In 2004, I was in Afghanistan working on a story on efforts to demobilize warlord militia and try to reintegrate mujahedin fighters into Afghan society as something other than warriors for hire. I was at a UN compound outside Kabul as a few hundred mujahedin (mostly from the Northern Alliance) exchanged weapons for money, food and promises of vocational training (turning war hardened mujahedin into tailors or carpet makers seemed a bit far fetched).
The thing that most struck me as I talked to those mujahedin was how tough they were; you could see it in their faces and the confidence in the way they talked about their chosen profession. Some of them had been fighting, first the Soviets and then each other, since they were twelve or thirteen. Fighting was all they knew.
I’ve always wondered why there hasn’t been more of an effort to tap into that pool of battle hardened warriors to battle the various Taliban insurgent groups. After all, the best weapon against a guerrilla fighter is another guerrilla (see origins of Army Special Forces). I understand the concerns about fueling a nascent civil war that some say is already underway in Afghanistan between the mostly Tajik Northern Alliance and the Pashtun Taliban insurgency, but expediency would seem to warrant the risk.
Well, ISAF is now moving in that direction. On a conference call with reporters last week, Maj. Gen. David Hogg, deputy commander of NATO’s Afghan training effort, said they have identified around 3,000 to 4,000 former mujahedin, what he called Afghanistan’s “inactive reserve,” that could be tapped and brought into the Afghan National Army.
“They’re getting a little long in the tooth, but they have some leadership experience,” Hogg said. If the Afghan army needs anything right now its seasoned small unit leaders, so even small numbers of battle hardened leaders could do some good. The former mujahedin fighters are taken to Kabul where they’re put through an eight week training program, he said; so far, some 900 mujahedin have been taught how to be part of a regular army and sent out to ANA units.
Hogg was quick to point out that these are not former Taliban fighters. Reintegrating Taliban insurgents is a politically tricky issue, but Hogg said they were ready to pursue Taliban reintegration and training if the decision is made by the political folks.
Hogg said more recruits have been flocking to the Afghan banner ever since ISAF implemented a pay raise, boosting base pay to $165 a month plus combat pay of $75 a month.
It also sounds like the Army’s Green Berets are getting back to their traditional Foreign Internal Defense mission. Hogg said SF is partnering with Afghan commando battalions, from basic training all the way through to their combat deployment.
– Greg
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
And how is the vetting process done with people that are self professed former freedom fighters?
The story of Afghans turning against there US trainers is under-reported. By my personnel count we've lost upwards of 50 men to turn coat Afghans killing our guys…
I think this is a pretty poor idea. A few here or there as guides or scouts is fine. Beside Afghans switching sides, I think the nature of these groups and the political baggage they'd be bring with them would create unpredictable elements. Would you have to worry sticking two former enemies together or could they keep it professional?
Pay? Do I hear "KATUSA"?
Yeah, I think we are missing out when we don't try to turn Taliban. Imagine the amount of info we could get, if we were able to use former Taliban for psuedo-operations? The Selous Scouts were able to do some serious damage with turned enemies, and they had a pretty good method for training or converting former guerrillas. If I were General Hogg, I would make an effort to reach out to former Selous Scouts, to figure out a good way of doing this. The Tactical Tracking Operations School (TTOS), founded by David Scott-Donelan, is one resource that General Hogg could use. I am sure David could put him in touch with some guys who were intimate with that 'turning process'.
Or we can fumble around and re-invent the wheel with this stuff.
There not Taliban, there former Northern Alliance troops. They fought the Taliban after the Taliban took over in '94. Their the ones who took Kabul with the Green Berets in 2001. The NA was somewhat pro-western, but definetly ANTI-Taliban and the likely-hood they would turn against ISAF soldiers is slim. The Taliban hate these guys and vice-versa. I know that if I was in Afghanistan now I would be feel more secure with NA ANA soldiers than with the bunch they have now.
Ha, the Marine in the pic is thinking "What the hell did these Haji's do to this M16?"
As for the topic, I don't like the idea of these guys in our Ospreys and in our HumVees, but I guess we'll have to let them take the wheel at some point…
Given the history of our involvement there and the geography, i.e. bigger than Iraq landmass, much more rugged (some areas inaccessible), no major cities to speak of, just towns at most, but villages mostly, and a much smaller number of troops than in Iaq, huge resupply issues and on top of that you can't stop them from running to Pak and back, the conclusion that we will not win this other than by signing up nearly all Afghans to our cause is inescapable. We will never have enough troops to patrol the countryside, we don't have now and I don't see the numbers escalating. We will never close the border with Pak ourselves. We can't even use Fallujah tactics due to a variety of issues, one of which is we can't alienate the locals per above.
The locals fight for money, they often join Taliban purely for compensation. Taliban pay better. You telling me we cannot pay a grand a month to guys who will win this war for us? Insanity.
"As for the topic, I don't like the idea of these guys in our Ospreys and in our HumVees, but I guess we'll have to let them take the wheel at some point…"
I don't see what the problem with that is, it's not like they're going to be stealing the secrets behind the Osprey and start making their own by just sitting in them and as for Hummers, there's nothing particularly hi-tech about them.
Hiring turned Afghan fighters to fight the Taliban is a nice idea. However, until we get our own infantry out in the mountains and bush to patrol for long periods of time, we'll not end this war. Until the enemy bleeds and has no place to rest because he is hounded by our soldiers on the ground, they won't give up. Unfortunately, when you do this our own losses will go up.
Paying these guys with weapons!? Given to the million billion trillion guns in Afgahnistan, I'd think that with all the poligomy there, sex drugs are a more affective bargaining chip. They's need to find a way to pleasure all twealve of each of their wives after all.
Perhaps we should hire Monkeys to fight the Guerrillas?