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Pentagon bans release of data on Afghanistan War progress – watchdog 'Human error': US military says it made 'mistake' by banning release of Afghanistan war data
(about 5 hours later)
The Pentagon has restricted the release of crucial information on progress being made in the war in Afghanistan, the US government's top watchdog said. The move comes amid a spike of attacks by the insurgents. The US military has said it was a mistake to order a Congress-created watchdog not to release data on progress regarding the war in Afghanistan, citing "human error" as the cause.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) releases a quarterly report which includes unclassified information on the amount of territory controlled or influenced by the Taliban and the Afghan government. "It was NOT the intent of Resolute Support to withhold or classify information which was available in prior reports,'' Navy Capt. Tom Gresback, a spokesman for the US-led NATO coalition, said in an email, as quoted by AP.
However, SIGAR has now been told by the Pentagon not to release such information. For the first time since 2009, the US military has also classified the actual and authorized total troop numbers and attrition rate for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). Earlier on Tuesday, it was reported that the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) was told not to release information on the mass of territory controlled or influenced by the Taliban and Afghan government.
"In essence, you can ask me almost any question and I will have to say, it is classified or non-releasable, I mean you go down the list, it is just amazing," SIGAR head John Sopko told Reuters, adding that the Department of Defense did provide him with reasoning for the move. He noted that the decision could lead some to conclude that information is being withheld because progress isn't being made, which may not be true. SIGAR, which typically releases quarterly reports detailing such information, revealed the gag order in a three-month assessment released overnight.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has pointed fingers at who is responsible for the decision to limit the amount of classified information available to the public. It says the step was made by the NATO-led Resolute Support coalition, and that the Department of Defense lacks any authority to overrule that decision. In addition, the US military also classified the actual and authorized total troop numbers and attrition rates for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) for the first time since 2009.
"The Department continues to work with SIGAR, US Forces-Afghanistan, and NATO Resolute Support to resolve concerns about restrictions on information that was previously unclassified," Lieutenant Colonel Michael Andrews said. The gag order was criticized by SIGAR head John Sopko. "In essence, you can ask me almost any question and I will have to say, it is classified or non-releasable, I mean you go down the list, it is just amazing," he told Reuters. Sopko said the Pentagon provided no reasons for its decision, and the move could lead some people to conclude that the information was being withheld because there's been limited progress in Afghanistan – which may not actually be the case.
Former officials and experts cited by Reuters said the move was worrying because Afghanistan and the US had set a public benchmark which would now be difficult to measure. In November, the top US general in Afghanistan set a goal of driving back Taliban militants enough to control at least 80 percent of the country within two years. In its most recent quarterly report, SIGAR said that 43 percent of Afghanistan's districts were either under Taliban control or being contested. The Pentagon had initially pointed to the NATO-led Resolute Support coalition, saying that the Department of Defense lacks authority to overrule that body's decision.
The withholding of information comes after US forces in Afghanistan restricted the amount of data they provided on the ANDSF last year, including casualties, personnel strength and attrition rates. As Gresback confirmed "human error," the coalition provided some data that had been restricted. That information showed that 44 percent of Afghanistan is contested or under the control of insurgents. However, other details including the size, attrition, and performance of Afghan forces continues to be limited, despite being made available in previous quarters.
At the time, the US military said the data belonged to the Afghan government, which did not want it to be released. It's not the first time that information has been locked down regarding America's longest war. Last year, US forces in Afghanistan restricted the levels of data provided on the ANDSF, including figures on casualties, personnel strength and attrition rates. At the time, the US military said the statistics were being managed by the Afghan government which did not want it to be released.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump rejected the notion of peace talks with the Taliban, following a string of fatal attacks in Afghanistan. The move appeared to be a contradiction of his own strategy to end the war. On Monday, US President Donald Trump rejected the notion of peace talks with the Taliban following a string of fatal attacks in Afghanistan. The move appeared to be a contradiction of his own strategy to end the war. Last year, Trump ordered an increase in US troops to Afghanistan, as well as airstrikes and assistance to Afghan forces.
Last year, Trump ordered an increase in US troops to Afghanistan, as well as airstrikes and assistance to Afghan forces. Earlier this month, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said the strategy was working and pushing Taliban militants closer to peace talks. Earlier this month, the US ambassador to the United Nations said Washington's new strategy was working and pushing Taliban militants closer to peace talks. Nikki Haley's comments came before a Taliban suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden ambulance in Kabul Saturday, killing more than 100 people and injuring at least 235. That attack followed a Taliban assault on the city’s Intercontinental Hotel, which left 20 people dead.
However, Haley's comment came before a Taliban suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden ambulance in Kabul on Saturday, killing more than 100 people and injuring at least 235. That attack followed a Taliban assault on the city’s Intercontinental Hotel, which left 20 people dead.
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