American commanders have often overstated the ability of Afghan soldiers and police to replace coalition troops, a US government inspector has reported.
Some newly trained units rated as first class were in fact incapable of fighting the Taliban on their own, his investigation found. Other units quickly deteriorated after they left training and the system used to judge if new units were effective was inconsistent and unreliable.
The critical report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction appeared at odds with claims that the growing Afghan forces were on track to take over from the coalition.
The report came as Gen David Petraeus, the newly nominated commander in Afghanistan, told US senators that the fighting in the country could intensify in the coming months and it could take "a number of years" before Afghan security forces would be ready to take over.
Training Afghan forces to replace foreign soldiers has become the focus of the Nato-led coalition as Western politicians face pressure to set timetables to withdraw their troops.
| I thought it was going to take a full generation to get a truly functional NCO cadre, and for the East Point ringknockers (did I get that right?) to reach critical mass... If so, it's not fair to expect Afghanistan to produce a turn-key army after only a few years. |
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