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Back in 2009, Marine Corps veteran Donald Downer Jr. started sending care packages to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Last Friday, hesent his 3,000th care package, this one addressed to Capt. John Lefebvre who is currently serving in Afghanistan, reports the Baltimore Sun.

At approximately $17.35 per care package, it's estimated that Downer has spent almost $116,000, according to the paper.

"It's enlightening to know that one person can do so much to keep the morale of the troops," Downer, 88, of Colombia, Md., told the Baltimore Sun. "The most important item is what they put in their stomach and if you can fill it, it's very appreciative from their standpoint."

When Downer was 17, he quit high school to join the Marines and was sent Tsingtao, China. His mom would send him care packages of chocolate chip cookies and spam. In 1948, carepackages were sent by boat and could take 30 days to arrive at their destination.

"After 30 days on the boat ride, those cookies were just crumbs, but the Marines would gather around and wolf down those crumbs," Downer told the Baltimore Sun."Nothing was wasted; even the dust was poured into the coffee. And it got so I couldn't even look at the Spam."

His packages often contain items such as magazines, foot powder, Tabasco sauce, sausage, sunflower seeds, Pop Tarts, Cracker Jacks and his signature item: a can of Spam, earning him the nickname, the Spam Czar. Marines all over the world have sent their thanks and even gifts, including folded American flags and an Afghan rug or embroidered silk.

I know how important it is to get a care package from home when one is deployed overseas in the military, Downer said on his website, GoDonGo. I am now compelled to ensure, in some small way, to make as many of these deployed service personnel a little happier when they receive a care package, from someone back home who cares.

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This Marine Corps veteran has sent 3000 packages to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq - Marine Corps Times

ANDERSON U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks has made her first trip to visit American troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Brooks, R-5th District, joined a group of bipartisan congresswomen on the trip, which focused on meeting U.S. female service members, thanking them for their service, particularly during Mothers Day, and learning about their experiences in the military.

During the visit, Brooks distributed Mothers Day cards that were made by local students.

The congressional delegation met with Afghan and Iraqi women who are leaders in their communities, government, media and business.

During the visit, Brooks met 5th District resident Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Arnold, who is the first female command chief master sergeant to lead all U.S. airmen in Afghanistan.

Arnold shared with Brooks how fulfilling her career in the military has been, and how honored and humbled she is for the opportunity to be in the position.

Some of the troops they met with voiced concerns about access to the same quality of health care as their male colleagues once they come home, Brooks said.

It is a problem that our female troops, who put their lives on the line to protect democracy and sacrifice time with their families in order to fight for our country, are concerned about a lack of access to the healthcare services they have earned, she said in a press release. The concerns I heard during this trip echoed the ones I have heard from Hoosiers in the Fifth District. Men and women have different medical needs and it is important that all of our veterans get quality care after their service.

The congressional delegation met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the first lady of Afghanistan Rula Ghani, attended listening sessions with USAID representatives, heard from local businesses and female entrepreneurs, participated in round tables with Afghan female police and soldiers and had discussions with Iraqi female leaders and other humanitarian leaders.

It was encouraging to hear that women in Afghanistan and Iraq are continuing to gain respect in their country and hold prominent roles in society, and that is due, in part, to the presence of our female troops, Brooks said. They are role models for not only the women in the Afghan and Iraqi military, but for the women who are now the head of households because their husbands have been taken from their homes or killed. Still, there is work to be done. Domestic violence and rape are shockingly commonplace, and many women we spoke to indicated that most Iraqi women have, at some point in their lives, been a victim of abuse. However, leaders in government, business and the nonprofit community are committed to changing this terrible reality.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 640-4863.

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Brooks travels to Afghanistan, Iraq - The Herald Bulletin

Security forces called to Radio Television Afghanistan in the city of Jalalabad were drawn into a long gun battle with the attackers.

Four employees of the TV station and two police officers were killed, Nangarhar province governor's spokesman Atauolah Khogyani said.

Four of the five attackers were also killed, including one suicide bomber, he said. The fifth attacker was arrested.

ISIS claimed the attack in a message posted on the Telegram messaging service by the ISIS-affiliated media Amaq. CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the claim.

At least 19 people were injured in the attack, including seven who were treated in hospital and released, the provincial health services director, Najibullah Kamawal, said.

An explosion erupted from the area of the assault after the attackers entered the building, police said. Footage from the scene showed people running in panic as a barrage of gunfire rang out.

A crisis response team was called to the scene and searched the premises room by room.

Civilians are often targeted by militants in Afghanistan in bombings and shooting attacks.

In all, 3,498 civilians were killed and 7,920 injured in 2016 in Afghanistan, the UN Assistance Mission in the country reported. It marked the highest number of civilian casualties since the UN began documenting statistics in Afghanistan.

CNN's Angela Dewan, Elizabeth Joseph and journalist Aleem Agha contributed to this report.

The rest is here:
Afghanistan: 6 dead in ISIS attack on TV station in ...

Brussels, 22 May 2017

RE: Civilian Protection in Afghanistan

Dear NATO Members,

At last years NATO Summit in Warsaw, member states endorsed a new policy on the protection of civilians. This policy came at a crucial time, as civilians are increasingly bearing the brunt of the armed conflict in Afghanistan, where civilian casualties have steadily risen since 2014. NATOs Resolute Support Mission functions to train, advise, and assist the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), making NATO uniquely placed to implement the new civilian protection policy by discouraging unlawful ANSF practices and pressing the government to institute effective civilian protection measures. In an appendix to this letter we have included recommendations specific to NATOs operations in Afghanistan.

Since the withdrawal of most international forces at the end of 2014, fighting between the Afghan government and insurgents has escalated, straining the capacities of the ANSF, and taking a higher toll on civilians. In July 2016, Human Rights Watch wrote to all NATO heads of state to raise our concerns about rising civilian casualties in the Afghan conflict and about specific abuses by Afghan government forces and government-supported militias. We recognize that the Afghan government faces a growing threat not only from Taliban insurgents, but also from groups claiming affiliation with the Islamic State. Under these circumstances the government should be more concerned than ever about the effect of abuses on the civilian population, yet serious violations by government forces continue to increase with near complete impunity.

The United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented a steady rise in civilian casualties since 2009, with each year reaching a new high for civilian loss of life. In 2016, one-third of civilian casualties were children.

The Taliban and other insurgent groups have been responsible for the vast majority of attacks that have caused significant civilian casualties in Afghanistan, particularly by carrying out suicide bombings in urban areas and planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on public roads. However, as we noted in our letter last year, despite years of support and training by NATO allies, ANSF personnel are also increasingly responsible for military operations that have resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties.

At the Warsaw Summit, NATO members pledged to ensure that Afghan security institutions and forces were fully capable of providing security for the Afghan people; operate under effective civilian control; respect human rights; and act in accordance with the Afghan constitution and the rule of law. NATO should make good on that pledge by adopting a clear strategy to curb abusive practices by the ANSF and press the government to institute effective measures to protect civilians.

Civilian Casualties from Aerial Operations

In 2016, UNAMA documented a 46 percent increase in civilian casualties caused by pro-government forces over 2015, with a total of 903 deaths and 1,825 injured, most from the use of explosive weapons (mortars, rockets, etc.) during ground engagements in civilian-populated areas and from aerial operations. In the first three months of 2017, UNAMA documented 148 civilian casualties from Afghan government air operations alone, a figure more than five times higher than for the same period in 2016.

NATOs Resolute Support Civilian Casualty Mitigation Team has provided guidance to the Afghan government in developing its National Civilian Casualty Mitigation and Prevention Policy, which reportedly remains under review by Afghan authorities. In its response to UNAMAs February 2017 report on civilian casualties, the Resolute Support Mission noted that insurgents conduct attacks while in the vicinity of known civilian locations. The fact that much of the fighting in Afghanistan since early 2016 is taking place closer to densely populated urban areas makes it all the more important that appropriate measures are taken to ensure that the force used is discriminate and proportionate in accordance with international humanitarian law, and that the risks of targeting in such areas are adequately assessed. In this regard, we are particularly concerned that Afghan civilian casualty tracking and mitigation measures are significantly lacking, and that the training of Afghan tactical air coordinators (ATACs) lags far behind what is needed as aerial operations increase. The National Civilian Casualty Mitigation and Prevention Policy has been two years in the making, but has yet to be adopted. The government should adopt a comprehensive policy without further delay and implement an effective action plan that includes the establishment of an entity within the government to track and investigate all reports of civilian casualties.

Attacks on Schools and Military Use of Schools

One key area in which NATO can make a significant difference is with respect to ANSFs use of schools for military purposes, and abuses against students and education personnel. As security throughout Afghanistan has deteriorated, schools throughout the country have come under threat, not only from the Taliban but also from Afghan security forces.In its final 2016 report, UNAMA documented the ANSFs military use of 26 schools (the Taliban or other insurgents made military use of 9 schools). The most affected provinces were Helmand, Kunduz, Logar, Maidan Wardak, Takhar, Farah, Badakshan, Ghor, Jawzjan and Paktya. Human Rights Watchs own research suggests that the actual numbers may be much higher. In April 2016, we conducted research in Baghlan province, which had seen intense fighting that year, and in that province alone we documented 11 schools occupied or being used for military purposes by units belonging to the Afghan National Army (ANA), Afghan National Police (ANP), and Afghan Local Police (ALP).

As you may know, Afghanistan is a signatory to the internationalSafe Schools Declaration, as are many NATO members; the declaration provides guidance on how tobetter protect schoolsfrom attacks and military use. Even so, Afghan security forces have used schoolsmany of them constructed by foreign donors and often the only concrete-reinforced, multi-story buildings in smaller villagesas their military bases during offensives into Taliban-held areas, with the result that the schools often become battlegrounds between ANSF and Taliban forces.

The failure to protect schools, together with deteriorating security across the country, means that Afghanistans fragile gains in education are at serious risk. Schools are closing at an alarming rate as the fighting has escalated and spread to previously secure areas. In January 2017, the acting education minister told parliament that 1,000 schools were closed due to insecurity, out of a total of 16,000. Escalating insecurity encourages families to keep their children at homeand families usually have less tolerance for sending girls to school in insecure conditions than boys. In addition, the lack of rule of law stemming from the conflict means that girls on the way to school are at risk of kidnapping and sexual harassment all of which makes it more likely their families will keep them at home.

The ANSF have also been responsible for other abuses against students and education personnel. In 2016, UNAMA documented 94 conflict-related incidents targeting or affecting education; ANSF and pro-government armed groups were responsible for 20 of them. And despite Afghanistans new law criminalizing the recruitment of children into the armed forces, such abuse continues.

Attacks on Healthcare Facilities

Healthcare facilities have also been at risk of attack by both insurgent forces and the ANSF. While the Taliban and other insurgents, including those affiliated with ISIS, have attacked healthcare facilitiesmost notably in the March 2017 attack on the Army Hospital in Kabul that killed at least 50 and injured more than 100ANSF have also been responsible for such attacks. In 2016 UNAMA documented 13 incidents of military use or occupation of healthcare facilities by the ANSF. In one case that we brought to your attention last year, Afghan security forces raided a clinic run by the nongovernmental Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) in Day Mirdad district, Wardak province. During the raid, the Afghan Special Forces assaulted medical staff, removed two patients, one of whom was under 18, and a 15-year-old caregiver from the facility, and summarily executed them outside the clinic.Following the incident, Afghan provincial authorities in Wardak province gave statements justifying the raid on the grounds that those killed (including the two children) were Taliban, and that the raid was carried out because Taliban were being treated at the clinic.

As you are aware, wounded Taliban fighters who arehors de combatare entitled to treatment, and facilities that provide such treatment remain civilian objects that may not be targeted. International humanitarian Law provides special protection to medical facilities, staff and patients during armed conflict. In no case can security forces summarily kill persons in their custody. We understand that the Afghan Ministry of Interior conducted an inquiry into the incident, though the results have not been made public. We again urge you to call for a comprehensive, impartial, and transparent investigation outside the military chain of command, and to urge that those identified as responsible for killings and other serious abuses be held accountable. The investigation should also examine the role played by international forces who accompanied the Afghan Special Forces, and whether they attempted to intervene or prevent the killings and assaults on medical staff.

Impunity

Impunity for serious violations of international humanitarian law is a key factor in their recurrence. The United Nations Committee against Torture, which in April 2017 held a public hearing on Afghanistans submissionthe first report any Afghan government has submitted in nearly 25 yearsvoiced its strongest concern about the problem of continued impunity for serious abuses in Afghanistan.

Despite reforms initiated by the National Unity Government, including the criminalization of the recruitment of child soldiers, abuses by Afghan security forces continue because perpetrators are not held to account. Impunity has long been identified by the Afghan government, donor countries, and intergovernmental organizations as an impediment to the countrys development and the protection of civilians.NATO and leaders of NATO member states should act in unison to press the Afghan government to ensure justice for grave crimes. The absence of justice will foster continuing distrust in government authorities, revenge crimes, and support for insurgents.

NATO is uniquely placed to advance protection of civilians due to its high-level engagement both with those in a position to stop and remedy violations and with those senior authorities responsible for abuses. NATO should strengthen its expertise and capacities by appointing a high-level envoy on Protection of Civilians at Headquarters to ensure successful implementation of its protection of civilians strategy and coordinate with other international and national agencies, experts and civil society groups. The high-level envoy would help ensure informed and timely discussion within NATO, and provide expert analysis, advice, and recommendations to advance implementation of specific measures aimed at curbing serious abuses. The appointment of the special representative for women, peace and security provides an important model, but without a similar high-level mechanism on the protection of civilians, NATO pledge may mean very little.

We look forward to engaging in a constructive dialogue with you about these issues.

Sincerely,

Lotte Leicht Brad Adams EU Director Asia Director Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch

Appendix

Recommendations to NATOs Resolute Support Mission regarding Civilian Protection in Afghanistan

The rest is here:
Letter to NATO Members on civilian protection in Afghanistan - Human Rights Watch (press release)

Otto von Bismarck said, The whole of the Balkans is not worth the bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier. America should apply the same reasoning to Afghanistan.

This month we learned the U.S. Marines are back in Helmand, Afghanistans most violent province and the center of opium poppy production, and their mission may expand. President Trump will soon decide if he should send 8,400 more troops there for the latest chapter in Americas longest war. Should he?

And dont take my word for it: the Talban has rejected peace talks with the Afghan government as surrendering to the enemy and against Islam.

The Afghans have seen off every visitor and invader, from Alexander the Great to the U.S. Central Command, so why spend another dollar there? For example, the regional transport network has avoided Afghanistan and the enthusiasts for a New Silk Road or One Belt, One Road havent absorbed that the world is avoiding Afghanistan not out of stupidity but out of hard-won experience.

Yes, there is wealth to be had: Russian, British, and American geologists have found that Afghanistan has enormous untapped mineral resources, valued at $1 to $3 trillion. The minerals are in the ground, sure, but theres no way to get them out so theyre effectively worth nothing. And theres no way to get them out because the country is violent and corrupt which scares away prudent investors.

In 2008, the Chinese won the rights to the Aynak copper mine for $3 billion and an alleged $30 million bribe to the minister of mines. In 2017, no copper has yet been mined and the Chinese executive heading the project has been expelled from the Communist party for corruption. The only good news, if you can call it that, has been the recent Taliban green light for the restart of the project.

Wise Western investors should temporarily cede the field to the Chinese, Pakistanis, and Iranians our enemies and frenemies and let them try to make something of it. Afghanistan will still want friends in the West and we should exercise some of that recently derided strategic patience until the time is right and the Chinese have worn out their welcome when the Afghans realize they wont create any jobs. Dealing with Afghanistan should be like buying a used car let someone else take the loss and get it later at a savings. In this case, the savings of American lives and the bandwidth our leaders can devote to tractable issues.

What should the U.S. do?

We did our best in Afghanistan, but its time to move on.

James D. Durso is the managing director at consultancy firm Corsair LLC. He was a professional staff member of the 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission and the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and served as a U.S. Navy officer for 20 years specializing in logistics and security assistance. His overseas military postings were in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and he served in Iraq as a civilian transport advisor with the Coalition Provisional Authority. He served afloat as supply officer of the submarine USS SKATE (SSN 578).

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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Time for the US to take a step back from Afghanistan - The Hill (blog)