Afghanistan

As a career intelligence officer I understand that the world around us in often seen in shifting shades of gray partially obscured by a fog of uncertainty and ambiguity. I also know that sometimes that fog lifts, and all is revealed in the crystal clear light of day. Such was the moment, late last month, […]

KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. airstrikes authorized after two American soldiers were wounded in southern Helmand province’s hotly contested Sangin district on Thursday may have killed as many as 25 civilians, officials said. The U.S. troops were injured while supporting Afghan forces, who have been battling the Taliban in the district for weeks. The militants see […]

General John W. Nicholson Jr, commander of the American-led international military force in Afghanistan, told Congress on Thursday that he believes the ongoing fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan to be at a “stale mate.”  In order to effectively train and advise the Afghan military, Nicholson believes a surge of thousands more international fighters is […]

An active-duty US Marine captain wrote a stinging op-ed for the Marine Corps Gazette, going through all the problems he sees with the Department of Defense and the Marine Corps in addition to recent failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. The biggest problem, according to Capt. Joshua Waddell, is “self-delusion.” “Let us first begin with the […]

KABUL — Six staffers of the International Committee of the Red Cross were killed and two others are missing after their convoy was ambushed by unidentified gunmen in northern Afghanistan, the humanitarian agency said Wednesday. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest against the ICRC in Afghanistan, but local officials blamed the […]

A suicide bomber killed at least twenty people outside the Afghan Supreme Court in Kabul on Tuesday.  More than forty more were injured and rushed to local hospitals, ten of whom are listed in critical condition. The attacker, who has not been identified, approached the building on foot and targeted a side door that dozens […]

After landing in a flooded field outside Boz Qandahari Village, Kunduz Province, Afghanistan on the night of Nov. 2, 2016 and as they trudged a mile toward their target through mud up to their waists, Army Sgt. 1st Class Morrison, the senior medical sergeant , 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), remembered thinking, “Alright, yeah, that’s […]

The Pentagon has failed to disclose up to thousands of air strikes the U.S. military carried out over several years in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan against militants in those countries, the Military Times reported on Sunday. Last year, the United States carried out at least 456 air strikes in Afghanistan that were not documented in […]

Politico reported, “Iraqi translators eligible for waivers under travel ban.” The article’s first paragraph read, “Iraqi translators and interpreters who’ve worked with U.S. armed forces will be considered for waivers to bypass President Donald Trump’s travel ban, a top official from the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.” But the exceptions won’t end there because […]

Back in the 1980s, the US supported Afghan “freedom fighters” against the Soviet Union. Those fighters later morphed into the Taliban. And now, the Russians seem to be returning the favor. Moscow said last month it was in contact with the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, with the stated reason being that Russia was sharing information and cooperating on […]

KABUL — Over the past eight years, Afghans have become increasingly disillusioned with the American role in their country. Many blamed President Barack Obama’s policies for an increase in Afghan corruption, for air attacks that killed civilians, and for a foreign troop presence that failed to stop Taliban insurgents and was pulled out too quickly. […]

Greg “Ironhead” Birch, is a legendary operator known for his unwavering courage and mentorship. Read more about his extraordinary life and impact.