AFGHANISTAN : INTENSE SUMMER BATTLES OF 2007
Apr 30, 2008
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Taliban"™s much awaited spring offensive of guerrilla, suicide and IED attacks gets underway. More violence likely in the months ahead.
Taliban focus likely to be primarily on IEDS, suicide attacks, ambushes and raids in the South and the East. |
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AFGHANISTAN : PERILS OF AERIAL COUNTER MILITANCY
Apr 30, 2008
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Intense militancy in the South and East subsumes 1500 Taliban and over 230 civilians in past four months.
Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan, Ghazni, Khost, Paktika, Paktia, Zabul, Nangarhar emerge as the main regions of intense militancy. |
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AFGHANISTAN : TALIBAN OFFENSIVE 2007
Apr 30, 2008
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Attacks by Taliban gain momentum as militants launch a number of major operations involving 50 "“ 100 fighters including coordinated assault on American fire base Anaconda. |
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AFGHANISTAN : SUMMER OPERATIONS 2007 TAPER OFF
Apr 30, 2008
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Growing international support to the Karzai regime indicated by extension of NATO mission in Afghanistan by one year. Some domestic support is also evident with peace rallies and acceptance of government"™s polio programme. |
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AFGHANISTAN : NATO COMMITMENT INCREASES
Apr 30, 2008
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International support to Afghanistan increases with extension of UN mandate to ISAF and increased commitment by US, UK, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia amongst others. |
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PAKISTAN & AFGHANISTAN RELATIONS
Apr 29, 2008
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akistan Afghanistan relations are at an all time low, with the recent visit of the Pakistan Prime Minister Mr. Shaukat Aziz to Kabul failing to break the thaw. The main issues are Pakistan"™s plan to lay minefields on the Durand Line and support to the Taliban. Pakistan is planning to lay minefields and barbed wire on the Durand Line which is not accepted as an international border between both countries by Afghanistan. Thus the move is seen by Kabul as an effort to de facto legitimize the boundary. Afghanistan on the other hand wants Pakistan to stop funding, training and supplying terrorists within Pakistan, an accusation which Islamabad has characteristically denied. Other issues were however favourably received such as holding of a jirga for ethnic Pashtuns on both sides of the border and return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. |
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Afghanistan The Spring Offensive
Apr 29, 2008
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Violent spring offensive anticipated with focus on Kabul and Southern provinces. Suicide attacks, road side IEDs and bombs will remain main Taliban tactic.
Helmand expected to be the key area of operations with poppy planting season in the offing. Kandahar, Uruzgan, Zabul, Paktika, Khost and Bakwa will also see violence. |
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Afghanistan : Winter Chill, Diplomatic Heat
Apr 29, 2008
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Continuing cold weather will restrict operations in February; however suicide attacks and strikes on Afghan Army and police, government functionaries, western aid workers and Indians working in Afghanistan by Taliban expected. |
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Afghanistan 2006 The Coming of NATO
Apr 29, 2008
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Afghanistan. Afghanistan, the Western most state of South Asia saw a step up in violence with the Taliban ready to launch a spring offensive in the south particularly in the Helmand province including the Sangin district. The Pakistan "“ Afghanistan border continues to be volatile with the Durand Line not acceptable |
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AFGHAN DRUG TRADE
Apr 29, 2008
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Afghanistan's poppy production is reported to have risen up to 15 percent since 2006. The country now accounts for 95 percent of the world's crop, 3 percentage points more than last year. In 2006, Afghanistan accounted for 92 percent of global opium production, compared with 70 percent in 2000 and 52 percent a decade earlier. The higher yields in Afghanistan brought world production to a record high of 7,286 tons in 2006, 43 percent more than in 2005. If Afghanistan"™s entire poppy at 6100 tons is converted to heroin, its street value is estimated by a report of the US state department at $38 billion. The main area of cultivation is Helmand and the Taliban covered this with heavy presence from March to May, which is also denoted by the intensity of operations. |
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Taliban in Afghanistan A Review Over the Years
Apr 29, 2008
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Taliban"™s three pronged strategy in Afghanistan is denoted by suicide strikes, guerrilla attacks on police posts and kidnapping. By the end of the month there was a shift in the strategy to focus on IEDs in populated areas and cities with guerrilla attacks in rural and remote areas to gain control of key locations where NATO presence was limited. The extension of reach beyond the traditional South and East to the North and West is a disturbing trend. Taliban strategy of gaining control of districts where the police and army presence is weak has not resulted in major successes so far and instead caused heavy casualties to the rebels. The time span for which the districts are being held is also limited. However in some areas such as Kajaki and Musa Qala they are still in control. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the group's leaders announced the beginning of operation "Kamin," or "Ambush." "In this operation, we will target our enemies and use our tactics - suicide bombs, remote-controlled (roadside bombs) and ambushes - against occupying forces and the government." (Media Reports). |
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Afghanistan Militancy Trends
Apr 29, 2008
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Afghanistan saw extensive operations in the South and the East with some forays in the Western provinces of Farah, Herat and Faryab during the month. Sangin Valley in Helmand remained the principal battlefield with almost 10 major clashes, this was followed by Paktika in the East. Paktika also encountered 5 suicide attacks thereby denoting that it remains a key area of concern. Kandahar was relatively subdued but is likely to be active in the month ahead. Suicide attacks were also carried out by the Taliban in the Northern provinces particularly targeted against NATO forces at Kunduz and Badakhshan. |
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Taliban and South Korean Kidnap Crisis
Apr 29, 2008
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The intensity of Taliban operations greatly increased during the month of August. The tempo is likely to be maintained during the next couple of months till winter sets in. The key areas where clashes took place included Kandahar and Helmand in the South, Logar, Zabul, Nangarhar, Ghazni and Kunar in the East and Badghis only district in the West |
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NATO's Problems in Afghanistan
Apr 29, 2008
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NATO forces were expecting an increase in attacks during the month of Ramzan and attempted to seize the initiative after the bloody battles of August saw the Taliban dominating the South and the East with large groups foraying vulnerable convoys and key Afghan and NATO security personnel. |
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India Soft Power in Afghanistan
Apr 29, 2008
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India increased assistance to Afghanistan by $ 100 million, which makes a total package of $ 750 million. This portion is slated to be paid directly to the beneficiaries to enhance its impact at the grass roots. Community out reach projects as schools will be the main form of support. India"™s larger role in the region is however contingent upon transit passage to the country by Pakistan which is reluctant to grant the same |
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Pakistan Afghanistan Relations A Review
Apr 29, 2008
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Pakistan Afghanistan relations are dependent on two critical issues, management of the Durand Line and refugees. Apart from meetings between top leaders presidents"™ Musharraf and Karzai, the foreign ministers have also met during the month to diffuse tension. The month started against the backdrop of the Ankara Declaration committing leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolving differences through negotiations. |
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Afghan Review in 2006
Apr 29, 2008
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Conflicting reports coming from the Gulbuddin Hekmatyar faction in Afghanistan indicated that his group HEI had broken off with the Taliban and was open to discussion with President Hamid Karzai. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is reported to have said in a video interview that an agreement to wage a joint jihad was drawn up with Taliban in 2003 but had now broken down due to difference within the Taliban |
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Afghanistan the Many Challenges and Solutions
Apr 29, 2008
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The situation in Afghanistan has certainly deteriorated during the month. While politically and internationally Karzai has been strengthened, the militancy has evolved a new paradigm of mobile guerrilla operations. A multi pronged strategy is essential to combat any militancy. This will include not just armed actions, but also softer measures such as political negotiations and deals with the Taliban. |
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Afghanistan Pakistan and Durand Line
Apr 29, 2008
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The NATO forces are undertaking systematic documentation of the involvement of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan in the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan . An indication of this trend has been the large stocks of ammunition which were used in Operation Medusa in Southern Afghanistan during the year, amounting to 400,000 rounds of small arms, 1000 shells of mortar and 2000 rocket propelled grenades |
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Afghanistan Economy & Development
Apr 29, 2008
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The Second Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan will be held in Delhi from 18 and 19 November 2006.The Conference will discuss a range of issues concerning Afghanistan and will include Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste Blazy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov along with key officials of the US and Pakistan "™s foreign services. |
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