Marjah – 1 Year On
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Bringing Governance to Ungoverned Places Afghan and Marine Forces
file:///P:/Roundup/2011/111203/Roundup-111203-working.html Bringing governance to ungoverned places By Cpl. Reece Lodder GARMSIR DISTRICT, Afghanistan -- In the furthest reaches of Garmsir district, nearly 70 kilometers from the district center, a mixture of local elders and farmers sat quietly around a collection of ornately woven Afghan rugs, awaiting discussion with their district governor and Marine leaders. Following their recent assumption of security responsibility in Garmsir, the leadership of 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment joined District Governor Mohammad Fahim to visit and interact with citizens throughout the district, Nov. 22 to 24. Shuffling brightly-colored prayer beads through their fingers, local residents listened to Fahim’s encouragement, intently processing the 25-year-old governor’s words. Though Fahim is headquartered within the Garmsir bazaar, far from many of the people he serves, he used the visit to ask for their help in continuing the development of the flourishing district. He encouraged the various tribes to unite, saying inter-tribal conflicts prevent further progress toward peace and stability throughout Garmsir. “With unity, there is prosperity,” Fahim said. (STORY) Afghan and Marine forces examine the impact of culture, religion By Staff Sgt. Andrew Miller CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan -- The Afghan National Army 1st Brigade, 215th Corps and Regimental Combat Team 5 conducted a Religious Engagement Conference here, Nov. 23. “In this part of Afghanistan, culture is religion and religion is culture,” said Dauod Parwani, the RCT-5 cultural advisor. “The two concepts are inseparable, and unless you are speaking in the language of religion, no one will listen to you.” The conference brought together religious leaders from the partnered forces, including ANA Religious and Cultural Affairs Officers and U.S. -
Civilian Casualty Mitigation
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Civilian Casualty Mitigation Summary of Lessons, Observations and Tactics, Techniques and Procedures from Marine Expeditionary Brigade – Afghanistan (MEB-A) January – April 2010 Quick Look Report 29 July 2010 This Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned (MCCLL) report provides an "initial impressions" summary identifying key observations or potential lessons from the collection effort. These observations are not service level opinions. Observations highlight potential shortfalls, risks or issues experienced by units that may suggest a need for institutional change or corrective action. The report is provided to DOTMLPF stakeholders and those who contribute to the Marine Corps fulfilling its statutory requirements. This unclassified document has been reviewed in accordance with guidance contained in United States Central Command Security Classification Regulation 380- 14 dated 13 January 2009. This document contains information EXEMPT FROM MANDATORY DISCLOSURE under the FOIA. DOD Regulation 5400.7R, Exemption 5 applies. - C. H. Sonntag, Director MCCLL. mccll/aal/v7_0 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Executive Summary (U/FOUO) Purpose: To inform Deputy Commandants (DCs) Combat Development and Integration (CD&I), Plans, Programs, and Operations (PP&O), Commanding General (CG), Training and Education Command (TECOM), Director of Intelligence, operating forces and others on results of a January - April 2010 collection relating to mitigation of civilian casualties (CIVCAS). (U//FOUO) Background. Civilian casualties resulted from U.S. close air support in Farah, Afghanistan on 4 May 2009. In order to help prevent future instances of civilian casualties and mitigate their effects, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) requested that U.S. Joint Forces Command’s (USJFCOM) Joint Center for Operational Analysis (JCOA) capture lessons learned, and analyze incidents that led to coalition-caused civilian casualties during counterinsurgency (COIN) operations in Afghanistan. -
Moshtarak Pageplus Layout V2
AVIATION ASSAULT Afghanistan At 4:00 am in the morning on 13 February 2010 the dark skies of central Helmand were filled with the noise of thudding rotor blades as 45 helicopters carrying Combined Force 31, spearheaded by the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh partnered with troops from the Afghan National Army landed in the heart of an area the Taliban regarded as their own. OPERATION MOSHTARAK had begun to take back control of this territory. Given unprecedented access to those in command and those who took part on the ground, Mark Khan takes a look at how this Operation, was planned and executed and provides a fascinating insight into how operations are conducted in Afghanistan. Aviation Assault - © Mark Khan 2015 As a result of the US presidential elections To allow larger operations to be conduct- The British contribution to the oper- In January 2009, the new US President ed under much more favourable condi- ation would be performed by 11 Barack Obama fulfilled his commitment, tions, preparatory work would be Light Brigade commanded by Briga- to significantly increase troop densities in carried out to “shape” the environment. dier James Cowan and would focus Afghanistan. This combined with the When conditions were then suitable, the on the central Helmand area. Two appointment of Lt Gen Stanley “clear” phase would take place with signif- specific insurgent strongholds were McChrystal, as the head of the icant military operations to push the in- chosen for the assault. international Security Assistance Force surgenOnce this phase had been These were known as “The Cha e (ISAF) in Afghanistan, led to a significant completed, the “hold” phase would take Angir Triangle” (a triangular area of change in strategy. -
Afghanistan: MONTHLY REVIEW
Afghanistan: MONTHLY REVIEW February 2006 • IN THIS ISSUE: • Canada takes over control of international forces in southern Afghanistan from the US. • British forces begin to arrive in Helmand • President Karzai visits Pakistan • India backs trans-Afghanistan pipeline • Afghanistan experiences wave of protests BAAG Afghanistan Monthly Review 1 February 2006 Security There have been further suicide attacks this month. These included the following: • On 1st February, a suicide bomber blew himself up from the back of a vehicle at an army checkpoint in the eastern province of Khost. The driver of the vehicle was also killed, together with three Afghan soldiers and a farmer working nearby. • On 7th February, 13 people were killed and 11 wounded, most of them critically, when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up, during a police search, in the midst of a crowd gathered at the entrance to the police headquarters in Kandahar. 12 of those killed or injured were police. The rest were civilians. The Taliban claimed responsibility. There have also been attacks on schools. Among the incidents reported were the following: • On 8th February, two tents used as classrooms near Shiberghan, the administrative center of the northern province of Jozjan, were set on fire. Such an attack in the north of the country is highly unusual. • On 14th February, a school was set on fire in Geelan District in the southern province of Ghazni. • On 20th February, a school was set on fire in Nad Ali District of Helmand Province. The school was closed towards the end of 2005 after one of the teachers had been forcibly taken from a classroom and killed. -
Lessons-Encountered.Pdf
conflict, and unity of effort and command. essons Encountered: Learning from They stand alongside the lessons of other wars the Long War began as two questions and remind future senior officers that those from General Martin E. Dempsey, 18th who fail to learn from past mistakes are bound Excerpts from LChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: What to repeat them. were the costs and benefits of the campaigns LESSONS ENCOUNTERED in Iraq and Afghanistan, and what were the LESSONS strategic lessons of these campaigns? The R Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University was tasked to answer these questions. The editors com- The Institute for National Strategic Studies posed a volume that assesses the war and (INSS) conducts research in support of the Henry Kissinger has reminded us that “the study of history offers no manual the Long Learning War from LESSONS ENCOUNTERED ENCOUNTERED analyzes the costs, using the Institute’s con- academic and leader development programs of instruction that can be applied automatically; history teaches by analogy, siderable in-house talent and the dedication at the National Defense University (NDU) in shedding light on the likely consequences of comparable situations.” At the of the NDU Press team. The audience for Washington, DC. It provides strategic sup- strategic level, there are no cookie-cutter lessons that can be pressed onto ev- Learning from the Long War this volume is senior officers, their staffs, and port to the Secretary of Defense, Chairman ery batch of future situational dough. The only safe posture is to know many the students in joint professional military of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and unified com- historical cases and to be constantly reexamining the strategic context, ques- education courses—the future leaders of the batant commands. -
AFGHAN OPTIONS Paul Rogers
Oxford Research Group | June 2010 International Security Monthly Briefing – June 2010 AFGHAN OPTIONS Paul Rogers Introduction Barely a month after the UK election, the incoming Prime Minister, David Cameron, visited British troops stationed in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Four aspects of the visit were indicative of the situation facing British and other NATO forces there. One was that Cameron was able to offer vigorous support for the British troops, knowing that this would be popular within the UK. While the war may be controversial across large swathes of the population, public support for the troops, as distinct from the war, remains high. This was the positive element but the other aspects were most certainly not. In the week before he was there, 26 NATO soldiers were killed and scores injured in a series of attacks. Even Mr Cameron’s visit was affected by the levels of violence as his planned visit to a forward operating base was cancelled after his helicopter was already airborne following receipt of intelligence that the base would be subject to a Taliban attack. This incident supported the view that paramilitaries have extensive intelligence of forthcoming coalition operations. It followed a rocket attack on a major Jirga meeting in Afghanistan a week earlier, which was undertaken in spite of around 12,000 security forces being assembled to guard the Jirga. The final aspect was that Mr Cameron announced that the British Army planned to double the numbers of specialist bomb disposal personnel to be deployed in Afghanistan. This was in response to sustained loss of life and serious injuries to UK troops caused by improvised explosive devices, especially in their main areas of operation in the northern part of Helmand Province. -
Op Moshtarak Medical Observations and Lessons
Focus On….Managing Health Services Support to Military Operations. Medical Lessons from OPERATION MOSHTARAK Phase 2 Authors: MCM Bricknell DM MA MMedSci MBA FFPH FIHM MFOM MRCGP (1) Affiliations: (1) Medical Director, Headquarters Region Command (South), Operation HERRICK, BFPO 772, (2) , (3) Corresponding Author: Colonel Martin CM Bricknell L/RAMC, Medical Director, Headquarters Region Command (South), Operation HERRICK, BFPO 772 Email: [email protected] 1 Abstract This is the tenth monograph that examine some of the issues associated with managing medical support to military operations. It is a narrative description of the planning and execution of the medical support plan for OP MOSHTARAK, the Combined Team security operation in NAD ALI district of central HELMAND in Feb/Mar 2010. The aim is to describe the key events that influenced the development of the medical plan and how these unfolded during the operation in order to identify observations and lessons learned to improve processes for managing medical support to future operations. The paper consolidates all of the theoretical discussions in the previous 9 papers. 2 Introduction This is the tenth monograph that examine some of the issues associated with managing medical support to military operations. It is a narrative description of the planning and execution of the medical support plan for OP MOSHTARAK, the Combined Team security operation in NAD ALI district of central HELMAND in Feb/Mar 2010. The aim is to describe the key events that influenced the development of the medical plan and how these unfolded during the operation in order to identify observations and lessons learned to improve processes for managing medical support to future operations. -
Le District De Marjah (Province Du Helmand) AFGHANISTAN
AFGHANISTAN 18/08/2017 Le district de Marjah (province du Helmand) Avertissement Ce document a été élaboré par la Division de l’Information, de la Documentation et des Recherches de l’Ofpra en vue de fournir des informations utiles à l’examen des demandes de protection internationale. Il ne prétend pas faire le traitement exhaustif de la problématique, ni apporter de preuves concluantes quant au fondement d’une demande de protection internationale particulière. Il ne doit pas être considéré comme une position officielle de l’Ofpra ou des autorités françaises. Ce document, rédigé conformément aux lignes directrices communes à l’Union européenne pour le traitement de l’information sur le pays d’origine (avril 2008) [cf. https://www.ofpra.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/atoms/files/lignes_directrices_europeennes.pdf ], se veut impartial et se fonde principalement sur des renseignements puisés dans des sources qui sont à la disposition du public. Toutes les sources utilisées sont référencées. Elles ont été sélectionnées avec un souci constant de recouper les informations. Le fait qu’un événement, une personne ou une organisation déterminée ne soit pas mentionné(e) dans la présente production ne préjuge pas de son inexistence. La reproduction ou diffusion du document n’est pas autorisée, à l’exception d’un usage personnel, sauf accord de l’Ofpra en vertu de l’article L. 335-3 du code de la propriété intellectuelle. Afghanistan : le district de Marjah (province du Helmand) Table des matières 1. Particularités du district de Marjah .............................................................. 3 1.1. Une entité administrative récente ................................................................ 3 1.2. Les naqelin de Marjah et Nad-e Ali : une population exogène au Helmand ....... -
Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S
Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy Kenneth Katzman Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs March 1, 2010 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL30588 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy Summary During 2009, the Obama Administration addressed a deteriorating security environment in Afghanistan. Despite an increase in U.S. forces there during 2006-2008, insurgents were expanding their area and intensity of operations, resulting in higher levels of overall violence. There was substantial Afghan and international disillusionment with corruption in the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and militants enjoyed a safe haven in parts of Pakistan. Building on assessments completed in the latter days of the Bush Administration, the Obama Administration conducted two “strategy reviews,” the results of which were announced on March 27, 2009, and on December 1, 2009, respectively. Each review included a decision to add combat troops, with the intent of creating the conditions to expand Afghan governance and economic development, rather than on hunting and defeating insurgents in successive operations. The new strategy has been propounded by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was appointed top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan in May 2009. In his August 30, 2009, initial assessment of the situation, Gen. McChrystal recommended a fully resourced, comprehensive counter-insurgency strategy that could require about 40,000 additional forces (beyond 21,000 additional U.S. forces authorized in February 2009). On December 1, 2009, following the second high level policy review, President Obama announced the following: • The provision of 30,000 additional U.S. -
By Dennis Steele Senior Staff Writer Ar Institute for the Study of W Ar Institute for the Study of W
By Dennis Steele Senior Staff Writer ar Institute for the Study of W ar Institute for the Study of W 52 ARMY I April 2010 Residents attend an official flag-raising PERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN’S HELMAND PROVINCE WERE THE GAMBIT IN A CAMPAIGN ceremony in the town of Marja, Afghan- to wrest control of key population and support centers from the Tal- istan, signifying that the Taliban has been supplanted. Afghan soldiers iban that will continue for a year or longer, using the combat power along with NATO International Security of additional U.S. forces to beef up NATO’s International Security Assistance Force task forces from the Assistance Force (ISAF). U.S. Marine Corps, the Army’s 5th In the largest operation since the start of Operation Enduring Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the Freedom in 2001, about 11,000 American, British, Canadian and Afghan troops British army cleared a large area of (more than 15,000 including support forces) swept into a strategic portion of Helmand Province. Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, with the main effort centering on the farming enclave of Marja, cited as an important Taliban power center, logis- tics point and link in the group’s southern infiltration route. Called Operation Moshtarak (Dari for “together”), the offensive was com- manded by British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, commander of ISAF’s Regional Com- mand-South, and led by U.S. Marine Corps and Afghan army units. The con- ventional operation began February 12 and lasted two weeks until Marja was declared clear and the Afghan national flag was raised. -
Conflict in Afghanistan II
Conflict in Afghanistan II 93 Number 881 March 2011 Volume Volume 93 Number 881 March 2011 Volume 93 Number 881 March 2011 Part 2: Law and humanitarian action Interview with Ms Fatima Gailani President of the Afghan Red Crescent Society Has the armed conflict in Afghanistan affected the rules on the conduct of hostilities? Robin Geiss and Michael Siegrist International law and armed non-state actors in Afghanistan Annyssa Bellal, Gilles Giacca and Stuart Casey-Maslen The Layha for the Mujahideen: an analysis of the code of conduct for the Taliban fighters under Islamic law Muhammad Munir Annex: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Layha [Code of Conduct] For Mujahids Combatants, not bandits: the status of rebels in Islamic law Sadia Tabassum Between a rock and a hard place: integration or independence of humanitarian action? Antonio Donini The International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan: Conflict II in Afghanistan reasserting the neutrality of humanitarian action Fiona Terry The protective scope of Common Article 3: more than meets the eye Jelena Pejic Humanitarian debate: Law, policy, action www.icrc.org/eng/review Conflict in Cambridge Journals Online For further information about this journal please go to the journal web site at: ISSN 1816-3831 http://www.journals.cambridge.org/irc Afghanistan II Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief: Vincent Bernard The Review is printed in English and is Editorial assistant: Michael Siegrist published four times a year, in March, Publication assistant: June, September and December. Claire Franc Abbas Annual selections of articles are also International Review of the Red Cross published on a regional level in Arabic, Aim and scope 19, Avenue de la Paix Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. -
Service Delivery in Taliban Influenced Areas…
SPECIAL REPORT NO. 465 | APRIL 2020 UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE www.usip.org Service Delivery in Taliban- Influenced Areas of Afghanistan By Scott S. Smith Contents “One Land, Two Rules” ................3 Emergence and Consolidation of the Insurgency ......................... 5 Education .......................................8 Health ............................................ 11 Electricity, Media, and Telecommunications .................. 15 Other Services ............................ 17 Conclusion ................................... 18 Students take an exam outdoors because their school had suffered extensive damage in fighting between Taliban and government forces. (Photo by Jim Huylebroek/New York Times) Summary • As the Taliban gained and con- • A study of several diverse districts • The Taliban initially opposed gov- solidated their hold over territo- across Afghanistan reveals that the ernment schools, but they later ry, they were forced to become Taliban leadership has attempted developed policies that allowed responsible for the well-being of to establish a certain uniformity in schools to function, as well as per- local communities. its governance of territory largely mitting girls to attend school to • Even as the Taliban leadership re- or partly under its control. age twelve. mained focused on military objec- • For example, while the Taliban have • Should there be a peace process, tives, in recent years they began to always allowed health officials to the Taliban and government will develop policies to deliver educa- work in their areas, in part because need to reconcile their differenc- tion and health services in particu- they too need these services, they es on service delivery in the areas lar, in some cases reversing earlier have taken increasing ownership of falling under their control. policies that denied these services.