Afghanistan Conflict Monitor

Heaviest Fighting Kills 130 Insurgents in North

2009-11-09T10:51:34-08:00

'Fighting in North Afghanistan Kills 130 Insurgents', The Associated Press, 9 November 2009

EXCERPT: "Afghan and international troops killed more than 130 insurgents in six days of fighting in a once-stable area of northern Afghanistan that has seen a recent spike in Taliban attacks, NATO said Monday. It was some of the heaviest fighting in the north this year. The operation, which took place last week, was in the Chahar Dara district of Kunduz province against Taliban fighters who had been threatening NATO supply lines from Russia. An estimated 700 Afghan troops and 50 international soldiers, mostly Americans, took part in the operation. A NATO statement said 130 Taliban fighters, including eight commanders, were killed. The statement did not say how NATO arrived at the death figure. 'It is the largest operation I've ever seen in Kunduz,' Mohammad Omar, governor of Kunduz province, was quoted as saying in a NATO press release. 'You've got the Taliban running all over the place.' After the fighting ended, Afghan and international troops distributed humanitarian supplies in villages affected by the operation."

Read the full article.

Related articles:
'Afghans react to possible US troop surge', VOA News, 9 November 2009
'Military measures not enough to ensure peace: Afghan president', China View, 9 November 2009
'Afghan, coalition forces strike the Taliban in Kunduz', Long War Journal, 9 November 2009
'US Gen. Casey: More troops needed for Afghanistan', Reuters, 8 November 2009

Related posts:
'Germans thrust into "war" in perilous Afghan north', 20 October 2009
'Taliban growth in north threatens to expand war', 31 August 2009
'Bundeswehr faces uphill battle against Taliban', 29 July 2009
'Troops moved to south, clashes in north', 22 July 2009
'Conflict analysis: Kunduz City, Kunduz Province', 12 March 2009

Afghanistan's Security Environment

2009-11-09T10:12:45-08:00

'Afghanistan's Security Environment', United States Government Accountability Office, 5 November 2009

EXCERPT: "Afghanistan’s security situation has deteriorated significantly since 2005, affecting all aspects of U.S. and allied reconstruction operations. As we reported in April 2009, the rise in enemy-initiated attacks on civilians and on U.S., Afghan, and coalition security forces has resulted from various factors, including a resurgence of the Taliban, the limited capabilities of Afghan security forces, a thriving illicit drug trade, and threats emanating from insurgent safe havens in Pakistan. Since 2005, attacks on civilians, as well as on Afghan and coalition forces, have increased every year. The most recent data available, as of August 2009, showed the highest rate of enemy initiated attacks since Afghanistan’s security situation began to deteriorate. Overall, nearly 13,000 attacks were recorded between January and August 2009—more than two and a half times the number experienced during the same period last year and more than five times the approximately 2,400 attacks reported in all of 2005."

Read the full report [pdf].

Related posts:
'Taliban kill nine in UN staff assault', 28 October 2009
'Insecurity continues to plague Afghanistan: UN', 29 September 2009
'Taliban widen Afghan attacks from base in Pakistan', 24 September 2009
'Deadliest bomb in over a year, at least 40 killed', 26 August 2009
'1013 civilian deaths in the first six months of 2009', 31 July 2009

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: A Partnership For Stabilising Afghanistan?

2009-11-09T09:37:50-08:00

Matthew Hall, 'The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: A Partnership For Stabilising Afghanistan?', Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies // Australian Defence College, 5 November 2009

EXCERPT: "In efforts to bring stability and security to Afghanistan, the international community of states may have overlooked a critical ally: the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. This paper argues that the Organisation should be considered a partner in the international stabilisation efforts in Afghanistan, and proposes that Australia is well-placed to be the facilitator for such a venture. On 27 March 2009 the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) met in Moscow to hold a Special Conference on Afghanistan. This conference injected China, Russia and four Central Asian republics into the international dialogue over Afghanistan, establishing the SCO as an increasingly important stakeholder in the security and stability of Afghanistan. Yet, at a time when Canberra was considering its future military commitment to Afghanistan, few Australians noticed this important event."

Read the full report [pdf].

Related posts:
'Australian DM rules out Afghan troop increase', 5 November 2009
'Australia to review Afghan force', 21 October 2009
'Australia's role in building Afghan National Army', 22 September 2009
'Handover in "three to four" years: Australia', 21 July 2009
'Afghanistan war spending to double: Australia', 12 May 2009

Afghanistan Trains Thousands Of New Midwives

2009-11-09T05:46:00-08:00

'Amid War Afghanistan Trains Thousands Of New Midwives', The Christian Science Monitor, 8 November 2009

EXCERPT: "Afghanistan's capacity to address the health of its women has taken a remarkable turn for the better in the past seven years. In 2002, 60 percent of Afghans had no access to basic health services, according to a study led by Linda Bartlett, then of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Furthermore, two-thirds of the country's districts had neither maternal nor child health services, with only 10 percent of Afghanistan's hospitals equipped for caesarean deliveries. Nearly 80 percent of the maternal deaths examined in Dr. Bartlett's study were judged preventable. But today, maternal health is among the nation's most tangible signs of progress thanks to projects such as this one sponsored by Terre des Hommes (TDH); investment by the international community in a network of clinics; and the growth of midwifery training programs. Afghanistan now finds itself in the rare position of serving as a role model for other poor countries seeking to quickly improve their ability to save women's lives. Pashtoon Azfar, head of the Afghan Midwives Association, says the number of trained midwives has grown nearly six-fold since rebuilding effort in Afghanistan began."

Read the full article.

Related articles:
'Maternal mortality in Afghanistan', PRI, 2 November 2009
'UN conference highlights failures to reduce maternal deaths', Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, 28 October 2009

Related posts:
'Afghan women struggle to be heard', 10 February 2009
'Afghanistan needs to double midwives: UN', 26 January 2009
'Living female in Afghanistan', 17 July 2008
'Women in Afghanistan: Deprived of basic necessities', 6 July 2008
'Women and human security: The case of post-conflict Afghanistan', 26 October 2007

Germany: Civilians Likely Killed In Afghan Strike

2009-11-06T13:52:18-08:00

'Germany: Civilians Likely Killed In Afghan Strike', The Associated Press, 6 November 2009

EXCERPT: "Germany's defense minister said Friday he believes civilians were killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan, but insisted that the German-requested attack was necessary from a military standpoint. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said a NATO report concludes there were 'procedural errors' in the Sept. 4 airstrike, but he defended the decision by a German commander to request it as 'appropriate in military terms.' The commander, Col. Georg Klein, called in the NATO airstrike against two tanker trucks that had been seized by Taliban insurgents near Kunduz, fearing they could be used to attack troops. Although the information remains contradictory, 'I personally assume that there were civilian victims,' Guttenberg told reporters after assessing the NATO report. He stressed that 'I regret ... every civilian victim deeply.' The report prepared by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force remains classified, but Guttenberg was allowed to present it to members of Germany's parliament responsible for military affairs."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Afghan air strike "appropriate," German defense minister says', Bloomberg, 6 November 2009
'Federal prosecutors to probe deadly NATO air strike in Afghanistan', The Local, 6 November 2009
'Legal issues snarl German inquiry into airstrike colonel', M&C, 6 November 2009
'German minister admits Afghan raid error', Ninemsn, 6 November 2009

Related posts:
'German troops OK in calling for airstrike: General', 29 October 2009
'30 civilians killed in NATO strike: Commission', 14 September 2009
'NATO confirms civilians died in airstrike', 9 September 2009
'Afghan civilian casualties must be cut: US, NATO', 12 June 2009
'UN: Afghan civilian deaths jumped 40 percent', 17 February 2009

Is Iran Supporting The Insurgency In Afghanistan?

2009-11-06T13:37:44-08:00

Chris Zambelis, 'Is Iran Supporting The Insurgency In Afghanistan?', The Jamestown Foundation, 6 November 2009

EXCERPT: "Violence and instability in Afghanistan continue to rage in the form of an organic insurgency shaped by local identities, networks, and interests. Operating under the nebulous rubric of the Taliban, the insurgents in Afghanistan have evolved in sophistication, lethality, and geographic scope in recent years. While the presence of transnational radical Islamists led by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan augments the tactical and operational capabilities of the insurgents, myriad factors help fuel the violence that confronts the American-led Coalition. The reach of regional state actors, for instance, impacts the insurgency in Afghanistan. The machinations of Afghanistan’s neighbors, in essence, define its geopolitics. Pakistan's impact on Afghan politics, society and the insurgency receives the most attention. Another influential actor in Afghanistan that is drawing more attention of late, however, but whose role in Afghan affairs is far less understood, is Iran. Iran's interests and reach into Afghan society are well known. Official U.S. and regional sources, however, often paint a confusing picture of the nature of Iran’s activities in Afghanistan."

To continue reading the article, click here.

Related posts:
'US: Pakistan, Iran helping Taliban', 22 September 2009
'Iranian weapons cache found in Afghanistan', 11 September 2009
'Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to meet monthly', 28 April 2009
'Iran and the future of Afghanistan', 6 February 2009

Drugs, Defections Plaguing Afghan Forces: NATO Commander

2009-11-06T13:29:39-08:00

'Drugs, Defections Plaguing Afghan Forces: NATO Commander', Times of India, 6 November 2009

EXCERPT: "The Afghan army and police forces, which should one day ensure the security of their country on their own, are plagued by defections and drug addiction, according to NATO commanders. NATO defence ministers, meeting last month in Bratislava, approved a plan to focus the strategy in Afghanistan on protecting civilians from Taliban attacks while accelerating the training of Afghan security forces. But the picture painted by NATO commanders shows that, while international troops suffer increasing casualties, training too is an uphill battle in this country wracked by more than 30 years of war."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Reviews raise doubt on training of Afghan forces', The New York Times, 6 November 2009
'Canada and allies must do better job of training Afghan police, top cop says', The Canadian Press, 6 November 2009
'US forces chafe under challenges of working with Afghan forces', Stars and Stripes, 6 November 2009

Brown Warns Afghan Leader On Corruption

2009-11-06T13:13:30-08:00

'Brown Warns Afghan Leader On Corruption', The New York Times, 6 November 2009

EXCERPT: "In unusually harsh terms reflecting international frustration with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Friday that the government in Kabul would forfeit its right to international support against the Taliban insurgency if it failed to root out corruption. 'Sadly, the government of Afghanistan had become a byword for corruption,' Mr. Brown said in a speech to defense experts. 'And I am not prepared to put the lives of British men and women in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption.' His words were regarded by some analysts as the toughest by a Western leader since Mr. Karzai was declared the winner earlier this week of Afghanistan's flawed elections amid accusations of malpractice at the ballot box and corruption in his government. The timing of Mr. Brown’s warning was particularly significant, with the Obama administration under domestic and international pressure to decide whether to commit up to 40,000 more American troops to Afghanistan at a time when international appetite for the conflict seems to be receding."

To continue reading the article, click here.

See also:
'Ex-defence chiefs round on Brown', BBC News, 6 November 2009
'Factbox: Britain's five tests for Afghanistan's Karzai', Reuters, 6 November 2009
'Britain probes possible Taliban infiltration of Afghan police force', China View, 5 November 2009
'Taliban claim responsibility for killing five British troops in Afghanistan', The Guardian, 4 November 2009

Related posts:
'US gives Karzai six-month ultimatum to stem corruption', 3 November 2009
'Support for Afghan mission drops in UK, Canada', 16 October 2009
'Combating corruption in Afghanistan', 1 October 2009
'Corruption undermines Afghan policing', 9 April 2009
'Pervasive corruption fuels deep anger', 25 November 2008