My Share of the Task (82 page)

“Shame on you”:
Aziz Ahmed Tassal, “Karzai Faces Anger in Marjah,”
Asia Times,
March 19, 2010.

“We exchanged views”:
Preen, “Karzai Visits Marjah” (news video).

folksy greetings:
Interview with Afghan military officer present on the trip. The
New York Times
similarly noted that Karzai “appeared to win [the crowd] over on occasion with his crisp and simple language, spoken in the accent of his native Kandahar.” Rahimi and Oppel Jr., “Mixed Reception.”

large, roving
mahaz
:
Before he was killed, Mullah Dadullah went on Al Jazeera and bragged about the connections between his
mahaz,
Al Qaeda in Iraq, and the central leadership of Al Qaeda: “We consider it a friendly and brotherly organization, which shares our ideology and concepts. We have close ties and constant contacts with it . . . may have sent our people to Iraq, and [the Iraqis] may have sent their friends to us. We have continuous contacts with them, whether by phone or by other means” (“Taliban Military Commander Mullah Dadallah: We Are in Contact with Iraqi Mujahideen, Osama bin Laden & Al-Zawahiri,” Middle East Media Research Institute, June 2, 2006).

beheadings:
Dion Nissenbaum, “Knocked Out of Power in Afghan Town, Taliban Turn to Intimidation,” McClatchy,
March 14, 2010. The article reports on decapitations, once a trademark of Zarqawi's in Iraq, and a tactic that was on display in an infamous Taliban propaganda video featuring a twelve-year-old executioner, who according to the caption on the video was trained by Dadullah. Bryan Glyn Williams, “Mullah Omar's Missiles, A Field Report on Suicide Bombers in Afghanistan,” Middle East Policy Council, Winter 2008.

pep talk to Marjah's Taliban:
In this way, as Dadullah had, the front's new leader—Qayyum Zakir—was well known for stealing over from Pakistan to personally motivate his troops. Anand Gopal, “Qayyum Zakir: The Afganistan Taliban's Rising Mastermind,”
Christian Science Monitor
, April 30, 2010.

sixteen key cities:
Correspondence with Matt Sherman.

the only known mutiny:
Hugh Kennedy,
The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In
(Da Capo Press, 2007), 194–95.

decimation of Kandahar:
For a description of the devastation the Soviets wrought, see Robert Kaplan,
Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan
(Vintage, 2001), 187–88.

two hundred thousand:
Ibid., 188.

Karzai walked in:
The sequence of events comes from notes taken by a member of my ISAF strategic advisery group, as do the paraphrased remarks, originally transcribed from the live English translation of Karzai's speech. Quoted remarks are from Golnar Mortevalli, “Karzai Rallies Tribes, Distances Self from West,” Reuters
,
April 4, 2010.

would join the Taliban:
According to a CRS report, an English translation of the exact comments was never produced. Kenneth Katzman, “Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance,” Congressional Research Service,
March 30, 2012, 11.

put that trip in jeapardy:
In an April 6 press briefing, a reporter asked if the White House was considering canceling Karzai's visit. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary answered, “We certainly would evaluate whatever continued or further remarks President Karzai makes as to whether that's constructive to have such a meeting, sure.” “Briefing by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs,” White House website, April 6, 2010. Three days later, Denis McDonough said the trip was still on.

in rejection of Mullah Omar's
layha
:
The United Nations calculated that from January through June 2010, the insurgency killed and wounded 2,477 Afghans, a 53 percent increase from the same period in 2009, and 76 percent of all civilian casualties. ISAF and Afghan security forces, meanwhile, caused 30 percent fewer civilian casualties than they had during the first six months of 2009, decreasing their share of the civilian toll to 12 percent.
“
Mid Year Report 2010 Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict 2010,” United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, August 2010, i–iv.

assassination campaign:
Details of Taliban activity in early 2010 are from Ibid., 2–3, 6.

responsible for fewer civilian casualties:
Ibid., i.

Index

The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. To find the corresponding locations in the text of this digital version, please use the “search” function on your e-reader. Note that not all terms may be searchable.

Abd al-Rahman, Sheikh, 216–31, 234

death of, 231–33

Abdullah, Abdullah, 334, 342, 354

Abizaid, John, 55, 56, 59, 78, 81, 94, 95, 104, 108, 116, 128, 129, 131–33, 135–37, 140, 141, 144, 147, 149, 158, 177, 180–82, 254–55, 279

Abizaid, Kathy, 59

Abrams, Creighton, 12, 288

Abu Ghraib, 124, 136, 172, 200–201, 208

Addis Ababa, 249–50

Afghan Hands, 307, 385–86

Afghanistan, 52, 68, 75, 77, 79, 93, 95, 100, 108, 109, 264–66, 275–78, 280

air strikes in, 311–12, 339–42, 367

Al Qaeda in, 113, 124, 192, 285

Bagram, 122–24, 168, 347–49

Barg-e Matal, 331–32

British forces in, 320–23, 337, 349

British India and, 326–27

civilian casualties in, 294–95, 307, 310–13, 321, 339–42, 369, 386

civilian-military strategy in, 292–93, 305, 355

civil war in, 74, 281

Coalition forces in, 295–96, 304, 305, 307, 320, 322, 347;
see also
International Security Assistance Force

Combined Joint Task Force 180 in, 76–78

Duranni empire in, 377

elections in, 283, 296, 318, 323, 330, 333–35, 336–37, 342–43, 354, 385

Farah bombing in, 289

French forces in, 300, 301

Helmand Province, 265, 296, 309, 310, 314, 315, 318–26, 336, 337, 349, 363, 373–75, 377

“ink spot” strategy in, 321, 322, 331, 332

insurgencies in, 266, 308, 329;
see also
Taliban

Iraq compared with, 376–77

ISAF in,
see
International Security Assistance Force

Kabul, 68, 275, 276, 281, 282, 292–94, 297, 305, 323

Kandahar, 74, 76, 309, 310, 318, 323, 336, 377–83, 386

Kunduz Province incident, 339–42

Marines in, 322, 323, 337

Marjah, 320, 372–73, 380, 381, 382

Marjah offensive, 276, 363–70, 375–76

McChrystal appointed to command in, 277–78, 294

McChrystal's deployment to, in 2002, 76–78

McChrystal's listening tour in, 297, 300–308, 311, 318

McChrystal's resignation from command in, 388

NATO in, 278, 282, 289, 296, 310;
see also
International Security Assistance Force

1978 coup in, 77, 280, 296

Northern Alliance in, 305, 306, 346

Operation Enduring Freedom in, 76

Operation Hamkari in, 380–81, 383, 385, 386

Operation Moshtarak in, 363–70, 372, 378, 380, 385

Operation Winter Strike in, 108–9, 111
n

opium trade in, 319, 368

Pakistan's border with, 327

roots of conflict in, 280

rule of law in, 348–49

Soviet war with, 45, 48–49, 50, 264–65, 280–81, 282, 319, 327, 332, 381

strategic assessment of, 294–95, 305, 306–7, 316–17, 329, 330–33, 337–38, 342, 343, 349–53, 355

strategic assessment leaked, 344–46, 350, 356

suicide bomb attacks in, 265, 314, 341, 386

Taliban in,
see
Taliban

troop increases for, 284–87, 289, 306–7, 332–33, 342, 345, 355–57, 359–61, 376

U.S. invasion of, 281, 299, 319

U.S. withdrawal from, 355, 357

Vietnam compared with, 351, 356

White House assessments of, 283, 285

Afghan National Security Forces, 318, 329, 346–47, 356, 357

Aimma Bridge stampede, 195–96

AirLand Battle, 37

Akhundzada, Nasim, 318–19, 320

Akhundzada, Sher Mohammad, 320, 373, 374–75

Akhundzada clan, 319–20, 321

Albu Mahal tribe, 186–87, 259

Alexander the Great, 377

Al Jazeera, 131, 166, 265

Allawi, Ayad, 147, 160

Allen, John, 264

Al Qaeda, 48–49, 52, 68, 74, 75–77, 83–84, 92, 95, 108, 109, 113–16, 118, 125, 147, 149, 152, 156, 158, 159, 161, 167, 168, 170, 181, 277, 283, 289, 309, 349–50, 355, 359

in Afghanistan, 113, 124, 192, 285

Al Shabab and, 249

Dadullah Lang and, 265

East Africa embassy bombings by, 68–69, 71, 75, 113, 249

franchises of, 115

Haqqanis and, 304

McChrystal's first contact with, 48

9/11 attacks of,
see
9/11 attacks

organization of, 113, 114–15

in Pakistan, 113, 124, 285, 292

senior leadership of, 113, 115

in Somalia, 249–50

Taliban and, 265, 281

Tampa I meeting on, 116, 118

TF 714's focus on, 175–76

training camps of, 113–14

Zarqawi and, 152, 161, 166, 235–36

Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), 161–62, 166, 168, 170–73, 175, 177–80, 183–84, 192, 195, 213, 219, 235, 247, 263

Albu Mahal and, 186–87, 259

al-Masri named head of, 235

Amman bombings and, 197–98

Ansar al-Sunnah and, 247–48, 260, 261

Jihad and Reform Front and, 263

networks of, 194

Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha and, 241–42

Yusufiyah buildings of, 203–6

Zarqawi as leader of,
see
Zarqawi, Abu Musab al-,

Al Qaim, 182–83, 185–86, 187, 244

Al Shabab, 249, 271

Amini, Abdullah, 341

Amman, hotel bombings in, 197–98, 214

Annan, Kofi, 68

Ansar al-Islam, 83–84

Ansar al-Sunnah (AAS), 167, 175, 209, 247–48, 260

Al Qaeda in Iraq and, 247–48, 260, 261

Arab-Israeli War, 37

Army, U.S.:

3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry, 41–44

XVIII Airborne Corps, 72–76, 79

24th Mechanized Infantry Division, 38, 40, 41, 44, 47, 56

160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, 16

Command and Staff College, 50–51

Directorate of Plans and Training, 39

Green,
see
Green

Joint Readiness Training Center, 64

National Training Center, 40–41, 42

Rangers,
see
Rangers

revitalization of, 37–38, 41, 48

Special Forces,
see
Special Forces

training in, 37, 40–41

Army, U.S., 82nd Airborne Division, 33, 45, 94, 266, 304, 391

2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 55–62

in Fallujah, 128, 129

Green Ramp accident at Pope Air Force Base, 56–59, 60, 61

jumpmasters in, 29–30

McChrystal in, 16, 22, 27–32, 38, 40, 47, 55–62, 70–71

Arroyo, Israel, 378, 379, 387–88

Aryan, Abdul Zahir, 370

Askariya shrine, Samarra, 204–5, 219, 223, 376

Atmar, Hanif, 329–30, 331, 335, 346, 360, 362

Atta, Mohammed, 72–73

Awakening movement, 241, 243, 247, 252, 262

Ayrow, Aden Hashi, 271

Azzam, Abdullah, 49

Azzam, Abu, 261

Baghdad, 111, 176, 181, 204, 261

Aimma Bridge stampede in, 195–96

belts around, 204, 378

bombings in, 197

ethnic cleansing in, 219, 261

insurgents in, 244

Sadr City, 132, 140, 204, 247, 377

Sadr City firefight, 267–69

troop surge and, 250, 261, 376

violence in, 219, 247, 261

Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), 90, 100, 106, 150, 200

Bailey, Jeff, 133

Baratto, David J., 19–20, 31

Barbero, Mike, 10

Barefoot, Wayne, 112–13, 138, 147, 175, 206–7, 235

Bargewell, Eldon, 173–75

Barno, David, 10, 82

Batalona, Wes, 126

Battle of Algiers, The,
123, 124

Behemoth
(Hobbes), 273

Berg, Nicholas, 134–35

Biden, Joe, 349, 356–57

Biddle, Steve, 317

Bifulco, Rick, 13, 17

Big Ben arms cache, 139–45, 146, 148, 150, 238, 271

Bin Laden, Osama, 49, 51–52, 68–70, 71, 74–76, 83, 113–15, 168, 192, 266

audiotapes issued by, 165–66, 167

hunt for, 266

Saddam and, 192

Taliban and, 281

in Tora Bora, 266

Zarqawi and, 120–21, 152, 161, 166, 209, 236

Blackwater contractors, murder of, 89–90, 125–26, 130

Blair, Tony, 131

Boivin, Larry, 136, 137

Bonaparte, Napoleon, 148

Bowman, Rick, 16, 17

Brahimi, Lakhdar, 131

Bremer, L. Paul, 100, 111, 132, 136, 147

Briggs, Dan, 136, 137

Britain, 262

Afghanistan forces of, 320–23, 337, 349

India and, 326–27, 350

British Puma helicopter crash, 269

British Special Forces, 52, 53, 243–44

Brown, Doug, 94, 116, 133, 157, 177

Brown, Gordon, 262

Buford, John, 191, 192

Bush, George W., 74, 79, 83, 90, 100, 131, 196, 246, 249, 250, 252, 283, 288, 299

in National Security Council meeting, 188–91, 193

Caldwell, Bill, 10

Caldwell, Tommy, 58

Callwell, C. E., 117

Camp Bucca, 208

Canavan, Mike, 56, 60

Caniano, William, 82

Caravans
(Michener), 297

Carter, Jimmy, 23, 24, 37, 62

Carter, Nick, 364, 367–68, 370, 381

Casey, George, Jr., 147–48, 173, 175–81, 186, 233, 234, 238, 242–43, 247, 252, 254, 255, 261, 279

Castellano, Rosario, 307

Cédras, Raoul, 61–62

Central Command (CENTCOM), 53, 71, 83, 94, 95, 158, 159, 175, 202, 208, 212, 219, 254, 366

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 113, 116–19, 149, 151, 169, 264

Chaklala Airfield, 357

Cheney, Richard (Dick), 51, 188

Christian, John, 140, 170–71, 175, 181–82, 183–84, 187, 259–60, 261, 263

Christmas, 3–7, 249

Churchill, Winston, 11–12, 353

Clarke, Torie, 82

Clausewitz, Carl von, 41, 50, 244

Clinton, Hillary, 355, 357

Clinton, William J. (Bill), 61–62

COIN Academy, 243

Cole,
USS, 75, 173

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 389

Combined Joint Task Force 180, 76–78

Conway, James T. (Jim) 140

Corcoran, Edward, 20, 30, 79

Cordesman, Anthony (Tony) 317

Council on Foreign Relations, 67–68

Counterinsurgency Advisory and Assistance Team, 304

Crocker, Ryan, 82, 258–59, 266, 267, 268, 275

Cuffee, Steve, 55

Dadullah Lang, 264–65, 271, 308, 314, 320–21, 375

Dadullah, Mansoor, 265

Dailey, Dell, 108

Dale, Catherine, 317

Daley, Bill, 275

Danjou, Jean, 384–85

Daoud, Mohammed, 77, 280

Daraji, Rahim al-, 261

Dar es Salaam, embassy bombing in, 68–69, 71, 75, 249

Davis, Sergeant First Class, 28–29

Davis, Steve, 183

Dawah Party, 218, 258–59

Defense, Department of, 116, 118

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), 155

De Kruif, Mart, 365–66

De Lattre de Tassigny, Jean, 288

Dempsey, Deanie, 278

Dempsey, Marty, 132, 278

DePuy, William, 17, 40

detainees, 207, 210

insurgency fomented among, 208

intelligence from, 111, 177, 199

from intercepted truck, 146–47, 202–3

interrogations of, 123–24, 153, 178, 199–203, 207–8, 348

limits on holding, 208

mistreatment of, 203

Mubassir, 209, 210–12, 214, 215–21, 223, 224, 233

from Yusufiyah, 206–12, 214

Diesing, Trevor John, 184

Dostum, Abdul Rashid, 281, 333–34

Downing, Wayne, 53, 54

Dubik, Jim, 262

Dunaway, Chris, 58

Dunaway, Jan, 58

Durand, Henry Mortimer, 327

Eggers, Jeff, 291, 330

Egypt, 48, 75

Eide, Kai, 337, 354

Eikenberry, Karl, 297, 305, 337, 339, 354, 355–56, 357, 360, 385, 386

Eisenhower, Dwight, 296

Eisenhower, John, 62

Ellsberg, Daniel, 352

Elphinstone, William, 293–94

Ethiopia, 249–50, 271

Exercise Bright Star, 48

Exum, Andrew, 317

Fahim, Mohammad, 334

Fall, Bernard, 18, 295

Fallujah, 121, 124, 125–31, 135–45, 146–48, 158–61, 173, 181

Big Ben safe house in, 139–45, 146, 148, 150, 238, 271

Fallujah Brigade, 135–36, 137, 141, 144

FBI, 149, 201, 203, 233, 234

Feir, Philip, 13, 14

Felek, Abu “Taha,” 209, 210

Flourney, Michele, 330

Flynn, Charlie, 4, 280, 285, 290, 293, 301, 308, 313, 317, 339, 378, 387, 394

Flynn, Lori, 384

Flynn, Mike, 4, 156, 158, 168, 169, 175, 176, 181, 220, 227, 229, 232, 240, 262, 290, 293, 296–97, 307, 339, 384

Force Strategic Engagement Cell (FSEC), 244, 248, 260, 261, 262, 263

Fort Benning, 25–26, 34, 45, 62

Fort Bragg, 38, 51, 55, 61–62, 72–75, 84–85, 93, 94, 96, 109, 110, 278

dinner for McRaven at, 233–34

Fort Irwin, 40

Fort Leavenworth, 50

Fort Lewis, 62–63

Fort Stewart, 37, 38–40, 44, 47, 65, 84

France, 300, 301

Franks, Fred, 255

Franks, Tommy, 108

Freeman, Douglas Southall, 95–96

Frontline,
338

Fuller, Kurt, 176, 180–81, 227, 229, 240, 262

Fussell, Chris, 267, 269–70, 272

Gagor, Franciszek, 383–84

Galbraith, Peter, 337

Galvin, John, 39

Garrison, Bill, 54, 108, 392

Gates, Robert, 246, 252, 284, 294–95, 306, 311, 316, 330, 333, 343, 345, 346, 349, 357, 388, 389

Gavin, Jim, 27–28

Gettysburg, 191–92, 361

Ghadiya, Abu, 221

Ghani, Ashraf, 334

Ghul, Hassan, 120

Gracie, Royce and Rorion, 63

Graham, Lindsey, 333

Graney, LaJuana, 41

Graney, Pierce T. (“Tom”), 41, 42–44, 45

Grant, Ulysses S., 9, 12, 21, 135, 287, 392

Great Escape, The,
17