AFGHAN FORCES TAKE CONTROL

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Afghan Forces Take Security Lead for Entire Nation
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2013 - Afghans now are in the lead for security throughout their country, and this inflection point points the way toward a stable nation, the commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan said today.


Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. told Pentagon reporters via a phone hook-up from the Afghan capital of Kabul that the nature of the relationship between Afghanistan and NATO has changed.

Today's achievement of "Milestone 2013" is a long-anticipated development, the general said. U.S., NATO and partner nations have carried the security burden in Afghanistan since 2001. Behind that shield, the Afghan government recruited, equipped and trained soldiers and police to take the security responsibility. Afghan forces took the security job in more and more of the country until today, when they assumed the lead for combat operations throughout the country.

"This is a source of great pride for the Afghan people and the Afghan security forces, and, frankly, it's also a great source of pride for members of the coalition," Dunford said.

American, NATO and partner nations made this day possible, and wounded warriors from the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy were present as Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen made the announcement this morning.

The change means U.S., NATO and coalition troops are no longer conducting unilateral operations. There are exceptions, however. NATO-commanded forces do conduct security operations, route clearance operations and operations conducted for retrograde movements, Dunford said. "The only operations that are being planned and conducted against the enemy are being conducted with the Afghans in the lead," he said.

"As we mark Milestone 2013, I'm confident in the overall direction of the campaign," Dunford said. "I believe the Afghans are, in fact, ready to take the lead right now. I believe they'll be able to run and secure the elections in 2014. And I believe we'll be ready to effect full transition in December of 2014."

Sustaining Afghan progress is the focus now, he said. Command and control, air support, intelligence and equipment and instruction for countering improvised explosive devices are crucial capabilities for the Afghan national security forces.

"We're working hard to mature the systems, the processes and institutions that are going to allow the Afghans to become fully self-reliant in the days ahead," Dunford said.

The key to the future is integrating the capabilities of the Afghan army and police across the spectrum, the general said.

The way ahead is charted. Through the end of 2014, coalition forces will continue to work to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. Coalition forces will continue to provide support, including limited medical evacuation for forces and will continue to train and mentor leaders and units.

The Afghan military must medevac their wounded using their own assets. The Afghan air force has Mi-17 helicopters and ground evacuation capabilities. The service is getting smaller cargo-style aircraft that could also help transport wounded troops.

The Afghan military has paid a price for the security lead. In some weeks, officials said, Afghan forces lose between 100 and 120 troops, and NATO and Afghan forces are examining the situation. IEDs cause the greatest number of casualties, and Afghan forces are working to use counter-IED equipment and to learn the tactics, techniques and procedures to minimize casualties.

ISAF COMMANDER SAID TALIBAN DEFEAT IMMINENT IN SANGIN DISTRICT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Commander: Taliban Defeat Imminent in Helmand's Sangin District
By Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2013 - Afghan forces will defeat Taliban fighters in the restive Sangin district of Afghanistan's Helmand province by tomorrow in a battle that has gone on for four days, the commander of NATO-led forces in southwestern Afghanistan said today.

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Walter L. Miller Jr., commander of the International Security Assistance Force's Regional Command Southwest, told reporters at the Pentagon via satellite that coalition forces have been called upon to provide only aerial support and resupply and logistics help for the Afghan forces fighting the battle.

"They're closing that fight rapidly. They've done quite well," Miller said, adding that the Afghan commander in Sangin has "taken the fight to the enemy and [is] clearing up the center of Sangin right now."

Miller said casualties among Afghan forces are lower than those coalition forces suffered in the region a year ago.

Miller emphasized the Afghan-led battle in Sangin illustrates how far the country's army and police have come in their ability to fight on their own, especially in an area that had been a hotbed of Taliban activity.

"They're taking it on themselves for the most part," he said, but he acknowledged that Afghan forces will continue to need additional, outside support.

"We do believe that the enablers required for the future will be in the areas of [medical evacuation] capability, as well as continuing to work with their logistics personnel to learn how to move things out more rapidly," the general said.

More than 20,000 Marines were sent into Helmand in 2010 to flush Taliban fighters out of the province, killing or driving out many in daily battles that were some of the deadliest of the 12-year Afghan war. While coalition forces have since drawn down, replaced by Afghan forces, some Taliban have drifted back.

"If we think the Taliban will be completely destroyed, that's not feasible," Miller said. "The key is to get the Afghan national security forces to the level where they can maintain security for the populace of Afghanistan."

Some of the enemy fighters in Sangin are foreign, Miller said, but he declined to say what countries or regions they are coming from.

Miller, commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, commands ISAF forces from 11 nations in Helmand and Nimroz provinces. The command's primary focus is training and advising nearly 30,000 Afghan security forces as they prepare to take the lead for security in the region ahead of the end of the NATO mission in Afghanistan in 2014.

PENTAGON SPOKESMAN SAYS AFGHAN FORCES WANT TO WIN

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Afghan Forces 'In This to Win It,' Pentagon Spokesman Says
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 5, 2013 - The transition strategy in Afghanistan remains on track and effective despite recent Taliban attacks such as the April 3 assault on the governor's compound in western Afghanistan's Farah province, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said here today.

Responding to a question during a meeting with reporters, Little said U.S. and coalition military leaders "remain very confident in the growing capabilities of the Afghan national security forces."

Enemy attacks are a part of war, he said. "We know that we have to continue to pursue our campaign as a war effort," he added.

Afghan forces have taken on the fight and, regrettably, have suffered casualties, Little said, but they are "in this to win it."

"We believe progress in the war effort continues," he added. "The fact remains that the Taliban have not been able to seize back territory that they once had -- and that's just one indicator of the progress we've made in Afghanistan."

AFGHAN FORCES HAVE RESPONSE TO ATTACKS ON KABUL AND PROVINCES

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Afghan Forces Respond to Coordinated Attacks

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force and ISAF Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2012 - Afghan forces responded to a series of attacks in the Afghan capital of Kabul and in a few outlying provinces yesterday, military officials reported.

The Taliban called the attacks, which were concentrated in three clusters around the city, the start of their "spring offensive.

Consisting primarily of rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire, the attacks were largely ineffective, International Security Assistance Force officials said. Afghan crisis response units, along with Afghan police and army forces, deployed to repel the attacks.

The Afghan forces took light casualties while killing or capturing many of the suicide attackers in a matter of hours, officials said.

Afghanistan's national security directorate announced that two would-be suicide bombers were captured alive before they were able to reach their intended targets.

ISAF quick-reaction forces were prepared to respond, if required, but were not needed, officials said.

In operations today around Afghanistan:

-- An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Haqqani network facilitator in the Khost district of Afghanistan's Khost province. The facilitator coordinated the delivery of weapons, vehicles and equipment to insurgents in the region. The security force also detained two other insurgents and seized two assault rifles.

-- A combined force captured a Taliban facilitator, detained two additional insurgents and seized a 9 mm pistol, an assault rifle and a roadside-bomb pressure plate in the Jagori district of Ghazni province. The facilitator coordinated the movement of weapons, mortars and explosives.

In operations yesterday:

-- A combined force killed two insurgents, detained several otherss and seized an assault rifle during a search for a senior Taliban leader in the Pashtun Kot district of Faryab province. The leader is the head Taliban commissioner in the province, responsible for several kidnappings, suicide attacks, roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force killed an insurgent leader along with several other insurgents and seized rocket-propelled grenade rounds, blasting caps and a mortar tube with mortar rounds during a search for a Taliban leader in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province. The insurgent leader killed in the operation had directed attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and provided insurgents with weapons, ammunition and equipment.

-- An Afghan-led force captured a Taliban leader and detained several suspects in the Baghlan-e Jadid district of Baghlan province. The leader directed roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force detained several suspects while searching for a Taliban leader in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province. The leader oversees Taliban operations in the province's Marjah district, including roadside-bomb and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also attempts to impose Taliban law on Afghan civilians.

-- A combined airstrike killed several insurgents and destroyed a machine gun in the Nerkh district of Wardak province.

-- A combined force detained several suspects and seized an artillery round and a mortar round during a search for a Taliban leader in Ghazni's Khugyani district. The leader supervises roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also targets local Afghan officials and attempts to impose Taliban law on Afghan civilians.

-- An Afghan-led force detained several suspects and seized a military uniform, a grenade and 100 rounds of small-arms ammunition during a search for a Haqqani leader in Khost's Sabari district. The leader coordinates roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also supplies weapons and ammunition to insurgents.

In April 14 operations:

-- A combined force killed an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan terrorist group leader who directed attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, along with another insurgent, in the Rustaq district of Takhar province. The security force also seized weapons and grenades.

-- A combined force captured a Taliban leader and two suspects in Helmand's Nahr-e Saraj. The leader directed roadside-bomb and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the Nahr-e Saraj and Sangin districts. He is also suspected in the assassination plot of an Afghan security forces commander.

-- A combined airstrike killed a Taliban leader and four other insurgents in the Muhammad Aghah district of Logar province. The leader planned and conducted roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained several other insurgents and seized two assault rifles.

-- A combined force captured a Haqqani facilitator and detained two other insurgents in Khost's Bak district. The facilitator coordinated suicide attacks and roadside bombings against Afghan and coalition forces in the area. He also is suspected of transporting suicide bombers for attacks across the country.

-- In the Sayyidabad district of Wardak province, a combined force captured a Taliban leader, detained another insurgent and seized an assault rifle and a grenade. The leader supervised the construction and placement of roadside bombs used to attack Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitated the movement of Taliban fighters from Pakistan into Afghanistan.

-- A combined force detained two suspects while searching for a Taliban leader in the Zurmat district of Paktia province. The leader coordinates roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces. He also attempts to impose Taliban law on Afghan civilians in the area.

In April 13 operations:

-- A combined force found and destroyed about 2,400 pounds of hashish in the Zharay district of Kandahar province.

-- A combined patrol found and destroyed 2,500 5.56 mm rounds, 50 .50-caliber rounds, three mortar tubes and two mortar base plates in the Shinkai district of Zabul province.

-- A coalition force found and destroyed seven makeshift bombs in the Zharay district of Kandahar province.

In other news, ISAF Commander Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen praised Afghan national security forces for a recent operation in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan province.

Afghan commando-led operations resulted in more than 32 enemy fighters killed, along with numerous equipment and fighting positions destroyed. The operation was conducted to deny insurgent safe havens and prevent insurgents from massing against Afghan forces in the area, officials said.

"This was yet another example of the successful transition we have been seeing throughout the past year, as the [Afghan forces] are planning, leading and executing very productive combat operations against the insurgency," Allen said. "We expect to see more of these types of successful [Afghan-led] operations as we progress further into the spring and summer."

The commando operations led to follow-on missions by Afghan soldiers and police, officials said.

TALIBAN LEADER CAPTURED

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS RELEASE

Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, April 11, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban leader in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.

The leader coordinated roadside-bomb attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the Zharay and Panjwai districts, officials said. He also provided insurgents with weapons and ammunition.

The security force also detained an additional insurgent.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined force detained multiple suspects during a search for a Taliban leader in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province. The leader provides insurgents with weapons, ammunition and equipment, and he coordinates attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also attempts to tax Afghans in the area to provide financial support for his network.

-- A combined force detained several suspects and seized an 82 mm mortar while searching for a Taliban facilitator in the Sherzad district of Nangarhar province. The facilitator provides weapons and equipment to insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

THE TRANSITION TO AFGHAN SECURITY RESPONSIBILITY IN FIVE PHASES

The following excerpt is from a Department of Defense American Forces Press Service e-mail: 

Afghan Security Forces Improving Quickly, Allen Says

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2012 - Afghan forces are improving faster than coalition leaders or they themselves anticipated, the commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said here today.

"They really are better than we thought that they would be at this point; more critically, they are better than they thought that they would be at this point," Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen told reporters during a Pentagon news conference.

The transition to Afghan security responsibility -- now in the second of a planned five phases -- is the linchpin to mission success in Afghanistan, Allen said. Though his top priority on taking command in July was to keep pressure on the enemy, he added, the push to develop Afghan army and police capabilities was a "very close second."

The general, who testified last week before the House and Senate armed services committees, noted Afghan troops' abilities will form part of the equation he uses to recommend future U.S. troop levels after the remaining 23,000 American "surge" forces leave Afghanistan by the end of September.

Allen said he won't know what level of combat power is still required until the end of this year's spring and summer fighting season. Key indicators then, he explained, will be the state of the insurgency, the operational environment commanders anticipate in 2013, and the capabilities of the Afghan national security forces.

"It is not just a matter of what to do with the remaining 68,000 U.S. troops," the general noted. "I must also carefully consider the combination of forces in-theater. There will still be some 40,000 ISAF forces in the field, and increasingly capable and increasingly numerous Afghan security forces."

His recommendation will reflect a composite number of U.S., international and indigenous forces, not an American force as "a separate and distinct entity," he added.

Two Afghan security force members died and more than 60 were wounded while combating violent protests that occurred after last month's Quran burnings, he said.

"I could just as easily point to the literally thousands of operations, some large, some small, that they conduct alongside ISAF troops, and often in the lead, every month as we go forward," the general told reporters.

During the last two weeks, Afghan security forces arrested more than 50 insurgents and killed around six, including several who were planning to assassinate the governor of Balkh province, Allen said. They also captured several caches of explosives, weapons and bomb-making materials, he noted, while Afghan police members are contributing to security in cities and towns, most recently during the Nowruz new year celebrations.

"I know people will look at these and other examples and say they're anecdotal, that we still face real challenges in attrition and ethnic composition, even corruption in some of the ranks," Allen acknowledged. "I'm not saying things are perfect, and much work remains to be done."

The general said for every bribe accepted by an Afghan troop and for every instance of so-called "green on blue" attacks pitting an Afghan in uniform against a coalition member, "I can cite hundreds of other examples where they do perform their duties, where the partnership is strong, the confidence of the Afghan forces is building, and where the trust and confidence we have in them and that they have in themselves grows steadily."

Allen said critics never will convince him that Afghan soldiers and police don't have the will to fight for their government, for their country and for their fellow citizens.

"That willingness, I believe, is the thing most hopeful about the entire effort of transition," he said. "They want this responsibility, they want to lead, and we're going to help them to do that."