Thread: Napolitano Visit Aimed at Beefing Up Afghan Border Security,

Napolitano Visit Aimed at Beefing Up Afghan Border Security, Customs

By Mike Levine

Published December 31, 2010

KABUL, Afghanistan -- During an unannounced New Year's Eve visit to Afghanistan, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano traveled to the country's mountainous border region near Pakistan to see first-hand her department's efforts in the war effort there.

"Seeing is worth a thousand words," Napolitano said after the tour, to which Fox News was granted exclusive access. "This all involves safety and security in this part of the world. And that is something that has direct connection as well to the United States."

She described her department's role in war-torn Afghanistan as a "complement" to the military operations there.

Her agency has about two dozen officials in Afghanistan, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Customs and Border Protection officers, and Border Patrol agents. Many are training Afghan security forces to manage their country's borders.

Although the Afghan government receives most of its money from foreign allies, customs fees and tariffs account for more than half of the money Afghanistan generates on its own. Increasing that revenue flow is a top priority for U.S. officials working to stabilize the chaotic country.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano eats lunch Dec. 31 with troops at Torkham base near the Pakistan border.

Earlier Friday, Napolitano and her staff met with Ambassador Karl Eikenberry at the U.S. embassy in Kabul. Hours later, a fleet of military helicopters took Napolitano, her staff and a Fox News crew to Torkham Forward Operating Base, about five miles from Torkham border crossing, a main access point for supplies coming through Pakistan to NATO forces in Afghanistan.

At the base, she ate lunch with some of the troops who protect her agency's officials in the war zone. She called it an "honor."

The trip to the border region culminated with a helicopter flight over the Torkham border crossing. Getting to the crossing by ground was deemed too dangerous.

In May, according to Pakistani reports, security forces at Torkham crossing "defused an explosive device fitted to a container taking supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan."

Nearly three months ago, Torkham crossing was shut down for 11 days by Pakistan after a U.S. helicopter strike in the border region killed two Pakistani soldiers. The crossing was reopened after American officials apologized, but during the shutdown about 150 trucks were destroyed and many people were injured as they became easy targets.

Nevertheless, U.S. officials described the Torkham area as generally not hostile toward the U.S. military.

Officials said the growing Homeland Security presence in Afghanistan is the product of an effort launched under the Obama administration. Officials say it is part of a "vision" from the late U.S. envoy to the region, Richard Holbrooke, who sought to include more federal agencies in the war and nation building effort here.

In early November, customs and border officers and agents from Homeland Security's investigations unit conducted a one-week workshop for 44 officers from Afghan law-enforcement agencies, training them on the interdiction and investigation of cash smuggling. Such criminal activity funds terrorist and criminal organizations.

In January 2010, a "Customs Academy" opened in Kabul, training as many as 200 recruits in an effort to turn the Afghanistan Customs Department into "a modern service," as the U.S. embassy put it in a press release.

In addition to the Homeland Security officials already on the ground in Afghanistan, several more are expected to land there over next month. Those ranks don't include the more than 50 former CBP officials hired privately to support the DHS mission there.

Napolitano was expected to ring in the New Year with U.S. personnel at the embassy in Kabul. A bonfire was being prepared as of early Friday evening.

The New Year's Eve trip was Napolitano's first to Afghanistan since joining the Obama cabinet.

She was in the country once as Arizona governor.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12 ... z19nRYkLEV

I posted this cause everytime Topsecret10 sees Ol' Nappy he beats his face on his keyboard!

There are no words to decribe the duplicity of her actions.

Thats a joke. Napolitano couldn't secure a border in a bedroom between a couple of two year old siblings.

Napolitano Meets With Karzai, Talks About Ways to Intercept IED Chemicals

Published January 01, 2011

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan Jan. 1.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke with officials Saturday about ways to stop terrorists from transporting bomb-making chemicals across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border during a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other members of his administration.

Napolitano's agency has about two dozen customs and border officials in the war-torn country, with more on the way, many training Afghan forces. The nation's emerging security force is tasked with patrolling a porous border with Pakistan where Taliban fighters and Islamic extremists cross freely, along with opium and materials used to manufacture improvised-explosive devices.

Napolitano, who landed in Afghanistan on New Year's Eve on an unannounced visit, talked about how the two countries could work together to better intercept this trafficking during the meeting with Karzai and Finance Minister Omar Zakhiwal on Saturday. She said in a written statement that civilian officials in her department have made "significant progress" in working with Afghan officers toward disrupting Al Qaeda operations along the border.

Napolitano also said 52 former U.S. customs and border patrol officers would arrive in Afghanistan in 2011, to complement the 25 on the ground -- up from 11 a year ago.

The secretary will also meet with the interior minister before leaving for Qatar later in the weekend.

Karzai's office said in a statement that during their talks, Napolitano said the United States would help Afghanistan with equipment and capacity building for the country's customs operations and with the training of border police.

Karzai told the visiting secretary that the Afghan side was trying to strengthen its capacity and that the country would be able to assume responsibility for security in four years' time, when international combat troops are expected to hand over to Afghan security forces.

It will be difficult, however, to train enough Afghan border police and agents to control the porous border. For the past year, Napolitano's department has been working with the Afghan government to establish a border security and customs system and crack down on the smuggling of drugs and cash.

Halting the flow of billions of dollars of cash from Afghanistan is a top U.S. priority. Since 2007, an estimated $3 billion in cash has flowed out of Afghanistan through the country's two major airports, most of it to Dubai, according to Afghan police and intelligence officials.

Zakhilwal's office said in a statement he and Napolitano discussed the cash-flow issue and that an action plan to address it was deemed "as necessary." The statement did not elaborate on what steps might be taken. But the ministry said the U.S. has been providing assistance to better organize the network of money transfer enterprises -- commonly known as hawalas -- and improving the way in which cash transfers are regulated and tracked.

While taking large amounts of money is not illegal under Afghan law, the scope of the transfers has alarmed U.S. and other international officials because it could be aid funds that have been diverted, drug money or Taliban cash.

Hawalas, in particular, have been a source of concern for the U.S. since the transfers are largely untraceable and officials worry that the systems are used to funnel money across Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world to militants.

Napolitano said training border police and customs officials was an important part of NATO's overall aim to transition security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014 -- when most foreign combat troops are expected to leave the country.

In southern Afghanistan, the U.S.-led coalition said one of its service members was killed by a bomb -- the first to die in the new year. It did not provide details.

Last year was by far the deadliest for foreign troops in the decade-old war, with 702 killed, eclipsing the 2009 record of 504.

NATO also said it killed at least eight insurgents and captured a Taliban leader in several operations throughout Afghanistan. It was unclear whether the Taliban leader was killed or detained.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01 ... z19nmHD1kR

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

Napolitano Meets With Karzai, Talks About Ways to Intercept IED Chemicals

Published January 01, 2011

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan Jan. 1.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke with officials Saturday about ways to stop terrorists from transporting bomb-making chemicals across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border during a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other members of his administration.

Napolitano's agency has about two dozen customs and border officials in the war-torn country, with more on the way, many training Afghan forces. The nation's emerging security force is tasked with patrolling a porous border with Pakistan where Taliban fighters and Islamic extremists cross freely, along with opium and materials used to manufacture improvised-explosive devices.

Napolitano, who landed in Afghanistan on New Year's Eve on an unannounced visit, talked about how the two countries could work together to better intercept this trafficking during the meeting with Karzai and Finance Minister Omar Zakhiwal on Saturday. She said in a written statement that civilian officials in her department have made "significant progress" in working with Afghan officers toward disrupting Al Qaeda operations along the border.

Napolitano also said 52 former U.S. customs and border patrol officers would arrive in Afghanistan in 2011, to complement the 25 on the ground -- up from 11 a year ago.

The secretary will also meet with the interior minister before leaving for Qatar later in the weekend.

Karzai's office said in a statement that during their talks, Napolitano said the United States would help Afghanistan with equipment and capacity building for the country's customs operations and with the training of border police.

Karzai told the visiting secretary that the Afghan side was trying to strengthen its capacity and that the country would be able to assume responsibility for security in four years' time, when international combat troops are expected to hand over to Afghan security forces.

It will be difficult, however, to train enough Afghan border police and agents to control the porous border. For the past year, Napolitano's department has been working with the Afghan government to establish a border security and customs system and crack down on the smuggling of drugs and cash.

Halting the flow of billions of dollars of cash from Afghanistan is a top U.S. priority. Since 2007, an estimated $3 billion in cash has flowed out of Afghanistan through the country's two major airports, most of it to Dubai, according to Afghan police and intelligence officials.

Zakhilwal's office said in a statement he and Napolitano discussed the cash-flow issue and that an action plan to address it was deemed "as necessary." The statement did not elaborate on what steps might be taken. But the ministry said the U.S. has been providing assistance to better organize the network of money transfer enterprises -- commonly known as hawalas -- and improving the way in which cash transfers are regulated and tracked.

While taking large amounts of money is not illegal under Afghan law, the scope of the transfers has alarmed U.S. and other international officials because it could be aid funds that have been diverted, drug money or Taliban cash.

Hawalas, in particular, have been a source of concern for the U.S. since the transfers are largely untraceable and officials worry that the systems are used to funnel money across Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world to militants.

Napolitano said training border police and customs officials was an important part of NATO's overall aim to transition security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014 -- when most foreign combat troops are expected to leave the country.

In southern Afghanistan, the U.S.-led coalition said one of its service members was killed by a bomb -- the first to die in the new year. It did not provide details.

Last year was by far the deadliest for foreign troops in the decade-old war, with 702 killed, eclipsing the 2009 record of 504.

NATO also said it killed at least eight insurgents and captured a Taliban leader in several operations throughout Afghanistan. It was unclear whether the Taliban leader was killed or detained.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01 ... z19nmHD1kR

Well,well.... Doesn't Crapolitano look cosy by the fire(place) talking to one of our long disttance friends... I wonder why there are no photo ops of her sitting down with GOVERNOR BREWER In arizona.Or JERRY Brown the ****ing clown In Caleeeeeefornia ? I guess It's Ok to let a few terrorists cross our WIDE OPEN borders every once and a while,along with hundreds of thousands of ILLEGALS clamoring for the next "dream act",or rushing across to drop their "anchor babies" before we attempt to shut down "birthright citizenship"... Crapolitano Is a complete joke of a public servant,and she needs to find a new job In MEXICO,because her priorities are with the Illegals flocking here,not the AMERICAN CITIZENS who are suffering because of their presence here....

Is she going to pat Karzai down and grope him? That might be a good first step, surprised she didn't think of it while she was there. Is someone going to pat her down when she comes back to the US or while she is there? Now there really is a job Americans won't do!

See that's exactly why I didn't want to post this pg. That and she is Damn hard to look at! (insert puke dude here) I'm not worried TS I know you've made it your personal agenda to send this Ol' Pug faced she dog packin'
She's sitting by the fire with a room full a men who don't even listen to women, because she looks like a man! And not a handsome man either!

Originally Posted by Dansk9

Is she going to pat Karzai down and grope him? That might be a good first step, surprised she didn't think of it while she was there. Is someone going to pat her down when she comes back to the US or while she is there? Now there really is a job Americans won't do!

"DAMN! THAT'S JUST NASTY!"

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

See that's exactly why I didn't want to post this pg. That and she is Damn hard to look at! (insert puke dude here) I'm not worried TS I know you've made it your personal agenda to send this Ol' Pug faced she dog packin'
She's sitting by the fire with a room full a men who don't even listen to women, because she looks like a man! And not a handsome man either!

I thought perhaps she might be Janet Reno's twin sister/brother.