Posts tagged: Afghan National Army

Static War: Helmand after the US Marines’ return

Andrew Quilty •

In April 2017, 300 US Marines were sent back to Helmand, a province the US troops, who numbered 20,000 at their peak there, had handed over to Afghan forces less than three years earlier. The Marines’ task was to rehabilitate the Afghan National Army’s (ANA) 215th Corps and help prevent the fall of the provincial […]

23 Apr 2020

Uprising, ALP and Taleban in Andar: The arc of government failure  

Kate Clark • Fazl Rahman Muzhary •

The Taleban look to be preparing for a new onslaught on Andar district centre. The name ‘Andar’ is still full of political resonance, gained in the summer of 2012 when the Taleban were suddenly and swiftly pushed out of a large part of the district. That counter-insurgency in an insurgent stronghold was styled the ‘Andar […]

22 May 2018

Presidential Decree on the Creation of the Afghan National Army Territorial Force

The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Decree on the Creation of the Afghan National Army Territorial Force  February 2018 [AAN working translation] The following actions will be undertaken in order to improve the security situation, provide better security services to the people of Afghanistan, and establish the Afghan National Army Territorial Force with the aim […]

1 Feb 2018

Expanding Afghanistan’s Special Operations Forces: Doubling their success or further diluting their mission?

Franz J Marty •

One of the key elements of the Afghan government’s Road Map for pushing back the insurgency is increasing the fighting capabilities of Afghan government forces. This includes the expansion of the Afghan National Army’s (ANA) praised special operations forces. However, this expansion is spurring already existing tendencies that are turning these units into shock troops, […]

2 Oct 2017

Afghan special forces commando defects to insurgents taking weapons with him

AAN Team •

The Telegraph, 21 October 2013 In an article about the defection of an Afghan special forces officer, an AAN analysis is quoted: Although analysts say the ANA and police have done a professional job in quelling terrorist attacks in Kabul, there are signs that Taliban threats are making it difficult to retain security forces. “The ANA […]

21 Oct 2013

Transition in Uruzgan (2): Power at the centre

Deedee Derksen •

“Only the dead see the end of war”. The encryption on the monument for fallen foreign soldiers in Camp Holland, the main international military base in Uruzgan, might end up a sad prediction for many inhabitants of this southern province. As foreign forces prepare to leave, Uruzganis are ever more worried about the future. Deedee […]

12 Jun 2013