If there was any an indicator of how things are going in a war, you can always look at the health of the logistics tail. And to me, just looking at these three stories that cover Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is obvious that there are some serious security issues with logistics going on.
The first story is one that I posted before, about Commando Security (a local national security company in Afghanistan) and their efforts in the war. The loss of life and the amount of actual fighting that this PSC is doing is stunning. Stacks of coffins…fighting daily?
The second story is about Pakistan shutting down the Khyber Pass. The Taliban and the various tribes are raping these convoys. Just lask week, these guys were able to attack a convoy and steal some Humvee destined for Afghanistan. The pictures of these things in Taliban hands are embarrassing to say the least.
The final story is about Highway One in Afghanistan, and how dangerous that has become. It sounds like IED hell, and the Taliban and company are certainly applying the lessons of Iraq to their own campaign in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
On Feral Jundi, we talked about this before. That our achilles heel in the war over there is logistics. The Taliban know this, and they are doing what they can to shut it down and/or plunder it. All I know is that Task Force Odin better get busy and get some eyes on these routes, and start working with the hunters to protect these routes. Or maybe out of pure human decency, they could also give a heads up to these PSC’s that are operating over there. That means communicating with PSC’s like Commando Security, or we can continue to stand by while these forces get mutilated by these guys.
The other thing that bothers me about this, is commerce. If we want the Afghani people to be happy with their government, security of commerce must be a priority. Take charge of the roads and own them. That means patrol, post overwatch on stretches of road, and work with the villages that are near these roads. Set up a text messaging/mobile phone road watch crew, and pay them to report on Taliban activity in the villages and roads. Do something to empower the local populations, and get the police busy on this stuff. The security of logistics and commerce on these roads are vital, and we must do a better job of protection of said activities. –Head Jundi
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Baitullah Mehsud’s Taliban pose in front of a captured US Humvee. Baitullah’s Taliban flag is draped over the hood. Photo from AFP.
‘Every moment is frightening’
Private security personnel easy targets in Afghanistan
Tom Blackwell, National Post
Published: Monday, October 20, 2008
As he girded himself for another shift protecting a massive NATO supply convoy this week, Rozi Mohammed made a frank admission: The work terrifies him.
“We are afraid of IEDs, we’re afraid of rockets, we’re afraid of bullets, we’re afraid of ambushes,” said the boyish-looking 18-year-old, an AK-47 slung over his narrow shoulders. “Every moment is frightening.”
He has good reason to be fearful. Just this year, about 160 of Mr. Mohammed’s colleagues have been killed defending such convoys against almost daily Taliban attacks. Only the day before, two died in a roadside blast.
In his compound, a stack of empty coffins sits ready for the next victims.
“Every day, we have seen our men wounded and killed,” the teenager said.
Mr. Mohammed does not belong to any military or police organization. He is part of Afghanistan’s growing private army: security contractors who fill the gaps in the foreign military and development mission here, protecting diplomats, aid workers, outposts and the all-important convoys.
To satisfy the voracious appetite of thousands of NATO troops for food, fuel and other supplies, hundreds of trucks a week must traverse highways that more and more are rife with insurgents.
(more…)