'Discover UNIFIL' - Episode 1

UNIFIL has released the first episode in a tv series that introduces the mission. Very effective InfoOps material, they actually make an introduction to the UNIFIL HQ interesting...

http://ping.fm/TAyLV

Donor caution aid workers

A flip side to Afghanistan- 'Aid agencies operating in Somalia say they need more money but that some donors are holding back, concerned at where resources might end up in areas too dangerous for international staff.'

http://ping.fm/dZHYF

Update: UN rebuttal follows, where UN claims that '...the supply of critical food aid to Somalia had been interrupted and that rations to starving people needed to be cut, partly because the American government had delayed food contributions out of fears that they would be diverted to terrorists.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/world/africa/07somalia.html

Reviews Raise Doubt on Training of Afghan Forces

'A series of internal government reviews have presented the Obama administration with a dire portrait of Afghanistan’s military and police force, bringing into serious question an ambitious goal at the heart of the evolving American war strategy — to speed up their training and send many more Afghans to the fight.'

http://ping.fm/Ag99V

UN calling in the big guns to protect AF staff- Gurkas

The punchline is that the UN will bring in foreign security staff, preferably Gurkas, to protect staff and installations.

There are some good snapshots of how staff perceive this- those who increased security measures as impinging on their social lives; those who see the costs as unjustified; those that actually start to question the impact of such robust security on their ability to operate in the context:

'But life is about to get worse. One foreign worker said: "One of the beauties of Afghanistan is we have such an interesting operating environment and some sense of normalcy where we can live with friends and go out in the evening."

... New rules will force UN staff to find accommodation in buildings with room for defensive positions for armed guards, probably foreign guards, preferably Gurkhas, who cost vastly more than Afghan guards. Some UN staff say they have been told a team of Gurkhas would cost £150,000 a year to protect one building.

Jean-Luc Lemahieu, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan, said such a cost could not be justified: "We have to look at ways to keep our security costs down by pooling people into larger buildings. If most of your money goes to your security then there is something wrong with your presence here."

http://ping.fm/RbX15

'The Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan: Role model for civil-military relations?'

A new reflection on PRTs:

'EXCERPT: "Since 2003, 26 so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), currently under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), have been established in Afghanistan. Their objective is to extend the authority of the Afghan central government, enhance security in the provinces, and facilitate humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts (NATO, 2003). PRTs are relatively small integrated civil-military units designed as a stabilizing force in Afghanistan’s provinces and were first introduced in 2002 by the US army in the context of the 'global war on terror' as Operation Enduring Freedom. The PRTs model is part of the NATO strategy of civil-military cooperation (CIMIC)."'

http://ping.fm/PYY0b

'U.S. Needs Hit Squads, ‘Manhunting Agency’: Spec Ops Report'

'CIA director Leon Panetta got into hot water with Congress, after he revealed an agency program to hunt down and kill terrorists. A recent report from the U.S. military’s Joint Special Operations University argues that the CIA didn’t go far enough (.pdf). Instead, it suggests the American government should set up something like a “National Manhunting Agency” to go after jihadists, drug dealers, pirates and other enemies of the state.'

http://ping.fm/9vfPl

Norwegian Frigate escorts ships including WFP

'A boarding unit from the Norwegian frigate "Fridtjof Nansen" came under fire from pirates, while on an inspection mission close to shore in the Bay of Aden on Saturday. There were no injuries. ...The vessel also carries out escort missions for the World Food Program (WFP), to ensure safe passage for emergency supplies to the victims of the food shortage in Somalia.'

http://ping.fm/dT6Ev

'UN: Congolese Army Killed 62 Civilians in E. Congo'

Following the recent articles criticising UN support and mentoring of the Congolese Armed Forces ('...for every rebel who has been disarmed this year, one civilian has been killed, seven women or girls raped, and 900,000 people made homeless...'

- http://ping.fm/zMREs) the UN finally starts to distance itself: http://ping.fm/eK0nB

Afghan Police Officer Kills Five British Soldiers

A number of hard-hitting articles following the killing of five British Soldiers by a 'rogue' Afghan Police officer:

- 'British army responds to killing of five soldiers in Afghanistan' - http://ping.fm/QEMXF

- 'Meet Afghanistan's model police force: inexperience, drugs and double agents' - http://ping.fm/gCLCe

- 'Soldiers' forum reveals anger and disbelief over latest Afghan deaths' - http://ping.fm/7mYOH

UN peacekeepers involved in abuse are being punished, world body says

'Dozens of United Nations peacekeepers implicated in cases of sexual abuse and exploitation have been disciplined and punished, a spokesperson for the world body said today.'

http://ping.fm/qUcuc

Eight Arrested Over Attack Against U.N. in Afghanistan

http://ping.fm/uxVLw

South Korea Plans New Afghan Deployment

'The South Korean government announced plans on Friday to send troops and police officers to Afghanistan to help protect its aid workers.

South Korea also plans to expand a reconstruction team now helping to rebuild Afghanistan to 130 to 150 workers, the report said. Currently there are 25 government-assigned aid workers in hospitals and job-training centers in Afghanistan.

“Our troops will not engage in battles except for the security of our workers and for self-defense,” Mr. Moon said.'

http://ping.fm/rAnVu

'U.S. official resigns over Afghan war'

Quite a thoughtful piece; interesting in that the official is exactly the 'civil-military hybrid' that is in such short supply:

'Foreign Service officer and former Marine captain says he no longer knows why his nation is fighting.

When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan.'

http://ping.fm/CY3rM

51st Aid Worker Killed in Eastern Chad

'The U.N. refugee agency reports a Chadian colleague working in eastern Chad was killed in an ambush during the weekend. The UNHCR says dozens of humanitarian aid workers have been killed in eastern Chad this year.'

http://ping.fm/YQ0iW

Re-visiting the guidelines for civ-mil interaction in Afghanistan

A good snapshot of duelling perspectives on whether the 2008 guidelines on civ-mil interaction in Afghanistan are truly being respected- let alone understood- by its stakeholders-

http://ping.fm/FnffF

Attack on UN Guest House in Kabul

'The UN said at least five of its international staff were killed in the attack early on Wednesday on the Bakhtar guest house, but did not release their identities.'

http://ping.fm/a4DgL

Shift aid base to "safe" areas in-country, urges UN official

'Humanitarian agencies should move from Nairobi to "relatively safe" areas of Somalia to be able to better serve more than 1.5 million internally displaced people (IDPs) caught up in a "deepening" humanitarian crisis, Walter Kälin, Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of IDPs, said on 21 October.'

http://ping.fm/LHtnP

Security Fears Prompt Closure of WFP Food Hubs in Pakistan

Decision is framed by growing security concerns and not the recent suicide bomb attack on the WFP office:
http://ping.fm/UIpbj

Marine Corps takes hearts and minds one step further- Female Engagement Teams (FET)

'According to a September Marine Corps After Action Review, the teams have been most effective when Afghans perceive their intent as one of establishing a relationship of mutual trust and interest, rather than one of gathering intelligence. They often are welcomed into village homes while dressed in military drab and headscarves. Afghans purportedly view these American women as a “third gender” — female marines are extended the respect shown to men, but granted the access reserved for women. This access has shown the Americans that indigenous women wield significant influence with their husbands, brothers and, especially, their adolescent sons. The presence of F.E.T.’s sends a strong signal of peaceful engagement to local villages. As one village elder put it, “Your men come to fight, but we know the women are here to help.”'

http://ping.fm/64cAH

Increasing attacks on aid workers hampering relief efforts in DR Congo, says UN

A good complement to the recent statistics on security incidents in Darfur- 108 attacks on humanitarian staff in 2009:
http://ping.fm/Rue1n