Afghan military says it has expelled, arrested hundreds of its troops

By Sayed Salahuddin and Richard Leiby,

KABUL - Afghanistan's military said Wednesday that it has arrested or expelled from its ranks hundreds of soldiers, part of a major effort to stop the growing number of fatal attacks on U.S. and NATO troops by their Afghan partners. This year, the strikes - known as "insider attacks" - have killed at least 45 troops, the vast majority of them Americans. The attacks have caused deep mistrust between foreign troops and Afghan security forces, posing a vital challenge to the United States as it reduces its combat role in the 11-year war. Afghan army authorities provided no further details about the arrests and expulsions but said the action was the first of its kind aimed at preventing the attacks. "It involves hundreds of soldiers, said Gen. Abdul Manan Farahi, the head of intelligence at the Afghan Defense Ministry. Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said at a news conference that the dismissed and arrested soldiers included those who were recruited into the army ranks without proper documents or firm attestations to their loyalty, the key criteria for the

vetting process. The soldiers in question had their documents reviewed by the army, Azimi said. "Hundreds were sacked or detained after showing links with insurgents. In some cases we had evidence against them, in others we were simply suspicious, Azimi said, adding that the investigation began six months ago. The soldiers came from various parts of the country, Azimi said, including the southern and eastern regions that are the main bastion of the Taliban-led insurgents who claim responsibility for most of the attacks. Fifteen U.S. and NATO troops were killed in August, the deadliest month since the insider phenomenon began in 2007.In addition to men wearing Afghan army uniforms, men in police uniforms have also killed a number of foreign forces over the years. NATO and Afghan officials estimate that the militant infiltrators into the army's ranks are responsible for only a quarter of the attacks, also known as "green-onblue" attacks.They say the rest appear to be motivated by a desire to avenge civilian casualties or missteps by the coalition troops, such as the burning of copies of the Koran and the desecration of enemy bodies. The recent increase in attacks prompted the U.S. military to announce Sunday that its special forces have suspended training of 1,000 new Afghan police recruits to vet existing members.Also Wednesday, two NATO troops were killed in a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan, the coalition said. It gave no further details. A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said the cause of the crash was under investigation. In an e-mailed statement to the media, a Taliban representative claimed that insurgents had shot down the aircraft.
Source: The Washington Post