Report: Afghan army riddled with corruption and feuding [View All]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Report: Afghan army riddled with corruption and feuding
By Jonathan S. Landay, McClatchy Newspapers Tue May 11, 6:37 pm ET

WASHINGTON — The Afghan National Army , a pillar of the U.S. strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan and withdrawing U.S. troops next year, is riddled with corruption, ethnic friction and rivalries among its highest leaders that are hampering its ability to fight the Taliban -led insurgency, according to a new study.

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The new report raises serious doubts about the U.S. effort, which calls for expanding the ANA to 240,000 troops from 90,000 by 2013. The report warns that continued problems "could risk the army's disintegration after the withdrawal of international forces."

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However, despite spending $25 billion so far on the effort, the U.S. goal of creating a largely self-sufficient Afghan army is far from being attained, the report says.

"Despite billions of dollars of international investment, army combat readiness has been undermined by weak recruitment and retention policies, inadequate logistics, insufficient training and equipment and inconsistent leadership," said the report. "The U.S. emphasis on rapid expansion of the army, in response to the growing insurgent threat, could strain (the U.S.-led military training program) and outpace the capacity of Afghan leaders to manage an inherently unwieldy system."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20100511/wl_mcclatchy/3501859