The Likely Failure of Tribal Militias in Afghanistan
BY Herschel Smith
15 years, 11 months ago
Regular readers of The Captain’s Journal know that we oppose simplistic applications of the Anbar awakening to Afghanistan. The reasons are involved and complicated, and the reader is advised to stop by our category The Anbar Narrative for a fuller explanation. But one reason that the concept of tribal militias may fail in Afghanistan can be found in a report by the Asia Foundation (h/t Small Wars Council). In the report the following table of results can be found.
Local militias – for whatever reason, corruption, internecine warfare, etc. – rank at the lowest of all institutions in which the Afghan population has confidence. Training and institutionalizing the Afghan Army and ridding the police of corruption – along with more U.S. troops to kill Taliban and provide security for the population and confidence for the Army until the process is complete – are the best bets to a stable and secure Afghanistan.
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