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The head of U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday that the Pentagon is reviewing whether to send additional U.S. forces to Afghanistan.

We are in the process of going through a review of our posture in Afghanistan and how we have to look at that going forward, Gen. Joseph Votel told lawmakers.

Votel would not give additional details on the review during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on security challenges in the Middle East, saying its findings are pre-decisional.

Votel told Senate lawmakers earlier this month that he anticipates more U.S. forces being sent to Afghanistan to break what he calls a stalemate in a 15-year conflict.

There are roughly 8,400 U.S. troops now in Afghanistan on a dual mission of training, advising and assisting Afghan forces in their fight against the Taliban and conducting counterterrorism missions against groups such as al Qaeda.

But Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February he has a shortfall of a few thousand troops in the mission.

Votel on Wednesday also addressed the recent rise of civilian casualties from airstrikes in Iraq and Syria and allegations that U.S.-led coalition forces are responsible.

He agreed with an official'scomments made Tuesday that there is a fair chance that our operations may have contributed to civilian casualties, but added that the investigation continues and theres still much to learn from the initial assessments.

We acknowledge our responsibility to operate at a higher standard, he told lawmakers. We take every allegation seriously and we are executing a well developed process to assess and if necessary investigate these allegations.

More than 200 civilians were reportedly killed when a building in west Mosul, Iraq, collapsed from what may have been a U.S airstrike. The Pentagon is reviewing the incident.

The recent civilian casualty reports and President Trumps promises to review the rules of engagement in the Middle East have left human rights groups and independent monitors suspicious that Trump has relaxed the rules.

Votel stressed that though the nature of the fight and the Pentagons approach to it have evolved over the two-and-half-year operation, We have not relaxed the rules of engagement.

Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) defended the four-star general and asked that everyone be cautious in addressing and investigating the airstrikes.

In a dense urban environment there may well be some casualties and even the finest military in the world can make mistakes, Thornberry said. But we also know for certain that ISIS uses human shields, and that they can arrange civilian deaths to further their misguided narratives. I think we should always give the benefit of the doubt to the professionals who are working every day to keep us safe.

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Top general hints at additional troops in Afghanistan - The Hill

ISLAMABAD

Afghanistan is expected to get up to 200 helicopters and other aircraft as part of a four-year plan to improve the nation's security forces to help beat the Taliban insurgency, according to Dawlat Waziri, the spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry.

Waziri said discussion of the plan is part of the agenda of a top level U.S. delegation expected to visit Kabul over the next couple of weeks. U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed the reported trip, but their Afghan counterparts have been discussing the expected agenda.

Ahead of the visit, Afghanistans National Security Adviser Haneef Atmar held a one-hour video conference Wednesday with his American counterpart H. R. McMaster to discuss bilateral security cooperation between the two nations.

FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2015, photo, Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

On the agenda

The trip by the first high ranking U.S. delegation to visit Kabul since the change of administration in Washington is also expected to discuss continuing U.S. assistance to the country, according to the speaker of Afghan parliament Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi.

A source says Russia, Iran and Pakistan will be discussed.

Another high level Afghan source said the delegation would also discuss the involvement of Russia, Iran, and Pakistan in Afghanistan.

While U.S. officials have long accused Pakistan of providing sanctuaries to the Taliban, they have recently become wary of the growing influence of Russia and Iran in Afghanistan.

John McCain, Chairman of the U.S. Senates Armed Services Committee, in a hearing of the committee in February, said Iran was arming and funding the Taliban and Russia was meddling in Afghanistan to prop up the Taliban and undermine the United States.

FILE - Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 8, 2017.

General John Nicholson, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, told the same committee that there has been an increase in external actors interfering in Afghan attainment of peace and stability, adding that Russian involvement had become more difficult and Iran was directly supporting the Taliban in Western Afghanistan.

Russia is hosting a regional conference on Afghanistan in April in which the U.S. was invited but has declined to attend. Afghanistan is still debating whether to attend according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Increased use of Special Forces

Afghanistans four-year security plan would also double the Afghan Special Forces, upgrading what is now a division of Special Forces to a corps, according to Defense Minister General Abdullah Habibi in his briefing to the Afghan parliament.

FILE - Afghan Special Forces prepare themselves for battle with the Taliban on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah capital of Helmand, Afghanistan, Oct. 10, 2016.

The Special Forces have been one of the most successful units of the Afghan security apparatus in its fight against the Taliban. The defense minister added the forces would be used to drop into Taliban controlled areas, denying them the opportunity to plant landmines as they flee.

The plan is also supposed to focus on the training and literacy of Afghan security forces and strengthening intelligence services.

According to the Defense Ministry spokesman, the beefing up of the air force, including not just the aircraft but also radar systems and other parts, would be completed by 2020.

NATO and EU delegations are also expected to visit Kabul in the next few weeks.

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Afghanistan to Get Helicopters, Aircraft as Part of Security Plan - Voice of America

THE TOPLINE: The general in charge of U.S. military operations in the Middle East was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, where he lawmakers pressed him on counter-Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operations, Afghanistan, civilian casualties and more.

The Hills Ellen Mitchell reports:

The head of U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday that the Pentagon is reviewing whether to send additional U.S. forces to Afghanistan.

We are in the process of going through a review of our posture in Afghanistan and how we have to look at that going forward, Gen. Joseph Votel told lawmakers.

Votel would not give additional details on the review during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on security challenges in the Middle East, saying its findings are pre-decisional.

VOTEL ADDRESS CASUALTIES: Votel also spoke about the reports of an increase in civilian casualties, particularly the 200 or so deaths in Mosul when a building collapsed.

Also from Mitchell:

He agreed with an official's comments made Tuesday that there is a fair chance that our operations may have contributed to civilian casualties, but added that the investigation continues and theres still much to learn from the initial assessments.

We acknowledge our responsibility to operate at a higher standard, he told lawmakers. We take every allegation seriously and we are executing a well developed process to assess and if necessary investigate these allegations.

Votel stressed that though the nature of the fight and the Pentagons approach to it have evolved over the two-and-half-year operation, We have not relaxed the rules of engagement.

Read about Mitchells entire piece -- on both Afghanistan and Mosul -- here.

GOP DEFENDS TRUMPS RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: Republican lawmakers are defending the Trump administration from criticism about an increase in civilian casualties from air strikes in Iraq and Syria, arguing that rules of engagement under former President Obama were too strict.

They say the rules should be loosened because they have resulted in missed opportunities to strike Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) targets and have discounted the judgment of the commanders in the field.

They missed targets because they had to go back and have an NSC that met for weeks, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday. I think you need to tell the military commanders what you expect and then let them do their job. Now, that does not mean there will never be a mistake, of course."

Read the rest here.

MCCAIN, GRAHAM PAN POTENTIAL CR: With the deadline to fund the government coming up in a few weeks, defense hawks are coming out strong against the potential for another stopgap funding measure.

The Hills Jordain Carney has the story:

A pair of Senate Republicans are signaling they will not support a short-term funding bill ahead of next month's deadline to avoid a government shutdown.

GOP Sens. Lindsey GrahamLindsey GrahamOvernight Finance: Senate Dems call for investigation of acting SEC chairman | Wyden: Russia probe should focus on Trump financial ties | Dems seek more money for IRS Overnight Defense: Top general talks Afghanistan, civilian casualties | Defense hawks slam short-term funding McCain and Graham: We won't back short-term government funding bill MORE (S.C.) and John McCainJohn McCainOvernight Finance: Senate Dems call for investigation of acting SEC chairman | Wyden: Russia probe should focus on Trump financial ties | Dems seek more money for IRS Overnight Defense: Top general talks Afghanistan, civilian casualties | Defense hawks slam short-term funding McCain and Graham: We won't back short-term government funding bill MORE (Ariz.) two of the Senate's most vocal defense hawks said separately that they would oppose a continuing resolution (CR) over concerns about its impacts on the Pentagon.

"It would decimate the ability to defend the nation and it would put the lives of our men and women in uniform at risk," McCain, who chairs the Armed Services Committee, told The Hill.

Graham separately told reporters that he wouldn't back a CR, even if it funded the government through the end of the end of September, over similar concerns.

Read more here.

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW:

The commander of U.S. Transportation Command will testify before the House Armed Services Committee at 9 a.m. at the Rayburn House Office Building, room 2118. http://bit.ly/2nZ3VhN

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for former Rep. Heather Wilson to be Air Force secretary at 9:30 a.m. at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room G-50. http://bit.ly/2na7kZo

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at 10 a.m. at the Dirksen 419. http://bit.ly/2odr0MZ

A House Armed Services subcommittee and a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee will hold a joint hearing on Russias violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty at 10:30 a.m. at Rayburn 2172. http://bit.ly/2nvxDNN

ICYMI:

-- The Hill: Senate intel panel 'within weeks' of completing initial Russia review

-- The Hill: Top general: ISIS extraordinarily savvy in cyber

-- Miami Herald: Pentagon picks national security lawyer to run Guantnamo war court

-- Reuters: Inside Mosul, a huge blast, then screams, dust and horror

-- Associated Press: Syrian experts visit critical dam spillway near main Islamic State base

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Overnight Defense: Top general talks Afghanistan, civilian casualties | Defense hawks slam short-term funding - The Hill

St. John's - West Indies will play Afghanistan in three one-day and three Twenty20 internationals in June after failing to qualify for the Champions Trophy, the West Indies Cricket Board said on Wednesday.

The World T20 title-holders missed out on this summer's 50-over showpiece in England, to be held June 1-18, after dropping outside the top eight in the ICC rankings at the September 2015 cut-off.

"We are looking forward to welcoming the Afghans to the Caribbean for this short series," said WICB cricket operations manager Roland Holder.

"The series promises to be compelling, considering the result of the match between the two sides at the last ICC World Twenty20 in India, and Afghanistan's gradual improvement over the last few years."

He added: "It will also be an important series for our side, as they look to move up in the ICC World Rankings in the two formats, and continue their quest to qualify for the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and Wales."

Hosts England and the top seven other teams will go directly into the 10-team World Cup, with the remaining two places decided in a 2018 qualifying tournament in Bangladesh.

West Indies are ninth in the latest rankings.

They will host Afghanistan in the first of three T20 fixtures to be played in St Kitts on June 2, with the ODI series to follow in St Lucia and conclude on June 14.

Read this article:
Windies to host Afghanistan series in June - Sport24

The insurgent group claims to contest 167 more, many in southern, western and northern Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, the Taliban posted a report to their website enumerating, in detail, which districts the group controls and contests in Afghanistan. The report, titled Percent Of Country Under The Control Of Mujahedin of Islamic Emirate, as Bill Roggio writes for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Long War Journal, may be seen as propaganda, but it does not inflate or exaggerate the Talibans control of districts centers and contested areas throughout the country, in comparison to FDDs data.

Borrowing FDDs terminology and breakdown: The Taliban claims to fully control 34 districts, contest 167, maintain a significant presence in 52 districts, a minimal presence in 6 districts and no presence in 89 districts.

This data doesnt quite match up with claims made by U.S. forces and the government of Afghanistan, as reported in the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)s latest quarterly report, which states that while insurgents control 9 districts and influence 32, 133 districts are contested. As for the government of Afghanistan, the SIGAR report says it controls only 83 districts and influences 150.

Differences in perspective, timing and terminology aside, the overall trajectory remains grim. The SIGAR report noted that according to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, from August 30 to November 15, 2016 alone, the number of districts under insurgent control or influence rose 2 percent and the number of contest districts rose 4.2 percent.

Moving beyond the numbers, FDDs map is worth taking a closer look at. The districts the Taliban says it controls are clustered, with a significant number in the south and west, including large portions of Helmand, Nimroz, Uruzgan, Zabul, Ghazni, and Farah.

The north is also seemingly heavily contested, particularly along the Turkmenistan border.

This reinforces what I (and Bruce Pannier) have written recently that not all is as quiet along the Turkmen front as Ashgabat likes to say. Maybe the Taliban arent looking north, and maybe as a former Afghan minister recently claimed the Turkmen are selling weapons to the Taliban to keep them happy and content on their side of the border.

Turkmenistan has an overriding economic interest in stability in Afghanistan but perhaps not an overriding preference for whose stability it is. The planned route for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline follows the Herat-Kandahar highway through Afghanistans Herat, Farah, Helmand and Kandahar provinces. The splash of black districts (those the Taliban claims to control) in southwestern Afghanistan lays along that same road.

Ashgabat may be taking solace in the Talibans pledge, made last December, not to attack infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, including TAPI. Turkmenistan has a serious economic need to lengthen the list of countries to which it exports gas. At present, nearly all of the countrys exports are to China. The Talibans pledge may prove thin, if serious work on the pipeline ever begins.

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Taliban Claims to Control 34 Districts in Afghanistan - The Diplomat