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.

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:Army Ranger Dies From Combat Wounds - plus another NATO casualty bulletin just crossed the wires

On 17 January 2019 in Landstuhl,Germany,US Army Ranger SGT Cameron A. Meddock,26,of Spearman,Texas,died from wounds caused by small arms fire he took during combat operations on 13 January in Jawand District of Badghis Province,Northwest Afghanistan.He was likely serving in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel,the US counterterror effort in Afghanistan.The province had until recently been considered quiet,but the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan group began filtering into the remoter areas there.*
SGT Meddock,the first combat death in Afghanistan for 2019,was on his second Afghanistan tour.He was a fire team leader with Company A,2nd Battalion,75th Ranger Regiment,out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord,Washington State.The Ranger's death coincides with a report by the Afghan Khaama Press news agency that a combat operation in Badghis Province has killed at least 10 ISIL-K Islamist extremists.*
SGT Meddock's decorations include the Purple Heart Medal;Joint Service Commendation for Combat;Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters;and the Afghan Campaign Medal with campaign star.
He was the husband of Stephanie Meddock,who is expecting their first child.*
Meanwhile,another NATO Resolute Support Press Release has just reached the desk.It says a US service member was killed in Afghanistan on 22 January 2019 as a result of enemy small arms fire.The incident is being investigated.In accordance with US Department of Defense policy,the name of the service member is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete.More information will be shared as approporiate.*
My flesh and my heart may fail,but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
- Psalm 73:26

Bulletin:US Army Ranger Killed in Action in Afghanistan - high achiever was admired within the Regiment

The Pentagon has disclosed that SFC Christopher A. Celiz,32,of Summerville,South Carolina,was killed by enemy small arms fire on 12 July 2018 in Paktia Province,Afghanistan while conducting combat operations along with Afghan Special Operations Forces.An Afghan SOF member was also killed in the firefight.The operation involved assisting a medevac landing zone in Zurmat district and was in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel.The incident is under investigation.
Paktia Province has been the site of several al-Qaida training camps and borders Nangahar Province,the ISIL-Khorasan stronghold.*
SFC Celiz was a mortar platoon sergeant with Company D,1st Battalion,75th Ranger Regiment out of Hunter Army Airfield,Georgia.He was on his fifth deployment and had previously served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.Among SFC Celiz's decorations were the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 3 stars;Iraq Campaign Medal with 2 stars;5 Army Achievement Medals;and 3 Army Commendation Medals.He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal;Bronze Star Medal;and Meritorious Service Medal.
Battalion commander LTCOL Sean McGee said:
SFC Celiz led from the front and always put himself in the decisive point on the battlefield.*
This is the second US combat death in Afghanistan this year,and indeed the second within the last seven days,having been preceded by the loss of US Army CPL Joeseph Maciel last Saturday.
There will reportedly be a government review of the US military's current posture in Afghanistan in the near future.

Soldier Killed in Action Identified - Green Beret was immigrant from the Baltic States

The office of Senator Cory Booker,D-New Jersey,has identified the US Soldier who was killed in Achin district of Nangarhar Province,Afghanistan on 1 January 2018.US Army First Sergeant Mihail Golin,34,of Fort Lee,New Jersey,was killed by enemy fire while on dismounted patrol in the mountainous region near the Pakistani border that has been the haven of ISIL-K Islamist extremists.SGT Golin was a member of the 2nd Battalion,10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Fort Carson,Colorado.*
SGT Golin had immigrated to the US from NATO Ally Latvia when he was 21.His father,David Golin,said he was proud of his son,who wanted to serve his new country.Other survivors include SGT Golin's ex-wife and a daughter,6.*
It's been pointed out by several media outlets that NATO's Resolute Support Mission commander,US Army General John Nicholson,has warned that the President's new,more assertive South Asia policy would expose US troops to more danger in Afghanistan.They are embedding with Afghan National Defence and Security Forces closer to the front lines,in addition to continuing the counterterror raids that were already being staged with Afghan commandos.

NATO:First Afghan War Death in 2018 - American killed in action

An American service member was killed during combat operations in Achin district of Nangarhar Province,Afghanistan,NATO'S Resolute Support Mission announced on 2 January 2018.Four other service members were wounded in the battle.No names or other details of the incident were disclosed.*
The Pentagon later said that two of the wounded had returned to duty and the other two remained in hospital.US and Afghan National Defence and Security Forces have conducted several raids against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan militants in Nangarhar Province in recent years.General John Nicholson,commander of all NATO and US Forces in Afghanistan,had a stated goal of eliminating ISIL-K in 2017.*
In 2017,the US lost a total of 15 troops in Afghanistan,11 of them killed in action.*
The Resolute Support coalition includes 39 NATO Allies and Partners.The US participates under the name Operation Freedom's Sentinel,providing train,advise and assist,as well as counterterrorism operations and air support.

CIA Paramilitary Officers Acknowledged in Death - some of the nation's most secret,heroic and highly trained warriors

Following their long-delayed burial this summer at Arlington National Cemetery,the identities and partial biographies of two CIA Paramilitary Officers,members of the Agency's Directorate of Operations,specifically the Special Activities Division/Special Operations Group,or SAD/SOG,were revealed by The New York Times on 6 September 2017.Any substantive information about the unit is a very rare find,so those who die in this form of heroism do so largely in obscurity-part of the deal they signed onto.
Even the medals these commandos receive are themselves classified and may not be taken home.*
They were Brian Ray Hoke (1974-2016) and Nathaniel Patrick Delemarre (1968-2016).The paramilitaries were killed in a firefight while mounting an assault  in Jalalabad,Afghanistan on a compound of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan militants on 21 October 2016.Mr.Hoke was a US Naval Academy graduate and former Navy SEAL;Mr.Delemarre was a veteran of the US Marine Corps Reserves,in which he was a radio operator,and a commissioned officer in the US Naval Reserves at the time of his death.Both men were married and had children.In May 2017,they received stars on the memorial wall at CIA Headquarters in Langley,Virginia,bringing the total number of CIA Afghan War deaths to 18.Another star added at that time was in memory of George A. Whitney,38,also killed in Jalalabad-but in December 2016.Mr.Whitney had served in the Third Marine Reconnaissance Battalion in Anbar Province,Iraq.*
The SAD/SOG is thought to number in the low hundreds.It is used for highly dangerous paramilitary or covert operations the US Government wants deniability for.These operatives have been awarded most of the stars on the CIA memorial wall,as well as a large number of the Distinguished Intelligence Crosses and Intelligence Star medals for distinguished valour and excellence in the national service.
Besides paramilitary operations,the tactical personnel may carry out covert political action in hostile and austere environments.Unlike the Pentagon's Special Operations Forces,the SAD/SOG is tasked directly by the President or National Security Council on his behalf.It is highly regarded by the combatant commanders and often linked with the US military's Special Operations Forces and indigenous commandos on sensitive missions.
Another unique characteristic of the SAD/SOG members is that they combine unconventional warfare expertise with clandestine intelligence operations skills,being fully qualified to recruit and run foreign agents as well as conduct direct action raids and sabotage,counterterrorism and hostage rescue missions in any environment,with little to no support.*
Indeed,the SAD/SOG is a self-contained,combined arms paramilitary service within the CIA.It has four branches,including an Air Branch;Maritime Branch;Ground Branch;and Armor and Special Projects Branch for heavier and more esoteric equipment.Training is centered at the nearly 9,000 acres of the US Navy's Camp Peary near the historic enclave of Williamsburg,Virginia.Most of the tract is a natural area famed for its hunting;but,besides academic buildings,it additionally includes an air strip and a boat facility.
One surreptitious photo shows that a cargo drop practice went wrong and the cargo got stuck in a tree.*
The Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency trains its agents at Camp Peary as well.

Update:Soldier Killed in Afghanistan Identified - Special Forces member

US Forces Afghanistan in Kabul has released the identity of the fallen US Soldier killed in action against ISIL-K on 16 August 2017 in Achin district of Nangarhar Province Afghanistan:
Staff Sergeant Aaron Rhett Butler,27,of Monticello,Utah.
SSGT Butler was a Special Forces engineer with the 19th Special Forces Group of the Utah Army National Guard out of Salt Lake City.Sixteen other US service members were wounded in the raid.Fourteen of them were treated and released and the other two remain under hospital care.*
SSGT Butler was reportedly clearing a building with his unit when an IED exploded.The Soldiers were on a partnered operation with the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan.
General John Nicholson,Commander of all US and NATO Forces in Afghanistan,said that,despite the latest causalties,they were determined to continue the struggle against ISIL-K.*
On 17 August,General Mark Milley,Chief of Staff US Army,arrived in Kabul for meetings with Afghan defence officials.

US Soldier Killed in Afghanistan - counterterror operation

An American Soldier was killed and about seven others wounded in a clash with Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan militants on 16 August 2017,US Forces Afghanistan in Kabul and the Utah National Guard said.The battle took place in Achin district of Nangarhar Province,a longtime stronghold of the Islamist extremists.All of the Americans were members of the Utah National Guard serving in a partnered operation with the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.
General John Nicholson,US Army,Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan,said he wants to eradicate ISIL-K from Afghanistan by the end of the year.Eleven Americans have died in the Afghan War so far this year,already exceeding the death toll of ten for all of 2016.*
On Friday,US President Donald Trump is reportedly to hold a meeting about Afghanistan with his National Security Council at the presidential retreat,Camp David,Maryland.A Trump decision on strategy for the war is regarded as being past due on Capitol Hill.The Pentagon favours sending up to 4,000  US troops back to Afghanistan,a partial reversal of the 2014 widescale withdrawal.There are currently about 8400 permanently assigned US service members there.*
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the three key areas are Special Operations Forces,air power and better command and control by the ANDSF.It isn't going to be easy and nonviolent in Afghanistan this year or even next year.
NATO Allies  may be approached by the US for additional troop contributions once a strategy is set.