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JONO GALUSZKA

Last updated15:53, May 1 2017

ROBERT KITCHIN/FAIRFAX NZ

Investigative journalist and author Nicky Hager will speak about his book 'Hit and Run' in Palmerston North on Wednesday.

Investigative journalist Nicky Hager says he is still hearing from people in the military, months after publishing a book alleging SAS involvement in the death of Afghanistan civilians.

Hager is heading to Palmerston North on Wednesday to give two public talks about Hit and Run, a book he co-authored with Jon Stephenson.

The book details a raidthe SAS was involved in in Afghanistan in 2010, where it is alleged civilians were killed.The Defence Force has denied killing civilians.

MONIQUE FORD/FAIRFAX NZ

Journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson at the book launch for Hit and Run.

Hagersaid the focus of his talks would be on how the incident highlighted problems with how the military operated.

READ MORE: *What we know, and don't know, about the SAS raid allegations from Hit and Run * No basis for probe into Hager book allegations, says English * Afghan villagers engage NZ lawyers over 'Hit and Run' SAS raid * Hit and Run authors concede they got the location for a raid wrong in their book * Defence Force chief slams 'major inaccuracies' in SAS Afghanistan allegations * Can we trust claims by Hager and Stephenson about SAS raid?

"Jon [Stephenson] and I are still hearing from people in middle and lower [ranks] of the Defence Force who are glad we did the book and are giving more information."

The pair called for an inquiry into the incident, but Prime Minister Bill English has said there was no basis for one.

The Defence Force was also critical of the book.

Hager said he was not disappointed with how things had gone, as he expected the road to an inquiry would be long and hard.

"Jon [Stephenson] and I are obliged and morally committed to those people [in Afghanistan] to stay with this so it can get sorted out in the end."

But he wanted to reassure people he was not attacking the "military family", saying the book would never have happened if people inside the military had not told him what went on.

He was especially keen to get that point across in Palmerston North as it was a "military town", he said.

Hit andRun is the first book Hager has co-authored an experience he said was tough at times.

"Both of us would probably find it much easier working on our own."

But it had made sense to collaborate, with Hager doing work in New Zealand while Stephenson worked in Afghanistan, a place where Hager said he "wouldn't last five minutes".

Hager will speak at Massey University's Social Sciences Lecture Block room 6 on Wednesday at noon, and at the Palmerston North City Library at 7pm.

-Stuff

See the article here:
Nicky Hager not giving up on inquiry into SAS actions in Afghanistan - Stuff.co.nz

At 15 years and counting, the war in Afghanistan is by far America's longest war and among its most costly. We're draining our resources, sustaining military casualties and spending huge amounts of money as the conflict grinds to a stalemate.

No U.S. official seems to want to talk about our policy in Afghanistan and where we are going. The media has largely forgotten it. Basic questions about our national interests in that country, our objectives and how we are going to meet those objectives are largely ignored.

As our policy drifts, the situation in Afghanistan is dire.

The Afghan government is divided, ineffective in fighting corruption and in unifying and governing the country. Among many Afghans, we are not welcomed in their country. In denouncing the American military's recent use of a giant American bomb on an Afghanistan cave cluster occupied by ISIS militants, former president Hamid Karzai vowed to try to oust the U.S. from the country.

Much of the economy is illicit, driven by drugs and criminality.

As the war intensifies, the military situation is bleak. The Taliban are resurgent. They may not represent anything close to a majority of Afghans, but they have strong support in parts of the country and are not going away.

The Afghan military commanders have not been truthful about the readiness of their troops. They have been almost entirely on the defensive while the Taliban gain more territory. There are record casualties, including more than 100 deaths in a deadly attack this month that lead to the resignation of the defense minister and the Army chief of staff.

Our ally Pakistan is supporting elements of the Taliban. Iran and Russia remain active in the region. Russia sought unsuccessfully to gather representatives from China, Iran, Pakistan and India (but not the United States) to participate in peace talks.

There is talk of starting a peace process in which all the major players try to negotiate the end of the conflict. But the talk is vague, and nothing significant seems to be happening on the diplomatic front.

Under these difficult circumstances, Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of U.S. Forces, has called for a surge of several thousand additional American troops.

One can understand why more troops, and more economic and political aid, would be sought. But from my point of view, we should know the answers to the basic questions about Afghanistan before we send more troops into harm's way and expend many more dollars.

We have about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, down considerably from previous levels, but still a significant number. We have spent scores of billions of dollars, much of it to equip and train the Afghan National Defense and Security forces. But those forces have deep internal divisions and have been ineffective.

Under U.S. law, aid is subject to Afghanistan making progress in preventing corruption, fighting drug trafficking and improving human rights and women's rights. But the certifications are routinely approved every year, and the funds are made available, even though progress is by no means apparent.

We need to reassess where we are in Afghanistan. We need to demand answers to a series of questions. What are our interests in Afghanistan? What are our objectives? What is our strategy for meeting those objectives? In short: What is the end game? How long are we prepared to stay there? And for what purpose?

If we decide to stay in Afghanistan, we have a full plate. We need to find ways to fix the frictions that are rampant within the Afghan government. And the Afghan government must demonstrate a sense of urgency and support for reform.

The Pakistanis have to decide whose side they're on. We have to stop sending money and equipment to the Afghan forces that end up in the hands of our adversaries because of corrupt Afghan leadership. We must insist the government deal with corruption, act with basic competence and govern the country effectively.

Without doubt, President Donald Trump inherited a tough, messy situation in Afghanistan. But he has said little about the situation and has done nothing to clarify objectives and policies. We should not expect miracles or quick solutions, but we should demand clear objectives and goals. The lack of clarity in U.S. policy and strategy is not fair to our military forces, not fair to the American people and ultimately not fair to the people of Afghanistan.

View post:
After Years Of War, U.S. Policy In Afghanistan Is A Mystery - Huffington Post

NATO is considering sending additional military personnel to Afghanistan and increasing the timeframe of the deployment in the view of the challenging security situation, the alliances secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, told the German Die Welt daily.

The additional troops are expected to join the NATO Resolute Support mission which it says is aimed at training, assisting and advising Afghan security forces in their fight against violent insurgents and various extremist groups.

The training mission, after the majority of combat troops were withdrawn, currently involves 13,000 servicemen, with around 8,400 of them being from the US.

The decision concerning further troops deployment is to be taken by June, Stoltenberg told Die Welt.

The military alliance is also expected to approve a new prolonged deployment procedure, he said. Instead of extending the mission every year, NATO would prolong it for a longer term to be able to develop long-term strategies.

Read more

NATO would like to take more initiative and responsibility in the fight against global terrorism, Stoltenberg said, noting however, that operations aimed at training local troops and security forces are the best way to fight terrorism.

We already do it to some extent, for example, in Afghanistan and Iraq but we have a potential to do even more, he said. In such a way, we make them capable of stabilizing their land on their own. It is better than sending NATO troops that have then to defend those countries.

NATOs new strategy announcement comes as the situation in Afghanistan becomes increasingly tense.

US-led forces invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban from power more than 15 years ago, following the attacks of September 11, 2001. However, the extremist group, which advocates hardcore Islamist rule, is still active and continues to attack Afghan military targets and carry out terrorist attacks.

US Army General John Nicholson recently described the situation in Afghanistan as a stalemate as he briefed the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

Lately, the US has concentrated on fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists in eastern Afghanistan while also supporting Afghan National Security Forces against the Taliban.

In an unprecedented show of force on April 13, the US dropped an 11-ton mother of all bombs in the eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, killing 94 IS terrorists, according to the latest estimates.

Meanwhile last week, some 140 Afghan soldiers were killed and dozens injured in a Taliban attack on a military base in northern Afghanistan, according to Afghan officials. Taliban fighters also overran the Sangin district of Helmand province in late March.

On Saturday, it was reported that the US Marines returned to Afghanistans southernmost Helmand province amid the deteriorating security situation in the area. The arrival of the Marines comes a day after the Taliban announced this years spring offensive, pledging to keep the pressure on Afghans security forces.

Read more from the original source:
NATO may boost its presence & prolong 'training' mission in Afghanistan Stoltenberg - RT

Two U.S. service members were killed late Thursday and a third was wounded when they came under attack during a raid against Islamic State fighters in southern Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, a Defense Dept. official confirmed to Fox News.

The soldiers were battling ISIS-K in partnership with Afghan defense forces in the same area where the "Mother Of All Bombs" was dropped earlier this month.

ISIS WEAPONS CAPTURED BY CANADIAN WOMAN WORKING TO DISARM TERRORISTS

"The fight against ISIS-K is important for the world, but sadly, it is not without sacrifice," said Gen. John W. Nicholson, Commander, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. "On behalf of all U.S. Forces and our coalition partners, I offer our deepest sympathies to the families, friends and fellow service members of our fallen comrades."

Next of kin have been notified. In keeping with U.S. miltary policy, the names and of those killed will not be released until 24 hours after next-of-kin notification.

Eighteen ISIS militants were killed in the firefight.

A source with the Afghanistan army told Fox News that ISIS hasn't been considered a major threat in the country, where the local army and U.S. forces have been more focused on routing the Taliban. Still, the U.S. has been battling ISIS in Afghanistan for months and estimates that it now includes about 800 fighters there.

The bombing came just days after a U.S. Army special forces soldier was killed in the region. The bomb is the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat by the U.S., and it killed several dozen militants, U.S. officials said.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, Hollie McKay and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

See the original post here:
2 US Army soldiers killed fighting ISIS in Afghanistan

The operation was targeting ISIS-K, the terror group's Afghanistan affiliate. A US official told CNN the wounded soldier's injuries are not considered life-threatening.

The Pentagon identified the two slain soldiers Friday as Sgt. Joshua P. Rodgers, 22, of Bloomington, Illinois, and Sgt. Cameron H. Thomas, 23, of Kettering, Ohio. They were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, based in Fort Benning, Georgia.

"The fight against ISIS-K is important for the world, but sadly, it is not without sacrifice," said Gen. John W. Nicholson, commander of US Forces-Afghanistan. "On behalf of all US forces and our coalition partners, I offer our deepest sympathies to the families, friends and fellow service members of our fallen comrades."

Achin District is the primary base of operations for ISIS in Afghanistan and has been the site of multiple joint US-Afghan counterterrorism missions. A US Army Special Forces soldier was killed fighting the terror group there earlier this month.

It is also where the US dropped one of its most powerful bombs earlier this month, killing close to 100 ISIS fighters, according to Afghan officials.

Nicholson has pledged to eliminate ISIS-K from Afghanistan this year.

"We're going to keep going until they're defeated in 2017," Nicholson told reporters in Kabul this month.

Beginning in 2016, Afghan security forces backed by US military advisers have launched a major offensive against ISIS, with Nicholson saying that the terror group has lost about half of its fighters and been ejected from two-thirds of its territory.

The latest counter-ISIS push began in March of this year.

US officials estimate that ISIS has about 600 to 800 fighters in the country, largely formed from former members of other regional terror groups, including the Pakistani Taliban and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. ISIS is believed to be behind a series of terror attacks, including the recent deadly attack on a hospital in Kabul.

There are about 8,400 US troops in Afghanistan. The US counterterrorism mission is separate from the NATO-led effort to train, advise and assist the Afghan army and police force in its fight against the Taliban.

US and coalition casualties in Afghanistan are rare, having fallen dramatically since the Afghan government assumed responsibility for combat operations in 2014.

Read more here:
2 US service members killed in Afghanistan - CNNPolitics.com