This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Afghanistan

  • Veteran Mistakenly Called out for Stolen Valor

    Veteran Mistakenly Called out for Stolen Valor

    A local television station in Montana says that after they carried a story about a local veteran opening up a new business, there were calls coming in that had concerns about the man ever serving.

    Littrell expressed his passion for helping veterans because of his past. Since that story broke on MTN, numerous emails and messages have been sent to MTN questioning Littrell’s enlistment in the U.S Air Force.

    “My character was totally questioned,” Littrell said.

    Littrell was unable to provide what is known as a DD 214 form, which indicates military service.

    MTN confirmed with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that Littrell was in fact enlisted and deployed.

    “Enough is enough. I’m not going to sit here and be called a liar for what I’ve done. Shame on anybody that jumped on that bandwagon,” Littrell said.

    A letter from the VA states Littrell served from October 2004 to April 2008. It also states he was deployed to Afghanistan and served his country and eventually received honorable discharge.

    “I’m here to prove to Great Falls, to whoever the veterans and active military, that I am who I say I am,” Littrell said.

    The letter, signed by Littrell’s VA social worker, states Littrell is receiving care for PTSD.

    This is why it is better to get all the facts straight.

  • US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan to have little impact, official says

    us marinesU.S. Marines stand in formation during a ceremony in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The Pentagon is developing plans to withdraw up to half of the 14,000 American troops serving in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said, marking a sharp change in the Trump administration’s policy aimed at forcing the Taliban to the peace table after more than 17 years of war. (Massoud Hossaini/AP)
    By: Amir Shah, The Associated Press

    KABUL, Afghanistan — The withdrawal of half of the 14,000 U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan will have little impact on the fighting capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces, the spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said Friday.

    Haroon Chakansuri was responding to reports the Pentagon is developing plans to withdraw 7,000 American soldiers by the summer. He said Afghanistan’s military has been in charge of the country’s security since 2014 when more than 100,000 NATO troops withdrew.

    Since then, U.S. forces have provided training and advice, assisting in military operations only when requested by Afghan troops.

    However, the Taliban are stronger today than they have been since their ouster in 2001. They control or hold sway over nearly half the country, carrying out near daily attacks that mostly target Afghan security forces.

    A Taliban official, who did not want to be identified because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media, called the planned withdrawal a “positive step” that can aid efforts at a negotiated end to the fighting.

    Since leading the multi-nation invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the U.S. has lost more than 2,400 soldiers and spent more than $900 billion in its longest war

    First Syria, now Afghanistan. President Trump has directed the Pentagon to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from there as well, ending the 17-year deployment of American forces in-country.

    More than 7,000 service members will begin returning from Afghanistan in coming months, per White House order. This comes shortly after Trump signaled plans to remove all U.S. forces from Syria, declaring that “We have won against ISIS.”

    This and Syria are quite a Christmas present. Standing by for the obligatory howls of angst from IVAW and others of chattering class, who just a short while ago were protesting our military presence there.

    The rest of the article may be viewed at: The Military Times

  • James Jeenou Thao – No More Royalty

    James Jeenou Thao – No More Royalty

    You may remember the articles by Military Phony and This Ain’t Hell about James Thao, the guy claiming to have fought in Afghanistan when we could find no record of military service.

    James won the Mr. Hmong Royalty pageant, and the military service claims most likely influenced pageant officials.

    Well, after our article came out the pageant officials were notified and they formed a special task force to investigate.  After asking James several times to produce the proper military documentation — and subsequently never receiving any — James was removed from his position as Mr. Hmong Royalty and the title given to the runner-up.

    I guess since James never responded, we may never know for sure.  It doesn’t look good, though.

    Kudos to the Hmong community, pageant organizers and Mr. Xiong for doing the right thing.

    They even posted their findings on their Facebook page.  Please show your support by liking the post, if you are so inclined.  https://www.facebook.com/MrHmongRoyalty/

    Oh yeah, we wonder what happened to the $1500 prize money?

  • NCIS documents cast doubt on Navy SEAL’s guilt in slaying of Islamic State fighter

    seal chiefSpecial Operations Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher, a highly decorated Navy SEAL, is fighting murder charges tied to the death of an Islamic State militant in Iraq. (photos provided)

    By: Carl Prine

    Chinks are appearing in the NCIS case against SOC Gallagher, in the form of two senior members of the elite Iraqi Emergency Response Division, and their interviews.

    Two high-ranking Iraqi military leaders with close ties to the SEALs cast doubt on the case military prosecutors have formed against Special Operations Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher, who’s accused of murdering a wounded prisoner of war, according to records provided to Navy Times.

    Their transcribed interviews contradict nearly every aspect of the federal case against Gallagher, 39, who faces up to 18 criminal counts, including premeditated murder for allegedly stabbing to death a badly wounded Islamic State detainee near the Iraqi city of Mosul on May 3, 2017.

    A report prepared by the Naval Criminal Investigate Service on Oct. 22 — five weeks after Gallagher was arrested by federal agents and incarcerated in the Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar in San Diego — includes an interview in Baghdad with Iraqi Emergency Response Division commander Maj. Gen. Abbas al-Jubouri and his aide, Col. Issa Kadhim.

    The ERD is the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior’s elite special forces unit, and both al-Jubouri and Kadhim worked closely with Gallagher’s SEAL platoon during anti-Islamic State clearing operations in northern Iraq in 2017.

    Although painted by prosecutors as a sadistic SEAL sniper who took pot shots at Iraqi civilians, including children, al-Jubouri considered “Chief Ed” to be “always professional and I always worked so close to him,” according to his translated interview with an NCIS agent.

    There’s a lot of this explosive article left to read. Don’t miss it at The Navy Times

  • Valor Friday

    army moh
    Today’s Valor Friday is dedicated to Staff Sergeant Salvatore A. Giunta, of B Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, V Corps, Vicenza, Italy.

    He participated in two combat deployments to Afghanistan. His first combat deployment was during Operation Enduring Freedom VI, March 2005 to March 2006. His second combat deployment to Afghanistan was during Operation Enduring Freedom VIII, May 2007 to July 2008. During this second deployment, on October 25, 2007, Staff Sgt. Giunta’s platoon (in which he was then a specialist serving as a rifle team leader) was ambushed in the rugged Korengal Valley of eastern Afghanistan.

    mohStaff Sgt. Giunta

    Citation
    The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded, in the name of Congress, the Medal of Honor to
    Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta

    United States Army

    For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

    Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, on October 25, 2007. While conducting a patrol as team leader with Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, Specialist Giunta and his team were navigating through harsh terrain when they were ambushed by a well-armed and well-coordinated insurgent force. While under heavy enemy fire, Specialist Giunta immediately sprinted towards cover and engaged the enemy. Seeing that his squad leader had fallen and believing that he had been injured, Specialist Giunta exposed himself to withering enemy fire and raced towards his squad leader, helped him to cover, and administered medical aid. While administering first aid, enemy fire struck Specialist Giunta’s body armor and his secondary weapon. Without regard to the ongoing fire, Specialist Giunta engaged the enemy before prepping and throwing grenades, using the explosions for cover in order to conceal his position. Attempting to reach additional wounded fellow soldiers who were separated from the squad, Specialist Giunta and his team encountered a barrage of enemy fire that forced them to the ground. The team continued forward and upon reaching the wounded soldiers, Specialist Giunta realized that another soldier was still separated from the element. Specialist Giunta then advanced forward on his own initiative. As he crested the top of a hill, he observed two insurgents carrying away an American soldier. He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other. Upon reaching the wounded soldier, he began to provide medical aid, as his squad caught up and provided security. Specialist Giunta’s unwavering courage, selflessness, and decisive leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon’s ability to defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American soldier from the enemy. Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, and the United States Army.

    Thanks to US Army Center of Military History

  • ‘This is not going to be won militarily’

    Gen. MillerU.S. Army Gen. Austin Miller speaks during the change of command ceremony at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2018. Miller assumed command of the 41-nation NATO mission in Afghanistan following a handover ceremony. (Massoud Hossaini/AP)

    Top US commander in Afghanistan reveals pessimism

    The new U.S. general leading the mission in Afghanistan gave a surprisingly candid interview this week on the situation in-country.

    In his first interview since taking command of NATO’s Resolute Support mission in September, Army Gen. Austin Miller’s thoughts seem to mirror the pessimism felt by the American people as the war in Afghanistan treads past the 17-year mark.

    “This is not going to be won militarily,” Miller told NBC News in an exclusive interview. “This is going to a political solution.”

    “My assessment is the Taliban also realizes they cannot win militarily,” he said. “So if you realize you can’t win militarily at some point, fighting is just, people start asking why. So you do not necessarily wait us out, but I think now is the time to start working through the political piece of this conflict.”

    Miller’s comments reflect several realities portrayed in the latest report from the leading U.S. government oversight agency on Afghanistan.

    As of July, the Afghan government controls or influences only 55.5 percent of the country’s 407 districts.

    That is the lowest level since the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, began tracking district control in November 2015, according to the group’s quarterly report released Thursday.

    Although the exact numbers are classified, Resolute Support also said that the average number of Afghan government force casualties from May to October 2018 is the highest it has ever been during similar periods.

    May was the most active month, accounting for 26 percent of all casualties during this five-month period. About 52 percent of the casualties during this time came during checkpoint operations, while 35 percent occurred during patrols.

    The somewhat good news is that the Afghan government’s control over the total population in-country remains unchanged since this time last year at 65 percent.

    SIGAR reported that the number of checkpoint casualties is increasing while the number of patrol casualties is decreasing.

    control map

    When Miller took over the war in early September, Afghan soldiers were already being killed and wounded at record numbers.

    Miller told NBC News that he kicked off his tenure by pushing out a more aggressive policy of helping the Afghan military locate and defeat Taliban fighters. But in that new interview, Miller also acknowledged that Afghanistan requires a political, not military, solution to its woes.

    Not especially heartening news, but if the conflict ends at the bargaining table, sooner is better. The article in its entirity can be read at The Military Times

  • 5 freed from Gitmo in exchange for Bergdahl join Taliban in Qatar

    taliban traded bergdhalThe five Guantanamo Bay detainees swapped for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl are, from left, Mullah Norullah Nori, Mohammed Nabi Omari, Mohammed Fazl, Khairullah Khairkhwa and Abdul Haq Wasiq. (U.S. Department of Defense)

    Surprising exactly no one, the five members of the Afghan Taliban who were freed from GITMO in exchange for captured deserter Bowe Bergdahl, have joined the insurgent group’s political office in Qatar.

    They are now among Taliban representatives negotiating for peace in Afghanistan. The five, all of whom were close to the Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar, would bring with them the same ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam that characterized the group’s rule that ended in 2001 with the U.S.-led invasion.

    “The Taliban are bringing back their old generation, which means the Taliban have not changed their thinking or their leadership,” said Haroun Mir, political analyst in the Afghan capital. “What we are more worried about is if tomorrow the Taliban say ‘we are ready to negotiate,’ who will represent Kabul? That is the big challenge because the government is so divided, not just ideologically but on ethnic lines.”

    Words fail me. Read the rest if you can at Military Times.

  • They’re Ba-a-a-ack!

    U.S. Army Gen. Austin Scott Miller assumed command of the 41-nation NATO mission in Afghanistan in a handover ceremony on Sunday.

    This comes during a period in which both the Taliban and a bumped-up Islamic State affiliate have extensively increased their activity levels recently in Afghanistan.

    https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2018/09/02/us-general-assumes-nato-command-in-afghanistan/

    Nicholson called on the Taliban to accept the government’s offer of a cease-fire and renewed peace negotiations, saying “you don’t need to keep killing your fellow Afghans.”

    Unfortunately, while we have been expending time, equipment, money and personnel on trying to “help” Pakistan and Afghanistan rid themselves of these two forms of pestilence, the Bad Guys are a lot like cockroaches and little black ants. You may kill off those you see in daylight, but at night they come out of the walls when they think you aren’t looking. Pesticides won’t kill them. A degreaser like Formula 409 does the job with ants and roaches much more efficiently and quickly, and it’s even better if you can find the nests and douse them with that stuff.

    My advice to the good general and also to the Afghan and Paki governments is to find a really good “degreasing agent” of some sort that will smite them and kill the nests, too. Otherwise, Afghanistan and Pakistan are stuck with them.

    Also, if we’re going to engage in siege warfare, learn to do it the right way. Cut off their supplies of all kinds, including medicine and water. Devastate the surrounding areas. It worked quite well at Sennacherib and Carthage. Gee, it even worked at Mosul a year or so ago.