Chapter 1 Afghanistan in 2015 Continues…

The ANSF has also been hailed for its successful military operations against the insurgents in recent years. For instance, its role in repelling the insurgents during the ‘Kabul Siege’ of April 2012 was lauded. Similarly, “Operation Simorgh,” the largest Afghan-led joint arms operation in more than three decades, launched by the ANSF in July 2013 in Logar and Paktia provinces was successful in dislodging insurgents from their strongholds in eastern Afghanistan.9 A UN Report released in November 2013 also credited the ANSF with performing well in 2013, especially with respect to recapturing territory lost to the Taliban previously. The report also stated that at least 12,000 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed, wounded or captured during the military operations in Afghanistan in 2013. Besides these, the ANSF in 2013 was successful in foiling a number of intended high profile attacks such as the ones on the Kabul Airport and a provincial assembly building in Zabul in June, as well as a missile attack meant to disturb the Loya Jirga meeting in Kabul in November 2013.
Despite these achievements, doubts continue to persist about the capability of the ANSF. According to a Pentagon Report released in December 2012, only one out of 23 army brigades was capable of taking independent security charge. Another Pentagon report released in November 2013 pointed out significant managerial gaps including shortfalls in planning, programming, budgeting, and acquisitions. The ANSF is unable to manage counter-IED operations, intelligence, artiller y, and medical operations on its own. The report claimed that the ANSF is incapable of sustaining itself and does not have the capacity to manage the day-to-day affairs of running the institution. The ANSF suffers from a serious shortage of officers and non- commissioned officers creating a leadership deficit, which in turn has made it difficult for the ANSF to manage its own affairs.


To be continued…