GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Some Afghans say insecurity persists despite surge

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: The Washington Times

16February2011 1:53pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Schoolteacher Abdul Rahman drops his voice to a whisper as he watches U.S. troops guard a street where insurgents attacked the police headquarters a day earlier in this capital of the province that was the birthplace of the Taliban.

“The foreign forces are everywhere, but they are not helping us,” Mr. Rahman said as he sat in a cracked plastic lawn chair with his friends outside a photo shop.

Residents of the impoverished city of 800,000 people live in fear, even as they see heavily armed NATO troops patrolling the streets in armored vehicles every day and snarling traffic. There are 1,600 Afghan policemen in Kandahar, 800 more than last year. The Afghan police are partnered with 850 U.S. military police, up from 170 last summer. Still, most Afghans are deeply suspicious of the police, whom they often see as corrupt. (read full report)

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Afghan Airman Graduate Basic Intelligence Course

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan

11February2011 7:40pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: KABUL, Afghanistan  – Twelve members of the Afghan Air Force, including the first female student and two civilians, graduated from the basic airman intelligence course at Pohantoon-e-Hawayee, the Afghan Air Force's "Big Air School", Feb. 3.

Attending the graduation was Brig. Gen. Barat, the Kabul Air Wing commander, who shared a few words with the graduates.

“The Afghan military is lucky to have the International Forces here helping to train and equip us,” explained Barat. “That is the best thing for the Afghan armed forces and classes such as this because with each graduating course we become better equipped as a military.”

The class is based on NATO standards, so all material was written and taught to support NATO air operations. Each of the graduates completed 210 hours of classroom instruction covering more than 50 topics.

“Topics range from critical thinking and analysis, mission planning, classified information protection and security, to the creation and delivery of a professional military intelligence brief in support of Afghanistan Air Force flying operations,” said Tech. Sgt. Lee Marsters, Afghan Air Force Intelligence adviser, with the NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan/438 Air Expeditionary Advisory Group. (read full report)

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's advertisers or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: 'New Taliban device' killed bomb expert

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: The Independent

10February2011 2:11pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: A bomb disposal hero did not have equipment to detect a new Taliban device which killed him in Afghanistan, an inquest heard today.

Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid was posthumously awarded the George Cross for disarming 64 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in five months.

But on the last day before he was due to fly home to see his family, he triggered a pressure plate which had recently been developed by the Taliban.

The 30-year-old was hailed as "phenomenally great" and "a giant of a man" as his inquest in Truro came to a close.

S/Sgt Schmid died after his knee came into contact with the plate as he disarmed his third set of explosives on that day alone in Sangin.

Colonel Bob Seddon, Britain's top bomb disposal officer who resigned last year, said it was a "constant battle" to keep up with new IEDs developed by the Taliban. (read full report)

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's advertisers or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Petraeus predicts more Afghan fighting in 2011

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Army Times

09February2011 6:04pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: BRUSSELS — The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned that combat will likely escalate during the spring thaw as Taliban insurgents try to return to areas cleared by the international forces during the past several months.

“There’s been considerable progress in taking away from the Taliban safe havens,” Gen. David Petraeus said in an interview with NATO TV aired on Wednesday.

“They have to fight back, they’re losing momentum that’s quite clear,” he said. “They know they need to regain that momentum.”

Last year’s surge boosted the international force to about 150,000 troops. NATO and President Hamid Karzai hope to have more than 300,000 Afghan army and police in action by next autumn facing a much smaller organized insurgent force.

The Obama administration and NATO plan to begin reducing their troop contingent in July, and to end its combat role by the end of 2014. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's advertisers or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.