War Report

The War Report

American forces are fighting heroic battles in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Global War On Terror, yet the Mainstream Media is largely ignoring these efforts. Hopefully, we can help get the word out here at MNN.

U.S. Seeks More Supply Routes for Afghanistan

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service, 12/31/08

WASHINGTON - As Pakistani troops apply renewed pressure on militants who have threatened a major supply line, military transportation officials are seeking alternate routes for supplying U.S. and NATO troops deployed in Afghanistan.

Pakistani forces on Dec. 30 renewed offensive operations targeting militants who, in recent weeks, have attacked some supply convoys that transit the Khyber Pass.

That supply route runs hundreds of miles from the Pakistani port city of Karachi to Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan and then through the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan. The Khyber Pass route provides about 75 percent of the U.S. supplies to troops in Afghanistan.

The Pakistanis' action, which caused a temporary closure of the Khyber Pass supply route, was hailed in a joint statement issued by NATO's International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan.

"We are pleased with the operation to clear out the insurgents in the areas adjacent to the pass, so that our supplies can get through unhindered," the statement said. "This temporary delay will result in long-term gains for all that use that passage route.

"There is no immediate impact on our ability to provide supplies to the troops," the statement concluded.

Still, military officials have been looking for other options. U.S. Transportation Command's top officer, Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, traveled to several Central Asian countries in November to explore options for establishing added supply routes for Afghanistan operations, Transcom spokeswoman Cynthia Bauer said today during a telephone interview with American Forces Press Service. Transcom is based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Bauer declined to mention specific countries, but Central Asian nations north of Afghanistan include Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Kyrgyzstan allows U.S. military cargo flights to use its airfields.

"We've been looking at alternate distribution routes for a while," "[It's] just good business practice and U.S. Transcom's responsibility," Bauer said, especially given the unpredictability of war.

"This is a comprehensive enterprise to bring supplies to the troops in Afghanistan, accomplished through teamwork with commercial partners and working relationships with other governments," Bauer said.

Transcom would use private contractors for supply distribution, Bauer said, noting this process would provide potential economic benefits for Central Asian countries and Eurasia's Caucasus region. Local purchase of supplies needed in Afghanistan is another possibility, she added.

Contractors crossing the Khyber Pass from Pakistan are trucking mostly nonmilitary items such as food and other basic needs to troops in Afghanistan, Bauer said.

"You're not seeing MRAPs" going through the Khyber Pass, she said, referring to the acronym for the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles used in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan also have stockpiled supplies, Bauer pointed out, noting there's no danger they'll run out.

Coalition Kills 11 in Shootout With Terrorists

By the American Forces Press Service, 12/31/08

KABUL, Afghanistan - Coalition forces killed 11 terrorists after coming under fire yesterday during an operation in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, military officials reported.

The operation in Sorubi District, northeast of the city of Kabul, targeted a man wanted for trafficking weapons and fighters into and throughout the Uzbin and Tagab valleys in Kabol and Kapisa provinces.

The suspect is believed to be a commander in Hizb-iIslami Gulbuddin organization, or HIG, which is known to coordinate and direct terrorist attacks in the region. According to the U.S. Institute of Peace, HIG was one of the major guerilla groups operating in the war against the Soviets in the 1970s and 1980s and has long-standing ties with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

As coalition forces approached yesterday, multiple armed militants came out of the building and rushed to the nearby mountainside in an apparent attempt to evade the force and to occupy the higher terrain. Believing the targeted HIG commander was with the group, coalition forces pursued the militants and were engaged with small-arms fire. The forces returned fire and killed two of the militants. Still receiving fire, the troops engaged the militants with close-air precision munitions and killed the remaining nine.

After the operation, an allegation of civilian casualties was brought to the attention of coalition forces. An initial review of the operational reports indicate only enemy forces were engaged during the operation, officials said.

Coalition Ships Seize 20 Tons of Drugs

12/29/08

MANAMA, Bahrain - Coalition warships operating in the North Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden as part of Combined Task Force 150 have seized more than 20 tons of narcotics since October, with an estimated value of more than $100 million, officials said.

CTF 150, also tasked with conducting counter-piracy operations, is part of a continual presence in the region committed to creating and maintaining a lawful maritime order.

The task force has seized more than 53 tons of narcotics during 2008, officials said. The drugs, seized by U.S. and Royal Navy forces, otherwise could have been used to help fund the insurgency fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan and contributed to instability in the region, officials said.

"The seizure of these drugs cuts off a vital lifeline of funds to those conducting destabilizing activities in the region," said Royal Navy Commodore Tim Lowe, deputy commander of Combined Maritime Forces. "By stemming the flow of these drugs, we play a crucial role in providing security and stability to the entire region."

Sailors discovered hidden drugs in vessels operating along the so-called "Hash Highway." They destroyed large quantities of narcotics, but always ensured sufficient evidence was gathered to aid in subsequent investigations by local authorities after the drug smugglers were handed over for prosecution, officials said.

"The smugglers need to know there are consequences for their actions," Lowe said. "By aggressively patrolling these waters, we send a message to all would-be smugglers that we are here, and we won't tolerate drug trafficking in international waters."

CTF 150 is a multinational task force that conducts maritime security operations in and around the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.

(From a Combined Maritime Forces news release.)

USAF Police Patrol in Doura Community

12/29/08

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Rasclke from Boyd, Texas, speaks with an Iraqi policeman during a joint patrol Dec. 7, 2008 in the Doura community of southern Baghdad, Iraq. The Airman is assigned to 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. (Click image to enlarge.)

Coalition Forces Kill Taliban Fighters in Afghanistan

12/29/08

KABUL, Afghanistan - Coalition forces killed two armed Taliban militants while targeting the network's kidnapping and roadside-bombing operations in Afghanistan's Ghazni province yesterday, military officials reported.

In the province's Gailan district, coalition forces targeted a Taliban militant known to coordinate and carry out the kidnappings of Afghan officials and westerners to finance their criminal activities. The targeted Taliban militant also is believed to facilitate and direct roadside bombings along Highway One in Ghazni and Zabul provinces, deliberately killing and injuring innocent civilians and coalition forces, officials said.

After coalition forces called for everyone inside to leave the targeted building peacefully, the two militants engaged the force with small-arms fire. The coalition forces killed them using hand grenades.

A search following the operation revealed multiple AK-47 assault rifles.

(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)

Kid Rock Rocks the Troops in Iraq

12/29/08

Service members cheer as Kid Rock performs during a United Services Organization show at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2008. Kid Rock headlined a USO tour that also featured comedian Lewis Black and former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler. (Click image to enlarge.)

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