Posted on 01/11/2004 1:17:46 PM PST by CoolGuyVic
3000 new soldiers desert From correspondents in Kabul January 12, 2004
THOUSANDS of Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers have deserted the fledgling service after completing training by instructors from the United States, France and Britain, defence ministry officials said today.
"Some 3000 ANA soldiers have fled the army," ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi said.
"The defence ministry has announced that they have to come back and join the army otherwise they will have to pay for all the expenses spent on their training."
The desertions are a serious blow to the nascent ANA which, according to Zahir Azimi, numbers around 10,000 troops.
International observers have suggested the real strength of the ANA is closer to 7000.
Even though it is forecast to grow to be about 70,000-strong, the ANA's numbers are small in comparison to the 100,000 armed militia currently being disarmed and demobilised by government authorities.
Tough training, low wages and factional links to the private militias which still control wide swathes of the country outside Kabul are believed to be behind the mass exodus from the ANA.
It was not clear today exactly how much money had been spent on the deserters, but recruits receive $US50 a month (about $65) during training and a minimum wage of $US70 per month after that.
In addition to their imported uniforms and tuition, soldiers receive a $US7 a day food allowance and $US60 a month if they go on exercises outside the capital Kabul.
The ANA was formed in May 2002 after the ousting of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime by US-led forces.
It accepts volunteers and initially local militia commanders and warlords were instructed to force some of their troops to join the national army, although this practice has stopped.
"The militia commanders introduced the weak and lazy ones (into the ANA), not the active fighters, and they couldn't bear the tough training," Zahir Azimi said.
"The salary they were paid was less than what they could make in a month doing other things so they left.
"Now it is totally volunteer soldiers and that is why in the last several months we haven't had any escapes."
Afghanistan has endured almost three decades of war.
The 1992-1996 civil war destroyed all government institutions, including the national army.
After the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001, the Bonn agreements laid out plans for a national army and a police force to gather weapons and disarm militia.
The formation of the ANA was supervised by the US army but with the assistance of Britain, New Zealand and France. Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Canada, South Korea and Mongolia also supplied technical assistance.
Disarming private militias is one of the priorities for President Hamid Karzai as he attempts to extend the authority of his government to the provinces, which have been troubled by factional fighting and rights abuses by commanders.
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | West Virginia | 10.00 |
1 |
10.00 |
69 |
0.14 |
30.00 |
2 |
Thanks for donating to Free Republic!
Move your locale up the leaderboard!
In an area with countless millennia of tribal cultural history that is going to be difficult.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.