KABUL: NATO-led forces are scaling back joint operations with Afghan forces after a spate of “insider attacks” in which Afghan recruits turned their weapons on Western allies, officers said Tuesday.
The move marked a setback for the coalition’s war strategy, as the planned withdrawal of Western troops hinges on training and advising Afghan forces to take over security by the end of 2014.
Under the new order, most joint patrols and advisory work with Afghan troops will only be conducted at the battalion level and above, NATO officers and Pentagon officials said.
Cooperation with smaller units will have to be “evaluated on a case-by-case basis and approved by” regional two-star commanders, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.
As the so-called “green-on-blue” attacks have grown, US commanders have gradually acknowledged the assaults pose a serious threat to the war effort and have struggled to stem the problem.
The commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, General John Allen, “has directed all operational commanders to review force protection and tactical activities in the light of the current circumstances”, a US military officer in Washington said in an email. “This guidance was given at the recommendation of, and in conjunction with, key Afghan leaders,” said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity. (PTI)
