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KABUL: Slowly, and at times painfully, Afghanistan’s national army is beginning to take shape and to build up the muscle it needs to take on the might of the warlords who have long controlled the country’s destiny.
The US special forces who have taken the recruits under their wing say the troops — some of them hardened Mujahideen warriors with years of guerrilla warfare under their belts — are getting to grips with the discipline needed to form a modern army.
The going has not been entirely smooth.
“Are you ready for your training?” asked Col Najibullah, commander of the first battalion of the multi-ethnic Afghan National Army.
“Yes, yes, yes,” chanted his troops, decked out in camouflage uniforms provided by the US military as they prepared for a competition between companies to mark the end of the first phase of their 10-week training course.
The soldiers, taken from all of Afghanistan’s frequently warring ethnic groups, were in for a surprise.
The competition was a race through a tortuous obstacle course lugging heavy water cans under the baking midday sun.
The creation of a national army beholden to the federal government and not to regional warlords is a key part of the West’s plan to make Afghanistan immune to the fundamentalism of the ousted Taliban or the allure of the al Qaeda militant group, blamed for the September 11 attacks.
EXTENDING AUTHORITY: Through it, the transitional, UN-backed administration that will be chosen at a Loya Jirga grand assembly from June 10-16 will be able to extend its authority throughout the country.
At full strength, the national army will be 60,000 strong, and backed up by an 8,000 person air force, 12,000 border guards and 70,000 police.
The British military has already helped to train a battalion of the national guard, called 1BANG. They will be the only force providing security inside the Loya Jirga venue and will eventually be incorporated into the national army.
One of the army’s main novelties is its multi-ethnic nature. Ethnic Tajiks, Uzbeks, Pakhtoons and Hazaras, who have frequently clashed in the past, train and will fight side by side.
But it is early.
British military officials in the US led coalition in Afghanistan and in the International Security Assistance Force that has patrolled Kabul since shortly after the fall of the Taliban late last year say it could take up to five years to groom an army capable of defending Afghanistan’s borders.
An army simply capable of intimidating renegade militia commanders may take slightly less time to set up, said ISAF commander, Maj-Gen John McColl, of the British army.
At a rocket-scarred former military academy outside Kabul where the US special forces are training the first batch of troops, patience appears to be key.
“Guess they don’t have a word for sprint,” chuckled a US soldier as the first company of Afghans began their race through the obstacle course at a leisurely stroll.
CONCEPT OF DISCIPLINE: “We’re trying to teach them the whole concept of competition between the companies and building up teamwork,” said Staff Sgt Shawn. US army special forces members cannot be identified by their full names.
Teaching of course works both ways.
The Afghans, paid a base salary of $30 a month during training, which many complain is not enough, come with basic rifle handling skills. What they lack is military-standard training in zeroing their sights and in weapons maintenance.
Most appear to have a keen sense of their symbolic importance in Afghanistan.
“We are extremely proud at being able to establish a national army to defend our homeland,” Col Najibullah said.
The troops seem to agree.
Training under the US special forces begins with some basic lessons about such things as hygiene and target practice. They learn to fire single shots and aim, rather than just squeezing the triggers of their automatic rifles.
The second phase of the course involves “Common Task Training” such as reading maps.
US Marines Maj Ralph Mills said the battalion’s strength had fluctuated between 450 and 500 men — more or less as planned.
New recruits arrive continuously and the second battalion of the Afghan National Army begins its training in June under the French military.
“We’ve had people just show up at the gate,” Mills said.
“We’ve had people show up on horseback, we’ve had people show up with just the clothes on their back and we’ve had some turn up with their own weapons.”—Reuters
