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Afghan Defence issues culture guides to tackle Afghan insider attacks
Don't take offence if NATO soldiers exit the shower naked or ask to see a picture of your wife -- it is normal and no reason to open fire, intone new cultural guidelines from the Afghan defence ministry. Five thousand copies of a hastily written 28-page brochure have been distributed among 195,000 members of the Afghan army, most of them illiterate, in the latest attempt to clamp down on a phenomenon known as insider killings.NATO attributes around 75 percent of the attacks to grudges, misunderstandings and cultural differences, so the Afghan ministry has taken matters into their own hands with avuncular advice for soldiers, even if they can't read. More than 10 years after NATO troops came to Afghanistan, Western habits -- like winking, swearing and raising the middle finger -- need to be spelt out to make sure Afghan troops in the deeply religious country do not feel offended. "Even minor cultural differences can cause friction and misunderstanding," says the "Brochure for Comprehending the Culture of the Coalition Forces" before listing taboos in Afghan culture that are seen as perfectly normal in the West. "Remember all misunderstandings are unintentional," it warned. And advice for heated moments was simple. "If you or your ISAF colleagues become angry, stay away for a while until the situation becomes normal. In that case, tell your commander to help you, and to mediate or reconcile between you and your ISAF partners," the pamphlet reads. Posted by: Pappy 2012-09-17 |
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