Afghan army has appeared as the most creditable and reputable institution in the decade long international presence in Afghanistan. A strong army is not only a wish for Afghans but also the only hope for Afghanistan's stable security as the coalition troops are leaving the country. But being a soldier is not like a piece of cake in a country like Afghanistan where death follows one all time.

Therefore, along other organizations, severe problems exist with Afghan army. Lack of equipment, low capacity, linkage to militants, high drop-out rates and ethnic discrimination are believed to be serious hindrances ahead of Afghanistan's army.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) statistics, released recently, show increase in the rate of drop-outs from Afghan National Army. Between January and June, more than 24,000 soldiers walked off the job, more than twice as many as in the same period last year, according to the NATO statistics. In June alone, more than 5,000 soldiers deserted, nearly 3 percent of the 170,000-strong force.

There are should be many reasons for the high desertion rate. Those reasons need be countered seriously because this trend is highly destructive for an Army that has been established just about a decade ago.

It times when the number of unemployed people has crossed the figure of two millions, the recruitment in army should increase. But we are having a opposite condition which is harmful for future defense of Afghanistan.

Apart from the high drop-out rate, serious concerns over the capacity of Afghan army persist. At an important juncture where the NATO forces have started leaving Afghanistan, insecurity has reached to its worst.

This clearly signals that enemy is at large and by whatsoever means they put efforts to harm the reconstruction process and stability of the country. We can not deny that the security forces are failing to give a full-proof security even in the capital but they have been successful to prevent many attacks and arrest the organizers of these attacks.

In the last nine years, the capabilities of Afghan forces have undoubtedly increased. However, it is doubted that they can not stand against insurgents on their own if the capacity building efforts are not bolstered.