Tuesday, August 5, once again reflected the debt of danger posed to foreign military soldiers from their Afghan fellows. A top U.S. general was shot dead and 14 other foreign general and officers were wounded by an Afghan soldier. The US Army has said that slain general was Major General Harold Greene, a senior officer with the international military command ISAF. He was the most senior U.S. military official killed in action overseas since the war in Vietnam. Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters that "many were seriously wounded," and the gunman was killed in the attack, which took place on Tuesday at the Marshal Fahim National Defense University, a training center in Kabul.
The attack was widely condemned. Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry described the assailant as a terrorist in army uniform. President Karzai also condemned the attack and American officials went to house of the general for expressing their condolence to his family and relatives as well as pay respect him for great job he has done to his country.
The attack raised fresh question over the relationship between Afghan soldiers and foreign military trainers. Despite visible decline in number of incidents of insider attack on foreign forces, it still has remained as serious threat to lives of foreign military trainers who are decided to stay and support and train Afghan soldiers. The number of insiders took place in 2013 were far less than that of 2012’s—according to a Pentagon report on the war in April, there were 15 insider attacks against foreign troops in 2013 while 48 of such occurred in 2012. This static show a sharp fall in the number of insider attacks---more than 75 percent fall—but this figure is not something to celebrate much.
Major part of this decline has a lot to do with retreat of foreign security forces from the battle field and lesser joint operations with Afghan security forces. In other words, there are no foreign security forces among Afghan fellows that they get targeted by Taliban infiltrators or Afghan security forces that actually have no links with Taliban militants.
Moreover, after series of insider attacks now foreign military trainers are escorted by especial Afghan soldiers who are called as “accompanying angels”. Despite all efforts, foreign soldiers are the on very edge danger if they continue mixing with Afghan soldiers. Interestingly, despite investigations to such huge number of insider attacks the result of investigation never presented to the people. Because the findings stretch the feet of high figures who are holding key political and administrative position or has some power within the political or administrative system.
Sometimes the reports which are released by unknown individuals confuse everyone about what is really going on in the country. Few months ago, President Karzai himself ordered to send two top interior ministry officers to court of law for arresting two civilians in the mosque for one Presidential and Provincial Elections night because the civilians were suspicious. But Mr. President did not care and did not accept the mediation of top generals and Ministry of Interior and persisted that both officers should be brought into justice! Since then I have no information what happened to those two officers but indisputably even the order of Mr. President is enough reason for a judge to imprison for indefinite period.
On the other hand, he releases hundreds of Taliban fighters who shed the bloods of tens of civilians on account that there were no documents against them. It is difficult to imagine that they are innocent when they are caught on the battlefield? What kind of documents should be presented then other coming under arrest with arms on hand and fighting foreign and Afghan security forces?
Believe it or not if the recruitment process is not interfered and it is made transparent, the number of insider attacks will decrease tremendously. The former defense Minister, Mr. Farooq Wardak made a miracle in the Ministry for improvement of its capacity. Let’s say he invented one thing: that was the so-called communal representation. On the basis of his assumption, from total military recruits, 40 percent of them must be from Pashtun community, 25 percent from Tajik and only 10 percent from Hazaras!
I actually do not know from where he has brought this figure? Does not such figure a certain level of discrimination? How is it possible that despite systematic discrimination against Hazara students, over thirty percent of students who find way to public universities through competition are Hazaras? If the total population of the country is assumed to 30 million; based on the figure of Mr. Wardak, the entire population of Hazaras becomes only 3 million while based on accurate figure about Afghani refugees in Iran, over 2.5 million refugees are currently in Iran and over 80 percent of them are Hazaras. In other words, the refugee population of Hazaras in neighboring countries is almost equal to what Mr. Wardak considers for the population of the entire community.
Based on this discrimination, thousands of Hazaras are deprived to join Afghan security forces. Moreover, the same can happen with others as well who are willing to join army. In this way, all those who are really zealous to join army and they can provide determined and committed services to their country are not given the opportunity.