Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Mini Battlefield Digest: Afghanistan, Week 43, Year OEF+7

Battlefield News, Afghanistan

The "news" from Afghanistan is almost all grim.

There are not enough boots on the ground to secure the country. In COIN-speak, that means that the battle will either be lost or fought to a standstill, right?

Al-qa'ida, elements of Pakistan ISI, and Iran are all implicated, alongside the flourishing drug trade, as enablers of the ongoing conflict. A political "resolution" seems well on the horizon, with both sides dug in deep, in hopes of the elusive "win".


Political Developments and Major Campaign Resource Shifts

  • Roggio: The prime minister of Canada said he intends to pull all Canadian forces out of Afghanistan by December 2011. The Taliban said attacks have been stepped up to influence Canada's election. -Wednesday, September 10, 2008
  • Roggio: A senior Taliban commander said Iran is supplying EFPs to the terror group. -Monday, September 15, 2008
  • Roggio: The Taliban welcomed Canada's decision to withdraw by 2011. The Taliban have killed 720 police officers in the past six months. -Tuesday, September 16, 2008
  • Roggio: The US defense secretary said three more combat brigades will be available to deploy to Afghanistan by the spring of 2009. -Tuesday, September 23, 2008
  • Roggio: The Governor of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province said the US must negotiate with the Taliban, the Haqqanis, and Hekmatyar. Six policemen were killed in attacks in Kabul province. -Wednesday, September 24, 2008
  • Roggio: President Karzai requested Saudi Arabia assist with opening peace negotiations with the Taliban. -Tuesday, September 30, 2008
  • Roggio: The Taliban refused to negotiate with the Afghan government. "We reject an offer for negotiation by the Afghan's puppet and slave President Hamid Karzai," Mullah Baradar said. The US notified Pakistan of an airstrike near the Afghan-Pakistani border. -Friday, October 3, 2008
  • Roggio: The senior US general in Afghanistan said more troops are needed immediately. -Wednesday, October 1, 2008
  • Roggio: A leaked report by the British Ambassador in Kabul claims US strategy is wrong and the war is as good as lost. -Wednesday, October 1, 2008
  • Roggio: A leaked Spanish report said Pakistan's ISI provided arms, IEDs, and other support to the Taliban. -Wednesday, October 1, 2008
  • Roggio: Germany has extended its mandate to operate in Afghanistan by 14 months. -Tuesday, October 7, 2008
  • Roggio: A battalion of French troops reportedly oppose being deployed to Afghanistan. Germany's foreign minister wants the country's commandos withdrawn. -Saturday, October 4, 2008
  • MCT: Though under-staffed, multi-national forces are making progress in Afghanistan, the former commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan told the Beaufort Rotary Club during a luncheon Wednesday. -Thursday, October 16, 2008

COIN: Actions, Reactions, Counteractions, etc.
  • Roggio: A 100-man Czech special forces team unit is operating outside of NATO command. -Thursday, September 4, 2008
  • Roggio: The US defense secretary apologized for recent airstrikes that caused civilian casualties. NATO seeks to implement rules to decrease civilian casualties. -Wednesday, September 17, 2008
  • Roggio: The US is re-evaluating its Afghan war strategy. -Thursday, September 18, 2008
  • Roggio: Russia warned it would cut off NATO's air bridge to Afghanistan if countries did not stop "hostile" policies toward Moscow. -Thursday, September 18, 2008
  • Roggio: Australian forces accidentally killed a district leader and several of his men in Uruzgan province. -Thursday, September 18, 2008
  • NPR: When a new administration takes over in January, it will inherit the challenging and overlapping problems of Afghanistan and Pakistan, two countries that are critical to U.S. national security. -Friday, October 17, 2008
  • RTTNews: In what could be disturbing news for the government of President Hamid Karzai, the former mayor of Afghanistan's Herat province is now the most powerful local Taliban commander, media reports said. -Friday, October 17, 2008
  • Canwest : Another senior government official has been shot dead in Kandahar city, fuelling a new fear in the troubled area as Taliban assassins increasingly target Afghans linked to the government and foreign organizations. -Wednesday, October 15, 2008
  • Roggio: The US Army closed down a combat outpost in the Gowardesh Valley in Kunar province. The US secretary of defense said negotiations with some elements of the Taliban is possible. -Thursday, October 9, 2008
  • theherald: The ratio of dead to wounded for British soldiers fighting in Afghanistan is approaching loss levels not seen since the Second World War, The Herald can reveal. -Wednesday, October 15, 2008
  • Roggio: The Pakistani military fired on two US helicopters operating along the border inside Afghan territory in Khost province. Pakistan claimed the helicopters crossed the border, flew over a Paksitani outpost, "returned fire and flew back." -Thursday, September 25, 2008
VIOLENCE: Tactical Developments
  • Roggio: The Taliban freed 118 Afghan laborers who were kidnapped last week in Farah. -Friday, September 26, 2008
  • Roggio: A battalion of French troops reportedly oppose being deployed to Afghanistan. Germany's foreign minister wants the country's commandos withdrawn. -Saturday, October 4, 2008
  • Roggio: The Afghan government denied reports it conducted peace talks with the Taliban in Saudi Arabia last month. President Karzai's brother denied accusations that he is involved in Afghanistan's heroin trade and threatened to sue The New York Times. Spanish military intelligence said Iran offered to shelter Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. -Monday, October 6, 2008
  • AP: An Afghan official says a suicide bomber in northern Afghanistan has killed two German soldiers and five children. The governor of Kunduz province, Mohammad Omar, says two other German soldiers and two children were wounded... -Monday, October 20, 2008
  • IRNA: Taliban insurgents pulled some 50 passengers off a bus in southern Afghanistan and beheaded as many as 30 of them after accusing them of being soldiers traveling in civilian clothes, Afghan officials said. -Monday, October 20, 2008
  • AFP : A British aid worker was shot dead in the Afghan capital on Monday in a killing claimed by the Islamic Taliban militia which accused her organisation of "preaching Christianity" -Monday, October 20, 2008
  • Reuters: Taliban insurgents killed 25 Afghan civilians, including a child, after firing on one bus and seizing control of another in the southern province of Kandahar, a local police chief said on Sunday. -Sunday, October 19, 2008
  • BBC: A woman has been arrested on charges of kidnapping three children. Giving details to Afghan Islamic Press [AIP] about this, Mr Abdol Rauf Ahmadi, the spokesman for Security Command of police in west zone, said that the police detained... -Sunday, October 19, 2008
  • AFP: The car bomb exploded at the gates of a base which is run by Italian troops in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) with some Spanish soldiers also stationed there. "We did have casualties - just wounded,"... -Saturday, October 18, 2008
  • AFP: A suicide car bomb exploded outside a base of the NATO-led military force in Afghanistan's western city of Herat, wounding several troops, the alliance said. -Saturday, October 18, 2008
  • AP: Five Afghan immigrants enslaved a teenage girl they brought to the United States, with some forcing her to do chores and one beating and sexually assaulting her, according to a federal indictment unsealed this week. -Saturday, October 18, 2008
  • abc.net: Afghan locals say women and children were among civilians killed in an air attack by international forces in the country's south. Locals say that 25 civilians were killed in the attack in the Nad Ali district of Helmand province. -Thursday, October 16, 2008
  • Denverpost: In a bow to public outrage over a recent spate of U.S.-led airstrikes in Afghanistan that resulted in more than 100 civilian deaths, NATO officials have ordered commanders to try to lessen their reliance on air power in battles with insurgents... -Thursday, October 16, 2008
  • Reuters: Twenty-two Taliban insurgents and six Afghan policemen were killed in overnight clashes in the south of the country, provincial authorities said on Wednesday. -Wednesday, October 15, 2008
  • AP: Five Afghan scholars visiting the University of Washington to work on their master's theses were reported missing after failing to show up for training sessions, university officials said. -Wednesday, October 15, 2008
  • BBC: At least 18 Taliban militants have been killed while attacking a police checkpoint in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, officials say. Police say dozens of insurgents took part in the attack - the second major assault on Lashkar Gah this week. -Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Economic Developments, Reconstruction, and General Good News

[this space purposely left blank because of lack of de-classified, systematic data]

Monday, October 20, 2008

Casualty List - September 2008, Afghanistan


MONTHLY CASUALTY LIST: ISAF-AFGHANISTAN

------Name, AgeSrv BranchCountry

Rank, Unit

Location; Circumstance of Death
Gary J. Vasquez, 33U.S. ArmyRound Lake, IL
Sergeant 1st Class, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group
Yakhchal; 29-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Richard G. Cliff Jr., 29U.S. ArmyMount Pleasant, SC
Captain, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group
Yakhchal; 29-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Jamie S. Nicholas, 32U.S. ArmyMaysel, WV
Sergeant 1st Class, 170th Military Police Company, 504th Military Police BN 42nd Military Police Brigade
Yakhchal; 29-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
William E. Hasenflu, 38U.S. ArmyBradenton, FL
Sergeant, 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Reg, 4th Brigade Combat Team, (Air Assault) 101st Airborne Division
Jaji District; 28-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
Alessandro Caroppo, 23Italian ArmySan Pietro Vernotico-Italy
Caporal Maggiore, all'8° reggimento Bersaglieri
Herat; 21-Sep-08; Non-hostile - natural causes
Matthew J. O'Bryant, 22U.S. NavyDuluth, GA
Cryptologic Technician Third Class Petty Officer, Navy Information Operations Command Maryland
Islamabad; 20-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - bomb
Rodolfo I. Rodriguez, 34U.S. Air ForceEl Paso, TX
Major, 86th Construction & Training Squadron
Islamabad; 20-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - bomb
Bruno G. Desolenni, 32U.S. ArmyCrescent City, CA
Captain, Joint Forces Headquarters, Element Training Team, Oregon Army National Guard
Kandahar; 20-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Joseph F. Gonzales, 18U.S. ArmyTucson, AZ
Private, 1st BN, 26th Infantry Reg, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
Korengal Valley; 20-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Nathan M. Cox, 32U.S. ArmyWalcott, IA
Staff Sergeant, 1st BN, 26th Infantry Reg, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
Korengal Valley; 20-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Jerome C. Bell Jr., 29U.S. MarineNew York
Sergeant, 2nd BN, 7th Marine Reg, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
Farah province; 19-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Brandon W. Farley, 30U.S. ArmyHaworth, OK
Staff Sergeant, 1st BN, 26th Infantry Reg, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
Able Monti (died at Bagram Airfield); 18-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG
James L. Wiley, 46U.S. ArmyNorth Bend, OR
Lieutenant Colonel, 27th Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard
Bagram Airfield; 18-Sep-08; Non-hostile
Joshua W. Harris, 21U.S. Air National GuardRomeoville, IL
Sergeant, 2nd Battalion 122nd Field Artillery, Illinois Army National Guard
Gerdia Seria; 17-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Bruce E. Hays, 42U.S. Army National GuardCheyenne, WY
Captain, Wyoming Joint Forces Headquarters, Wyoming Army National Guard
Gerdia Seria; 17-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Jason A. Vazquez, 24U.S. ArmyChicago, IL
Staff Sergeant, 2nd Battalion 122nd Field Artillery, Illinois Army National Guard
Gerdia Seria; 17-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Mohsin A. Naqvi, 26U.S. ArmyNewburgh, NY
1st Lieutenant, 1st Battalion, 11th Infantry
Gerdia Seria; 17-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Nicky Mason, 26British ArmyAveley-UK
Lance Corporal, 2nd Battalion the Parachute
Kajaki (near), Helmand province; 13-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - Explosion
Jason Lee Rawstron, 23British ArmyClayton-Le-Moors, Lancashire-UK
Private, 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment
Forward Operating Base Gibraltar (Helmand province); 12-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
Michael W. Murdock, 22U.S. ArmyChocowinity, NC
Private, 1st BN, 6th Field Artillery Reg, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
Bagram Airfield; 11-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire
John Wayne Marcum, 34U.S. NavyFlushing, MI
Senior Chief Petty Officer, Naval Special Warfare Development Group
Eastern Afghanistan; 11-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire
Jason Richard Freiwald, 30U.S. NavyArmada, MI
Chief Petty Officer, Naval Special Warfare Development Group
Eastern Afghanistan; 11-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire
Michael Slebodnik, 39U.S. ArmyGibsonia, PA
Chief Warrant Officer, 2nd BN, 17th Cavalry Reg, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
Forward Operating Base Nagil; 11-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - enemy fire at aircraft
Gary O'Donnell, 40British ArmyEdinburgh-UK
Warrant Officer Class 2, 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment Royal Logistic Corps
Musa Qaleh (Helmand province); 10-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Eichmann A. Strickland, 23U.S. NavyArlington, WA
Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class, Combat Service Support Det. 36
Afghanya Valley; 09-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Jesse Melton Iii, 29U.S. MarineRandallstown, MD
Captain, Headquarters Battery, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division
Parwan Province; 09-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Nicholas A. Madrazo, 25U.S. MarineBothell, WA
1st Lieutenant, Combat Logistics Battalion 37, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force
Parwan Province; 08-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Jos Ten Brinke, 21Royal Dutch ArmyBerkelland-Netherlands
soldaat der eerste klasse, 41 pantsergeniebataljon
Baluchi Valley (near Patrol Base Qudus, near Tarin Kowt), Uruzgan province; 07-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Scott Shipway, 36Canadian ArmySaskatoon-Canada
Sergeant, 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Panjwai district (Kandahar province); 07-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Marques I. Knight, 24U.S. ArmySan Juan Capistrano, CA
Specialist, 1st BN, 26th Infantry Reg, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
Aliabad; 06-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
Michael R. Dinterman, 18U.S. ArmyLittlestown, PA
Private, 1st BN, 26th Infantry Reg, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
Outpost Restrepo, Kunar Province; 06-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire
Vincent C. Winston Jr., 22U.S. ArmySt. Louis, MO
Private, 2nd BN, 2nd Infantry Reg, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
Afghanistan; 04-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Justin James Cupples, 29British ArmyCounty Cavan-UK
Ranger, 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment
Sangin (Helmand Province); 04-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
Chadwick James Horn, 21Canadian Armyn.a.-Canada
Private, Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Zhari district (Kandahar province); 03-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - Rocket fire
Michael James Alexander Seggie, 21Canadian ArmyWinnipeg-Canada
Corporal, Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Zhari district (Kandahar province); 03-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - Rocket fire
Andrew Paul Grenon, 23Canadian ArmyWindsor-Canada
Corporal, Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Zhari district (Kandahar province); 03-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - Rocket fire
Gregory A. Rodriguez, 35U.S. ArmyWeidman, MI
Sergeant 1st Class, K-9 unit - 527th Military Police Co, 709th Military Police BN, 18th MP Brigade
Ana Kalay; 02-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire


SRC: ICASUALTY.ORG

Casualty List - September, Iraq

MONTHLY CASUALTY LIST: MNF-IRAQ

-------Rank, NationalitySrv BranchCountry

Rank, Unit

Location; Circumstance of Death

Christopher A. Bartkiewicz, 25U.S. ArmyDunfermline, IL
Private 1st Class, 2nd BN, 6th Infantry Reg, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division
Baghdad (northern part); 30-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire

Christopher T. Fox, 21U.S. ArmyMemphis, TN
Specialist, 1st BN, 68th Armor Reg, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
Adhamiyah; 29-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire

Jamel A. Bryant, 22U.S. ArmyBelleville, IL
Private 1st Class, 40th Engineer BN, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division
Baghdad (Southeast of); 27-Sep-08; Non-hostile - vehicle rollover

Ronald Phillips Jr., 33U.S. ArmyConway, SC
Staff Sergeant, 3rd BN, 7th Infantry Reg, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
Bahbahani; 25-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

Michael J. Medders, 25U.S. ArmyElyria, OH
Captain, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
Jisr Naft; 24-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber

Thomas J. Brown, 26U.S. ArmyShelton, VA
1st Lieutenant, 2nd BN, 6th Infantry Reg, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division
Salman Pak; 23-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire

Matthew J. Taylor, 25U.S. ArmyCharleston, SC
Staff Sergeant, 2nd BN, 30th Infantry Reg, 4th Brigade Combat Team, (Light Infantry) 10th Mountain Division
Baghdad; 21-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire

Corry A. Edwards, 38U.S. Army National GuardKennedale, TX
Chief Warrant Officer, 2nd BN, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Texas Army National Guard
Tallil; 18-Sep-08; Non-hostile - helicopter crash

Daniel M. Eshbaugh, 43U.S. Army National GuardNorman, OK
Sergeant, 2nd BN, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Oklahoma National Guard
Tallil; 18-Sep-08; Non-hostile - helicopter crash

Anthony L. Mason, 37U.S. Army National GuardSpringtown, TX
Sergeant, 2nd BN, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Texas Army National Guard
Tallil; 18-Sep-08; Non-hostile - helicopter crash

Julio C. Ordonez, 54U.S. Army National GuardSan Antonio, TX
1st Sergeant, 2nd BN, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Texas Army National Guard
Tallil; 18-Sep-08; Non-hostile - helicopter crash

Brady J. Rudolf, 37U.S. Army National GuardOklahoma City, OK
Chief Warrant Officer, 2nd BN, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Oklahoma National Guard
Tallil; 18-Sep-08; Non-hostile - helicopter crash

Michael E. Thompson, 23U.S. Army National GuardHarrah, OK
Corporal, 2nd BN, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Oklahoma National Guard
Tallil; 18-Sep-08; Non-hostile - helicopter crash

Robert Vallejo Ii, 28U.S. Army National GuardRichland Hills, TX
Not reported yet, 2nd BN, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Texas Army National Guard
Tallil; 18-Sep-08; Non-hostile - helicopter crash

Darrick D. Wright, 37U.S. ArmyNashville, TN
Captain, 926th Engineer Brigade
Baghdad; 17-Sep-08; Non-Hostile - Illness - Heart Attack

Leonard J. Gulczynski I, 19U.S. ArmyCarol Stream, IL
Private 1st Class, 610th Engineer Support Company, 14th Engineer BN, 555th Engineer Brigade
Baghdad; 17-Sep-08; Non-hostile - vehicle accident

Sidney J. Marceaux Jr., 69U.S. ArmyBeaumont, TX
Colonel (Chaplain), Warrior Transition Brigade
Walter Reed Army Medical Center; 14-Sep-08; Non-hostile - illness

Ralph J. Marino, 46U.S. ArmyHouston, PA
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Central Command
Camp Buehring; 14-Sep-08; Non-hostile - illness

Wesley R. Durbin, 26U.S. ArmyHurst, TX
Sergeant, 3rd BN, 7th Infantry Reg, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
Tunnis; 14-Sep-08; Non-hostile - shooting incident

Darris J. Dawson, 24U.S. ArmyPensacola, FL
Staff Sergeant, 3rd BN, 7th Infantry Reg, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
Tunnis; 14-Sep-08; Non-hostile - shooting incident

Daniel R. Sexton, 53U.S. ArmyWentzville, MO
Sergeant 1st Class, 164th Military Police Company
Balad (Joint Base Balad); 10-Sep-08; Non-hostile

Jordan P. P. Thibeault, 22U.S. ArmySouth Jordan, UT
Private, 1st BN, 6th Infantry Reg, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division
Balad (FOB Hammer); 05-Sep-08; Non-hostile

Bryan R. Thomas, 22U.S. ArmyBattle Creek, MI
Private 1st Class, 1st BN, 66th Armor Reg, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
Baghdad (eastern part); 04-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

Kenneth W. Mayne, 29U.S. ArmyFort Benning, GA
Sergeant, 1st BN, 66th Armor Reg, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
Baghdad (eastern part); 04-Sep-08; Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

Patrick W. May, 22U.S. ArmyJamestown, NY
Private 1st Class, Division Special Troops Battalion, (Light Infantry) 10th Mountain Division
Baghdad; 02-Sep-08; Non-hostile