TIME: Putting Arms in the
Afghan Army
Monday, August 19, 2002
By MICHAEL WARE
Almost daily, sniper bullets and small bands of
fighters threaten American soldiers hunting al-Qaeda
and Taliban members left behind in Afghanistan. But a
more benign task entrusted to U.S. special forces
stationed in Kabul--training the fledgling Afghan
national army--is also proving dangerous. Funds for
the endeavor are scarce, and weapons and ammunition
are "not the quality you'd want at Fort Benning,"
says Lieut. Colonel Kevin McDonnell, who is
responsible for the training. The Green Berets have
resorted to tossing rocks to teach grenade handling
and scrounging al-Qaeda and Taliban leftovers.
Sometimes the troops launch risky operations in
recalcitrant villages, engaging in fire fights to
capture dusty caches of arms. "It's not a stretch to
say they're putting their bodies on the line," says
McDonnell. "It's simply the price of doing business
in Afghanistan." From each hard-won haul, only a few
items are usable. Soldiers have to sift through the
duds, carefully X-raying weapons like mortars to
identify ones worth salvaging. Funding from the U.S.
Office of Military Cooperation is coming in waves: $6
million has already been spent, but a further $70
million has yet to be approved. The timeline is
short, McDonnell says, but the Green Berets "were
sent here to do this because they don't fold their
arms and say it's too hard." Eventually, he says, "we
will get the grenades." For now, rock throwing will
be a way of "imparting principles."