DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Marine Provides Security In Washir Village In Helmand Province, Afghanistan

DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Marine Provides Security In Washir Village In Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. DoD
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 6, 2013: U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kaleb Wilson provides security during a patrol in Washir village in Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 29, 2013. Wilson is assigned to Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. The Marines conducted patrols to collect human terrain and clear the area of weapons and improvised explosive devices. 

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Geoffrey K. Scarborough

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DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Air Force Officers Training Afghan Policeman on Explosive Detonation Technology

DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Air Force Officers Training Afghan Policeman on Explosive Detonation  Technology

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. DoD
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 6, 2013: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Alex Gaunt, left, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Halgren, center, work with an Afghan border policeman explosive ordnance disposal trainee to prepare explosives for a controlled detonation in the Spin Boldak district in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, July 28, 2013. Gaunt, an explosive ordnance disposal journeyman, and Halgren, an explosive ordnance disposal craftsman, are assigned to the 466th Air Expeditionary Group. 

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jovi Prevot

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DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Marines Patrol Near Base Boldak In Helmand Province, Afghanistan

DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Marines Patrol Near Base Boldak In Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. DoD
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 6, 2013: U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Quinton McCloud, right, and Zamp, a military working dog trained to detect improvised explosive devices, search inside an Afghan compound for any evidence of insurgency and weapons during Operation Grizzly IV near Patrol Base Boldak in Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 29, 2013. McCloud is assigned to Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. 

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Bobby J. Yarbrough

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DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Army Patrols In Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan

DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Army Patrols In Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. DoD
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 2, 2013: U.S. Army Spc. Carlos Tapia checks a crew system equipped with a machine gun before convoy operations on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistn, July 30, 2013. Tapia is assigned to Alpha Troop, Regimental Support Squadron, Combined Force Dragoon, which provided security during the operation. 

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Edwards 


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DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Marine Patrols In Helmand Province, Afghanistan

DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Marine Patrols In Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. DoD
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 2, 2013: U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joseph Nunez and Viky, a military working dog trained to detect improvised explosive devices, search a compound for weapons during Operation Grizzly in Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 18, 2013. Nunez is assigned to Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. 

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alejandro Pena 


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DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Marine Patrols In Helmand Province, Afghanistan

DTN News: U.S. Forces - Images ~ Afghanistan: U.S. Marine Patrols In Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. DoD
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 2, 2013: U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. John J. McConnell searches outside an Afghan compound for weapons during Operation Grizzly in Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 18, 2013. McConnell is assigned to Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. 

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alejandro Pena

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DTN News - ROYAL FAMILY NEWS: Taliban Threaten To Kill Prince Harry

DTN News - ROYAL FAMILY NEWS: Taliban Threaten To Kill Prince Harry

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AFP
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 10, 2012: The Taliban said 
Monday it was determined to kill Britain's Prince Harry, serving in Afghanistan four years after his previous deployment was cut short over security concerns.

Prince Harry (L) is shown the Apache flight-line by a member of his squadron at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan's Helmand province on September 7. The Taliban said Monday it was determined to kill Harry, who is currently serving in Afghanistan.

A militia spokesman said the group had a "high-value plan" to attack the third in line to the British throne in southern province Helmand, one of the toughest battlefields in the 10-year war.

"We will do our best to kill Prince Harry and Britain's other troops based in Helmand," the spokesman, who gave his name as Zabihullah Mujahid, told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

"It is not important for us to kidnap him. We will target him and we will kill him," he added.
The 27-year-old Apache helicopter pilot, who hit the headlines last month after he was photographed naked at a party in Las Vegas, will spend four months based at the heavily fortified Camp Bastion in Helmand.

"Whoever fights in our country is our enemy and we will do everything possible to kill him," said Mujahid.
Britain says Harry's squadron "will provide surveillance, deterrence and, when required, close combat attack capabilities as well as escort duties for other aircraft".

In 2008, the royal was hastily withdrawn from Afghanistan when a news blackout surrounding his deployment, on the ground directing aircraft in attacks on Taliban positions, was broken.

This time, however, the military has released photographs and video of him in Afghanistan from the start.

The Ministry of Defence said any risk "has been, and will continue to be, assessed".

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DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Combined Force Captures 2 Taliban Leaders

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Combined Force Captures 2 Taliban Leaders
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 14, 2012: An Afghan and coalition security force captured two Taliban leaders and a suspected insurgent during an operation in the Maidan Shar district of Afghanistan’s Wardak province today, military officials reported.

Both captured Taliban leaders directed attacks against Afghan government officials, and acquired and built improvised explosive devices for use in attacks, officials said.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined force in Helmand province’s Musa Qal’ah district captured a Taliban leader who coordinated direct-fire and roadside-bomb attacks in the Musa Qal’ah and Sangin districts.

-- In the Shinwar district of Nangarhar province, a combined force captured a Taliban facilitator who distributed explosives, firearms and ammunition to insurgents throughout the province.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

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DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Afghan-Led Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Afghan-Led Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources - International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases - American Forces Press Service
 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 26, 2012: An Afghan-led and coalition-supported security force captured a Taliban leader during an operation in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province today, military officials reported.

The leader coordinated roadside bomb and ambush attacks against Afghan forces along Route 1 in Helmand province, officials said.

The security force also seized 15 pounds of opium and detained an additional suspected insurgent.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined patrol seized about 500 pounds of marijuana and about 45 pounds of marijuana seeds in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province.

-- In the Zharay district of Kandahar province, a combined force seized 300 pounds of marijuana and detained several suspects while searching for a Taliban facilitator who plans attacks against coalition forces and moves weapons and ammunition throughout Kandahar.

-- A combined force captured a Taliban leader and detained another suspect in the Sayyidabad district of Wardak province. The leader planned assassinations and direct-fire attacks against Afghan government officials.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A coalition airstrike killed an insurgent after he attacked coalition forces with small-arms fire in the Alishing district of Laghman province.

-- Coalition forces arrested six people found with Afghan army uniforms and weapons in the Alingar district of Laghman province.

-- Coalition troops detained three people suspected of being bomb makers in the Terezaki district of Khost province.

-- Afghan police detained a man who had two assault rifles and ammunition in the Zurmat district of Paktia province.

-- Coalition troops detained a man for having bomb-making materials Khost’s Khost district.

-- Afghan border police detained a man as a person of interest in Paktia’s Jaji district.

-- A combined patrol found about 550 pounds of hashish and multiple 82 mm mortar rounds in Kandahar’s Panjwai district.

-- A combined patrol found and destroyed about 1,000 pounds of hashish in Kandahar’s Zharay district.

-- A combined force found and destroyed about 660 pounds of hashish in Helmand’s Musa Qalah district.

In other Afghanistan news, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, International Security Assistance Force commander, joined Afghan President Hamid Karzai in condemning a recent insurgent rocket attack on a home in the Allasai district of Kapisa province that killed a woman and a child and injured seven other people.

"Continued deliberate attacks on the people of Afghanistan that result in the brutal murder of defenseless women and children clearly show that this heartless insurgency has no moral compass whatsoever," Allen said. "I join President Karzai in extending my deepest sympathies to the families of those who were killed, and in praying for the fastest recovery of those who were injured in this needless tragedy.”

Allen added that Taliban leader Mohammed Omar's “deafening silence and inaction in stopping these ongoing attacks against innocent Afghan civilians shows that his foot soldiers are now giving the orders while he and his inner circle reside in comfort, allowing the killing of their own brothers and sisters."

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DTN News: British Army To Use 'Dirty Harry' Bullet Against The Taliban

DTN News: British Army To Use 'Dirty Harry' Bullet Against The Taliban

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including DailyMail.co.uk By Christopher Leake

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 15, 2010: British troops are to be issued with a new 'super-bullet' to fight the Taliban as their current ammunition does not have the punch to kill the enemy at long range.

The high-performance round will be fired from standard-issue SA80 assault rifles. Nicknamed the 'Dirty Harry round' after the powerful bullets used by Clint Eastwood in the 1971 movie, it is expected to be on the front line in Afghanistan by 2011.

Its development by UK defence firms BAE Systems and QinetiQ follows Army concern in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, last year that the standard 5.56mm SA80 round was failing to hit its target at distances of more than 400 yards.

British troops are to be issued with a new 'super-bullet' to fight the Taliban as their current ammunition does not have the punch to kill the enemy at long range

The Taliban use more powerful rounds in Russian-designed AK-47 rifles to hit British forces at a range of 600 yards. Now the British troops' new round will even up the odds.

The new bullet gives greater range and force against human targets and light vehicles. Because it is the same calibre as the standard bullet, the SA80 rifle will not need modification.

Military sources say initial trials have been successful. Pending formal approval, the MoD is expected to order up to one million rounds.

A senior Royal Marines officer just back from Afghanistan said the new bullet would be welcomed on the front line.

He said: 'It will give our infantry soldiers an edge which at present we are lacking.' An MoD spokeswoman said: 'We work closely with industry to ensure equipment is continuously improved.'

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DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY July 14, 2010 - "We're Hiding Rogue Afghan Gunman" Says Taliban

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY July 14, 2010 - "We're Hiding Rogue Afghan Gunman" Says Taliban

* Eight dead in Kandahar suicide attack - BBC News

Three Nato soldiers and five Afghan civilians have died in a Taliban suicide attack on a police base in southern Kandahar province, Nato said.

Source: DTN News - this article / report compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including BBC News & Sky News

(NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - July 14, 2010: The Taliban has said the renegade Afghan soldier who killed three British troops, including a senior commander, has joined its cause and is under its protection.

The killer launched his attack on soldiers from 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles at a joint patrol base near Helmand Province's capital, Lashkar Gah, in southern Afghanistan. He shot the company commander in his sleeping quarters and killed the other two in the base's command centre using a shoulder-mounted rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Describing it as a "suspected premeditated attack", the Ministry of Defence said the soldiers' families have been informed. Four other soldiers were wounded. Reporting from Afghanistan, British Forces News correspondent Lorna Ward said: "The Taliban has released a statement that says (the gunman) has joined the cause and it is harbouring him. "He is obviously on the run. There is now a joint Nato and Afghan effort to find him." Questions are now being raised about some of the British Government's key aims in Afghanistan. Foreign Secretary William Hague has described the attack as "treacherous", while Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the "appalling" incident. But both stressed it should not change the strategy of working alongside Afghan forces. A massive programme to expand the Afghan security forces is under way. The goal is that the army should grow from 85,000 in 2009 to 134,000 by 2011. Mr Hague said: "We must not let this turn us against working with the Afghan national security forces. "It is by building up their capabilities that eventually international troops are able to leave Afghanistan." This is the second time members of Afghanistan's security forces turned on UK troops with tragic results. Five British soldiers were killed and six injured when an Afghan policeman opened fire at a secure checkpoint in Nad-e-Ali in Helmand in November. Sky News' foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall said the latest attack will be "devastating for morale". He added: "If the Taliban were proven to have a policy of trying to get as many people inside the Afghan army as possible that would be a serious, serious threat." Marshall said the quality of the Afghan soldiers has improved but there is still a huge amount of work to do. He said it was also vital efforts were made to establish more "cohesion" between Pasthu Afghan soldiers - from the south where the British are based - and ethnically different troops from the north. Marshall said: "The Afghan army is better than it was a few years ago and the training is having an effect, but that concept of discipline is not there. "There is a flaw in the strategy unless they can get more cohesion within the Afghan army and ensure they all think they are Afghans rather than Pashtus." Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said the killings were thought to be the actions of a "lone individual". The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) and the Afghan Ministry of Defence launched a joint investigation into the killings. In a separate incident in Sangin district on Tuesday, a Royal Marine was shot dead while on foot patrol. The marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines was serving as part of Combined Force Sangin. Next of kin have been informed. The British death toll in the Afghan campaign since 2001 now stands at 318.

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*Video: Afghan Manhunt: Renegade Kills Three

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DTN News: Our Soldiers Have Shed Enough Blood: It Is Time To Come Home From Helmand

DTN News: Our Soldiers Have Shed Enough Blood: It Is Time To Come Home From Helmand

*The strategy of sending patrols out to be shot at by the Taliban is needlessly costing the lives of British troops

Source: Denis MacShane MP The Observer, Sunday 30 May 2010

(NSI News Source Info) LONDON, U.K. - May 30, 2010: It is time to stop the blood sacrifice of our young soldiers in Afghanistan. In June 2003, Tony Blair initiated the grim ritual of reading out the names of the fallen at the start of each prime minister's questions. David Cameron's first words as PM at the Dispatch Box after the Queen's Speech were an incantation to the new victims of a war that is as unwinnable as it is unwanted by the people of both Britain and Afghanistan. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev described Afghanistan as a "bleeding wound". Last week, US general Stanley McChrystal called it a "bleeding ulcer". Britain has no general, no "master of strategy" as the inscription on Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke's statue outside the Ministry of Defence puts it, with the 21st-century vision to stop the blood-letting as officers and men are sent as IED fodder. War is too important to be left to generals. Unfortunately ministers past and present have flinched from thinking strategically. If the object is to stop Afghanistan from again becoming a base for al-Qaida to launch attacks, there are alternatives to sending out men on foot patrols to be blown up by hidden bombs or shot by snipers who fade back into the hills. The new defence secretary is now known as "13th-Century Fox" after his colonial, quasi-racist rant about Afghanistan as a 13th-century nation. President Karzai is an obsessive reader of British and American papers. Liam Fox's patronising contempt has done serious damage to Britain's influence in Kabul. Instead of apologising gracefully, Fox blustered and tried to explain away his gaffe. But he did hint at a truth when he suggested that Britain should look to reducing its military profile in Afghanistan. Unfortunately this outbreak of wisdom was slapped down by the foreign secretary, William Hague. In Canada, the Conservative government has confirmed its troops will leave next year. There is new thinking in the Netherlands, one of Britain's key Nato allies, where the government collapsed over Afghanistan. Nato has new duties to guard its Baltic flanks and ensure that the melting Arctic becomes a sea of trade and peace. It no longer needs to define its existence by occupying Afghanistan. There is fresh thinking among Tory MPs. In the Commons last week, Patrick Mercer MP, a former commanding officer of an infantry regiment, made the point that Britain's terrorists were bred and trained in Yorkshire, not Afghanistan. Another Tory MP, the former shadow defence minister Julian Lewis, said Britain should create sovereign strategic bases in Afghanistan to support the government and ensure al-Qaida does not return, but stop the pointless patrols that are target practice for the Taliban. Every six months, a new commander is sent from London to head the fighting soldiers in Afghanistan. These brigadiers rotate, so that, instead of fighting one six-year war, we have fought 12 six-month wars, so that future red tabs can punch their tickets. The can-do, will-do power-point style of the British army impresses politicians, and every visiting minister and journalist is in awe of these tough, sun-burnt, dedicated professionals. It is hard to say that they and their generals are wrong, but the time has come to put parliament and elected ministers in charge. The pro-war tabloids say they are backing our boys. They are not: they are backing the generals. Officers and men ready to criticise the campaign have no voice. Diplomats and development aid should be redirected to Pakistan and India, as well as to China and Iran, to remove the widespread feeling among Muslim communities that this is Kipling's west again seeking to control the lives of people whose customs and needs they do not understand. The burning issue of Kashmir, where 70,000 Muslims have been killed since the Indian army took over full control of the disputed region 20 years ago, needs to be put on the international agenda. The White House is clearly looking for an exit strategy. Britain also needs to begin PMQs without a roll-call of the dead and maimed. We have done our duty. It is time to come home. *Denis MacShane is Labour MP for Rotherham and a former FCO minister

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DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY February 14, 2010 ~ British Spearhead Allied Offensive In Afghanistan

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY February 14, 2010 ~ British Spearhead Allied Offensive In Afghanistan *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) LONDON, UK - February 14, 2010: NATO commanders are "very pleased" with the start of a major operation focusing on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in southern Afghanistan, the military said Saturday.In this photo released by Britain's Ministry of Defense, members of the F Company (Fire Support) 1 Royal Welsh take position during operation "Moshtarak" Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, near Marjah, in Afghanistan's Helmand province. British troops are among the thousands of NATO and Afghan soldiers who stormed the Taliban stronghold of Marjah by air and ground Saturday. British troops had secured their "key objectives" in the first day of the assault but thousands of US troops supported by Afghan soldiers were continuing their attack on Marjah and surrounding areas, a spokesman said. Overall, NATO commanders were satisfied with the launch of Operation Mushtarak, a ground assault involving thousands of troops supported by air attacks, Major General Gordon Messenger told journalists in London. One British soldier was killed in the assault on Saturday after he was caught in an explosion during a vehicle patrol of the Nad-e-Ali district of Helmand Province, the Ministry of Defence said. British troops had taken control of areas in the Chah-e Anjir Triangle northeast of Marjah with "minimal interference" from the Taliban, Messenger said. There had been some "sporadic fighting", but the Taliban appeared to be "confused and disjointed" and "have not been able to put up a coherent response", he added. "The key objectives have been secured and have been done so with minimal interference," he added. The spokesman said that while he personally had been briefed by British commanders, their US counterparts were also satisfied with the start of the operation. Operation Mushtarak (meaning "together" in Dari), involving a total of 15,000 NATO and Afghan troops, aims to clear Marjah and surrounding areas of Taliban and re-establish the rule of the Afghan government. US, British and Afghan troops along with soldiers from Denmark and Estonia launched the attack on the area. The assault was supported by the "full array" of NATO aircraft, but bombing from the air was being kept to a minimum, Messenger said. More than 1,000 British troops were involved in their part of the operation focusing on the Chah-e Anjir Triangle, said Messenger, the chief of the defence staff's strategic communications officer. "Low numbers" of insurgents were killed during the assault, he added. The commander of Afghan troops in the operation has said at least 20 Taliban fighters have died. A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to the "sacrifice" of the dead British soldier, whose loss brings the British death toll in the Afghanistan war to 258. "Every death in Afghanistan is a tragedy and the prime minister's thoughts are with his family," the spokesman said. Brown had been in close contact with military commanders throughout the first day of the operation and had also spoken to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the spokesman added. The operation was "a vital part of creating a more secure Afghanistan -- and therefore a more secure Britain," he said. At the briefing, Messenger said troops had faced sniper fire and IEDs, or improvised explosive devices -- the roadside bombs which the Taliban uses against NATO forces -- had been found. Despite reports that local residents had fled the area ahead of the assault, "significant numbers" of people remained there, the spokesman said. He stressed that while the initial stage of the attacks had gone well, the hard part of the operation would be the work to secure the area and win over the local population. "There's no complacency -- everyone understands this is the easy bit. The hard bit is what comes next in reassuring the public," he said. "This is all about winning the allegiance of the population. The allegiance is not won in a day, it must be won over time. It cannot be forced."

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY February 9, 2010 ~ Afghan Operation Moshtarak Places Success Over Surprise

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY February 9, 2010 ~ Afghan Operation Moshtarak Places Success Over Surprise *Source: DTN News / BBC By Frank Gardner (NSI News Source Info) KANDAHAR AIRBASE, Afghanistan - February 9, 2010: If the success of all military operations depended on surprise, Operation Moshtarak would be doomed before it began. British and Afghan forces prepare for battle in Helmand. But casting convention to one side, Afghan and Nato Isaf commanders behind the coming Moshtarak (meaning "together" in Dari) have purposefully given their insurgent enemy as much notice as possible that they are preparing to arrive in his midst. For weeks now troops on the ground have been informing villagers in Helmand province that a major force is on its way. Gatherings of elders are being held, where Afghan government officials are trying to persuade the local population in the areas of Marjah and Nad Ali to turn their backs on the Taliban and welcome Afghan government forces. And stacked up in hangars here on the airbase are bundles of printed leaflets waiting to be airdropped when the weather clears. They carry a stark message. "Moshtarak, the Combined Force and the people", it says, "will defeat the insurgents and bring a better life. Where will you stand? Help us and report enemy activity on this number." 'Fan club' So why give the Taliban the heads-up and allow the insurgents time to escape or - just as likely - to scatter the paths of oncoming troops with lethal IEDs (improvised explosive devices)? (Image: The coalition forces have asked locals for help) I put this to the man in charge of all 50,000-plus Nato/Isaf troops in southern Afghanistan, British Maj Gen Nick Carter. "What we don't want to do is to have any collateral damage or to create civilian casualties. We want the population to act as our fan club when our Afghan security forces and ourselves arrive there. "Because they will not only act as a restraint on potential insurgents, they will probably tell us where the improvised explosive devices are planted, and they will be positive towards our arrival." That could be wishful thinking. The Taliban have had years to establish themselves in the lush valleys and concentrated mud-walled compounds of that part of central Helmand. Once famed for the sweetness of its melons, the area is now a major centre for opium production, a multi-billion dollar business nationwide that has sucked in farmers, the Taliban and members of the government alike. The Taliban will be loath to relinquish control and on Monday a purported spokesman was quoted as saying his forces would fight to the death. (Image: The operation will test the new strategy signed off by Barack Obama) Wherever the sympathies of the local farmers and villagers lie, the one thing guaranteed to alienate them is if their homes are turned into a battleground between the insurgents on the one hand and the coalition and Afghan government forces on the other. Nato's new strategy in Afghanistan, signed off late last year by US President Barack Obama, rests on two principles - protecting the civilian population and partnering more closely with Afghan forces. To that end, say Nato commanders, Operation Moshtarak has been planned from the end backwards, in other words with all phases geared to bringing security and good governance to central Helmand where it has been beyond government control until now. They admit that many previous coalition operations have ultimately failed because after defeating the insurgents on the battlefield they have had too few forces to hold the ground and there has been too little political will to improve the lives of the population. This time, they insist, will be different, with a comprehensive civil-military plan to establish the rule of law in central Helmand, bringing in newly trained police and a commitment to support the plan by the government in Kabul. But the proof of success or failure will probably not be known for several weeks. If the civilian population ends up being more secure as a result of this operation then it will be judged a success, if not then the first big test of Nato's new strategy in Afghanistan will have resulted in failure. LATEST NEWS Afghan security move 'this year' Pakistan sees Afghan Taliban role UN eases curbs on ex-Taliban Karzai offers peace scheme Militants attack Afghan capital BACKGROUND Strategy set But will plans set out at London conference work? Will the Taliban talk? Destination Quetta Who are the Taliban? Map: Foreign forces Q&A: Who is fighting the Taliban Mapping the militant nexus Q&A: Causes of regional militancy How Afghan corruption works

DTN News: Afghanistan In Pictures Of The Day January 30, 2010

DTN News: Afghanistan In Pictures Of The Day January 30, 2010 *Source: DTN News By Roger Smith (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 30, 2010: Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN.

The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005.

In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government. An injured Afghan National Army soldier is helped by his colleagues to safety during a fierce gunbattle in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010. A fierce gunbattle broke out between security forces and a team of Taliban fighters targeting U.N. and government buildings on Friday in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah. The fighting came nearly two weeks after a similar assault in the Afghan capital of Kabul, once again showing the ability of insurgents to penetrate heavily secured areas.The body of a suspected Taliban fighter lies on the ground asurrounded by security forces soon at the end of a fierce gun battle in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010. Afghan National Army soldiers stand in front a building damaged during a fierce gun battle in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Friday, Jan. 29, 2010. A British soldier stands by the shattered windows of a building damaged during a fierce gun battle in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Friday, Jan. 29, 2010. British soldiers take rest during a fierce gunbattle in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Friday, Jan. 29, 2010. A fierce gun battle broke out between security forces and a team of Taliban fighters targeting U.N. and government building in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah. The fighting came nearly two weeks after a similar assault in the Afghan capital of Kabul, once again showing the ability of insurgents to penetrate heavily secured areas.

DTN News: British And US Troops To Launch New Afghanistan Offensive

DTN News: British And US Troops To Launch New Afghanistan Offensive • Attempt to wrest Helmand areas from Taliban control

• Move comes on eve of peace talks in London

*Source: DTN News / Julian Borger and Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk (NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - January 26, 2010: British and other Nato troops are preparing a major offensive in southern Afghanistan aimed at seizing areas in Helmand province still under Taliban control, the British commander in the region said today. British troops during a firefight with Taliban forces in Helmand. Photograph: Major Paul Smyth/PA/MoD Major General Nick Carter said the operation would be aimed at asserting the control of the Kabul government over areas of Helmand that are either ungoverned or under the influence of a Taliban shadow government. Carter, who commands the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in southern Afghanistan, did not say when the operation would be launched, but the announcement came three days before an international conference in London that is due to agree a peace and reintegration plan to persuade Taliban fighters and commanders to give up their fight. The British army chief, General Sir David Richards, said that negotiations with the Taliban should be conducted from a "position of relative strength and the knowledge on their part that they [the Taliban] could just lose". "So it's a matter of timing, not the principle," Richards told Reuters. The new operation, which focuses on the Helmand river valley to the west and south-west of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, will involve elements of the 10,000 British troops in Helmand and 13,000 newly-arrived US marines. It will also rely on intensive political preparations, including contacts with local elders to explain the purpose of the mission, in the hope of minimising casualties. "What's really important ... is that if there is a conversation before the operation between the Afghans and the maliks, or the village leaders, on the ground, and it is explained to them what will happen when the government asserts control and authority over those areas, we often find the Afghans don't fight - but they will welcome you," Carter told the BBC's World At One programme. He added that the provincial Afghan authorities, led by the governor, Gulab Mangal, were playing a prominent role in operations in Helmand. Thursday's London Conference on Afghanistan will bring together about 60 governments, including troop contributors, donors and neighbouring countries. It will approve new ceilings for the strength of the Afghan army (172,000) and police (134,000) and agree a plan to hand over responsibility for security district to district from Isaf to Afghan forces. In November, Gordon Brown said that the handover process should get under way this year, and that at least five Afghan provinces should be handed over by the end of 2010. The criteria for handing over districts have been debated between politicians seeking a timetable for the transition process, and generals who insist that handover should be dictated by conditions in each area. The Nato commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, told the Financial Times : "I'm not sure what the outcome will be, but I believe that it will be more conditions-based, there will be an agreement on certain conditions driving the transitions." A Nato official said: "There is an awful lot of work going on on transition. It is not just a military thing. Unless you take governance and development into account in every district, you are going to come up with a meaningless assessment of conditions there." President Karzai will also present his government's peace plan, involving a package of economic incentives for Taliban fighters and commanders to defect. It is also expected to include a direct appeal to Taliban commanders to attend a peace council in the spring. McChrystal argued that "a political solution to all conflicts is the inevitable outcome. And it's the right outcome. The re-integration of fighters can take a lot of the energy out of the current levels of the insurgency," the Nato commander said. "Then you open up, the option, the possibility, for everybody to look at what's the right combination of participation in the government here." The London conference will also seek to enlist the help of regional powers to help create conditions for a political settlement. Iran said it would attend, but at a junior level. Tehran has told the British government it will send Ghanizadeh Ezabadi, the head of the western Europe desk at the Iranian foreign ministry. Karzai met his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, in Istanbul, todayto brief him on his peace plan and to ask for Pakistani support. Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency (ISI) has a long history of ties to the Taliban, and the head of the ISI, Ahmed Shuja Pasha, attended the meeting in Turkey. The foreign secretary, David Miliband, is due to take part tomorrow in more talks in Istanbul, involving other Afghan neighbours, including Iran. "The combination of a new Afghan government and a new focus of the international military and civilian efforts means that this is going to be a decisive period in the Afghan campaign," Miliband told EU foreign ministers in Brussels yesterday. "There's a new government in Kabul, there's a new military strategy, there's a new civilian surge ... it's very important that we get the political strategy right at this time."

DTN News: U. S. Marines, Sailors Undertake Deployment In Afghanistan

DTN News: U. S. Marines, Sailors Undertake Deployment In Afghanistan *Source: DTN News / American Forces Press Service (NSI News Source Info) HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - January 03, 2010: Walking off the loading ramp of a C-17 cargo plane and into vibrant sunlight, members of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment arrived at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, Dec. 15.Marines and sailors with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment disembark a C-17 cargo plane at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, Dec. 15, 2009, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. For many of the junior Marines and sailors of 1/6, this is their first deployment, and in many cases their first time outside of the United States. The Marines and sailors grabbed their gear and loaded into white busses turned brown from dust and set out to Camp Leatherneck where they filed into ballroom-size tents and picked out places to bed down in their new home. For some of the servicemembers the deployment marks a return to Afghanistan after serving there in 2008. For others, it is their first Afghanistan deployment, and in many cases, their first trip outside of the United States. Later, the Marines get on phones in the early morning to hear the voices of friends, wives and children. Card and board games are played between training and work, as the Marines and sailors seek out a routine that can be maintained throughout the course of their deployment. There’s a level of uncertainty tugging at everyone, but it’s expected, and solidarity and encouragement are easily found among the group, said Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Bright, an administration clerk who is on his first deployment outside the United States. Taliban and al-Qaida fighters, Bright acknowledged, are an intelligent and resourceful enemy. “I'm not as worried about gunfire,” Bright said, noting he’s more concerned about the enemy’s use of improvised explosive devices. “We can handle a straight-up fight,” Bright emphasized. However, Bright said, the Marines and sailors also feel a sense of purpose and direction, as well as a thrill that comes with participating in something big and historic. “I'm excited to be a part of the effort to help train and mold the Afghan military in order to lay the foundation for them to provide security and stability for their own people,” Bright said. “The biggest thing that I think will help is to just keep some degree of normalcy – to keep your mind off of what might happen.” Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Esemann, a training specialist, is participating in his second deployment to Afghanistan with the 6th Marine Regiment. He looked back on the change between his first deployment and now. “When I first got here last year, there was that feeling of loneliness and uncertainty and that thought of: ‘What have I gotten myself into?’” said Esemann, as he eyed several Christmas stockings sent by stateside well-wishers. “This time when we arrived, the first thought was: “’I know this place,’ and I felt surprised by how much it had changed for the better.” Marine Gunnery Sgt. Richard D. Ayala also is on his second deployment to Afghanistan, which marks his sixth overseas deployment, overall. Ayala reflected on the difficulties facing Marines and sailors deploying to Afghanistan for the first time. “Having to deal with a deployment this close to the holidays is probably the hardest part for most, especially those with wives and children,” said Ayala, a 15-year Marine Corps veteran. “You need to stay vigilant and press forward, always taking that 30-inch step.” As he turned to leave, Ayala paused, and reiterated that the Marines and sailors need to be on their toes in Afghanistan. "You need to remain focused and control what you can; don't let your mind wander towards what you can't."