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It’s parade day at Camp Shurubak in Helmand Province and 1400 new recruits have graduated
into the Afghan National Army. But it’s not been the graduations grabbing
the headlines recently, it’s been the rise in so-called ‘green on blue’ attacks where
a coalition soldier’s been killed by a member of the Afghan security forces, or someone
posing as a member. Investigations have found many of these cases
have been caused by cultural misunderstandings and combat stress.
But In some incidents, insurgent infiltration is to blame.
“Where there’s an insurgency, there is going to be an attempt to infiltrate. And
you can’t stop it, but what you can try to do is neutralize it. And we’re trying
to find the best ways, to not overcome just the attacks that are occurring, but I think
more importantly those conditions that allow that type of insider threat to flourish.”
So far this year there have been 31 incidents of insider attacks leaving 39 dead – that’s
more than any previous year. But it’s not just coalition troops who have
been targeted; Afghan security forces have also been turning their guns on each other.
“We are taking every step we can, and it’s important to note, with our Afghan colleagues
to protect, not only ISAF, not only the NATO forces but the Afghan forces. We’ve just
completed a series of discussions with the senior Afghan leadership, and they are aware
of their responsibilities, as the army’s leadership, to put into place the training,
the command and control structures, the leadership necessary to neutralize, to mitigate these
phenomena, if you will.” The international community came to Afghanistan,
and together with our people defeated the Taliban. Day by day the new system has been
built, and now we have grown from one battalion, to many. Who will defend the country? Those
who are heroes and those who are brave. With both Afghan and ISAF soldiers targeted
in the attacks, ISAF is keen to point out that this is a shared problem, and that they
are working closely with Afghan officers to try and prevent such incidents.
But there are other issues that right now we’re still trying to define. What are some
of the external factors that are involved that would force an individual to pick up
his arms and attack those that were previously his friends? The poverty, the illiteracy,
the unemployment rates, the child mortality, all of those conditions that would lead people
to be susceptible to that type of influence.” The many reasons for insider attacks has lead
the recruitment and vetting process to come under scrutiny, something ISAF say they are
working on with the Afghans. But while ISAF acknowledge these attacks have
tragic consequences, they also say that with almost half a million ISAF and Afghan troops
in the country, and interaction between the two encouraged, these incidents are not endemic
and will not derail the efforts of the coalition forces to develop their Afghan partners.
“When I see the Afghans graduate, it’s a measure of success, but the true test is
our ability to retain them, to develop them as they move forward. I think the one area
we sometimes overlook, is the pride that Afghanistan takes now in those graduates. You see now
the tribal elders making personal recommendations on which young men in their tribes are now
eligible, or should be considered to be soldiers. So you are now seeing rejuvenation, a revitalization
of the profession of arms here in Afghanistan, and we can’t underestimate that.”
This is Jake Tupman reporting, from Helmand for the NATO Channel.