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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Desertions blow hits Afghan army |
| 2005-06-09 |
| 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. 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. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 Nevertheless that must change over time if the country is to succeed. And the armed forces are the best place to start it, as the shared discipline, effort and achievement build both pride and common bonds across tribal boundaries. Not easy but absolutely necessary. The pay issue is equally pressing, I suspect. |
| Posted by: too true 2005-06-09 21:08 |
| #1 With an integrated Afghan Army and therefore the shame before one's clan removed, the social penalty for taking a powder is much lower. Same o', same o' with the Soviet version of the 'modern' Afghan Army. As much as our advisors would like to push an all Afghan Army concept they are ignoring behavior patterns of a society not ready for the impersonal industrial age. Like our militia units of the ACW [and as carried to a certain extent of our own NG units], the individual identity of the soldier with his village/clan/peers is still more important than the 'national'. |
| Posted by: Jert Flinert7749 2005-06-09 20:45 |