NATO Failing To Win Recruits From Taliban

Geoff Meade, defense correspondent

NATO is failing to win over recruits from the Taliban, the US General leading the mission in Afghanistan has admitted.

Only 3% of those joining the Afghan security forces were from the Pashtun-speaking southern provinces at the heartland of the insurgency, Lieutenant General Bill Caldwell said.

The training of pro-government police and army recruits is seen as the keystone to eventual withdrawal of foreign troops.

By October 2010, manning targets for the army are 134,000 (current strength is 96,000) and for the police 109,000 (89,000).

General Caldwell, who took up his post eight weeks ago, said he confronted "a culture of poverty" with training programmes under-resourced.

"Any recruit who started on day one and was still there on the final day qualified from the eight-week course. We have to have proper standards for graduation," he said.

The disproportionate under-representation of southern Pashtuns would be addressed by a "very aggressive" recruiting effort over the next 18 months, he said.

The latest recruitment levels were on target, boosted by a pay rise which gives qualified soldiers and police a monthly salary of £101, rising to £150 with danger money.

Drop-out rates, which were running as high as 45%, have also been brought down to below 10%.

Widespread illiteracy means most training has to be "show and tell".

The Pentagon has sent in another 840 soldiers to train Afghan instructors and try to speed up the process.

Source: Sky News.
Link: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Afghanistan-Nato-Failing-To-Win-Over-New-Recruits-From-The-Taliban/Article/201001215522845?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_3&lid=ARTICLE_15522845_Afghanistan%3A_Nato_Failing_To_Win_Over_New_Recruits_From_The_Taliban.