Institute For The Study Of War Launches Afghanistan Project

    WASHINGTON, DC, April 24, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Recognizing the growing interest in the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) today announced it new Afghanistan Project that will provide quality research and analysis on the war in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Project can be accessed by visiting ISW website at www.UnderstandingWar.org.

"Afghanistan is a critical military operation that we can and must win," said ISW President, Kimberly Kagan. "As the Obama Administration increases the amount of U.S. resources to fight the war there, the ISW has launched the new Afghanistan Project to provide objective, expert research and analysis of the operations. The Afghanistan Project will be a useful tool for opinion leaders, policy makers and military officials as they make difficult decisions in the months ahead."

The New Afghanistan Project is a unique collection of open-source information about the country and the challenged faced U.S. and Coalition forces. Divided into sections such as Maps, Regions, and Themes, the Afghanistan Project provides a one-stop location of information and analysis for researchers and those seeking to learn more about the war in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Project Highlights

Themes: Enemy Groups
- The Haqqani Network is a group of fighters based in the area of Paktia, Paktika, and Khost (P2K or Greater Paktia) and North Waziristan Agency in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
- The Haqqanis collaborate with the Mullah Omar-led Taliban forces, but try to keep their leadership in the east.

Themes: Iran and Afghanistan
- Iran participated in the formation of the post-Taliban government in the Bonn Conference in December 2001 and contributed to reconstruction efforts, with the aim of establishing friendly ties with Kabul.
- While the Iranian leaders welcomed the fall of the Taliban, they also saw the presence of American troops in neighboring Afghanistan as a national security threat.
- Tehran's support for insurgent groups in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, has been a source of great anxiety for the ISAF and Afghan forces struggling to stabilize Afghanistan.

Regions: Regional Command West
- RC West is slightly larger than the state of Georgia, with an area of 160,319 square kilometers (61899 sq. miles).
- Over eighty percent of population in Farah is Pashtun--primarily from the Barakzai, Alizai and Noorzai tribes, which are also predominant in southern Afghanistan.
- In contrast to northern Afghanistan, the RC West is still plagued by opium cultivation.
- Alleged Iranian support for insurgent groups in western Afghanistan is also of particular concern.

About Institute for the Study of War

The ISW is a private, nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution whose goal is to educate current and future decision makers and thereby enhance the quality of policy debates. The Institute's work is addressed to government officials and legislators, teachers and students, business executives, professionals, journalists, and all citizens interested in a serious understanding of war and government policy.

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