That's a definition of the Afghan security forces - army and police - by Ann Jones, who seems to know something about Afghanistan. Her article has nothing good to say about the Afghan army or police. Our training them seems counter-intuitive when the "them" probably includes members of the Taliban. We're training them to fight just like us with the equipment we use. Yet, the Taliban seem to be doing quite well without that equipment.
One of Jones' basic conclusions is that the army does not exist. Sure, we've trained people, but they have not been very visible when battles occur. Another conclusion is that the police are ineffectual. We refuse to accept reality. We still really don't understand Afghan culture and seem unable to accept the fact that in the fourth poorest nation on earth people might "join" the army or police because they want to eat.
A side point: We have begun replacing Kalashnikov rifles with M-16s, despite the fact that the Kalashnikov is a better weapon in the environment of Afghanistan.
No comments:
Post a Comment