|
Training Begins for Afghan Army VOA News 26 Feb 2002 15:39 UTC 
British-led peacekeepers in Afghanistan have begun training the first units of the planned Afghan national army.
The training, which began Monday in Kabul, is designed to develop an initial force of 600 soldiers who, in turn, would train other recruits.
The six-week training is being carried out by the British-led international security force, which said 30 prospective officers and about 200 rank-and-file soldiers have so far arrived in the capital. Another 40 recruits are reported headed for Kabul to join the fledgling national force.
The training begins amid warnings from Western analysts that Afghanistan could fall back into chaos if a national army and police force are not formed to defuse fighting by scores of tribal militias competing for power in post-Taleban Afghanistan.
Last week, U.S. Major-General Charles Campbell visited Kabul and said an army of 50-60,000 troops might be appropriate for Afghanistan. But analysts say such an army could take years to develop and will require the Kabul government to decide how to disarm nearly two million members of tribal-based militias.
It remains unclear what role the United States will play in developing the Afghan force. It is also not clear whether the mandate of the International Security Assistance Force will be expanded to give peacekeepers jurisdiction outside the capital while army training takes place.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.
|