Wardak: ANSF Turn on SOF?

US commandos hand over troubled area to Afghans  (March 30)

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/21833728/us-commandos-hand-over-troubled-area-to-afghans 

The latest: (source Foreign Policy 03-20-13)

"ISAF and the Afghan government have reached an agreement on Wardak. Gen. Joe Dunford, the ISAF commander in Kabul, announced overnight that he and President Hamid Karzai had reached an agreement over the issue in Wardak after Karzai abruptly declared that U.S. Special Operations Forces were to cease operations and to leave the province. Karzai alleged abuse of Afghans at the hands of the American troops, charges that were never fully explained. Dunford, confronting one of the largest crises with the Afghan government-since taking over recently for Gen. John Allen, met with Karzai in the presidential palace. According to the agreement, Afghanistan will soon begin to move Afghan National Security Forces into Nerkh District in Wardak to provide security, replacing an Afghan Local Police force and U.S. forces. It was a tough situation in which Karzai may have bought a line from local leaders in Wardak. "This was really about local leaders feeding a narrative to Kabul that wasn't exactly on the mark," and American official told Situation Report. "Once the facts were settled, it was possible to move ahead with an agreement."
Dunford: "I am pleased to announce that following a very constructive series of talks with the President and the leadership of the MOD and MOI, we have come to agreement on a plan for Wardak that continues the transition of this critical province and meets the security needs of the people and the requirements of our mission.
Dunford: What success looks like. "I want to thank President Karzai for his leadership. This plan meets the President's intent and leverages the growing capacity and capability of the Afghan security forces to meet the security needs of this country. This solution is what success looks like as we continue the transition to overall Afghan security lead.""

Really hard to see the truth in that last line...

 SSG Rex L Shad - funeral Thursday the 21st

US, Afghanistan Agree on Exit from Wardak

http://schema-root.org/region/asia/southwest_asia/afghanistan/provinces/vardak/

Here's a little background story on this area.  When SF moved there they fell in on a ton of unvetted ALP  that the regular army had "trained."  Why was the regular army standing up ALP, when they have no real understanding on how to properly vet and conduct unconventional warfare?  Great question.  Probably because a sorry officer made the poor decision to allow this to happen.  So the ODA fell in on hundreds of these poorly-trained, unvetted Afghans.  So, they did what they were told, set up a base out there, and began vetting these guys with the last month they had in country.  Fast forward to another sorry officer that told the team to "Hurry up and vet these guys" so he could tell higher how great of a job they were doing.  When they said they had only vetted like 40% they were told that wasn't good enough, and the officer then padded the stats because in his exact words, "I can't tell a General we only vetted 40%."

I can't speak to everything that happened this past year, but  this is the sort of thing that causes green on blue.  The conventional army has no business setting up ALP, but since that is the hot ticket these days, people only want to mass-produce them.  The current team on the ground has done a lot of good things there, but it is hard (and dangerous) when you have leaders that allow this to happen.

Moral of the story, 1) start giving higher the real story (I am talking to you, shitty, self-serving, careerist Field Grades), 2)  the war isn't over yet for the guys on the ground, so support them and give them what they require to be successful, 3) stop allowing conventional army to do unconventional tasks. 

A lot of this info is for the dude below that was doing a lot of writing, but doesn't know the backstory on this particular case.

The Detachment Commander, a Captain, has succumbed to his wounds making the death toll 3.

Ideally the whole program would fall under Coalition counter-intelligence personnel for training as well as screening for recruitment.  Instead of just relying on the recommendations of the ANP chiefs, appointment to these units should also have to have the recommendations of a national MOI internal affairs appointment authority as well as a local official, such as a judge and tribal elder.  In this way there is an effort to have a checks and ballences over one entity having control over these units.  The GOA could be leveraged to create these units by using Iraq as an example of how national police are targeted without them in place and that they are needed for stability of the government.  However they would also serve to show that they are serious about fighting corruption and protecting the investment of the US in their security forces.          

I think it is also worth mentioning that these internal affairs units should possibly be selected from proven officer and enlisted ranks with records of fighting crime and corruption and from new apt recruits that show enthusiasium and are thoughoughly vetted.  The latter would serve as the operational elements with the former as leadership supervising them.  Other more speciific feilds to recruit from might include: ANP Commandos and intelligence personnel.  The commandos have an inheirent sence of loyalty that is proven along with their job.  They also would bring a multitude of tactical apptitude and could be used as operational or training officers. Intel people with proven records of tracking insurgents and corruption could prove a reliable and valuable tool to help guide efforts to weed out internal threats within the ANP.  Detectives in any kind of special investigation units with proven records could round out the profiles of those to be recruited.  An incentive for recruitment would be extra pay as this assignment would require relocation as does the Afghan Army.  This would also help to keep these people and their famalies from being bribed or intimadated by insurgents where they operate, yet they could be used to ellicite information from local ANP sources about thier infractions and their origens.       

As an after thought: the more vulnerable Afghan Police internal affairs units could maintain security by being jointly based on Afghan Army Bases, possibly even on SOF bases to protect what would be an obvious target.  This could give them a more secure area to operate out of and allow them to be attached to seperate police outposts as needed.  Since they would look just like other ANP they would create an omnipressence within the ANP and hopefully canncel out much of the corruption and infiltration by the Haqqani Network or the Taliban's Department for "Call and Guidance, Luring and Integration".  However I have been saying this til I was blue in the face to certain people and it is likely that as long as our government and military insists that this is not a major problem, that these internal security organizations will not recieve due attention.     

I think that the answer could be to create a better internal affairs division within the Afghan National Police and more MPs within the Afghan National Army.  Both of these organizations are in need of these internal security structures.  If the US were to lack these we would even see a crime wave within our own institutions.  It is therefore a forgone conclusion as to how that will effect a country like Afghanistan.  We are even seeing that the lack of these has not helped the situation in a country like Iraq after we left.  These internal organizations not only help to police infiltration and internal crime, but also help to keep those in power from weilding the army or police irresponsibly.  Of course the very formation of these types of units are also a kind of litmus test for how serious the government is about dealing with corruption.  They would not only protect our forces and the population but allow the majority of honorable troops to do thier job.  The last I heard the Croation advisors were pulling out of the school for Afghan MPs at Camp Julian and despite the recommendation of the State Dept, there has been little pursuit of an internal affairs division in the Ministry of the Interior.  I have been out of the loop for a while though and dont get to see as much of what is behind the scenes.  However, in my opinion, these forces should be trained as the U.S. takes more of an advisor role in Afghanistan and as less forces remain and we depend more on the Afghan Security Forces.         

Rex Schad was a buddy of mine from Savannah. Details were sketchy earlier in the week and I was told a policeman had just gone rogue. I'm still confused on exactly what happened.

my best friend just had his son deployed over to the a-hole. I told him to never turn his back on the SOB's. You may share tea and biscuits with them in the morning and they'll cut your throat before dinner.

Very sad story.  I just can't imaginethe stress and emotions those have operating in conditions where you have to trust allies who may not be allies.

This drek was reported by CNN back In March when the incident happened losing two SOF soldiers.  Not only do we have to contend with the 'enemy' but, our own MSM and Defense Department.

(CNN) Most of the insider attacks are believed to be the result of Afghan soldiers suffering from combat or emotional stress, a Defense Department official told CNN in September after an especially deadly weekend for coalition troops.

Only about 15% of the “green-on-blue” attacks are believed to be the result of insurgent links, and about 10% come from infiltrators not affiliated with the military, the Defense Department official said.

hmmm musta been from the 15% since they were 'planning the attack'.

(Defcon Hill) Two American soldiers were killed on Monday during the latest insider attack by Afghan forces against American troops, a day after new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel wrapped up his first trip to the country. 

Five ANP officers purportedly involved in planning the attack in have been detained by U.S. and Afghan forces for questioning, provincial Deputy Police Chief Abdul Razaq Koraishi told the AP on Monday. 

Response from Gen Joseph Dunford, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan:

"These [are] issues that have to be addressed are a natural tension as Afghanistan increasingly asserts its sovereignty. These should be expected," Dunford said. "But they do not at all characterize the relationship that we have with" the ANSF or the Karzai administration. 

Great post. I keep thinking about Drago's comment in one of the SOFREP Radio podcasts, paraphrasing: 

"After two years of war, you are just training your enemy." 

Starting to appear they have learned their lessons. 

Thank you for your service.  Best wishes to the friends and family of the fallen. RIP