Afghanistan turns to local defense groups

While US/NATO continue to apply OIF lessons learned to OEF (well at least COIN-centric surge “successes”, whatever that means). This latest gambit, to create Afghan local defense groups, in a country steeped with a history of warlordism, while Karzai increasingly appears that he will refuse to seat a legitimate Parliament, can and will lead to arming the populace just when racial/ethnic tensions are about to spill out into the street.

US/NATO views the program “as a temporary means to bolster security while conventional Afghan security forces are growing.”  The problem is that the program has buy-in from the Interior Ministry, the department directly responsible for institutionalizing legitimate Afghan security forces.  So instead of forcing the ministry to work harder to create credible Afghan security forces, we offer an easy way out for the ministry by turning to “local defense groups” to do the heavy lifting.  This is not an “awakening.”

Regardless of the stakes and consequences, apparently a process is in place to vett the Afghanistan local defense force through the MOI, when that doesn’t happen, and commanders stand them up on their own .

Afghan Official Expects Court to Void Election

We’ve been here before.  When the results of a legitimate election are thrown out, well, nothing good can come of it.  Get this.  Pashtuns, 40% of the Afghan population, don’t turn out to the polls, and lose seats in the new Parliament.  Tajiks and Hazari’s, ethnic minorities, gain seats.  You know, that representative thing.  Well, Karzai is a Pashtun.  Needs to keep Pashtun support.  So what does he do?  Claims excessive fraud, appoints a special court, a five-judge panel, and will most likely support their pending decision to throw out the results and recommend not seating the new Parliament this upcoming weekend.  The court in question resides outside constitutional bounds by the way.  Now we all know, fraud and corruption run rampant in Afghanistan.  In fact, Karzai’s election was marred by fraud, deceit, and corruption – so I guess Karzai knows how to call the shots.  But, regardless of his know-how, the most recent parliamentary elections were deemed legitimate (barring minor instances of fraud) by numerous neutral reviews and observers.  Annulling the vote will certainly cause a constitutional crisis.  To this slog the US and 100,000 troops are hitched to.  Democracy at its best.  So tell me, how do you answer the Private or the Lance Corporal who asks the question, why are we fighting and dying for here in Afghanistan?   Well if they are looking for answers, don’t ask US/NATO in Kabul because they’ve been mum – at a loss for words, but with plenty of Power Point slides tracking “progress.”