GLOSSARY

AfPak Afghanistan-Pakistan, term used to demonstrate that the war in Afghanistan and the al Qaeda and Taliban presence in Pakistan must be addressed with one policy.

ANA Afghan National Army, the army of Afghanistan.

ANSF Afghan National Security Forces, umbrella term for the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.

AQAP Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a branch of al Qaeda whose members include those active in Yemen.

CentCom United States Central Command, the combatant command located in Tampa, Florida, responsible for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

COIN Counterinsurgency, the doctrine for using military force to protect a local population.

CT Counterterrorism, the operations to capture or kill terrorists, often with small quick-reaction military or intelligence units.

CTPT Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams, 3,000-man paramilitary force of highly experienced and skilled Afghans paid, trained and controlled by the CIA.

DNI Director of National Intelligence, oversees the U.S. intelligence community.

FATA Federally Administered Tribal Areas, seven Pakistani provinces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border ruled by tribal chiefs and extremist groups that provide a safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban extremists.

Haqqani network A prominent Taliban insurgent group, active in southeastern Afghanistan.

IED Improvised explosive device, a makeshift bomb often used by insurgents alongside roads.

ISAF International Security Assistance Force, coalition of forces in Afghanistan from 42 nations, led by the United States.

ISI Inter-Services Intelligence, powerful Pakistani intelligence agency that simultaneously assists the United States in fighting the Taliban extremists while at the same time supporting and funding some Taliban groups.

ISR Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance.

JCS Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top uniformed military officers in the United States, including the chairman, vice chairman and heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

JSOC Joint Special Operations Command, counterterrorism force responsible for planning, preparing and executing rapid and targeted missions to kill or capture high value targets.

LeT Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Pure), terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda responsible for the November 26 attacks on Mumbai. It was created and continues to be supported by the Pakistani ISI.

NSC National Security Council, composed of the president and his senior foreign policy team, including the vice president, the secretaries of state and defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the director of national intelligence and at times the director of the CIA. The NSC staff is headed by the national security adviser.

PDB President’s Daily Brief, TOP SECRET/CODEWORD intelligence briefing presented to the president each morning.

POTUS President of the United States.

Quetta Shura The main Taliban insurgent group, headed by Mullah Omar, based in the Pakistani city of Quetta.

RC Regional Command (e.g., RC South, RC East), areas of Afghanistan under the military responsibility of various nations in the ISAF.

RDI Rendition, Detention and Interrogation, controversial covert counterterrorist programs run by the CIA including the transport of suspected terrorists to the U.S. or other countries, CIA detention of terrorists, and interrogation methods employed by the CIA.

SCIF Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, secure area or isolated room in a building designed to prevent surveillance during sensitive discussions.

SIP Strategic Implementation Plan, a 40-page classified document sent by the White House to the Pentagon on July 17, 2009, stating that a key element of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan was to “defeat the extremist insurgency.”

TTP Tehrik-e-Taliban, Pakistani branch of the Taliban that threatens the Pakistani government and the security of its nuclear arsenal. Intelligence showed that the would-be Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, was trained by the TTP.