Afghanistan War News Updates -- January 29, 2013

U.S. troops and employees of the Farah Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock board a CH-47 Chinook helicopter after a meeting in Lash-e Juwayn in Afghanistan's Farah province, Jan. 24, 2013. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Josh Ives

In Afghanistan, the U.S. Is in the Most Difficult of Maneuvers -- Nate Rawlings/Forward Operating Base Altimur, Logar Province, Time

This is the second in a series of dispatches on Afghanistan in retrograde, stories documenting the logistical withdrawal of U.S. forces and matériel from the war-torn country. Retrograde is a military term for the dismantling of installations.

Throughout history, one of the most difficult maneuvers to pull off in combat has been the fighting withdrawal. It’s an aspect of war that plagued battlefield commanders from Napoleon to Lee to Bradley. Getting into a fight is easy; getting out usually presents a challenge and particular dangers.

Every infantryman and combat soldier knows the concept of breaking contact. It is a battle drill practiced over and over: one part of the unit fights on while the other part pulls back, and in a carefully coordinated (though often chaotic) leapfrog, the soldiers extract themselves from harm’s way.

Read more ....

More News on Afghanistan

ISAF Joint Command operational update, Jan 29 -- ISAF
Combined Force Arrests Taliban IED Attack Leader -- US Department of Defense
Gunmen assassinate district chief in eastern Afghanistan -- Khaama Press
Afghan forces seem to have missed their lessons -- Gulf News
Danish troops out of Afghanistan by end of next year -- Copenhagen post
Pakistani army to begin training Afghan security forces -- Khaama Press
Karzai issues peace talk warning -- UPI
Karzai warns of 'plot' against Afghan peace -- AFP
Afghan president warns against peace talks with Taliban without the government -- FOX News/AP
Karzai Warns Of Foreign Interference In Peace Talks -- Radio Free Europe
US, Afghanistan to hold new talks on security deal -- AFP
Afghanistan demands proof of airline drug smuggling -- DAWN/AFP
Afghanistan’s Kam Air rejects drug smuggling allegation -- Flight Global
Fertility rate drops in Afghanistan, but will it continue? -- USA Today
Afghan female artist beats the odds to create -- Reuters
Women In Combat: What Do Troops In Afghanistan Think? -- NPR
Afghanistan’s Endgame Is India’s Dilemma – Analysis -- Tahir Nazir, Eurasia Review
China Is Set To Make A Killing On The Afghan War -- Michael Kelley, Business Insider
Afghan attacks on NATO troops aren't the biggest problem -- Gary Owen, The Globe and Mail