Taliban spring offensive taking heavy toll on Afghan security forces

The Afghan Taliban's Spring Offensive is taking its toll on Afghan security forces in many different areas as the Pentagon is considering a plan that would see up to 5,000 US troops sent to Afghanistan to help the Afghan forces.

In southern Afghanistan at least 20 police were killed in Taliban ambushes. Afghan security forces are trying to dislodge the Taliban from several districts. In Zabul province fighting is ongoing according to the provincial governor Bismullah Afghanmal who said police were ambushed in Chino and Ghulam Rabat. He said: "The report we have right now indicates that 20 policemen are martyred and 10 others are wounded. The number may increase." Dozens of Taliban were also said to have been killed or wounded. Reinforcements arriving in the area also came under attack. He said there was also fighting in the Dai Chopan district but the extent of casualties was not yet known.

The neighbouring Ghazni province also saw fighting as the Taliban launched a three-pronged attack on the provincial capital. They drove a Humvee packed with explosives into the entrance of a district governor's compound. The Taliban also claimed responsibility for an attack on a bank in Paktia province that left three attackers and three others dead. The Taliban offensive began in April.

In other attacks, at least 10 Afghan soldiers were killed at army base, Camp Achakzai in Shawali Kowt just a day after attacks in the neighbouring province of Zabul. As well as ten being killed there were nine wounded. Dawlat Waziri, spokesperson for the Defence Ministry claimed that at least 12 attackers had been killed in the fighting. Last month a deadly attack in the northern city of Balkh killed 135 soldiers. US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis warned last month of another tough year for security forces in Afghanistan.

Trump is considering a plan that would add three to five thousand additional troops to Afghanistan to help sway the balance that now appears to favor the Taliban. However, there is division within the administration with some feeling that the move will just keep the US involved in a costly war without gaining victory. Trump actually campaigned on avoiding such involvement but his actions since have been to increase US military involvement in a number of areas. One option being considered attempts to have the US do more without increasing troop levels. A recent article notes: "While the Pentagon is said to be “broadly supportive” of further escalation, they appear reluctant to address the question of whether the war is winnable at all, with growing concern among civilian officials that the soaring corruption and mounting losses in Afghanistan make this deployment just another waste." After a 16-year struggle a peace agreement still seems far in the future.

Some Afghans worry that sending more troops will simply make the war last longer. One resident said that sending more troops would be like putting wood on the fire. He said that increasing the number of US troops could provoke Pakistan, Iran, and Russia who would increase support for the Taliban. This would end up with more Afghans fighting each other.

Taliban take another area in Northern Afghanistan

(May 8)After announcing their spring offensive just a week ago, the Taliban have captured a second area in Afghanistan, a district in the northern Kunduz province

Mahfoozullah Akbari, a spokesman for the police in Kunduz, claimed that Taliban fighters attacked the district of Qala-e Zal "from several directions" on Friday. They took full control of the district by mid-morning on Saturday. He said there had been fierce resistance from security forces but they were driven back before reinforcements arrived. The Taliban said on their website that they had killed a number of soldiers, police and pro-government militia members and seized a huge cache of weapons and ammunition.

The Afghan forces beset by killings, desertions and declining morale is already stretched to its limits as the Taliban are fighting in many different areas not just the traditional southern strongholds. As shown on the appended video border police were brought to help defend a provincial capital. The casualties are up 35 percent in 2016 with 6,800 soldiers and police killed according to a US source. In March, Taliban fighters dressed in Afghan army uniforms attacked a government military base near Mazar-i-Sharif city killing at least 135 troops at the base. Al Jazeera quotes Afghan officials as saying that there were 140 killed plus 160 wounded in the attack.

The Taliban were driven from power over 16 years ago and they have been fighting ever since with Afghan forces and their allies led by the US. In 2014, the US officially ended their combat campaign but kept a number of troops in the country along with some of its allies to help train the Afghan security forces. However, the US also has been involved in continuous anti-terror campaigns and also has used drone and aerial attacks both in counter-terror activity and in support for Afghan-led fights against the Taliban. Even now almost half of Afghanistan is contested by or under control of the Taliban. The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction(SIGAR) claims the Afghan government only controls or influences 57 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts.

The Islamic State (IS) is also active in Afghanistan. The US even dropped the Mother of All Bombs (MOAB) on a group of tunnels and caves in an IS stronghold in the mountains near the Pakistan border. However, afterwards there were still clashes with the IS fighters in the area. Although Afghan officials reported up to almost one hundred casualties there has been no confirmation and access to the site is restricted. The US has refused to confirm casualty numbers or released further information itself. The IS claim there were no casualties!The series of caves and tunnels was apparently originally built with the help of the CIA to help jihadists fight against the Soviet-backed Afghan regime.

At the end of March there were approximately 8,400 US troops left in Afghanistan along with another 5,000 from other NATO countries. General John NIcholson, top US general in Afghanistan has been requesting up to 5,000 more US troops to break what he calls the stalemate between Afghan forces and the IS.

Joint US Afghan raid kills 22 civilians in Afghanistan

Both Afghan officials and local residents claim that 22 civilians mostly women and children were killed in a joint U.S., Afghan operation carried out in the southern province of Helmand.

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Jabar Qahraman , the presidential envoy for security in Helmand Province, said the raid against the Taliban killed 13 people from one family and nine from another. Qaraman said: “We are saddened to hear the news of civilians being killed. When the Taliban use civilians as their shield against security forces, such incidents occur.” The United States has yet to admit that there were civilian casualties:

U.S. Navy Cpt. Bill Salvin, a military spokesman, said “we are working diligently to determine whether civilians were killed or injured as a result of U.S. airstrikes” carried out to support Afghan forces in and around Sangin. The investigation is “continuing and has not reached any conclusions,” he added in a written statement.The U.S. does not usually admit at first that there were civilian casualties and does so only when evidence make the casualties difficult to deny. The UN mission in Afghanistan was less cautious as it expressed grave concern after initial inquiries showed the international forces killed at least 18 civilians nearly all women and children. Kareem Atal, the head of the provincial council in Helmand, said a man, two women and two children who were wounded in the raid have been brought to Lashkar Gah the capital for treatment.

Hameed Gul a local resident who lost nine members of his family claimed it was all lies that they were attacking the Taliban he told the Associated Press. Helmand province has seen several months of heavy fighting with the Taliban. The Taliban have targeted the capital Lashkar Gah several times with suicide attacks. On Saturday, a suicide bomber targeting soldiers killed at least seven people.

General Nicholson the commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan claims that the US needs to commit several thousand more troops to Afghanistan to break what he calls the stalemate there. It is questionable that there is a stalemate as the Taliban appear to be gaining ground. Nicholson told the Senate armed services committee that there was a "shortfall of a few thousand".

About 8,600 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan since the combat mission ended. The situation is now complicated by the rise of the Islamic State(IS) in Afghanistan. A recent attack claimed by the IS near the supreme court in Kabul killed at least 20 people.

So far, U.S. president Trump has had little to say about Afghanistan but on Thursday he spoke by telephone with Afghan president Ashraf Ghani. Trump was said to have stressed the importance of the U.S.-Afghan strategic partnership. A White House statement also said:  “The leaders discussed opportunities to strengthen the bilateral relationship in areas such as security, counter-terrorism co-operation and economic development.” When Nicholson was asked if Trump would be more willing than Obama to take into account the security situation in Afghanistan in deciding on troop commitment General Nicholson replied: “Yes, sir.” The general also suggested that US defense secretary James Mattis might visit Afghanistan in coming weeks.

General Nicholson in written testimony also criticized Russia whom he claimed was strengthening the Taliban and undermining NATO. In contrast, recent remarks by former president Karzai criticize the U.S. and claim that relations of Afghanistan with big powers and neighbors were better while he was president.According to Karzai, there was a thaw in the relations between world powers in Afghanistan when he was serving as president. But now, the ties between these countries are deteriorating.“I told President (Vladimir) Putin that I have worries about Afghanistan, the way the United States and the western allies are conducting the war on terror is not leading us to decrease extremism in our region or in Afghanistan, in fact we see rising extremism in Afghanistan in spite of the massive sacrifices and loss of resources,” said Karzai.There appears no sign so far that Trump is doing anything to repay Russia for its support. If Trump commits more U.S. troops to Afghanistan he will not be keeping his campaign promises not to get the U.S. involved in costly wars but will be following Republican and Democratic hawks in dragging the U.S. even deeper into the conflict once again.

Taliban attack on Afghan city of Kunduz creates humanitarian disaster

On Monday Afghan forces slipped past defenses of the northern Afghan city of Kunduz and there have been street-to-street gun battles every since.

Although government forces, backed by US special forces have announced repeatedly that they control the city, residents report that fighting is still ongoing in several areas and many are leaving the city. The fighting is leading to a humanitarian situation that is rapidly getting worse as people have limited access to water, food and medical care.

The UN reports that as many as 10,000 residents have fled their homes because of the fighting and those who remain are facing threats from the fighting. Dominic Parker, of the UN said: "Many families were unable to bring their possessions with them and are in a precarious position. We have had reports that some families have been forced to sleep out in the open and many have few food supplies." Included among those who have fled are almost two-thirds of the staff at the city's main public hospital after it was struck by rockets and small arms fire. The hospital is the main source of medical care in Kunduz after a US airstrike struck and destroyed a center run by Medecins Sans Frontiers last year. A doctor at the hospital Marzia Salaam said that the 200 bed hospital has been swamped by at least 210 patients many civilians including women and children who have been wounded in the fighting. She said: "Many of the wounded had to be carried to clinics in surrounding districts and private clinics in the city. If the situation remains the same, we may be forced to halt our services."

The US military command in Kabul claimed Afghan forces were defeating Taliban attempts to take the city and reinforcements were on the way to clear out isolated pockets of Tablian resistance. In contrast, Ismail Kawasi a spokesperson for the Public Health Ministry claimed there was fighting in every street and the situation was critical. He said there were additional medical supplies in neighboring provinces but they could not be flown in until fighting subsided. However, Abdul Hamid, the Kunduz health director said: “Today is calmer than yesterday. Some sporadic gunshots can still be heard.”

The attack happened just as world powers met in Brussels for a donor conference on Afghanistan. Fifteen billion was raised to help fund the country over the next four years. The EU said it would support a peace process that has been stalled.

India's deputy foreign minister MJ Akbar said: "The war for the future is being fought in Asia. We must stand our ground in Afghanistan. India does not believe in an exit option." At the conference there was also a deal to deport failed Afghan asylum seekers back to Afghanistan, a move that will compound the problem of internally displaced people in Afghanistan which already number a million.

US general claims 30 percent of Afghanistan population is controlled or contested by Taliban

The Taliban and allies control about 10 percent of the population. However, another 20 percent is contested leaving the Afghan government with control of 70 percent of the population.

The claim above is made by General John Nicholson, the commander of NATO's Resolute Support and US Forces in Afghanistan. Nicholson characterized the situation as a positive development since the Taliban are operating primarily in rural areas. At a press briefing Nicholson said to reporters:

“We believe the Afghans control or heavily influence 68 to 70 percent of the population. We believe the enemy control or influence about 10 percent of the population. And then the balance, roughly a quarter, is in play, is contested. This is a positive in the sense of the majority of the population is under control of the government forces and this primarily the population centers, and so on, and the enemy is primarily in more rural areas that have less impact on the future of the country.”

Although Nicholson downplayed the importance of the Taliban presence in rural areas, the Taliban raises funds in the areas, recruits and trains fighters. The Taliban then launch punishing attacks on urban areas including the capital Kabul. Nicholson also claimed that recent reports of concerted attacks on some provincial capitals were exaggerating the security situation, When asked what percentage of Afghan territory the Taliban control, Nicholson would not answer and said only that his estimate is based upon population control.

The Long War Journal estimate based on press reports, military and government statements, and the claims of the Taliban, is that the Taliban control about 10 percent of the districts and contests another 12 percent. Control means the Taliban are openly administering a district providing services, security, and running their own court services. In contested areas, the government may be in contol of the central city of the district but little else. The Taliban often occupy a center briefly and then leave as the cost of holding it is regarded as too high. The Journal also says it is likely that additional districts are also contested or controlled by the Taliban. These additional districts could very well bring the total population contested or controlled close to that of Nicholson. The Taliban control and contest more territory than at any time since US-lead forces invaded after the 9/11 attack.

Nicholson also said that there were up to 1,300 Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan. He claimed they received aid and guidance from the leadership in Syria. While Nicholson still described the overall situation as positive since the Afghan government controlled most of the population and larger cities, General Joe Dunford Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the situation was a stalemate in remarks to the U.S. Senate. As well as controling more territory than ever since the invasion, the Taliban is closing in on a number of important provincial capitals including Talin Kot, Lashkar Gah, and Kunduz. Kunduz already was taken once by the Taliban and then recaptured.

Taliban surround capital city of Helmand :Province in Afghanistan

The Taliban are surrounding Lashkar Gah the capital of Helmand Province. While military commanders claim the situation has stabilized, city officials are more pessimistic.

Provincial council chief Karim Atal said: "If we don’t receive support from the central government, the province will collapse soon". While Atal said that the Afghan security forces were capable, he complained there was a lack of attention to the situation by leaders in Kabul. The past month much attention has been paid to a campaign against Islamic State (IS) militants in eastern Afghanistan. Atal said that if the government does not show support for Helmand the people would be asked to take up weapons and fight the Taliban. However, Atal said that forces had been brought back from checkpoints further afield to reinforce those in Lashkar Gah.

Lashkar Gah itself is being deluged with civilians fleeing fighting in the outlying areas creating a humanitarian crisis. Omar Zawak, spokesperson for the provincial governor said: "Around 30,000 people have been displaced in Helmand in the past several weeks. Most of them are coming to Lashkar Gah. Its difficult for the city to contain all of them. Families, children, women, all have to sleep on the streets. There is a shortage of food and clean water. We need urgent support."

The Taliban have already seized areas just a few kilometers from the city center. A major highway linking Lashkar Gar with Kandahar has been closed on and off for days both by roadside bombs and Taliban checkpoints. Residents say that only extensive bombing by the US has prevented the Taliban from taking over the entire province. In the past two weeks the US has mounted 25 strikes while hundreds of coalition advisers are helping out Afghan troops.

South of Lashkar Gah, the Taliban are making gains. District police chief Ahmad Salem sad: "Contact has been lost with police in some places. The Taliban have conquered some of our checkpoints. So far we haven’t received reinforcements, as well as food and ammunition. If we do not receive reinforcement soon, the district will collapse." Reinforcements were expected soon according to provincial police chief Brigadier General Aqa Kenotz

A huge opium harvest has helped fund the Taliban. Residents of Lashkar Gah fear that the city will fall. Resident Haji Qayum said: "The Taliban are in control of all the roads leading to Lashkar Gah. The police checkposts are falling one by one. There is a great fear the capital may fall to the Taliban." The Taliban are already said to control 10 of 14 districts in Helmand.

A NATO statement was relatively optimistic: "The situation down there remains tense and somewhat contested. It remains an ongoing security concern and there has been fighting down there for the last several weeks. We remain confident that the Afghan forces are fighting effectively and that they will continue to secure Lashkar Gah." Guilhem Molinie of Doctors Without Borders(MSF) said the charity had reduced its staff in Lashakar Gah but was maintaining emergency and surgical services. MSF has a 300-bed hospital in the city with 25 international staff.

Taliban mounting strong attacks in Afghanistan but Islamic State recruiting

The Afghan Taliban are able to mount serious attacks in Afghanistan. Most recently they carried out deadly attacks on the Afghan parliament and in the northern city of Kunduz.

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As the appended video shows, the attack on parliament shattered windows and filled the parliamentary chamber with smoke disrupting the confirmation of the new defense minister Masoom Stanikzai.

The parliament is supposed to be the most secure building in the country. The Taliban want to show both the Kabul government and their competitors the Islamic State just how powerful they are. They also have captured areas in the northern province of Kunduz and attacked Kunduz city. The Taliban has warned the Islamic State to stay out of Afghanistan. .

The Kunduz Police Chief Gen. Nasrati said Char Darah was just one of many districts lost in the last few days. Although reinforcements had arrived Kabul was unable to stop the violence he said. General Wahid Taqat, a former member of Afghan intelligence said that the government had simply lost control of many areas and hasnt the power to strike back. Afghan military expert, Jawed Kohistani, said:"The lack of coordination within the military, the central government's failure in the provinces and the cooperation with terrorist networks are the main reasons for the current volatile security situation."He also criticized the government for trying to make deals with Pakistani intelligence. To add to this unstable situation the Islamic State appears to be actively recruiting in Afghanistan and attempting to gain a foothold in the country.

Some time ago, General John F. Campbell the commander of the international forces in Afghanistan said that IS was using a sophisticated social media campaign to attract Taliban fighters not only in Afghanistan but Pakistan as well. The group points to the lack of success so far of the Taliban to overthrow the Kabul government after many years of battle. They point to their own success in seizing huge swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq.

The situation has progressed to the point where there are even reports of some militants fighting each other in the east of Afghanistan. One report from two anonymous commanders of the Taliban claims that the group is splintering into three parts. One group remains loyal to the original Taliban such as those who attacked the parliament and Kunduz recently. There are also a group who want to make peace with the Kabul government and lay down their arms. A third group has joined the Islamic State and is aiming at upping the pace of fighting against Kabul. While these splits might seem to give the advantage to Kabul over a divided opposition, it seems to have made the situation worse as two of the groups compete with each other to see who can fight best against Kabul. There are other divisions with those opposed to Kabul including separate Taliban groups based in Pakistan.

A senior Afghan intelligence officer told reporters:"The cracks in the ranks of Taliban began late last year with the emergence of Daesh in the region. The first big defection [from Taliban] to Daesh was senior Taliban commander Abdul Rauf Khadin ... who was killed in a joint operation with U.S. forces a few months ago."Even back in January the group announced the creation of a council for Khorasan a historic name for territory that includes present day Pakistan and Afghanistan. While Kabul has stepped up the pace of peace talks with one group of Taliban, the talks seem doomed given that other groups not only refuse to join the process but step up their attacks and take over more territory.

American analysts say that Islamic State in Afghanistan is just starting to get organized in Afghanistan. However, there is one area in the north where their presence is already being felt. As in other countries such as Libya, Islamic State is introducing foreign fighters into local areas. In a northern area in Afghanistan, local villagers and officials say that the militants are much more brutal and vicious than the Taliban. The fighters come from Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikstan. Mullah Abdul Rasheed said that a village elder was shot dead by militants while he was praying in a mosque and two of his cousins were killed in a gun battle with the militants. He said that he fled his village with others leaving everything behind. He said that the fighters had killed a person in a neighbouring village and dragged the body behind a motorcycle. In some villages they have already raised the black flag of Daesh (Islamic State) he said.