Afghan National Police recruits at a training base in 2008.
New statistics show that the Afghan police force, upon whose shoulders eventual U.S. and British military withdrawal is based, is experiencing an unsustainable rate of attrition that sees one in five recruits bailing every year. —JCL
The Guardian:
Afghanistan’s police force, whose success and stability is crucial to allowing the government to withdraw British troops, is losing nearly one in five recruits every year, new figures reveal.
Foreign Office statistics show that more than 20,000 officers from the Afghan National Police (ANP), the country’s main law enforcement agency, have left over the past year. The Foreign Office figures will cause concern in the armed forces, where the success of the police is seen as the basis for handing control to an Afghan government in 2014 and British troop withdrawal in 2015.
Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said the figures were “worryingly high” and could play a significant role in determining when Britain can leave.
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By Beltwaylaid, December 13, 2010 at 11:19 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Until we develop a mind-reading machine to figure out
which of the Afghani police are our friends and which
are our enemies we need to remove ourselves from that
nation-building project. Our soldiers will continue to
be slaughtered endlessly otherwise.
As long as we keep thinking with our guns
We will keep losing our sons
An Open Letter From Afghan Youth to Our World Leaders
“We are Afghans and We Ask the World to Listen” By AFGHAN YOUTH PEACE VOLUNTEERS
Dear Mr Obama, Mrs Clinton, Mr Petraeus, Mr Rasmussen, and all our world leaders,
We are Afghans and we ask the world to listen.
Like yourselves, we couldn’t live without the love of our family and friends.
We were hurt by your criticism of Mr Karzai for voicing the people’s anguished pleas, “Stop your night raids.”
Please, stop your night raids.
If you could listen, you would have heard 29 NGOs in Afghanistan describe how we now have “Nowhere to Turn”.
If you could listen, you would also have heard Mr Karzai and the 29 NGOs express concern over your Afghan Local Police plan; the world will henceforth watch our militia killing the people, your people and our people, with your weapons and your money.
If you could listen, you would have heard the sound of your drones crystallizing the nights of hatred among the Afghan, Pakistani and global masses.
Instead, we hear your determination to ‘awe, shock and firepower’ us with Abrams tanks. We hear distant excitement over your new smart XM25 toy, a weapon you proudly proclaim will leave us with ‘nowhere to hide’.
Nowhere to turn and nowhere to hide.
Your actions have unfortunately dimmed our hopes that we the people could turn to you. Along with our Afghan war-makers, you are making the people cry.
Yet, we understand. You are in the same trap we’re in, in a corrupt, militarized mania.
Love is how we’re asking for peace, a love that listens, and reconciles.
And so, we invite you to listen to the people of Afghanistan and to world public opinion on the Global Day of Listening to Afghans, to be internet-broadcast from Kabul this December.
It is time to listen broadly and deeply to both local and overseas Afghan civil groups and the numerous alternative solutions they have proposed for building a better socio-political, economic and religious/ideological future for Afghanistan.
We have shared the pain of our American friends who lost loved ones on September 11, by speaking with and listening to them.
Though, if the world could listen like these American friends did, the world would know that few Afghans have even heard about September 11 and that no Afghans were among the 19 hijackers. The world would have heard our yearnings as we were punished over the past 9 years.
If the world could listen, they would know how much we detest the violence of the Taliban, our warlords, any warlord, or any bullet-digging finger-trophy troops.
And now, for at least another four more years, we will grieve over souls who you are unwilling to ‘count’ and we are unwilling to lose.
It is extra painful to us and to your troops because clearly, there are on-violent and just alternatives.
We understand the pain of financial hardships but try telling an Afghan mother about to lose her child or a soldier about to take his life that the only way their illiterate and angry voices can ruffle the posh feathers of our world leaders is when it disturbs not their human or truth deficit, but their trillion dollar economic deficits. How do we explain that without denuding ourselves of human love and dignity?
What more can we say?
How else can we and our loved ones survive?
How can we survive with hearts panicking in disappointment while perpetually fleeing and facing a ‘total’ global war, a war that wouldn’t be questioned even in the crude face of a thousand leaks?
We would survive in poverty, we may survive in hunger, but how can we survive without the hope that Man is capable of something better?
We sincerely wish you the best in your lives.
We are Afghans and we ask the world to listen.
????? ?????!
Salamat bAsheen!
Be at peace!
Meekly with respect,
The Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers
Global Day of Listening to Afghans
19th December 2010
Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
By GW=MCHammered, December 12, 2010 at 1:52 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Ron Kovic: ‘Raise your voices, protest, stop these wars’
December 9, 2010
The late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that, “A time comes when silence is betrayal.”
At exactly 10:00 a.m., Thursday morning, Dec. 16, 2010, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, including troops now serving in the armed forces of the United States, will be leading a dramatic act of non-violent civil disobedience in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. with other brave veterans and citizens, protesting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, calling for all troops to be brought home immediately and without delay.
U.S. is saddled with perpetual wars that accomplish nothing
December 11, 2010
Eric Fair, a freelance writer living in Bethlehem, served in the Army from 1995-2000 and worked for the Department of Defense in Iraq in 2004 and 2005.
By Jim Yell, December 12, 2010 at 1:31 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
This is not a country (Afghanistan) and we are not responsible for trying to make it one. Withdraw our troops and bring them home. In fact I think all US Troops should be withdrawn from foriegn occupation. The money is being wasted and we are turning our country into a military despot. It is time to draw back.
By PatrickHenry, December 13, 2010 at 5:54 pm Link to this comment
America doesn’t belong in Afghanistan or the Middle East for that matter.
Those people need well drilling and desalination equipment, tractors and planting machines, not predator drones and mark 82’s.
Even with a change of Presidency, this nations foreign policy remains fucked up.
Report thisBy Beltwaylaid, December 13, 2010 at 11:19 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Until we develop a mind-reading machine to figure out
which of the Afghani police are our friends and which
are our enemies we need to remove ourselves from that
nation-building project. Our soldiers will continue to
be slaughtered endlessly otherwise.
As long as we keep thinking with our guns
Report thisWe will keep losing our sons
By wikilrelais FR, December 13, 2010 at 7:05 am Link to this comment
An Open Letter From Afghan Youth to Our World Leaders
“We are Afghans and We Ask the World to Listen” By AFGHAN YOUTH PEACE VOLUNTEERS
Dear Mr Obama, Mrs Clinton, Mr Petraeus, Mr Rasmussen, and all our world leaders,
We are Afghans and we ask the world to listen.
Like yourselves, we couldn’t live without the love of our family and friends.
We were hurt by your criticism of Mr Karzai for voicing the people’s anguished pleas, “Stop your night raids.”
Please, stop your night raids.
If you could listen, you would have heard 29 NGOs in Afghanistan describe how we now have “Nowhere to Turn”.
If you could listen, you would also have heard Mr Karzai and the 29 NGOs express concern over your Afghan Local Police plan; the world will henceforth watch our militia killing the people, your people and our people, with your weapons and your money.
If you could listen, you would have heard the sound of your drones crystallizing the nights of hatred among the Afghan, Pakistani and global masses.
Instead, we hear your determination to ‘awe, shock and firepower’ us with Abrams tanks. We hear distant excitement over your new smart XM25 toy, a weapon you proudly proclaim will leave us with ‘nowhere to hide’.
Nowhere to turn and nowhere to hide.
Your actions have unfortunately dimmed our hopes that we the people could turn to you. Along with our Afghan war-makers, you are making the people cry.
Yet, we understand. You are in the same trap we’re in, in a corrupt, militarized mania.
Love is how we’re asking for peace, a love that listens, and reconciles.
And so, we invite you to listen to the people of Afghanistan and to world public opinion on the Global Day of Listening to Afghans, to be internet-broadcast from Kabul this December.
It is time to listen broadly and deeply to both local and overseas Afghan civil groups and the numerous alternative solutions they have proposed for building a better socio-political, economic and religious/ideological future for Afghanistan.
We have shared the pain of our American friends who lost loved ones on September 11, by speaking with and listening to them.
Though, if the world could listen like these American friends did, the world would know that few Afghans have even heard about September 11 and that no Afghans were among the 19 hijackers. The world would have heard our yearnings as we were punished over the past 9 years.
If the world could listen, they would know how much we detest the violence of the Taliban, our warlords, any warlord, or any bullet-digging finger-trophy troops.
And now, for at least another four more years, we will grieve over souls who you are unwilling to ‘count’ and we are unwilling to lose.
It is extra painful to us and to your troops because clearly, there are on-violent and just alternatives.
We understand the pain of financial hardships but try telling an Afghan mother about to lose her child or a soldier about to take his life that the only way their illiterate and angry voices can ruffle the posh feathers of our world leaders is when it disturbs not their human or truth deficit, but their trillion dollar economic deficits. How do we explain that without denuding ourselves of human love and dignity?
What more can we say?
How else can we and our loved ones survive?
How can we survive with hearts panicking in disappointment while perpetually fleeing and facing a ‘total’ global war, a war that wouldn’t be questioned even in the crude face of a thousand leaks?
We would survive in poverty, we may survive in hunger, but how can we survive without the hope that Man is capable of something better?
We sincerely wish you the best in your lives.
We are Afghans and we ask the world to listen.
????? ?????!
Salamat bAsheen!
Be at peace!
Meekly with respect,
The Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers
Global Day of Listening to Afghans
19th December 2010
Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Report thisBy PatrickHenry, December 12, 2010 at 3:21 pm Link to this comment
When the U.S. leaves these guys heads will be the next sport….unless they turn on the U.S. now.
Report thisBy GW=MCHammered, December 12, 2010 at 1:52 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Ron Kovic: ‘Raise your voices, protest, stop these wars’
December 9, 2010
The late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that, “A time comes when silence is betrayal.”
At exactly 10:00 a.m., Thursday morning, Dec. 16, 2010, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, including troops now serving in the armed forces of the United States, will be leading a dramatic act of non-violent civil disobedience in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. with other brave veterans and citizens, protesting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, calling for all troops to be brought home immediately and without delay.
http://www.stopthesewars.org/?p=303
Join the U.S. veteran-led civil resistance to the wars
http://www.answercoalition.org/march-forward/statements/march-forward-calls-on.html
U.S. is saddled with perpetual wars that accomplish nothing
December 11, 2010
Eric Fair, a freelance writer living in Bethlehem, served in the Army from 1995-2000 and worked for the Department of Defense in Iraq in 2004 and 2005.
http://articles.mcall.com/2010-12-11/opinion/mc-iraq-afghanistan-fair-yv-20101211_1_wars-sunni-insurgents-iraq
Report thisBy Jim Yell, December 12, 2010 at 1:31 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
This is not a country (Afghanistan) and we are not responsible for trying to make it one. Withdraw our troops and bring them home. In fact I think all US Troops should be withdrawn from foriegn occupation. The money is being wasted and we are turning our country into a military despot. It is time to draw back.
Report this