Fighting in Afghanistan continues. - ADA News July 17, 2019

[MSgt Falconer]

Fighting in Afghanistan continues. ANA on the offensive again

 

The recent increase in violence in Afghanistan has shown no signs of diminishing. On the contrary it has recently seen a rise in the Northern part of the country where the Afghan government has utterly collapsed. As reported earlier a militia calling themselves “the northern alliance”, emulating the Anti-Taliban militia of 1996-2001, have seized control of large areas and fought both Taliban and ISIS-A to a standstill. Now however a large number of significant firefights have been reported and rumors state that American soldiers were involved in several of them. Northern Alliance recon units have found several indicators of American involvement such as spent casings of NATO ammunition, videos and pictures found on bodies of Taliban and ISIS fighters and most damning of all, a testimony of one Mikhail Vaschenko, a well known international arms dealer who bragged quite vocally on social media about escaping an American ambush in Afghanistan. Mr Vaschenko was not willing to answer us when asked what he was doing in Afghanistan.

 

Significant fighting has also occurred in Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar. ISIS-A terrorists attacked an ANA military outpost near Mazar-i-Sharif and managed to seize control of it. ANA forces fought for three straight days before regaining it, proving that despite their collapse in Iraq and Syria, ISIS still has teeth. Given its recent poor showing in combat the ANA has come under close scrutiny by both US Military advisors and the Afghan government. Finding significant faults and deeply rooted corruption in the higher echelons and wide spread discipline issues in the lower ranks. Preliminary numbers show that as many as 45% of ANA soldiers have moderate to severe issues with narcotics, primarily opioids such as Heroin. 

 

In an effort to combat this the Afghan government has handed the control of much of its recruiting and training system over to NATO specialists as part of the recently ramped up ISAF effort in the country. Afghan minister of defence Mahid Al-Foursi is reported to have said this step threatens “the independence of Afghanistan and its ability to maintain its own armed forces”. However when attempting to give a speech on this matter in the Afghan Parliament he was loudly booed and later that day dismissed from his office. His replacement, Bardi al-Ghota comes directly from the frontline where he commanded the 5th “Lions of Kandahar” Brigade of the ANA

 

Proving its will to continue the fight against the resurgent Taliban the ANA conducted an offensive supported by American and British air forces that saw the Taliban largely driven out of Kandahar following a five day battle resulting in 18 ANA soldiers killed. Reported Taliban casualties were well over 200 but no absolute number has been published by the Afghan military. Experts have been reluctant to call this battle decisive just yet as the Taliban have proven to be able to bounce back from just about anything in the past. It remains to be seen if this new attempt at an ANA resurgence will succeed or simply peter out into nothing again.

 

Men of the 3rd ANA Brigade having a well earned rest following the Battle for Kandahar

 

Written by: Simon Tam
Edited By: John Argentina