KABUL (SW): A latest study has revealed that the Afghan National Army (ANA) has experienced a very difficult situation over the past year, including facing serious problems in recruitment, mobility and leadership.
A new study by Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), analyzing the ANA after the end of ISAF mission in Afghanistan, noted that with the number of causalities mounted to dramatic levels in 2015, the ANA has for the first time begun facing serious problems in recruitment, including a mounting problem of the ghost soldiers (soldiers who are listed as being on active duty, but who do not serve).
The paper stated that the withdrawal of ISAF mentors from the ANA affected the overall logistical capabilities, planning, procurement, equipment maintenance and the administration, which resulted in lesser mobility of the ANA forces, compared to that of the insurgents.
In addition to these, AREU paper finds that the tactical performance of the ANA is affected by a serious leadership problem. “Appointments to senior positions are still heavily influenced by political interference, often resulting in the appointment of incompetent commanders”, the paper says.
“As a result of all these, the moral in the ANA is in decline”, adds the paper. It added that the political blockage in Kabul is a major cause of the inability of the MoD to improve its capability.
It recommended that while deep reforms of the ANA are unlikely to be possible in the current emergency situation, some measures can be taken immediately to achieve rapid improvements. One, recommended by many interviewees, is the replacement of the many commanders who have not performed, the study stated.
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