Originally Posted by Voyager

This Link to Spiegel actually works

So 6 Luftwaffe Tornados are to be stationed in Masar-i-Sharif to undertake surveillance missions over Southern Afghanistan

Voyager's link edited (to remove unnecessary extra http:// bollix) :D

Originally Posted by Red Shrek

Originally Posted by Yellow_Devil

Originally Posted by Red Shrek

There is nothing new you are saying about the flaws of the American effort in AFG that has not been already pointed out by Americans themselves. Abd please stop pratlling about like it is only Brits who are dying and having a bad time in AFG.

so you're saying that only Americans have the right to criticise American actions?

if you want to point out that experts within the US establishment in AFG were critical of Daud's dismissal, then fine - fair point. but don't start getting wrapped up in the flag while you're doing it - you'll only wind people up

I was pointing out that the same points had already been made before by Americans and they are nothing new. Even if i wanted to get all wraped up in any flags that would be my own choice.

In essence, what Shrek seems to be saying is, 'we Americans have to put up with the cr@p policies of the Pentagon, so you Brits should just shut up and put up with it too'...Am I right Shrek?

The French explain why they are withdrawing their Special Forces...
Minneapolis Star Tribune
France says its elite forces are no longer a good fit in new climate of Afghanistan
December 20, 2006

France is removing 200 of its best soldiers from Afghanistan as violence mounts. Military officials insist France remains fully committed, with 1,100 troops still based in Kabul.
Why are the troops being removed? France's decision comes amid concerns in Paris that NATO's mission in Afghanistan has grown confused and that the alliance may be overreaching in its efforts to stabilize and rebuild the nation.

French officials and experts say that as the fighting has dragged on and the insurgency has grown in strength, the Special Forces were no longer ideal for the mission. Such elite units tend to be more lightly armed, and specialize in gathering intelligence or rapid attacks.

"The conditions no longer correspond to what the Special Forces do," said Capt. Christophe Prazuck, a spokesman for the French Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Full: http://www.startribune.com/722/story/889422.html

A glimpse into the medieval world of Afghan 'government'....
IWPR
Child Kidnap Case Highlights Afghan Warlord Power
By Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi in Mazar-e-Sharif

Human rights count for little when a local strongman throws his weight around, say Kunduz residents after a young girl was kidnapped for the prize of a fighting dog.

“The girl who was exchanged for a dog� has become a sensation around the world, sparking outrage in human rights circles. But the canine connection is a minor part of the story, a curiosity that served as a hook to bring the case to public attention.

In fact, 11-year-old Sanubar and her mother are victims of a tradition where females are regarded as chattels, and of a climate of instability and weak central government in which armed men behave like local sovereigns, immune to punishment.

“Armed men broke into my house at midnight and took my daughter,� said Sanubar’s mother, Gulshah, 50. “They cut me with a knife. I have filed complaints with the attorney general and with the governor, but nobody is helping me.�

Gulshah insists that her daughter was taken by Mullah Nazar, the district government chief of Ali Abad district, the area of Kunduz province where she earns a meagre living tending livestock. She alleged that he was assisted by his brother, Amir Mohammad.

Both men are former militia commanders who belong to the Jamiat-e-Islami faction which is dominant in northeast Afghanistan. The militias attached to such factions – many of them originally mujahedin groups from the Eighties - were supposed to have been disbanded and disarmed long ago under United Nations-sponsored schemes, but their commanders still exercise considerable power in their home regions.

According to Gulshah, Mullah Nazar handed her daughter over to a man named Nematullah, and received a prize fighting dog in return. Kunduz residents say Nazar then presented the dog to a more powerful commander in the region as a form of tribute.

Full story:- http://www.iwpr.net/?p=arr&s=f&o=326..._state=henparr

Pakistan tries to cool the arguement with AFG...
Daily Times
Pakistan wants end to criticism from Afghanistan

* Kasuri reiterates Pakistani government’s proposal to fence, mine and monitor Pak-Afghan border

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri on Wednesday called for an end to criticism of the country from Afghanistan, and urged greater cooperation, coordination and intelligence sharing between Pakistan and Afghanistan to end illegal cross-border movement.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya news channel, Kasuri said, “We admit that the situation is difficult in Afghanistan and on the Pak-Afghan border, but this calls for greater cooperation, coordination and trust, not public insults and accusations,� he said.

“It is essential that we maintain a level of trust and do not trade allegations publicly because that is a very important ingredient in trust building ... it is very simple if somebody attacks verbally – a response is very easy – all we have to do is wag our tongues, but it causes damage. Pakistan attaches too much importance to its relations with Afghanistan to indulge in verbal vitriol,� he added. Kasuri said Pakistan had maintained its cool, and “I don’t think any purpose will be served by our retaliating in a similar manner. The Pakistani government has shown a lot of patience.�

The foreign minister also reiterated his government’s proposal to fence, mine and monitor the Pak-Afghan border. “Ironically, we face resistance to our suggestion of strengthening checks on cross-border movement,� he said.

He said Pakistan had 97 check posts along the Pak-Afghan border, while there were only 23 or 24 posts on the other side. The foreign minister called for an increase in the number of posts on the other side.

“They don’t have Taliban, militant or suicide bomber written on their heads. How do we distinguish ... they all look alike. We are trying to introduce some sort of electronic cards to keep a record of their identities and control movement,� he added.

He said Pakistan was “a convenient scapegoat, because this takes the attention away from poppy production, corruption and warlords in Afghanistan�.

Kasuri said Pakistan had always supported Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and “our national interest does not demand that Karzai be removed�.

About the North Waziristan peace accord, Kasuri said the country was tackling the issue both strategically and tactically. He said the government was strengthening administrative structures, starting political dialogue, tightening security and enabling the army in the area to better manage the border. The foreign minister said Pakistan’s policy was to keep the military there, but it would be used to guard the border more effectively.

“Recent experiences in the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan tell us that by simply killing people, the collateral damage results in more enemies,� he added.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...12-2006_pg7_19

Guardian
General's interpreter held on secrets charge

· Corporal served Nato's Afghanistan commander
· Closed court told of threat to national security
Richard Norton-Taylor
Thursday December 21, 2006

A British soldier recently deployed in Afghanistan has been arrested and charged with passing secret information to a foreign country, believed to be Iran. Daniel James was remanded in custody yesterday charged under the 1911 Official Secrets Act. The 44-year-old corporal was an interpreter for General David Richards, the British commander of the Nato-led international security assistance force, Isaf, in Kabul.

..Cpl James was arrested in Britain. He was one of several hundred British soldiers attached to Nato's international security assistance force under Gen Richards. The British troops deployed in the Afghan capital are separate from the 5,000 deployed in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan fighting the Taliban and their supporters.

Full: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homea...976668,00.html

...And a timely biography of General Richards.
Telegraph
Commander sent to tame the Taliban
By Isambard Wilkinson in Qalat
21/12/2006

...Gen Richards's headquarters in Kabul lie on the spot where a British garrison was once razed. Deceit, as well as the usual dose of imperial hubris, played a large part in its downfall.

So far the British commander has fared much better. "The Taliban are not beaten," said Mark Laity, one of his aides. "But I think we have decisively defeated them at every turn this year."

Nato forces, led by Canadians, this summer battled to clear large areas of Panjwai district outside Kandahar. They found the enemy well-dug in, heavily armed and supplied from across the border in Pakistan. His command claimed to have killed 1,000 Taliban in Operation Medusa.

The operation was deemed a success for clearing away the possibility of an attack on the old Taliban capital of Kandahar. It also raised alarm bells over Nato's reputation with the local population after numerous civilian casualties were reported.

The battle also established a hallmark of the general's command. For the first time he placed on the table in clear terms an ultimatum to Pakistan to halt cross-border infiltration. He has built up relations between Nato and the Afghan and Pakistan armies in order to tackle what is deemed to be Pakistan's inability or unwillingness to stem the flow of insurgents.

With such multi-dimensional influences affecting the insurgency in Afghanistan, Gen Richards's headquarters has been abuzz with diplomatic forays, intelligence gathering and negotiations with not only hostile factions but with allies who are accused of undermining Nato's efforts.

This year reports began emerging that stated that not only Pakistan but also Iran had begun to foment further unrest in Afghanistan by offering support to the Taliban. Battling insurgents who have used increasingly sophisticated technology imported from Iraq and unprecedented numbers of suicide bombers has placed an even greater importance on intelligence gathering.

Gen Richards's staff has become highly attuned, but self-consciously modest about its limits in the field, in understanding the complex shifting sands of Afghan politics that dictate seemingly unpredictable alliances and feuds.

It was on his watch that British commanders instigated a ceasefire with tribal elders in the hot-spot of Musa Qala that led to both British troops and Taliban to withdraw from the district. The agreement was later formalised by the governor of Helmand.

The deal is still surrounded by intrigue and the cause of disagreement between the British and Americans. Inside information and the political process that it may yet herald would be dynamite in the enemy's hands.

While Jeremiahs have predicted that Afghanistan will become Nato's final resting place, Gen Richards has striven to guarantee that it plays a long-standing role in the region.
Full article:- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...nspying121.xml

International Herald Tribune
New NATO commander says Taliban offensive likely in the spring, despite allied successes
Published: December 20, 2006

CASTEAU, Belgium: NATO troops in Afghanistan must be prepared for the likelihood of a new offensive by Taliban insurgents when the winter relents, despite recent battlefield successes against the insurgents, the alliance's new supreme commander said Wednesday.

"I think we can probably expect some sort of spring resurgence," warned U.S. Gen. John Craddock, who took over as NATO's top commander this month. "That's been the history of the last several years, I don't know why we would expect something different."

Craddock spoke to reporters at NATO's military headquarters in southern Belgium after his first trip to Afghanistan since taking command. Two weeks ago he replaced Gen. James L. Jones, who is retiring.

Craddock said he'd returned optimistic from Afghanistan, saying NATO troops had inflicted significant casualties on the Taliban in recent fighting and made progress in building up the Afghan army and developing tactics to deal with Taliban suicide attacks and roadside bombs.

However, five years to the day since the U.N. passed a resolution setting up the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, he said allies should be prepared for a long campaign. "There is considerable progress, there is still a long way to go," he said.

NATO troops were working through the winter to maintain pressure on the Taliban, but he said the extreme weather conditions made it difficult for allied soldiers to operate in the mountainous regions where the insurgents have hideouts.

"There were significant actions last summer and into the fall that severely hurt the Taliban, they suffered many casualties," Craddock said. "We need to work through the winter the ways that we can in order to influence the spring outcome."

The insurgents have repeatedly dismissed NATO casualty claims as vastly inflated.

Craddock said NATO still wanted allies to step forward with more troops and equipment for the 32,000 strong International Stabilization Assistance Force and reduce restrictions on what tasks their troops could do in Afghanistan. However, while recent appeals have focused on the need for more combat troops, especially in the Taliban's southern heartlands, Craddock stressed the importance of getting the military to help with development work that will win over public opinion.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/..._Commander.php

Originally Posted by hansvonhealing

Originally Posted by Red Shrek

Originally Posted by Yellow_Devil

Originally Posted by Red Shrek

There is nothing new you are saying about the flaws of the American effort in AFG that has not been already pointed out by Americans themselves. Abd please stop pratlling about like it is only Brits who are dying and having a bad time in AFG.

so you're saying that only Americans have the right to criticise American actions?

if you want to point out that experts within the US establishment in AFG were critical of Daud's dismissal, then fine - fair point. but don't start getting wrapped up in the flag while you're doing it - you'll only wind people up

I was pointing out that the same points had already been made before by Americans and they are nothing new. Even if i wanted to get all wraped up in any flags that would be my own choice.

In essence, what Shrek seems to be saying is, 'we Americans have to put up with the cr@p policies of the Pentagon, so you Brits should just shut up and put up with it too'...Am I right Shrek?

Not really but close. The crap that comes out of the politicians on both sides sometimes conflict with ground truth. That was the original message i wanted to convey.Any rudeness in my previous posts i am sorry for.

Originally Posted by HansVonHealing

France's decision comes amid concerns in Paris that NATO's mission in Afghanistan has grown confused and that the alliance may be overreaching in its efforts to stabilize and rebuild the nation.

By this, do the French mean the task is - in their eyes - impossible , or that it needs more resources?