Posts Tagged ‘ afghanistan ’

The House on Wednesday soundly rejected an effort by anti-war lawmakers to force a withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

See the article here:
House Rejects Call for Afghan Withdrawal

Many law enforcement officers called up to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan are finding it difficult to readjust to their jobs once home, bringing back heightened survival instincts that may make them quicker to use force and showing less patience toward the people they serve.

See more here:
Law Officers Struggle to Adjust After War

The Pashtun tribal leaders picked at the chocolate cake and fruit laid out for them at the conference table. Politely, they listened to speeches touting a new program to release detainees from Afghanistan’s largest U.S.-run military prison if community leaders vouch for them.

Go here to see the original:
Complaints Persist As Detainees Freed

Deployed servicemembers quizzed Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates about Afghanistan, the elections in Iraq and the Iran situation during a question-and-answer period in southwest Asia.

More:
Gates Discusses Iraq, Afghanistan With Deployed Troops

WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday soundly rejected an effort by anti-war lawmakers to force a withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. The outcome of the vote, 356-65 against the resolution, was never in doubt. But the 3 1/2 hours of debate did give those who oppose President Barack Obama’s war policies a platform to vent their frustrations. Opposing the resolution was easy for almost all Republicans, who have been solidly behind Obama’s decision to increase U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan from 70,000 to 100,000. Only five Republicans supported the measure. It was a harder vote for some Democrats, particularly in an election year where opposing the war can be equated with opposing the troops. Several expressed discomfort with a war that has lasted 8 1/2 years and cost the nation more than 930 American lives and the treasury more than $200 billion, but said they were voting against the resolution because it was ill-timed and unrealistic. Among the ‘no’ voters was Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., who gave an impassioned speech. The U.S. policy of needlessly sending troops into harm’s way was “shameful,” Kennedy said. He also lambasted the national media, calling their lack of attention to the loss of life in Afghanistan “despicable.” Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, authored the resolution that would have directed the president to remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan within 30 days of its adoption. If the president deemed that deadline unsafe, he would have had until the end of the year to end U.S. military presence in the nation. Obama has said he wants to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan starting in July 2011. Kucinich based his resolution on the 1973 War Powers Act, passed during the Vietnam War era to require the president to obtain congressional approval when he sends troops to a conflict for more than 90 days. Congress authorized the use of military force to fight terrorists in 2001, after the Sept. 11 attacks, but Kucinich said both the Bush and Obama administrations had wrongfully used that authority as carte blanche to circumvent the role of Congress in sending Americans to war. “Unless this Congress acts to claim its constitutional responsibility, we will stay in Afghanistan for a very, very long time at great cost to our troops and to our national priorities,” Kucinich said. Republicans warned that a precipitous withdrawal would be a serious mistake, allowing the Taliban to regain power and assuring that al-Qaida and other terrorist groups would again have a staging ground to launch attacks against the U.S. and the West. “In the case of Afghanistan, President Obama has demonstrated great responsibility and a sense of the national security interests of the United States,” said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla. “He deserves our support.” In the middle were Democrats such as Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, who voted against the resolution despite “profound reservations” about committing troops and vast resources to one of the world’s most corrupt nations. He said the debate was essential, “even though I don’t agree with the resolution that somehow we’re going to be able to pull the plug and be able to end this in 30 days or 30 weeks.”

Go here to read the rest: House rejects call for Afghanistan withdrawal

Chartered Mi-8, ISAF (click to view full) British commander foresaw own death; Major deal for US State Department; credit-worthy Czechs; drop gone wrong; contracts to Evergreen, CHC, and Presidential Airways. (March 9/10) Afghanistan is shaping up as a test of the NATO alliance. Thus far, the report is mixed. While a number of allied countries have committed troops, very few of the NATO countries’ available helicopters have been committed, despite promises made and commanders’ requests from the field. At the moment, Britain, the Netherlands, and the USA still contribute most of the combat helicopter support in theater, alongside some CH-47s from non-NATO partner Australia. They are supplemented by helicopters from some east bloc countries like Poland and the Czech Republic (Mi-8/17s), and the very recent addition of a few CH-47D Chinooks and Bell 412ERs from Canada. The sizeable helicopter fleets belonging to NATO members like France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have seen some use in Afghanistan, but the bulk of their use has been in areas away from the serious fighting in the south. That is creating political tensions within the alliance, especially when set against the backdrop of European shortfalls in meeting NATO ISAF commitments. At one point, the USA was forced to extend the deployment of 20 CH-47 helicopters by 6 months, in order to try and make up the shortfall. Over the longer, term, however, a 2-track solution has emerged. Track one involves keeping up the pressure, and some members of NATO have responded. Track 2 has involved stanching the wound by chartering private helicopter support that can take care of more routine missions in theater, freeing the military helicopters for other tasks. Contracts and Key Events [updated] Additional Readings (more…)

Originally posted here: Allies Absent in Afghanistan – Helicopters Hired

Iran’s outspoken president on Wednesday accused the United States of playing a double game in Afghanistan and mocked the US defence secretary during their overlapping visits to the country.

Read the original post:
Ahmadinejad and Gates Trade Barbs

Read the original post:
Day 30 of ‘30 Days Through Afghanistan’

POLE CHAKI TRAINING BASE, Afghanistan — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was watching Afghan army recruits go through training Wednesday. Gates visited a dust-blown training ground in Kabul province where Afghan soldiers come for weeks of training under U.S. and British instruction. British Brigadier Simon Levy told Gates that if NATO countries contribute more trainers, the project to expand the Afghan army will keep pace. The goal is to reach 134,000 trained forces this fall. The Pentagon hopes the Afghans will soon ease the load on U.S. forces. Gates watched as Afghan troops dealt with a simulated roadside bomb explosion. The defense secretary stood on an embankment above the road as Afghan soldiers leapt out of a convoy, tended to casualties and contained the explosive.

See the original post: Gates watches Afghan army training exercises

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates raised the possibility Wednesday that some of the U.S. forces involved in the Afghanistan surge could leave the country before President Barack Obama’s announced July 2011 date to begin withdrawal.

More:
Some Troops May Leave Afghanistan Early