ISW This Week

Thursday, February 3, 2011

News from Afghanistan this week sheds more light on the entrenched corruption at Kabul Bank, estimating in the tens of millions of dollars. In addition to the vast untraceable bank loans to shareholders, investigators now allege dozens of instances of Kabul Bank executives attempting to bribe Afghan officials. One such official, Afghan finance minister Omar Zakhilwal, on Wednesday called for an investigation into the allegations that he personally benefited from the corruption scheme.

At ISW This Week
David Witter assesses the reemergence of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) in the Pakistan tribal region, and the threat they pose to both regional and global security in his new backgrounder, Uzbek Militancy in Pakistan's Tribal Region. The report suggests that the IMU has refocused its strategy of attacking the Pakistani military to now targeting ISAF forces in Afghanistan, as well as cooperating closely with al-Qaeda to launch terrorist attacks in Europe. Be sure to read the full backgrounder here. For more on the IMU and the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), read the Fact Sheet.

ISW Research Analyst Jeffrey Dressler in Small Wars Journal discusses counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan and specifically ground developments in Helmand province. Dressler comments that, “Connecting Kandahar and Helmand together to have a contiguous belt of security is the next step. That is going to be the main focus of ISAF and Afghan efforts throughout the course of the next fighting season.” Read An Interim Assessment on the Campaign for Regaining Momentum in Helmand Province.

Finally, ISW Senior Fellow LTG James Dubik (Ret.) discussed on Voice of America that the close relationship between the U.S. and the Egyptian militaries could impact the outcome of the crisis in Cairo. Listen to the interview here.

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Best wishes,
Institute for the Study of War (ISW)