Desertions deplete Afghan Army

[acmavm]

from the December 17, 2003 edition

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1217/p06s01-wosc.html

At the current pace, it will take until 2010 for the force to reach full strength - prolonging US Army stay.

<snip>

POL-E-CHARKHI, AFGHANISTAN – In a muddy camp east of Kabul, Maj. Gen. Sher Karimi surveys the latest hard-won gains in the struggle to forge a national defense force for Afghanistan.
Before him down the hill, a new Afghan artillery unit oils 122 mm howitzers under the patient instruction of a Mongolian trainer. Behind him stands a row of rusty Soviet Scuds and other missiles, rocket launchers, and artillery pieces trucked in Thursday night as part of a push to disarm regional militia of both small arms and heavy weapons

<snip>

Army recruits trained so far have quit, taking their boots and uniforms with them, he says. As a result, the ANA is rushing to enlist and meet a timetable of completing the Central Corps, with 10,000 soldiers in three brigades, before national elections planned for June. Even that number falls short of the goal of 12,500 ANA soldiers by June projected by a top US military official, Gen. Peter Pace, as recently as September.

At the current pace, Karimi estimates it will take until 2010 for the coalition to achieve its target of training 70,000 Afghan soldiers. Deserters must be tracked down and punished rather than left alone as they are now, he says.

-MORE-
*********************************************************************

Another "Mission (not) Accomplished"

By Ann Scott Tyson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

[tlcandie]

1. Punishing them should work!

/sarcasm off I imagine they needed the clothing since there is nothing there these days not even the basics :(

[0007]

2. You can always count on the Christians Science Monitor

for a non-bias objective story. One of the best News sources in the world. Something I don't truly understand. I have a problem with their religion but not their news source.

[tlcandie]

3. Agree 0007

nt

[loudnclear]

4. Training and arming the next band of enemies to fight.

Makes a lot of sense doesn't it?

[Tansy_Gold]

5. I guess the only sensible alternative then is to keep. . . . .

. . . . . our troops there as an occupying force until. . . . when?

/sarcasm off/