U.S. Military Suspends Joint Patrols With Afghans
BY Herschel Smith
12 years, 3 months ago
From CBS News:
The strategy for getting U.S. forces out of Afghanistan depends on training Afghan soldiers and police to protect the country themselves, but on Monday the U.S. military suspended most joint field operations with Afghan forces because so many Americans are being killed by the men they are training.
Afghan government troops — our allies — have turned their guns on NATO forces 36 times this year, killing 51, most of them Americans. That is more attacks than the last two years combined.
The order effectively suspends “until further notice” most of the operations which U.S. and Afghan troops conduct side by side. At higher headquarters, Afghans and Americans will still work together, but in the field small unit operations putting Afghan soldiers alongside Americans — the guts of the U.S. strategy to turn the fighting over to Afghans — will be suspended unless an exception is granted by a commanding general.
The order was issued after a long weekend in which four American and two British troops were killed by so-called “insider attacks” — Afghans turning their guns on their supposed allies.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey called the surge in insider attacks “a very serious threat to the campaign.”
In addition, two Marines were killed and eight fighter jets destroyed by enemy fighters who penetrated a heavily fortified base.
A very serious threat to the campaign. You think so? As for the Harriers destroyed by the Taliban, it cost us up to $240 million.
But regarding the suspension of patrols, is that the sound of state-building and population-centric counterinsurgency being flushed down the toilet? Coriolis acceleration is too weak to effect the direction that water spins in a toilet. So you can imagine it going whichever way you like.
On September 18, 2012 at 7:12 am, jean said:
I wondered if we will see some type of munity or whole unit desertions in the future. One my favorite books is about the Indian Sepoy munity in the 1850’s.
On September 18, 2012 at 12:04 pm, Šťoural said:
What advice do Director CIA?
Ace in the hole-Afghan Local Police!!!
On September 18, 2012 at 12:53 pm, Šťoural said:
Ad Jean,
Mutiny is nothing new under the sun.
At the same time, Afghanistan’s conscripted army was unstable and not up to dealing with emerging mujahideen (holy warriors). Tensions between Soviet advisors and Afghan commanders also grew. In March 1979, the insurgency took a drastic turn. A rebel attack against the city of Herat, coupled with an army mutiny, resulted in the massacre of 50 Soviet officers and their dependents. Patrick Garrity wrote in 1980:
Soviet advisors were hunted down by specially assigned insurgent assassination squads. . . . Westerners reportedly saw Russian women and children running for their lives from the area of the Soviet-built Herat Hotel. Those Russians that were caught were killed: some were flayed alive, others were beheaded and cut into pieces.2
A leading figure in the attack on the Soviet advisors was then–Afghan army Captain Ismail Khan, who later became a resistance leader and then a regional warlord (who preferred the title emir), and thereafter a Karzai cabinet officer
http://www.ndu.edu/press/understanding-ch3.html
On September 20, 2012 at 10:04 am, Big Bob from KY said:
We are soooooooooo glad that our son just returned from there after a 10 month deployment with the Ohio Army Nat’l Guard. Although they were primarily in the “peaceful” northern part of the country, 8 from his Brigade paid the ultimate price while deployed.
My thought is that we’ve been there long enough. His view is that they are basically heathen who are beyond any help from us.
On September 20, 2012 at 10:10 pm, anan said:
Received an e-mail from ISAF. It looks like most (probably the vast majority) of ANSF advisors will see very little change.
It is worth noting that the ANSF have sole security responsibility in parts of Afghanistan where 76% of Afghans live.
A change may occur in cases of “embedded partnership”, although even then all that is needed is for the RC commander to authorize a specific embedded partnership. The large majority of ANSF units (especially experienced ones) have already transitioned from “embedded partnership” to advisors.
“embedded partnership” is a bad idea for all but the most inexperienced or dysfunctional ANSF units in my opinion.
This looks like a mostly media generated story.
On September 20, 2012 at 10:15 pm, Herschel Smith said:
I am in communication with persons who are in Afghanistan, and it is not a “media generated story.”