Author: Conor Powell

There is a creeping and rapidly growing anti-western sentiment developing among Afghanistan political elite that runs far deeper than just the recent flap over President Karzai jokes about joining the Taliban.

KABUL- In recent weeks, Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s anti-western behavior has become well known to even the most casual observers of Afghanistan. First, he stood next to, and appeared to agree with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the Iranian President called America and its international allies fighting in Afghanistan “occupiers.” Days later, Karzai told supporters in a closed door meeting he might consider joining the Taliban if his western partners didn’t stop pushing him to clean up government corruption and interfering in Afghan affairs. The White House was so angry at Karzai’s actions, it threatened to withdraw his invitation to visit Washington later this Spring.

US officials have since come to the defense of Karzai –trying to smooth over the rocky relationship. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Karzai a “reliable partner,” and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Karzai has an excellent relationship with Gen. Stanley McChrystal. While the Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke told reporters in Kabul that Karzai’s comments were misinterpreted.

But Karzai’s comments are only the tip of the iceberg of a growing anti-western sentiment brewing in Afghanistan’s capital. Since being sworn in for a second term last November, Karzai’s government has significantly made life more difficult for the western community supporting his fledgling government – for no apparent reason.

International contractors, who do much of the work in Afghan Ministries, complain that getting work permits and visas for western employees is becoming significantly more difficult.

“Compared to what we had to deal with just last year, the obstacles are great, and getting worse,” said one western contractor who asked not to be identified.

Under the guise of security and in an effort to check the validity of foreign visas, the Afghan National Police have set up dozens of additional check points in western areas of Kabul stopping and searching western vehicles – including both diplomatic and military.

According to several military officials, clearly marked NATO vehicles have been stopped and searched – with police even “trying to confiscate NATO equipment from vehicles.”

In March, Afghan intelligence officials informed foreign journalists that they would no longer be able to film or televise insurgent attacks –adding that media organizations that refuse to comply will be punished.

This week, Afghan police raided four Western restaurants, confiscating thousands of dollars and gallons worth of alcohol and arrested at least six people. Police charged several of the foreign waitresses arrested from a restaurant popular with diplomats with prostitution.

Under Afghan law, selling and consuming alcohol is prohibited but Afghan authorities have always made an exception for foreigners.

“Foreigners are not covered by this law,” said Mohammed Nabi Farahi, the deputy Culture Minister told the Times of London. “That’s why they have permission to drink alcohol in restaurants that have permits from the Ministry of Information and Culture and to sell alcohol, just to foreigners.”

Afghan officials have yet to explain why the raids happened now but increasingly there is a growing concern that this is only the beginning of raids targeting Westerns. NATO recently warned its civilian staff to avoid western restaurants because of the uncertainty surrounding the raids.

It’s unclear if all of these events are connected or even part of some grand plan. Afghan authorities rarely, if every, explain their actions. Like any good conspiracy, there are people who vehemently believe and deny it.  Perhaps the only concrete truth is that the relationship between the international community and the Afghan government is as bad as it’s ever been- and getting worse.

KABUL- One day after US troops mistakenly opened fire on a passenger bus in Kandahar, killing four civilians and wounding 18, the top American commander in Afghanistan has ordered a mandatory review of the rules of engagement by all American and coalition forces.

Last year, Gen. Stanley McChrystal implemented strict new rules limiting the use of air power and restricting the troops ability to fire on insurgents unless they were certain no civilians were in harm’s way.

Despite the new rules, Afghans civilian deaths have continued mount. Though a recent UN report says that the number of Afghans killed by coalitions troops has been reduced.

The recent civilian deaths, which provoked large protests in Kandahar city Monday, could not have come at a worse time for coalition commanders. US and Afghan officials are actively trying to persuade skeptical tribal elders to support the upcoming offensive in Kandahar – and tensions were already high before the bus shooting. According to several US officials who spoke to Fox News on the condition of anonymity, the mandatory review is a direct response to the growing concern that “additional civilian deaths will undermine the upcoming NATO offensive in Kandahar.”

Earlier this spring, Gen. McChrystal told coalition troops that most of the shootings at military check points were unnecessary, and urged troops to use more caution when making decisions to fire.

KABUL- They are both presidents and allies fighting a common enemy but in recent months their relationship has been anything but amiable. In fact, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and President Barack Obama have often looked like they are on opposite side of the war on terror.

But after a month in which President Karzai told Afghan lawmakers he might consider joining the Taliban if Western officials didn’t stop pushing him to clean up corruption and President Obama paid a quick, and some say undiplomatic, six hours visit to Afghanistan, both sides appear to be making an effort to reset the relationship.

On Friday, U.S Ambassador Karl Eikenberry hand delivered a personal note from President Obama to President Karzai. The letter thanked President Karzai for organizing last month’s unannounced trip, and reaffirmed America’s commitment to Afghanistan.

“The temperature got needlessly high,” said one U.S. official, “this letter is an attempt to defuse the situation.”

Just one day later, President Karzai made his first trip in more than a year to the NATO headquarters to meet with Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Though the two men meet regularly at the Presidential Palace, this was the first time President Karzai had visited the NATO headquarters since Gen. McChrystal took command last spring.

Deep divisions remain between the Presidents Obama and Karzai, but for now it appears they have both decided to play nice, at least in public.

KABUL- A U.S. military aircraft crashed early Friday morning in Southern Afghanistan, killing three American service members and one civilian.

A NATO press release said the Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashed near the city of Qalat in Zabul Province.

The Taliban claimed to have shot down the hybrid helicopter-airplane, but NATO officials said the cause of the crash is unknown and that an investigation is underway.

The Taliban regularly take responsibility anytime a coalition aircraft crashes, often after a NATO press release has been issued. In this case, the Taliban claimed responsibility long before NATO acknowledged the crash.

Helicopters are an important transportation tool for U.S. and coalitions forces due to the lack of roads and difficult terrain in Afghanistan. The Osprey is typically used for long-range infiltration and resupply missions for US Forces.

KABUL — For months U.S and NATO military commanders have been preparing for an upcoming assault on the Southern Afghan providence of Kandahar – even publicly saying it will happen sometime during the first part of the summer.

Thousands of American, Canadian and Afghan troops have begun assembling in the area preparing for the looming operation.

But Sunday, during a meeting with 1,000 local and tribal leaders in Kandahar, Afghan President Hamid Karzai appeared to contradicted Western officials, telling village elders “there will be no operation without your cooperation and consultation.”

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top American commander in Afghanistan, and other NATO officials, have said repeatedly said that an operation in Kandahar cannot succeed without local support. But according to several NATO and Western officials, no one is suggesting, outside of Karzai, that the operation will be placed on hold or canceled if local leaders object.

Instead, NATO and Afghan officials are trying to convince Kandahar’s citizens to invite coalition and Afghan forces into their towns and communities in an effort to improve security. Slowly injecting security forces into communities that request them.

“This will not be a military assault like other operations,” said Lt. Col Tadd Sholtis, Gen. McChrystal’s spokesman, “but instead a slow rising tide of security.”

But gaining the trust of Kandahar’s people, let alone receiving an invitation from its leaders to expand NATO’s military presence, will likely prove difficult.

Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban movement. Many in Kandahar, while not explicitly members or even outright supporters of the Taliban, are still ideologically linked to the Taliban. They are deeply conservative Pashtuns, Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group, and maintain a fierce distrust of outsiders – both international and even Afghans from other parts of the country – particularly government officials from Kabul.

NATO officials hope President Karzai, a Pashtun tribal leader from Kandahar, and his family’s connections will help bridge the divide. His brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai heads the local provincial council and is considered the main power broker in the region. But AWK, as President Karzai’s half-brother is commonly referred to, is also believed to be the largest drug dealer in Afghanistan – though Western officials admit they have little concrete evidence to substantiate their claims.

Sunday’s meeting was the first of many events scheduled between Karzai, NATO commanders and local leaders. But it wont be the last. NATO’s top civilian representative in Afghanistan, Ambassador Mark Sedwill, regularly jokes that NATO’s plan is to hold so many meetings with tribal elders, that they are forced to work with the international community.

MARJAH, Afghanistan – Under the protection of heavy security provided by hundreds Afghan soldiers and U.S. Marines, President Hamid Karzai arrived into the former Taliban strong hold of Marjah Sunday urging local villagers to trust his government and promising that it will provide more security and a better life than the Taliban.

Despite being in power since 2001, this was Karzai’s first trip ever to the city of roughly 85,000 Afghans.

In February, more than 10,000 U.S Marines and Afghan soldiers battled insurgents – ultimately forcing the Taliban to flee the city.

Sunday, however, it was President Karzai, who was sparring with local critics who complained about the corrupt and often ineffective Afghan government.

“Today, I’m here to listen to you and hear your problems,” Karzai, holding a pen and notepad, told the crowd.

At times the two hour long town hall gathering, which according to Western officials included several local Taliban supporters, was tense. With villagers accusing the Karzai and his government of failing to deliver on pasted promises. Others complained that U.S. and coalitions forces killed innocent civilians during the assault, illegally entered Afghan homes and destroyed a local school.

By the end of the meeting, most of the skeptical local villagers seemed cautiously receptive to Karzia’s message. At one point, 300 men scream out in unison  “we supported Karzai.”

“The people promised to be together with us.” Karzai later told reporters. “We should work and deliver. And if we don’t, then we don’t deserve to call ourselves the government of Afghanistan.”

Sunday’s event marked a rare trip outside the Afghan capital of Kabul for Karzai – who is often mocked for being the “Mayor of Kabul.”

In recent months, U.S and Western officials, including Gen. Stanley McChrystal who travelled with Karzai to Marjah, have been publicly and privately urging the Afghan leader to assume more responsibility in the governing of the war torn country.

“We are trying to help Afghanistan shape their own country.” Said McChrystal, “and I think we saw part of that today.”

With long list of promises now made, the challenge for Karzai and the international community will be delivering on them. A monumental task that over the past 8 years has really been accomplished.

MARJAH, Afghanistan – After several days of sporadic and inconsistent battles with Taliban fighters, Marines commanders say coalition troops came under heavy fire late Wednesday afternoon by insurgents who appear to be trying to regroup. In an effort to create hostility between coalition troops and local Afghans, insurgents are also reportedly using civilians as human shields – deliberately trying to force coalition troops to fire upon non-combatants.

Coalition forces still control significant parts of the city of Marjah, and as of Tuesday night, Marine commanders described the Taliban resistance as “disorganized.”

Insurgents, however launched several well coordinated attacks Wednesday, engaging U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers who were going house-to-house searching for Taliban fighters and weapons caches.

Despite the fierce battles Wednesday, the main obstacle facing the nearly 15,000 coalition troops remains homemade bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

“Most of the IEDs we’ve found were concentrated on the routes of entry into the city, though we are still finding IEDs throughout the Marjah,” said Maj. Billy Moore, Executive Officer of the 3^rd Battalion, 6^th Marine Regiment. According to Major Moore, the bombs deeper into the city are still very powerful and dangerous. One U.S. Marine was killed Tuesday as a result of a hidden IED.

Coalition troops are also beginning to reach out to local Afghan village elders in preparation of the next phase of the battle plan that focuses on rebuilding the greater Marjah community and installing a viable Afghan government.

Several Marine commanders are scheduled to host village “shuras” – a traditional Afghan meeting.

CAMP LEATHERNECK – The Marine commander in Helmand, Afghanistan admits it’s no secret where coalition forces will strike next.

“Marjah is the only place in Helmand we aren’t,” said Brigadier General Larry Nicholson.

Military commanders won’t say when the attack will happen – only that it will happen and that it will be an important step in the implementation the new Afghan strategy laid out last fall by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top American and NATO commander in Afghanistan.

The McChrystal plan focuses on protecting Afghan civilians and emphasizes securing large population centers by clearing out Taliban fighters and then rebuilding the community quickly.

Marjah, a dense population center in central Helmand, is home to roughly 125,000 Afghans and has been controlled by the Taliban for years.

As U.S. Marines fanned out across Helmand this past summer and fall, insurgents have reportedly been gathering in the city – vowing to defend it.

In recent weeks, U.S. and Afghan military commanders have been very public about an assault on Marjah.

“We want to come in hard and fast,” Gen. Nicholson said Thursday.

However, coalition commanders insist they don’t want civilians to flee.

According to Gen. Nicholson, coalition forces learned last summer how to reduce civilian causalities.

“If you go big, strong and fast you lessen the opportunity for civilian causalities. As opposed to slow methodic rolling assault. You go in and dominate. You overwhelm the enemy to the point they don’t want any part of it.”

Quick and fast assaults as envisioned by Gen. Nicholson are possible primarily only in places like Helmand that have not had an Afghan government or coalition military presence in more than three years.

“There is advantage in not being there already,” said Gen. Nicholson.

By coming in new and with the ability to deliver jobs and resources quickly, he explains, coalition forces have an opportunity to win the local population over – dividing them from the Taliban.

It is a tactical advantage, Nicholson admits, coalition forces in Eastern Afghanistan do not share since they have long had a permanent presence in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

For now, the fight in Eastern Afghanistan is not his concern. But the Marines’ successes and failures in Helmand are being watched and studying by coalition commanders in Kabul and are helping shape the overall strategy across Afghanistan.

KABUL – As the first of the additional 30,000 American troops begin arriving in Afghanistan, the U.S. military and its NATO partners are also launching an ambitious effort to increase the size and improve the quality of the Afghan National Security Forces – including a massive expansion and reorganization of the Afghan National Police and Army.

Under the new initiative, the Afghan National Army will increase from its current size of 104,000 to 136,000 by October and the Afghan National Police will expand from 96,000 to 109,000.

Additionally, both Afghan soldiers and police officers have received a significant pay increase that U.S. officials hope will prevent young Afghans from joining the insurgency.

“We have to compete with the Taliban,” said Col. Gregory Breazile, a spokesman for the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. “We need to have comparable pay.”

For the first time ever, police from the ANP will be paid the same amount –$150 a month -as soldiers from the ANA, and members will receive an additional $100 a month for working in the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan like Helmand, Khost, Kandahar, Paktika.

In the past, police were paid much less despite they fact they faced far greater risks. On average, Afghan police are four times as likely to be killed by insurgents as Afghan soldiers.

“There wasn’t an incentive to join the police,” said Col. Breazile. “It was a higher threat for less money.”

According to U.S. officials, the pay increase has already helped. In December, 8,000 Afghans signed up for the Army, 3,000 more than the target number.

But as recruiting numbers surge, questions remain about the quality of the overall security forces and of the new recruits. Most are illiterate and many join simply for the money – not a desire to fight the Taliban.

Desertion and corruption remain serious problems – but over time, U.S. officials hope they will be dramatically reduced with better training and better incentive programs.

Currently, the Afghan Parliament is working on a bill to provide a pension plan for senior members of the Afghan National Security Forces in hopes of encouraging older, less trained soldiers and police officers to retire.

The idea is to persuade older Afghans to retire with a pension – giving them a long- term incentive to support the fledgling Afghan government, while also providing career opportunities for newly-recruited and better trained young Afghan soldiers and police officers.

A similar program was launched in Iraq several years ago, and is credited with helping to stabilize and modernize the Iraqi military and government.

“The Afghan government has to be stable and look as if it is a permanent institution,” said Col. Breazile. “This helps reinforce it permanence.”

KABUL, Afghanistan – NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will officially announce British Ambassador Mark Sedwill as the Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan today.

Amb. Sedwill will oversee and coordinate billions of dollars in reconstruction money pouring into the war torn country, and will be the civilian counterpart to U.S. General Stanley McChrystal, the top military commander in Afghanistan.

According to several Western officials in Afghanistan, Amb. Sedwill and Gen. McChrystal have a solid working relationship and Gen. McChrystal supports the move.

The appointment of Amb. Sedwill will also help alleviate concerns by other NATO countries that the NATO mission in Afghanistan was “too American.”

Reportedly, U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry was also considered for the post, but NATO allies pushed for a non-American.

Amb. Sedwill will also help lead the reconciliation effort with moderate Taliban fighters – an endeavor that is gaining momentum.

Gen. McChrystal, in a recent interview with the UK Financial Times, said there has been “enough fighting” and said he hoped moderate Taliban insurgents might one day lay down their weapons and join the Afghan government.

On Thursday, Afghan and International officials will meet in London for a major conference on the future of Afghanistan – with reconciliation being a top issue.