Embedded mit der Afghanischen Armee

Die AP-Fotografin Anja Niedringhaus (hier im Blog keine Unbekannte) war ein paar Tage mit der Afghanischen Nationalarmee (ANA) unterwegs. Ihre Fotos sind interessant vor dem Hintergrund der Überlegungen, die ANA aufzubauen, um den Abzug der internationalen Truppen zu ermöglichen – und dann die internationalen Zahlungen so zu verringern, dass die afghanischen Sicherheitskräfte wieder verkleinert werden müssen…

Ihre Bilder, veröffentlicht von Associated Press on WhoSay (mehr nach dem Klick auf das Bild):

Associated Press on WhoSay

I had just arrived back in Afghanistan when two U.S. military personnel were shot and killed at the Interior Ministry in the Afghan capital. Less than a week later, an attack killed two NATO coalition soldiers at a joint base in Zhari distrinct in Kandahar.

It happened after the burnings of the Quran by U.S. soldiers at Bagram Air base, north of Kabul. The people being blamed were men in Afghan army uniforms.

Trust between U.S. and NATO troops had plummeted. I wanted to understand more, to see what the Afghan National Army was doing, how the soldiers were reacting, to understand from within their ranks how they felt.

After two calls to the Afghan Defense Ministry and one letter bearing all my details, I headed out to the Kabul Military Center on the outskirts of the city. More than 12.000 Afghan security personnel were being trained on a huge compound that seemed endless. I moved throughout the compound. As we reached the top of a mountain I saw below a large contingent of young recruits marching up the hill ready for their early morning training.