BERLIN: The Afghan army and police forces, which should one day ensure the security of their country on their own, are plagued by defections and drug addiction, according to NATO commanders.

NATO defence ministers, meeting last month in Bratislava, approved a plan to focus the strategy in Afghanistan on protecting civilians from Taliban attacks while accelerating the training of Afghan security forces.

(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

But the picture painted by NATO commanders shows that, while international troops suffer increasing casualties, training too is an uphill battle in this country wracked by more than 30 years of war.

Out of the some 94,000 Afghan soldiers trained so far, 10,000 have defected, General Egon Ramms, commander of the operational headquarters in charge of the NATO-led International Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF), told reporters this week.

He also estimated that 15 per cent of the armed forces are drug addicts.

The 68,000-strong national police, one member of which shot dead five British soldiers Tuesday, suffer from the same problems, are prone to corruption, and their training has been so far less than efficient, he added.

[The Times of India]

AFP
November 6th, 2009