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    Desertions blow hits Afghan army
    BY Roland Buerk
    BBC News, Kabul

    Hundreds of soldiers have deserted the Afghan National Army complaining of poor conditions and fierce resistance from the Taleban, US officials say.

    It is a blow to the Afghan government which wants to increase the size of the force so the numbers of international troops in the country can be reduced.

    The corps affected is the first to be deployed in the field.

    Officials say another reason for men going absent is the difficulty they experience in dealing with their pay.


    This is exactly what happened during the initial Russian invasion. It happened again with during the occupation. Al-Qaeda's 55th Brigade was originally an Afghan Army organization. History seems to be repeating itself in, "The Graveyard of Imperialism."
    The 205th Corps of the Afghan National Army is based around the city of Kandahar.

    The south of Afghanistan has seen some of the fiercest fighting against remnants of the Taleban and their al-Qaeda allies.

    Members of the corps are in combat most days.

    A US military spokesman told the BBC that around 300 men have deserted.

    That is one in 12 of the entire force.

    Soldiers are paid around $75 a month - a good wage in Afghanistan - but the absence of a banking system prevents them from sending money to their families.

    The news comes as American troops take more casualties.

    On Wednesday two US soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in a rocket attack near the border with Pakistan.

    The Afghan government's long term plan is for the numbers of international troops in the country to be reduced and for Afghanistan's own army to shoulder more of the burden of the fighting.

    To do that numbers will need to be nearly tripled to around 70,000 by 2007.

    Story from BBC NEWS:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...ia/4078118.stm
    To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

  • #2
    I'll keep you "neocons" up to speed and give some pics as well...
    Attached Files
    To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

    Comment


    • #3
      Yes the ANA now has M-113s... as well as the normal rank of BMPs, BTRs and T-55/T-62s...
      Attached Files
      To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by troung
        Desertions blow hits Afghan army
        BY Roland Buerk
        BBC News, Kabul

        Hundreds of soldiers have deserted the Afghan National Army complaining of poor conditions and fierce resistance from the Taleban, US officials say.

        It is a blow to the Afghan government which wants to increase the size of the force so the numbers of international troops in the country can be reduced.

        The corps affected is the first to be deployed in the field.

        Officials say another reason for men going absent is the difficulty they experience in dealing with their pay.


        This is exactly what happened during the initial Russian invasion. It happened again with during the occupation. Al-Qaeda's 55th Brigade was originally an Afghan Army organization. History seems to be repeating itself in, "The Graveyard of Imperialism."
        The 205th Corps of the Afghan National Army is based around the city of Kandahar.

        The south of Afghanistan has seen some of the fiercest fighting against remnants of the Taleban and their al-Qaeda allies.

        Members of the corps are in combat most days.

        A US military spokesman told the BBC that around 300 men have deserted.

        That is one in 12 of the entire force.

        Soldiers are paid around $75 a month - a good wage in Afghanistan - but the absence of a banking system prevents them from sending money to their families.

        The news comes as American troops take more casualties.

        On Wednesday two US soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in a rocket attack near the border with Pakistan.

        The Afghan government's long term plan is for the numbers of international troops in the country to be reduced and for Afghanistan's own army to shoulder more of the burden of the fighting.

        To do that numbers will need to be nearly tripled to around 70,000 by 2007.

        Story from BBC NEWS:
        http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...ia/4078118.stm
        Chicken Little, the sky is falling!!!!
        "So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

        Comment


        • #5
          Afghan Army Gets Armored Personnel Carriers
          South Carolina National Guard troops are tasked to
          train Afghan soldiers to operate and maintain the new vehicles.

          By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mack Davis
          Office of Military Cooperation-Afghanistan Public Affairs
          KABUL, Afghanistan, April 28, 2005 — The Afghan National Army is getting a new look over the next few months. As a result of a recent equipment donation, they will appear a little less Soviet and a little more like their Coalition partners.

          The Afghan National Army recently took delivery of 10 M113A2 armored personnel carriers from the United States at Camp Pol-e-Charkhi, on the outskirts of Kabul. This was the first shipment of vehicles with more to follow.

          Lt. Col. David Braxton, logistics operations chief at the Office of Military Cooperation-Afghanistan, said, “Based on the force structure designed for Afghanistan’s internal threat, armored personnel carriers were identified as a requirement for the Afghanistan National Army.

          The U.S. M113A2s are an excess defense article, which allows them to be donated. Given the performance and popularity of the M113s around the world, it is an excellent match for the (Afghan National Army’s) (armored personnel carrier) requirement.”


          “The (Afghan National Army) soldiers in the mechanized 2nd Kandak that we have been working with are just ingenious; they have the ability to take any mission and figure out a way to accomplish it. They have done phenomenal things with minimum resources,” U.S. Army Maj. Greg Cornell


          The M113s already have a home. They will become part of the 2nd Kandak (Battalion) Mechanized Infantry, in the 201st Corps’ 3rd Brigade, located in Kabul.

          The 218th Infantry Regiment of the South Carolina Army National Guard, part of Task Force Phoenix, has been tasked with training the Afghan National Army to operate and maintain the new vehicles.

          According to 1st Sgt. Bobby Duggins, one of the kandak’s embedded training team advisors, “The (Afghan National Army) soldiers are totally excited about receiving this vehicle. The M113 is a new vehicle for them and there is always a level of excitement when you introduce something new.”

          “Because this (armored personnel carrier) is so versatile, it can be used in many ways,” added Duggins. While the Afghan National Army will use the armored personnel carriers primarily to transport troops, Duggins added that the M113 “can also be used as a squad heavy weapon (to fire mortars), and it can be used by medical units and maintenance teams going into the battlefield.”

          In addition to the 10 M113s that arrived recently, Braxton said, “We expect 45 M113s and 16 M577s (command vehicles) to begin arriving the second week in May. The remaining vehicles will be in country throughout the next month for a total of 63 M113s and 16 M577s.”

          Because the 2nd Kandak Mechanized team was previously fielded with another armored personnel carrier, the Soviet BMP1, training on the M113 was a smooth transition.

          Prior to the arrival of the U.S. M113s, the kandak soldiers were trained by the International Security Assistance Force’s Norwegian Battle Group using five modified M113s they deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year. According to Lt. Col. Jon Mangersnes, Norwegian Battle Group commander, “We conducted two weeks of practical training. This type of training cannot be conducted in a class room; you have to get hands on the vehicle.”

          The training covered the basic operation and maintenance of the M113, including how to start, steer and maneuver, and how to manipulate the operator switches. “It was a lot of fun for my guys,” added Mangersnes. “The Afghan soldiers were very receptive to the training and the younger soldiers are extremely proud to be in the Afghan Army.”

          This is not the first time the Norwegians have worked with the Afghan National Army. The battle group provides security in the Kabul area and often trains and works with the Afghan National Army.

          Future training on the M113s will be provided to new soldiers during basic training at the Kabul Military Training Center by U.S. and Coalition mobile training teams.

          The total donation, including repair parts, is estimated to be worth $10 million.

          The U.S. is the only country providing the M113s, ensuring that all the M113 variants are the same so they will be less expensive to maintain.

          “To sustain the M113s here in country, the Afghan National Army’s 3rd Brigade is receiving a one-year stock level of repair parts,” said New Hampshire Army National Guardsman Chief Warrant Officer Gill Colon, the Task Force Phoenix logistics officer and embedded training team advisor to the 3rd Brigade.

          In order to support the M113s in Pol-e-Charkhi, several changes had to be made. “We have converted our warehouse to accommodate the (armored personnel carrier) spare parts and have converted some of the Quonset huts into maintenance bays,” said Colon.

          The maintenance for the M113 fleet will be conducted by Afghan National Army mechanics who will be trained by U.S. mobile training teams.

          An Afghan National Army soldier looks out from the driver’s hatch of a recently donated M113A2 armored personnel carrier. Office of Military Cooperation-Afghanistan photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mack Davis


          The South Carolina Army National Guardsmen who normally train the 2nd Kandak will be leaving Afghanistan in a few months.

          According to the unit’s executive officer, Maj. Greg Cornell, “We want to get the (Afghan National Army) mechanized team at least to team-level proficiency on the M113 before we leave. A special range is being prepared so that we can work on maneuvers and team-level live-fire exercises.”

          Cornell added, “The range training will teach the (Afghan National Army) soldiers to take two vehicles, placing one in an overwatch (security) position, and the other in a position so that the dismounts can flank the enemy and engage. We also want the (Afghan National Army) to be able to move and provide weapons fire.”

          Cornell said, “The (Afghan National Army) soldiers in the mechanized 2nd Kandak that we have been working with are just ingenious; they have the ability to take any mission and figure out a way to accomplish it. They have done phenomenal things with minimum resources. As we (coalition partners) are able to provide more resources and support, there won’t be much they will not be able to accomplish.”

          The Afghan people will get their first look at their army’s newly painted M113s at the Afghan National Day Parade, scheduled for April 28 in Kabul.
          Attached Files
          To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

          Comment


          • #6
            Yes Afghan soldiers deserting is not a new thing...


            Afghan National Army

            President Karzai reviews the first soldiers of the Afghan National Army.The Afghan National Army (ANA) is being developed by the United States, France and United Kingdom to take primary responsibility for land-based military operations. The United States has provided uniforms and other basic equipment, while weapons have come from former Soviet bloc countries. To thwart and dissolve localized militias, the Afghan government offers cash and vocational training for members to disarm.

            Afghan President Hamid Karzai set a goal of an army of 70,000 men by 2009. By January, 2003 just over 1,700 men in five battalions had completed the 10-week training course, and by June 2003 a total of 4,000 forces had been trained. Initial recruiting problems lay in the lack of cooperation from regional warlords and of committed international support. However, the CIA continues to fund some warlord militias as part of the War on Terrorism. Another problem has been soldiers abandoning their posts after their initial training. A mid-March, 2004 estimate suggested that 3,000 soldiers had done so. In the summer of 2003, the desertion rate was ten percent.

            Different members of the U.S.-led coalition have different responsibilities through the process of training the ANA. The U.S. is training the army. Germany is training the police force. Italy is responsible for legal reforms. Japan is responsible for disarming the warlord militias. The U.K. is leading the anti-narcotics effort.

            In attempts to create an army that is ethnically balanced, regional commanders were asked to contribute recruits. However, Abdul Rashid Dostum and Ismail Khan were unwilling to make such concessions. In spite of promises for decent salaries, soldiers in the new Army initially received only $30 a month during training and $50 after graduation, although pay for trained soldiers rose to $70. Some of the recruits were under 18 years of age and most could not read or write. Recruits who spoke only Pashto had difficulties because instructions were given through interpreters who spoke Dari (the national language).

            Growth continued, however, and the ANA expanded to 5,000 trained soldiers that July. On July 23, about 1,000 ANA soldiers, together with U.S.-led coalition troops, were deployed in Operation Warrior Sweep, marking the first major combat operation for the Afghan troops.


            Growth
            On September 29, 2003, a new battalion (the 11th) was ready, boosting the force to about 6,000. The 11th battalion was a combat support battalion for the army's 3rd Brigade, and was capable of providing engineering, medical and scout skills.

            By February 2004, the U.S. government had spent $US500 million on ANA and police force training. The ANA troop count reached 7,000.

            On April 30, 2004, Army reached 8,300 soldiers, with another 2,500 in training.

            On January 10, 2005, an American general announced that the ANA comprised of 17,800 soldiers with another 3,400 in training.

            By March, 2005, the Afghan National Army had reached a strength of 20,694 soldiers in 31 battalions. The problems of desertion and difficult recruitment that had earlier dogged the ANA had been largely overcome, and there roughly 4,000 soldiers in training.
            Attached Files
            To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

            Comment


            • #7
              Afghan Army's strength risen to over 31,000

              The strength of the under training Afghan National Army (ANA) has risen to 31,000-strong force, Defense Ministry spokesman said Sunday.

              "The building of our armed forces is going on smoothly and so far its strength has risen to over 31,000 troops," Zahir Azimi told newsmen at a press briefing here.

              The process of recruiting was going on as per plan as 6,000 more persons are waiting to join the army, he added.

              Under the historic Bonn agreement signed in Germany in late 2001, the post-Taliban Afghanistan would have 70,000-strong new brand army by the end of 2007.

              However, the newly established army would not include the air force, as the post-war country under the agreement would not have the airpower in near future.

              The United States, Britain and France are the lead nations in assisting the post-war nation to build its national army.

              Seven battalions of the fledgling troops of the ANA, according to Azimi have been assisting the US-led collation forces in war against Taliban and associated groups in Afghanistan.

              Five more battalions of the ANA would be deployed in all the country's 34 provinces ahead of the September 18 elections to ensure security on the voting day.

              The spokesman also added that hundreds of students are under training in military training centers to boost the ANA after graduation.

              Source: Xinhua
              To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

              Comment


              • #8
                Afghan army 'kills 21 militants'
                The Afghan army has killed 21 suspected Taleban militants in two operations in Zabul and Uruzgan provinces, the defence ministry in Kabul says.

                Defence Ministry spokesman Gen Azimi said 16 fighters were killed on Sunday in Zabul, including a key Taleban figure, Mullah Nasrullah.

                Five more were killed in the Dhirawood district in Uruzgan, he said.

                Afghanistan has recently seen a rise in violence, amid preparations for September's parliamentary elections.

                Paktia arrests

                Gen Azimi told the BBC the Zabul operation was in the Khajab Agh Razi.

                One suspected Taleban fighter was also captured and weapons seized, he said.

                Gen Azimi said five more Taleban insurgents were arrested in a third operation, in the south-eastern province of Paktia.

                There have been no reports of any casualties among the Afghan forces and the Taleban have not commented on the defence ministry's claims.

                However, a Taleban spokesman said it had kidnapped a Lebanese engineer working for an international construction company in Zabul province.

                Officials in the province confirmed the kidnapping on Sunday night near the provincial capital, Qalat.

                Meanwhile, the US military has said operations are continuing in the Korengal Valley in eastern Kunar province, where militants are believed to have shot down a special forces helicopter in June.

                US military spokesman Col James Yonts said the forces were making progress in the operation to flush out rebel fighters, but predicted it may take a long time.

                "That area, as we all know, has historically been a safe haven for enemy forces. It is no secret that they still remain there."

                Three Navy SEALs died in an ambush in Kunar in June and 16 troops on the Chinook helicopter sent to rescue them were killed when it was shot down.

                Story from BBC NEWS:
                http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...ia/4153374.stm

                Published: 2005/08/15 15:49:56 GMT

                © BBC MMV
                To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

                Comment


                • #9
                  Afghan army troops complain of low wages, equipment shortage

                  Monday August 15, 2005 (1506 PST)


                  KABUL: Afghan army officials based in the nsurgency-plagued Zabul province have complained to top US commander Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry they lack equipment and support for operations against militants.

                  They said the Afghan troops had to fight 500 Taliban fighters and up to 150 al-Qaeda militants in the troubled region, which has seen a surge in bloody attacks in recent months.

                  As the US commander Saturday visited the area, the head of the Second Brigade of Army Corps No 205 in Kandahar, Major Habibullah asserted they were still in control of the entire province despite the increasing insurgency. However, he added, they needed greater support.

                  His subordinate, Colonel Hassan Gul - garrison commander of the brigade - said: "Our brigade is directly engaged in fighting against the enemy, but has inadequate heavy arms. Our soldiers are not well-equipped in terms of latest military gizmos like weapons and vehicles."

                  He went on to demand a pay raise for the soldiers involved in anti-insurgency operations, saying two dollars a day were far from adequate. He suggested the brigade force should be changed every six months to give the troops a breathing space and some respite from hectic duties.

                  For his part, the American general hailed the progress in raising and training the Afghan army and other positive developments over the last three years. However, he called on the troops to make do with the available resources as the ANA creation and recruitment process was still on.

                  "We have decided to speed up the raising of the Afghan National Army, therefore, there would be logistical problems like shortage of weapons," Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry observed, adding time was needed to tackle these problems.

                  Zaher Azemi, spokesman for the defence ministry in Kabul, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the newly-formed units were usually caught in logistical and equipment problems.
                  To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    move the thread please...

                    Afghani commandos from the new commando battalion
                    Attached Files
                    To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      .......
                      Attached Files
                      To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        move this thread to the OEF section please....
                        Attached Files
                        To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Some of the earlier pictures look like a colored mess. Could you fix the links pleasE?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Feanor View Post
                            Some of the earlier pictures look like a colored mess. Could you fix the links pleasE?
                            He can't. I don't think anyone can.

                            The server housing the data for this entire site crashed. Posts were recovered but not pictures.
                            "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Moderators?

                              Is there some reason for this thread here instead of OEF?
                              "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
                              "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

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