U.S. to expand its role in Afghanistan

Barack Obama has always vowed to end the Afghan war, but the White House recently announced that the U.S. role in the 15-year conflict will expand.

Josh Earnest, press secretary to President Obama, said that US forces would be playing a greater role in helping Afghan troops be more effective on the battlefield. He said the new support would come as "advice and assistance" as well as "occasionally accompanying them in their operations".

The Afghan forces are having difficulty containing the Taliban who are carrying out numerous attacks including on the capital of Kabul. Obama denied that Obama was restarting the combat role of the US that ended in 2014. Nevertheless, at least 9,800 US forces still remain in the country in an advisory role since 2015. They were only authorized to target Taliban in defense, or to protect Afghan troops. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said that the new order was issued to General Sean MacFarland, who is the US commander in Afghanistan.

Rosalind Jordan of Al Jazeera said the US defense department had been wanting to carry out the extended mission for months: "The concern about the resurgence of the Taliban has been growing in the Pentagon." The new plan will also include "strategic strikes" she claimed to weaken the Taliban.
The US does not want to see the Afghan military "be caught short" as the summer fighting season enters high gear. At its peak in March 2011, the US had around 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. More than 2,000 soldiers were killed. However, just last year, the Afghans lost 5,000 troops causing Obama to postpone any further withdrawal of troops.

Earnest said that in addition to an increase in air strikes, restrictions would be loosened on what ground troops could do. He said special forces would be more proactive and even engage in occasional combat operations alongside Afghan forces. Lt. Gen. John Nicholson wants to ramp operations back up as the Taliban seize more territory. It is reported that Nicholson wants to keep about 9,800 troops in Afghanistan until at least the end of the year. They could stay even longer.

Ash Carter Defence Secretary US

The U.S. trains Georgian troops to serve in Afghanistan

This certainly does not get front page coverage in US news media! This is typical of the US trying to spread the pain of Afghanistan around. No doubt the Georgian troops are funded by the US government rather than the Georgian govt. The US also provides the Georgian army with arms and other equipment. Georgia was also a member of the coalition of the billing in Iraq but its 2000 troops had to be rushed back to Georgia during the conflict with Russia. The US is trying to have Georgia become part of NATO. This type of action on Russia's doorstep is bound to create friction with Russia.

This is from thenews.

US military trains Georgian troops for Afghanistan mission



Tuesday, October 27, 2009
TBILISI: Georgian forces on Monday launched a joint training exercise with the US military ahead of the deployment of hundreds of Georgian troops next spring in Afghanistan, the defence ministry said. US military cooperation with pro-Western Georgia has strained ties between the United States and Russia, which last year fought a five-day war with Georgia.

“The exercises are aimed at training Georgian servicemen to be deployed within the framework of the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force),” Georgian defence ministry spokeswoman Salome Makharadze told AFP.

“The exercises will last for two weeks and involve a total of 840 servicemen, 420 Georgians and the same number of Americans,” she added. She said the 420 Georgian troops will leave for Afghanistan next spring and serve under US command.

A company of Georgian servicemen is also to be sent to Afghanistan next month to serve under French command, Makharadze said. She could not specify how many Georgian troops would take part, but a company typically consists of 100-200 servicemen.

The US embassy said in a statement that the exercise, called Immediate Response, “is specifically designed to enhance Georgia’s ability to conduct joint counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan together with US forces.”

Moscow has accused Washington of meddling in the region and of rearming Georgia. More than 100,000 foreign troops, most of them Americans, are stationed in Afghanistan, fighting an increasingly bloody insurgency being waged by the Taliban and its allies. About 2,000 Georgian troops were deployed with US forces in Iraq from August 2003 but were rushed back to Georgia in August last year for the war with Russia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Cheney preaches to Pakistan

I imagine Musharraf did not invite Cheney to go hunting with him!


Cheney warns Pak on terror
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NDTV Correspondent

Monday, February 26, 2007 (Islamabad):


Paying a surprise visit to Pakistan, US Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday voiced apprehensions over regrouping of al-Qaeda in its border areas with Afghanistan at a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf.

Cheney held two-hour-long talks with Musharraf in the backdrop of reports in the US that President George W Bush has decided to send a tough message to the Pakistani president that aid would cut to Islamabad if al-Qaeda militants were not hunted down.

"Cheney expressed US apprehensions of regrouping of al-Qaeda in the tribal areas and called for concerted efforts in countering the threat," according to a Pakistan government statement issued after the meeting.

He expressed serious US concerns on the intelligence being picked up of an impending Taliban and al-Qaeda "spring offensive" against allied forces in Afghanistan," the statement said.

Pivotal role

Cheney, however, appreciated Pakistan's pivotal role in the fight against terrorism and pledged to further augment mutually beneficial multifaceted ties.

Musharraf, on complaints relating to Pakistan's lack of co-operation in cracking down on Taliban, told Cheney that the international community was collectively responsible for defeating the scourge of terrorism and curbing militant activities inside Afghanistan.

Musharraf said Pakistan has done the maximum in the fight against terrorism, but stressed that joint efforts were needed for achieving the desired objectives.

He also briefed Cheney about the Indo-Pak talks to resolve their differences over Kashmir and other issues. (With PTI Inputs)



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