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The Department of Defense announcedtoday the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
They died Sept. 26, in Pul-E Alam,Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when an insurgent wearing a suicide vestdetonated the device near their patrol. These Soldiers were assigned to the 1stSquadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team,Schweinfurt, Germany.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Orion N. Sparks, 29,of Tucson, Ariz., and
Sgt. Jonathan A. Gollnitz, 28, ofLakehurst, N.J.
For more information, please contact theU.S. Army Europe public affairs office in Heidelberg, Germany at011-49-162-271-6685.
29 Eylül 2012 Cumartesi
Panetta Discusses Operations in Afghanistan
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By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON – Most Afghan and NATO troopsare now conducting normal partnered operations, Defense Secretary Leon E.Panetta announced during a news conference here today.
Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the topU.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, had ordered that all combinedoperations below the battalion level be approved by regional commandersfollowing attacks by Afghan soldiers and police that have killed 51 members ofthe coalition this year.
However, Afghan and coalition troops arenow back to conducting partnered operations as before, Panetta told Pentagonreporters. The military believes some of the insider attacks were perhapstriggered by Muslim anger over an American-made internet video that defamed theProphet Muhammad.
“I can now report to you that most ISAFunits have returned to their normal partnered operations at all levels,” saidPanetta, who was accompanied by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff.
Dempsey, just back from a visit toAfghanistan, said partnering efforts are back to the level they were before thedifficulties. Around 90 percent of all operations in the country are partnered.
Even with the insider attacks, Panettasaid the coalition and Afghan efforts are paying off. He said the Taliban werein control of large swaths of Afghanistan and were poised to take more when thecoalition surge into the country began in December 2009.
Last week, the secretary announced theend of the surge, with the departure of the last of the 33,000 troops who wereordered deployed. There are now 68,000 American service members in Afghanistan.
“[The surge] accomplished the primaryobjectives of reversing the Taliban’s momentum on the battlefield anddramatically increased the size and capability of the Afghan national securityforces,” Panetta said.
This will continue, said Dempsey, notingcoalition troops will continue to partner with Afghan soldiers and police. TheTaliban has failed to recover momentum or any territory. “Our Afghan partnersare working with us to shut down the threat of insider attacks,” the chairmansaid. “As one Afghan army commander told me, insider attacks are an affront totheir honor, at odds with their culture and their faith.”
Taliban insurgents are actively tryingto infiltrate Afghan army and police formations, Dempsey said. The insurgentgroup is also trying to turn Afghan soldiers and police against their coalitionallies.
Dempsey said coalition forces areadapting to the Taliban’s change in tactics.
“That’s what professional militariesdo,” he said. “And we are doing it in a way that ensures we continue to be ableto partner.”
The Taliban wants to break thecoalition, the general said, but the coalition’s resolve to stand with Afghanformations is strong.
Still, it will be tough going in thecountry, Panetta said. “The enemy we are dealing with … is adaptive andresilient,” the secretary said. “Their focus has shifted to carrying outhigh-profile attacks in order to undermine the new sense of security that hasbeen felt by ordinary Afghans.”
Panetta expects there will be morehigh-profile attacks like the one that struck Camp Bastion last week.
“The enemy will do whatever they can totry and break our will using this kind of tactic. That will not happen,” hesaid.
Afghan forces are the “defeat mechanism”of the insurgency, Panetta said.
“We have an enduring commitment to anAfghanistan that can secure and govern itself and that is never again a safehaven from which terrorists can attack us,” he said. “Our men and women inuniform, our fighting forces, ISAF, Afghanistan fighting forces I think havesent a strong message to the Taliban that time is not on their side.”
By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON – Most Afghan and NATO troopsare now conducting normal partnered operations, Defense Secretary Leon E.Panetta announced during a news conference here today.
Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the topU.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, had ordered that all combinedoperations below the battalion level be approved by regional commandersfollowing attacks by Afghan soldiers and police that have killed 51 members ofthe coalition this year.
However, Afghan and coalition troops arenow back to conducting partnered operations as before, Panetta told Pentagonreporters. The military believes some of the insider attacks were perhapstriggered by Muslim anger over an American-made internet video that defamed theProphet Muhammad.
“I can now report to you that most ISAFunits have returned to their normal partnered operations at all levels,” saidPanetta, who was accompanied by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff.
Dempsey, just back from a visit toAfghanistan, said partnering efforts are back to the level they were before thedifficulties. Around 90 percent of all operations in the country are partnered.
Even with the insider attacks, Panettasaid the coalition and Afghan efforts are paying off. He said the Taliban werein control of large swaths of Afghanistan and were poised to take more when thecoalition surge into the country began in December 2009.
Last week, the secretary announced theend of the surge, with the departure of the last of the 33,000 troops who wereordered deployed. There are now 68,000 American service members in Afghanistan.
“[The surge] accomplished the primaryobjectives of reversing the Taliban’s momentum on the battlefield anddramatically increased the size and capability of the Afghan national securityforces,” Panetta said.
This will continue, said Dempsey, notingcoalition troops will continue to partner with Afghan soldiers and police. TheTaliban has failed to recover momentum or any territory. “Our Afghan partnersare working with us to shut down the threat of insider attacks,” the chairmansaid. “As one Afghan army commander told me, insider attacks are an affront totheir honor, at odds with their culture and their faith.”
Taliban insurgents are actively tryingto infiltrate Afghan army and police formations, Dempsey said. The insurgentgroup is also trying to turn Afghan soldiers and police against their coalitionallies.
Dempsey said coalition forces areadapting to the Taliban’s change in tactics.
“That’s what professional militariesdo,” he said. “And we are doing it in a way that ensures we continue to be ableto partner.”
The Taliban wants to break thecoalition, the general said, but the coalition’s resolve to stand with Afghanformations is strong.
Still, it will be tough going in thecountry, Panetta said. “The enemy we are dealing with … is adaptive andresilient,” the secretary said. “Their focus has shifted to carrying outhigh-profile attacks in order to undermine the new sense of security that hasbeen felt by ordinary Afghans.”
Panetta expects there will be morehigh-profile attacks like the one that struck Camp Bastion last week.
“The enemy will do whatever they can totry and break our will using this kind of tactic. That will not happen,” hesaid.
Afghan forces are the “defeat mechanism”of the insurgency, Panetta said.
“We have an enduring commitment to anAfghanistan that can secure and govern itself and that is never again a safehaven from which terrorists can attack us,” he said. “Our men and women inuniform, our fighting forces, ISAF, Afghanistan fighting forces I think havesent a strong message to the Taliban that time is not on their side.”
Combined Force Kills Multiple Insurgents
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Froman International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 28, 2012 – AnAfghan and coalition security force killed multiple armed insurgents during anoperation to arrest a senior Haqqani facilitator in the Gelan district ofGhazni province today, military officials reported.
As the security force approached theHaqqani facilitator’s suspected location, armed insurgents attacked the Afghanand coalition troops with heavy machine gun fire, officials said. The coalitiontroops returned fire, killing several armed insurgents. No civilians wereharmed in the exchange.
The sought-after Haqqani facilitator isbelieved to be directly involved in several attacks throughout the region, manyinvolving improvised explosive devices, and suicide bombers, resulting incivilian casualties, officials said.
The security force also detained twosuspects and seized multiple assault rifles, a heavy machine gun and severalexplosives, including rocket-propelled grenades, officials said. The weaponsand explosives were destroyed.
In other operations today:
-- A combined force detained a number ofsuspects during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in the Maiwand districtof Kandahar province. The sought-after Taliban leader is suspected offacilitating the movement of weapons throughout the region and reporteddirectly to senior Taliban leaders in order to coordinate insurgent attacks.
-- A combined force detained one suspectand seized several pounds of illegal narcotics during a search for a Talibanleader in the Washer district of Helmand province. The sought-after insurgentleader is alleged to serve as a link between senior Taliban leaders and localattack cells, directing insurgent activity throughout the district.
-- A combined force arrested one Haqqaninetwork leader and detained two suspects in the Sharan district of Paktikaprovince. The arrested Haqqani leader is suspected of being directly involvedin the planning of insurgent attacks and acquiring weapons and explosives forHaqqani fighters.
-- An Afghan-led, coalition-supportedforce arrested a Haqqani explosives facilitator, detained one suspect andseized IED-making equipment in the Bak district of Khost province. The arrestedfacilitator is alleged to be directly involved in the acquisition andemplacement of improvised explosive devices and rockets for attacks againstAfghan and coalition forces.
-- A combined force arrested a number ofsuspects and seized several firearms during a search for a senior Haqqanileader in the Sayyid Karam district of Paktiya province. The sought-afterHaqqani leader is suspected of directing attacks and coordinating theacquisition of weapons and funding for insurgent activity.
-- A combined force detained a number ofsuspects and seized multiple firearms during a search for a Haqqani IED attackleader in the Sharan district of Paktika province. The sought-after Haqqanileader is believed to be directly involved in the acquisition and emplacementof IEDs for insurgent attacks.
In Sept. 27 operations:
-- An International Security AssistanceForce patrol rescued three Afghans who were being held hostage by Talibaninsurgents in the Panjwa'i district of Kandahar province. The ISAF unit, TaskForce Arrowhead, observed a number of insurgents load three men, bound andblindfolded, onto a trailer towed by a tractor. The ISAF patrol pursued andstopped the tractor, at which point the insurgents attempted to flee. TaskForce Arrowhead troops freed the hostages and detained three of their captors,who were later identified as Taliban members. ISAF learned the three captiveshad been held by the Taliban for up to six days. The freed men were released byISAF to Panjwa'i district officials.
Froman International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 28, 2012 – AnAfghan and coalition security force killed multiple armed insurgents during anoperation to arrest a senior Haqqani facilitator in the Gelan district ofGhazni province today, military officials reported.
As the security force approached theHaqqani facilitator’s suspected location, armed insurgents attacked the Afghanand coalition troops with heavy machine gun fire, officials said. The coalitiontroops returned fire, killing several armed insurgents. No civilians wereharmed in the exchange.
The sought-after Haqqani facilitator isbelieved to be directly involved in several attacks throughout the region, manyinvolving improvised explosive devices, and suicide bombers, resulting incivilian casualties, officials said.
The security force also detained twosuspects and seized multiple assault rifles, a heavy machine gun and severalexplosives, including rocket-propelled grenades, officials said. The weaponsand explosives were destroyed.
In other operations today:
-- A combined force detained a number ofsuspects during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in the Maiwand districtof Kandahar province. The sought-after Taliban leader is suspected offacilitating the movement of weapons throughout the region and reporteddirectly to senior Taliban leaders in order to coordinate insurgent attacks.
-- A combined force detained one suspectand seized several pounds of illegal narcotics during a search for a Talibanleader in the Washer district of Helmand province. The sought-after insurgentleader is alleged to serve as a link between senior Taliban leaders and localattack cells, directing insurgent activity throughout the district.
-- A combined force arrested one Haqqaninetwork leader and detained two suspects in the Sharan district of Paktikaprovince. The arrested Haqqani leader is suspected of being directly involvedin the planning of insurgent attacks and acquiring weapons and explosives forHaqqani fighters.
-- An Afghan-led, coalition-supportedforce arrested a Haqqani explosives facilitator, detained one suspect andseized IED-making equipment in the Bak district of Khost province. The arrestedfacilitator is alleged to be directly involved in the acquisition andemplacement of improvised explosive devices and rockets for attacks againstAfghan and coalition forces.
-- A combined force arrested a number ofsuspects and seized several firearms during a search for a senior Haqqanileader in the Sayyid Karam district of Paktiya province. The sought-afterHaqqani leader is suspected of directing attacks and coordinating theacquisition of weapons and funding for insurgent activity.
-- A combined force detained a number ofsuspects and seized multiple firearms during a search for a Haqqani IED attackleader in the Sharan district of Paktika province. The sought-after Haqqanileader is believed to be directly involved in the acquisition and emplacementof IEDs for insurgent attacks.
In Sept. 27 operations:
-- An International Security AssistanceForce patrol rescued three Afghans who were being held hostage by Talibaninsurgents in the Panjwa'i district of Kandahar province. The ISAF unit, TaskForce Arrowhead, observed a number of insurgents load three men, bound andblindfolded, onto a trailer towed by a tractor. The ISAF patrol pursued andstopped the tractor, at which point the insurgents attempted to flee. TaskForce Arrowhead troops freed the hostages and detained three of their captors,who were later identified as Taliban members. ISAF learned the three captiveshad been held by the Taliban for up to six days. The freed men were released byISAF to Panjwa'i district officials.
28 Eylül 2012 Cuma
Benghazi Attackers Struck Against U.N. Ideals, Obama Says
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By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2012 – The assaulton the U.S. Consulate earlier this month in Benghazi, Libya, was an attack notonly on America, but also on the ideals of the United Nations, President BarackObama said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly today.
The attack that killed four Americans,including U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens, was an assault on“the notion that people can resolve their differences peacefully, thatdiplomacy can take the place of war, and that in an interdependent world, allof us have a stake in working towards greater opportunity and security for ourcitizens,” the president said.
Nations must be serious about theassault on those ideals and must go to the root causes that extremists use toincite populations, Obama said. “If we are serious about those ideals,” he toldthe General Assembly, “we must speak honestly about the deeper causes of thiscrisis, because we face a choice between the forces that would drive us apart,and the hopes we hold in common.”
Leaders, the president said, must decidethat violence and intolerance have no place in the United Nations.
America has supported the forces ofchange sweeping North Africa and the Middle East, Obama said. “We were inspiredby the Tunisian protests that toppled a dictator, because we recognized our ownbeliefs in the aspirations of men and women who took to the streets,” he said.“We insisted on change in Egypt, because our support for democracy put us onthe side of the people.”
The United States supported leadershiptransition in Yemen and intervened in Libya alongside a broad coalition“because we had the ability to stop the slaughter of innocents, and because webelieved that the aspirations of the people were more powerful than a tyrant,”he said.
Obama also restated the U.S. positionthat the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad must end.
“We have taken these positions becausewe believe that freedom and self-determination are not unique to one culture,”he said. Freedom is a universal value, the president added.
The events of the past two weeks -- inwhich extremists have used an Internet video that denigrates the ProphetMuhammad to spur anti-American demonstrations -- speak to the need for nationsto address the tensions between the West and an Arab World moving to democracy,Obama said. The United States will not dictate the outcome of democratictransitions, the president said, nor does America expect every nation to agreewith U.S. positions.
“However, I do believe that it is theobligation of all leaders, in all countries, to speak out forcefully againstviolence and extremism,” he said. “It is time to marginalize those who -- evenwhen not resorting to violence -- use hatred of America, or the West, orIsrael, as a central principle of politics. For that only gives cover, andsometimes makes excuses, for those who resort to violence.”
Obama reiterated that the United Stateswill not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. “America wants to resolve thisissue through diplomacy, and we believe that there is still time and space todo so,” he said. “But that time is not unlimited.”
A nuclear-armed Iran is not a challengethat can be contained, Obama said. “It would threaten the elimination ofIsrael, the security of [Persian] Gulf nations, and the stability of the globaleconomy,” he added.
Iranian possession of nuclear weaponswould spur an arms race in the region and unravel the Nuclear Non-proliferationTreaty, Obama said.
“That is why a coalition of countries isholding the Iranian government accountable,” he added. “And that is why theUnited States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclearweapon.”
By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2012 – The assaulton the U.S. Consulate earlier this month in Benghazi, Libya, was an attack notonly on America, but also on the ideals of the United Nations, President BarackObama said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly today.
The attack that killed four Americans,including U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens, was an assault on“the notion that people can resolve their differences peacefully, thatdiplomacy can take the place of war, and that in an interdependent world, allof us have a stake in working towards greater opportunity and security for ourcitizens,” the president said.
Nations must be serious about theassault on those ideals and must go to the root causes that extremists use toincite populations, Obama said. “If we are serious about those ideals,” he toldthe General Assembly, “we must speak honestly about the deeper causes of thiscrisis, because we face a choice between the forces that would drive us apart,and the hopes we hold in common.”
Leaders, the president said, must decidethat violence and intolerance have no place in the United Nations.
America has supported the forces ofchange sweeping North Africa and the Middle East, Obama said. “We were inspiredby the Tunisian protests that toppled a dictator, because we recognized our ownbeliefs in the aspirations of men and women who took to the streets,” he said.“We insisted on change in Egypt, because our support for democracy put us onthe side of the people.”
The United States supported leadershiptransition in Yemen and intervened in Libya alongside a broad coalition“because we had the ability to stop the slaughter of innocents, and because webelieved that the aspirations of the people were more powerful than a tyrant,”he said.
Obama also restated the U.S. positionthat the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad must end.
“We have taken these positions becausewe believe that freedom and self-determination are not unique to one culture,”he said. Freedom is a universal value, the president added.
The events of the past two weeks -- inwhich extremists have used an Internet video that denigrates the ProphetMuhammad to spur anti-American demonstrations -- speak to the need for nationsto address the tensions between the West and an Arab World moving to democracy,Obama said. The United States will not dictate the outcome of democratictransitions, the president said, nor does America expect every nation to agreewith U.S. positions.
“However, I do believe that it is theobligation of all leaders, in all countries, to speak out forcefully againstviolence and extremism,” he said. “It is time to marginalize those who -- evenwhen not resorting to violence -- use hatred of America, or the West, orIsrael, as a central principle of politics. For that only gives cover, andsometimes makes excuses, for those who resort to violence.”
Obama reiterated that the United Stateswill not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. “America wants to resolve thisissue through diplomacy, and we believe that there is still time and space todo so,” he said. “But that time is not unlimited.”
A nuclear-armed Iran is not a challengethat can be contained, Obama said. “It would threaten the elimination ofIsrael, the security of [Persian] Gulf nations, and the stability of the globaleconomy,” he added.
Iranian possession of nuclear weaponswould spur an arms race in the region and unravel the Nuclear Non-proliferationTreaty, Obama said.
“That is why a coalition of countries isholding the Iranian government accountable,” he added. “And that is why theUnited States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclearweapon.”
Marines Charged in Desecration Incident Face Trial
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Froma Marine Corps Combat Development Command News Release
QUANTICO, Va. – Charges against twoMarines were referred to trial by courts-martial Sept. 21 for their allegedinvolvement in urinating on deceased Taliban fighters and for posing forunofficial photographs with human casualties in Afghanistan.
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Richard P. Mills,commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development command, referred thecharges.
The incident allegedly took place duringa counterinsurgency operation near Sandala in the Musa Qala district ofAfghanistan’s Helmand province on or about July 27, 2011. The charges werereferred to courts-martial by Lieutenant General Richard P. Mills, theCommanding General of Marine Corps Combat Development Command.
Marine Corps Staff Sgts. Joseph W.Chamblin and Edward W. Deptola also were charged for other misconduct thatallegedly took place during the same operation, including being derelict intheir duties by failing to properly supervise junior Marines, failing torequire junior Marines to wear their personal protective equipment, failing tostop and report the misconduct of junior Marines, failing to report thenegligent discharge of a grenade launcher, and failing to stop theindiscriminate firing of weapons.
Deptola also is charged with failing tostop the unnecessary damaging of Afghan compounds and wrongfully andindiscriminately firing a recovered enemy machine gun.
Both Marines are assigned to 3rdBattalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Last month, three Marines receivednonjudicial punishment for misconduct that came to light during severalinvestigations into the desecration incident, shown in a video that becamepublic and circulated widely on the Internet in January. Disciplinary actionsregarding other Marines will be announced at a later date, officials said.
The charges are accusations against theindividual Marines, officials emphasized, and the accused are presumed innocentand are guaranteed the right to due process under the Uniform Code of MilitaryJustice.
“There are other pending cases relatedto this incident. In order to preserve the integrity of the investigations andto ensure fair and impartial legal proceedings in the future, we will notdiscuss evidence or specific findings of the investigations,” the command saidin a written statement. “We will be as forthright as possible while preservingthe rights of the accused and the fairness and integrity of the militaryjustice process.”
Froma Marine Corps Combat Development Command News Release
QUANTICO, Va. – Charges against twoMarines were referred to trial by courts-martial Sept. 21 for their allegedinvolvement in urinating on deceased Taliban fighters and for posing forunofficial photographs with human casualties in Afghanistan.
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Richard P. Mills,commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development command, referred thecharges.
The incident allegedly took place duringa counterinsurgency operation near Sandala in the Musa Qala district ofAfghanistan’s Helmand province on or about July 27, 2011. The charges werereferred to courts-martial by Lieutenant General Richard P. Mills, theCommanding General of Marine Corps Combat Development Command.
Marine Corps Staff Sgts. Joseph W.Chamblin and Edward W. Deptola also were charged for other misconduct thatallegedly took place during the same operation, including being derelict intheir duties by failing to properly supervise junior Marines, failing torequire junior Marines to wear their personal protective equipment, failing tostop and report the misconduct of junior Marines, failing to report thenegligent discharge of a grenade launcher, and failing to stop theindiscriminate firing of weapons.
Deptola also is charged with failing tostop the unnecessary damaging of Afghan compounds and wrongfully andindiscriminately firing a recovered enemy machine gun.
Both Marines are assigned to 3rdBattalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Last month, three Marines receivednonjudicial punishment for misconduct that came to light during severalinvestigations into the desecration incident, shown in a video that becamepublic and circulated widely on the Internet in January. Disciplinary actionsregarding other Marines will be announced at a later date, officials said.
The charges are accusations against theindividual Marines, officials emphasized, and the accused are presumed innocentand are guaranteed the right to due process under the Uniform Code of MilitaryJustice.
“There are other pending cases relatedto this incident. In order to preserve the integrity of the investigations andto ensure fair and impartial legal proceedings in the future, we will notdiscuss evidence or specific findings of the investigations,” the command saidin a written statement. “We will be as forthright as possible while preservingthe rights of the accused and the fairness and integrity of the militaryjustice process.”
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