Afghanistan Speed-Conference

Geplaatst op 27/03/2009 door Hans de Vreij

If the subject wasn’t so serious, one might call it a speed-date.  Five hours, that is the amount of time the International Conference on Afghanistan can spend next Tuesday to sort out a wide array of issues related to “a comprehensive approach in a regional context”, to quote the motto of the meeting.  According to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the participants of the UN conference will begin their work at 10:45; have one working session of about 1,5 hours and a longer session (3,5 hours) in the afternoon.  In between, there will be a one-hour lunch, which no doubt will also be used to iron out this or that wrinkle in the Final Declaration, to be presented at 1800 hrs. However, experts say negotiations on the declaration have already been conducted in the past few days, will continue over the weekend, and it may well be that by Tuesday morning, there will be few wrinkles left…

Official website of the Conference

Radio Netherlands coverage of the Conference

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Kamerbrief inzake internationale conferentie over Afghanistan

Geplaatst op 26/03/2009 door Hans de Vreij

Zeer geachte voorzitter,

Op 31 maart 2009 vindt in Den Haag de ‘International Conference on Afghanistan; a Comprehensive Strategy in a Regional Context’ plaatsvinden.

Deze ministeriële conferentie, die een tachtigtal landen en tiental internationale organisaties bijeen brengt in Nederland en daarmee vrijwel de hele internationale gemeenschap die betrokken is en belang heeft bij de wederopbouw van Afghanistan, vindt een jaar na de NAVO-top van Boekarest plaats en een klein jaar na een grote donorconferentie voor Afghanistan in Parijs. De conferentie vindt plaats op een belangrijk moment. Op 20 augustus van dit jaar vinden voor de tweede keer in de geschiedenis van Afghanistan democratische presidentsverkiezingen plaats, en in 2010 volgen parlementsverkiezingen. Voorts eindigt volgend jaar de periode waarvoor de internationale gemeenschap in 2006 tijdens een conferentie in Londen met de Afghaanse regering een gezamenlijke strategie overeen kwam, het Afghanistan Compact. Tenslotte zal een dezer dagen de nieuwe Amerikaanse regering de uitkomsten van haar beleidsevaluatie op Afghanistan afronden. Tegen die achtergrond is het van belang dat Afghanistan zich nu met al zijn partners beraadt op de gezamenlijke agenda voor de jaren na 2010. Deze conferentie zal er toe moeten bijdragen dat tijdig een vervolgstrategie vast kan worden gesteld voor de volgende periode.

Wat betreft het formuleren van de uitkomsten van deze conferentie zijn de Verenigde Naties leidend. Nederland zal, als co-voorzitter (samen met Afghanistan), daarbij van dienst zijn; zo is al gezamenlijk gewerkt aan het voorbereiden van mogelijke conclusies. Nederland zal de Speciaal Vertegenwoordiger van de secretaris-generaal van de VN, de heer Eide, op dit punt ook op de dag van de conferentie ondersteunen. Lees verder →

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Special issue of Dutch defence weekly

Geplaatst op 25/03/2009 door Hans de Vreij

In connection with the March 31st Afghanistan Conference in The Hague, the Dutch Defence ministry has issued a special issue of its Defensiekrant (Defence newspaper) – the first ever in English. In contains interviews with the ministers of Defence, Development, and Foreign Affairs; key leaders of the Dutch Armed Forces, and with Assadullah Hamdam, the governor of Uruzgan province where The Netherlands is the lead nation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). It also provides an overview of key military activities, reconstruction efforts, the work of NGO’s, and the activities of Australia – the key partner nation in Uruzgan province.

(Voor de Nederlandstalige versie van deze Defensiekrant-special, klik hier)

Official website of the Conference

Radio Netherlands coverage of the Conference

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Quote of the Day

Geplaatst op 25/03/2009 door Hans de Vreij

“If there is one thing that makes my skin crawl it is the term ‘Dutch approach’. The Dutch are doing excellent work – but it is no different from what the British, Americans and Canadians are doing.”

(Major-General Mart de Kruif, ISAF commander in Southern Afghanistan, as quoted in NRC/Handelsblad)

Official website of the Conference

Radio Netherlands coverage of the Conference

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Bomaanslag bij Tarin Kowt: vijf doden

Geplaatst op 25/03/2009 door Hans de Vreij

Nederland werkt in Uruzgan volgens de ‘inktvlek-methode’. Een geografisch beperkt gebied veilig stellen, en van daaruit de veiligheidszone verder uitbreiden. Tarin Kowt en direkte omgeving vormen het hart van de ‘Nederlandse’ inktvlek. Maar een totale veiligheidsgarantie is dat niet. Dat bleek dinsdag wel, toen er vijf doden vielen bij een aanslag op de kleine moskee in Shah Mansur (ook wel gespeld als Shahmansur, Shah Mansoor). Het gehucht ligt net ten noordoosten van Tarin Kowt. Over de achtergronden van de aanslag is nog niets bekend.

Elders in Uruzgan raakten drie Australische militairen gewond tijdens een vuurgevecht met de Taliban. Een van hen is er zo ernstig aan toe dat hij moest worden overgebracht naar het ‘Role 3’ veldhospitaal op Kandahar Airfield.


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ISAF and Afghan Army: Facts and Figures

Geplaatst op 22/03/2009 door Hans de Vreij

(Source: NATO)

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NATO launches ‘spring offensive’ in Southern Afghanistan

Geplaatst op 22/03/2009 door Hans de Vreij

Every year, the media are awash with talk about impeding ‘spring offensives’ by the Taliban and other insurgent groups in Afghanistan. Such offensives, however, never materialise – if only because the Taliban have learned the hard way that it is a bad idea to mass fighters for operations against NATO or the Afghan Army. Troop concentrations are invariably spotted through satellite images, unmanned reconnaissance drones or simply by ‘eyes on the ground’. And once spotted, any larger group of insurgent becomes an easy prey to counterattacks, putting any planned offensive dead in its tracks.

However, it’s true that the winter months usually bring a lull in hostile activities – if only because the central and northern parts of Afghanistan are covered in snow.

This week, it was NATO that launched what could be called a ‘spring offensive’. Some 2,000 Afghan, Canadian and US troops conducted the two-day ‘Operation Jalay’, covering several hotspots in Kandahar province – from Maywand in the west to the Arghandab north of Kandahar city. The net result according to media reports: four Canadian and one Afghan soldier killed in action; large amounts of weapons and ammunition were confiscated and five people were arrested on suspicion of being bomb makers. No numbers are available on enemy casualties – if there were any.

If you are interested in seasonal influences with regards to hostilities, have a look at the following graphs. They clearly demonstrate that in Afghanistan, the summer months of June through September are the ‘fighting season’.

Meanwhile, the huge international army and air force base at Kandahar Airfield marked a sad ‘first’ this Friday. Although the Taliban have been lobbing unguided rockets at the base for years, Friday’s attack caused the very first fatality in three years: an Afghan contractor. Six others were wounded.

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Taliban: “No negotiations with invaders and their puppets”

Geplaatst op 21/03/2009 door Hans de Vreij

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

No negotiations with invaders and their puppets

16-03-2009

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan rejects reports suggestion that Amir-ul-Momineen (Leader of the Believers) Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid (May Allah preserve him) has given his approval for talks aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan and has allowed his representatives to attend Saudi-sponsored peace negotiations.

These are all false and baseless reports. Ours is the same old stand there is no other way except jihad in Afghanistan until* the invader forces are present in Afghanistan. If you wait for 3000 years, our stand is the same that Taliban will never hold talks in presence of invader forces in Afghanistan. The Taliban have not met with Afghan president, Hamid Karzai brother Qayum Karzai, as it is being claimed by Qayum Karzai.

The false reports

“Taliban chief backs Afghan peace talks”

THE TALIBAN leader, Mullah Omar, has given his approval for talks aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan and has allowed his representatives to attend Saudi-sponsored peace negotiations.

“Mullah Omar has given the green light to talks,” said one of the mediators, Abdullah Anas, a former friend of Osama Bin Laden who used to fight in Afghanistan but now lives in London.

One of those negotiating for the Afghan government confirmed: “It’s extremely sensitive but we have been in contact both with Mullah Omar’s direct representatives and commanders from the front line.”

The breakthrough emerged after President Barack Obama admitted that US-led forces are not winning the war in Afghanistan and called for negotiations with “moderate Taliban”.

“A big, big step has happened,” Anas said. “For the first time, there is a language of . . . peace on both sides.”

His words were echoed by the brother of the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, who has been attending talks on his behalf. “I have been meeting with Taliban for the last five days and I can tell you Obama’s words have created enormous optimism,” said Qayum Karzai. “There is no other way left but talks. All sides know that more fighting is not the way.”

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5908498.ece

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

* – I presume what’s meant is: “as long the invader forces are present” etc, hdv

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Details vrijgegeven over tweede Australische dode

Geplaatst op 21/03/2009 door Hans de Vreij

Het Australische ministerie van defensie heeft zaterdag details vrijgegeven over de tweede militair uit dat land die de afgelopen week is gesneuveld. Het blijkt te gaan om de 31-jarige sergeant Brett Till, een explosievenexpert die deel uitmaakte van de Special Operations Task Group (SOTG). Sergeant Till kwam om het leven toen hij probeerde een bermbom onschadelijk te maken.  Over de locatie zijn geen mededelingen gedaan.

De SOTG bestaat uit commando’s van de landmacht en leden van de elite-eenheid Special Air Service (SAS). De eenheid in Uruzgan is c. 330 man sterk en valt onder direct bevel van het ISAF-hoofdkwartier. Dit in tegenstelling tot de Australische Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force 1 die deel uit maakt van de Task Force Uruzgan en onder Nederlandse leiding staat. Van die eenheid sneuvelde eerder in de week de 21-jarige korporaal Mathew Hopkins tijdens een vuurgevecht met de Taliban ten noorden van Tarin Kowt, de hoofdstad van de provincie Uruzgan.

Sergeant Till was getrouwd, had twee kinderen en zijn vrouw is in verwachting van hun derde.

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NATO commander in Southern Afghanistan expects ‘significant spike’ in incidents

Geplaatst op 21/03/2009 door Hans de Vreij

The NATO commander in Southern Afghanistan expects hostilities to increase as thousands of additional US troops will be deployed in the region in the coming months. However, Dutch Major-General Mart de Kruif added that later this year and next year there will be a significant improvement in the security situation in the six southern provinces of the country. General de Kruif made his remarks during a video press conference with journalists accredited to the Pentagon on Friday March 20th.

On behalf of NATO, the Dutch general is currently in command of some 23 thousand troops from 17 nations in the area, known as ‘Regional Command (South)’ of ISAF (the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force). That number is expected to increase to some 40 thousand in the coming months, mainly due to additional ISAF troops deployed by the United States. But why would an increase of troops levels initially lead to an increase in hostilities? Major-General de Kruif:

“Once we will see the influence of the U.S. forces that will give us that capability and the capacity not only to expand the areas where we do the shape, clear, hold, build, but also put significant more pressure on the insurgency, on the leadership and on the nexus between that leadership, the narcotics and the IEDs. So that will lead in the first couple of months after the influx of U.S. forces to what I think is going to be a significant spike in incidents. After that and after the elections, however, I think that what we are doing now is actually planting the seeds and that we will view a significant increase in the security situation across southern Afghanistan next year”.

Earlier, the overall commander of NATO and US troops in Afghanistan, four-star US General David McKiernan spoke of a ‘stalemate’ in the South of the country, which includes the restive provinces of Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan. Elaborating on that assessment, Major-General de Kruif said:

“It’s fair to say that from an ISAF point of view, we are not stopped by the insurgency, but we just run out of troops. What do I mean with that? It’s clear to say that two years ago, the insurgents changed their overall strategy from attacking our strength, being ISAF, towards focusing on terrorizing the local nationals, the Afghan people. And one of the elements of that is the use of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices, hdv) . For ISAF, that means that we have to deliver a 24/7 security in the focus areas where we are placed. It’s no use of getting into a village at 8:00 in the morning and then leave that village at 5:00 in the evening. So once we start the shape, clear, hold and build concept in a region, we have to stay there. And with the available troops we have currently right now in theater, we were able to clear parts of central Helmand and in central Oruzgan. But to be able to extend these focus areas, we definitely need more troops.”

The regional ISAF commander added that a mere increase in the number of troops is not enough. Echoing the agenda for the upcoming Afghanistan Conference in The Hague on March 31st, he spoke of the need for a ‘comprehensive’ approach, integrating the available fighting power with civilian elements:

“It’s not just bringing in the military capability, it’s also bringing in the capability to support governance and reconstruction and development. And what we plan here in RC South is that the capabilities regarding governance and reconstruction and development that will come in, hopefully, with the inflow of the U.S. forces will be nested within the existing structure of the PRTs, especially in Helmand and Kandahar. So what I hope is that we do not only see a surge of military capabilities but also of civilian capabilities.”

The Dutch general was asked about the degree to which the Taliban and other insurgent groups control areas in the South – an issue about which widely varying estimates circulate. In his view, the NATO-led force currently is in control of some 60 percent of the populated areas in the region:

“Sometimes people come up to me and say, “Hey, 80 percent of RC South is occupied by the insurgency.” Well, I can tell you I’m out three, four days a week. I travel a lot, visit all the task forces, and I can tell you that 80 percent of the territory here is occupied by nobody, because it’s desert or it’s just mountainous terrain. Where the people live is concentrated along the rivers and the green zones. And it’s fair to say that about 60 percent of the areas where most of the population is concentrated are dominated and controlled by ISAF. So there are absolutely pockets where we don’t have control about, and that is one of the reasons that we need these additional boots on the ground.”

Links
Full transcript of the Pentagon news briefing
Video
Interview of Major-General Mart de Kruif with Radio Netherlands

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