US Green Berets reveal Afghan National Army soldiers’ incompetence.

Some great shots by LIFE Magazine of US SPECIAL FORCES soldier/Green Beret -codename “Cowboy”- and his team; Source.

US Green Berets reveal Afghan National Army soldiers’ incompetence.(WashingtonTimes).

 Obama: If We Work Hard, Afghanistan Could Be a Success...Like Iraq!

America better get ready for 'impact of the 'success' in Afghanistan.

Reports say ANA troops hide from battle, can’t lead or fight at night.

The soldiers gave statements to investigators after going into battle June 8-9 in the Gaza Valley of Zabul province, northeast of Kandahar.

The Green Berets told of Afghan soldiers refusing to fight and hiding among trees and behind a rock. 

The Afghans had no ability to fight at night, a hallmark of American forces. 

Green Berets had to take the lead in clearing villages controlled by Taliban militants, even though the steady withdrawal of U.S. forces is at the stage where Afghans are supposed to be “on point” — that is, the first to engage the enemy.

The Green Beret’s A-Team leader, a captain, made several unflattering statements.

Investigators were probing the mission’s end point, when a B-1B bomber mistakenly dropped two bombs on a “friendly” position, killing five American soldiers and the Afghan sergeant commander. 

The captain said the operation got off to a rough start when the Afghan National Army provided fewer soldiers than requested.

 “They do not always show up with the forces promised,” he said. “This was not ideal.”

 After the insertion, “The detachment took point due to the ANA’s inability to move during periods of darkness,” the captain said. At about the midpoint in village clearing, he said, “The ANA became stagnant and were hiding in the green zones,” swaths of forested areas in an otherwise desert valley. Then the Afghan soldiers simply quit. Read the full story here.

U.S. Congress unknowingly bought Iranian oil for the Afghan Ministry of Defense?

U.S. Congress unknowingly bought Iranian oil for the Afghan Ministry of Defense?(TI).American officials in Afghanistan have failed to verify that fuel purchased for Afghan security forces in recent years did not come from Iran, which would constitute a violation of U.S. sanctions, according to an inspector general report issued Wednesday.
According to The Washington Post Daily, The report warned that "it will become more difficult" to make sure assistance to Afghanistan complies with sanctions on Iran as the U.S. military footprint in the country continues to shrink over the next two years. The United States intends to start giving a fuel stipend for Afghan forces to the Afghan Ministry of Defense in March, rather than directly supplying units in the field.
"Our report again demonstrates the critical importance that oversight plays in the contracting process," Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John F. Sopko said in a statement. "It is essential that the Department of Defense continues to implement strict controls over the fuel supply process to ensure taxpayer funds are not used in violation of Iranian sanctions.
Between 2007 and 2012, the report said, the U.S. government did not have a reliable way of verifying that its Afghan providers were not buying from Iran as they supplied fuel worth nearly $1.1 billion to the Afghan army. The Pentagon asked Congress for $323 million for fuel purchases for Afghan security forces during 2013. U.S. military officials estimate that the Afghan army will need $2.8 billion to keep its security vehicles running between 2014 and 2018.
Afghanistan imports most of its oil from Russia, Turkmenistan and Iran. Investigators from the inspector general office, known as SIGAR, found that some fuel imported from other neighbors may have been blended with Iranian petrol.
The report of a possible violation of Iran sanctions is the latest critical review of the U.S. military's fuel procurement for Afghans. SIGAR and other U.S. agencies have said the military does not have enough safeguards to ensure that the fuel it provides to local security forces is not siphoned off.
In response to a draft of the report, the training command said it is taking numerous steps to enhance accountability in its fuel procurement system, including a new requirement that vendors must agree not to buy Iranian fuel.
The United States bars American companies from doing business with Iran and prohibits spending U.S. taxpayer funds on Iranian products. The measure is designed to cut off the Islamic republic from the global economy, a pressure tactic to persuade Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Iran is the third-largest exporter of crude in the world, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.Hmmm.....Sanctions that benefit, Turkey....Afghanistan and who else?Read the full story here.