Mediaboss Marketing

Christina Gregg, AOL.com

Jul 18th 2017 8:42AM

President Trump's decision to part ways with Chris Christie came after the New Jersey governor offered his own cell phone as means for speaking with former President Barack Obama, according to a new book.

In Joshua Green's new book, Devil's Bargain, insider details of Trump's presidential campaign are revealed -- including a tense moment aides later described as Christie's "ultimate mistake."

According to the book, whose accounts are summarized in a new Daily Mail report, Christie approached Trump after news of his 2016 presidential election win had solidified with the proposal of arranging a call between then-President Barack Obama and the new president-elect.

RELATED: A look at Donald Trump and Chris Christie

41 PHOTOS

Donald Trump and Chris Christie

See Gallery

Republican presidential hopefuls Donald Trump (L) and Chris Christie shake hands at the Republican Presidential Debate, hosted by CNN, at The Venetian Las Vegas on December 15, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK / AFP / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 15: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump talks to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the CNN Republican presidential debate on December 15, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the last GOP debate of the year, with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) gaining in the polls in Iowa and other early voting states and Donald Trump rising in national polls. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

MANCHESTER, NH - FEBRUARY 06: Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (L) and Donald Trump visit during a commercial break in the Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College February 6, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Sponsored by ABC News and the Independent Journal Review, this is the final televised debate before voters go to the polls for the New Hampshire primary on February 9. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Donald J. Trump, left, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, right, speak to media before a rally at the Fort Worth Convention Center on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Ron Jenkins/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS via Getty Images)

MANCHESTER, NH - FEBRUARY 06: Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (2nd R) and Donald Trump visit as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) (L) stands close by during a commercial break in the Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College February 6, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Sponsored by ABC News and the Independent Journal Review, this is the final televised debate before voters go to the polls for the New Hampshire primary on February 9. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

FORT WORTH, TX - FEBRUARY 26: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announces that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie officially supports the Trump campaign during a rally at the Fort Worth Convention Center on February 26, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Trump is campaigning in Texas, days ahead of the Super Tuesday primary. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump (L) and Chris Christie (R) confer during a break in the Republican Presidential Candidates Debate February 6, 2016 at St. Anselm's College Institute of Politics in Manchester, New Hampshire. Seven Republicans campaigning to be US president are in a fight for survival in their last debate Saturday before the New Hampshire primary, battling to win over a significant number of undecided voters. / AFP / Jewel Samad (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

FORT WORTH, TX - FEBRUARY 26: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announces his support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Fort Worth Convention Center on February 26, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Trump is campaigning in Texas, days ahead of the Super Tuesday primary. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie endorses Donald Trump, Republican presidential hopeful, during a campaign event at the convention center in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. / AFP / Laura BUCKMAN (Photo credit should read LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Chris Christie, New Jersey governor, watches as Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the convention center in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 26, 2016. / AFP / Laura BUCKMAN (Photo credit should read LAURA BUCKMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

MANCHESTER, NH - FEBRUARY 06: Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (L) and Donald Trump share a laugh during a commercial break in the Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College February 6, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Sponsored by ABC News and the Independent Journal Review, this is the final televised debate before voters go to the polls for the New Hampshire primary on February 9. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump get the endorsement of former candidate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during a rally at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Texas is the big prize in the upcoming Super Tuesday primary on March 2. (Photo by Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump get the endorsement of former candidate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during a rally at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Texas is the big prize in the upcoming Super Tuesday primary on March 2. (Photo by Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images)

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) campaigns for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) during a rally at Millington Regional Jetport on February 27, 2016 in Millington, Tennessee. / AFP / Michael B. Thomas (Photo credit should read MICHAEL B. THOMAS/AFP/Getty Images)

MILLINGTON, TN - FEBRUARY 27: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie walk up to speak during a campaign event in Millington, TN on Saturday Feb. 27, 2016. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) campaigns for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) during a rally at Millington Regional Jetport on February 27, 2016 in Millington, Tennessee. / AFP / Michael B. Thomas (Photo credit should read MICHAEL B. THOMAS/AFP/Getty Images)

BENTONVILLE, AR - FEBRUARY27: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie introduces Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in an airplane hanger at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport on February 27, 2016 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Georgians will vote on Super Tuesday, March 1, for their candidates for president. (Photo by Benjamin Krain/Getty Images)

BENTONVILLE, AR - FEBRUARY27: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie introduces Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in an airplane hanger at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport on February 27, 2016 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Georgians will vote on Super Tuesday, March 1, for their candidates for president. (Photo by Benjamin Krain/Getty Images)

Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc. and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, left, and Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, wave to attendees during a campaign rally at the Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, U.S., on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. State officials were reporting strong turnout for Super Tuesday balloting, the closest thing yet to a national referendum on Trump, the brash New York billionaire who has thrown out the traditional rules of campaigning. Photographer: Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc. and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, right, speaks on stage with Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, during a Super Tuesday night event in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., on Monday, March 1, 2016. Trump is poised to collect enough delegates in 11 Super Tuesday contests nationwide tonight to give him a firmer grip on the party's presidential nomination that would be difficult for rivals to break. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc. and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, right, and Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, arrive for a campaign rally at the Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, U.S., on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. State officials were reporting strong turnout for Super Tuesday balloting, the closest thing yet to a national referendum on Trump, the brash New York billionaire who has thrown out the traditional rules of campaigning. Photographer: Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images

LOUISVILLE, KY - MARCH, 1: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie introduces Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Kentucky International Convention Center March 1, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. Trump is campaigning nationwide on Super Tuesday, the single largest primary voting day. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

HICKORY, NC - MARCH 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, talks with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, during a campaign rally at Lenoir-Rhyne University March 14, 2016 in Hickory, North Carolina. The North Carolina Republican primary will be held March 15. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

HICKORY, NC - MARCH 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, wave to the crowd during a campaign rally at Lenoir-Rhyne University March 14, 2016 in Hickory, North Carolina. The North Carolina Republican primary will be held March 15. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, and New Jersey governor Chris Christie shake hands as supporters cheer at Lenoir-Rhyne University on March 14, 2016 in Hickory, N.C. (Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/TNS via Getty Images)

HICKORY, NC - MARCH 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, acknowledge the crowd during a campaign rally at Lenoir-Rhyne University March 14, 2016 in Hickory, North Carolina. The North Carolina Republican primary will be held March 15. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

HICKORY, NC - MARCH 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, addresses the crowd during a campaign rally with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, at Lenoir-Rhyne University March 14, 2016 in Hickory, North Carolina. The North Carolina Republican primary will be held March 15. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (L) and US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump (R) depart a rally March 14, 2016 in Vienna Center, Ohio. The six remaining White House hopefuls made a frantic push for votes March 14, 2016 on the eve of make-or-break nominating contests, with Donald Trump's Republican rivals desperate to bar his path after a weekend of violence on the campaign trail. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

VIENNA, OHIO - MARCH 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie walk out to speak during a campaign event at Winner Aviation in Vienna, Ohio on Monday March 14, 2016. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

VIENNA, OHIO - MARCH 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is introduced by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during a campaign event at Winner Aviation in Vienna, Ohio on Monday March 14, 2016. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) introduces US presidential hopeful Donald Trump during a rally March 14, 2016 in Vienna Center, Ohio. The six remaining White House hopefuls made a frantic push for votes March 14, 2016 on the eve of make-or-break nominating contests, with Donald Trump's Republican rivals desperate to bar his path after a weekend of violence on the campaign trail. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

US Republican frontrunner Donald Trump speaks at Trump Tower in New York on April 26,2016 after winning primaries in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware. Second from left is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. / AFP / KENA BETANCUR (Photo credit should read KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 26: Donald Trump speaks at a press conference with his wife Melania Trump and Governor Chris Christie announcing his primary victory in 5 states: Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Delaware on April 26, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/WireImage)

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 26: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters and the media with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie behind him at Trump Towers following the conclusion of primaries Tuesday in northeastern states on April 26, 2016 in New York, New York. Trump again gained more delegates to move him closer to the Republican presidential nomination. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - MAY 19: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stands on stage with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at the Lawrenceville National Guard Armory in Trump's first public campaign appearance in New Jersey on May 19, 2016 in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The appearance with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is a $200 per head event with proceeds going towards helping Christie, a Trump ally, pay off debt from his own presidential campaign. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - MAY 19: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and supporter, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, acknowledge the crowd before speaking to their to supporters at a fund raising event at the New Jersey National Guard Armory on May 19, 2016 in Lawrenceville, NJ. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - MAY 19: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump hugs New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at the Lawrenceville National Guard Armory in Trump's first public campaign appearance in New Jersey on May 19, 2016 in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The appearance with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is a $200 per head event with proceeds going towards helping Christie, a Trump ally, pay off debt from his own presidential campaign. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) and New Jersey governor Chris Christie greet the crowd at a fundraising event in Lawrenceville, New Jersey on May 19, 2016. / AFP / EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ (Photo credit should read EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 11: Republican presidental nominee Donald Trump (L) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) attend the September 11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on September 11, 2016 in New York City. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump attended the September 11 Commemoration Ceremony. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (L), Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (C) and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) stand together during a memorial service at the National 9/11 Memorial September 11, 2016 in New York. The United States on Sunday commemorated the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

HIDE CAPTION

SHOW CAPTION

The book summarizes the exchange as follows:

"Hey Donald," Christie said. "The President talked to me earlier. If you win he's going to call my phone, and I'll pass it over to you."

Trump, a known germaphobe, was reportedly disgusted at the thought of using Christie's own cell phone for the conversation with Obama -- and responded with such anger. The book also describes Trump as having sat down to "absorb the gravity of what was happening," and saw Christie's statement as an intrusion.

"Hey Chris, you know my f***ing phone number," Trump said, as described by Green in the book. "Just give it to the President. I don't want your f***ing phone."

Senior adviser Jared Kushner later removed Christie from his role as head of Trump's transition team.

More from AOL.com: CNNs Navarro wondered if Trump Jr. had been dropped on his head as a child Donald Trump Jr.'s emails raise a big question about Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort Putting the Trump-Russia timeline into perspective

Originally posted here:
Report: Trump dumped Chris Christie over germy Obama phone call proposal - AOL

thegrio

Jul 17th 2017 11:25AM

Around 200 letters congratulating new citizens of the United States have been distributed since Donald Trump took office with former president Barack Obama's signature on them instead of Trump's.

Aisha Sultan, a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, took to Twitter on Friday, posting a picture of the letter that her British-born husband had received congratulating him on becoming a citizen. The letter incorrectly identified Obama as being the president.

"We embrace you as a new citizen of our land, and we welcome you to the American family," the letter read, with Obama's signature at the bottom.

Others on Twitter laughed about the mistake or pointed to similar stories. One user who commented on Sultan's photo told the story of how, in March, Obama's congratulatory video was played during her husband's citizenship ceremony, and "everyone cheered."

USCIS press secretary Gillian Christensen told The Hill that the letters being distributed were an oversight and that, typically, incoming presidents and administrations produce their own letters and videos to give to the department. However, Maria Elena Upson, another USCIS spokeswoman, told Arizona Central last month that they did not yet have a letter or video from the administration, though that was not uncommon, as incoming administrations may take a few months to get settled and to get around to things like that.

RELATED: Can you answer the questions on the US Citizenship Test?

11 PHOTOS

Questions and answers on the US Citizenship Test

See Gallery

Answer: 27

(REUTERS/Andrew Kelly)

Answer: Congress, Senate, House of Representatives

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Answer: 'We the People'

(Photo via Getty Images)

Answer: Six (at a time)

(Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Answer: 435

(REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Answers: To print money, to declare war, to create an army, to make treaties

(Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Answer: Speaker of the House

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Answers: Vice President,Secretary of Agriculture,Secretary of Commerce,Secretary of Defense,Secretary of Education,Secretary of Energy,Secretary of Health and Human Services,Secretary of Homeland Security,Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,Secretary of the Interior,Secretary of Labor,Secretary of State,Secretary of Transportation,Secretary of the Treasury,Secretary of Veterans Affairs,Attorney General

(Photo credit should read ZACH GIBSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Answer:Thomas Jefferson

(Photo via Getty Images)

Answer:1787

(Photo by Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)

HIDE CAPTION

SHOW CAPTION

View original post here:
Obama is still president in welcome letter sent to new US citizens - AOL

It's not easy to tell that the Barack Obama in this video is a digital fake, but it is.

It was created by researchers at the University of Washington. They developed an AI model of the former president's mouth movements so that the bot's lips sync up to any audio track. In this video, the digital Mr. Obama says things that the carbon-based Obama never said.

From the YouTube description:

Given audio of President Barack Obama, we synthesize a high quality video of him speaking with accurate lip sync, composited into a target video clip. Trained on many hours of his weekly address footage, a recurrent neural network learns the mapping from raw audio features to mouth shapes. Given the mouth shape at each time instant, we synthesize high quality mouth texture, and composite it with proper 3D pose matching to change what he appears to be saying in a target video to match the input audio track.

The researchers say that even though the video looks real, it's easy to reverse engineer it and find out it's a fake. But will this always be the case?

Raphael Fabre modeled his face with 3D software and used it for his French national ID card. On April 7, 2017, I applied for an ID card to the 18th Army. All the papers requested for the card were legal and authentic, the application was accepted and I have my new French identity card today. []

Josh Lns Heroglyphics are a series of illustrations of superheroes and movie characters posters (TMNT, Star Wars, Power Rangers, X-Men, Avengers and Spider-Man) available as posters, canvas prints, wall tapestries, etc.

The Metasploit framework is an open source tool that lets you simulate real attacks against your system. You can get introduced to this essential cyber security software with this Penetration Testing & Ethical Hacking course, available now in the Boing Boing Store.Throughout these 23 lessons, youll exploit vulnerabilities, evade antivirus software, and gain unauthorized access []

A cable subscription is the most straightforward way to watch live TV, and its typically the only way to get access to streaming content from cable networks. But you never get to choose which channels you actually want, and having to use all of their separate streaming services is a pain. Ultimately, youre paying a []

Phone, wallet, keys. Many of us recite these words to ourselves each time we leave home, or the office, or a friends house, or anywhere at all. Theyre the typical essentials we all carry every single day, and would absolutely hate to lose. If youre a Samsung Galaxy S8 user, however, you can trim the []

View original post here:
Fake Obama speech is the beginning of the end of video evidence - Boing Boing

Former U.S. President Barack Obama pardoned Nima Golestaneh, who pled guilty in December 2015 to federal wire fraud and computer hacking charges. | AP Photo

By Josh Gerstein

07/17/2017 05:59 PM EDT

Updated 07/17/2017 06:15 PM EDT

Two Iranian men have been indicted for allegedly hacking a Vermont defense technology firm, but one of their cohorts who admitted guilt won't be punished because of a pardon President Barack Obama granted last year as part of the Iran-U.S. nuclear deal.

On Monday, the Justice Department announced the indictment of Mohammed Reza Rezakhah, 39, and Mohammed Saeed Ajily, 35, for conspiring to hack South Burlington, Vermont-based Arrow Tech starting in 2007 as part of an effort to allow Iranian companies to use the company's software in violation of U.S. export controls.

Justice's press release revealing the charges against Rezakhah and Ajily referred obliquely to "a third actor who has already pleaded guilty in the District of Vermont for related conduct."

However, the indictment identifies that man as Nima Golestaneh. Golestaneh was indicted in U.S, District Court in Vermont in 2013 on similar charges and extradited from Turkey after protracted negotiations with that country.

Golestaneh pled guilty in December 2015 to federal wire fraud and computer hacking charges and was awaiting sentencing when he received the pardon from Obama one of a series of clemency grants and dropped prosecutions the administration agreed to as part of a broader effort to reach a nuclear agreement and obtain the release of several Americans being held prisoner in Iran.

POLITICO reported earlier this year that the actions Obama took to attempt a rapprochement with Iran angered Justice Department officials and that statements the administration issued at the time downplayed the significance of the cases that were sacrificed as part of the diplomatic initiative.

Arrow Tech's main product is computer software that helps calculate missile trajectories. The program, identified in the indictment as Projectile Rocket Ordnance Design and Analysis System or PRODAS, is considered defense equipment and can only be exported with a State Department license.

The new announcement from the Justice Department came on the same day the Trump administration announced its review of Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump has sharply criticized.

While the Justice Department statement may appear as a rebuke of Obama's pardon issued in connection with the same events, the timing of the charges against Rezakhah and Ajily seems to undercut that possibility. The indictment announced Monday was actually returned in April 2016, under the Obama administration. It has been under seal since while law enforcement made efforts to take the men into custody.

Get breaking news when it happens in your inbox.

By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Asked why the indictment was unsealed now, a Justice Department official said keeping an indictment under seal for a period then announcing it is "commonplace."

"This practice improves the chances for law enforcement to apprehend the defendants," said the official, who asked not to be named.

A filing prosecutors submitted to a federal judge last week asking to unseal the indictment and related arrest warrants shed little light on the situation, saying simply that the unsealing was appropriate now "because the investigation into the matter has concluded."

The Justice official said the two defendants are believed to be in Iran. Officials have argued in similar cases that while the arrest of the individuals being sought is unlikely, announcing the charges will limit the travel of those charged and serve as a deterrent to others considering similar activity.

Court dockets suggest that Rezakhah or Ajily or others were charged back in 2015 in connection with the same events, but the original filings in the case remain sealed.

Josh Gerstein is a senior reporter for POLITICO.

View post:
2 Iranians charged in hacking case where Obama pardoned another - Politico (blog)

The U.S. air war in Afghanistan has returnedto a level of intensity not seen since American forces were still fanned out across the country and fighting Taliban militants in daily skirmishes in 2012, according to recently released military data.

As of June 30, U.S. and coalition aircraft had dropped or expended 1,634 munitionsin Afghanistan so farthis year, according toU.S. Air Force numbers. By comparison, in 2015 and 2016, that figure was 298and 545 respectively.

The majority of this years strikes have been used to go after the Taliban, said Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, a spokesman for the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan. A portion of the air support, however, has alsobeen directed at terrorist groups such as the Islamic State.

The surge in U.S.-led air attacks comes as the Pentagon weighs whether to send thousands more troops into Afghanistanin a bid to reverse three years of steady gains by the Taliban. While Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis pledged to deliver a strategy to Congressthis month, some lawmakers see any increase in support to what has become Americas longest running war as futile.

[More U.S. soldiers may be heading to Afghanistan. That might not solve the problem.]

Salvin attributed the increasein airstrikes to gains made by Afghan Security Forces. As theyre more successful, more strikes are needed, Salvin said.

On Monday, a U.S.Marine unit in Helmand province often known as the birthplace of the Taliban said it had helped the Afghan Army retake a district center south of the provincialcapital of Lashkar Gah and that the operation had been supported with numerous U.S. airstrikes. Earlier this month, Army Pfc Hansen B. Kirkpatrick was killed in the same area when anArmy Special Forces team he was withcame under accurate mortar fire. Two other soldiers were wounded. ThoughAfghan forces control some population centers in Helmand, the Taliban are able to move around almost completely unrestricted.

An Aprilreport released by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction indicated that Afghan forces control 60 percent of the country, up from 57 percent in November last year. That same report indicated the Taliban had gained a percentage point of ground, still putting the militants control of territory at its highest in the country since U.S. forces invaded the country in 2001. The rest, the report said, remains contested.

The United States is not winning in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congress on June 13, saying he was crafting a new strategy which he will brief to lawmakers by mid-July. (Reuters)

To help prevent further losses, then-President Obama gave the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Army Gen. John Nicholson, authorityto go after the Taliban with airstrikes. Before the June 2016 decision, U.S. forces were only allowed to target the Taliban with air support when defending U.S. troops alongside their Afghan counterparts. The new powers, known as the strategic effects authority, were supposed to be used sparingly, during times when the U.S.-provided air support could effectively change the strategic outcome of abattle.

The renewed intensity of the U.S.-led air campaign, along with the burgeoning capabilities of the Afghan Air Force, have also meant Afghan civilians are dying more frequently from aerial attacks. Salvin said that the Afghans had carried out 1,000 strikes this year, compared to 1,600 for all of 2016.

A report released Monday by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented 95 civilian deaths and 137 wounded from airstrikes during the first six months of this year. The report said the Afghan Air Force was responsible for 29 of the deaths. It is unclear if theAfghan Air Force, likeits coalition counterparts, uses guided or smart munitions. In 2016, a spokesman for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan told reportersthe Afghan Air Forcewas not using guided bombs, and Salvin did not know if that had recently changed.

[U.S. watchdog finds major internal flaws hampering Afghanistan war effort]

The increase in civilian casualties from aerial operations affirms the criticality of continuous review of targeting criteria and pre-engagement precautionary measures in both offensive and defensive aerial operations, the report said.

These figures, according to the report, equate to a 67 percent increase in civilian deaths compared to the same reporting period from2016. Overall, however, civilian casualties at the hands of pro-government forces are down by roughly 20 percent, the report said.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan continue to remain at record highs since the U.N. mission to Afghanistan began tracking civilian deaths in 2009. Tens of thousands of civilians and more than 2,000 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistansince 2001. Currently, there are roughly 8,500 U.S. troops servingalongside approximately 5,000 NATO forces in the country.

Read more:

It was a brutal killing that shocked Afghanistan. Now, the outrage has faded.

U.S. defense chief arrives in Kabul as his Afghan counterpart resigns in disgrace

At least 140 dead after Taliban attack on a key Afghan army base, officials say

Read the original post:
US airstrikes in Afghanistan are at levels not seen since Obama troop surge - Washington Post