Afghan Corps Faces A Resurgent Taliban

Sgt. Mahmad Ibrahim of the Afghan National Army dreads the pullout of U.S. forces. Thousands of NATO troops are to arrive soon in the south. (By Pamela Constable -- The Washington Post)

Both Afghan and foreign observers have expressed concerns that ANA troops are scattered too thinly in the south and are too vulnerable to attack. Some critics suggest that the United States is retreating from a commitment to build the ANA, noting that the original U.S. goal to create a fighting force of 70,000 men has been scaled back to 50,000.

American military officers said that their goal had shifted from recruiting large numbers of troops to training a smaller, more professional force and that as a result the desertion rate had fallen from 25 to 13 percent. They said they were assessing whether to consolidate the ANA's presence in southern Afghanistan, where the troops are currently scattered among 25 operating bases.

"A few years ago, our priority was a national presence; now we are focusing on putting quality soldiers in a quality force," said Col. Tyrone Brown, a senior U.S. officer in the ANA development program. He said Raufi's troops, deployed across the "Taliban hotbed," are facing far more combat than other corps, and may need more help. "We are fairly satisfied, but we do need to beef things up," Brown said.

Afghan Col. Lawan Dadan, 45, recently commanded a two-week mission in Helmand, where the worst recent fighting has occurred. He said his troops were attacked once, while ferrying supplies to a U.S. forward operating base, but a quick U.S. airstrike killed most of the assailants. Only one Afghan soldier was injured.

Taliban militiamen tend to "hide in holes like mice," waiting for an opportunity to strike, Dadan said. "They can't fight us face-to-face, and they are afraid of the planes," he said. "They know these are their last days."

He said some local farmers are forced to fight for the Taliban if they owe money to drug traders, but added, "The people don't want more fighting. They want this to stop."

Dadan spoke during lunch in the huge mess hall at Camp Shir Zai, whose shiny, modular buildings have been erected near the remains of barracks built by the Soviet Union a generation ago.

Many in the room asserted vehemently that officials or other groups in neighboring Pakistan were promoting and assisting the insurgents. Pakistani officials deny such claims, noting that more than 70,000 Pakistani troops have been deployed along the border.

Several soldiers expressed anger over the increasing use of what they called un-Islamic tactics by Taliban fighters: suicide bombings, desecration of corpses and the use of civilians as cover. They expressed pride and enthusiasm in their mission, but also concern about the impending withdrawal of U.S. forces from the south.

"These enemies are Taliban in name only. What they want is to destroy the country and keep us from having a good future," said Sgt. Mahmad Ibrahim, 28. "We are ready to fight them, and we want to bring security to our country, but we need more help, from the smallest things to the heaviest weapons. Once the Americans leave, we can do nothing."

According to the Associated Press, officials said Friday that suspected Taliban militants attacked an Afghan army convoy, sparking hours of fighting that killed 13 rebels, part of a wave of violence that claimed at least 26 lives.

In a separate incident, gunmen on a motorcycle killed two Afghan aid workers.