Afghan Army Is Getting Ready For A Spring Offensive (Video)

WNU Editor: I am sure the Taliban will be ready for them. This is also telling me that 2019 is shaping up to be the bloodiest year of the war since the U.S. invasion in 2001.

Afghanistan's New Black Hawks Can't Match Its Older Russian Choppers

Warzone/The Drive: Pentagon Admits Afghanistan's New Black Hawks Can't Match Its Older Russian Choppers

A new official report raises serious concerns about whether the new helicopters will actually hurt the Afghan military's ability to operate.

A report from a top U.S. military watchdog has finally acknowledged that the UH-60A+ Black Hawks that the United States is supplying to the Afghan Air Force are less capable and harder to maintain than the Russian-made Mi-17 Hip helicopters they have now. The review raises concerns that this could limit Afghanistan’s ability to conduct operations across the country unless steps are taking to mitigate the loss of capability, something we at The War Zone have long warned could easily be the case.

The Pentagon’s own Office of the Inspector General included these frank admissions in a routine, periodic update on U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, nicknamed Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, and assistance to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), which it released in May 2018. The Department of Defense leads this oversight effort, which also includes representatives from the U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: If you cannot transport your military and/or supply re-reinforcements to a battle .... you will lose the war.

Afghanistan’s First Female General Wants More Women In The Army

Female Afghan Soldier in Training. Reuters

VOA: Afghanistan’s First Female General Calls for More Women in Military

Khatol Mohammadzai was active in the Afghan army for more than 30 years. She earned many awards and made nearly 600 parachute jumps from an airplane. In addition, Mohammadzai has trained hundreds of Ministry of Defense members.

But it took the U.S.-led military coalition’s defeat of the Taliban in 2001 to make it possible for Mohammadzai to become a general. She is the first woman in Afghanistan to reach the rank of general. For years, the Afghan National Army has been considered a man’s army.

Khatol said, “When I move around the city with my uniform, people show great affection…I have motivated many young people to join the army. People from the provinces say they love me and my professions.”

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WNU Editor:  According to the above report .... there are only 1,700 women in the Afghan military (less than one percent).

These Are Afghanistan's Best Troops

Members of the Crisis Response Unit, also known as the 222, get a reconditioning training at the Special Police Training Center in Camp Lion, Afghanistan. Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times

L.A. Times: These are Afghanistan's best troops. The U.S. is backing a plan to create many more of them

His knees swaying and his smooth face shadowed by an oversized helmet, Amir Khan Mohammad Naim did not look like an elite law enforcement officer.

But when a call went out in his rural hometown for recruits to join Afghanistan’s police commandos, the 21-year-old farmer’s son from the quiet province of Daykundi did not hesitate.

“My duty is to secure Afghanistan, meter by meter,” Naim said recently between drills at a police training center north of Kabul, where NATO advisors are overseeing part of a major transformation in Afghan security forces.

While conventional Afghan soldiers and police struggle to hold their ground against insurgents, the country’s special forces have been a rare success story, routinely responding first to attacks and leading the majority of offensive operations. Now the U.S.-led coalition is backing a plan to nearly double the size of the elite units in an effort to take back territory from the militants.

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WNU Editor: This was the U.S. strategy deployed against the Islamic State in Iraq (i.e. training Iraqi special forces and elite Iraqi army units that targeted enemy strongholds) .... and is now being deployed in Afghanistan. But Afghanistan is going to need more than just a few thousand elite soldiers to beat back the Taliban and the Islamic State.

After 10 Years Someone Has Finally Realised That The Afghan Army Uniform Is Not Suitable For The Terrain Of Afghanistan

New York Times: A Dumb Decision’: U.S. Said to Waste $28 Million on Afghan Army Camouflage

The United States spent up to $28 million more than it had to on camouflage uniforms for the Afghan National Army because of the sartorial tastes of a single Afghan official, an American government watchdog said on Wednesday.

A report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction found that the Pentagon needlessly spent millions to license a proprietary camouflage pattern that replicates lush forests. Most of Afghanistan’s landscape, however, is desert, and the Defense Department owns dozens of similar patterns it could have used free, the report said.

“They picked the pattern based on a fashion preference, not by experts, but by the minister of defense,” said John F. Sopko, the special inspector general. “That was a dumb decision.”

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WNU Editor: I have seen this Afghan Army camouflage pattern for years .... and I have commented before that it never made sense to me on why were these soldiers wearing a uniform that did not blend in at all with what Afghanistan looks like. To say that this was an unbelievably dumb decision is an understatement. And blaming it on an Afghan official is even dumber. The U.S. paid for these uniforms .... they knew what they were buying .... or at least they should have stopped the contract immediately when they realised what they were buying. But apparently no one wanted to do anything ....  even senior U.S. generals who saw first hand what the Afghan soldiers were wearing but choose to say nothing .... AND THIS WENT ON FOR 10 YEARS!!!!!

More News On The SIGAR Report On Afghan Army Uniforms

These Afghan army uniforms cost American taxpayers $28 million 'in the name of fashion' -- Military Times
Pentagon Accused of Wasting Up to $28M on ‘Inappropriate’ Afghan Soldier Uniforms -- NBC
US watchdog decries pricey woodland uniforms for Afghan army -- AFP
Pentagon wasted $28million on woodland camouflage uniforms for Afghan soldiers - even though most of the country is desert -- Daily Mail
Watchdog: Pentagon may have wasted $30 million on buying the wrong pattern of Afghan army uniforms -- FOX News
Pentagon wasted $28 million on uniforms for Afghan soldiers, report says -- USA Today
Pentagon 'wasted $28m' on Afghan camouflaged uniforms -- BBC
Botched Choice For Afghan Army Uniforms Wasted Tens Of Millions Of U.S. Dollars -- NPR
IG Report: U.S. Spent $100 Million on Camouflage That May Make Afghan Army Better Targets -- Washington Free Beacon

Afghanistan Has More Generals Than The U.S. MIlitary

Seventy three Afghan Army officers graduated from the Afghan Army Command and Staff College’s Command and General Staff College course. The mission is to provide professional military education for First Lieutenants to Major Generals (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Nevison)

Mujib Mashal, New York Times: Being an Afghan General Is Nice Work if You Can Get It. And Many Do.

Afghanistan may struggle to recruit enough soldiers for its armed forces, but it’s swimming in generals.

The country has close to 1,000 officers of general rank on its books — more than the United States, whose military is three times as large. And off the books? No one knows.

New names are added to the roster at a rate far out of proportion to battlefield realities, where the Afghan armed forces — the army, national police and intelligence forces, numbering 350,000 in all — have been steadily losing soldiers and territory to the Taliban. Meanwhile, retirements are rare.

The United States government, which picks up much of the tab for the Afghan military, can’t pin down the number of generals. “We still don’t know how many police and how many soldiers we’re paying salaries for,” said John F. Sopko, the United States special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction. “We don’t even know how many generals. It is pretty pathetic, and here we are, 15 years into this.”

It’s nice work if you can get it, with fairly good pay, fringe benefits and a pension. So how do you become an Afghan general?

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Afghanistan has about 1,000 Generals. There are about 900 U.S. Generals and Admirals .... Does The US Military Have Too Many Generals? (Task & Purpose).

Afghan Army Strain To Combat And Contain Taliban Offensives

Afghan special forces arrive for a battle with the Taliban in Kunduz city, northern Afghanistan, September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer

New York Times: On Their Own, Afghan Forces Strain to Combat Taliban Offensives

KABUL, Afghanistan — As Afghan forces struggle to break a weeklong Taliban siege of central neighborhoods in the provincial capital of Kunduz, insurgents are also stepping up pressure on urban centers in western and southern Afghanistan, officials said Sunday.

In Farah Province, in the west, Afghan security forces have called for reinforcements to hold the line against the insurgents’ offensive. Fierce battles are also raging around Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province, in the south, which has been surrounded for months as Afghan forces have failed to reverse Taliban gains.

The fall of central areas of Kunduz City, where street-to-street fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people, has punctured the belief that Afghan forces, trained and financed by Western allies, could protect major urban centers. In recent months, Afghan troops have suffered record casualties.

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Update #1: Not their job: Turning Afghanistan’s special forces into regular troops (Washington Post).
Update #2: Taliban explosives are becoming more powerful. Afghan soldiers are paying the price. (Washington Post)

WNU Editor: If it was not for the 10,000 U.S. and allied forces in the country .... backed with their air power and coupled with massive aid .... I cannot help but feel that the Afghan war would have been over a year or two ago .... and that the Taliban would now be in charge.

The U.S. Has Spent $17 Billion To Arm The Afghan Army And National Police But The Taliban Are Still Winning

Afghan soldiers stand in formation in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, November of 2008. Photo by John Scott Rafoss of the United States of America. Wikipedia

Washington Free Beacon: U.S. Spends $17 Billion to Arm Struggling Afghan Armed Forces as Taliban Surges

Afghan force shrinks despite billions in military aid from U.S.

The United States has spent more than $17 billion to provide weapons, ammunition, and other military equipment to Afghanistan’s struggling defense forces, even as the number of Afghans enlisted in these services dips amid a resurgence in Taliban-backed violence, according to new figures published by a government oversight body.

The United States has spent nearly $13 billion to arm the Afghan National Army as of May 31, 2016 and another $4.2 billion on weapons for the Afghan National Police, according to figures from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

The latest tally of U.S. expenditures for these forces comes amid a new surge of violence in Afghanistan caused by the Taliban, which President Obama said had been “toppled” on Monday.

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WNU Editor: Now I know why some Taliban units are better armed than the Afghan Army .... The Taliban Have An Elite Commando Force That Is Causing Havoc On The Afghan Army (August 8, 2016).

Forty Percent Of The Afghan Army In Helmand Province Does Not Exist

An Afghan national army soldier mans his position at an outpost in Babaji. Photograph: Abdul Malik/Reuters

The Guardian: Afghanistan's 'ghost soldiers': thousands enlisted to fight Taliban don't exist

Investigation found that 40% of troops in Helmand province are fake names or dead men, leaving Afghan border patrol filling the front line void indefinitely.

From about 8.30pm until well after midnight, the dark blue sky above Babaji lit up, as rockets and flares crisscrossed above this cluster of villages close to Helmand’s provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.

At a mud fortress beyond a river bridge painted in the tricolours of the Afghan flag, 24 members of the Afghan border police dug in. They were not supposed to be there.

“We were not trained to fight on the front line,” said Cpt Ghulam Wali Afghan, the commander, when the Guardian visited the post.

As their name suggests, Wali Afghan’s men are meant to protect Afghanistan’s porous border, where smugglers cross with copious drugs, weapons and people.

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WNU Editor: Sighhh .... this is not a new story. Ghosts soldiers have been the norm in this conflict for as long as I can remember .... and it should be clear to everyone right now that there are many in the Afghan Army and in the government who are not interested in cleaning this up.

Afghan Has Too Many 'Ghost' Soldiers

A member of the Afghan Quick Reaction Force (QRF) fires a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher during an operation near the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, in this January 4, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/ANIL USYAN/FILES

WNU Editor: A must read post from the AP on "ghost soldiers" in the Afghan army .... Afghan forces, with ranks thinned by 'ghost' soldiers, struggle to man front-lines (AP). Meanwhile, the war continues .... Afghan forces retake northern district from Taliban (Reuters), and U.S. soldiers continue to be deployed .... US Army Announces 1,800 Soldiers to Deploy to Iraq, Afghanistan (Military.com)

Life As An Afghan Policewomen

Police training in Kabul. The hiring of policewomen has been a priority for Western funding organizations. Credit Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

New York Times: Afghan Policewomen Struggle Against Culture

In a clash between Western ideals and Afghan realities, an effort to elevate the status of women by recruiting them to the police force has often backfired.


JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Parveena almost got away.

She was on her way home from a visit to her parents in a remote corner of eastern Afghanistan with her children by her side and a small group of women. Two men, their faces covered by kaffiyehs, pulled up on a motor scooter.

“Who is Parveena, daughter of Sardar?” said one, looking at the group of women, their faces hidden behind blue burqas.

No one answered. One of the men took his Kalashnikov and used the muzzle to lift the burqa of the nearest woman — in conservative Afghan society, a gesture akin to undressing her in public. It was Parveena, who like many Afghans used only one name. She grabbed the muzzle, according to her father and her brother, and said, “Who is asking?”

But the gunmen had seen her face, and they fired 11 bullets into her.

WNU Editor: This New York Time's article was posted earlier this year. There are no recent articles on how is this program faring .... but I suspect that with the Taliban now being very aggressive in targeting the security forces, life as a policewomen must be precarious at best.

Has The U.S. Failed In Training The Iraq And Afghan Armies?

The U.S. hopes to double the size of the Afghan national army within the next two years. Above, Afghan recruits shortly before graduation from the Kabul Military Training Center. Yochi Dreazen/The Wall Street Journal

Washington Times: Iraq, Afghanistan forces struggling despite years of U.S. investment, training

Battlefield reverses in Iraq and the stepped-up tempo of terrorist strikes in the heart of Afghanistan’s capital in recent days are raising fresh questions about whether U.S. efforts to stand up and train both countries’ armed forces will ever pay off militarily.

Military experts say the Islamic State’s ability to drive Iraqi Security Forces out of Ramadi shows that Iraqis are not yet effective enough to defend their own country, despite billions of dollars spent by U.S. taxpayers to prepare them for the task.

WNU Editor: In view of what is now happening .... there is no question in my mind that the U.S. has failed in their training programs for the Iraq and Afghan miltiary. Spending billions of dollars and allocating hundreds (if not thousands) of trainers to train and equip a military that is in a country with a long history (and culture) of corruption, sectarianism/tribalism, and a professional military infrastructure that is all but non-existent will .... to put it bluntly .... not work .... unless one is ready to spend years (if not decades) and tens of billions of dollars to do so. Since no country is willing to make such a commitment .... a different strategy is definitely needed. On a personal note .... I have never been confident that nation-building (with short term objectives in mind) is a workable policy for a country like the U.S. .... I can now say the same about building up a professional military from scratch in a "Third World" nation.

The Afghan Army Is Being Decimated

Newly trained Afghan army recruits (Wikimedia Commons)

New York Times: Figures From U.S.-Led Coalition Show Heavy 2014 Losses for Afghan Army

WASHINGTON — The Afghan Army lost more than 20,000 fighters and others last year largely because of desertions, discharges and deaths in combat, according to figures to be released Tuesday, casting further doubt on Afghanistan’s ability to maintain security without help from United States-led coalition forces.

The nearly 11 percent decline from January to November 2014, to roughly 169,000 uniformed and civilian members from 190,000, is now an issue of deep concern among some in the American military. For example, the former No. 2 American commander in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, called the rate of combat deaths unsustainable before he departed at the end of last year.

Update: Afghan National Army decimated by dwindling personnel -- Washington Times

WNU Editor: This is how you lose wars. What also does not help the situation is that apparently the Afghan Army numbers are inflated .... Report: Afghan National Army Numbers Inflated (UN Tribune). Do I smell corruption .... the U.S. has spent $50 billion in building up the Afghan Army .... and this is the end result?!?!?!

IN an ominous development, guess who is going to make up for this shortfall .... U.S. Army announces new Afghanistan deployments (Army Times).

Update: This is what is wrong with Afghanistan .... these police chiefs were sacked for corruption, but were then given jobs elsewhere .... Afghan President Ghani sacks Kabul police chiefs (BBC).

The True State Of The Afghan Military Has Now Been Classified As 'Top Secret'

Recruits get ready to become members of the Afghan National Police force in Kandahar province. DoD photo / TSgt Adrienne Brammer

The Capabilities Of The Afghan Military Are Suddenly a Secret -- Time

Watchdog says U.S. taxpayers can’t know if investment is paying off.

For years, American taxpayers have been able to chart how well the Afghanistan security forces they’re funding are faring, because “capability assessments” detailing their progress have been routinely released.

Not anymore.

As the U.S. military prepares to withdraw most of its 34,000 troops still in Afghanistan by the end of this year, the American-led command there has suddenly made such information secret.

Read more ....

More News On The 'Top Secret' Classification For Any Report On What Is The State Of The Afghan Military

Want to Know How the U.S. Taxpayer-Funded Afghan Army Is Performing? That's Classified. -- New Republic
U.S. Military Classifying Assessments of Afghan Military -- Bloomberg Businessweek
True State of Afghan Military Kept Secret, Report Says -- NBC

Afghan Forces Are Proving To Be Surprisingly Effective

U.S. special forces soldiers assist Afghan security forces as they move toward insurgents who attacked them en route to their objective in the Gelan district in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, Feb. 8, 2014. The U.S. soldiers are assigned to Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan. The combined forces cleared a village where the harassing fire originated, causing the insurgents to retreat. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. David Devich

Afghan Forces Have Proved Surprisingly Effective -- Jim Michaels, USA Today

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — It was a tactic that surprised the Americans almost as much as the Taliban.

Afghan soldiers in two single-file columns picked their way through a minefield, got behind Taliban positions and launched their attack. The panicked insurgents were forced to flee through their own minefield, which was seeded with improvised explosives.

The last-minute change was cooked up by the Afghans, reversing a plan earlier developed with U.S. advisers.

"They completely fooled everyone," said British Army Col. Baz Bennett, the director of Afghan security force assistance in Regional Command Southwest, headquartered in Helmand province, a former Taliban stronghold. It worked, Bennett said.

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My Comment: The problem has never been the Afghan Army .... granted that there are many `bad apples`.... but there are also many good soldiers. The problem in Afghanistan has always been the government and the culture of corruption that permeates much of it. If the focus was on fighting the Taliban and building up the country and not enriching themselves and their friends.... Afghanistan would not be in the mess that it is in today.

The Sad State Of The Afghan Army Today

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Flores gives a safety brief to his students to kick off the final day of their 60mm mortar system training course on Forward Operating Base Gamberi in Laghman province, Afghanistan, Jan. 8, 2014. Flores, a mortar system lead trainer, is assigned to 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment. The Afghan soldiers are assigned to 4th Brigade, 201st Afghan national army corps. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Eric Provost

British Soldiers Claim Afghan Colleagues Take Drugs And 'Touch Up The Guys They Are Working With' -- Daily Mail

* Soldiers raise concerns over Afghan forces as they describe drug taking
* One says Afghan soldiers 'touch up guys they are working with when high'
* Revelations come as former US commander warns country could slip back into civil war if it does not continue to receive support from the West

British soldiers have claimed their Afghan colleagues regularly take drugs and sometimes 'touch up the guys they were working with'.

The soldiers made the comments as they raised concerns over the Afghan forces while speaking about the future of the country and whether the NATO mission was a success.

The revelations come as Stanley McChrystal, former US commander General, warned Afghanistan could slip back into civil war if it does not continue to receive support from the West following the withdrawal of most international troops this year.

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My Comment: You cannot undo centuries of culture and then (for their army) instill a Western military one in less than a decade. Oh well .... at least the Afghan army will be left with some impressive British military equipment.

How Will The Afghan Army Perform As NATO Forces Start To Leave

How Will Afghan Forces Fare As NATO Troops Draw Down? -- NPR

Shiite Muslims gathered in Kabul last week to celebrate Ashura, one of the holiest days on their religious calendar. Hundreds of shirtless men chanted and flogged themselves with chains tipped with knife-like shards of metal.

In the past, these public Shiite commemorations have become targets of the Taliban and other Islamist extremists. In 2011, a suicide bomber killed 56 Shiites marking Ashura. But this year, security was particularly tight.

Shopkeeper Noor Aga said the celebration was magnificent, and he felt safe.

"Security is better compared to previous years in Afghanistan, but we cannot say our country is fully secure," he said through a translator. "There are provinces and cities that are very insecure."

Wardak province, just southwest of Kabul, is one. Zalmai, a civil servant who uses only one name, said there's no security there.

"I cannot go to my province because the roads are not safe," he said in Dari.

Read more ....

More News On The Progress Of The Afghan Army

Challenges remain for Afghan army: spokesman -- AP
Afghan troops will need help for years -- Washington Times
Afghan Forces Effective While Sustainment Remains a Problem -- US Department of Defense
Afghan forces leading fight against Taliban, Pentagon says -- USA Today
US Report: Afghan Forces Effective But Need Help -- Voice of America
US general: 'We are on a positive path' in Afghanistan -- NBC
Call for extra UK aid as desertions hit Afghan army -- The Sunday Times
DoD: Some Afghan forces forge truces with Taliban -- Navy Times
Alone in the field, Afghan forces hold Taliban at bay but long-term success is not assured -- FOX News/AP
Afghan Air Force Races To Prepare For Solo Mission -- NPR
Exeter rifle team on operations with the Afghan National Army -- Express & Echo
Photos: The Afghan Army Prepares to Fight on Its Own -- New Republic
Morale poor among Canadians training Afghan forces, survey shows -- Globe and Mail/Canadian press
'Guardian Angel' keeps peace between American and Afghan soldiers -- NBC

The Afghan Army Will Need Help For Years

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Vince Campochiaro, foreground left, teaches an Afghan soldier how to properly zero a rifle at a range on Forward Operating Base Shukvani in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Nov. 18, 2013. Campochiaro, a team leader, is assigned to Scout Sniper Platoon, Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. James Mast

Afghan Troops Will Need Help For Years -- Washington Times

Insurgents make gains as NATO pulls back

Al Qaeda’s relationship with the Afghan Taliban remains “intact,” but the number of al Qaeda fighters in the country remains very low, according to the Pentagon’s semi-annual report to Congress on the Afghanistan War.

In addition, Taliban insurgents have made gains in rural areas vacated by NATO troops, and Afghan troop casualties have increased by 79 percent in the past six months while coalition casualties have decreased, states the report, which was released earlier this month.

According to the report, Afghan troops will need “substantial” mentoring and aid after 2014 in order to defeat the Taliban, despite having made significant improvements. Afghan troops now conduct 95 percent of all conventional operations and 98 percent of all special operations, but they still need help with medical support, clearing routes of roadside bombs, restocking remote bases and conducting air attacks.

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My Comment: It is good to know that the Afghan Army is now conducting 95 percent of all conventional operations and 98 percent of all special operations .... but it is not good that their casualty rate has skyrocketed up by 79%. The Afghan military will need help in logistics and air support .... these are the operations that take the longest time to assemble and properly train.

Afghanistan's 'Sandhurst' Officer Academy Opens It's Doors

Inside Afghanistan's Army Officer Academy -- Al Jazeera

As NATO forces wind down deployments, first-ever school to train military leaders gears up.

Kabul, Afghanistan - The young men arrive in traditional Afghan shalwar khamiz dress, walking past the tents that will be their homes and classrooms for the next year.

Already more than 200 of their fellow cadets are sitting on the makeshift parade ground, their heads newly shorn, wearing fresh uniforms.

This is the first-ever class of the Afghan National Army Officer Academy, a new school created to build Afghanistan's future military leaders. The transformation doesn't take long and in about 15 minutes, the new arrivals are sitting with the men they will study with for the next year.

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More News On Afghanistan's 'Sandhurst' Officer Academy Opening It's Doors

Officer academy dubbed Afghan Sandhurst opens its doors -- BBC
Afghanistan's 'Sandhurst in the Sand' opens its doors -- The Telegraph
British train new model Afghan army -- Scotsman
Afghanistan gets new army academy modeled after Britain's Sandhurst -- AP

Afghan Army Takes The Lead

Afghan Soldiers Enter A Taliban Nest — Without U.S. Troops By Their Side -- Washington Post

In TANGI VALLEY, AFGHANISTAN — When the first Afghan soldiers arrived at the mouth of the Tangi Valley last week, they saw a Taliban flag waving over a towering bluff. They had entered a sliver of their own country that did not belong to them, beginning one of the most daunting missions in the short history of the Afghan army.

They climbed to the rocky peak and plucked the enemy’s flag from the ground. That’s when the first makeshift bomb exploded, a booby trap that blew the men off their feet and threw a plume of dust and smoke and fire into the air.

It was an early confirmation of what Afghan and U.S. troops already knew: The Tangi is not just another insurgent haven. According to many intelligence estimates, it is the most dangerous vein in the country’s eastern hinterlands, home to Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters. It is the site of the deadliest attack endured by the U.S. military in Afghanistan and one of the biggest staging grounds for assaults on Kabul, just 60 miles away.

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WNU Editor: Two more must read articles on the effectiveness of the Afghan Army.

Teething pains for the Afghan army -- The Hindu
With Swagger, Afghan Army Takes the Lead -- New York Times