By JOHN WENDLE / KABUL | Time.com – 2-27-2012
As the anger over the Koran-burning controversy continued to convulse Afghanistan, another violent incident disrupted how the Kabul government interacts with its Western allies. On Saturday afternoon, a member of the Afghan Interior Ministry opened fire on two U.S. advisers -- a lieut. colonel and a major -- at the ministry's command-and-control center in the capital. The Americans were shot in the back of their heads as they sat at their desks, news reports said. "A countrywide manhunt is under way for the fugitive," Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi told TIME. Since the news broke, speculation has raged over whether the killer was an insurgent infiltrator or simply motivated by the Koran burnings at the Bagram airfield earlier this week. Sediqi denied the idea of infiltration, saying it is "clear that insurgent groups are not able to have such connections as this. The ministry is very secure, and we have not had any such incidents in the past. It cannot be suggested that he has links with some groups. But we will have to investigate."
After reading the initial reports, one Afghanistan-based security expert does not believe the killer was a Taliban plant -- as the militant group has claimed. However, Paddy Smith, a security analyst and former British soldier, says, "Given the nature of where the killer was, it is definitely interesting that he was able to holster his weapon and walk away. It is an indication of either confusion or collusion. That's some feat -- unless some other people knew about it -- to just walk into the control center and head-chop them." But Smith also says the attack underlines huge structural problems facing foreign forces in training a viable Afghan army and security force large enough and strong enough to defend the country from internal and external enemies -- one of the requirements the U.S. and NATO have set in order to withdraw by 2014 and still be able to declare a kind of victory.
The growing divide between Afghan soldiers and their mentors has already been stretched to the breaking point after six days of violent and deadly protests over the Koran burning that have left around 30 dead, including four U.S. troops previously killed by Afghan soldiers or men in Afghan-security-force uniforms. The burning of Korans by foreign troops on one side and the killing of foreign troops by Afghan soldiers on the other have pushed the level of alienation between the two sides to what could be an all-time high.
The Saturday murders were only the latest of at least 22 similar killings that have occurred since last April. Smith says there have been at least 35 in the past 12 months, though NATO spokesman Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson refused to confirm that number. The Wall Street Journal reports that at least 77 coalition troops have been killed in the past five years in "green on blue" incidents, with around 57 of those having taken place since early 2010. Smith is not sanguine about improving the situation, even as the allies pour more money and effort into training ever more locals. Says he: "You only ever rent an Afghan, you can't buy one."
"Language and culture barriers always remain," says Smith. "These Americans [killed on Saturday] probably didn't have the first clue of what was about to hit them. Even if the Afghans had been sitting around talking about the murder in Dari [a local language], these guys wouldn't have known about it. Very seldom do we actually connect with each other," Smith says. "These guys are loyal because we pay them. You only start to develop a bond over months and years, and British soldiers only have six months before they go home."
Smith says that NATO troops "get on a plane at a NATO base in the U.S. or Europe and fly to a NATO base in Afghanistan, and they never really engage with the Afghan population. Also -- and this is the chicken-and-the-egg question -- because of force-protection measures, soldiers can't get out there and win hearts and minds, and because of this, more soldiers die. And the more that soldiers die, the more force-protection measures there are -- and they interact even less. We've just driven a wedge between ourselves," Smith says, echoing feelings and observations expressed in numerous conversations TIME has had with analysts, observers, service members, officers and security contractors over more than two years in Afghanistan.
The Saturday attacks seem to verify the findings of a declassified -- then reclassified -- U.S. Army study titled A Crisis of Trust and Cultural Incompatibility, which was released in May 2011. Through hundreds of interviews with both Afghan and American service members, it found that the murders of NATO troops by Afghan troops "do not represent 'rare and isolated events' as [is] currently being proclaimed." Afghan soldiers cited night raids and home searches by foreign troops, the lack of respect for women, indiscriminate shooting, constant cursing and arrogance as top complaints against their foreign "partners." They also said failure to prosecute foreign troops for war crimes, disrespect for Afghan soldiers, poor logistical support and a failure to share information led to divisions between the two forces -- among numerous other complaints that included entering mosques, eating in front of fasting Afghan soldiers during Ramadan and other episodes of the desecration of the Koran.
At the same time, the report noted that U.S. troops have an extremely low regard for their Afghan counterparts. The service members' top complaints were that the Afghans were drug abusers, thieves, traitorous, unstable, incompetent and had poor officers and noncommissioned officers. The troops also said Afghan recruits lacked discipline, were dangerous in firefights, were cowardly, lazy and had poor hygiene.
The report concludes that "the rapidly growing fratricide-murder trend committed by Afghan national security force [ANSF] personnel against NATO members" confirms the "ineffectiveness [of] our efforts in stabilizing Afghanistan, developing a legitimate and effective government, battling the insurgency, gaining the loyalty, respect and friendship of the Afghans [and] building the ANSFs into legitimate and functional organizations." The report says that these complaints and murders challenge the usefulness of the "partnering" concept. "This is all the more a paradox given [NATO's] assumption of and planned reliance [on] the [ANSF] to be able to take over the security burden before it can disengage from this grossly prolonged conflict."
Despite that, the U.S. and NATO have always painted the partnership in positive terms. In a message issued on Saturday, the NATO commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, thanked the Afghan military "for the sacrifices they have made this week to minimize violence throughout the country," and added that "for many years, these brave ANSF soldiers and policemen have stood together alongside us, shoulder to shoulder, shohna ba shohna, in dutifully seeking to protect the Afghan population from a merciless insurgency." That message was released before the two U.S. troops were killed. On Saturday, NATO pulled back all of its troops from their mentoring roles in Afghan government ministries, a significant move that NATO spokesman Jacobson described to TIME as "temporary" -- but one that is bound to have far-reaching ramifications over the coming year.
MTW-
This is what an apology to religious fanatics will get you. Please Mr. BO, why do you not simply just bring our people home? We can bomb and cruise missile them into the stone age without a single boot on the ground. I do not think that will be necessary if we LEAVE and STOP GIVING THEM MONEY! I would have already dropped a couple of nukes on the place if I were you. Then again, I WAS born here, for sure, and I love my fellow Americans too much to apologize over NOTHING; and next, two of our OFFICERS are executed? Thems’ fightin’ words buddy! As far as any Americans who happen to be have chosen to be Muslims, or are immigrants, what makes you feel any more discriminated against than anybody else? Everywhere each of us go, whatever difference we have from the majority at that moment, will get you treated poorly. I have been, and I am white. According to some, that is supposed to be a good thing. It was other white people picking on me. You want to be a Muslim, go ahead. You are free to do that here. In Iran they are trying to make a Christian renounce his faith in exchange for his life. Are we doing that to you here? Or, do you still feel self-conscious about 9/11 and the decade of War on Terror, in which oddly enough we are fighting MUSLIMS? And you are angry at the Republican candidates for not giving you enough attention, like Mr. Paul? WE DO NOT HAVE TO WRITE EVERYTHING IN ARABIC FOR YOU. Go and move somewhere that does do that if you are not happy here. I am not happy you are here either.
Two U.S. soldiers "killed by Afghan soldier, civilian"
By Michael Georgy | Reuters – 3-1-2012 U.N. in Afghanistan says Koran burners should be punished
The killings in south Afghanistan came after two senior U.S. officers were gunned down in the Afghan Interior Ministry on Saturday by what Afghan security officials say was a police intelligence official.
At least five NATO soldiers have been killed by Afghan security forces since the burning of copies of the Koran at a NATO base last month triggered widespread anger and protests.
The killing of the U.S. officers in the Interior Ministry stunned NATO and cast doubt on its strategy of replacing large combat units with advisers as the alliance tries to wind down the war, now in its eleventh year.
NATO immediately moved to withdraw all its advisers from Afghan ministries in Kabul. Britain, Germany and Canada then withdrew their advisers.
The Obama administration will not swerve from plans to move into an advisory role in Afghanistan, U.S. officials say. But Afghan officials worry that further attacks by Afghan forces on Western troops could damage ties with NATO.
According to the U.S. Pentagon, about 70 members of the NATO force were killed in 42 insider attacks from May 2007 through to January 2012.
Such incidents became more frequent after the United States sent tens of thousands of more soldiers to Afghanistan as part of a surge to fight in Taliban strongholds.
"There are Taliban sympathizers in uniform inside Afghan security forces who are not in fact sent or recruited by the Taliban," said an Afghan government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"Despite tighter vetting procedures, such unfortunate incidents do occur. This problem will not go away. We need more time, more resources and manpower."
Some of Washington's partners have shown even greater sensitivity to insider attacks. In January, French President Nicolas Sarkozy suspended training and support operations and announced that France would withdraw entirely by the end of 2013 after four French troops were killed by a rogue Afghan soldier.
The United States hopes Afghan forces will be able to confront the Taliban and handle security on their own before NATO combat troops' scheduled departure by the end of 2014.
Insider attacks on NATO troops have deepened doubts about the commitment and effectiveness of Afghan forces.
"Unfortunately, this situation is a point of concern for us," General Afzal Aman, head of the operations department at the Ministry of Defense, told Reuters.
(Additional reporting by Mirwais Harooni and Hamid Shalizi; Editing by Robeert Birsel)
MTW-
Here is why I waited to post the former, as things have not improved, but simply an escalation in violence. We will never fix the Middle East. They do not want change, only blood. It used to be the killing of OUR people was an act of War. However, we are already at war, training the people who are killing us to take over. With whom exactly I do not know. Is it the Taliban, or regular Afghan soldiers? I do not think our leaders know, either. We need our Service Men and Women brought home. Let them kill each other, and please let Israel decide if they need to defend themselves. They are quite capable. I have had enough of this, the political agenda. Remove the United Nations from our soil. It is an impotent organization, and very much outdated. NATO needs to go as well. In those 42 insider attacks, with 7o NATO persons killed between May, 2007 through January, 2012. This cannot be stopped, nor does either side in this civil war want it to. Get our Armed Forces out of Iraq and Afghanistan before there are not any live Soldiers to bring home. Between the Unions, and the tree huggers, our Keystone Pipeline, which could have helped us with not only energy, but also jobs, it is obvious that too many people’s pockets have our President in them. Perhaps another apology will do it. I will now be taking a much needed break from the constant barrage of political BS, which is impossible to keep up with. If you do not know by now that Obama is only doing good things in the last couple of months just to get re-elected, remember the first three years, and the price of fuel. I will not stop writing, I simply feel as if I am beating a dead horse. These people cannot be trusted. The people we help still hate us, yet it is they whom are the true infadels.
GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND OUR ARMED FORCES!
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