Six minute You Tube item on ANA
This undated You Tube item on the ANA by two US soldiers, with very direct comments has appeared on the Uk blogsite and comes from The (UK) Guardian newspaper, which I only rarely check: http://defenceoftherealm.blogspot.co...alities-5.html
davidbfpo
Americans and Latvians Betrayed by ANA?
From Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520182,00.html
Quote:
U.S. Probes Whether Afghan Forces Colluded With Taliban in Deadly Attack
Kunar River Valley, Afghanistan — A pre-dawn attack by the Taliban that killed three American soldiers and six other coalition troops earlier this month is raising new questions about many of the Afghan soldiers who were supposed to be fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with them.
I knew SSG Vile, and I'm not sure which Latvians were involved but I worked closely with two of the OMLTs. I'm feeling a little ill.
ANA desert a joint ANA-UK post
SWJ daily News has an item headlined 'Sight of Dead Girl at the Gates Sparked a Bloody Mutiny', which upon closer reading refers to a UK detachment embedded (OMLT) with an ANA platoon in a FOB and after a local child is killed the ANA, all bar one, desert: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6814206.ece
Quote:
The Royal Irish turn up in what seems like a few seconds (to main FOB). They are shattered and have the haunted, lost look of betrayal. Only one Afghan soldier has remained loyal. Jones (FOB OiC) is amazed by how quickly the Taleban have been able to exploit the killing of the 12-year-old girl.
Note the story is undated and is taken from a newly published book on the UK Airborne Brigade's time in Helmand in 2007-2008 IIRC.
davidbfpo
Do AFG Soldiers HAVE TO BE Literate?
Interesting question posed at the US Army/USMC COIN Centre Blog here:
Quote:
On the surface you would say “of course it does,” but what if your countrymen are 75% illiterate and what if your fellow soldiers are 90% illiterate? Then what do you do? Can a force possessing this level of reading skill or the gross lack thereof be trained in anything but basic infantry skills?
If we are going to equip, train, and fight alongside the Afghanistan National Army, -- then how can they operate for the long term as an Army if they cannot read? The enemy has shown that they can operate without this “critical” skill. How? Their tactics are in small groups, usually attacking on very familiar ground, with weapons that are man-portable and simple to operate.
The Afghan Army must instead operate complex weapons, weapons-systems and equipment that in most regards becomes somewhat difficult or impossible to operate without the skill of reading. They must take the fight to the enemy, the Taliban, wherever they may be throughout Afghanistan. How do you get there with your 500 man unit, how do you plan, how do you coordinate, and which road do you take if most of your force cannot read? Do you disagree? ....
(More on link)
My view:
1) More literacy = better army.
2) It's going to be a long, uphill battle teaching literacy skills as well as military ones.
3) Literate in which language?