Defense-Technology News: US Soldiers

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: First Batch Of 1,000 U.S. Soldiers Leave From Bagram Air Base In Afghan Drawdown

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: First Batch Of 1,000 U.S. Soldiers Leave From Bagram Air Base In Afghan Drawdown

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith + AP

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - July 14, 2011: The first troops to leave Afghanistan as part of the U.S. drawdown handed over their slice of battlefield yesterday to a unit less than half their size and started packing for home.

When the 650 members of the Iowa National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment arrived in Afghanistan in November 2010, bases didn’t have enough housing, translators were in short supply and chow halls were packed. Commanders were using a buildup of 33,000 extra troops for a major push that they said would turn the tide of the war against the Taliban insurgency.

Nine months later, it’s unclear whether that push has succeeded, but the pullback has begun. Although major combat units are not expected to start leaving until late fall, two National Guard regiments totaling about 1,000 soldiers are withdrawing this month: the Iowa soldiers from Parwan province in eastern Afghanistan, and the other group from the capital, Kabul.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced last month that he will pull 10,000 of the extra troops out in 2011 and the remaining 23,000 by the summer of 2012.

Three hundred soldiers will take over from the 650 departing troops who oversaw security in Parwan, including the area outside the main U.S. military base at Bagram.

In violence yesterday, a suicide bomber killed five French soldiers guarding a meeting between NATO officers and Afghan tribal elders northeast of Kabul.

The deaths, confirmed in a statement from President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, occurred one day after he visited Kabul and announced that France will withdraw 1,000 of its approximately 4,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2012. Meanwhile, the commander of the outgoing unit said yesterday that he expects his successors will be able to build on his unit’s accomplishments.

“They may not be as robust as us, or have as many as us, but they certainly will have the ability to secure the Bagram security zone,” said Army Lt. Col. David Updegraff. He said he could have completed his mission with a smaller force, but the extra numbers made it significantly easier.

Some in the 113th said 650 soldiers were barely enough.

Outgoing soldiers said they needed all their numbers to do the type of intensive training and mentoring called for by a strategy focused on building up the Afghan forces. They had to spend extra time demonstrating techniques to Afghan police officers who were illiterate, and they had to teach Afghan soldiers basic map-reading skills, said Staff Sgt. Doug Stanger, 42, of Iowa.

Information from The New York Times was included in this story.

U.S. war dead

Includes combat and noncombat military deaths:

• In Afghanistan, 1,580 have died since military operations began on Oct. 7, 2001.

• In Iraq, 4,472 have died since military operations began on March 19, 2003.

Note: The Afghan toll includes

deaths in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Both tolls include those who died from their wounds after returning to the United States or Germany.

Sources: Defense Department, icasualties.org

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith + AP

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News
Contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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Monday, July 04, 2011

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Missing British Soldier Found Dead

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Missing British Soldier Found Dead

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources - London Evening Standard

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 4, 2011: A British soldier who went missing from his base in southern Afghanistan has been found dead with gunshot wounds, the Ministry of Defence said.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who is in Afghanistan, was said to be "deeply saddened" after the body of the serviceman, from The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was found after a massive manhunt.

He had been reported missing from a military checkpoint in the early hours of Monday morning, and Taliban groups have claimed responsibility for killing him.

Nato spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick, said: "He had suffered gunshot wounds. His exact cause of death is still to be established and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death are currently under investigation.

"It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."

Downing Street sources said the Prime Minister was "deeply saddened" by news that the soldier had become the British armed forces' 375th fatality during the decade-long campaign.

The disappearance forced Mr Cameron to abandon part of an unannounced visit to the country so resources could be deployed to the search.

Before the death was confirmed, the premier admitted the incident was "disturbing".

But he said the "big picture" in Afghanistan showed cause for optimism, and the country was moving into a "new phase". He also reiterated that there would be no movement in the 2015 deadline for the UK's combat role to end.

"What happened was obviously a very disturbing incident," the premier said.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources - London Evening Standard

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News
Contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S. Soldiers In Search & Rescue Mission For A Missing British Soldier In Kandahar

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S. Soldiers In Search & Rescue Mission For A Missing British Soldier In Kandahar

**Taliban 'kidnap' British soldier: All operations halted in hunt for serviceman

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Joe Murphy, Political Editor - London Evening Standard

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - July 4, 2011: A massive air and ground search was under way this afternoon in Afghanistan to find a British soldier feared captured by Taliban fighters.

All other operations were cancelled as special forces, troops, helicopters, drones and spy planes were deployed across Helmand.

The Taliban today claimed to have kidnapped and executed the man after taking him prisoner following a fierce fire fight but the claim could not be verified.

He is believed to have left the Salaang checkpoint in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand in the early hours of today after completing sentry duty. An Afghan soldier is said to have been the last person to see him.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed that a British serviceman based in Helmand had gone missing.

"An extensive operation to locate him is under way," it said in a statement. "The individual was based in central Helmand and was reported missing in the early hours.

"His next of kin have been informed and they will be updated as the operation continues." The circumstances in which the soldier disappeared from his base were described as"highly unusual".

The Taliban claimed to have seized him but then killed him after coming under fire.

Military sources disputed there had been a fire fight in the area and there was no independent verification of the Taliban's claims which in the past have been exaggerated for propaganda purposes. In London, senior officials were in an emergency meeting and ministers were being kept updated.

A spokesman for the Taliban told the news agency Reuters that it had captured the soldier and executed him in the Babaji area of southern Helmand. Qari Mohammad Yousuf said: "The soldier was captured yesterday evening during a fire fight.

When the fighting got more intense we couldn't keep him so we had to kill him." Reuters could not verify the Taliban claim.

Defence Secretary Liam Fox made a statement in the Commons this afternoon. He said: "I can confirm to the House that a British serviceman is missing in Afghanistan and an extensive operation to locate him is underway.

"The individual was based in central Helmand and was reported missing in the early hours of this morning.

"His next-of-kin have been informed and they will be updated as the operation continues so no other family needs to be concerned.

"I recognise there will be many questions but speculation on an issue of this nature is unhelpful.

"I urge restraint from colleagues and the media and assure the House that the UK and ISAF are taking all necessary and appropriate action."

In June 2009 insurgents captured American soldier Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl in south-eastern Afghanistan and have released videos showing him in captivity dressed in both Afghan clothing and in military uniform.

Last summer, two sailors from the US navy went missing in Logar province, south of Kabul. A huge manhunt was launched by Nato forces but the bodies of both men were found days later.

The reported capture of the soldier comes at a sensitive time when David Cameron is poised to announce more details of his plan to withdraw the 9,500 UK troops in Afghanistan from combat duties by the end of the 2014.

The Prime Minister is said to have bowed to military advice that major troop withdrawals must be delayed until the last moment in case the Taliban are encouraged to dig in.

The British military death toll in Afghanistan now stands at 374 since the start of the conflict in 2001

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources

By Joe Murphy, Political Editor - London Evening Standard

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News
Contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Afghanistan TODAY November 30, 2010 - Afghan Police Officer Kills 6 US Service Members

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Afghanistan TODAY November 30, 2010 - Afghan Police Officer Kills 6 US Service Members

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By HEIDI VOGT and RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / KABUL Afghanistan - November 30, 2010: An Afghan border policeman killed six American servicemen during a training mission Monday, underscoring one of the risks in a U.S.-led program to educate enough recruits to turn over the lead for security to Afghan forces by 2014.

The shooting in a remote area near the Pakistani border appeared to be the deadliest attack of its kind in at least two years.

Attacks on NATO troops by Afghan policemen or soldiers, although still rare, have increased as the coalition has accelerated the program. Other problems with the rapidly growing security forces include drug use, widespread illiteracy and high rates of attrition.

A spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, Zemeri Bashary, confirmed that the gunman in Monday's attack was a border police officer rather than an insurgent who donned the uniform for a day.

The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying the gunman joined the border police to kill foreign soldiers.

"Today he found this opportunity and he killed six invaders," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement e-mailed to the media.

The shooter opened fire on the NATO troops and then was killed in the shootout, NATO said, without providing additional details.

Col. Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, confirmed that the six killed were American. He declined to provide their identities or say which military branch they were from until next of kin could be notified.

Bashary said the incident happened in the Pachir Wagam district of Nangarhar province, a volatile area near Pakistan.

An investigation team has been sent to Pachir Wagam, said Gen. Aminullah Amerkhail, the regional border police commander for the east. But he said information was not coming back quickly.

"The area is very remote," he said. "Even the telephones are not working there."

NATO is still investigating an incident earlier this month in which two U.S. Marines were killed in southern Helmand province, allegedly at the hands of an Afghan soldier.

After two deadly shootings in July, NATO officers said they were re-examining training practices to make sure that such attacks did not happen again.

On July 20, an Afghan army sergeant got into an argument at a shooting range in northern Afghanistan and shot dead two American civilian trainers before being killed. Another Afghan soldier was killed in the crossfire.

A week earlier, an Afghan soldier stationed in the south killed three British troopers, including the company commander, with gunfire and a rocket-propelled grenade in the middle of the night.

In November 2009, an Afghan policeman killed five British soldiers at a checkpoint in Helmand.

On Sept. 29, 2008, an Afghan police officer opened fire at a police station in eastern Paktia province, killing a U.S. soldier and wounding three before he was fatally shot. A NATO official expressed shock at the time that an Afghan officer would betray his NATO partners.

At the time, Col. John "Pete" Johnson, a U.S. forces commander in eastern Afghanistan, predicted it would be "the first incident of its kind."

The recent increase in such shootings suggests that the Afghan security forces may be suffering from growing pains. In the past year, the size of the Afghan police force grew 27 percent from about 95,000 officers to 120,500. The army increased 42 percent from 97,000 soldiers to about 138,200.

There have been also been problems with retention, and even those who stay often are lacking the most basic skills.

Only 11 percent of enlisted personnel and 35 percent of noncommissioned officers in Afghanistan's army and police are literate, according to NATO trainers. And before NATO took over the training mission for the security forces, many Afghan police recruits were issued uniforms and guns and sent out to postings without any sort of training in weapons or law enforcement.

Drug use is also common among the police, though NATO trainers say they are doing a better job of screening for drugs and kicking out addicts. Those testing positive for heroine or other hard drugs are immediately discharged, while those testing positive for marijuana use are put on probation while they kick the habit.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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