Pakistan Defense News

ISLAMABAD — The Pakistan Navy has test-fired a new land attack missile in the North Arabian Sea off the coast of Pakistan this week. According to a Navy news release, the test included “firings of a variety of modern missiles including the maiden Land Attack Missile (LAM)” and the tests “demonstrated lethality, precision and efficacy” of the Navy’s weapon systems as well as the “high state of readiness and professionalism” of the Navy. The release also stated the test “reaffirms credibility of deterrence at sea.” A Navy spokesman confirmed “multiple platforms were engaged” in firing missiles. The firings took place on Dec. 19 and 21. Though the Navy has a variety of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles, the Navy would not confirm the identity of the land-attack missile when asked. Mansoor Ahmed from Quaid-e-Azam University’s Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, who specializes in Pakistan’s national deterrent and delivery program, believes the missile is one of two varie...

PESHAWAR:  Militants launched a brazen assault on one of Peshawar’s most tightly guarded installations late Saturday, killing four people, wounding dozens more and forcing the city to go in lockdown. The attack on Bacha Khan International Airport, which is attached to Peshawar Air Force (PAF) base, was marked by a prolonged exchange of gunfire between militants and army troops. The militants allegedly planned to enter the airport with suicide vests and an explosives laden vehicle in two separate groups. Five militants were felled on the spot, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), while a search operation continued late into the night for any possible auxiliary elements. However, an earlier statement by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said that four terrorists have been killed and one injured. “Four suicide jackets have been defused… a Joint Operation consisting of all security agencies is in progress to clear the area,” it said in a written statement. The sea...

WASHINGTON — Despite an easing of tensions with the United States, Pakistan is persistently undermining security in Afghanistan by permitting safe havens for insurgents, a Pentagon report said Dec. 10. In a twice-a-year war assessment mandated by Congress, the Defense Department said that the 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and their allies had succeeded in preventing Taliban advances while limiting civilian casualties. But Taliban havens across the border in Pakistan, the limited capacity of the Afghan government and “endemic corruption” pose the greatest risks as the United States prepares to pull out troops by the end of 2014, the Pentagon said. The report noted the better U.S. relations with Pakistan, which agreed in July to reopen Western forces’ supply routes into Afghanistan. Pakistan had refused access after a U.S. border strike killed 24 of its troops in November 2011. “However, Pakistan’s continued acceptance of sanctuaries for Afghan-focused insurgents and failure to...

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan today successfully conducted the training launch of Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM)Hatf V (Ghauri). The launch was conducted by a Strategic Missile Group of the Army Strategic Force Command on the culmination of a field training exercise that was aimed at testing the operational readiness of the Army Strategic Force Command. Ghauri ballistic missile is a liquid fuel missile which can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads over a distance of 1300 kms. The test monitoring of the launch was conducted at the National Command Centre through the medium of National Command Authority’s fully automated Strategic Command and Control Support System (SCCSS). It may be recalled that the SCCSS enables robust Command and Control capability of all strategic assets with round the clock situational awareness in a digitized network centric environment to decision makers at the National Command Centre (NCC). The test consolidates and strengthens Pakistan’s deter...

ISLAMABAD — Turkey is trying to broaden defense industry links with Pakistan, but Pakistan’s poor financial situation is hampering efforts. That opens the door to a possible deal with China, experts said, which carries its own set of issues. “Pakistan is one of our closest partners in defense, and they are already buying a lot of equipment from us,” said a senior official responsible for foreign relations at Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM). “We would do whatever we can to further boost our cooperation.” Former Australian defense attaché to Islamabad, Brian Cloughley, agrees. “The recent visit by Turkey’s defense undersecretary was an indicator that Turkey remains committed to developing defense relations further,” he said. Analyst Usman Shabbir of the Pakistan Military Consortium think tank said Turkey is a valued supplier that “offers [Pakistan] a route to Western technology” such as previously purchased NATO standard communication equipment. Turkey’s eff...

KARACHI: Prime Minster Raja Pervez Ashrah has stressed the need to eliminate the root cause of terrorism, Geo News reported on Wednesday. Speaking after the inauguration of IDEAS 2012 Exhibition, the prime minister said that Pakistan was facing a variety of challenges ranging from terrorism and extremism to social problems. “But we believe in tolerance,” he added. Mr Ashraf said that top quality defence equipments were created in Pakistan while the exhibition introduces the country on international level. Speaking about the Pak-China relationship, he said that both the countries enjoyed enduring relations. He said that there was also progress in Pakistan’s relations with Russia. The premier said that Islamabad supports peace process in Afghanistan while its negotiations with India were also underway. He said that Pak-Iran gas pipeline was the path to development and establishment of peace was vital for it. Ashraf said that there was independent judiciary and vibrant media ...

QUETTA: Three security personnel were killed and five others sustained injuries in a landmine blast in Borbaj area, some three kilometres from Dera Bugti, on Thursday. According to sources, the landmine hit a vehicle carrying security personnel who were tasked with distributing ration among their colleagues. Three of the security men were killed and five others sustained injuries. The Frontier Corps rushed to the spot following the incident and cordoned off the area. The deceased and injured were taken to hospital in Dera Bugti. The deceased were identified as sepoy Attaullah, Asghar and Mohibullah, and injured as Ghos Baksh, Hussain Baksh, Manzoor and Muhammad Amin. A case about the incident has been registered against unidentified people and investigation has been initiated. staff report 3 security personnel killed in Dera Bugti mine blast

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani called on Chief of General Staff (CGS) Russian Federation Armed Forces General Makarov in the Ministry of Defence in Moscow and held a detailed discussion on bilateral defence cooperation. According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Russian Army Chief of General Staff (CGS) was assisted by Deputy Chief of General Staff (DCGS) of Russian Federation Armed Forces Colonel General, Postnikov, Ground Forces Col Gen Postnikov and Ground Forces Commander, Colonel General Chirkin. Gen Makarov welcomed the COAS and specially showed his desire to cooperate in all fields with Pakistan Armed forces.   Bilateral defence cooperation discussed

KARACHI: Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila, undertook a day-long operational visit to the fleet units engaged in Pakistan Navy Exercise SEASPARK-12. During the visit, the Naval Chief witnessed Convoy Escorting under multi-threat scenario, Defensive Counter Air Operations involving Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Aircraft, Combat Air Patrol (CAP) Operations by PAF aircraft in PN support, Air Defense Exercises besides other hardcore naval maneuvers. The admiral was briefed on conduct of the exercise. Naval Chief expressed his satisfaction over conduct of the exercise and hoped it would hone the professional acumen of Pakistan Navy officers and men. He particularly lauded seamless integration and information fusion between Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force during the conduct of Anti Surface Vessel Operations, which led to synergetic bi-service force application. While interacting with officers and men on the occasion he underlined the importance of maintaining guar...

RAWALPINDI: Inspector General of Training and Evaluation (IGT and E) Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain has been appointed Gujranwala Corps Commander, military sources said on Monday. According to the sources, present Gujranwala Corps Commander Lt Gen Raheel Sharif has been appointed the new Inspector General of Training and Evaluation. app Lt Gen Muzammil new Gujranwala Corps Commander

ABBOTTABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani visited Abbottabad on Thursday to attend commanding officers’ conference of Army Medical Corps (AMC). The conference is a formal event that provides a forum for professional interaction and candid exchange of views regarding routine matters and policies, among the command echelons of Pakistan Army. COAS appreciated the efforts of AMC officers and ranks in providing quality medical services, not only for the armed forces but also for the general public, particularly in disaster management duties across the country. online COAS attends commanding officers’ conference

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday test-fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile with “stealth features”, the military said, the country’s first such exercise in more than three months. The military described the Hatf-VII Babur missile as a “low-flying, terrain-hugging missile, which can strike targets both at land and sea with pinpoint accuracy” and has a range of 700 kilometres. Pakistan’s last missile test, also of a Hatf-VII, came in June at the end of a spate of five launches in around six weeks that followed India’s firing of its Agni V rocket. The military said Monday’s launch was carried out from a “Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle (MLV)”, which it said improved the Babur system’s targeting and deployment capabilities. The test was witnessed by Strategic Plans Division Director General Lieutenant General (r) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) Chairman Muhammad Irfan Burney and senior officers from the armed forces and strategic organisation...

* Political, military leaders pay tributes to those slain in war * Prayers offered for sovereignty and solidarity of country By Arsalan Haider LAHORE: The 47th Defence Day of Pakistan was marked with traditional spirit on Thursday as political and military officials arranged ceremonies to pay tributes to the country’s armed forces. Ceremonies were held to lay floral wreaths on the graves of those killed in 1965 war, in Batapur. People also flocked to the mausoleum of Allama Muhammad Iqbal and paid tributes to the national poet. Other ceremonies such as Defence Day parade, exhibition of ammunitions by the Pakistan Army at Fortress Stadium and exhibition of jet fighters and air show by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) were again not held in the wake of poor law and order situation. Such ceremonies have not been held in the last couple of years. The day started with prayers for the sovereignty, solidarity and integrity of the country. The national flag was hoisted at Formation Headquarters,...

ISLAMABAD: ISAF Commander General John Allen is likely to arrive in Pakistan today (Thursday) to have an important meeting with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, said an ISPR statement. “He will call on the Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The meeting will focus on reviewing the progress made in the implementation of the recently evolved border coordination measures and standing operating procedures,” ISPR officials said. Sources said that the frequent raids by militants from Afghanistan’s side against Pakistani areas and security forces would also be discussed in the meeting between the two top military leaders. staff report Gen Allen likely to meet COAS today

* Key Taliban commander killed by brother-in-law in Khyber Agency PESHAWAR: At least eight soldiers were killed in clashes after the Taliban attacked a checkpost in South Waziristan on Wednesday, officials said. Dozens of terrorists, armed with rockets and grenades, stormed the checkpost in Surang Baba Ziarat village, around 30 kilometres north of Wana, the main town of South Waziristan, a senior security official in Peshawar told AFP. The attack came during a military operation against terrorist hideouts which netted a huge cache of arms and ammunition, the official said. Eight soldiers were killed and six injured in the checkpost attack, the official said, while 18 terrorists died during three hours of fighting. A second security official confirmed the military death toll. The area is cut off to journalists and aid workers and it was not possible to confirm the death toll independently. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed in a telephone call that the...

ATTOCK: Nine militants were killed after security forces completed the operation against the attackers of the Kamra Airbase early Thursday morning. Militants stormed into runway area of the PAF Base Minhas at around 2:00 AM from the direction of nearby village Pind Salman Makhan. The militants, disguised in security forces’ uniforms launched an armed attack which was followed by a furious gun-battle between the security forces and assailants. The militants used hand grenades and rockets during the attack due to which one aircraft was badly damaged. However security officials were successful keeping the militants away from the hanger and all other aircraft remained secure during the attack. One security official was martyred during the attack, while Base Commander Air Commodore Mohammad Azam who oversaw and took part in the operation was injured. Meanwhile Air Force spokesman Tariq Mahmood confirmed that troops had secured the airbase approximately eight hours after the attack. ...

KABUL: Authorities in Afghanistan said on Tuesday that one of their border posts came under a shelling attack from Pakistan, prompting Afghans to return fire in a clash that lasted for more than two hours. The incident, which reportedly caused no casualties, comes amid growing border tension between the neighbours, with Kabul alleging that Pakistani security forces have fired hundreds of rounds into Afghanistan in recent months. Pakistani officials were not immediately available for comment but Islamabad has rejected similar allegations in recent past, saying Pakistani troops only respond to attacks from terrorists. Afghanistan and Pakistan typically blame each other for violence by the Taliban plaguing both sides of their border, known as the Durand Line. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said Afghan border police and Pakistani security forces traded artillery fire in eastern Kunar province's Dangam district on the frontline between the two countries, but there were no casualt...

* Senior official says without protecting porous border, militants will escape into Afghanistan * Claims Americans have ‘never been encouraging on this point’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has told Washington that US forces must seal the Afghan border in the event of any offensive against the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network in North Waziristan, an official said on Saturday. The Haqqanis, blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan and whose leaders are understood to be based in the Pakistani tribal district, is one of the thorniest issues between Islamabad and Washington. "The Americans have been repeatedly told that they will have to seal off the border on the Afghan side whenever an operation is launched in North Waziristan," a senior Pakistani security official told AFP. Without protecting the porous, mountainous border, militants would simply escape into Afghanistan, where Pakistan has no writ, the official explained. He claimed that Americans have "never been enc...

* Official says coordinated actions on Pakistan-Afghanistan border should not be mistaken for ‘joint operations’ RAWALPINDI/LAHORE: A military official on Tuesday rejected a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report about a Pakistan-US agreement for a joint operation in North Waziristan. Coordinated actions on respective sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, being part of routine, should not be mistaken for "joint operations", the official said. He further stated that targeted action in operation "Tight Screw" by Pakistan Army against terrorists in the North Waziristan was an ongoing process. This was being undertaken for some months now to squeeze terrorists and there was no new operation as claimed in the report, he added. When, where and how to carry out operations within our territory is up to Pakistan alone to decide, the official concluded. The WSJ had reported that “the US and Pakistani officials are considering joint counterterrorism campaigns in Afghanistan an...

PESHAWAR: A small training aircraft of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) crashed in Trangzai area of Charsadda District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Monday, PAF officials said. The Mushak aircraft was partially damaged while making the emergency landing, however, the trainee pilot and instructors remained safe, the PAF officials added. The air force’s spokesman in a statement said that the aircraft made emergency landing due to some technical fault and both the pilots remained safe. Police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. online PAF training plane makes emergency landing

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday conferred Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) on Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt during a special investiture ceremony held at the Presidency. The citation read on the occasion said that the award was being conferred in recognition of the air chief’s long meritorious services. Butt has also been decorated with Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military), Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military) and Tamgha-i-Basalat for his meritorious and dedicated services. Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Defence Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, National Regulations and Services Minister Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan, Secretary General M Salman Faruqui, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Khalid Shameem Wynne, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, federal secretaries, officers of Pakistan Air Force and a few other dignitaries were present on the occasion. app President confers Nishan-e-Imtia...

RAWALPINDI: Field General Court Marshal (FGCM) proceedings against Brigadier Ali Khan, Major Inayat Aziz, Major Iftikhar, Major Sohail Akbar and Major Jawad Baseer have been completed. According to ISPR, all four accused have been convicted besides other, of the charges for having links with a proscribed organization. The FGCM have awarded a sentence of 5 years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) to Brigadier Ali Khan, Major Sohail Akbar has been handed down 3 years RI while Major Jawad Baseer sentenced to 2 years RI, whereas Major Inayat Aziz and Major Iftikhar have been awarded 1 year 6 months RI each. Convicts have the right to an appeal against conviction before the Army court of appeals as provided in the Pakistan Army Act. Brigadier Ali, four others sentenced

WASHINGTON: The US and Pakistani intelligence chiefs held "productive" talks Thursday on ways to work together to fight extremists, a US official said, in a new sign of easing tensions between the countries. Islam met Thursday with Central Intelligence Agency director David Petraeus and held "substantive, professional and productive" talks, a senior US official said on condition of anonymity. "The talks provided an opportunity to discuss a number of proposals for how we can enhance our joint efforts against terrorism," the official said. "Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to work together to counter the terrorist presence in the region that threatens both US and Pakistani national security," he said. The official did not go into further detail. The United States has been looking for ways to cooperate with the ISI, whose relationship with US spies has swung from friendly to hostile in recent years. The remarks echo those of the US com...

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has received $7.9 billion worth of military equipment from the US since 2001, but the low ebb in bilateral ties in recent months has slowed down the pace of American arms sales to Pakistan, a latest Congressional report has said. In its report, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), an independent research wing of the US Congress, informed US lawmakers that major arms sales and grants to Pakistan since 2001 have included items useful for counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, along with a number of big ticket platforms more suited to conventional warfare. “In dollar value terms, the bulk of purchases have been made with Pakistani national funds, but US grants have eclipsed these in recent years,” said the CRS. The Pentagon reports total Foreign Military Sales agreements with Pakistan worth about $5.4 billion for fiscal year 2002 to fiscal year 2010 (in-process sales of F-16 combat aircraft and related equipment account for about half of this). In...

ISLAMABAD — The Pakistani ambassador to China, Masood Khan, wants to boost exchanges between the militaries in order to “deepen the existing strategic ties and give further push to the all-weather and time-tested friendship between the two countries.” He was speaking at the graduation ceremony July 28 of the 2nd Aviation Industry Corp. of China (AVIC)-Pakistan Air Force Officer Development Programme held in Beijing. The program was organized by the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC), and the AVIC University. It is a one-month course conducted by the university for officers from the Engineering Branch of the Pakistan Air Force. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, Khan lauded joint Sino-Pakistani projects such as the FC-1 Fierce Dragon/JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, and called for closer ties between AVIC and the Pakistan Air Force. While increased military cooperation might seem to be in Pakistan’s favor, analysts said the situation is...

KABUL: The American-led coalition on Sunday bluntly rebutted an assertion made last week by Pakistan ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman that American forces had on 52 occasions done little over all to stop Taliban militants from using Afghan territory as a springboard for attacks on Pakistani forces in the mountains along the poorly marked frontier, The New York Times reported. The coalition statement was unusual in its directness. Even at the lowest points in relations between Pakistan and the United States, American officials in Afghanistan have usually left direct public criticism of Pakistan to more senior officials in Washington. But with Pakistan increasingly trying to draw equivalence between Afghan Taliban havens in their own country and the presence of Pakistan Taliban factions in Kunar and Nuristan Provinces in northeastern Afghanistan, the coalition pushed back unequivocally on Sunday, offering a reminder of the fraught relationship that the United States and Pakistan ar...

RAWALPINDI: Five more bodies of soldiers were recovered from Gayari sector of Siachen on Tuesday. The total number of recovered bodies has reached 66. According to ISPR spokesman, the rescue teams have recovered five more bodies and they have been shifted to hospital and the process for their identification had started. The spokesman said that NADRA special teams had been engaged to identify the bodies through biometric system. Around 139 soldiers from the Northern Light Infantry Battalion along with six civilians were buried under an avalanche on April 7 in Gayari sector near Skardu. agencies Five more bodies recovered from Gayari Sector

RAWALPINDI: Three more bodies of soldiers were recovered from Gayari sector in Siachen on Wednesday. A total of 52 bodies have been recovered until now. The spokesman of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the bodies have not been identified as yet. Around 139 soldiers from the Northern Light Infantry Battalion along with six civilians were trapped under an avalanche on April 7. app Three more bodies of Gayari soldiers found

Major Amir Azam Shaheed Major Shoaib Shaheed

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon is preparing to release about $1.1 billion withheld from Pakistan s military after they agreed this week to reopen supply routes into Afghanistan. The withheld dollars are part of the U.S. Coalition Support Fund to reimburse Pakistan for its support of U.S. counter- insurgency operations, Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain John Kirby told reporters today. Payments were suspended last year amid increased U.S- Pakistan tensions even before Pakistan closed the land routes into Afghanistan in November as a result of an accidental U.S. attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan, which had demanded a U.S. apology for the deaths, agreed to reopen the lines after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said ?we are sorry? in a statement on June 3. ?Several trucks have gone through and this will continue,? Kirby told reporters today. ?The traffic is starting to flow,? he said. Asked if Defense Secretary Leon Panetta agreed with Clinton s statement of ?deepest regrets,...

ISLAMABAD — A Pakistan Army Mi-17 Hip transport helicopter crashed July 11, killing five people. According to the military’s Inter Services Public Relations, the helicopter crashed at Skardu Airport in the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region in the north of the country. In addition to the five dead, three others on board were injured. No cause has been ascertained. The Mi-17 is the Army’s most capable and versatile transport helicopter, and has proved to be highly adept at handling all but the highest of peaks in the more mountainous regions of the country. It has been crucial in providing rotary airlift for ground troops in operations against the Taliban in places like Swat and South Waziristan. Brian Cloughley, a former Australian defense attaché to Islamabad, said, “The loss of any helicopter is a most serious matter for Pakistan. The entire fleet of some 400 is stretched, and the [internal security] situation in the west of the country is most demanding on rotary hours, with t...

TORKHAM, Pakistan — Pakistan is doubling the capacity for NATO trucks at a key border crossing, officials said July 9, to speed up processing for an expected influx of supplies for troops in Afghanistan. Customs officials at Torkham border crossing in the country’s troubled northwest saud that work had begun to expand dedicated parking space for NATO containers. Islamabad agreed to reopen overland routes to NATO convoys on July 3 after a seven-month blockade sparked by a botched U.S. air raid on a border post that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. “After expansion the parking capacity for NATO trucks will be doubled,” said Obaidullah Khan, a customs official at Torkham, the closest border crossing to Kabul. “Prior to the closure the terminal had a parking capacity of 250 vehicles and now we are expanding it to 500.” Khan said work was also underway on two dedicated rooms for customs officers dealing with paperwork for NATO vehicles, to speed up their transit into Afghanistan. The te...

WASHINGTON — Pakistan has agreed to reopen its border to NATO supply convoys into Afghanistan after a seven-month blockade, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said July 3, adding Washington was sorry for the loss of life in a botched U.S. air raid last year. The supply routes have been shut since November, when an American aircraft mistakenly killed 24 Pakistan soldiers, aggravating already difficult relations between Washington and Islamabad. The announcement, following months of negotiations, will come as a relief to the United States and its NATO allies, who need the routes for a planned withdrawal of combat forces from Afghanistan through 2014. During a July 3 telephone conversation, Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar “informed me that the ground supply lines into Afghanistan are opening,” Clinton said. Islamabad has long demanded that Washington apologize for the deadly air raid before it would reopen the NATO routes, closed in anger after the U.S. attack. “F...

DoD Reprograms $8B, Pakistan Closure Costs $2.1B Pakistan’s refusal to let NATO access its ports and roads into Afghanistan has cost the U.S. Defense Department more than $2.1 billion in extra transportation costs to move supplies and equipment in and out of the country. The stunning revelation of the exorbitant cost comes as the Pentagon continues to negotiate with Islamabad to regain access to the supply routes. “The good news is that there continue to be those discussions,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said during a June 29 briefing at the Pentagon. “There still are some tough issues to try to resolve but, you know, I think the important thing right now is that both sides in good faith keep working to see if we can resolve this.” Pakistan closed the ground route to NATO supplies after a U.S. airstrike mistakenly killed 24 of its soldiers last November. The only other access to land-locked Afghanistan is through the Northern Distribution Network, a series of roads through R...