Tuesday February 24, 2015
Kabul (BNA) Two weeks ago the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) conducted a joint operation in Kandahar and Helmand provinces against armed insurgents which produced good results. Reports from Helmand said that, on the first day of the joint operations in Nad Ali and Greshk districts of Helmand province, the ANA, ANP troops killed six insurgents and dispersed them. Similarly on the next days, the ANSF forces eliminated 32 armed insurgents in other districts of this province including a senior Taliban commander and injured another number. Now it has been proved that our security forces have the essential capability of confronting the terrorists but the US military officials are concerned on current situation of war and beginning of war season in upcoming month. Commander of the US troops in Afghanistan Gen. J. Campbell has recently told the US senate Military Services Committee that he has submitted a time table of US troop’s reduction in Afghanistan to American senior authorities who finalize the option of continuation of ANSF training mission. Meantime, majority of American Senators are in favor of sustainable presence of their military forces in Afghanistan and want the US government not to conclude their military presence in Afghanistan.
This request of American senators taking place at a time that Afghan military authorities saying that the Americans have procrastinated in equipping and arming of ANSF. But the international forces have claimed that they have been supplying ANA, ANP, and NDS with essential equipment but it has practically been seen that whenever these US troops withdraw from any province or headquarters, they destroyed their installations or weapons that failed to transfer them. Taking into account these problems, sometimes before an American military authority reported to US congress that NASF are in dire need of further military, financial aids. The Pentagon pledges have so far remained incomplete on equipment of ANA because whatever have been given to ANA are not sufficient to meet current problems in Afghanistan. In the army of first and late president Mohammad Daud Khaan and later during the rule of Taraki, Karmal, Najeebullah, there were over seventy two kinds of small and heavy weapons in our army. The weapons of Afghan army was more advanced comparing the regional countries of Pakistan and Iran and even Afghanistan was in better position from the point of view of air forces like Su-27 Jet fighters, scod rockets, Organ etc.
Beside that the qualitative air superiority was not comparable with similar weapons in Iran and Pakistan army and existence of light weapons enjoying quick maneuver capability like Kalashnikovs, PK machineguns, and RPG7 were the distinguished aspects of our army weaponry while in that time Pakistan lacked them. Unfortunately the weapons used or given to ANA today not only lack portative importance and effectiveness but most likely, from the military use point of view they are expired and lack combat effectiveness. The MoD authorities and American military officials in Afghanistan may not accept this fact but current events in the country are testimony to our claim. As to be seen that few years ago when insurgents intended to attack a ceremony in Loyal Jirga tent in Polytechnic university compound of, the Afghan security forces could hardly use their available weapons. They told the media that American machineguns stops after few shots and cannot shot more bullets. The Afghan military experts believe that the weapons contributed by Pentagon to ANA, some of them are included those weapons which have already been expired but were included and reemployed in the army that their re-usage and reemployment in ANA may be quantitatively attractive with propaganda aspects, but those who use them in the front line of combat in battle fields, are facing serious problems. Based on unconfirmed report, today the armed insurgents lack sufficient force and equipment quantitatively and are in weaker position but from the perspective of having capability of quick maneuver and effective light weapons, they have better guerrillas’ position, INS can organize astonishing sudden attack against ANSF and even foreign forces. Therefore, the US and her global allies following withdrawal of their majority of troops from Afghanistan, should further equip the ANA and improve, upgrade and promote their combat capabilities with weapons available to neighboring countries, otherwise equipping of ANA, ANP with few rangers and old and expired auto-vehicles cannot be a solution to current security challenges and our peace and security will always be threaten.
