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| Afghanistan |
| Afghan's air force hopes to regain its wings |
| 2009-09-30 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Colonel Abdulghias, an Afghan pilot with a tough, weathered face, still remembers the name of a Russian airman who taught him how to fly 25 years ago. "I was young and I wanted to be a pilot. I met a Russian pilot near Herat. His name was Kachalov," he said, rubbing his forehead as he tried to recollect his memories. "I said: 'Hey, I want to be a helicopter pilot. Teach me!' He laughed at me and agreed." Now 47, Abdulghias is doing a job his Russian mentor could not have possibly imagined: He is helping the United States resurrect the Afghan National Army Air Corps -- a force all but destroyed in the U.S.-led war against the Taliban in 2001. Created with Russian help in 1921, the Afghan air force reached its heyday during the Soviet-backed rule of the 1980s, operating hundreds of combat aircraft and helicopters. But it is now a mere shadow of its former self, with just a few dozen battered Soviet aircraft at its disposal. Bringing it back to its former strength is a key part of a broader U.S. plan to build a strong enough Afghan army that could one day take over security in the war-wrecked country. It is a formidable task at a time when the Taliban insurgency is at its fiercest, and sceptics say it could be years if not decades before Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest nations, could maintain an effective force of its own. "Air power is critical for Afghanistan," said U.S. Col. James A. Garrett, deputy to the Commanding General of the Combined Airpower Transition Force. "The ruggedness of the terrain, the remoteness of the population, and the widespread nature of the insurgency make air power vital to a strong, supportive Afghan National Army." |
| Posted by:Fred |