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Kunduz governor has asked for the sending of more soldiers to his province, saying that Haqani’s men and some Chechens have infiltrated Kunduz.
Lo que dicen los Talibanes:Mueca escribió:Comento también que se ha iniciado la operación en Helmand, limbieza británica y norteamericana en la zona (la población lo pedía incluso).
Un millar de efectivos partirán en marzo desde Ronda (Málaga) dentro del contingente Aspfor XXV
El acto oficial de despedida se celebrará el próximo sábado en el Acuartelamiento 'General Gabeiras' del municipio malagueño
EUROPA PRESS
El contingente de Aspfor XXV partirá el próximo mes de marzo con destino a Afganistán para participar en la misión internacional de ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) de la OTAN en el país afgano, donde se desplegará en torno a un millar de efectivos en la Base 'General Urrutia' y en la nueva Base de Qala e Naw, provincia de Badghis, y en la Base Logística Avanzada de Herat con el objetivo de proporcionar un ambiente de seguridad y estabilidad.
Así lo indicaron a Europa Press fuentes de Defensa, que especificaron que del millar de efectivos que permanecerán durante cuatro meses en el país de Oriente Medio al mando del Coronel de Infantería Miguel Martín Bernardi, el 27 por ciento son mandos mientras que el resto son militares de tropa profesional, con una participación de un cuatro por ciento de mujeres, de las que el 35 por ciento son cuadros de mando.
El Tercio 'Alejandro Farnesio' IV de La Legión, acantonado en el Acuartelamiento 'General Gabeiras' en Ronda (Málaga), y perteneciente a la Brigada de la Legión 'Rey Alfonso XIII' afincada en la base 'Álvarez de Sotomayor' de Viator (Almería), constituye el núcleo principal en torno al cual se organiza Aspfor XXV.
El contingente, que tendrá su acto oficial de despedida el próximo sábado día 13 en Ronda (Málaga), estará además reforzado por otras unidades de diversa procedencia y especialidad, entre las que cobran importancia por su participación, las unidades de helicópteros del Batallón de Helicópteros de Transporte V con base en Colmenar Viejo (Madrid) y la Unidad de apoyo logístico a cargo de la Unidad de Apoyo Logístico número 21 de Sevilla.
El mismo también está integrado por la Brigada de Transmisiones, las Fuerzas Aeromóviles del Ejército de Tierra (Famte), el Batallón Cimic, y el Regimiento de Inteligencia número 1 entre otros. Así, desde Defensa también se destacó que un centenar de elementos del contingente son de origen extranjero de los cuales son de nacionalidad colombiana --un 59 por ciento-- y ecuatoriana, --un 24 por cierno-- y el resto de otros orígenes hispanoamericanos.
El contingente de Aspfor XXV cuenta con dos unidades fundamentales entre las que se encuentra un equipo de reconstrucción provincial, con sede en Qala e Naw en la provincia de Badghis, que tiene los elementos necesarios que le permitan desarrollar las capacidades para cumplir su misión, y el batallón de maniobra, con la misma sede y con medios y capacidades de maniobra y combate para desarrollar misiones de seguridad y protección. Además, el contingente cuenta con una Unidad Logística Conjunta que despliega tanto en Qala e Naw como en Herat y una Unidad de Helicópteros con base en Herat.
En este sentido, para el cumplimiento de la misión los efectivos contarán con vehículos entre los que se encuentran los nuevos RG-31 y Lince (MLV), helicópteros 'Chinook' así como equipos de desactivación de explosivos y armamento ligero y colectivo.
MISIÓN Y COMETIDOS
La misión del equipo de Reconstrucción Provincial (PRT) es proporcionar un ambiente de seguridad y estabilidad a la provincia de Bagdhis para apoyar a su reconstrucción. De igual forma, el Batallón de Maniobra, en completa cooperación con las fuerzas de seguridad afganas, y bajo mando de ISAF, llevará a cabo operaciones, principalmente en la provincia de Badguis, con la finalidad de proteger a la población local, apoyar el desarrollo y las acciones del Gobierno de Afganistán.
Durante los últimos días, el contingente al completo desarrolló un ejercicio en el la base almeriense 'Álvarez de Sotomayor' y algunos pueblos de la provincia de Almería. Este ejercicio se encuentra enmarcado dentro de las actividades preparatorias programadas en la Fase de Concentración.
El ejercicio consistió, por una parte, en el adiestramiento de pequeñas unidades, y por otro, en la evaluación de todo el contingente, de forma que las unidades regresaron a la localidad de Ronda el día 4 de febrero para continuar con la preparación hasta el despliegue en Afganistán.
An Afghan civilian led an ISAF team to an explosives cache in the Shindand district of Herat province. The cache contained a rocket and 14 artillery projectiles. The cache will be destroyed by an explosive ordnance disposal team. http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/ne ... p&id=45288
Estupendo párrafo el resaltado: Hay gente que dice que estamos luchando contra chicos con zapatillas de baño y albornoces. Bueno, un montón de chicos en chanclas y albornoces podría derrotar a 44 naciones.Military launches Afghanistan intelligence-gathering mission
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 04918.html
By Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, February 20, 2010
KABUL -- On their first day of class in Afghanistan, the new U.S. intelligence analysts were given a homework assignment.
First read a six-page classified military intelligence report about the situation in Spin Boldak, a key border town and smuggling route in southern Afghanistan. Then read a 7,500-word article in Harper's magazine, also about Spin Boldak and the exploits of its powerful Afghan border police commander.
The conclusion they were expected to draw: The important information would be found in the magazine story. The scores of spies and analysts producing reams of secret documents were not cutting it.
"They need help," Capt. Matt Pottinger, a military intelligence officer, told the class. "And that's what you're going to be doing."
The class that began Friday in plywood hut B-8 on a military base in Kabul marked a first step in what U.S. commanders envision as a major transformation in how intelligence is gathered and used in the war against the Taliban.
Last month, Maj. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the top U.S. military intelligence officer in Afghanistan, published a scathing critique of the quality of information at his disposal. Instead of understanding the nuances of local politics, economics, religion and culture that drive the insurgency, he said, the multibillion-dollar industry devoted nearly all its effort to digging up dirt on insurgent groups.
"Eight years into the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. intelligence community is only marginally relevant to the overall strategy," he wrote in a paper co-authored by Pottinger and another official and published by the Center for a New American Security.
Part of Flynn's new approach is to deploy dozens of new intelligence analysts with more freedom to move throughout the country, including out on the ground with U.S. soldiers and civilians, to write detailed narratives about key districts of Afghanistan. These reports are intended to give commanders and foot soldiers a more textured understanding of the population that the U.S. military has set out to protect.
At the moment, about 90 percent of the intelligence effort in Afghanistan tries to unravel the links "between various guys who are putting IEDs in the road," Pottinger said of the makeshift bombs known as improvised explosion devices, and "ten percent on all the rest."
"This ratio needs to be perfectly flipped upside down," he said.
The first crop of about 20 intelligence analysts assembled Friday at a counterinsurgency academy in Kabul for a week-long course to begin the process of rethinking their mission. Most of them came from the Defense Intelligence Agency, along with the Office of Naval Intelligence and Pentagon outfits such as the Afghanistan-Pakistan Task Force.
"You are like the IV being put into my arm right now," Flynn told them. "I need about five of them, but you're one that will be an infusion of energy and intellect that's going to help us continue to clarify and really give us a more clear picture of what it is that we're facing."
Military intelligence officials described the huge and unwieldy military bureaucracy as perhaps the biggest obstacle to change. The bureaucracy makes headquarters commanders wary of sending their analysts to roam the country conducting research.
Some of the intelligence analysts taking the course said they welcomed the new mission but still seemed unsure about what their new jobs would look like.
"My biggest question is, once they get the new data . . . how are they going to use that information to really change the situation here?" one analyst asked. Military officials requested that the analysts not be quoted by name.
The stakes involved in improving the quality of intelligence, Flynn told the class, could not be higher. Fueled in part by anger at the ineffective Afghan government, the insurgency has steadily gained strength. Around 2003, he said, the Taliban had about 1,500 fighters. That number has reached nearly 30,000. The past year, a record number of roadside bombs -- more than 9,000 -- were used, and the amount last month has set an even faster pace. He warned the analysts not to underestimate the sophistication or determination of the insurgents.
"I've heard people describe this [as] 'we're fighting a bunch of guys in shower shoes and bathrobes.' Well, a bunch of guys in shower shoes and bathrobes could beat 44 nations of the international community," Flynn said. "I mean, think about that."
But the military won't be able to defeat the insurgency just by chasing Taliban fighters across the country, Flynn said.
"If we didn't kill one more insurgent, we could win this thing. But if we kill 10,000 more, we'll lose. So it's not about killing our enemy," he said.
The Taliban BiographyThe Afghan Taliban leadership council
The Afghan Taliban leadership council, or rahbari shura, is often referred to as the Quetta Shura, as it is based in the Pakistani city of the same name. The Quetta Shura provides direction to the four regional military shuras and the 10 committees. The Quetta Shura is ultimately led by Mullah Mohammed Omar, the ‘leader of the faithful,’ who is the top leader of the Taliban, but Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar directed the Quetta Shura. Baradar was the Afghan Taliban's second in command and the group's operational commander who was detained in Karachi sometime in January or February 2010. Over the past several months, members of the Quetta Shura have been reported to be relocating to Karachi to avoid potential US airstrikes.
Regional military shuras
The Afghan Taliban have assigned regional military shuras for four major geographical areas of operations. The shuras are named after the areas in which they are based; note that all four of the regional military shuras are based in Pakistan (Quetta, Peshawar, Miramshah in North Waziristan, and Gerdi Jangal in Baluchistan).
• Quetta Regional Military Shura - This military shura, like the Taliban’s top council, takes its name from its base in the city of Quetta in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province. The Quetta Regional Military Shura directs activities in southern and western Afghanistan. It is currently led by Hafez Majid.
• Peshawar Regional Military Shura - Based in the city of Peshawar in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province, the Peshawar Regional Military Shura directs activities in eastern and northeastern Afghanistan. Abdul Latif Mansur is thought to currently lead the Peshawar shura. It was led by Maulvi Abdul Kabir before his arrest in Pakistan in February 2010.
• Miramshah Regional Military Shura - Based in Miramshah, the main town in Pakistan’s Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan, the Miramshah Regional Military Shura directs activities in southeastern Afghanistan, including the provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Logar, and Wardak. The Miramshah Regional Military Shura is led by Siraj Haqqani, the son of Jalaluddin Haqqani.
• Gerdi Jangal Regional Military Shura - Based in the Gerdi Jangal refugee camp in Baluchistan, this regional military shura focuses exclusively on Helmand Province and perhaps Nimroz province. The Gerdi Jangal Regional Military Shura is led by Mullah Adbul Zakir.
The 10 committees
Along with the four regional commands, the Afghan Taliban have 10 committees which address specific issues. Some of the members of the committees are also members of the Quetta Shura.
• Military - This committee was led by Mullah Nasir, the former shadow governor of Ghazni. It is not clear who currently leads the military committee.
• Ulema Council - Also known as the religious committee, it is currently led by Mawlawi Abdul Ali.
• Finance - This committee is led by Abdulhai Mutma’in.
• Political Affairs - This committee is reported to have been led by Maulvi Abdul Kabir before his capture in February 2010. His replacement is not yet known.
• Culture and Information - This committee, which deals with Taliban propaganda, is led by Amir Khan Mutaqqi.
• Interior Affairs - This committee is led by Mullah Abdul Jalil.
• Prisoners and Refugees - This committee is led by Mawlawi Wali Jan.
• Education - This committee is led by Mawlawi Ahmad Jan, however it may have been disbanded.
• Recruitment - This committee was led by Mullah Ustad Mohammad Yasir before he was arrested in Peshawar in January 2009. Yasir’s replacement is not known.
• Repatriation Committee - This committee is led Mullah Abdul Zakir.
Known active members of the Quetta Shura
The list below consists of the known members of the Quetta Shura. There may be additional members who are not listed, while some leaders on this list may no longer be on the shura.
• Hafiz Abdul Majeed is the current leader of the Quetta Regional Military Shura. He served as the Taliban’s intelligence chief.
• Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund was the governor of Kandahar and the Minister of Foreign Affairs during Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
• Mullah Mohammad Hassan Rehmani is considered to be very close to Mullah Omar. Rehmani has been described as his "shadow." He was the governor of Kandahar province during the reign of the Taliban.
• Mullah Abdul Qayum Zakir is the head of the Gerdi Jangal Regional Military Shura (Helmand and Nimroz provinces) and the Taliban's ‘surge’ commander in the South. Zakir is a former detainee of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba who currently serves as the Taliban’s ‘surge commander’ in the Afghan South.
• Amir Khan Muttaqi is the chief of the Information and Culture Committee.
• Siraj Haqqani is the leader of the Miramshah Regional Military Shura and the commander of the Haqqani Network. He is also the Taliban’s regional governor of Paktika, Paktia, and Khost.
• Mullah Mohammad Rasul was the governor of Nimroz province during the reign of the Taliban.
• Abdulhai Mutma’in is the chief of the Finance Committee. His served as a minister during the Taliban regime.
• Abdul Latif Mansur is the commander of the Abdul Latif Mansur Network in Paktika, Paktia, and Khost. He serves on the Miramshah Shura and was the former Minister of Agriculture for the Taliban regime. Mansur is thought to lead the Peshawar Regional Military Shura.
• Mullah Abdur Razzaq Akhundzada is the former corps commander for northern Afghanistan. He also served as the Taliban regime’s Interior Minister.
• Maulvi Hamdullah is the Taliban representative for the Gulf region. Hamdullah is considered to have been since 1994 one of Mullah Omar's most confidential aides. In addition, Hamdullah led the Finance Department in Kandahar during Taliban rule from 1994 until November 2001.
• Maulvi Qudratullah Jamal runs an investigative committee that deals with complaints from Afghan citizens against local Taliban personnel. Jamal also operates as a liaison to the Taliban's global supporters. He served as the Taliban’s chief of propaganda from 2002-2005.
• Maulvi Aminullah is the Taliban commander for Uruzgan province.
• Mullah Abdul Jalil is the head of the Taliban's Interior Affairs Committee.
• Qari Talha is the chief of Kabul operations for the Taliban.
• Sheikh Abdul Mana Niyazic is the Taliban shadow governor for Herat province.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/ ... z0gRl1mmH7
The Other Side. Dimensions of the Afghan Insurgency: Causes, Actors anDocuments Show U.S. Officials Worried Mullah Omar Was Growing Closer to Bin Laden in 1998
National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 295
Posted - November 13, 2009
Xinhua:Local officials in the Kushki Kuhna district of Herat claim that over 100 villages are under Taliban control
Clash leaves 5 Taliban
militants dead in W Afghanistan
KABUL, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Clash between police and Taliban insurgents in Herat province west of Afghanistan left five militants dead and wounded four others, acting police chief of the province Dilawar Shah Dilawar said Tuesday. "Taliban rebels opened fire on a police patrol in Kushk-e-Khona district Monday night and the police returned fire killing five enemies,"Dilawar told Xinhua.
Four more rebels and a police constable sustained injuries in the firefight lasted for a while, he added.
Taliban militants have not made comment.
Herat (RTA) Headlines"Two key Taliban commanders Mullah Ramazan and Mullah Sheikh who had led subversive activities in the western Herat province were detained in Kandahar on Sunday night," the spokesman for police in west Afghanistan Abdul Rauf Ahmadi told Xinhua news agency on Monday.
Police in Badghis handed over weapons and ammunition which were collected from illegal armed groups through the DIAG programme in the province.
Police killed six Taliban in Kushki Kuhna district of Herat
