More NATO troops are killed by rogue Afghan soldiers and police turning weapons against their trainers than declared enemies. The uptick of insider attacks marks a worrying turn for ISAF officials as they prepare to wind up the Afghanistan mission.
In response, the US military halted training of Afghan government-backed militias for a month in order to re-vet recruits after the wave of attacks. A spokesman for the military coalition said there is no set date for the resumption of training of the local police.
Afghanistan's military announced today that it arrested or expelled hundreds of soldiers in a bid to stop the attacks.
An August 28 attack in which a man in an Afghan army uniform killed three Australian soldiers and wounded two in the southern province of Uruzgan brought the total number of NATO personnel killed by "green-on-blue" attacks to fifteen for the month of August. Nearly one in three international coalition deaths were caused by Afghan allies last month.
International forces said there have been 34 insider attacks this year, and 12 in August alone, resulting in the deaths of 45 international troops. ISAF claims the majority of attacks are one-offs, fueled by personal disagreements and cultural differences, but the frequency of the attacks hints at a larger problem.
Much of the alliance's war strategy relies on close cooperation between foreign and Afghan troops, with the foreigners as trainers and the Afghans expected to take responsibility after NATO's departure at the end of 2014. The military is attempting to cut back on the attacks through a "Guardian Angels" program, in which one or two armed ISAF troops would monitor all Afghans during each mission and meeting. These angels will be prepared to fire on anyone who tries to kill a coalition service member, according to the New York Times. In a bit of an understatement, General John Allen, ISAF Commander, said, "There is an erosion of trust that has emerged from [the attacks]."
In response, the US military halted training of Afghan government-backed militias for a month in order to re-vet recruits after the wave of attacks. A spokesman for the military coalition said there is no set date for the resumption of training of the local police.
Afghanistan's military announced today that it arrested or expelled hundreds of soldiers in a bid to stop the attacks.
An August 28 attack in which a man in an Afghan army uniform killed three Australian soldiers and wounded two in the southern province of Uruzgan brought the total number of NATO personnel killed by "green-on-blue" attacks to fifteen for the month of August. Nearly one in three international coalition deaths were caused by Afghan allies last month.
International forces said there have been 34 insider attacks this year, and 12 in August alone, resulting in the deaths of 45 international troops. ISAF claims the majority of attacks are one-offs, fueled by personal disagreements and cultural differences, but the frequency of the attacks hints at a larger problem.
Much of the alliance's war strategy relies on close cooperation between foreign and Afghan troops, with the foreigners as trainers and the Afghans expected to take responsibility after NATO's departure at the end of 2014. The military is attempting to cut back on the attacks through a "Guardian Angels" program, in which one or two armed ISAF troops would monitor all Afghans during each mission and meeting. These angels will be prepared to fire on anyone who tries to kill a coalition service member, according to the New York Times. In a bit of an understatement, General John Allen, ISAF Commander, said, "There is an erosion of trust that has emerged from [the attacks]."
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