Faryab capital under Taliban threat as Afghan troops desert bases
Afghan military officers said there are no problems in Faryab and that the abandonment of the bases was all part of plan.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Afghan forces cede Faryab district to the Taliban
The Afghan military continues to struggle to hold onto districts in remote areas of the country. The fall of Ghormach was all but certain after the Taliban overran a large base in the district on Aug. 11 and killed and captured nearly 100 Afghan soldiers.
Islamic State’s emir for its Khorasan province reported killed
Bajauri’s death is likely to be touted as a strategic blow to Khorasan province. However, the US military has killed the three previous leaders in the span of 25 months, and yet the group has expanded its operations.
Taliban video shows fighters on captured Afghan base in Baghlan
Like many other similar Taliban videos that show the aftermath of successful assaults on military bases and outposts, the Taliban fighters are seen walking throughout the base in broad daylight, without fear of being targeted by Afghan or Resolute Support aircraft.
Analysis: Gen. Nicholson says US strategy in Afghanistan ‘is working,’ despite the facts
At a Pentagon press conference, General Nicholson again gave a Pollyannish assessment of the state of Afghanistan. He claimed the peace process is working and the Taliban’s offensive is failing, and took credit for a Taliban victory over the Islamic State.
Wanted AQAP bomb maker rumored killed in US drone strike
The death of Ibrahim al Asiri, one of the most dangerous and wanted men in the world, has yet to be confirmed. If he is confirmed to have been killed, his death will likely have minimal impact on AQAP as he has shared his expertise for well over a decade.
In Afghan north, another district falls to the Taliban
The fall of the northern district of Bilchiragh in Faryab province, is part of a disturbing pattern of Afghan forces being surrounded by the Taliban and then either overwhelmed or forced to surrender.
Taliban fighters loot district center in Ghazni
In what has become an all too familiar scene in Afghanistan, Taliban fighters celebrated their victory and looted a district center in broad daylight, without fear of reprisal.
Taliban occupied Ghazni City police station as Resolute Support claimed city was under Afghan control
The Taliban occupied a police station in Ghazni City and looted the facility even as Resolute Support claimed the entire city was under Afghan government control.
Taliban overruns another base in north as it withdraws from Ghazni City
The Taliban never slowed in launching numerous attacks across the country even as it committed significant resources to the fight in Ghazni.
In Afghan north, soldiers surrender to Taliban after base is cut off
Forty-three soldiers were killed and 17 more were captured in the fighting that led up to the surrender. The Taliban is routinely outmatching Afghan forces in battles in remote districts.
Video from Ghazni City shows Taliban on streets as buildings ablaze
Meanwhile, Resolute Support continues its claim Ghazni City is under Afghan control and uses Taliban body counts as a measure of success.
Taliban seizes second district in Ghazni as provincial capital remains contested
The current fighting in and around Ghazni City indicates that the Taliban has a detailed plan to tie up Afghan forces while attempting to seize the provincial capital. Additionally, the Taliban was able to mass its forces undetected; the Afghan military was clearly caught off guard and is struggling to get into the fight four days after the Taliban launched its attack.
Taliban routs Afghan Commandos while overrunning remote district in Ghazni
Between 40 and 100 Afghan Army Commandos are reported to have been killed as the Taliban overran Ajristan district in Ghazni province. As the Taliban overran Ajristan, battled for control of Ghazni City, and cut off the Kabul-Kandahar highway, it has demonstrated that it is able to effectively hit multiple locations at the same time.
Ghazni City remains under assault, despite RS assurances
Resolute Support initially described the attack on Ghazni City as a “failed attempt” that would be used by the press to generate sensational headlines. Two days later, Afghan forces are still battling entrenched Taliban fighters inside the city, and the vital Kabul-Kandahar remains severed. Battles such as the one in Ghazni, reveal a disturbing pattern of misinformation and deception by Resolute Support when it comes to assessing and reporting on the Taliban’s attacks on major cities as well as its assaults on district centers.
Ghazni City up for grabs after coordinated Taliban assault
Both the Afghan government (and Resolute Support) and the Taliban claim they control the city. The Afghan government and Resolute Support have proven unreliable in the past when it denied that the Taliban twice took control of Kunduz City, as well as Farah City earlier this year.
Afghan forces target al Qaeda commanders in Helmand and Nangarhar
The raids in Helmand and Nangarhar indicate that al Qaeda’s leaders are not focused on its survival. Al Mesri was focused on manufacturing IEDs to support the Taliban’s insurgency in Helmand, while Rahmatullah and his cohorts were operating in Nangarhar’s provincial capital.
Taliban suicide bomber kills 3 Czech soldiers
The Taliban remains active in Parwan, where it contested five of the provinces 10 districts. One American and two Afghan soldiers were also wounded in the suicide attack.
Taliban says Islamic State has been ‘completely defeated’ in Jawzjan
The complex Taliban operation that was designed to eject the Islamic State from Jawzjan highlights the Taliban’s ability to coordinate and mass for attacks in the Afghan north. However it is unlikely that the Islamic State has been “completely defeated” in the north.
Taliban suicide bomber attacks Afghan intel officers in Kabul
The NDS unit that was hit is reportedly responsible for targeting Taliban units that operate in the contested provinces of Logar and Wardak, just south of Kabul.
Taliban overruns 2 districts in eastern Afghanistan
The Taliban takeover of the Paktika districts of Omna and Gayan occur as US generals attempt to put a positive spin on the Afghan military’s capabilities.
Afghan military suffers significant casualties since end of government’s ceasefire
An estimated 150 Afghan security personnel (soldiers, policemen, and militia fighters) have been killed in major Taliban attacks over the past two weeks.
NATO command touts body count of ‘Taliban irreconcilables’
The press release also described the Taliban who are being targeted and killed as “Taliban irreconcilables.” However, Resolute Support has yet to identify any reconcilable Taliban.
Afghan commandos free 58 from Taliban prison
The Taliban has been operating prisons in Helmand for at least three years. Raids on Taliban prisons has done nothing to keep the group from expanding its control in Helmand.
Afghan forces suffer heavy casualties in Kunduz
The Red Unit, the Taliban’s version of special forces that operates throughout Afghanistan and is often at the tip of the spear of assaults on district centers, military bases and outposts, is said to have initiated the fighting in Dasht-i-Archi district. At least 30 Afghan soldiers were killed during the assault.
Pakistani Taliban claims Peshawar suicide attack, threatens more to come
The deadly bombing is the first major attack executed by the Taliban group since Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud assumed command of the group in late June.
Taliban again equates their Islamic Emirate with the Afghan nation
The Taliban reiterated that it views itself as the sole representative of the Afghan people, while those who fight for the Afghan government are “puppets” of the United States.
Taliban brands upcoming religious scholar conference as ‘an absolute anti-Islamic US process’
The Taliban described an upcoming conference of religious scholars that will be held in Saudi Arabia later this week as illegitimate and urged Islamic clerics to boycott the meeting.
Analysis: Pentagon continues to underestimate al Qaeda, downplay ties to Taliban
The Pentagon and the US intelligence community have been consistently wrong about al Qaeda’s strength in Afghanistan, and evidence of strategic ties between the two groups does indeed exist.
Taliban: We’re ‘another name of the Afghan nation’
The Taliban continues to state that it and only it is the true representative of the Afghan people. This is at odds with the opinion of some Afghan analysts who advise the US government on policy with respect to a negotiated settlement with the Taliban.