Red Cross: The Afghan War Is Going To Get Worse

Reuters / Jose Miguel Gomez

Reuters: Red Cross saw twice as many dead Afghan fighters in 2014, fears worse to come

(Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross removed more than twice as many dead combatants from Afghan battlefields in 2014 than in the previous year as fighting intensified, the charity said on Monday.

The ICRC retrieved the remains of 1,372 dead fighters in the 12-month period, up from 620 the year before.

WNU Editor: Afghanistan's neighbors are certainly becoming concerned on where the security situation is heading .... Afghan, Pakistani, Chinese Officials Meet for Security Talks in Kabul (VOA).

More News On The Red Cross Expecting The Afghan War To Get Worse

Afghan casualties rise in 2014: Red Cross -- News.com.au
Death count doubles: Red Cross retrieved 1,300+ fighters' bodies in Afghanistan in 2014 -- RT
Red Cross Warns Situation Getting Worse For Afghan Civilians -- Radio Free Europe
Afghan Violence Intensifying; Conditions Could Get Worse This Year: Red Cross -- RTT

Update: Afghan Taliban show resilience despite years of US 'capture-kill' policy -- CSM

Are The Taliban Starting To Use Birds For 'Suicide Bomb Attacks'?

A Different Kind Of Bird Strike: Afghan Police Discover Explosives INSIDE Bird After Shooting It When They Saw Antenna Sticking Out Of It -- Daily Mail

* Afghan police have shot dead a large bird carrying a suspected bomb
* Officers opened fire after spotting wires coming out of its feathers
* The bird was equipped with a GPS tracker and mobile phone detonator
* This comes as the last NATO troops prepare to leave Afghanistan
* Taliban insurgents have increased the number of attacks on Afghan troops
* Police complain they have not got enough weapons to cope with attacks

Afghan police shot dead a bird which had been equipped by the Taliban with an explosive pouch, GPS tracker and detonator.

Alert officers spotted the suspicious bird in the Faryab province in the north of the country, near the border with Turkmenistan.

The bird had several wires protruding from its feathers, a mobile phone detonator and a specially designed 'suicide vest'.

Read more ....

More News On Reports That The Taliban Are Starting To Use Birds for Suicide Bomb Attacks

Bird Bomb? Afghan Police Kill Bird Bearing Antenna, Explosives -- NBC
Police kill bird after discovering terrorists had planted EXPLOSIVES and a GPS tracker on it -- Mirror
'Bird bomb' explodes when it's shot by Afghanistan police -- UPI
The Taliban’s new DIY drone: A bird fitted with a bomb vest -- New York Post
Afghan Police Shoot Regular Bird-Bird Full of "Suspicious Metal Stuff" -- Gawker

Afghan President Overhauling The Country's Security Forces

Afghan President Sees Stability In New NATO Relationship -- Stars and Stripes

BRUSSELS — The coming launch of NATO’s training and advisory mission in Afghanistan will mark a new phase in Kabul’s relationship with the alliance that will bring peace and stability to the country, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Monday.

The newly elected president, who was making his first visit in that role to alliance headquarters on Monday, thanked NATO for all it had done for Afghanistan during the combat mission due to end this month.

The alliance first assumed responsibility for security in the country in August 2003. More than 3,400 NATO troops have died and more than 30,000 have been wounded during the ongoing war with Taliban insurgents.

Read more ....

Update #1: Officials: Afghan president to overhaul security -- AP
Update #2: NATO, Afghan leaders: Ready to move to new phase -- AP

My Comment: It appears that the new Afghan leadership .... in their statements .... are conceding that they are not winning the war .... hence time for an overhaul.

U.S. Officials Are Reporting That Military Operations In Afghanistan Will Remain Unchanged

US Says Military Operations in Afghanistan Remain the Same -- Voice of America

U.S. officials say the activities of U.S. and NATO troops remaining in Afghanistan after December have not been changed.

Media reports this week, however, have said that more U.S. troops will stay in Afghanistan. The reports also say troop actions will be expanded.

A Pentagon spokesman said U.S. forces will not seek Taliban targets. But he said anyone creating a threat to U.S. or Afghan forces will, in his words, "become fair game."

A U.S. State Department spokesman said the U.S. combat mission will end this year. But he also said dropping the troop level to 9,800 soldiers might take longer than predicted.

Read more ....

More News On The War In Afghanistan

Official: Afghan President Orders Military Review -- AP
Pentagon Downplays Expanded US Combat Role in Afghanistan -- Military.com
U.S. to leave more troops in Afghanistan than first planned - sources -- Reuters
New, expanded rules for U.S. combat in Afghanistan in 2015 -- Military.com
DoD IDs CSM, specialist killed in Afghanistan -- Army Times
Afghanistan: Grieving Mother Kills 25 Taliban Militants after Son Dies in Attack -- IBTimes
As casualties soar, Afghan police taught how to stay alive -- Economic Times/AFP
As Ranks Thin in Afghanistan, Troops Take on More Chores -- Military.com/Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer
Afghanistan: UK troops leave Kandahar Airfield -- BBC
End of an era: Union Jack lowered as final British troops leave southern Afghanistan -- Express
Left to the mercy of the Taliban -- Thomas Martienssen, BBC
Afghanistan: what will happen when the troops – and their dollars – depart? -- Clár Ní Chonghaile, The Guardian
At least 2,208 US military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001 -- AP

Afghan Taliban Claim Responsibility For Today's Attack Against UK Embassy Workers. Diplomat Among Those Who Were Killed

British Security Officer Among Six People Killed In Suicide Bomb Attack On British Diplomatic Vehicle In Afghan Capital -- Daily Mail

* Terrorist detonated huge explosive device as he drove alongside British embassy 4x4 vehicle in east of Kabul
* Afghan Interior Ministry say one British national has been confirmed among the dead. Five Afghans also killed
* At least three of the Afghan victims were members of a family heading to Jalalabad for a relative's wedding
* Identity of British victim not known but embassy spokesman said car was not carrying British diplomats
* Taliban claimed responsibility for the deadly attack saying it had been 'targeting foreign invading forces'

A British security official employed by G4S was among the six people killed in this morning's Taliban suicide bomb attack on a British embassy vehicle in the Afghan capital, the Foreign Secretary confirmed today.

An Afghan national employed by the British embassy to drive the diplomatic 4x4 vehicle was also killed in the explosion, Philip Hammond added, going on to say that he condemns 'this appalling attack on innocent civilians supporting our diplomatic activity'.

Read more ....

More News On Today's Taliban Attack Against A British Convoy In Kabul

Kabul suicide attack on UK diplomats leaves six dead -- The Guardian
British G4S security worker killed after embassy vehicle hit in suicide bomb attack in Kabul -- The Independent
Briton killed in Kabul attack was G4S security guard -- The Telegraph
Briton killed in suicide blast -- Independent.ie
UK employee killed in Kabul attack -- Press Association
Suicide bomber kills five in attack on British embassy car in Kabul - officials -- Reuters
Briton among 6 dead as Kabul blast hits embassy vehicle -- AFP
Suicide attack kills 5 in Afghan capital, including UK Embassy workers -- CNN
Suicide bomber targets British vehicle in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
British embassy vehicle hit in suicide attack in Kabul; at least 5 killed -- RT
British convoy blast in Kabul marks latest strike in propaganda war -- Jason Burke, The Guardian

Suicide Attack Kills 57 At A Volley Ball Game In Eastern Afghanistan

Afghan Volleyball Blast Toll Rises To 57, Target Was A Police Commander -- Khaleej Times/AFP/Reuters

Afghanistan’s intelligence agency blamed the blast on the Haqqani network, a hardline militant group aligned with the Taleban.

Survivors of a horrific suicide attack which killed 57 people at a volleyball game in eastern Afghanistan said on Monday how the blast ripped through a crowd of spectators enjoying the final moments of the match.

Those who wounded in the explosion said the attack targeted a local police commander.

“Around 500 people had gathered there to watch the match. A local police commander and his men also came an hour later,” Ghazi Khan, 19, a volleyball player, said as he lay in a Kabul hospital, his legs and stomach heavily bandaged.

“Soon after they arrived the suicide bomber came and detonated his explosives attached to his body. He (the police commander) was the target.”

Read more ....

More News On Sunday's Suicide Attack That Killed 57 In Afghanistan

Bomber targeted police commander in Afghan volleyball game attack -- Reuters
Suicide Bomber Kills 57 at Afghanistan Volleyball Tournament -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Many children among Afghan volleyball match bomb victims -- BBC
Suicide Bomber Hits Afghan Volleyball Tournament -- VOA
Afghan Volleyball Game Bomber Targeted Police Commander says Players -- IBTimes
Haqqani group blamed for Afghan suicide blast -- Al Jazeera
Afghanistan bomb blast: Death toll rises to around 50, more than 60 wounded in suicide attack -- Indian Express

Taliban Launch An Attack On Kabul's Green Village International Zone

Taliban activity has increased in the area recently, intelligence sources have said [Reuters]

Taliban Suicide Bombers Die In Attack On International Zone In Kabul -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Four Afghan Taliban suicide bombers died when a group of the militants tried to storm an international zone in Kabul on Wednesday in the latest high-profile assault aimed at foreign targets in Afghanistan.

The attackers tried to break into a complex known as Green Village, starting with the explosion of a van at the gate of the heavily guarded area in eastern Kabul that houses foreign contractors and various facilities.

Security forces repelled them after about an hour of fighting and no casualties were reported among the area's residents, officials said.

Read more ....

More News On Reports That The Taliban Have Launched An Attack On Kabul's International Zone

Attack reported in Kabul's international zone -- Al Jazeera
Afghanistan: Attack on foreign workers' compound in Kabul -- BBC
Suicide blast targets foreigners' compound in Kabul -- AFP
Kabul International Compound Under Attack -- Radio Free Europe
4 Taliban militants killed in failed Afghan attack -- AP

As Coalition Forces Leave, The Taliban Are Reasserting Their Control In Afghanistan

Taliban fighters pose with weapons in an undisclosed location in Afghanistan in this October 30, 2009 file photo. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer/Files

Taliban Return To Afghan Town That Rose Up And Drove Out Its Leaders -- The Guardian

Insurgents now control about 80% of Gizab district in Uruzgan province four years after successful revolt, sources say

When the people of Gizab district rose up and ousted their Taliban rulers four years ago, international forces touted the district as a success story of civil courage and a milestone in the decade-long war. But now the district in Uruzgan, central Afghanistan, is about to fall back under the control of the insurgents, according to officials and community leaders.

The insurgent offensive comes a year after international troops withdrew from Uruzgan, and as UK troops are closing their largest base in Helmand, another embattled province in the south. A month of intense fighting in Gizab has displaced up to 500 families, and Taliban fighters are forcing residents to provide them with food and transportation and threatening people to stop them cooperating with the government, elders from the area said.

Read more ....

More News On The War In Afghanistan

Taliban Are Rising Again in Afghanistan’s North -- New York Times
In Afghan north, Taliban gains ground and courts local support -- Reuters
Taliban Resurgent As 13-Year War In Afghanistan Nears End -- IBTimes
Taliban claims deadly attack on Afghan court -- Al Jazeera
Taliban attack leaves 11 dead, 10 wounded in Afghanistan -- Xinhua News Agency
Taliban abduct police in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province -- BBC
Afghan security forces kill 27 militants within day -- Daily Times

Afghan Soldiers Have Been Ordered To Take No Prisoners

Captured Taliban insurgents and their weapons are presented to the media in Ghazni province December 19, 2011. Mustafa Andaleb/REUTERS

As Taliban Push Quickens, Afghan Troops Ordered: Take No Prisoners -- Reuters

(Reuters) - As U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan, the battlefield they leave behind is changing dramatically and becoming more deadly.

No longer pinned down by U.S. air cover, Taliban fighters are attacking Afghan military posts in larger numbers with the aim of taking and holding ground, a shift from the hit-and-run strikes with posses of gunmen, explosives and suicide bombers.

Struggling to hold the insurgents back, the riposte from commanders of the Afghan security forces has been clear: across the country, they are now telling their men to kill captured Taliban fighters instead of taking prisoners.

Read more ....

My Comment: With U.S. forces leaving .... the Afghan military has clearly been told to get ready for heavy combat. As to the order "take no prisoners" .... this is just another indication on how brutal the Afghan war is quickly becoming .... and a complete repudiation of soon to be gone President Karzai in his efforts to make peace with the Taliban.

Afghan Taliban Have Launched A Major Offensive Near Kabul

NATO troops arrive at the site of a suicide car bomb attack in Kabul Aug. 10, 2014. Reuters/Omar Sobhani

Hundreds of Taliban Fighters Battle Afghan Forces Near Kabul -- Voice of America

(Reuters) - As many as 700 heavily armed Taliban insurgents are battling Afghan security forces in Logar, a key province near the capital Kabul, local officials said on Tuesday, in a test of the Afghan military's strength as foreign forces pull out of the country.

Militants have this summer mounted increasingly intensive assaults across several provinces, often involving hundreds of fighters, as the country braces to stand on it own feet militarily for the first time in nearly 13 years.

"There are some 700 of them and they are fighting Afghan forces for territorial control and they have also brought with them makeshift mobile (health) clinics," Niaz Mohammad Amiri, the provincial governor of Logar province, told Reuters by telephone.

Read more ....

More News On The Afghan Taliban Launching A Major Offensive Near Kabul

Taliban launches major Afghan offensive -- Al Jazeera
Logar In Afghanistan Attacked By More Than 700 Taliban Fighters -- IBTimes
Taliban launches Afghanistan offensive -- UPI
Taliban launch massive offensive in east Afghanistan -- Zee News/IANS
Taliban storms district in E. Afghanistan -- Xinhua

Are Reports Of An Afghan-Taliban Surge Exaggerated?

Gen. John F. Campbell holds a news conference at the Kinnard Mission Training Complex at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Aug. 1, 2013. Sam Shore/MVISC via U.S. Army

Reports Of Taliban Surge Are Exaggerated, Incoming ISAF Commander Says -- Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON — Reports of the Taliban gaining ground as U.S. troop levels fall and Afghan soldiers take on more fighting duties are more about PR than battlefield realities, the general set to take over command of the NATO combat mission in Afghanistan suggested.

Gen. John F. Campbell, who spoke to reporters at the Pentagon on Friday, said insurgents are talking a better game than they’re fighting and receiving credit for victories they’re not winning. Campbell is wrapping up a term as Army vice chief of staff and is scheduled to arrive in Afghanistan late next month.

Read more ....

My Comment: I have been following the Afghan war religiously since 2001 .... and I getting really tired of hearing U.S. Generals boast of victory and success coupled with a decline in the reach and influence of the Taliban year after year after year. They were obviously wrong .... and so is incoming top NATO commander Gen. John F. Campbell.

Update #1: Taliban Making Military Gains in Afghanistan -- NYT
Update #2: The Taliban ‘waiting game’ in Afghanistan, mapped by media since 2009 -- Dan Lamonthe, Washington Post

Afghanistan War News Updates -- February 11, 2008

Gates: NATO Survival At Stake In Afghanistan -- MSNBC

Gates Is Right About NATO's Counterinsurgency Deficiencies -- Threatswatch

US Warns Failure In Afghanistan Is A Threat To Europe -- Yahoo News

US Warning On Nato's Afghan Role -- BBC News

Norway Closes Embassy In Afghan Capital -- MSNBC

The $9 Billion Spring Offensive -- Aby Muqawama

McCain Wants More EU Troops For Afghanistan -- Telegraph

All-Clear For Afghan Combat Video Diaries -- The Guardian

Good Books: Afghan Campaign, Rifleman Dodd -- Kings Of War

My Comment: Now entering the seventh year, most NATO members are now beginning to realize that this is a long term commitment that will need NATO participation (both combat and reconstruction) for the next 10 to 20 years (minimum).

This realization is now beginning to give many members cold feet. Like Iraq, an evaluation is now needed on what needs to be done to take the upper hand again.

This winter has been a bitter and cold one in much of Afghanistan. Fighting has all but the disappeared, with many Taliban staying at home or in Pakistan. How the west will respond when the snow melts in the next two months will dictate how long we will be staying in that country.

Afghanistan War News Updates -- February 5, 2008

Condoleezza Rice Wants Nato Allies To Do More In Afghanistan -- Times Online

Raid On Taleban Hideouts Leaves Civilians Dead -- Times Online

19 Dead In Raids, Clashes In Afghanistan -- Yahoo News

Afghans Claims UK Planned To Train Ex-Taliban -- The Telegraph

Revealed: British Plan To Build Training Camp For Taliban Fighters In Afghanistan -- Independent

'Britain Planned Secret Camp In Afghanistan To Retrain Taliban Soldiers To Fight For Nato' -- Daily Mail

Teams Work To Rebuild Afghanistan -- Washington Times

Afghan Prison Blues -- Newsweek

Kabul Police Surround Home Of The Former Warlord Dostum -- International Herald Tribune

Rift In NATO Over Afghanistan Forces -- CBS News

A Flea In The Ear For Mullah Omar -- Asia Times

My Comment: NATO is in disarray, the British are pursuing an independent course of action, and the Taliban are organizing. The future is not looking bright.