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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. troops will soon begin helping train an Afghan national army in an effort to stabilize a country split by warlord factions and decades of combat, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) said 125 to 150 special forces troops would initiate the effort to provide "basic soldier skills" to Afghan national and border forces within four to six weeks. The training would include loyalty to a central government.
Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news conference with Rumsfeld the American training force could reach the "low hundreds" initially but that plans were not complete.
Rumsfeld gave no cost estimate for the Afghan army or the training, already being undertaken by British troops. But he said Washington would press other nations to help pay for raising an army, considered a key to stability in unsettled Afghanistan (news - web sites).
"We know that Afghans are well-armed and we know there are a lot of soldiers. And we know they know how to fight," the secretary told reporters.
"One would think that at some point we may be fortunate enough that they'll decide that it's in their interest to have a national army and military and border and police circumstance rather than simply various provinces having their own military forces," he added.
Despite the defeat of Afghanistan's former Taliban leadership by a U.S.-led military force in nearly six months of warfare, the interim government of Hamid Karzai continues to face unrest from long-entrenched domestic military factions.
Myers said the move was being taken in close consultation with Karzai.
"From the start, one of our missions has been to ensure Afghanistan is not a safe haven for terrorists, especially organizations like the al Qaeda," Myers said.
BASIC 10-WEEK TRAINING CYCLES
"This assistance that we're going to provide (that) will train the Afghan national army is directly a part of that mission."
The Pentagon said training cycles would run for about 10 weeks beginning with basic skills from marching to following orders and handling weapons. Collective training at the squad, platoon and company levels would follow individual training.
A "train the trainer" program also would be started, the Pentagon added, so the Afghan military could then begin training its own forces.
Rumsfeld said he hoped the self-training could be taken over by the Afghan military before the end of the year.
The secretary said there was no firm estimate yet on how big the Afghan army might be. But private analysts have estimated that Kabul needs of a military of up to 50,000 troops to protect Afghan borders and discourage factional disputes that historically occur within the country.
"The United States is going to work with some other countries to try to raise some funds for the purpose of training the Afghan army and, needless to say, the pace at which it happens and the size will be somewhat dependent on the success of that effort," Rumsfeld said.
"A major problem will be to convince warlords, who are very protective of their authority and areas, to provide recruits for the effort," one U.S. defense official told Reuters.
The training plan was drawn up following dispatch of Army Maj. Gen. Charles Campbell to Afghanistan in February for talks with Karzai and Defense Minister Mohammad Fahim on the formation of a national army.
Campbell is chief of staff of the U.S. military's Central Command in Tampa, Florida, which is responsible for American military efforts in the country.
In its bid to pacify the country, the Afghan Defense Ministry has embarked on an ambitious program to disarm warlords.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) said 125 to 150 special forces troops would initiate the effort to provide "basic soldier skills" to Afghan national and border forces within four to six weeks. The training would include loyalty to a central government.
Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news conference with Rumsfeld the American training force could reach the "low hundreds" initially but that plans were not complete.
Rumsfeld gave no cost estimate for the Afghan army or the training, already being undertaken by British troops. But he said Washington would press other nations to help pay for raising an army, considered a key to stability in unsettled Afghanistan (news - web sites).
"We know that Afghans are well-armed and we know there are a lot of soldiers. And we know they know how to fight," the secretary told reporters.
"One would think that at some point we may be fortunate enough that they'll decide that it's in their interest to have a national army and military and border and police circumstance rather than simply various provinces having their own military forces," he added.
Despite the defeat of Afghanistan's former Taliban leadership by a U.S.-led military force in nearly six months of warfare, the interim government of Hamid Karzai continues to face unrest from long-entrenched domestic military factions.
Myers said the move was being taken in close consultation with Karzai.
"From the start, one of our missions has been to ensure Afghanistan is not a safe haven for terrorists, especially organizations like the al Qaeda," Myers said.
BASIC 10-WEEK TRAINING CYCLES
"This assistance that we're going to provide (that) will train the Afghan national army is directly a part of that mission."
The Pentagon said training cycles would run for about 10 weeks beginning with basic skills from marching to following orders and handling weapons. Collective training at the squad, platoon and company levels would follow individual training.
A "train the trainer" program also would be started, the Pentagon added, so the Afghan military could then begin training its own forces.
Rumsfeld said he hoped the self-training could be taken over by the Afghan military before the end of the year.
The secretary said there was no firm estimate yet on how big the Afghan army might be. But private analysts have estimated that Kabul needs of a military of up to 50,000 troops to protect Afghan borders and discourage factional disputes that historically occur within the country.
"The United States is going to work with some other countries to try to raise some funds for the purpose of training the Afghan army and, needless to say, the pace at which it happens and the size will be somewhat dependent on the success of that effort," Rumsfeld said.
"A major problem will be to convince warlords, who are very protective of their authority and areas, to provide recruits for the effort," one U.S. defense official told Reuters.
The training plan was drawn up following dispatch of Army Maj. Gen. Charles Campbell to Afghanistan in February for talks with Karzai and Defense Minister Mohammad Fahim on the formation of a national army.
Campbell is chief of staff of the U.S. military's Central Command in Tampa, Florida, which is responsible for American military efforts in the country.
In its bid to pacify the country, the Afghan Defense Ministry has embarked on an ambitious program to disarm warlords.
