Taliban Launches Suicide Attacks Against Police Forces In Afghanistan And Pakistan

Reuters: Afghan, Pakistan Taliban kill 28 in attacks on provincial police HQs

(Reuters) - Four suicide attackers on Tuesday stormed a provincial police headquarters in eastern Afghanistan, killing 22 police, an official said. Taliban insurgents immediately claimed responsibility.

The attack in Logar province outside the capital, Kabul, was the latest to target Afghan security forces following the withdrawal of most foreign combat troops at the end of last year.

In neighbouring Pakistan, another Taliban suicide attack on a provincial police headquarters killed at least seven people in the eastern city of Lahore, in what militants called a revenge bid for the recent hangings of their colleagues.

More News On The Taliban Launching Suicide Attacks Against Police Forces In Afghanistan And Pakistan

Taliban Suicide Attacks Kill 25 in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- WSJ/AP
Afghan police killed in Taliban raid -- BBC
22 Afghan Police Killed by Suicide Bombers -- VOA
Attack in eastern Afghanistan kills 20 police officers, injures 8 others -- CNN
Taliban Attack Kills at Least 20 Afghan Police Officers -- NYT
26 Afghan police killed as army begins anti-Taliban drive -- AFP
Taliban ambush, kill 6 police in Afghanistan -- News24
Eight killed in blast outside police complex in Pakistan -- Economic Times
Suicide Bomber, Failing to Reach Pakistani Police, Strikes Busy Neighborhood -- NYT

A Former CIA Agent Discusses His Efforts To Stop The Afghan War After 9/11

U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Garrett Reed watches over a bridge during a security patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 30, 2011. Reed is a mortarman assigned to Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder

Robert L. Grenier, The Atlantic: What If America Had Never Invaded Afghanistan?

The story of one spy’s last-ditch effort to stop a war.

WNU Editor: A fascinating accounting on the CIA efforts to stop the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11. In hindsight .... the Taliban did have the opportunity to not only stop the invasion but to be the recipient of massive U.S. aid if they just got rid of Al Qaeda and it's leaders .... but they froze and if this account is accurate .... got cold to do what everyone knew had to be done .... and in the end they just ran out of time.

U.S. Drone Rules in Afghanistan Go Unchanged

U.S. Reaper drones at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. One is armed with two 500-lb bombs. Source: GlobalPost

John Knefel, Rolling Stone -- Drone Rules in Afghanistan Go Unchanged, And Other Reasons the War Isn't Really Over

WNU Editor: The war is definitely not over .... and in fact it may now be escalating. This is a brief but sobering assessment of the Afghan war and on how the White House is "managing it".

The Afghanistan War Is Officially Over For The U.S. And NATO (Kind Of)

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel addresses service members on Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Afghanistan, Dec. 7, 2014. DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz

My Comment: So .... combat operations for U.S. and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan are now officially over .... US, NATO end Afghan combat command after 13 years (AP).

But the war continues .... Afghan war rages as foreign forces go out the door (Reuters).

As for the future .... the problems continue to build .... In Kabul’s Valley of Death, hints of Afghanistan’s security woes (Washington Post).

In an understatement .... soon to be unemployed US Defense Secretary of Defense Hagel admits that challenges lie ahead .... Hagel: Challenges Remain for US Troops in Afghanistan (VOA) .... while announcing that 1,000 more U.S. troops will remain .... Another 1,000 U.S. Troops to Stay in Afghanistan (The Atlantic).

U.S. and NATO Generals are still upbeat on the mission .... US generals upbeat as Afghanistan ground forces center closes (Stars and Stripes) .... even though recent reports paint a different picture .... Afghan forces ill equipped to fight Taliban without NATO (Reuters).

As for the Afghans .... in an ominous sign of what the future may be .... the young want to embrace the Islamic State .... Afghan students find inspiration in Islamic State's success (Reuters).

Sighhhh .... this does not look good.

Taliban Step-Up Their Attacks In Afghanistan

Afghanistan On Edge As Stepped-Up Taliban Attacks Kill At Least 6 -- Washington Post

KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban insurgents struck targets across Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least six people and wounding scores more, extending a string of attacks in recent weeks that have put Afghans on edge, two months into the term of the new U.S.-backed government.

The most brazen assault began Thursday night, when five Taliban suicide bombers and a group of fighters tried to infiltrate Camp Bastion, an air base in the volatile southern province of Helmand, triggering an intense gun battle that lasted into Friday morning, said Omer Zowak, a spokesman for the provincial governor’s office. Afghan soldiers repelled the attack, killing at least five Taliban fighters. Two soldiers died and six were wounded in the battle.

The attack was the latest by the Islamist Taliban insurgency targeting figures and centers of authority and influence in recent weeks. British and American forces this year pulled out of Camp Bastion, a British base, and transferred it to the Afghan army. The assault exemplified how the Taliban is trying to seize advantage of a military landscape in which most American and international forces have stopped combat operations and are preparing to withdraw by the end of the year.

Read more ....

More News On The Afghan War

Afghanistan’s heavily guarded capital no longer immune from violence -- Stars and Stripes
For Afghans, the fighting now knows no seasons -- New York Times
Afghanistan lifts night raid ban against Taliban -- Washington Times
Taliban attack former NATO base in south Afghanistan -- AFP
Taliban fighters breach Helmand base, exchange fire with Afghan troops -- Reuters
Taliban launch all-out assault on Camp Bastion barely a month after British troops pull out, killing six Afghan soldiers -- Daily Mail/AP
Afghan soldiers killed in army base assault -- Al Jazeera
Afghan Troops 'Drive Out' Taliban From Key Southern Base -- Radio Free Europe
Taliban, Afghan forces battle at base vacated by British troops last month -- CNN
Afghan interpreters who helped US forces claim they have been left to the mercy of the Taliban after being place on a blacklist that stops them from emigrating to America -- Daily Mail

My Comment: The war usually tapers off during the winter months .... but the Taliban have clearly made the decision to escalate the war and to seize territory when possible.

Taliban Asserting Control In Afghanistan As U.S. Extends Combat Role To 2015

Hour’s Drive Outside Kabul, Taliban Reign -- New York Times

CHARKALAH, Afghanistan — The explosion ripped through the floor of the Humvee, tearing a hole in the armored vehicle and injuring the district governor. The crack of Taliban gunfire followed.

Seeking cover, the Afghan police convoy sped behind a mud compound and unleashed a hail of bullets. Undeterred, the Taliban fighters edged closer. As bullets smacked around his head, an Afghan soldier in a white head scarf crouched behind a waist-high wall trading shots with the insurgents, a cigarette tucked in his lips.

“This is our daily life,” said the police chief of Tagab district, a mostly Taliban-controlled patch of Kapisa Province about an hour from Kabul, as rounds struck the compound’s edges, showering his men with dirt. “Everything is like this — you can see it with your own eyes.”

Read more ....

Update #1: White House extends U.S. combat role in Afghanistan into 2015 -- CNN
Update #2: Obama widens post-2014 combat role for U.S. forces in Afghanistan -- Reuters
Update #3: Afghan parliament OKs U.S. troops beyond 2014 -- AP

My Comment: I think there is a growing realization (especially in Washington) that the momentum is now shifting to the Taliban in this conflict. Will extending the U.S. combat role to 2015 make a difference .... probably not .... but it will not surprise me that in 2015 .... when the fighting season starts again after winter and the opium crop is harvested .... that the Taliban will then start major military operations that will raise alarms in Kabul, Washington, and among our international allies.

A Look At What Happens To Those Who Get Wounded In Afghanistan

Mohammad Zaman, an Afghan local policeman who was wounded in Daikundi province, walks with his prosthetic legs at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) orthopaedic rehabilitation centre in Kabul August 26, 2014. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

Special Report: Left To Fight Alone, Afghanistan Battles To Save Wounded -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Omar Gul was on duty at a remote police checkpoint in Helmand's restive district of Sangin when the station came under fire.

It was a warm night in mid-September and the battle between Afghanistan's government forces and Taliban militants had been simmering in the southern province all summer.

Around sunrise, Gul recalled, he was shot in the leg. For the next twelve hours he bled, and waited, and bled some more, until the fighting died down long enough for a colleague to hoist Gul onto his back and take him to get help.

In the end, it was not his employer – the government of Afghanistan – who saved his life. After carrying him out of the checkpoint, Gul’s colleagues drove him to a first-aid post run by an Italian NGO called Emergency, whose own ambulance ferried him to the group's hospital in Lashkar Gah, Helmand's capital.

Read more ....

My Comment: My father's biggest fear when he fought in World War II was not being killed ... it was to be severely wounded with crippling injuries. At the time Soviet medical facilities to help the wounded were inadequate to help such soldiers .... and the horror stories of what life would be like being a cripple made everyone shudder at such a prospect. I guess in today's Afghanistan .... these same fears exist.

The Killing of A U.S. General In Afghanistan Is A Sign Of Things To Come

U.S. General's Killing May Be A Bad Omen -- Peter Bergen and David Sterman, CNN

(CNN) -- On Tuesday, an Afghan soldier killed a U.S. major general and wounded a German brigadier general, as well as up to 15 others, in an attack at the Marshal Fahim National Defense University in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The attack is an ominous sign regarding the potential risks to American service members as the majority of U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan.

If a Bilateral Security Agreement between the United States and Afghanistan is signed in coming months, the United States is likely to keep a residual force of around 9,800 troops in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops at the end of 2014.

This residual force would serve in an advisory role to Afghan troops, which could further expose American forces to insider attacks.

Read more ....

My Comment: Since the late 1970s Afghanistan has always been an extremely dangerous place for foreign soldiers. The death of a U.S. general at this point in the conflict reflects this danger acutely .... and U.S./NATO forces who will remain as a residual force to train Afghan forces in the years to come will need to be made aware of this threat on a constant basis.

With U.S. Forces Leaving Afghanistan, The Taliban Are Making Significant MIlitary Gains In The Country

Taliban Making Military Gains in Afghanistan -- New York Times

MAHMUD RAQI, Afghanistan — Taliban fighters are scoring early gains in several strategic areas near the capital this summer, inflicting heavy casualties and casting new doubt on the ability of Afghan forces to contain the insurgency as the United States moves to complete its withdrawal of combat troops, according to Afghan officials and local elders.

The Taliban have found success beyond their traditional strongholds in the rural south and are now dominating territory near crucial highways and cities that surround Kabul, the capital, in strategic provinces like Kapisa and Nangarhar.

Their advance has gone unreported because most American forces have left the field and officials in Kabul have largely refused to talk about it. The Afghan ministries have not released casualty statistics since an alarming rise in army and police deaths last year.

Read more ....

My Comment: U.S. news on the Afghan war is now almost non-existent .... but other sources are collaborating the above New York Times report that the Taliban are making significant gains in the countryside. Even the Taliban leader Mullah Omar is now making his presence felt.

War News Updates For May 14, 2008

AFGHANISTAN

Report From Afghanistan: Taliban Moving At Half Speed This Year -- Strategy Page

Taliban resisting southern Afghan operation: US Marines -- Yahoo News

13 Taliban, 2 police killed in clashes in southern Afghanistan -- International Herald Tribune

US helicopter 'downed by Taleban' -- BBC News

Afghans to ask for $50 bln aid at Paris conference -- Reuters

Afghan teacher killed after speech condemning suicide bombings -- International Herald Tribune

Suspected U.S. Missile Kills 7 In Pakistan: Taliban -- Reuters

NATO cites concern over Pakistan border deals -- Reuters

Taliban invite Pak govt, military, people to join hands against US -- Daily Times

Pakistan violates truce with India, fires at Indian troopers -- Kuna Times


IRAQ

Girl, 8, 'kills Iraqi officer in suicide mission' -- Telegraph

Girl carrying explosives blown up in Baghdad 'suicide attack' -- Guardian

Bombing at Iraq funeral kills 20 -- BBC News

Assessing the Risks of Turkish Raids in Northern Iraq -- Counter Terrorism Blog

In spite of truce, war over wall goes on in Sadr city -- International Herald Tribune

Updates On The War In Iraq 05_14_08, Sadr City Residents Battle The Iranian-Backed Mahdi Army -- Strata-Sphere

The Post-Basra Realities On Iraq -- Strata-Sphere

Al-Sadr ceasefire allows troops to enter Shia slum -- Independent

Iraq in new assault on Al-Qaeda in main northern city -- Yahoo News

'Ghost city' Mosul braces for assault on last bastion of al-Qa'ida in Iraq -- Independent

Iraq PM in Mosul for offensive against al Qaeda -- Reuters

HUSAYN'S STORY: A report from Iraq -- Arggghhh!!!

Commander Says al-Qaida ‘Virtually Destroyed’ in Kirkuk -- Operation Iraqi Freedom

A Commentary On Iraq -- Villainous Company


LEBANON

Lebanon officials reverse decisions that set off violence -- CNN News

Lebanon cancels anti-Hezbollah measures -- Reuters

Lebanon cancels anti-Hezbollah measures -- Yahoo News

Lebanon cabinet concedes key demand for end to clashes -- Yahoo News

Violence grips Lebanese city as peace talks loom -- Independent

Army ups Beirut presence -- Washington Times

Commentary On Lebanon: Another stupid "victory" -- From Beirut To The Beltway

Commentary: Hezbollah's Third Botched Coup Attempt -- Middle East Journal

Commentary: Iran Behind Beirut Takeover, Eyes Israel -- Cedars Revolution

Lebanon: Civil Strife -- Global Voices Online


ISRAEL

Rocket hits as Bush begins Israel visit -- International Herald Tribune

Gaza Rocket Rocks Bush's Israel Trip -- Time magazine

14 hurt as rocket hits Israeli shopping mall -- Guardian


CHAD / SUDAN / DARFUR

Chad urges world to make Sudan 'see reason' on Darfur -- yahoo News

Rebel raid prompts Sudan to break off Chad relations -- Independnet

UN evacuates staff amid clashes in Sudan flashpoint -- Yahoo News

Clashes break out in Sudan's Abyei region -- Reuters