I’ve already served a full year in Afghanistan as a civilian defense contractor and am working getting back there as soon as I can. Our troops are awesome, as are the Brits and nearly every Eastern European soldier (generic use) I met, traveled with, and spent many nights with in unpleasant places. Non-Pashtun Afghans — Hasarahs, Tajiks, Farahans, Heratis and others…are splendid people who are rebuilding their country, often with their bare hands and primitive tools…they are optimistic, brave people whom I am proud to call friend and ally. Mr. MY has captured the tone of Afghanistan perfectly in this first article. Most of the Taliban are Pashtuns…some four million Pashtuns live in Afghanistan…about 35 million live on the Pakistan side of the Durban Line (contested border between Afghanistan & Pakistan’s Waziristan region). These thugs are brutal oppressors who use the organization created by the Pakistani ISI as a means to continue their centuries-old oppression of the minority groups (smaller tribes). They have no regard for life, they despise the minority tribes and are only too happy to use them as human shields or set them up as targets for our side’s massive firepower… These are truly evil people who must be driven out of Afghanistan and their military capability destroyed forever.
The Afghan National Army is an amazing and fast-improving fighting force…I know most of the senior leadership…some are not qualified but many are US and, or British-trained professional soldiers…they, the US & ISAF trainers and the civilian contractor trainers have moved the ANA from a rabble to an emerging world-class army…They’re not now and likely never will be as good as US & British troops, but they’re already better than the majority of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF…a subset of NATO) troops…These men represent a major success in stabilizing this volatile region…Yes, some of the senior leaders are still corrupt and inept but Defense Minister Abdul Wardak and his top staff generals are weeding out the dead wood and bringing in dynamic new corps, brigade & battalion commanders. Our trainers are building a whole new generation of company-grade officers and for the first time in Afghan history, building a professional NCO corps. Much remains to be done in professionalizing this force, but what has been done is staggeringly good.
The Interior Ministry with its multiple ‘police forces,’ is still an awful mess…We got started on that ministry’s development late in the game but we’re making some headway in reducing internal corruption and training those forces…We all knew what the problems were but until about two years ago there just wasn’t enough money or enough staff to tackle both Defense and Interior…our leaders had to make very difficult choices…but we’re on our way now.
My friends who are now in Herat, Farah, Helmand and Kandahar provinces tell me that nearly all of the US-trained ANA troops are aggressive, dedicated and brave fighters…the train-up thus far is a story that all Americans should be proud of…still lots of problems to overcome…I’m not a PollyAnna…but if we do get more troops and more equipment in the contested areas and we continue to develop the ANA and ANP the Taliban & al Qaeda are going to be in for some very unpleasant times.
This war is winnable…we are winning, but not as quickly or as emphatically as we could or should. I look forward to reading the entire series of articles.
