Afghan armed forces trustable?

the security in some cities were handed over to afghan security forces and it is to be completed until 2014. i was just wondering how capable they are of fulfilling their duty and whether we could trust them.

1. April 27 - an Afghan pilot had an argument with his american mentors, left the meeting and then returned and forced 9 Americans to remove their weapons before shooting them with a U.S. provided M9 semi-automatic weapon. he then shot himself.
2. 25 April - Taliban jailbreak from the Sarposa prison of kandahar, something out of a bad gangster movie. some 500 Taliban got away including prominent commanders and they police and afghan official said to be involved in facilitating it
3. April 18 - An insurgent kills two Afghan soldiers and an officer at the Afghan Defense Ministry.
4. April 16 - Six American troops, four Afghan soldiers and an interpreter are killed when an Afghan soldier detonates an explosive vest at Forward Operating Base Gamberi in Laghman.
5. April 15 - A suicide bomber impersonating a policeman blows himself up inside the Kandahar police headquarters complex, killing the top law enforcement official in the southern province.
6. April 4 - Two American military personnel are shot and killed by a man wearing an Afghan border police uniform.
7. February - An Afghan solider shoots nine German soldiers, killing three and injuring six.
8. January - One Italian soldier is killed and another is wounded after an Afghan soldier opens fire on them.

the afghan national security forces (ANSF) has been growing in numbers but continues to be greatly lacking in quality. Still plagued by widespread corruption, it continues to be deeply resented by the population for its abusiveness. It is still trained mainly as a light paramilitary force to hold off insurgents until the ISAF can arrive on the scene and has little ability to deal with ordinary crime, the daily scourge for Afghans. The lack of order on the street creates important inroads for the Taliban.

The stampede to create militia forces in Afghanistan further complicates the reliability of Afghan security forces. The local police set up by ISAF may have robust vetting and safeguard mechanisms, but the myriad of other militias created by ethnic politicians and local strongmen often don’t have any vetting at all. Their growth reveals the level of ethnic tensions and uncertainty in Afghanistan. Nor does the Ministry of Interior have any clear ability to control any such forces that go rogue.

Karzai, distrustful of and confused by Washington, operates an increasingly narrow patronage network and easily overrides the local officials whom he perceives as threatening, regardless of their performance. Many Afghans, not the least of whom are the Northerners and minorities, are deeply worried about negotiations with the Taliban. Even with quarter of a million Afghan security forces and 160 billion dollars spent in the last ten years, the current political situation in Afghanistan is unstable.

احتمال تبادله میلیون ها دالر در فراری دادن زندانیان قندهار

فرار بیش از 500 تن از زندانیان در قندهار، آن هم در یک زمان، پرسش های زیادی را مطرح کرده است.

تحلیلگران به این باورند که تا حکومت، مقامات امنیتی و پرسونل زندان دست نداشته باشند، امکان فرار برای آن ها وجود ندارد.

حاجی احمدخان یک تن از بزرگان محلی قندهار می گوید: "در فرار زندانیان، حکومت صد درصد دست دارد و این مسئله به بی کفایتی آقای کرزی بر می گردد. در قندهار همه می دانند که این مشکلات همه از سوی کرزی صاحب است، اگر بندی می شود هم رضای او (کرزی) است، اگر کشته می شود هم."

به گفته وی برخی از خبرها حاکی از آن است که شماری از زندانیان به کمک مسوولین امنیتی زندان از دروازه فرار کرده اند نه از تونل، اما مقامات امنیتی قندهار گفته اند که این زندانیان از تونل فرار نموده اند.

احمدخان می گوید: "از آنجایی که در میان زندانیان رهبران، سردسته های طالبان و نیز کسانی که با استخبارات پاکستان دست داشته شامل بودند، مقامات امنیتی پول گرفته و آن ها را فراری داده اند."

شکیبا هاشمی وکیل ولایت قندهار در مجلس نمایندگان می گوید: "تا از حکومت کسانی در این قضیه دست نداشته باشند، چگونه زندانی که دیوارهای آن از سنگ ساخته شده، سوراخ شود و چگونه سامان آلاتی که برای کندن تونل به کار برده می شود، به داخل زندان منتقل گردد؟ "

به گفته وی ممکن است این مسئله یک پروسه بوده و با کشته شدن فرمانده پیشین پولیس قندهار (خان محمد مجاهد) در ارتباط باشد، زیرا از یک سو افزون بر دو ماه برای فرار زندانیان آمادگی گرفته شده و از سوی دیگر خان محمد مجاهد در یک حمله مشکوک کشته می شود.

هاشمی افزود: "این بار دوم است که زندانیان فراری داده می شوند. دفعه قبلی هنگامی که زندانیان از زندان فرار کردند فرمانده پولیس آن وقت، در هنگام فرار حتی یک فیر هم به سوی شان نکردند و آقای اسدالله خالد که والی بود او (فرمانده پولیس وقت ) ودیگر مسوولین امنیتی را نیز مورد بازپرس قرار نداد که تحقیقات بعدی نشان داد، در فراری دادن زندانیان چندین میلیون دالر تبادله شده و مسوولین، آن مبلغ را دریافت کرده بودند."

به گفته هاشمی، آقای کرزی والی و مقامات امنیتی آن زمان را نه تنها مجازات نکردند که به پست های بالاتر از آن هم گماشت و این مسئله نشان می دهد که آزادی زندانیان از ارگ و به دستور مقامات بلند پایه حکومتی هدایت می شده است.

هاشمی می گوید پس از تحقیقات به درستی روشن خواهد شد که چه کسانی در این قضیه دست داشته اند اما این احتمال وجود دارد که این بار هم میلیون ها دالر برای فراری دادن این زندانیان تبادله شده باشد.

سیامک هروی یک تن از سخنگویان رییس جمهور ضمن خود داری از پاسخ روشن در مورد این اتهامات، به خبرگزاری بست باستان گفت که وی در ارتباط به این موضوع چیزی نداشته و باید از مقامات امنیتی محلی پرسیده شود.

توریالی ویسا والی ولایت قندهار به رسانه ها گفته است هنوز مشخص نیست که این زندانیان چگونه فرار کرده اند و آیا کسی در فرار آن ها دست داشته اند یانه؟

ویسا ضمن تایید این که آن ها از راه تونل فرار کرده اند، افزوده است که تحقیقات در ارتباط به این مسئله آغاز شده است.

کارشناسان امور به این باورند که گفته های حکومت هیچگاه جامه عمل نخواهد پوشید. زیرا حلقاتی که در درون حکومت وجود دارند نه تنها مانع از افشای عاملان این گونه قضایا می شوند که با وارد کردن فشار بر دستگاه دولت تلاش می کنند سرنوشت این پرونده ها به فراموشی سپرده شود.

politicians, liars or idiots?

further to my previous post and exactly my concern about telling Afghans that murder in the name of God is unjustifiable because you felt offended. today i noticed in the news that everybody rushes to blame Pastor Jones, he might be insane and extreme but he is not responsible for the murders. the murderers are responsible for the murders, I wonder if US senators, UN Afghan chief, US chief commander in Afghanistan truly believes in what they are saying in which case they are idiots or they clearly see that Taliban are benefiting from this in which case they are lying hypocrites.

The UN Chief's envoy to Afghanistan, Staffan De Mistura, strongly criticised the Florida pastor for burning a copy of the Koran. Staffan De Mistura blamed the violence on the Florida pastor, describing the burning of the holy Koran as "insane and totally desprecable gesture by one person".

I don't think we should be blaming any Afghans, we should blame the one who burnt the Koran, he said addressing a news conference in Kabul on Saturday. Freedom of speech does not mean to offend culture, religion and traditions, he added.

then I tuned to US politicians and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) and other lawmakers on Sunday joined Gen. David Petraeus in condemning the Quran burning staged by a Florida pastor and the resulting violence in Afghanistan.

one clear beneficiary has emerged from the wave of deadly riots that swept Afghanistan after members of a Florida evangelical church burned a copy of the Quran: the Taliban.

it is not rocket science to realise that the concern of western politicians and Aid workers in kabul is not the truth but the politics of the riots. i followed the news again and noticed that according to Afghan and Western officials, taliban have exploited the ongoing tumult, using the riots as cover for attacks against Western and government targets and reaping propaganda benefits by allying themselves with popular fury over the desecration of the Muslim holy book.
Lindsey Graham, (R., S.C.), US senator said on “Face the Nation” that “free speech is a great idea, but we’re in a war. During World War II, you had limits on what you could say if it would inspire the enemy"

Lindsey's comment sums it up for me. western diplomats perceive each Afghan as Fascist fanatic who they can not reason with but rather to trick. I have to admit that this would bother me less than the naivety some aid workers show in kabul by truly believing that the murders were not members of the riot. it just show how misguided they are which is fine but it bothers me because they introduce themselves as experts.

from: anonymous

it's "racist" to expect Muslims to abide by the concept of personal responsibility.

Why do Afghans believe that it is their moral obligation to commit murder, even to annihilate innocent people in God's name? What aspects of their scriptures and traditions tend to support such violence? What ethical principles--religious and non-religious--can we affirm in response to those ideas and the atrocities that they engender?

in Afghanistan violence happens on daily basis and at least a dozen people die in political unrest, tribal conflict, petty crimes and domestic violence everyday. however religious violence can take on a particularly intense and ruthless character, if the objects of that violence are seen as blaspheming or insulting God, as the enemies of God or God's way narrowly conceived. The problem of indiscriminate religious violence is particularly difficult to eliminate from within because it's deeply rooted in the scriptures and traditions. The same religious traditions that affirm God to be compassionate, merciful, and just, also include more disturbing claims that promote religious hatred and intolerance, and sadly have provided a rationale for aggression. We need to face these things head-on. Questioning the moral justification of mazar sharif killings leads, moreover, to troubling questions about traditions, culture, morality and ethics of Afghans.

i am very saddened by the murders that took place in mazar yet not surprised at the action of my fellow Afghans. however, the question above is not for my fellow Afghans as expecting them to question deep rooted traditions and culture would be similar to ask moon to find another orbiting space instead of earth. i am absolutely appalled by the actions of Mazar murders but i am also disgusted at the reaction of the world. people who value freedom and understand that no religious principle or any other rational can justify murder need to speak against this despicable action. instead westeners and their institutions tend to blame Paster Jones. all day today i am hearing from westeners that Afghans went nuts because afghans are deeply traditionally and conservative. i take an insult to that, it means that we, as afghans, are not treated like human beings by not being held accountable to our actions. free people of the world, stop appeasing the fanatics and stand for what you beleive in.

from: anonymous