Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Afghanistan's Growing Desertion Problem

U.S. Army Pfc. Westin Bonorden watches the sunset from the motor pool on Combat Outpost Chergataw after returning from a dismounted patrol in Shaway Valley in Afghanistan's Khowst province, June 2, 2012. Bonorden, a marksman, is assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Epperson

Afghan Local Police Group Deserts To Taliban-Led Insurgents -- Washington Post

KABUL – A group of Afghan militia troops has joined the Taliban-led insurgents, officials said on Wednesday, apparently the first surrender of its kind by the force created as part of a U.S. initiative to keep the militants at bay and help break the battlefield stalemate.

There were few details and conflicting estimates about the number of men who changed sides in various parts of the restive northwestern Badghis province on Tuesday evening. One Afghan security official put the number at 41.

Read more ....

My Comment: Who would you rather fight for .... a group of men implicated in fraud, corruption, the drug trade, and enriching themselves (while robbing your pay) .... or for a group of men who claim they are fighting for God, do not enrich themselves, and are leading by example.

Expect more desertions in the future .... especially as the Taliban continue to assert themselves in regions that are abandoned by departing NATO forces.

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