--Gordon Lubold - Christian Science Monitor
AFGHANISTAN
Joint Chiefs Head: ‘Enablers’ Needed in Troop-scarce Afghanistan - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor
The Pentagon’s top officer is pushing to get more helicopters, remote control aircraft, and other “enablers” to Afghanistan to make up for what remains a shortage of American troops there.
It is the Pentagon’s latest focus as the Bush administration, in its remaining months in office, conducts a top-to-bottom review of its approach to the insurgencies in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Despite all the attention, the US will not be able to send substantial numbers of troops or make large changes to its strategy there until a new president is seated.
In the meantime, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is pushing to move as many additional resources to Afghanistan as possible, including remote-controlled airplanes to gather intelligence, helicopters to move troops faster, and intelligence specialists – all things the military calls “enablers” – to stretch limited resources.
More at the Christian Science Monitor and New York Times.
Mullen Urges New Strategy on Taliban - Sara Carter, Washington Times
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that US-led forces are "not going to be able to kill our way to victory in Pakistan and Afghanistan" and a new strategy is needed to suppress a resurgent Taliban movement before it's too late.
Violence has increased markedly since 2006 and "the trends are going in the wrong direction unless we take significant steps," Adm. Mullen told reporters at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.
Adm. Mullen spoke as the Bush administration finalized a new National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan, expected to be released after the US elections.
An intelligence officer, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic, said the estimate would confirm the pessimism of some U.S. officials over the situation in Afghanistan.
"It´s been very tough fighting this year" and "it will be tougher next year," Adm. Mullen said.
The challenges, he said, require a new counterinsurgency approach that focuses on increased security, economic growth, political stability and the ability to "convince" the Afghan people that the US.-led NATO effort is "not an occupation," the admiral said.
He said the US and its allies must also develop strategies for targeting and eradicating poppy fields.More at The Washington Times.
Gates Urges NATO to Take On Afghan Drug Traffickers - Peter Finn, Washington Post
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates called on NATO allies Thursday to target Afghanistan's drug traffickers as part of a wider effort to confront a resurgent Taliban, which he said is using heroin money to fund the insurgency.
But the proposed new front in the war is meeting resistance from some European allies who argue that a counternarcotics campaign goes beyond the mandate of international forces in Afghanistan and is the responsibility of the Afghan government. Countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain also fear that drug interdiction could endanger their troops if it alienates segments of a population dependent on the cultivation of opium poppies.
"My approach was that we are not talking about a counternarcotics strategy; that route really is the Afghans' responsibility," Gates told a small group of U.S. and European journalists Thursday evening during a two-day summit here of NATO defense ministers. "What we are talking about is greater freedom to track down the networks of those who are funding the Taliban, which happens to be drug money."
More at The Washington Post.
US Plans to Train Afghanistan Tribal Militias - Julian E. Barnes, Los Angeles Times
Confronting the prospect of failure after seven years in Afghanistan, the US military is crafting a new strategy that is likely to expand the power and reach of that country's tribal militias while relying less on the increasingly troubled central government.
Under that approach, US forces would scale back combat operations to focus more on training Afghan government forces and tribal militias. The plan is controversial because it could extend the influence of warlords while undermining the government of President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, the capital.
The strategy also could set up a hair-trigger rivalry between national security units and the improved tribal forces, proponents acknowledge.
The US military's willingness to consider such risks reflects the growing worry about worsening conditions in Afghanistan. Until recently, the military would not have considered a move to bolster tribal militias, but, with relatively few troops available, military leaders believe only a new approach to the war can stanch the spreading violence.
More at The Los Angeles Times.
PAKISTAN
Blast Hits Pakistan Anti-terror Headquarters - Bruce Loudon, The Australian
A suicide bomber launched an audacious attack close to where Pakistan's MPs were meeting in a crisis session last night, wrecking the headquarters of the police anti-terrorist squad in Islamabad and causing panic across the troubled capital.
Television pictures showed that much of the three-storey building had collapsed in the attack, but officials said afterwards that only about nine people were injured.
The attack occurred in the heart of the city's heavily guarded Red Zone, which is supposed to be impenetrable to terrorists.
It is surrounded by an army-enforced "ring of steel" because of the wartime secret session of parliament currently under way to discuss how to deal with the jihadi insurgency sweeping the nuclear-armed nation.
The suicide bomber is believed to have driven his explosives-laden small car straight at the anti-terrorist squad headquarters after succeeding in getting through the ring of steel.
At almost the same time, 11 people - four of them children - were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near a prison van and a school bus in the northwest of the country, close to the strategic Swat Valley, which is under sustained militant attack.
More at The Australian, Los Angeles Times, Daily Telegraph and The Times.
IRAQ
As Fears Ease, Baghdad Sees Walls Tumble - Stephen Farrell, Alissa Rubin, Sam Dagher and Erica Goode, New York Times
Market by market, square by square, the walls are beginning to come down. The miles of hulking blast walls, ugly but effective, were installed as a central feature of the surge of American troops to stop neighbors from killing one another.
“They protected against car bombs and drive-by attacks,” said Adnan, 39, a vegetable seller in the once violent neighborhood of Dora, who argues that the walls now block the markets and the commerce that Baghdad needs to thrive. “Now it is safe.”
The slow dismantling of the concrete walls is the most visible sign of a fundamental change here in the Iraqi capital. The American surge strategy, which increased the number of United States troops and contributed to stability here, is drawing to a close. And a transition is under way to the almost inevitable American drawdown in 2009.
More at The New York Times.
Shiite Fighters Clash with Iraqi, US Troops in Baghdad - Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times
Clashes between Shiite Muslim militants and US and Iraqi troops erupted in east Baghdad on Thursday night when groups loyal to anti-US cleric Muqtada Sadr accused Washington of orchestrating the assassination of a popular lawmaker.
An official at Iraq's Interior Ministry said Sadr's Mahdi Army militiamen fought with US and Iraqi soldiers in the sprawling Sadr City district after mosques broadcast accusations that coalition forces were behind a bombing hours earlier that killed Shiite lawmaker Saleh Uqaili. Explosions and gunfire could be heard in adjacent neighborhoods.
A resident of Sadr City, who gave his name only as Mohammed, said fighting broke out about 11 p.m. as militants clashed with Iraqi soldiers and, later, US troops who arrived for backup. Heavy fighting lasted about an hour and was followed by intermittent gunfire, he said.
The US military said in a statement that coalition forces "received small-arms fire while conducting routine operations," injuring one soldier.
Earlier Thursday, a US military statement blamed the assassination on Shiite rivals of Sadr's movement.
More at The Los Angeles Times.
IRAN
Iran’s War - Clifford D. May - National Review opinion
Twenty-five years ago, several hundred U.S. Marines were stationed in Beirut on a peace-keeping mission. On September 26, an official with the Iranian Intelligence Service in Tehran phoned the Iranian ambassador in Damascus and issued an order to have them killed. Twenty-eight days later, at 06:22 on Sunday morning, October 23, 1983, two suicide bombers struck.
The death toll: 241 troops, “the highest loss of life in a single day since D-Day on Iwo Jima in 1945,” Timothy J. Geraghty, who had been the Marines’ commanding officer, recently noted.
We know about the phone call because, as Geraghty also noted, it was intercepted by the National Security Agency. Unfortunately, this was an occasion - neither the first nor the last - when vital intelligence was collected but not translated, analyzed, and acted upon in time.
To plan and carry out the attacks, the Iranian ambassador tapped Lebanese Hezbollah. The Hezbollah operative in charge was Imad Fayez Mughniyeh.
Mughniyeh organized a second attack that same day, one in which 58 French peace-keepers were killed at their base in Ramlet al-Baida. Such synchronized suicide attacks are considered Mughniyeh’s pioneering contribution to modern terrorist warfare.
More at National Review.
Nuclear Aid by Russian to Iranians Suspected - Elaine Sciolinio, New York Times
International nuclear inspectors are investigating whether a Russian scientist helped Iran conduct complex experiments on how to detonate a nuclear weapon, according to European and American officials. As part of the investigation, inspectors at the International Atomic Energy Agency are seeking information from the scientist, who they believe acted on his own as an adviser on experiments described in a lengthy document obtained by the agency, the officials said.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is under way, said that the document appeared authentic, without explaining why, but they made it clear that they did not think the scientist was working on behalf of the Russian government.
Still, it is the first time that the nuclear agency has suggested that Iran may have received help from a foreign weapons scientist in developing nuclear arms.More at The New York Times.
RUSSIA / GEORGIA
In Georgia, Russia Saw its Army's Shortcomings - Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor
The global perception of the Russia-Georgia war this summer is that an armored juggernaut of old Soviet military proportions rolled over its puny rival after a five-day conflict.
But the view from Moscow is different. Many Russian military experts are still shaking their heads in dismay over a catalog of delays and mistakes that plagued the Russian Army's thrust into South Ossetia.
"The war made it clear that we have all kinds of shortcomings in equipment, training, battlefield coordination, and intelligence," says Alexei Arbatov, a military expert with the Carnegie Center in Moscow.
The Russian Army's questionable performance has prompted urgent debate here over Russia's need for a modern, mobile, professional army capable of rapidly responding to challenges that might erupt along Russia's long borders with its unstable post-Soviet neighbors. In fact, the August conflict is giving fresh impetus for a 30 percent jump in defense spending, and a military modernization plan.
More at The Christian Science Monitor.
Russian Troops Pull Out From Georgia as Rebel Militias Dig In to Defy Peace Plan - Tony Halpin, The Times
“The Ossetians want you to know that if you come any closer they'll shoot you,” said a Russian soldier, leaning out from a Jeep in the strip of no man's land that divides Georgia from its breakaway region of South Ossetia.
A hundred metres ahead, Ossetian troops stood behind a heavily fortified checkpoint.
A hundred metres behind, Georgian soldiers and police eyed them suspiciously through binoculars from a temporary border post in the village of Ergneti.
This is the tense new front line between Georgia and separatist rebels a day after Russia withdrew its troops from a self-declared buffer zone set up around South Ossetia after the five-day war in August.
More at The Times.
HORN OF AFRICA
NATO to Join Anti-Piracy Fight Near Somalia - Voice of America
NATO defense ministers have agreed to send seven military ships to waters off the coast of Somalia to help combat the growing threat of pirates.
A NATO spokesman says the ministers agreed at a meeting in Hungary Thursday to dispatch the military ships to the region within weeks. He said the vessels will help escort United Nations World Food Program aid shipments and help patrol the largely lawless waters.
The spokesman says NATO will coordinate closely with other organizations, including the European Union, to address the piracy problem.
Pirates have attacked more than 60 ships off the coast of Somalia this year and are currently holding several vessels and their crews hostage.
More at Voice of America and American Forces Press Service.
NEWS & OPINION NOTES
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
Taleban Violence on the Rise Say US Agencies - The Times
US Intelligence: Afghanistan in 'Downward Spiral' - Daily Telegraph
Brother of Afghan President to Give Up Seat in Parliament - New York Times
Security Force Nations Look Ahead on Afghanistan - AFPS
Defense Ministers Seek Ways to Halt Taliban’s Drug Money - AFPS
New Strategy to Broaden Scope, Coordination in Afghanistan, Mullen Says - AFPS
Afghan Forces Receive NATO Weapons - AFPS
Can the US be Pals with the Taliban? - Christian Science Monitor editorial
Killing Malalai Kakar - Los Angeles Times editorial
Pakistan
Bombers Strike in Pakistan Capital, Northwest - Voice of America
Pakistanis Repudiate Terror Attacks - Washington Post
Taliban Would Rule a Bankrupt Pakistan - Daily Telegraph opinion
Iraq
Bomb Attack in Iraq Kills Sadrist Lawmaker - Voice of America
Blast Leaves Iraqi Lawmaker Dead - Washington Post
Progress More Durable in Iraq, Petraeus Says - AFPS
Iraq Security Sustainable, Challenges Remain, Commander Says - AFPS
US Officer Reports ‘Tremendous Success’ in Southern Iraq - AFPS
Iran
Iraq Must Rid Itself of US Troops, Iran Says - The Times
The President Who Will Deal With Iran - Washington Post opinion
Iran: Too Little Learned - Washington Times opinion
The Long War
UK: Muslim Inmates 'Turned to Extremism in Jail' - The Times
Homeland Security
Showdown Ahead over 17 Uighur Detainees - Christian Science Monitor
The Terrorists Next Door - Wall Street Journal editorial
World
When Nations Kill Their Own - Christian Science Monitor opinion
Africa
UN: Zimbabwe Experiencing Worst Ever Food Crisis - Voice of America
The Great Game in Africa - Weekly Standard opinion
Into AFRICOM - Washington Times opinion
Americas
A New Look at Cuba - Washington Times opinion
Asia Pacific
North Korea Bars Inspectors From Nuclear Complex - Voice of America
US Seems Set to Take N. Korea off Terror List - Washington Post
Thai Government to Launch Probe Into Deadly Clashes - Voice of America
Clashes in Thailand Further Divide Nation - Washington Post
Thailand in Turmoil - Wall Street Journal editorial
Toppled Fiji PM Attacks Coup Court - The Australian
Europe
Defense Leaders Meet, Reaffirm Georgia’s NATO Aspirations - AFPS
A Slow, Wary Return for Georgian Refugees - New York Times
Ukraine Schedules Vote After Disbanding Parliament - New York Times
Middle East
Syria Downplays Troop Buildup on Lebanese Border - Christian Science Monitor
Illogic Rules the Reasoning of Israel-Syria Relations - Middle East Times
Lebanon's Drug Barons Reap a Bumper Harvest - The Times
2 Missing Americans Detained in Syria - Associated Press
South Asia
Holy War Terrorises India - Daily Telegraph
BOOKS
In a Time of War - Bill Murphy
The West Point cadets Murphy follows through their baptism by fire are an admirable sample of young American men and women: intelligent, ambitious and intensely patriotic.
Baghdad at Sunrise - Peter Mansoor
This compelling book presents an unparalleled record of what happened after US forces seized Baghdad in the spring of 2003.
The Strongest Tribe - Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around–and the choice now facing America.
Tell Me How This Ends - Linda Robinson
After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war.
The War Within - Bob Woodward
Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 U.S. troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election.
We Are Soldiers Still - Joe Galloway
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results.
Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy - Steven Metz
Today the US military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after US troops leave Iraq?
EVENTS OF INTEREST
3-7 November - Counterinsurgency Leaders' Workshop (COIN Workshop). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Sponsored by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center. This event is a five-day program focused on understanding the fundamentals of insurgency and counterinsurgency. This is a version of the same extremely popular workshop offered to hundreds of military and civilian attendees over the past two years. The COIN Center has expanded the number of slots available to compensate for the high demand of previous sessions. The proceedings are UNCLASSIFED and registration is open to all interested US government and allied personnel.
6-7 December - Boyd Conference 2008 (Conference). Charlottetown, Prince Edward, Canada. There is an opportunity to hold a short, intense seminar on the applicability of Boyd’s ideas, particularly operating inside the OODA loop and grand strategy (sustaining our own morale and attracting the uncommitted), on the weekend of December 6-7 at the University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI. Canada. The theme would be applying these ideas to conflict in the post-Iraq era, and more specifically to the types of diffused, networked, “open source” armed conflicts that some have called “fifth generation warfare.” We are also interested in exploring solutions, such as the role of “resilient communities” (RC), for countering them. As Oil and food prices have climbed and the mortgage crisis has grown, the need to think more about Resilient Communities has become more urgent. We may have to re-invent our world! We envision this as a working seminar to help shape the policy agenda in the first year of the new administration.
