From Past to Future:the CIA in Afghanistan

On 26 August 2021,a large CIA compound in Kabul was destroyed by US forces in a controlled demolition that reverberated across the city.Eagle Base was,at the very least,a training facility where Afghan counterterrorism personnel were trained.The demolition was deemed necessary because of the large amount of sensitive hard drives and equipment on the base.Yet,although the base's downfall was spectacular,it far from ended the CIA's concern about Afghanistan. Although US military operations in Afghanistan will end tomorrow,the CIA is considering how it will operate in the region in the future.This was made an acute problem when the recent ISIL-K attack that killed 11 US Marines,a US Navy corpsman and a US Army Special Forces member,pointed up the threat posed by Islamist extremist groups in Afghanistan to US and Allied interests now the US military is leaving.According to Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired: We still believe there are credible specific threats.* Indeed,a rocket attack on Hamid Karzai International Airport launched from a vehicle occurred on 29 August,but was repulsed by the US Counter-Rocket Artillery and Mortar System (CRAM),which returned fire.After 31 August,the airport comes under Taliban control and all US diplomats will have departed the airport.Just how HKIA will continue to operate and be defended from ISIL-K terrorists remains to be seen;but perhaps this was covered when new CIA Director William Burns flew to Kabul to meet with the Taliban political leader,Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.* According to The New York Times,the CIA is busy looking for new bases in Central Asian countries,because it needs to ascertain how its Clandestine Service,which runs spy networks, will collect Human Intelligence (HUMINT) without the US military and diplomatic bases it had access to in Afghanistan over the past 20 years;and where it will launch its fleet of Predator drones from to carry out counterterror strikes.At least 19 CIA officers died in the Afghan War,the last one being a former US Marine reconnaissance expert killed in May of 2019.* About 1200 people have been evacuated from HKIA over the past 24 hours,bringing the total Operation Allies Refuge evacuations to about 122,300.Some 250 Americans remain who wish to be spirited out of the country,not to mention thousands of key Afghans.The CIA has reportedly been helping with covert rescue missions,as have US veterans groups. In addition to using its own land,air and sea special operators,another possibility for the Agency is to oversee US military Special Operations Forces detailed to certain CIA activities,as they had been during the operation to find and kill Osama bin Laden,the New York Times added.*

Afghan War:General McKenzie Carries On

On 26 August 2021,General Kenneth McKenzie,US Marine Corps,Commander,US Central Command,gave a virtual briefing to journalists gathered at the Pentagon on the terrorist attack at HKIA in Kabul and continuance of the US military mission in Afghanistan.In the suicide bombing and firefight claimed by the Islamist extremist ISIL-K (another word for Islamic State)organisation,13 US troops were killed in action,including 10 US Marines,a US Navy hospital corpsman,and two other as of yet unidentified military members;18 other service members were wounded-some of them critically.There were also at least 60 Afghan civilians killed and 140 wounded.General McKenzie explained that the attack occurred at the Abbey Gate,which requires physical contact with those seeking to enter the airport.At such interface points,there's no substitute for a young man or woman to search a person.Ultimately,Americans have to do the searches.There's just no substitute for it.There's no way you can do that from a distance.If a person were to carry a bomb on a plane,there could be massive loss of life. We have extremely active threat streams against the airport,tactical streams that threaten rocket attacks;Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (both small and large vehicles);and suicide walkers wearing an explosive vest. To counter the threats,we have the necessary troops to protect ourselves with anti-rocket and mortar systems;MQ-9 and other UAVs;F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters and AC-130 gunships;as well ss AH-64 Apache helicopters on the ground and aircraft overhead with thermal imaging systems.All of these are being deployed. We've reached out to the Taliban,telling them they need to push out the perimeter.They have a practical reason to cooperate:they want us out of the country.They've been useful to work with going forward. We thought this would happen sooner or later.The general went on: I think we can continue to conduct our mission.The plan was designed to maximise our mission even as we bgin to reconfigure ourselves and defend ourselves.The plan is designed to operate under stress and we intend to do that.We believe it is their desire to continue their attaclks and we expect them to do so.We have established contact with our evacuees and are directing them along various routes to get to the airport.These have been conducted by our JTACS (Joint Terminal Attack Controllers) very effectively. We don't know that they have manpads that can take our aircraft down.Wewatch that keenly to protect our aircraft.With our ISR (Intelligence,Surveillance and Reconnaissance) we look closely to see if there might be something to target our aircraft.* In the past 24 hours,12,500 more people have been evacuated.

82nd ABN Immediate Response Force Deploys To Afghanistan

Operation Allies Refuge:Airport Firefight Erupts With Unknown Assailants

On 23 August 2021,a firefight with unknown assailants broke out at the German gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.One Afghan guard was killed and three others wounded.There are about 600 former members of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces now serving as guards at the airport.German and US troops also took part in the hostilities,but sustained no casualties.It is possible the assailants were members of ISIL-K,the Afghanistan branch of Islamic State,as the US has warned of an IS threat to the airport over recent days. On 22 August,US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that: the threat is real,accute and persistent...We are working hard with our Intelligence Community to isolate,to determine where such an attack might come from.* Indeed,US President Joseph R. Biden said from the Roosevelt Room at the White House yesterday: I'm not going to talk about the tactical changes that we're making to keep the airport as secure as we can.I don't want to get into the details.We've changed the gate operations and a whole range of things.* The Taliban have agreed to having a larger safety zone around HKIA.* On 20 August,Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired,noted that: Al-Qaida is a presence as well as ISIS (another name for Islamic Stae).We believe there isn't a presence of al-Qaida significant enough to pose a threat to the homeland.Obviously,we're going to maitain an overwatch capability.We do believe we'll be able to maintain a warning sufficient for counterterrorism. The secretary's not going to rule anything in out in order to get done what we have to do there.Now we've built up extra capacity in the past few days,the secretary feels we can accomplish the mission...We have flown in additiobal forces,so if there would be a need,we would examine those options and offer up options to the secretary.Every decision that has to be made has to weigh the risks and the benefits.If the secretary were to make a major muscle movement,he would want to ask the White House.* There have been reports of US helicopters flying out of the airport to pick up people from multiple locations,but Mr.Kirby said: I cannot confirm those reports.* According to CNN Senior International Correspondent Sam Kiley,the US is using secret methods to bring people into the airport.Reportedly,sensitive operations may be underway to rescue key individuals.President Biden had revealed yesterday that we have evacuated nearly 28,000 people since 14 August.*

Afghan War:NATO Airport Mission Gets Name

The current operation under US Forces Afghanistan-Forward,which is commanded by Rear Admiral Peter Vasely,US Navy,has been named Operation Allies Refuge.Its status has also been elevated to that of a Non-combatant Rescue Operation,or NEO.Indeed,it is considered the second largest NEO ever conducted,according to General Mark Milley,US Army,Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.US President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been getting special intelligence briefings on the operation daily form Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and General Milley. During an 18 August 2021 breifing for journalists at the Pentagon,SecDef Austin said: This is a war I fought in and led.We have a moral obligation to help those who helped us.* General Milley added that: Currently,the security situation at the airport is stable.The Taliban are facilitating access to the airport by passport-carrying US citizens.We in uniform have a deep commitment.* General Milley went on to note that among the forces at the airport are a battalion from the Minnesota National Guard;two US Marine Corps battalions;an 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters and infantry personnel-all of which amount to 20 US manoeuvring companies on the ground at the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA)in Kabul.As well,a number of fighter aircraft,such as F/A-18 Super Hornets;F-16 Fighting Falcons;AV-8 Harriers;AC-130 gunships;and MQ-9 intelligence and attack UAVs,are flying armed overwatch missions over the airport to protect the US and NATO forces at the airport.There are also B-52H Stratofortress bombers available in Qatar for missions.On the ground,British Army rifle companies and Special Operations Forces are working with the US forces.Also involved are troops from Turkey,France and Hungary.There are 20 sorties by US Air Force C-17 Globemaster transport jets every 24 hours,and a variety of commercial and charter flights are active.General Milley stressed that unexpected challenges can be and are expected.* In the past 24 hours (19-20 August),the operation has evacuated 3,000 individuals,350 of them American.* At the briefing the day before,General Austin revealed to the reporters that: I don't have the capability to go into Kabul.* Despite that,ccording to General Milley: Right now,there's a steady flow of people.* It is clear to this blog,however,that conditions around the HKIA perimeter remain chaotic,dangerous,and tend to hinder access-especially by Afghans.Taliban militants have committed violent acts against some of the refugees.Dead bodies are sometimes seen on the ground.There is a real risk of being trampled at the gates,and without enough troops to mount rescue operations into Kabul itself,nor the authorisation to engage in the combat operations that would no doubt ensue,there seems little chance to smooth the passageway into HKIA without Taliban acquiescence.* Fortunately,President Biden indicated to ABC News that he is open to extending the operation beyond the original 31 August deadline.*

Fortress Kabul:Thousands of Marines and Soldiers Going In

Since last Friday,the Taliban Islamist extremisits have taken over at least 16 provincial capitals in Afghanistan,including Herat,the country's third largest city,and Mazar-i-Sharif,the capital of Northern Afghanistan.The status of Kandahar,the second largest city,was unclear at this writing,but at the very least,Taliban militants had breached the perimeter yeaterday,causing chaos as small groups of them fired weapons near the Governor's palace.This blitzkrieg so alarmed US officials,including Secretary of State Antony Blinken,Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley,US Army,they devised a military plan to evacuate US diplomats and as many as possible of the Afghan friends of the US who served as interpreters,contractors and in other roles to assist the US Forces-Afghanistan.These friends number in the tens of thousands,by some estimates.The plan was presented to US President Joseph R. Biden yesterday,who authorised the operation,which has no name as of yet.The fresh troops will arrive in 24-48 hours and consist of: Two US Marine Corps battalions and a US Army battalion,totaling 3,000 troops,who will be based at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul; an Army and Air Force support element numbering 1,000 troops to be stationed in Qatar,but who can be relocated as needed;they are to process our Afghan friends for eventual resettlement in the US; an Infantry Brigade Combat Team numbering 3500 troops of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg,North Carolina,who are to fly to Kuwait and wait there to assist in the evacuation from Kabul if needed.* The three battalions of Marines and Soldiers were already in the US CENTCOM Area of Responsibility.They will be armed with mortars,machine guns and personal weapons for self-defence,according to Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired.* The ANDSF were plagued by poor lines of communication,including inadequate logistics;a loss of confidence following the announcement of the US withdrawal;and the tribal culture of the country,coupled with a weak,corrupt and incompetent central government under President Ashraf Ghani.* Mr.Kirby declined to specify when the evacuation operation would conclude.About 1400 US diplomats reportedly remain in country,down from the original 4,000.They will be reduced further to a core group capable of carrying out a range of diplomatic functions,and,indeed,the US Embassy may even be relocated to the international airport to facilitate swifter evacuation if necessary.* An anonymous official said that Kabul could fall to the militants in as little as thirty days,but other observers believe it could fall even sooner.In the event of militant attacks on the evacuation,the operation could be designated a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO).* Mr.Kirby also said that we will be ready to help our NATO Allies if they desire it and they decide they need to further reduce their footprints in Afghanistan.Both military and civilian aircraft may be used in the evacuation process.*

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