Afghanistan Brief Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of

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Afghanistan Brief
Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan)

• References
• CIAs The World Factbook
• The Library of Congress Afghanistan Country
  Study
• Seeds of Terror by Gretchen Peters
• The Long War Journal

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Agenda

• Geography
• Climate
• Languages
• Culture
• Economy
• Natural Resources
• Medical Information
• History
• Politics
• Insurgent Groups
• Current Operations
• Assumptions/Questions

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GEOGRAPHY

• Country is landlocked and mountainous. The
  country is divided by the Hindu Kush Mountains
  into northern and southwestern.
• Natural hazards of the land are
• Earthquakes
• Droughts
• Floods
• The longest river, the Helmand River, which
  originates in the Hindu Kush Mountains is not
  navigable and runs west to the Iranian border.
• Environmental hazards
• Soil degradation (Moon Dust)
• Overgrazing
• Deforestation
• Desertification
• Water pollution

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Geography
Land Boundaries Total 5,529 km Border
countries China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan
2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744
km, Uzbekistan 137 km
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Geography
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Climate

• The climate is typical of an arid or semiarid
  steppe, with cold winters and dry summers.
• The mountain regions of the northeast are
  subarctic with dry and cold winters. Severe
  blizzards generally occurs from December through
  February.
• In the mountains bordering Pakistan, a divergent
  fringe effect of the monsoon, generally coming
  from the southeast, brings tropical air masses
  between July and September.
• These air masses advance into central and
  southern Afghanistan, bringing increased humidity
  and some rain.
• In the western and southern regions a northerly
  wind, known as the Wind of 120 days," blows
  during the summer months of June to September.
  This wind is usually accompanied by intense heat,
  drought, and sand storms.
• Dust and whirlwinds frequently occur during the
  summer months on the flats in the southern part
  of the country.

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Languages
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Culture

• Flag Description

• 3 equal vertical bands of black (hoist side),
  red, and green, with the national emblem in white
  centered on the red band and slightly overlapping
  the other two bands

• The center of the emblem features a mosque with
  pulpit and flags on either side
• Below the mosque are numerals for the solar year
  1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of
  Afghan independence from the UK)
• Central image is circled by a border consisting
  of sheaves of wheat on the left and right, in the
  upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the
  Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of
  the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression
  meaning "God is great")
• A bottom center is a scroll bearing the name
  Afghanistan

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Culture

• Multi-cultural
• Multiple Languages
• Has always been a cross-roads for trade and
  cultural exchange within Asia

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Culture

• Has aspects from various religions, especially
  dances
• Strong Arabic influence
• Merchants still enjoy bartering

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Economy

• Narco-Terrorist State
• Thrives on poppy production
• In 2007 Afghanistan accounted for 95 of the
  heroin produced in the world, 753 tons
• Capable of producing wheat, but doesnt generate
  comparable income
• 40 unemployment in 2006
• Mining operations

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Natural Resources

• Natural gas
• Petroleum
• Coal
• Copper
• Chromite
• Talc
• Barites

• Lead
• Zinc
• Iron ore
• Salt
• Precious stones
• Semiprecious stones
• Sulfur

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Medical Information

• Major infectious diseases
• Risk High
• Food/Waterborne Diseases Bacterial and Protozoal
  Diarrhea, Hepatitis A, and Typhoid Fever
• Vectorborne Disease Malaria
• Animal Contact Disease Rabies
• (Note highly pathogenic H5N1 avian
  influenza has been identified in this country it
  poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
  possible among US citizens who have close contact
  with birds (2009)).

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History

• Alexander the Great conquers area around the
  year 330 B.C.
• Afghans resist foreign rule

• First known religion in Afghanistan was
  Zoroastrianism.
• Buddhism followed later.
• In 652 AD, Arabs introduced Islamic teachings.

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History

• In the mid 900s, the Ghaznavid Dynasty made
  Afghanistan become the center of Islamic power
  and civilization.

• By the year 1220, Genghis Khans conquest
  destroyed the irrigation system, resulting in the
  desertification of Afghanistans fertile soil.

• From 1500-1700, the country was bitterly divided
  by the Uzbeks in the north, the Persians in the
  west and the Pashtuns and the Mughals in the
  East.
• During this time period, war continued to tear
  the country apart.

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THE GREAT GAME

• Afghanistans internal affairs were further
  disturbed by the Tsarist Russian and British
  Empires.
• The British Indian colony was looking to expand
  to the Hindu Kush mountains while the Russians
  were expanding to the south and the east.

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History

• Founded in 1747 - Durrani Empire (Ahmed Shah
  Durrani)
• First Pashtun ruler
• Afghan Nationalism
• Current Afghan President Karzai is of the Durrani
  Clan
• Served as a buffer between the British and
  Russian empires
• The British Indian colony was looking to expand
  to the Hindu Kush mountains
• The Russians were expanding to the south and the
  east.
• It won its independence in 1919

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• For 40 years, Muhammad Zahir Shah brought tribal
  leaders together under a unified Afghanistan.
• In 1978, Shahs rule was overthrown by Mohammed
  Doud Khan and established the Peoples Democratic
  Party of Afghanistan (PDPA).
• The Soviet Union took an active interest in the
  revolution by invading Afghanistan and assigning
  power to a more moderate faction of the PDPA.
• Islamic fundamentalist groups assisted by Osama
  Bin laden began to retaliate with the help of CIA
  and Pakistani Intelligence.
• US also sought to exploit this situation causing
  the Soviet Union to waste resources and increase
  its leverage during the Cold War.
• Soviet Union withdrew after casualties began to
  mount dramatically.

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History

• In 1979, the USSR invaded Afghanistan to enforce
  communist ideology
• 10 years of a heavy resistance from
  anti-Communist Mujahedin rebels forced the USSR
  to withdraw in 1989
• After the withdraw of the USSR in 1989,
  Afghanistan suffered 7 years of civil war
• In 1996 the Taliban claimed political power over
  Afghanistan
• Ended civil war
• Drove out mujahidin war lords
• Brought stabilization to the country
• Enforced Sharia Law

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History Cont.

• Taliban control from 1996 to 2001
• After the attacks of 9/11 Coalition Forces
  removed the Taliban regime from power during
  Operation Enduring Freedom for providing a safe
  haven for Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Ladin.
• United Nations helped establish political
  reconstruction through introducing a Democracy
• In 2004 Hamid Karzai became the first
  democratically elected president of Afghanistan
• Despite gains in building a stable government, a
  resurgent Taliban remains a serious threat to
  Afghanistan government

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Politics
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Politics

• National Election President Karzai is up for
  reelection.
• Chief rival Dr. Abdullah Abdullah (strong
  support in the Herat province in the northwest).
• Support for Karzai is slipping in the Pashtun
  South, his stronghold as a result anti US
  posturing.

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International Politics (Cross Border problems)

• The Spira district in Kohst province borders
  North Waziristan in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier
  Province.
• Red agencies/ districts controlled by the
  Taliban
• Purple is defacto control
• Yellow under threat.

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Taliban

• Also known as "Students of Islamic Knowledge
  Movement
• Ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001
• Their policiesincluding their treatment of women
  and support of terroristsostracized them from
  the world community.
• The Taliban is one of the Mujahadeen ("holy
  warriors" or "freedom fighters") groups that
  formed during the war against the Soviet Union.
• The Taliban, under the direction of Mullah
  Muhammad Omar, brought about this order through a
  very strict interpretation of Sharia law.
• In contrast to their strict beliefs, the Taliban
  profited from smuggling operations (primarily
  electronics) and opium cultivation.
• Although many Taliban members have fled
  Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion, many conduct
  operations throughout southern Afghanistan and
  from Pakistan.

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Al Qaeda

• Established by Osama Bin Ladin in the late 1980s
  to bring together Arabs who fought in Afghanistan
  against the Soviet invasion.
• Helped finance, recruit, transport, and train
  Sunni Islamic extremists for the Afghan
  resistance.
• Current goal is to establish a pan-Islamic
  Caliphate throughout the world by working with
  allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow
  regimes it deems "non-Islamic" and expelling
  Westerners and non-Muslims from Muslim countries.
• Plotted to carry out terrorist operations against
  the U.S. and Israeli tourists visiting Jordan for
  millennial celebrations.
• May have several hundred to several thousand
  members. Also serves as a focal point or umbrella
  organization for a worldwide network that
  includes many Sunni Islamic extremist groups such
  as Egyptian Islamic Jihad, some members of
  al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya, the Islamic Movement of
  Uzbekistan, and the Harakat ul-Mujahidin.

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Hezbi Iaslami

• Meaning Islamic Party is an Islamic organization
  commonly known for fighting the Soviet occupation
  of Afghanistan.
• Led by and founded by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar , it
  was established in Pakistan in 1975 and grew out
  of the Muslim Youth organization, an Islamist
  organization founded in Kabul by students and
  teachers at Kabul University in 1969 to combat
  communism in Afghanistan.
• Its membership was drawn from ethnic Pashtuns,
  and its ideology from Muslim Brotherhood and
  Abdul Maududis Jamaat-e-Islami.
• Divided into two factions Hezb-e-Islami
  Gulbuddin (HIG) and Khalis Faction.
• Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin is considered a terrorist
  organization.

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Lashkar-e-Taiba

• Army of the Good, Army of the Righteous, or
  Army of the Pure
• The Lashkar-e-Taiba was created to participate in
  the Mujahadeen conflict against the Najibullah
  regime in Afghanistan.
• Cultivated links with the former Taliban regime
  in Afghanistan and also with Osama Bin Laden and
  his Al Qaeda network.
• Members have carried out major attacks against
  India and its objective is to introduce an
  Islamic state in South Asia and to "liberate"
  Muslims residing in Indian Administered Kashmir.
• The group reportedly conducts training camps and
  humanitarian work. These camps have long been
  trained by the Pakistan's powerful Inter Service
  Intelligence (ISI) agency because of their
  usefulness against India and in Afghanistan,
  though they have reportedly been told not to
  mount any operations for now.

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Islamic Movement of Central Asia

• The Islamic Movement of Central Asia (IMCA) also
  known as Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is an
  Islamist organization affiliated with Al Qaeda,
  headed by Tohir YoIdosh.
• Operated in Central Asia since its formation on
  September 16, 2002. Its objective is to create a
  pan-Central Asia Islamist theocracy.
• Members include Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Chechen,
  and Uyghur militants.
• Kyrgyz Defense Minister Esen Topoyev said there
  were several hundred Islamic militants and
  terrorist bases in Badakhsan Province,
  Afghanistan, and 1,500 terrorists in Paktia
  Province, as recently as September 2002.
• Current situation where President was deposed
  last week requires assessment of Kyrgystans
  political landscape and security of the US leased
  Manas Air Base.

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Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)

• Southeast Asias premier terror group
• Seeks to establish a pan-Islamic state across
  Southeast Asia
• Currently holding captured US Soldier, PFC Bowe
  Bergdahl

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Current Operations

• The 411th EN BDE may be directed South to
  assist the NATO (ISAF) forces and US Marines.
• Currently, 4,000 US Marines along with allied
  forces are engaged with the Taliban in the
  Southern Province of Helmand.
• Current operations are being strained by the
  logistical requirements to sustain increased
  troop strength.
• Route Clearance high priority as convoys IED
  threat increasing.

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Assumptions

• Expect high elevations to restrict helicopters
  use in areas, especially during summer season.
• Landlocked country supplies have to travel
  overland and are exposed to IED threat or have to
  be flown in at great expense and then travel
  overland to remote bases.
• Nearest Port is in Karachi, Pakistan, 350 miles
  south of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border on the
  Indian Ocean, lots of log convoys (expect
  delays).
• 19th century infrastructure throughout most of
  the country
• Expect communications and traveling to be
  difficult over the terrain and distances.
• Set up BDE HQ, not falling in on anything.
• Bring everything we need to set up (automation,
  network (cables, servers, etc), building
  materials and tools).
• Need a robust PDSS, 15 not counting the mob
  station trainers.
• Torch party should stay behind to after PDSS to
  start working on developing lay of land
  familiarity and build BDE TOC/living area. Need
  G4/CORs, G2, G3, Tech HQs, G6 reps.
• Expect austere conditionsand austere logistics
  once there.