KABUL: The killing of a US general by an Afghan soldier in the latest ‘insider attack’ will fuel mutual mistrust, but training the Afghan military to take on the Taliban is crucial to Washington’s exit strategy.
Major General Harold J Greene was shot dead on Tuesday at a training centre in Kabul in an attack that left more than a dozen others wounded, including a senior German officer.
The 55-year-old’s death threatens to embitter the final months of the Nato combat mission in Afghanistan and to undermine the urgent push to improve the Afghan army, which is taking over responsibility for fighting the resilient Taliban insurgency.
All remaining 44,000 Nato-led combat troops will leave the country by the end of this year, with about 10,000 US soldiers scheduled to stay into 2015 before a complete withdrawal by the end of 2016.
Leaving a proficient Afghan military behind is essential if gains made since the fall of the Islamist Taliban regime in 2001 are to be preserved against the threat of a return to the factional fighting of the 1990s civil war.
“When the US loses a general like this, they have to review their approach to their Afghan partners, but they also have to stay committed,” retired Afghan general Hadi Khalid said.
“There is no other way out, they can’t just leave everything unfinished.
“But this will prompt foreign forces to be extra cautious. They will limit communications with Afghan personnel. They will focus on training the Afghan trainers, instead of foot soldiers directly.
“And, for its part, the Afghan military needs to shake up, they have to prove they can fill the gap. Although they are doing great on the battlefield, they must improve their military intelligence to prevent this type of attacks.”
AFP
