Senate Dems Urge Pakistan To Do More To Fight IEDs

A delegation of four Senate Democrats are in Pakistan this week putting pressure on leaders to help crack down on the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by extremists across the border in Afghanistan.

The delegation includes Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.).

“The focus is on our troops serving in Afghanistan who are the victims of roadside bombs,” Casey told reporters in a conference call from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Most IEDs, including roadside bombs, which extremists have commonly used to attack U.S. and NATO forces in the region, are primarily created from ammonium nitrate that is smuggled into Afghanistan from Pakistan. 

Last year 368 U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan by IEDs. This year, 125 U.S. troops have already been killed by IEDs. 

“We have to take steps to focus intensively on a strategy against this explosive device,” Casey said.  

Casey explained that an entity has been set up, entitled the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), to bring focus and expertise to the issue of eliminating such weapons. 

Pakistan has both a counter-IED strategy and a plan for implementing that strategy, but the delegation of Senators want Pakistani political and military leaders to put their plans to action.

“What we have to do now is keep pushing our government and keep pushing the Pakistanis to stop IEDs,” Casey said. “We are making progress but we need to see results. We need to see strategies implemented.” 

The delegation has already met with leading government officials, such as Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, Army Chief of Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and a number of Pakistani senators to stress the urgency of this issue to keep American troops safe. 

“We’ll never have the kind of relationship with this country that we’ve had with others,” Casey added. “There will always be some problems and lack of trust. But if we work hard and stay focused and engaged, we can bring about a stronger relationship that allows us to keep America safer and Pakistanis can benefit from the progress on counter terrorism as well.”

Adm. Mullen Discusses Threats Facing Troops In Afghanistan

By Sam Wechsler - Talk Radio News Service

Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke Wednesday about the need for the U.S. to better protect its troops from being harmed in the war in Afghanistan.

Mullen stated that “the center of gravity is really the protection of the [Afghan] people.” He added that civilian casualties are not conducive to winning the war.

He explained that the largest threats to the U.S. military in Afghanistan are attacks from IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) employed by the Taliban, and post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by American soldiers.

“We’ve come a long way with respect to [IEDs], but this is an enemy that is very adaptive and very capable...and as they adapt, we adapt, and they adapt again,” said Mullen. In order to better equalize the threat of IEDs, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is sending upwards of 2,000 armored all-terrain vehicles that provide better protection from the explosives.

“When I visit troops there is also a great skip in their step because they know they’ve made a difference, they’ve turned it around in a place like Iraq, and they’re very confident that they can get the job done in Afghanistan,” said Mullen.

As for a timetable, Mullen said that military must “turn the tide” against the Taliban within the next twelve to eighteen months.

Iraq: "Surprisingly Embracing."

The ability to influence the Iraqi people depends on being able to deliver something tangible, said Army Col. Philip Battaglia, commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, during a live brief from Iraq at the Pentagon. They’ve made considerable progress in using Iraqi monies for reconstruction, and the improved security throughout Iraq has made it possible to coordinate more Iraqi seizures of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and other weapons.

Also present was Dan Foot of PRT, who said that the Iraqi people’s appreciation of the Iraqi Security Forces and the United States’ forces was “surprisingly embracing.” He said in the marketplaces people smile and stop to chat, but that the smaller towns the people are more reserved and don’t approach them. After they say hello, however, the people display typical Arab Cordiality and are very friendly. The PRT, he said, expects to be in Iraq till through the end of next year. In the police force of Iraq, Foot said, there is “a certain amount of bribery” that is part of the culture and is to be expected.

A question raised to Col. Battaglia was if the troops were having any problems with their absentee ballots, as this is election season. Battaglia looked very pleased that the question was asked, and said that in the past week, he’s seen absentee ballots, they’ve been received, and they are voting. He hasn’t heard any complaints for his brigade.

Ending IEDs

"As long as we have the most powerful military in the world, nobody will attack us directly. Asymmetric threats will be the order of the day," said Chairman Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on defeating the improvised explosive device (IED).

In response to threats like these the Department of Defense began a 'Manhattan project-like effort' to combat the rise of IEDs. This endeavor took the form of the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), a 3,600-employee task force charged with eliminating the strategic influence of IEDs. This goal has been attempted through a variety of means, including going after the networks that provide the materials for IEDs in order to make them more costly to create, and bringing American police detectives abroad to more efficiently track down those who use them.

While the organization has met with success, there are questions about its future capabilities. The House Armed Services Committee is concerned over whether future asymmetric weapon use should be confronted by JIEDDO or if new organizations should be created as threats emerge.

One of JIEDDO's strengths is its ability to uniquely focus on IEDs.

"We have achieved our success because of that laser focus. If we open up that aperture too wide and too quickly we'll lose that laser focus," said JIEDDO Director Lieutenant General Thomas F. Metz, warning not to change the current structure of the organization.

However this this manner of of specialization has drawn criticism. Snyder replied,

"If we put on hold all things and changes that we think the government might need to do because we're involved in a war we could try to be declaring a time out for a long time. I don't think that's a very good reason not to want to do things more efficiently."

Iranian trained special militias are biggest threat to Iraq

From the beginning, we have been a team, and our mission is to get rid of all the militias and all insurgents in Iraq, Major General Ali Salih Farhood Oothman, Commander of the 8th Iraqi Army Division, said through an interpreter during a live-via-satellite Pentagon press briefing from Camp Victory in Baghdad. Oothman, head of a division that covers 24% of Iraq consisting of five Iraqi provinces including the Iranian border and Saudi Arabian border, said that his responsibilities in the area are complex because of al-Qaida. However, al-Qaida is not his greatest threat.

The greatest threat according to Oothman is the special militias. In his area of operation, he has both al-Qaida and special militias. In the capital cities of the provinces, he says, there are the militias. The reason for the higher threat level, is that the special groups are trained and equipped by the Iranians. Those groups don’t face you, he said, they use IEDs (improvised explosive devices), or they “stab us in the back” with their politicians. Because the militias are not able to face the Iraqi Army directly, they go to Iran, where they are trained, equipped, and then sent back in to assassinate leaders.

Present as well was Army Major General Michael Oates, Commander of the Multi-National Division Center and the 10th Mountain Division. He agreed with Oothman’s assessment of the Iraq Army’s capabilities, stating that the Army, although much improved and better off than in 2006, demonstrates that there is a need to raise the comparable level of operations that they are responsible for. Four things, Oates said, are needed: we need to work on improving their [Iraqi Army] forces, civics courses need to be given to learn how to assess Iraq’s civilian needs, we need to go after AQI (al-Qaida in Iraq), and we need to reduce the Iranian influence within Iraq.

The topic brought up most frequently during the brief was the inadequate training and supplies. Oates pointed out that the Iraqi Army has been fighting “right out of the box” since the beginning, and was never able to be properly trained. Watching their [Iraqi] army operate, Oates said, he sees that they are very capable and they are seeking initiative in performing their own operations, but we [United States] still are providing valuable assistance. The Iraqi Army is “coming along” but they are not sophisticated with reconnaissance and surveillance. Professionalism is what is missing; the army went into combat with no training, they’ve been in constant combat since 2003, and it’s been tough for them to learn logistics.

Oothman said that since the beginning, they had to work to train their officers. They conducted several training services for their officers, and they send medics to learn some training and they are more professional than they used to be. But to be independent in this battle, Oothman said, we have to not only learn administrative and logistical duties, but we need something else: medical facilities and garages to maintain our vehicles. 80% of these needs are met by coalition forces, and there is currently no plan to build a hospital or a garage.

The Iraqi Army is showing initiative, Oates said, I’m proud to serve with them and I’m here to provide whatever assistance I can. They are making huge strides. We [the United States] should be proud of our soldiers, and they are performing magnificently.