Green on Blue: causes and responses (merged thread)

[davidbfpo]

A NYT article based on interviews, including contact with the ANA soldier who in May 2012 killed a US soldier in Kunar Province:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/04/wo...pagewanted=all

Not seen this before:

many senior coalition and Afghan officials are now concluding that after nearly 12 years of war, the view of foreigners held by many Afghans has come to mirror that of the Taliban. Hope has turned into hatred, and some will find a reason to act on those feelings.

[davidbfpo]

A very interesting article, that ends with an optimistic passage:

"We have a pretty good relationship [with the cops] around here," explained one of the US soldiers afterward. "We don't have many problems."

First Lieutenant Cummings.....echoed the assessment: "For the most part, it's easy to work with [Afghans], you just walk in and they're happy to see you, happy to talk with you...[But the Afghan cops are] usually hesitant to go on patrol with you, unless you have a really good relationship with them, and that just comes with time ... if you go in there and sit down and have a conversation with them every day."

Link:http://www.longwarjournal.org/archiv...y_of_green.php

[Bob's World]

A key fact that ISAF leadership always downplays is that Green on Blue attacks track along with all other forms of enemy attack in Afghanistan, peaking as fighting season peaks and fading as fighting season fades.

I would think that personal quarrals rooted in cultural misunderstanding would stay fairly constant throughout the year.

[davidbfpo]

Scattered reports of deaths within Kabul ANA Officer Academy (aka 'Sandhurst in the sand'), apparently after an argument between an ANA soldier and others. With a senior German officer injured and a US soldier killed.

Links:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/wo...tack.html?_r=0

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28659874

[davidbfpo]

Highest ranking US officer killed since WW2 (excluding "friendly fire"), from ABC TV, very speculative about circumstances and whether it was planned:http://abcnews.go.com/International/...yvA7Rc.twitter

[davidbfpo]

Via John Schindler's Twitter:

Latest: Kabul media are reporting that the 15 wounded in today's attack incl 7 US (1 a BrigGen), 5 UK, 1 German, 3 Afghans (incl 1 general).

"We are investigating but it appears that an Afghan army officer opened fire." -- GEN Mohammed Afzal Aman, G3 @ Afghan MoD, told AFP

Before today:

n recent months, the number of insider attacks has dropped significantly as protective measures were continued and fewer international troops worked directly with Afghan forces.

In June, two coalition servicemembers were wounded in a suspected insider attack at a police station. In February, two U.S. Special Forces soldiers were killed and four others were wounded when a suspected member of the Afghan security forces opened fire on them. And in April, an Associated Press journalist was killed and another seriously wounded when a police commander opened fire on them inside a heavily guarded Afghan security forces base in eastern Afghanistan.

Link:http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-e...ttack-1.296839

[davidbfpo]

The US General RIP is:

Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, deputy commanding general of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan in Kabul. U.S. officials said five of the eight wounded Americans are in serious condition; a number of British soldiers were also wounded.

Link:http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...y.html?hpid=z1

An official bio when in his last post:http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/c/downloads/271929.pdf