CIA And Special Ops Getting Ready To Stay In Afghanistan For A Very Long Time

CIA officer “Dave” (center) and US special forces near Qala-i-Janghi fortress, 2001. [Source: CNN/House of War]

Special Ops, CIA First In, Last Out Of Afghanistan -- Fortune/AP

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- They were the first Americans into Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks and will probably be the last U.S. forces to leave.

As most American troops prepare to withdraw in 2014, the CIA and military special operations forces to be left behind are girding for the next great pivot of the campaign, one that could stretch their war up to another decade.

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My Comment: With very few U.S. boots on the ground .... the idea that the Afghan military and security forces will be able to hold territory is questionable. Will the CIA and Special Ops then be able to gather the information and intelligence that they need for their operations .... that also becomes questionable.

But there is no question about one thing .... when the US finally leaves Afghanistan .... and they will leave .... it will be the CIA and Special ops who will be the last to leave.

Special Ops ‘Night Raids’ Are Rather Gentle

A soldier completes maintenance on an MH-47 Chinook belonging to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Special Forces soldiers say a lack of lift aircraft in Afghanistan has affected some ground operations. Army

Actually, Special Ops ‘Night Raids’ Are Rather Gentle -- The Danger Room

Anyone who came to the Senate Armed Services Committee to hear Vice Adm. William McRaven deliver the inside account of how his forces killed Osama bin Laden left disappointed. But under a cloud of vagueness, McRaven shed some light on how his shadowy forces wage the stealthy, lethal side of the war on terrorism. To hear him tell it, they’re not always the violent affair you’d imagine.

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My Comment: A friend of mine who worked in SWAT told me that most "break-down the door" operations usually went off without a hitch. I expect the same with special ops.

Special Ops And Misses

Hamid Karzai and US Special Forces. Wikimedia

18 Famous, And Infamous, Missions -- CNN

When the U.S. Navy SEAL team assaulted the compound of Osama bin Laden this week, the killing of the terrorist leader was seen around the world as a major success, a demonstration of the skill and planning by America's most elite forces.

Unfortunately, in recent history, most military and police special operations don't go as well.

From the 1972 massacre of the Israeli Olympic team in Munich to the snatching of Elian Gonzalez in 2000, we take a look at some of the more dramatic rescue attempts, hostage situations and covert actions that were successful, and those that ended in tragedy.

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My Comment: An interesting look at the past 50 years.

Special Ops ‘Fight’ Persistent Conflicts Around The World, Panelists Say

From U.S. Department Of Defense:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2009 – About 55,000 members of U.S. Special Operations Command are providing humanitarian aid and training soldiers and police in more than 60 countries, according to their commander Navy Adm. Eric Olson.

"They're building long-term relationships in every country in every region in the world, and we need them there for a long time,” Olson said here yesterday at the 20th Annual Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict symposium. “Special operations forces -- especially Army special operations -- do this better than anyone.”

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My Comment: Laying the groundwork for what? It appears everyone is getting ready for a conflict that will last a long time.

Hmmmm .... the "war against terrorism" may be a term that is officially dead .... but the purpose to establish such a network is to fight such threats in the future.