Back to Night Raids: Counterinsurgency or Counterbureaucracy? By Michael G. Waltz, War on the Rocks
This past weekend, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani authorized Afghan Army Special Forces to resume night operations targeting Taliban leaders. This action reversed a total ban that had been put in place by former President Hamid Karzai in 2013. According to reporting in the New York Times, U.S. forces can provide helicopter and air support, and U.S. Special Operations forces may accompany Afghan forces, but not lead the operations into Afghan homes.
Lifting this ban is a step in the right direction, towards allowing the Afghan Army to go on the offensive against the resurging Taliban, as is President Barack Obama’s recent decision to expand U.S. troops’ role in Afghanistan. These steps are not enough, however. We must undo the excessive bureaucracy that has hobbled our ability to conduct effective night raids…