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2002-11-16 Afghanistan

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Posted by Fred Pruitt 2002-11-16 01:58 pm|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I haven't seen anything authoritative or professional addressing the quality of the force. My guess would be that it's still a pick-up team, simply because it hasn't been around long enough to establish real norms. These little shootouts will be their blooding period, where they decide if they're going to be a professional force or something more along the lines of the Basij. The Afghans did have a professional army, through the Najibullah regime. It wasn't up to Soviet standards, but a part of that might have been loyalty problems.

I'm mostly guessing, but I'd guess they'll try and avoid the pitfalls of their neighbors - the Pak military's involvement in politix, the (current) fragmentation of the Iranian model.

I think they'll make good soldiers for the most part; they have the Masood tradition to build on, which showed what can happen when you combine tactics with personal bravery. Their biggest problems will be their individual reluctance to take to discipline and their susceptibility to Old Time Religion. Warriors are by nature not a disciplined lot, and the country's still crawling with mullahs...

Posted by Fred 2002-11-16 18:51:10|| 2002-11-16 18:51:10|| Front Page Top

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