Afghan Special Forces Commander Defects To The Taliban

U.S Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Walter L. Miller Jr., commanding general of Regional Command Southwest, and leaders from coalition and Afghan security forces walk to a meeting hall at the Afghan border police headquarters in Lashkar Gah in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Oct. 8, 2013. Miller and other staff members traveled to the Afghan headquarters to attend a promotion ceremony. The coalition forces are assigned to the regional command. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Tammy K. Hineline

Afghan Special Forces Commander Defects With Guns To Insurgents -- Reuters

(Reuters) - An Afghan army special forces commander has defected to an insurgent group allied with the Taliban in a Humvee truck packed with his team's guns and high-tech equipment, officials in the eastern Kunar province said on Sunday.

Monsif Khan, who raided the supplies of his 20-man team in Kunar's capital Asadabad over the Eid al-Adha religious holiday, is the first special forces commander to switch sides, joining the Hezb-e-Islami organisation.

"He sent some of his comrades on leave and paid others to go out sightseeing, and then escaped with up to 30 guns, night-vision goggles, binoculars and a Humvee," said Shuja ul-Mulkh Jalala, the governor of Kunar.

Zubair Sediqi, a spokesman for Hezb-e-Islami, confirmed that Khan had joined the group, saying he had brought 15 guns and high-tech equipment.

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My Comment: So much for the new and improved vetting process of screening out Taliban sympathizers.