Troops fear corruption outweighs progress of Afghan forces

[unhappycamper]

Troops fear corruption outweighs progress of Afghan forces
By Dianna Cahn, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, December 9, 2009

BAGHLAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Tomorrow, Afghanistan’s homegrown soldiers might be ready to take over the fight against the Taliban, so that American forces can begin to come home as President Barack Obama hopes.

But today, they are far from ready. Even the best Afghan units lack training, discipline and adequate reinforcements. In one new unit in Baghlan province, Afghan soldiers cower in a ditch whenever shooting breaks out. Others routinely steal U.S.-supplied fuel, equipment and weapons. And a few are suspected of collaborating with the Taliban against the Americans.

“I do not feel I am a mentor here,” said Capt. Jason Douthwaite, a logistics officer with the 73rd Troop Command of the Ohio National Guard who has tried to stop rampant pilfering by the Afghan soldiers his brigade is training. “I feel like I am an investigating officer. It’s not, ‘Let me teach you your job.’ It’s more like, ‘How much did you steal from the American government today?’ ”

In his speech at West Point last week announcing a surge of 30,000 additional U.S. troops into Afghanistan, Obama said building and training the Afghan security forces would become a pillar of America’s new war strategy so that U.S. forces could begin to be withdrawn in July 2011.

Obama’s top commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, said the goal is to double Afghan forces to 400,000, and to do so in four years.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66544

[MercutioATC]

1. Which is why we have no business there.

We are NOT our brother's keeper...especially when that brother is not willingly being kept.

[DrDan]

2. but we shall break that spirit of apathy in 18 months

and we can begin our pull-out in earnest.

[unhappycamper]

3. Uhhhhhhhh. Not quite:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7186625

[DrDan]

4. guess I forgot to include the "sarcasm" thingy

we are there for a loooooooong time - probably until the money (and credit) runs out