Afghanistan resorts to militias to fight the insurgency - It worked so well in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/25/asia/AS_GEN_Afghan_Auxiliary_Police.php

The Associated Press

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: Afghanistan is training thousands of men affiliated with local militias in hopes of giving the country's security forces a boost in their fight against a growing insurgency. But some fear that Taliban militants and common criminals have infiltrated the program.

The training of the local militia members could give Afghanistan up to 11,000 on-call policemen who officials could tap to boost ranks during times of need.

But the quality of the recruits and their effectiveness in the police force is being questioned by some.

"There are criminals and drug users among them," said Col. Mohammed Hussain Andiwall, a senior police official in Kandahar province who coordinates between the Ministry of Interior and foreign experts training the auxiliary police force.

http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?articleid=169012

Taliban, criminals may be among militiamen recruited as auxiliary police in Afghanistan

By Associated Press

Saturday, November 25, 2006 - Updated: 01:17 PM EST

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Taliban militants and common criminals may have infiltrated an Afghan program that trains thousands of men affiliated with local militias to fight the country’s growing insurgency.

The formation of the Afghanistan National Auxiliary Police reflects the growing questions about the ability of the existing security force’s to beat resurgent Taliban rebels and other militants challenging government authority in parts of the country.

But though the training of the local militia members could give Afghanistan up to 11,000 on-call policemen to increase the ranks of security forces during times of need, some question the quality of the recruits and their effectiveness.

[Trajan]

1. The militias have existed for decades ...

Militias are a throwback to tribal warlords ... In ancient times, it was blacksmiths who fabricated the weapons that would be used to project power in a crude ignorant world .... Either the blacksmith himself took the reins of power by virtue of arms, or a rich contender would pay the smithy and form an alliance with them and other tribe members to create military groups ...

[Eugene]

2. Securing Afghanistan while giving Europe all the opium it can stand.

Even as Faustian bargains go, this seems a bit dodgy.