Not Quite War, Not Quite Peace

U.S. special-operations forces in Afghanistan are trying 

to make sure their elite Afghan counterparts can fight 

on their own before American troops leave next year. 

Photo: Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images

As U.S. Troops Leave Afghanistan, Special ForcesTread Fine Line Between Fighting Insurgents and Training Locals

The U.S. isn’t quite at war in Afghanistan but isn’t exactly at peace either.

On the ground, U.S. special-operations troops accompany Afghan counterparts once or twice a day on raids to kill or capture insurgent leaders. But they don’t enter target buildings or go after the insurgents themselves.

An Afghan pilot, center, and two U.S. special-operations 

troops walk to their plane for a training flight in 

Kabul in July. Photo: Michael M. Phillips/WSJ

From the air, U.S. helicopters and planes routinely bomb or strafe enemy positions, and come to the rescue of beleaguered U.S. and Afghan troops. But those attacks occur about 70% less often than they did a year ago, the Air Force says, and require top-level approval.

“We could go and do the mission” for the Afghans, said Command Sgt. Maj. James Napolet, the senior enlisted man among American special-operations troops here. “But our intent is for them to be a fully capable force that can do the mission on their own.”

CLICK CHART to ENLARGE

That said, he added, “we assist them where they need the assistance.”

For more than a year, the military has maintained a veil of secrecy over its special-operations forces in Afghanistan. For two weeks this summer, however, the military permitted The Wall Street Journal to visit a variety of commando units, offering a glimpse into what may be the last fighting season of America’s longest war.

What emerges is a picture of a military in a netherworld, trying to find a middle ground between doing too much and too little as its role winds down.

Read the rest of the story HERE and view a related video below:

If you like what you see, please "Like" us on Facebook either here or here. Please follow us on Twitter here.