Surviving Afghanistan *

Despite the set-backs, despite the obvious hostility culminating in deadly attacks by Afghans in police and military uniforms, and dedicated Taliban suicidal jihadists, ISAF military appointees remain dedicated to their task of readying and training new Afghan military conscripts alongside their commanding officers.

"Unless I see a massive improvement [today], I am going to recommend and advise my commander that you should come back to start this training again.  But let us get this going, and give these soldiers as much as we can in the next couple of days."  Major Rainer Winau, German NATO officer

It is beyond difficult for those assigned to help train new recruits to prepare them for confrontations that are likely to maim them at best, take their lives in worst-case scenarios when facing the Taliban.  Made all the more difficult by the casual lack of commitment engrained in the culture.  The fact that assigned duties are not always taken seriously, that appointments are not always met.

That when the men are paid they will often disappear, absent without leave, to take their earnings directly on foot back to their families before eventually showing up again.  "They like to give the money to their families, and the only secure way to get there is to get there on foot", explained Colonel Ian Hope, Canadian commander of the consolidated fielding centre at Camp Alamo, Kabul.

Which is where a few days earlier, just a few kilometres outside Camp Alamo, an explosives-packed Toyota Corolla driven by an 18-year-old Afghan girl conscripted by the Taliban committed suicide by driving directly into a mini-bus, killing all its dozen occupants, mostly foreign civil workers, as well as two Afghan passersby.

The training centre is tasked to help train hundreds of new personnel over a nine week training period, after teaching them first basic reading skills and crude arithmetic, for 90% of Afghans are both illiterate and innumerate.   In the last year-and-a-half, 21,845 soldiers have completed the course, more or less.

Once they are outfitted and given weapons they seem to think training is over.  "There are some here who didn't take part in any training for the last couple of weeks. They all think, 'Hey! We are armoured soldiers, we don't need this infantry s**t', while we are all convinced hat they need these basic skills to survive.  Even in a tank", explained an exasperated Major Winau.

Some of the non-commissioned officers themselves can't bother showing up, or when they do, they're lacking their rifles, mill about, casually talking, laughing.  And are then brought to attention by being scolded: "Respect your soldiers.  You need to ensure that the soldier is first, all right?  I am not here talking for the good of my health.  I want you to learn this and understand it", shouts Warrant Officer Steven Robertson from Cape Breton.

Fifty-one NATO troops have been killed so far this year through committing what has been called "insider attacks".  Even Canadians now operating inside the wire, no longer have the luxury of feeling safe.  The enemy sometimes hides in plain sight, wearing a formal uniform but harbouring resentment and hatred against the foreign presence in their country.

As part of a new security measure, Canadian mentors may no longer attend the Afghan National Army's live firing drills.  As for the nine weeks of training; the officers occasionally don't bother arriving when they're meant to.  And the soldiers, expected to turn up in the third week, sometimes absent themselves until week five - even week nine.

"Back home - during training - they won't pass you if you don't meet the standard.  They won't deploy you if they think you are going to die because you are not mentally trained and ready.  Meanwhile here, that is what we are doing.  We are deploying units that ... are not to a standard where we would like", mused Maj. Alinah Cruz, Canadian officer.

*Data taken from Richard Johnson's Kandahar Journal blog - National Post