NATO: "Afghanistan Report 2009"

This document (pdf) is from NATO's Public Diplomacy Division, released March 31. Though in a sense clearly spin, it's a spin to which the Canadian public rarely have in-depth access. Take a look for yourself. These maps are particularly useful:

CURRENT FORCE DISPOSITION (p. 6--right click to open in new window)


SECURITY SUMMARY (p. 9--right click to open in new window) shows where incidents are concentrated, a great number in the general area of the Ring Road, from Kabul to Kandahar and on west in the direction of Herat. It is in that area that most large ISAF operations, battalion upwards, have taken place. Decent security along the road itself is very important psychologically for the Afghans.


I found the box (p. 7, right click to enlarge) on US Marine 2008 operations in Garmsir District, far south Helmand, interesting.



More here from a June 2008 NY Times article:

...
Originally sent to Garmser District on a three-day operation to open a road, the marines have been here a month and are likely to stay longer. The extension of the operation reflects the evolving tactics of the counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan, building on the knowledge accumulated in recent years in Anbar Province in Iraq...

Indeed I've heard the Marines had unexpected success securing the area; the Taliban stood, fought and got killed (the Marines were from 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, since departed--this post outlines what the Marines have in Afstan now, and will have when the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade arrives soon).

The UK defence secretary said this about those Marine operations:

...the Marines had produced an "astonishing effect" in combating Taliban insurgents in the southern Helmand province where Britain operates...

There is also a box (p.8) on the operations of the French Task Force Kapisa, roughly a battalion with a combat role.

As for the future, some views from someone knowledgeable. Security is the most urgent task, governance the most important. As things stand at this moment we are far from a tipping point in NATO's favour; if major results are not achieved by the end of this year the mission will essentially have failed. Some indicators:

-terrorist incidents in provincial capitals must be almost eliminated;
-capitals of critical districts must not be taken by the insurgents, if only briefly;
-improving major road security is critical.