'Most of them were corrupt and stoned on opium' (Afghan police)

[IndianaGreen]

Background news story:

Killed by the enemy within

Five British soldiers shot dead and others critically wounded after rogue Afghan policeman turns machine gun on his colleagues as they relax in base

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/killed-by-...

'Most of them were corrupt and stoned on opium'

A senior serving soldier reveals how the Afghan policemen in Helmand are often a danger to the British forces they work with

Thursday, 5 November 2009

When I heard the news this morning, I thought "Christ, five in one go..." I was shocked and saddened – but I was not surprised that it had happened. I'm surprised it took this long.

We went out to Helmand to mentor the Afghan National Police without understanding the level they were at. We thought we would be arresting people, helping them to police efficiently. Instead we were literally training them how to point a gun on the ranges, and telling them why you should not stop cars and demand "taxes".

Most of them were corrupt and took drugs, particularly opium. The lads would go into police stations at night and they would be stoned; sometimes they would fire indiscriminately at nothing.

They had no understanding of the basics of what it means to be a policeman. We expected to be teaching adults at a certain level and then realised we would be changing nappies. Give them 20 rounds and they will hit the target once.

The first time I saw them I realised that they had almost no training; some of them had very little ability. Their uniforms were dirty and didn't fit. Their weapon-cleaning was non-existent.

They certainly didn't have a concept of being upstanding members of the community. They had no loyalty, esprit de corps or cameraderie. That should have been incorporated in their training. They did have pride – because of the power and status they felt.

How do you train this band of idiots and turn them into a force to be reckoned with if they have no sense of loyalty, no sense of belonging?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/most-of-th...

[bemildred]

1. This is all so Vietnam.

Who is confused here:

"How do you train this band of idiots and turn them into a force to be reckoned with if they have no sense of loyalty, no sense of belonging?"

[Demeter]

2. An Army of Bushes; An Army of Ws

It doesn't bear thinking about.

[amandabeech]

4. How long will it take to get out of this since we don't have a draft and the bad economy

is pushing more kids into the service?

Of course, none of the bad stuff hits the evening news, either.

Where's General Westmoreland and the body count when you need them?

[bertman]

3. Maybe the stoner police can't hit the target but once out of twenty rounds, but I'll bet they'd

hit it a lot more if they were in their Taliban insurgent gitup.

This would be funny if it weren't so tragic and almost an identical replay of our foray into counterinsurgency warfare in Vietnam.

It sounds like the Afghan police gig is a pretty good one. You get paid by the U.S.. You get to extort unarmed civilians. You get to come to work stoned. You get free target practice and aren't even required to be a decent shot. I'm guessing most of them have a night job working with the Taliban or the opium smugglers.

OUT NOW!!