24/06/2013 Sources : EMA

Le 24 juin 2013, le Ministre de la Défense s’est rendu sur le camp français de l’aéroport de Kaboul (KAIA) où stationne désormais la majorité du contingent Pamir.

Après avoir rencontré le président afghan Hamid Karzaï et l’ambassadeur de France en Afghanistan, le ministre a rendu visite aux 850 soldats français encore stationnés sur le théâtre et en particulier à KAIA où sont désormais rassemblés la quasi-totalité des militaires de l’opération Pamir.

Parallèlement, la poursuite du désengagement a entraîné l’adaptation régulière de la force et de ses emprises. Le 19 juin, le camp de Warehouse a été rétrocédé aux autorités afghanes au terme d’une cérémonie officielle à laquelle participaient le général Philippe Adam commandant le contingent français en Afghanistan, son Excellence monsieur Jean-Michel Marlaud ambassadeur de France en Afghanistan, monsieur Bismullah Khan, ministre de la défense afghane et le général de corps d’armées Azizudin Youssef Zaï, chef adjoint du département matériel et finance du ministère de la défense afghan.

Entre 2006 et 2013, l’emprise de Warehouse a accueilli une quinzaine de nationalités différentes, près de 15 000 militaires français y ont servi et plus de 60 000 y ont séjourné au moins une fois. Désormais, le camp est occupé par la mobile strike brigadeafghane, commandé par le général Shurghul. La rétrocession a fait l’objet d’une préparation et d’une mise en œuvre progressive. Les spécialistes afghans de l’alimentation ont été formés dans différents domaines tels que : l’eau, l’électricité et la restauration collective. Les militaires afghans ont, quant à eux, été formés à la maîtrise des dispositifs de sécurité du camp.

18 June 2013 Ministry of Defence

NATO-led forces have formally handed over the last of Afghanistan's 95 districts to Afghan security forces.

President Hamid Karzai announced the move as his countrymen officially assumed responsibility for security from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

President Karzai said:

Our security and defence forces will now be in the lead. From here, all security responsibility and all security leadership will be taken by our brave forces.

The UK Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond, said:

This is a significant announcement that means Afghan National Security Forces are in control of security throughout the country – all provinces, all cities, all borders – and for all of Afghanistan’s 27 million citizens.

This is a hard-fought milestone on the road to complete Afghan security responsibility, with ISAF forces now moving to a role of training, advising and assisting. I was in Afghanistan last week and I was struck by the hugely impressive progress of the Afghan forces we have trained. Now it is those forces that will lead on planning and executing operations, with ISAF troops moving into support, throughout the whole country.

Afghanistan will continue to face challenges as it builds towards becoming a secure and stable state. The Afghanistan our combat forces leave at the end of 2014 will not be perfect, but will be able to stand independently and will never again provide a haven for terrorists to attack the West. That is why we remain firmly committed to supporting Afghanistan beyond 2014 and into the future.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed the Afghan transition announcement, and said:

This decision marks an important milestone, when Afghan soldiers and police will take the lead for security across the country. This is a day of pride for all Afghans and the 50 nations which contribute to ISAF.

As Afghan forces step forward, ISAF’s role will shift from combat to support. We will no longer plan, execute or lead combat operations. By the end of 2014 our combat mission will be completed, and a new mission will begin.

Together with our partners, we are planning to continue to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces. And NATO will also play its part in the broader international efforts to ensure the long-term sustainment of the Afghan security forces.

 

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Jun. 12, 2013 USMC

Cpl. Joseph Gravers with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines (2/8), Regimental Combat Team 7, scans the area during Operation Nightmare in Nowzad, Afghanistan, June 6, 2013. Operation Nightmare was a clearing operation led by Afghan National Security Forces and supported by the Marines of 2/8. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Kowshon Ye/Released)

13.06.2013 ( Xinhua )

Le nouveau gouvernement italien continuera sa participation dans la mission de la Force internationale d'assistance à la sécurité (FIAS) en Afghanistan jusqu'en 2014 et après le pays s'engagera à la formation des forces afghanes, a déclaré mercredi le ministre italien de la Défense Mario Mauro.

Le gouvernement italien a l'intention de "poursuivre sa participation à la mission de la FIAS en Afghanistan et mettra fin à sa participation comme prévu en 2014", selon le ministre.

A la fin de la mission en 2014, l'Italie va poursuivre son engagement en aidant et en formant les troupes afghanes, a-t-il ajouté. La nouvelle mission ne va pas inclure la lutte contre les insurgés, ni contre le terrorisme et le trafic de drogue, a précisé M. Mauro.

Le contingent italien qui compte aujourd'hui près de 3.100 hommes "est progressivement réduit et sera coupé davantage de manière significative tout au long de 2014", a-t-il affirmé.

M. Mauro a fait ces remarques lorsqu'il informait la chambre basse du parlement sur une attaque à la grenade qui a tué un soldat italien, Giuseppe La Rosa, servant avec la FIAS la semaine dernière.

L'attaque a été menée par un Afghan de 20 ans, qui aurait été arrêté et pas comme initialement revendiquée par les talibans, mais par un enfant de 11 ans, a poursuivi M. Mauro.

La Rosa était le 53e soldat italien tué en Afghanistan depuis le début des opérations de la FIAS en 2004. Les nombreux décès ont conduit à des appels croissants de certaines forces politiques pour l'accélération du retrait.

10 June 2013 Ministry of Defence

The head of the British Army has visited UK Service personnel working in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan.

General Sir Peter Wall travelled to Lashkar Gah, where he visited the Headquarters of Task Force Helmand and spoke with the Commander of British Forces in Helmand, Brigadier Rupert Jones, who updated him on the role of his troops in support of Afghan security forces.

General Wall also met with the Provincial Reconstruction Team’s Head of Mission, Catriona Laing, to discuss how civilian and military colleagues are working together to ensure Helmand’s progress in governance, development and the rule of law are maintained beyond the drawdown of UK forces from the region.

General Wall then travelled to the Lashkar Gah Training Centre (LTC) where he was briefed by the Commanding Officer of the Police Mentoring and Advisory Group (PMAG), Lieutenant Colonel Robin Lindsay.

The PMAG, formed from 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS), works directly with the Afghan police who will provide enduring security across Helmand.

While at the LTC, General Wall viewed new recruits of the Afghan National Police conducting training to counter the threat of improvised explosive devices.

Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay said:

The Laskar Gah Training Centre is a centre of police excellence and a reflection of the institutional and tactical progress that the Afghan Police have made over the last 4 years.

The standards here are high and the quality of graduates illustrates the increasing professionalism of the police. These policemen and women represent the future for Helmand’s security, so to see their enthusiasm to serve their local communities is really encouraging.

General Wall then flew to the main British operating base in Helmand, Camp Bastion, where he visited the Brigade Advisory Group (BAG), made up of 4th Battalion The Rifles (4 RIFLES), under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Tom Bewick.

The BAG advises the Afghan National Army’s 3/215 Brigade, and General Wall took the opportunity to watch Afghan soldiers conduct mortar training in the adjacent Afghan Camp Shorabak.

Before leaving Camp Bastion, General Wall visited the Headquarters of Joint Force Support (Afghanistan) where he was briefed by the commander, Air Commodore John Bessell. He then conducted a tour of the various sites on camp involved in the redeployment of military equipment back to the UK – a process that is well underway since it began in October 2012.

General Wall said:

It’s invaluable to come and get an assessment from those on the ground of the progress we’re making, the issues we are having to confront as the campaign evolves, and also to see what sort of shape our people are in.

This was also a great opportunity to see for myself the quality of the training that the Afghan Police and Army are undertaking and I have been impressed by both their professionalism and confidence.

The change between what I found at Christmas time during my last visit and the current situation is quite remarkable.

07 juin 2013 Romandie.com (AFP)

KANDAHAR (Afghanistan) - Les rebelles talibans ont revendiqué vendredi l'attaque suicide menée la veille contre une base militaire géorgienne dans la province afghane du Helmand (sud), qui a coûté la vie à sept soldats géorgiens de la force internationale de l'Otan dans le pays (Isaf).

L'attaque a été revendiquée par un porte-parole des insurgés, Yousuf Ahmadi, dans un communiqué publié sur un site internet taliban.

Le général Irakli Dzneladze, chef d'état-major de l'armée géorgienne, avait annoncé jeudi que sept soldats avaient péri lorsqu'un terroriste kamikaze a fait sauter un camion chargé d'explosifs à l'extérieur de la base. Neuf autres soldats ont été blessés, avait-t-il ajouté.

L'attaque a eu lieu vers 16H00 locale (11H30 GMT), a indiqué à l'AFP Sayed Mulook, commandant de l'armée afghane dans la province du Helmand, une place forte des talibans.

Suite à l'attentat, le Premier ministre (géorgien Bidzina Ivanishvili) a demandé au ministre de la Défense (Irakli Alasania) d'interrompre une visite officielle à Bruxelles et de se rendre en Afghanistan, où il est arrivé (jeudi) soir, a indiqué à l'AFP Manana Tokmajishvili, conseiller du Premier ministre géorgien.

M. Alasania a rencontré son homologue afghan Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, qui lui a adressé ses condoléances et les deux hommes ont discuté de la situation en Afghanistan, a précisé le ministère géorgien de la Défense dans un communiqué.

Le ministère ajoute que M. Alasania s'est rendu à la base militaire pour rencontrer les militaires blessés et qu'une journée de deuil a été décrétée vendredi en Géorgie.

Le patron de l'Isaf, le général américain Joseph Dunford, a également présenté ses condoléances aux familles des victimes.

Aussi triste ce moment soit-il pour les Géorgiens et les forces de la coalition, il ne saurait nous détourner de nos efforts visant à donner au peuple afghan stabilité et sécurité, a déclaré le général dans un communiqué.

Au total, 30 militaires géorgiens ont été tués depuis le début de l'intervention internationale en Afghanistan fin 2001, dont trois le 13 mai dernier, déjà dans une attaque suicide contre une de leurs bases dans le sud.

La Géorgie, avec 1.500 militaires déployés dans la province méridionale de Helmand, est le plus important contributeur non membre de l'Otan à la force internationale en Afghanistan, selon le ministère de la Défense.

Le pays caucasien a annoncé son souhait de maintenir des soldats en Afghanistan pour assister l'armée afghane lorsque l'Otan aura transféré toute la responsabilité de la sécurité du pays aux forces afghanes à la fin 2014.

L'Otan s'est engagée à accepter en son sein la Géorgie, sans toutefois donner de date pour cette adhésion. Le souhait de Tbilissi d'intégrer la coalition occidentale a provoqué la colère de la Russie voisine qui considère l'expansion de l'Otan à ses portes comme une menace.

MOSCOU, 5 juin - RIA Novosti

Le retrait des troupes de la coalition internationale en Afghanistan est susceptible d'avoir des conséquences tragiques, provoquant une prolifération de drogue en Europe, aux Etats-Unis et au Canada, a déclaré mercredi le président russe Vladimir Poutine.

"La production et le trafic des opiacés afghans n'est pas seulement un problème pour la Russie et les pays frontaliers, c'est aussi celui de l'Europe, des Etats-Unis et du Canada", a indiqué le chef de l'Etat russe, lors de la Conférence internationale des forces de l'ordre pour la lutte contre le trafic de drogue.

Selon lui, l'Afghanistan ne dispose pas de moyens suffisants pour lutter contre le trafic de drogue, alors qu'en 2014, la Force internationale d'assistance à la sécurité (ISAF) en Afghanistan retirera son contingent.

"Les conséquences de cette démarche sont susceptibles d'être vraiment déplorables, sinon tragiques", a souligné le président russe. Il a rappelé que selon l'Onu, l'Afghanistan compte des milliers de laboratoires de production de drogue, la superficie des champs de culture de drogue ayant augmenté l'année dernière, de 18% pour se chiffrer à 154.000 hectares.

A cet égard, M.Poutine a confirmé que la Russie était prête à continuer à entreprendre des démarches pratiques visant à éliminer le trafic de drogue, en coopération avec les pays membres de l'Organisation du traité de sécurité collective (OTSC), de l'Union européenne et d'autres.

03.06.2013 thomasgoisque-photo.com

« Ils n’étaient ni des Anglais, ni des Russes mais des soldats de France.

Ils ne connaissaient pas ce royaume insolent et somptueux où se jouait une guerre insaisissable.

Un tourbillon d’ombre et de poussière… »

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31 May 2013  pakistantoday.com.pk

WASHINGTON - The Taliban in Afghanistan will never be completely defeated and this year's fighting season is still "up for grabs", the commander of NATO-led forces in south-western Afghanistan said on Wednesday.

"If we think the Taliban will be completely destroyed, that's not feasible. They'll continue to show up," Major General Lee Miller told reporters at the Pentagon during a briefing via satellite from Afghanistan.

“The key is to get the Afghan national security forces to the level where they can maintain security for the populace of Afghanistan," he added.

Miller said that in recent months Afghan forces have made significant progress in their ability to defend against Taliban attacks, citing success in an ongoing battle in Sangin, in Helmand Province, an area that has been a hotbed for insurgents. The fighting, which began May 25, should be over in a matter of hours, Miller predicted.

Even with the expected Afghan Security Forces victory, Miller warned, "The fighting season is still up in the air and up for grabs."

With international combat troops preparing to withdraw by the end of 2014, Afghan forces are taking on new levels of responsibility during the warm weather months when most combat occurs.

Miller said Sangin shows that Afghans are increasingly ready for the challenge, saying that they have only asked for airlift and logistical support, and have turned down NATO offers for more aid.

Miller said the number of Taliban who attacked Sangin was only around 150, but a US military official estimated the number was more than 200.

Those figures include some foreign fighters, Miller said, but when asked of their nationality he said only, "at this time, I'd prefer not to answer that."

In late 2010 more than 20,000 marines were sent into Helmand to combat the Taliban in what was some of the bloodiest fighting in the 12-year war. It was one of the most dangerous places on earth and the marines sustained heavy casualties over several months of fighting.

May 30, 2013: Strategy Page

A year ago NATO and Afghan forces were seizing an average 60 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer a month. That was twice as much as 2011. This was part of an effort to deny the Taliban access to the most common explosive (using the fertilizer) for bombs. Currently 47 percent of roadside bombs are made with ammonium nitrate fertilizer, with about ten percent using old shells and bombs from the 1980s and the rest potassium chlorate. Over the last few years fertilizer bombs went from nearly 80 percent of all bombs to under fifty percent and falling. The terrorists have been substituting that loss with potassium chlorate (13 percent in 2011, 23 percent in 2012 and 45 percent this year). Potassium chlorate is more expensive than ammonium nitrate but not to the point where the terrorists cannot afford it. Potassium chlorate is a common industrial chemical used for all sorts of thing, including fireworks and matches.

In 2009, 60 percent of NATO dead in Afghanistan were from these bombs. It has declined ever since, in part because NATO and Pakistan has made it more difficult to get the raw materials for their bombs. For a long time the U.S. had a difficult time preventing the Taliban and drug gangs in Afghanistan from getting explosives. That was mainly because of the widespread use of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which has become the favorite bomb building material after 2001. In response to these problems, four years ago, the Afghan government agreed to ban the use of ammonium nitrate and make available other (less effective) fertilizers. That program did not work as expected. The problem was that the terrorists only needed about 600 kg (1,320 pounds) of ammonium nitrate a day to keep their bombing campaign going. The existing smuggling network (from Pakistan) had no problem sneaking that much in. Paying locals to build and plant these bombs cost less than a million dollars a month. Pakistan was, for a long time uncooperative when it came to halting smuggling of explosives into Afghanistan. But then the Taliban began using fertilizer bombs more frequently inside Pakistan. That got the Pakistani government to crack down on their end.

With no such abundance of leftover munitions the Taliban had to fall back on a common local explosive (ammonium nitrate) early on. This is a powdered fertilizer that, when mixed with diesel or fuel oil, can be exploded with a detonator. While only about 40 percent of the power as the same weight of TNT, these fertilizer bombs are effective as roadside bombs. But they are bulkier and a slurry, usually mixed in a plastic jug or a barrel. Moreover, the fuel oil must be mixed thoroughly and in exactly the right proportion, otherwise the explosive effect is much less than expected.

While these bombs are even less effective in Afghanistan than in Iraq they are still the main cause of NATO casualties and thus get a lot of media attention. In Afghanistan the enemy started off with one big disadvantage, as they didn't have the expertise or the resources of the Iraqi bomb builders. In Iraq the bombs were built and placed by one of several dozen independent gangs, each containing smaller groups of people with different skills. The Taliban bomb gangs are much less skilled than those encountered in Iraq. At the same time, the equipment, techniques, and troops who neutralized the bomb campaign in Iraq have been moved to Afghanistan. This is a major reason the effectiveness of Taliban bomb attacks are declining so quickly.

The main reason the Taliban keep at it with the roadside bombs is that when the foreign troops leave after 2014, they will take with them the sensors and weapons that made it so difficult to use roadside bombs effectively. The Taliban expect these bombs to be much more successful against Afghan soldiers and police.

MOSCOU, 25 mai - RIA Novosti

Washington espère poursuivre sa coopération avec Moscou en Afghanistan après le retrait de la Force internationale d'assistance à la sécurité (ISAF), a déclaré la sous-secrétaire d'Etat américain par intérim Rose Gottemoeller dans une interview à la radio Echo de Moscou.

"C'est un très bon exemple de coopération, mais le problème de la drogue persiste. Si nous pouvons, nous poursuivrons la lutte contre le trafic de la drogue afghane au-delà de 2014, après la fin de notre mission militaire", a indiqué la diplomate américaine.

"Vous connaissez l'Afghanistan mieux que nous, c'est votre histoire, et vos militaires sont parfaitement conscients de ce qui se passe dans ce pays. J'estime que vous avez beaucoup à nous apprendre", a poursuivi Mme Gottemoeller.

Le retrait des forces principales de la coalition internationale d'Afghanistan et le transfert de la sécurité dans le pays aux autorités locales sont programmés pour 2014.

22 May 2013 Ministry of Defence

The final tour of duty in Afghanistan of the Commando Helicopter Force fliers of 847 Naval Air Squadron (847 NAS) has ended today, 22 May.

The Lynx helicopter crews, based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset, ended their fourth and final deployment to Afghanistan after a 4-month tour of duty working out of Camp Bastion as the ‘eyes in the skies’ for ground forces and RAF Chinook and Merlin helicopters.

847 NAS deployed to Afghanistan in January after a 2-year break from deployments to the country, this time flying Army Air Corps wheeled Lynx Mk9As.

As well as lacking the distinctive skids of the Lynx aircraft previously flown by the squadron, the Mk9As have more powerful engines – the same as those fitted to the Wildcats which are replacing them – and are armed with a 0.5-inch calibre machine gun.

The missions ranged from escorting RAF helicopters around Helmand to acting as the airborne eyes of international and Afghan troops and security forces when conducting patrols outside operating bases.

To meet those demands, 847 NAS’s engineers and technicians put in 10,500 man-hours of work on the helicopters over 103 shifts. The result was a serviceability rate of over 80% – and over 90% in the final month of the deployment – and 650 hours flown by the squadron.

This detachment has seen weather comparable to the cold temperatures of Norway and, more recently, in the mid-30s Celsius. Personnel also struggled with a tropical storm which led to a flood sweeping through the aircraft hangar, regular sandstorms and some of the highest gusts of winds ever recorded in Helmand during the final days of their deployment.

847 NAS’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Venn Royal Marines, said his men and women left Afghanistan having forged ‘an enviable reputation’ with all the units they had worked with since January – and having achieved ‘some real operational successes’:

This tour has been an exceptionally busy one in which the squadron has made a very positive contribution to operations in Helmand – a contribution that is universally recognised out here,” he said.

The fantastic work rate and innovation of the engineering team has ensured that, despite only a small pool of aircraft, we have been able to ‘punch above our weight’, consistently ensuring that we always have aircraft ready to meet operational demands.

In no small part, the work of the squadron has also contributed directly to helping create the secure environment that the Afghans need as they move towards effective self-governance and security; the same secure environment that will allow the UK to leave Afghanistan in due course.

Having handed over duties to the Army Air Corps’ 661 Squadron, 847 NAS was due back at RAF Brize Norton this afternoon, before personnel are bussed down to Yeovilton for reunions with loved ones.

After leave, 847 NAS personnel will begin the conversion process as they get to grips with the Wildcat which is replacing all the Fleet Air Arm and Army Lynx helicopters in the coming years; the squadron is the first front line unit to get its hands on the new helicopter.