines. Two individuals were detained for further questioning.
A joint patrol found a large weapons cache in a cave and tunnel complex in the Saji Valley of Farah Province yesterday.
The cache contained two complete 82mm mortar systems with extra tube and 34 mortar rounds. The cache also contained a 14.5mm anti-aircraft gun with 200 rounds and three spare barrels, two 82mm recoilless rifle rounds, seven RPGs, 175 mortar fuses, 14.5mm and 12.7mm ammunition, and small-arms ammunition. The cache was confiscated.
In the Kajaki district of Helmand Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol found a weapons cache consisting of two grenades, two mines, six smoke bombs and various explosive components. The cache will be destroyed.
In the Washer district of Helmand Province yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol discovered a weapons cache containing more than 1,200 machine gun rounds, three 82mm mortars and four 120mm mortars. The cache was destroyed.
No shots were fired and no Afghan civilians were harmed during any of these operation.
*
MAY 23: AFGHAN-ISAF FORCES DISCOVER WEAPONS CACHES IN SOUTHERN, NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-23-afghan-isaf-forces-discover-weapon-caches-in-southern-northern-afghanistan.html
5/22/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-089 For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 23) - Several individuals suspected of insurgent activity were detained by an Afghan-international security force in Helmand Province last night.
The combined force detained the suspects while searching a series of buildings in Khan Kheyl, Lashkar Gah district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity.
Another Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban commander in Kandahar Province last night.
The combined force moved to a small compound northwest of Kandahar City, near the village of Bibi Hawa Kalacheh, after intelligence information confirmed insurgent activity. When confronted, the Taliban leader immediately surrendered and admitted he was the targeted insurgent.
The Taliban commander operated primarily in the southern Arghandab and Dand districts and was responsible for ambushing coalition forces with small arms, rockets and IEDs. He also supported larger operations with men and weapons.
A separate Afghan-international security force detained a suspected insurgent in Zabul last night. The combined force detained the suspect during a search of a compound in Halal Chineh, Sha Joy district, after intelligence information discovered insurgent activity.
An ISAF patrol discovered a weapons cache in the Pul-e Khumri district, Baghlan Province, yesterday. Recent heavy rains uncovered the previously buried munitions which local children discovered and reported to an ISAF patrol. The cache consisted of 20 82mm grenades, 15 mines and seven artillery rounds. The cache will be destroyed.
An ISAF patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of four 82mm rockets, a machine gun and a rocket propelled grenade, in the Panjwa'i district, Kandahar Province, yesterday. The cache was destroyed.
No shots were fired and no Afghan citizens were harmed during any of these operations.
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MAY 22: AFGHAN-ISAF FORCES DESTROY IED FACTORY IN KANDAHAR
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-22-afghan-isaf-forces-destroy-ied-factory-in-kandahar.html
/22/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-085
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 22) - An Afghan-international security force destroyed an explosives factory with a precision air strike in Kandahar last night.
A combined security force went to a compound in a farming area northwest of Molla Hasan Nikeh, in the Zharay district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity. As the joint force approached they discovered the surrounding area was heavily mined to protect the compound building. In the building the security force found a high explosives factory used by insurgents to produce material for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and mines.
After ensuring the building was empty, it was decided the most efficient way to destroy the factory and prevent the insurgency from using the explosives against coalition forces or the Afghan people was by a precision air strike. The security force called in the strike, which destroyed the building.
No Afghan citizens were harmed during the operation.
In the Bala Baluk district of Farah Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol found eight detonation devices that link several charges to one initiator, four pressure-plate initiation devices, 20 meters of detonation cord, five remote control initiation devices and 40 battery packs. The cache was confiscated to prevent its use in IEDs.
In the Murghab district of Badghis Province yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol found two pressure-plate IEDs. The devices were destroyed in place.
In the Garm Ser district of Helmand Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol found two bags of ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate is a common ingredient used in IEDs which kill many Afghan civilians each year. The material was confiscated and will be destroyed.
In the Now Zad district of Helmand Thursday, an Afghan-international patrol found two IEDs with 10 pounds of homemade explosive each. The devices were designed to detonate when stepped on. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the devices.
Insurgent IEDs kill and injure numerous Afghan citizens each year. Afghan and ISAF forces are committed to providing a safe environment for the citizens of Afghanistan, and seek to find and destroy these devices.
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INSURGENT ATTACK ON KANDAHAR AIRFIELD
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/insurgent-attack-on-kandahar-airfield.html
5/22/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-RC/S/IA/039
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (May 22) - Kandahar Airfield came under indirect fire at approximately 8 p.m. local time tonight. Five rockets were fired at the base.
The base operations centre sounded a ground attack alarm shortly after 8 p.m. A number of insurgents were attempting to enter the base on the north side. They were repelled by security forces.
The alarm has been sounding for several hours, but no insurgents have penetrated the base perimeter.
A number of ISAF personnel and civilian workers have been injured and are receiving medical treatment. There are no confirmed fatalities.
Military personnel and civilian workers on the base are being instructed to remain in safe locations as a precaution.
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ISAF CASUALTIES
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualties-34.html
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-088
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 22) - Two ISAF servicemembers and a civilian working with ISAF died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan today.
In a separate incident also in southern Afghanistan, another ISAF servicemember died following an improvised explosive device attack.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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MAY 21: AFGHAN-ISAF OPERATIONS IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-21-afghan-isaf-operations-in-southern-afghanistan.html
5/20/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-082
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 21) - An Afghan-international security force detained two militants as they pursued a Taliban commander in Kandahar last night. The combined force went to a series of compounds south of Gholam od Din Khan, in the Zharay district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity.
As the security team approached one of the compounds two men ran away. After a lengthy chase they were caught and told the patrol they were Pakistani fighters. They also admitted they had rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles hidden at another location. In Helmand last night, a combined force searched a small compound in Payan Kala, northeast of Marjah, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity and detained several suspects for further questioning.
While patrolling in the Now Zad district of Helmand Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol found 39 large stamped, packaged bags of suspected heroin. The heroin is suspected to have a street value worth $3 million. The drugs were confiscated.
In the Nad 'Ali district of Helmand yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of an AK-47, small-arms ammunition, five magazines and a bundle of electrical wire.
No Afghan civilians were harmed in these operations.
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ISAF HELICOPTER STRUCK BY INSURGENT FIRE
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-helicopter-struck-by-insurgent-fire.html
5/20/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-084
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 21) - An ISAF helicopter was struck by an insurgent-fired rocket-propelled grenade today as it prepared to land at a checkpoint in Nad 'Ali.
No one was seriously injured in the attack.
The helicopter is in a secure site and the damage is being assessed.
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ISAF CASUALTY
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualty-88.html
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-083
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 21) - An ISAF servicemember died following an IED strike in southern Afghanistan today.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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AFGHAN ARMY AND ISAF PLANNING RECOVERY OPERATIONS
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/afghan-army-and-isaf-planning-recovery-operations.html
5/20/10 Ministry of Defense, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan/International Security Assistance Force
Afghan MOD/ISAF
Joint News Release
2010-05-AO-081
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 20) - Aircrews from the Afghan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC) and ISAF have located the wreckage of the civilian Antonov aircraft listed as missing Monday. The ANAAC crews, flying C-27 fixed wing aircraft and Mi-17 helicopters flew numerous missions since the plane disappeared in an effort to find it. ISAF support included Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets, fixed-wing manned and unmanned aircraft and several helicopters.
The crash site was initially observed late Wednesday and confirmed today.
The site is located at approximately 13,500 feet (4,100m) in Shakar Darah district, Kabul Province. The Afghan authorities, supported by their ISAF partners, are planning a way ahead regarding recovery operations based on the elevation and rugged terrain.
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MAY 20: AFGHAN-ISAF OPERATIONS IN WESTERN, SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-20.html
5/19/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-080
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 20) - An Afghan-international security force captured a senior Taliban commander and another insurgent in Baghlan last night. The combined force searched a compound in a rural area of the Baghlan-e Jadid district after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity, and captured the commander and other militant. The Taliban commander is responsible for weapons smuggling, distribution, passing intelligence reports and direct attacks on coalition forces. When he was confronted by the combined force he immediately surrendered and identified himself. Several weapons were found in the compound.
In Kandahar last night, a joint security patrol searched a compound in Bibi Hava Kalacheh, in the Kandahar district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity. During the search the patrol captured a Taliban commander responsible for procuring and emplacing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ambushes of coalition force convoys.
An Afghan National Army patrol found a weapons cache in a field in the Nad 'Ali district of Helmand Province yesterday. The cache consisted of 14 grenades, four rocket-propelled grenade boosters, 40 pull pins, 30 rounds 12.7mm ammunition, and an estimated 1,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition. An ISAF explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team destroyed the cache.
Also in the Nad 'Ali district yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol found a cache containing 150 kilograms (330 pounds) of ammonium nitrate and an AK-47 rifle with ammunition. The ammonium nitrate was destroyed and the weapon was confiscated by Afghan authorities. Ammonium nitrate is a common ingredient used in IEDs, which are responsible for many civilian injuries and deaths each year in Afghanistan.
In the Musa Qal'ah district of Helmand yesterday, a joint patrol searched a compound after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity. The patrol discovered 75 kg (165 lbs) of ammonium nitrate, a shotgun, a 22 caliber rifle with scope, along with a significant amount of heroin, hashish and opium. The owner of the cache was detained by Afghan authorities. The cache will be destroyed.
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U.S. LAUNCHES CRIMINAL PROBE INTO UNLAWFUL DEATHS OF AFGHAN CIVILIANS
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/u.s.-launches-criminal-probe-into-unlawful-deaths-of-afghan-civilians.html
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES FORCES AFGHANISTAN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2010
Release Number 20100520-018
United States Forces-Afghanistan has launched a criminal investigation into allegations that a small number of U.S. Soldiers were responsible for the unlawful deaths of as many as three Afghan civilians.
There are also allegations of illegal drug use, assault and conspiracy.
No charges have been preferred at this time; however, one soldier has been placed in pre-trial confinement.
The Army’s Criminal Investigation Command initiated their investigation after receiving credible information from the Soldiers’ unit earlier this month.
USFOR-A is committed to the security and safety of the Afghan population and will ensure any crimes are investigated fully and those responsible will be held accountable.
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ISAF CASUALTY
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualty-84.html
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-077
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 19) - An ISAF servicemember died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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MAY 19: ISAF FORCES DISCOVER WEAPONS CACHE IN HELMAND PROVINCE
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may-19-isaf-forces-discover-weapons-cache-in-helmand-province.html
5/18/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-076
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 19) - Several suspected militants were detained by an Afghan-international security force in Kandahar Province last night.
The combined force searched a compound in Kuh-e Kabutor Khan, in the Zharay district, after intelligence information indicated insurgent activity, and detained the suspects for further questioning.
No shots were fired and no Afghan civilians were harmed during the operation.
ISAF forces engaged a large group of insurgents who had attacked Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the Murghab district of Badghis Province yesterday. During the fighting, which lasted several hours, Afghan and international forces fired several mortar rounds and dropped two precision-guided munitions on insurgent positions.
Multiple insurgents were killed and wounded. There were no ISAF or ANSF casualties in the engagement.
No Afghan civilians were harmed in the operation.
In the Kajaki district of Helmand Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of four grenades, 375 kilograms (826 pounds) of small-arms munitions, two 40mm rounds and five mini flares. The cache was destroyed.
In the Musa Qalah district of Helmand yesterday, an Afghan-international patrol found several daisy-chained improvised explosive devices (IEDs) with various amounts of homemade explosives. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the devices.
An ANSF patrol found a cache containing 16 pieces of unexploded ordnance in the Nahr-e Shahi district of Balkh Province yesterday. The cache will be destroyed.
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UPDATE: EXPLOSION IN KABUL
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/update-explosion-in-kabul.html
5/17/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-072-UPDATE
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 18) - Six international servicemembers were killed and several wounded when a suicide vehicle-born improvised explosive device exploded near an ISAF convoy and civilian vehicles travelling on Darulaman Road in Kabul this morning.
Numerous Afghan civilians were also killed and injured in the indiscriminate attack.
The injured have been evacuated to medical treatment facilities.
"ISAF strongly condemns the attack on civilians and ISAF Forces. This sort of desperate brutality and aggression reminds us of the pessimism of an enemy who seek to kill the innocent and to stop the progress necessary for a better Afghanistan. This will not deter us from our mission of securing a better future for this country," said Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, ISAF Spokesperson.
The explosion additionally damaged five ISAF vehicles and more than a dozen civilian vehicles.
ISAF is assisting the Afghan National Security Forces in securing the area and investigating the incident.
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MAY. 18: ISAF FORCES DISCOVER WEAPONS CACHE IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/may.-18-isaf-forces-discover-weapons-cache-in-southern-afghanistan.html
5/17/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-073
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 18) - In the Tarin Kot district of Uruzgan Province yesterday, an ISAF patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of three rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade fuel cell, two recoilless rifle rounds, a machine gun and a pair of binoculars. The items were confiscated for exploitation.
An Afghan-international security patrol discovered 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of wet opium while conducting a search of a compound in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand Province yesterday. The drugs were confiscated and will be destroyed.
In the Baraki Barak district of Logar Province yesterday, a joint patrol found an improvised explosive device (IED) consisting of four recoilless rifle rounds and a mortar. They also found an IED nearby with recoilless rifle rounds and homemade explosives. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the IEDs.
An Afghan-international patrol in the Now Zad district of Helmand yesterday, found a cache containing 68 kg (150 lbs) of a substance believed to be ammonium nitrate. The material was destroyed.
In the Kunduz district of Kunduz Province yesterday, Afghan children led an ISAF patrol to an 82mm high explosive mortar round. The round was destroyed.
No Afghan civilians were harmed in these operations.
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ISAF CASUALTY
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualty.html
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-074
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 18) - An ISAF servicemember died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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ISAF CASUALTY
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/isaf-casualty-54.html
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-075
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 18) - An ISAF servicemember died following a small-arms attack in southern Afghanistan today.
It is ISAF policy to defer identification procedures for casualties to the relevant national authorities.
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PILOTS' ACTIONS SAVE A LIFE
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-releases/pilots-actions-save-a-life.html
5/17/10 ISAF Public Affairs Office
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-05-CA-067
For Immediate Release
KABUL, Afghanistan (May 17) - During a recent engagement, ISAF aircrews providing armed overwatch for coalition forces operating in Kunduz Province, April 10, observed insurgents carrying weapons in the vicinity of friendly forces. After positive identification was achieved, the pilots in U.S. Air Force F-16Cs were approved to engage the insurgents with a bombing run.
While preparing to strike the insurgents, one of the pilots observed an Afghan citizen walking in the target area accompanied by a goat. The pilot declared "abort," and the aircraft were called off the target to prevent a possible civilian casualty. The pilots waited until the citizen was safely out of the target area and then engaged the insurgents with strafing runs to eliminate the threat to friendly forces.
Protecting the Afghan population remains the top priority of all ISAF activities in Afghanistan.
To see the video, which includes the audio transmissions between the pilots and joint tactical air controller on the ground, go to (lien sur le site):
Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System
ISAF's YouTube Channel
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Anti-Tank Mine in Afghanistan "Frustrated, step here"
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