What Happened to the Afghan Army?

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From Major Amin. As time goes on, we will no doubt see more information about how the USA “lost Afghanistan”. At the level of American PR/media the blame will mostly fall on Pakistan for now, since there is a lot of truth in it and it gets the clowns who run the state dept and the pentagon off the hook (or so they think) but in time the details about how the US mismanaged its project will also become prominent.. this is one of them. (To some extent it is a structural issue.. Americans live so far above/away from Afghan (or even Pakistani) reality.. well intentioned ones have no framework that remotely resembles situation on the ground, ill intentioned ones only want to make money or have fun killing gooks)

WHAT HAPPENED TO Β AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMYΒ 

Major A.H Amin (Retired)Β 

what happened to afghan national armyΒ 

  • August 2021Β 
  • DOI:Β 
  • 10.13140/RG.2.2.14621.44004
  • Project:Β 
  • Military History
  • Agha H Amin

Arm chair strategists are takingΒ  great delight in criticizing AfghanΒ  Army for collapsing in face of soΒ  called Taliban onslaught.Β 

“A little knowledge of philosophy ,Β  inclineth man towards atheism” asΒ  the adage goes but , “depth inΒ  philosophy bringeth back man toΒ  God !” This is how I will describeΒ  these novices and critics !Β 

The first point to be noted is thatΒ  armies are not created by US firmsΒ  like Military Professional HumanΒ  Resources International in aΒ decade but a long processΒ  spanning centuries.Β 

The real Afghan Army withΒ  traditions dating back to 1719 orΒ  1747 was destroyed by joint USΒ  Pakistan design about 1978-1992 when a proxy war was financed inΒ  Afghanistan.Β 

Characters like Peter Tomsen went out of their way to destroyΒ  the real Afghan Army betweenΒ  1989 and 1992 , just because itΒ  was viewed as Pro Soviet or ProΒ  Russian entity.

Afghanistan had no army betweenΒ  1992 and 2001.Β 

In 2001 the USA initiated efforts toΒ  create a new army but thisΒ  exercise had ulterior motives. FirstΒ  the exercise was awarded to contractors which was the firstΒ  blunder.Β 

US myopia and petty mindsetΒ  was such that USSR trained pilots ,Β  available in thousands were notΒ  reemployed as they were regarded asΒ  Russian proxies !

While the USSR trained manyΒ  thousand Afghans in USSR andΒ  Warsaw Pact states, US pettyΒ  parsimony and narrowmindednessΒ  was such that hardly any AfghanΒ  was taken to the USA for courses.Β 

Instead characters who no oneΒ  would employ in USA , and had noΒ  options were in AfghanistanΒ  training the Afghan Army.Β 

To give an example , the mainΒ  project supervisor of Schools andΒ  Clinics program in Louis BurgerΒ  was a male nurse ! To entrustΒ billion dollar construction projectsΒ  to a male nurse was ludicrous.Β 

My driver and many taxi drivers IΒ  met were outstanding war pilotsΒ  trained for 5 years in USSR andΒ  with combat flying experienceΒ  between 3000 hours to 15,000Β  hours !Β 

Tanks were regarded as futureΒ  threat and armour was hardlyΒ  created or organised.Β 

The list is endless but will never beΒ  investigated like Louis BurgersΒ billion dollar failure published byΒ  Washington Post as a β€œBUILDINGΒ  PLAN FULL OF CRACKS” , LATEΒ  2005 !Β 

The simple issue was security ! USΒ  trainers were simply SCARED thatΒ  they would get shot in the back !Β Β 

SO THERE WAS HARDLY ANYΒ  TRAINING !!!Β 

I saw some of these contractors inΒ  Kabul when I was living about 110Β  metres from gate of KabulΒ  Compound or camp Eggers !Β 

These characters were here to doΒ  hole punching and make someΒ  bucks and not to create an army.Β So the real spirit was missing .Β 

The USA preferred so called exΒ  Mujahids which was a bad idea.Β 

The best Afghan officers like UlumiΒ  etc were never taken in the loopΒ  as they were considered proΒ  Russian.Β 

Many old Afghan Army officersΒ  joined but these were sabotagedΒ by the Mujahid Mafia who were aΒ  collection of USA, Pakistan or soΒ  many other state proxies who hadΒ  destroyed their own countryΒ  between 1978 and 1992 !Β 

The unkindest cut was deliveredΒ  by this character Ashraf GhaniΒ  who between 2014 and 2019Β  summarily removed 90 % of preΒ  1992 Afghan Army officers , thusΒ  totally destroying the AfghanΒ  Army !

The incompetent US staff in KabulΒ  did not oppose this most IDIOTICΒ  and FOOLISH step !Β 

Or perhaps it was US design thatΒ  Afghan Army should collapseΒ  quickly so that the Taliban areΒ  back in power and then they canΒ  be sorted out properly !Β 

The collapse of Afghan Army hasΒ  to be seen in the context of theΒ  fact that FIRST the USA and itsΒ  proxy states DESTROYED the REALΒ  AFGHAN ARMY in 1978-92 ! ThenΒ  the RECONSTRUCTION of AFGHANΒ ARMY by the USA was a SHALLOWΒ  EXERCISE , MARRED by MASSIVEΒ  CORRUPTION and a BAD TEAM .Β Lastly no army can be created inΒ  20 years . FINALLY Ashraf GhanisΒ  Removal of the REAL AFGHANΒ  ARMY OFFICERS BETWEEN 2014Β  AND 2019 WAS THE DEATHΒ  SENTENCE OF AFGHAN ARMY !

Audio of the same points:

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Omar Ali

I am a physician interested in obesity and insulin resistance, and in particular in the genetics and epigenetics of obesity As a blogger, I am more interested in history, Islam, India, the ideology of Pakistan, and whatever catches my fancy. My opinions can change.

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Ali Choudhury
Ali Choudhury
3 years ago

Why is a retired major writing like someone who only passed primary school? My eyeballs hurt.

Word
Word
3 years ago
Reply to  Ali Choudhury

f angreji ruined by Xian 1066

Wretched existence in perpetuity for enemies of Afghanistan

VijayVan
VijayVan
3 years ago

Good analysis. We know Pakistan deserves some blame- but it cannot be overdone. Just like Iraq where the Army and Baath Party were dissolved by US occupation army, which led to years of instability.
I think this marks end of US century and hegemony and credibility . Non western, even western countries, will think twice or thrice before allying with the US.
I also think the rapid advance of Taliban may be due to help from Iran or even Russia. The Kabul govt is seen as a US ally or an underling, which invites the wrath of Iran and Russia , two countries with scores to settle with the US. Even though they don’t like Taliban , there antipathy for pro US forces is also high. US strategy should have been to cultivate Iran, while isolating Pakistan. Instead, they did the opposite with disastarous consequences

India gifted MI24 attack heli to Kabul govt and that is in the hands of Talibs; so is other facilities built by India

S Qureishi
S Qureishi
3 years ago

//US strategy should have been to cultivate Iran, while isolating Pakistan. //

USA also has to cultivate Israel, Saudi, UAE, Egypt and Turkey, so its a bad strategy to cultivate Iran in opposition to them all, as Obama found out. But on another note, I agree that US allies don’t trust the US anymore. Infact ths US downfall in Afghanistan is directly linked to Pak military establishment’s distrust of the US after it abandoned the region in 1989.

Bhimrao
Bhimrao
3 years ago

“Pak military establishment’s distrust of the US after it abandoned the region in 1989.”

Why do Pakistanis cry and complain all the time?

US comes in: cry
US goes out: cry

import free money: happy
export militancy: happy

VijayVan
VijayVan
3 years ago

\Pak military establishment’s distrust of the US after it abandoned the region in 1989.\
This is a narrative promoted by Pakistani army.

The US came in with military and other aid after Soviet invasion of 79. After Soviet tropps left in 87, the US had no business there; still it hung around and supplying arms to pakistan and Mujahideen and Taliban till the assasination of Najibulla in 1995.

Pakistan ate of US hands during that period and afterward also; Pakistan has nothing to complain.

Actually Pakistan has been doing armed intervention there from the time of Bhutto ; yet it is spinning a narrative that t was due to Sovit invasion that it got involved in Afghanistan; somehow the US responsible for all Mujahideen and the refugees from Afghanistan and therefore US owes pakistan something continuously.

If Pakistan did not want refugees from Afghanistan, it could have closed the borders completely, left Afghans to their fate

S Qureishi
S Qureishi
3 years ago

//the US had no business there; still it hung around and supplying arms to pakistan and Mujahideen and Taliban till the assasination of Najibulla in 1995.//

You mean the F-16 jets they sold us and received payment for but never delivered?
This is completely wrong

Pakistan received $0 in military aid after the Pressler amendment came into effect from 1990 onwards. You can find the explanation along with the spreadsheet of US aid here:

http://www.ipedr.com/vol39/028-ICITE2012-K00006.pdf

Anyway, its besides the topic, which is Afghanistan.

Bhimrao
Bhimrao
3 years ago
Reply to  S Qureishi

“This is completely wrong”
Bullshit. Don’t lie, Pakistan did get its money back.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/02/03/the-u-s-pakistan-f-16-fiasco/
“Pakistan received $0 in military aid after the Pressler amendment came into effect from 1990 onwards.”
Why should they have bankrolled your nuclear program? Beggars can’t be choosers. It is called ‘aid’ and not ‘reimbursement’ for a reason.
Anyway, its besides the topic, which is Afghanistan. Just don’t lie here.

Bhimrao
Bhimrao
3 years ago
Reply to  Bhimrao

*get

Bhimrao
Bhimrao
3 years ago
Reply to  S Qureishi

“received payment for but never delivered?”

Americans returned the money. Don’t obfuscate.

“Pakistan received $0 in military aid after the Pressler amendment came into effect from 1990 onwards.”

Why should it have received any more aid? It is called aid and not re-imbursement for a reason, beggars can’t be choosers.

Scorpion Eater
Scorpion Eater
3 years ago

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pakistan-useful-for-us-only-to-clean-up-afghanistan-mess-khan/ar-AANezlu?ocid=winp1taskbar

“Pakistan useful for US only to clean up Afghanistan β€˜mess’ – Imran Khan”

for condom to a broom. i would say, it is some progress. just hang in there.

Janamejaya
Janamejaya
3 years ago

Man,
My respect for Najibullah has gone way up. The dude outlasted his Soviet Union’s withdrawal by many years.

VijayVan
VijayVan
3 years ago
Reply to  Janamejaya

The dude had skin in the game. In typical afghan fashion , he fought against overwhelming odds, Pakistan, Taliban, Mujahideen, US and who else. Even kabul fell after much of the city was flatenned by inter factional fighting.
Let us see who in kabul govt can cobble a coalition to do a fight to the end with Taliban. Even if they do an Assad by aligning completely with Russia , it won’t be a bad idea

Scorpion Eater
Scorpion Eater
3 years ago

one trillion dollars spent on this “army” and this is what US has to show for it!

had US spent 1/1000th of that money on russian mercenaries, they would have held the ground much better.

it may still not be too late. russian mercenaries are in demand everywhere. from libya to syria, they will go wherever the money is.

S Qureishi
S Qureishi
3 years ago

Well I guess what the Americans and NATO with all their firepower could not achieve will be achieved by Russian mercenaries. Wake up and smell the coffee.. Ghani, Saleh etc will be boarding the jets out of Kabul airport before September 11, 2021.

Scorpion Eater
Scorpion Eater
3 years ago

in some sense i feel that afghans brought this upon themselves. for 20 years they were enjoying a pampered life fully paid for by big daddy US. US army was fighting the real battles with taliban as afghan army collected free paychecks. US was paying the salaries of their various government workers and building nice buildings for them, all for free. just a free money utopia. now the real world is upon them.

now afghan women are posting tearful videos of how scared they are of advancing taliban. well, if you dont want to live under taliban rule, pick up the gun and fight back. if kurdish girls can do it, why can’t you.

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