U.S. Troops Train a Different Front Line in Afghanistan

On paper it it the obvious means by which to prepare for eventual disengagement of Allied security forces.But reality rears it ugly head when you have not only tribal ties & rivalries among the ranks to manage but knowledge that our tactics & methods will find their way to the ears of enemy strategists.

John F. of MO 10:47AM October 25, 2009

I lack first-hand knowledge of the Afghan theater, so if there's someone out there who wants to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about, fine. That said:

My friends who have served there tell me that the locals volunteer for army or police training and when done, take their newly-issued weapons and disappear into the hills. They get paid while being trained (in a country where paid jobs are practically non-existent), but once they hit the field, the central government is incapable or unwilling to pay them, so they quit. They then wait six months and come back to train again under another name.

This, and an understandable reluctance to fight and die for a central government widely seen as corrupt (even by Afghan standards) and incompetent, is why we cannot field a "home grown" security force, and probably never will be able to do so.

Doug of NC 3:00PM October 16, 2009