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Soldiers of new Afghan army charismatic, tough
By PETER WORTHINGTON -- For the Toronto SunThe not-so-secret weapon in the first "democratic" elections in Afghanistan on Saturday may well be the Afghanistan National Army (ANA). While some may be tempted to view it as a hastily put together force mindful of what the Americans are trying to do in Iraq, there really is no comparison. I spent yesterday with the Kabul brigade, visiting observation posts outside Kabul, where a couple of Canadian soldiers were attached to the ANA soldiers, providing a communication link with Camp Julien and the international force's headquarters. First came a briefing from the ANA commander, known only as Gen. Akhter -- a handsome, charismatic guy who usually needs a shave. He fought the Russians when they were here. How has he found the training provided by Canadians, Americans, Hungarians, Germans and others, in the program called ETT (Embedded Training Team), otherwise known as Operation Phoenix? "I've had more experience at fighting than Canadians but I've also learned from them." In fact, all these Afghans are pretty adept at killing. What they lack is discipline when fighting. Maj. Brian Hynes of Comox, B.C., is the Canadian contingent commander with the ANA, and Maj. Jean-Marc Doucette, an Acadian from Nova Scotia, is the hands-on operational link with the ANA. Over the years I've encountered a lot of soldiers from poor countries that depend on the U.S. and west for military support. I can't recall any soldiers as physically and psychologically impressive as these Afghans in their leopard-camouflage uniforms, cocky green berets, and new Hungarian assault rifles modelled on the Russian AK-47. These guys are all volunteers, every one ruggedly handsome, and are paid up to $300 a month. It's speculated most of them have killed people in the past -- an observation Hynes doesn't dispute. As a group they exude pride, curiosity and testosterone. Posted by: Fred 2004-10-09 |
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