Afghanistan Green-On-Blue Attacks: Minister Of Defense Announces New Measures

WASHINGTON -- The government of Afghanistan has begun to take a series of enhanced measures to prevent the killing of NATO soldiers by Afghan forces, Minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at the embassy of Afghanistan, Wardak ran off a long list of steps taken by his country's armed forces to halt a slew of recent incidents in which Afghan security forces, trained and equipped by NATO forces, have turned their guns on the trainers. The incidents are known as "green on blue" attacks by the U.S. military.

"We are taking a lot of preventative measures," Wardak said, adding that the attacks were "very tragic." "We are doing much better vetting in our recruiting centers, requiring two individuals as guarantors for every applicant and are doing full background checks on all of our soldiers."

Afghanistan's military is raising the security level within the units, restricting mobile phone usage for soldiers and instituting new drug test requirements, Wardak also said. Some 150,000 Afghan soldiers have already undergone enhanced background checks, Wardak said.

"That is just a short number of the measures we are taking," he said.

Green-on-blue killings have risen to the forefront of American and Afghan officials' concerns after a spate of incidents this year suggested that they may be on the rise or part of a concerted effort by the Taliban to disrupt America's withdrawal plan. The Americans' exit ultimately hinges on preparing Afghan forces to take over national security.

In February, two American officers attached to the Afghan Interior Ministry were shot point-blank while at work inside the ministry compound, prompting NATO nations to pull out their forces from all Afghan government facilities.

A new visual project by the New America Foundation tracking incidents of green-on-blue violence has identified 34 separate incidents in which 81 NATO troops were killed by the Afghan army or police.

Fifty-two of those killed in this fashion since 2007 have been Americans, according to U.S. officials; this tally includes 10 incidents this year. The vast majority of green-on-blue attacks have occurred in the past two years.

"This pattern of attacks raises a fundamental problem for the plans of the United States and other NATO countries to draw down their forces over the next two years," wrote New America's Peter Bergen in an introduction to his group's visual project.

In a speech late last month at the Brookings Institution, Marine Corps General John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, acknowledged that the attacks had caused "an erosion of trust" between American and Afghan forces.

Allen later suggested to reporters that such killings were largely the result of infiltration of Afghan ranks by anti-American elements and that a continuation of such incidents was inevitable.

“The enemy is going to do all that they can to disrupt our operations and to disrupt the integrity of the government forces,” Allen said. “We should expect this.”

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Comments

[foresure]

03:57 PM on 04/17/2012

The government of Afghanistan has begun to take a series of enhanced measures to prevent the killing of NATO soldiers by Afghan forces, Minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak said on T"uesday".

Doesn't that sum up the hideous nature of our involvement.

What the article doesn't mention is we continue to train, arm, and pay the Afghani army.

Will part of the training that the Afghan soldiers get is to explain to them that the American media really makes a big deal out of it when someone above the rank of Captain gets shot in the back of the head?

From the point of view of the 1% and the upper military, anyone lower that a Major is equipment, that must be from time to time be "sacrificed".

And once more to the girlfriend of a 19 year old grunt, the $500,000 tax free is so painful.

[holyghostie]

09:38 AM on 04/15/2012

It is a sin that our generals are letting our boys lives and our treasure get robbed by the crime organization that is the Afghani government.

[vascopyjama]

11:46 PM on 04/14/2012

In the theater of the absurd, President Karzai swept onto the stage with his mum's curtains draped over his shoulders........

[MiraMcB]

08:31 PM on 04/13/2012

I have a better solution. Pull ALL our troops out within the next 90 days. Full stop. Let Mr. Karzai and his buddies work it all out themselves with the Talis and Al Quaeda. Good luck with that, Mr. Karzai. You will be at the very top of their elimination list.

[heikhali]

02:23 PM on 04/13/2012

Ever since the Afghan Assembly passed a law granting amnesty to criminals who commit "acts of war," I have wondered why it does not grant the murderer reduced tuition at the University of Afghanistan and scholarships to Harvard.

[Eyjafjallajokull]

02:02 PM on 04/13/2012

Per usual Progressives have it upside down.. highlighting Koran burning and Sgt Bales while lowlighting the murder of our troops... justifying one via "its to be expected" while expressing outrage at the other...

More Progressive Hate Speech.. Assassinate Cheney: http://dailycaller.com/2012/04/12/maine-legislator-tweet-seemingly-calls-for-cheneys-execution/

[Ansdlmol]

12:50 PM on 04/13/2012

I don't care what they propose. If I were a NATO soldier I wouldn't trust any Afghan with a gun, inckuding their officers.

[MiraMcB]

08:29 PM on 04/13/2012

Yup.

[Fireslayer]

06:50 AM on 04/13/2012

Past ending the safe haven for international terrorism, we have no legitimate purpose there.

Time to declare victory against Al Queda and bring all the troops home NOW!

[Val Mercy]

03:20 AM on 04/13/2012

I'd like the circumstances of these attacks posed to Romney and ask him, in his infinite foreign policy knowledge, exactly how Obama apologizing for the burning of the holy books was unAmerican and if he believes that we shouldn't apologize for misconduct over there, how does propose containing the backlash that occurs? Order more coffins?

I hate to say it but we need to take the Taliban up on their offer and just hand the country back over to them.

[Eyjafjallajokull]

02:07 PM on 04/13/2012

If a Koran is marred or written on... Islam states that it is to be burned.. so we were following their script. Thats what happened.. but the media took a different route which resulted in protests and more killing... how does your side feel about THAT? WARM blood on your hands... inciting violence...

[Val Mercy]

06:58 PM on 04/13/2012

So you say, but the witnesses who were Muslim say otherwise and demanded an apology. What you are offering sounds like justification after the fact and does not have any facts that can substantiate it.

[john yunker]

11:25 PM on 04/12/2012

it's all about the money!! Afghan mentalityIS;whoever gives ME the MOST, RIGHT NOW, has my loyalty,until someone pays me more / or I get angry, or change my mind or family is hostage or Allah gives me a sign...Get real guys, You can't trust what you can't understand. These people have lived hand to mouth every day basicly. They know that you are an infidel, because their Imams told them you are. You are also an invader to their country They know that because you don't look act speak or dress like they do.. They have NOTHING to lose, because they think differently about death than you do.. Lets come home because they really don't see much of a change and most of them never will. Why not just come home and say' "When you've Settled your differences amongst yourselves and we will deal with whoever is left, Maybe they will appreciate our help because you sure don't seem to as we speak. I'm tired of being .Shot at by people.I don't know but am suppose to be putting my life in his hands!! See ya...

[sakovkt]

10:27 PM on 04/12/2012

"While it seems like Afghanistan might be the winner, there's a hidden plus for the U.S.: Having another party held partially responsible if something goes wrong."

The Blame Game?

[The ORF in Largo]

07:39 PM on 04/12/2012

The "Greens" should try killing the Taliban and defending their country rather than their " rich
uncles" who without them Afghanistan will revert to the Stone Age

[Eyjafjallajokull]

02:09 PM on 04/13/2012

I agree.. but easier said than done.. lets not forget most of these guys were Taliban... plus radical Islam with no other education doesnt help..

[holyghostie]

05:32 PM on 04/12/2012

Centuries of evidence with Afghani's show: You can't trust them.

[Gracie fr]

04:49 PM on 04/12/2012

So far this year, 103 members of the U.S.-led coalition have been killed in Afghanistan. Washington and the NATO coalition can expect the figures to rise as the new Taliban strategy is to target "occupying forces" and those that serve them while rewarding police and soldiers as well as the families of those that desert.....

[StopMakingSense2]

02:08 PM on 04/12/2012

Can we hurry up and leave so they can return to their natural state? Chaos! Just make sure you keep them busy killing each other so they don't have time to think about anyone else by sending arms to the weaker groups so a bloody equilibrium is achieved!

[holyghostie]

05:33 PM on 04/12/2012

Sasdly we still have Billions of borrowed money from the Chinese to dump in Afghanistan but both political parties have NO MONEY for AMERICAN JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS.