The Last Jew in Afghanistan

One man, living alone in a small room next to a crumbling synagogue is the only remaining Jew in Afghanistan. He is the last of 4,000 and a thriving community that has been decimated by years of war and oppression. Zabolon Simantov believes that he has to keep the Jewish history in Afghanistan alive:

"I don't want my Jewish heritage erased. My father was a rabbi, my grandfather was a rabbi. We were a big, religious family. I feel like the lion of Afghanistan, nobody can touch me."

But Zabolon has faced a fair amount of persecution at the hands of fundamentalists and radicals, who constantly pressure him to convert.

"They are dumb. For me, that kind of talk is like a matchstick you use to light a cigarette. You throw it away without a second thought," he says.
However, he is doubtful that any Jews will return to Afghanistan and, if he leaves, hundreds of years of tradition will no longer have a representative.

Thoughts on Afghanistan

The current state of Afghanistan is subject to perspective. General Petraeus believes that military operations in Southern and Eastern Afghanistan have begun to “reverse Taliban momentum”. However, some people believe that the Taliban are, in fact, gaining in strength, or at least holding off the British and American advances. Either way, there needs to be a strong Afghan government to support a counterinsurgency strategy and gain the trust of the Afghan people, which is likely to be complicated in the upcoming election of 18^th September.

A major problem that has to be addressed by the government is the continuing recruitment and radicalisation of young people by the Taleban. There are three main reasons for the Taleban’s success. Firstly, the Afghanis tend to resent the West. Historically, Britain has had a turbulent military involvement in Afghanistan (the first in 1839), which may lead some Afghanis to believe that the invasion is some sort of vengeance. This resentment is strengthened by the American air-strikes and bombings, which often lead to civilian casualties, and consequently the villagers are likely to be more inclined to support the Taleban. Secondly, the Afghanis feel that there is a lack of human interaction with the American soldiers, who patrol the streets heavily armed and wearing sunglasses. Although this is a minor issue, it does have an effect on the allegiances of the people, who see the soldiers as a repressive and frightening force rather than one that could help. However, most importantly, it is a matter of demographics. The percentage of people under 25 is currently 65%, set to rise to 80% by 2015. Considering that there are very few jobs for young people, and that the Taleban pay better than the Afghan security forces (by $60), combined with the previous reasons, the Taleban seem to be a very attractive organisation. Furthermore, the Security Forces are pervaded by factionalism and tribal loyalties, effectively excluding a lot of potential recruits. Indeed, 90 of the first 100 generals appointed to the new army were Tajik, reigniting ethnic struggles. Thus, to slow the Taleban’s recruitment program, which would be a huge step in the stabilisation of Afghanistan, the government has to somehow address the jobs available to young people, the fractious nature of the Security Forces and work with the British and Americans to promote a positive image of the western troops.

However, it is doubtful whether President Karzai’s government has enough strength or legitimacy to enact any consequential change. The British and American influence can only go so far, and President Obama’s plan to make the Afghan Security Forces independent and self-reliant by 2011 depends on a strong and legitimate government, elected in a fair and non-fraudulent election. Indeed, this legitimacy was an important factor in General McChrystal’s assessment (August 2009), which suggested a counterinsurgency strategy to ‘protect the Afghan population’. Unfortunately, corruption is a major problem in the government. Indeed, a US report claims that up to $3 billion in funds has been embezzled by Afghan officials since 2005. Furthermore, a U. N report states that 59% of Afghans think corruption is more important than the security concern. Thus, Karzai evidently lacks the legitimacy or credibility needed from his people to create a strong government.

So, the upcoming election could go two ways, depending on the response of Karzai to western pressure to cut corruption and clean up the Security Forces. Firstly, if the troops pull out in 2011, as planned, then Karzai will not survive. Presently, the Security Forces are neither strong enough nor organised enough to pull off a successful counterinsurgency operation. If this happens, then it is likely that the Taleban will take control. Alternatively, some believe that if Karzai can be seen governing competently by the Afghans, and taking “measurable” steps against corruption, then there might be a way to regain his legitimacy and take the steps needed to effectively protect the Afghan people.

So very sad

The news of the killing of the aid workers is so very very sad. What can any of us say? It has traumatised us all. Depressing and dissheartening in a disturbing world, and a reminder that we should heed the lessons of history and leave the Afghans be:

6 Americans on medical team killed in Afghanistan
By KATHY GANNONAP
KABUL, Afghanistan -Ten members of a medical team, including six Americans, were shot and killed by militants as they were returning from providing eye treatment and other health care in remote villages in northern Afghanistan, a spokesman for the team said Saturday.
Dirk Frans, director of the International Assistance Mission, said one German, one Briton and two Afghans also were part of the team that made the three-week trip to Nuristan province. They drove to the province, left their vehicles and hiked for hours with pack horses over mountainous terrain to reach the Parun valley in the province's northwest.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press that they killed the foreigners because they were "spying for the Americans" and "preaching Christianity."

Frans said the International Assistance Mission, the longest serving nongovernmental organization operating in Afghanistan, is registered as a nonprofit Christian organization but does not proselytize.
"This tragedy negatively impacts our ability to continue serving the Afghan people as IAM has been doing since 1966," the charity said in a statement. "We hope it will not stop our work that benefits over a quarter of a million Afghans each year."
The team, made up of doctors, nurses and logistics personnel, was attacked as it was returning to Kabul after the two-week mission in Nuristan, Frans said. They had decided to travel through Badakhshan province to return to the capital because they thought it would be the safest route, Frans said.
Among the dead was team leader Tom Little, an optometrist from Delmar, New York, who has been working in Afghanistan for more than 30 years, Frans said. Another relief organization, Bridge Afghanistan, said on its website that the group included one of its members, Dr. Karen Woo of London.
Little, who oversaw eye hospitals in Kabul and two other major cities as well as small clinics in three smaller towns, had been expelled by the Taliban government in August 2001 after the arrest of eight Christian aid workers — two Americans and six Germans — for allegedly trying to convert Afghans to Christianity. He returned to live in Afghanistan after the Taliban government was toppled in November 2001 by U.S.-backed forces.
Frans said he lost contact with Little on Wednesday. On Friday, a third Afghan member of the team, who survived the attack, called to report the killings. A fourth Afghan member of the team was not killed because he took a different route home because he had family in Jalalabad, Frans said.
According to Frans, two members of the team worked for IAM, two were former IAM workers and four others were affiliated with other organizations, which he did not disclose. He said five of the Americans were men and one was a woman. The Briton and German also were women.
Gen. Agha Noor Kemtuz, police chief in Badakhshan province, said the victims, who had been shot, were found Friday next to three bullet-riddled four-wheel drive vehicles in Kuran Wa Munjan district. He said villagers had warned the team that the area was dangerous, but the foreigners said they were doctors and weren't afraid. He said local police said about 10 gunmen robbed them and killed them one by one.
He said the two dead Afghans were interpreters from Bamiyan and Panjshir provinces. The third Afghan who survived "told me he was shouting and reciting the holy Quran and saying 'I am Muslim. Don't kill me,'" Kemtuz said.
Frans told The Associated Press that he was skeptical the Taliban were responsible and that the team had studied security conditions carefully before proceeding with the mission. The team trekked from village to village during the two weeks, treating about 400 people for eye disorders and other illnesses.
"We are a humanitarian organization. We had no security people. We had no armed guards. We had no weapons," he said.
In a blog posting last month, Woo said the expedition would include an eye doctor, a dental surgeon "as well as me as the general practioner."

"The trek will not be easy; it will take three weeks and be done on foot and with packhorses — no vehicles can access the mountainous terrain," she wrote. "The expedition will require a lot of physical and mental resolve and will not be without risk but ultimately, I believe that the provision of medical treatment is of fundamental importance and that the effort is worth it in order to assist those that need it most."

UK pull out from Sangin

There has been much discussion in the press about the British pull out from Sangin in early July. It was the area in which the UK suffered its heaviest losses; around 100 deaths since 2001. Though only having a tenth of British troops in Afghanistan, it contributed almost a third of total British military losses.

In some ways, the move seems entirely logical – even routine. The US has recently increased troops in Afghanistan by 30,000 which means that the ratio of British to US troops has shifted and so the ratio of responsibilities should shift too. Furthermore, British troops need to consolidate the gains they have made in Central Helmand and freeing up troops from Sangin would help do that.

However, there are some worrying things to be noted from this episode. The first is the reaction from the military itself; they were insistent that it be called a re-deployment, and not a retreat. In some ways, by vehemently claiming it was not a retreat, the military actually made it look more like a retreat. The phrase “methinks he doth protest too much” really comes to mind!

Another area for concern is that many of the problems faced by British troops in Sangin are similar in other areas of Afghanistan. The volatile mix of clans around Sangin highlighted the lack of planning in Britain’s venture, as they did not have the adequate knowledge to deal effectively with these local tribes. The difficult terrain required more British helicopters, which never came. Local militants, who knew the lay of the land, were able to kill British troops through mastering two tactics, the use of the sniper rifle and the use of the Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Asked about the vulnerability of British troops in Sangin, Brigadier George Norton said: “We are all vulnerable to IEDs, but the insurgents are increasingly using long-distance small arms.” Major General Gordon Messenger, the Ministry of Defence’s chief military spokesman, said Taliban-led insurgents were resorting to what he described as an “increasing use of single shots at range”. The issue is, if British troops couldn’t think of adequate tactics to deal with this type of insurgency in Sangin, how can we have much hope for the rest of Afghanistan?

Finally, the reaction of the Taliban to this is absolute delight. Over and above the physical workings of the war, the war to win the hearts and minds of ordinary Afghans is raging. Afghan support for coalition troops is already very strained, not helped by the “collateral damage” by which thousands of Afghans have been killed. Now, what the Taliban will portray as a coalition failure, will further encourage ordinary Afghans to switch their allegiance; why wouldn’t they if they think the Coalition forces are beginning their retreat?

Rory Stewart: Afghanistan & Western Policymaking

He was born in Hong Kong and raised in Malaysia. He recounts tales of ham and cheese sandwiches followed by raft building deep in the Malaysian wilderness - aged four years old. He served in the British Army as an officer and studied at Oxford University reading History and Philosophy. Since then he has enjoyed a prestigious career in the Foreign Office - working in places such as Kosovo and Indonesia. He has penned two critically acclaimed books. He has walked over 6000 miles in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India and Nepal. At the age of thirty he was made Deputy Governer in a province in Southern Iraq subsequent to the US-led invasion of Iraq. In academia he has excelled holding the distinguished Directorship of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. And in 2010 he was elected to the UK parliament.

His name, if you do not know yet, is Rory Stewart. And this is only a brief sketch of his career and life thus far. Incredibly he is only thirty-seven years old!

And his analysis of Western policymaking, in particular, the much heralded "Afpak Strategy" is at times powerful:

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n13/rory-stewart/the-irresistible-illusion

More and More die in lost war

The number of deaths in Afghanistan have reached an all time high. More Western servicemen killed than ever before, bucking the seasonal trends. Not good news. According to the MEC analytical group:

According to the latest quarterly report on the situation by the Secretary General of the UN on 16 June (http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N10/400/06/PDF/N1040006.pdf?OpenElement  ):


Overall, the number of security incidents increased significantly, compared to previous years and contrary to seasonal trends. This is attributable to an increase in military operations in the southern region during the first quarter of 2010 and to significant anti-government element activities in the south-east and eastern regions of Afghanistan . . .
The majority of incidents continue to involve armed clashes and improvised explosive devices, each accounting for one third of the reported incidents. The rise in incidents involving improvised explosive devices constitutes an alarming trend, with the first four months of 2010 recording a 94 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2009. Suicide attacks occur at a rate of about three per week, half of which occur in the southern region. Complex suicide attacks are recorded at roughly two per month, higher than the average of one complex attack per month during 2009. . .The shift to more complex suicide attacks demonstrates a growing capability of the local terrorist networks linked to Al-Qaida Insurgents followed up their threats against the civilian population with, on average, seven assassinations every week, the majority of which were conducted in the south and south-east regions. This constitutes a 45 per cent increase, compared to the same period in 2009. In the south, high-profile assassinations of civil servants, clerics and elders in Kandahar City (including the Deputy Mayor and the head of the Agriculture Cooperative Department) are aimed at establishing control over the urban population.

Ajmal Attacked

Justin sends this disturbing news about our friend Ajmal:

To all concerned about CHIEF AJMAL KHAN

Further to email below from yesterday: see http://blog.freerangeinternational.com/. The article appears below the email.

Ajmal, unhurt despite his car seat being peppered with bullets, was ambushed for 45 minutes in Zazi Valley yesterday while in 18 vehicle convoy, a concerted attack causing casualties with viz rocket launchers and machine guns by Taliban with identifiable suicide bombers on the loose. The Police chief, who is supported by US and NATO, and forces stood idly by with involvement presumed for good reason. US military did not react and were ambushed later. Khan has no US hardware support while the perpetrators are well armed. Help requested re hardware and action on Police chief. Urgent. Khan’s number: 00 821 6444 27606.

The name of the Police Chief is Nabi.
Last night I received a call from my good friend Chief Ajmal Khan Azizi who had just escaped a serious Taliban ambush. As I reported in this post last February Chief Azizi had returned to his tribal homelands to coordinate with The Boss on reconstruction projects and to renew his pleading with the American army stationed in his area for support in battling the Taliban. Ajmal is a tribal chief as well as a Canadian citizen. He has gone hat in hand to London, Kabul and Washington DC to raise support for his beleaguered tribal area, and although he finds a sympathetic audience wherever he goes, what he never gets is a firm commitment to help. I am not the only one taking up his cause, The Boss has been working with the US Embassy in Kabul and Steven Pressfield published a multi part interview with Ajmal this year too.
Last night as Ajmal was moving through the town of Ali Khel near the Pakistan border, he was ambushed by a platoon of Pakistani Taliban. They recognized them as Pakistani’s due to their accents when the attackers shouted back and forth to each other during the 45 minute fight. As these things normally are the ambush was initiated with an IED explosion followed by small arms fire (SAF) and RPG’s. I talked with the chief of the Zazi Valley police, Amir Mohammad who said the Paki’s shot volley after volley from at least 6 RPG’s and they threw over 14 grenades during the fight. Ajmal called on the near by Afghan Border Police for help and they declined to intervene, so the ambush was not broken until Zazi Valley tribal police reinforcements showed up and drove the attackers back towards Pakistan. Ajmal lost a truck and had three men wounded. One of them was seriously wounded and was being transported to Kabul (a five hour drive) in order to get him proper medical care.