.General: tribes might help with Afghan security
WASHINGTON (AP) — Coalition commanders in Afghanistan are hoping to come up with a plan — and the necessary money — to use tribal militias to help with security, a tactic successfully used against the insurgency in Iraq.
"We're looking very carefully at the experience in Iraq," Maj. Gen. Robert Cone said of the "Sons of Iraq" program in which Sunni fighters are paid to work on the side of the government.
Cone, who leads the program to train and equip government security forces in Afghanistan, also said he has asked for roughly 1,000 additional troops for a plan to speed up training of Afghan Army soldiers — that is by 2011 instead of 2013.
Speaking to Pentagon reporters by videoconference from Kabul, Cone said the Afghan government, NATO commanders and his own command are discussing a sort of "community engagement" program that would use "the multitude of tribes" in Afghanistan to help with such things as securing highways from insurgent attacks.
But with more than 400 tribes in the country and the problem of rivalries between some of them, officials need to carefully figure out what mix of people could be used. He said a community meeting, known as a Shura, would help in setting up the program and working out details.
"I think we'll be fairly soon trying to work through some of those in meeting with some local tribal elders to further explore, what is the right" program for Afghanistan, he said.
U.S. Gen. David McKiernan, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, is "working on ensuring the resources are available to rapidly execute once we come to complete agreement on this," Cone said.
Cone also said that 26,000 soldiers were trained over the last year for the Afghan National Army and some 28,000 more will be trained in the coming year. The Afghan army is in the process of expanding its current strength of 68,000 to about 134,000 — a task officials expect can be achieved by 2013.
"This expansion is much more than raw numbers, though," Cone said. "The Afghan National Army is undergoing at the same time a significant force modernization effort" with the fielding of better weapons from NATO as well as armored Humvees.
"The ANA are leading about 60 percent of the operations they participate in and have proven themselves as an effective fighting force," Cone said.
Asked what it would take to speed the training of the army, Cone said he wanted about 60 additional training teams of about 12 to 16 people each. He said the extra people are part of the request for forces — combat troops, support forces and so on — that is now working its way through NATO and U.S. channels.
The Associated Press reported Friday that the Bush administration is likely to endorse fulfilling a standing request by McKiernan, for about 20,000 additional U.S. troops in 2009.
AP
"We're looking very carefully at the experience in Iraq," Maj. Gen. Robert Cone said of the "Sons of Iraq" program in which Sunni fighters are paid to work on the side of the government.
Cone, who leads the program to train and equip government security forces in Afghanistan, also said he has asked for roughly 1,000 additional troops for a plan to speed up training of Afghan Army soldiers — that is by 2011 instead of 2013.
Speaking to Pentagon reporters by videoconference from Kabul, Cone said the Afghan government, NATO commanders and his own command are discussing a sort of "community engagement" program that would use "the multitude of tribes" in Afghanistan to help with such things as securing highways from insurgent attacks.
But with more than 400 tribes in the country and the problem of rivalries between some of them, officials need to carefully figure out what mix of people could be used. He said a community meeting, known as a Shura, would help in setting up the program and working out details.
"I think we'll be fairly soon trying to work through some of those in meeting with some local tribal elders to further explore, what is the right" program for Afghanistan, he said.
U.S. Gen. David McKiernan, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, is "working on ensuring the resources are available to rapidly execute once we come to complete agreement on this," Cone said.
Cone also said that 26,000 soldiers were trained over the last year for the Afghan National Army and some 28,000 more will be trained in the coming year. The Afghan army is in the process of expanding its current strength of 68,000 to about 134,000 — a task officials expect can be achieved by 2013.
"This expansion is much more than raw numbers, though," Cone said. "The Afghan National Army is undergoing at the same time a significant force modernization effort" with the fielding of better weapons from NATO as well as armored Humvees.
"The ANA are leading about 60 percent of the operations they participate in and have proven themselves as an effective fighting force," Cone said.
Asked what it would take to speed the training of the army, Cone said he wanted about 60 additional training teams of about 12 to 16 people each. He said the extra people are part of the request for forces — combat troops, support forces and so on — that is now working its way through NATO and U.S. channels.
The Associated Press reported Friday that the Bush administration is likely to endorse fulfilling a standing request by McKiernan, for about 20,000 additional U.S. troops in 2009.
AP
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