Army Desertions Complicate Afghan Election Plans

~SNIP~
by Thalif Deen
The U.S.-backed government in Kabul is facing large-scale desertions by western-trained local security forces as it tries to establish a safe environment in the run-up to scheduled June elections.

The success of the upcoming vote has been predicated primarily on the creation of a 10,000-strong Afghan National Army (ANA) and a 20,000-strong police force, both of which are expected to provide security during the polls.

But more than 3,000 soldiers from the ANA have already abandoned their posts after training by instructors from the United States, France and Britain. The same is feared of a police force currently under training.

On Thursday an official with NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), whose troops are now serving in Afghanistan, suggested the vote could be delayed until August because of the security situation, reported London's 'Financial Times' newspaper.

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link: http://antiwar.com/ips/deen.php?articleid=2122