And the AmeriKan media declare progress!
"Deaths of Afghan soldiers rise as coalition withdraws" by Azam Ahmed |
New York Times, December 31, 2012
KABUL — The Afghan government has hit a grim record in its quest to
take over the country’s security from coalition forces: more than 1,000
Afghan soldiers died in 2012....
Though the Afghan Army’s death rates have outstripped those for
international forces in recent years, the new figures show the widest
margin yet, as more Afghan units have taken the field. International
troops were reported to have lost about 400 soldiers in 2012, the lowest
number since 2008, and many of those were the result of insider
attacks.
The progress of the Afghan National Army in being able to fight the
insurgency is crucial to the international coalition’s exit strategy as
the formal end of NATO combat operations looms in 2014. Afghan officials
say that their forces now plan and lead 80 percent of combat operations
across the country.
Since 2008, the number of enlisted Afghan soldiers has nearly tripled, to 195,000....
Depending on how one reads the new numbers of soldier deaths, the figures can be both hopeful and troubling.
Inasmuch as the uptick in deaths indicate a more active role for the
army, the data are encouraging: Afghan-led operations should result in
more Afghan casualties. But for some, the statistics also raise
questions about whether the army is ready to take over control of the
country’s security.
I find that type of logic sickening.
‘‘These high figures send a message to Afghans as well as the
international community that the Afghan security forces are not ready to
take over and that we will witness even more severe casualties in the
next couple of years,’’ said Jawid Kohistani, a military analyst based
in Kabul. ‘‘The only thing preventing the Taliban from taking over a
district or a province or carrying out more audacious attacks is the
presence of foreign forces who are equipped with modern and advanced
technology.’’
--more--"
"Car bomb kills 2 Afghan intelligence officers" Associated Press, October 09, 2012
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The number of casualties among Afghan security forces has been on the
rise as Afghan troops have shifted into a more frontline role in the
war against the Taliban and other insurgent groups as international
forces leave.
Civilians have also continued to suffer heavy casualties from bombings and targeted killings.
The outgoing head of the International Red Cross mission in
Afghanistan told reporters Monday that civilians are in greater danger
with less hope for peace than when he took up his post seven years ago.
‘‘As the armed conflict in Afghanistan rages on, life for ordinary
Afghans has taken a turn for the worse,’’ said Reto Stocker as he
prepared to leave the job he has held since 2005.
And yet we are calling it victory!
He said the proliferation of armed groups in the country has
continued to make it difficult for the Red Cross to operate and for
civilians to seek medical attention when they are caught up in the
violence.
But Stocker said the Red Cross has made some progress by persuading
warring parties to hear some of its concerns about the war that began
when the United States invaded on Oct. 7, 2001....
The beginning of the war a Freudian slip by the newspaper, or do they really know 9/11 was an inside job?
--more--"
Also see: Taliban ambush kills 10 Afghan troops
Insider attacks also plague Afghan troops, NATO notes
Related: Investigating the Afghan Army
