An army professionally competent and equipped with latest weapons, war crafts and modern technology is what Afghanistan is in dire need of. After the US invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, the Afghan security forces have nurtured well. In the wake of this development, they have been handed security responsibility of a number of Afghan provinces since last summer and about half of the country will come under their control by the end of this spring. Many deem it an important milestone and the fruit of international community’s presence in Afghanistan. Nonetheless, there are serious concerns over the capability of Afghan army and police to defend all Afghanistan on their own by the end of 2014, when all the international troops will be out of Afghanistan.
On Thursday, March 22, 2012, speaking at the graduation ceremony of 273 Afghan military officers, President Hamid Karzai urged Afghan forces to take more responsibility. Addressing the Afghan National Army, he said, “I am fully confident that you young soldiers would make the dream that the people of Afghanistan have on minds since a very long time come true.
With this knowledge you should take steps to serve your country as the people can reach their dreams only with your courage and professionalism.” The urge by Karzai comes at times when insecurity has been growing in Afghanistan with each passing year taking more civilian and military toll. Taliban are morally strong and are eyeing to overthrow government once the foreign troops are out of Afghanistan.
With the assistance from international community, the Afghanistan national army and police have emerged as a strong force against the enemies of Afghanistan. They undertake regular operations against militants and they have been quite successful in killing and capturing Taliban and members of other terrorist networks. However, Afghan security forces still face grave challenges. Infiltration of army ranks by Taliban fighters or sympathizers, high dropout rate, low capacity, insufficient equipments, weapons and aircrafts, addiction to drugs and involvement in corruption are a few of the many problems facing Afghan army and police.
No doubt, the security of Afghanistan has to ultimately fall in the hands of its own army. But handing all security responsibilities to them in short period has increased concerns as they need more time and training to become a proficient force, at least at regional level.