ANDSF in danger of depletion

The level of casualties among Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) has hit unsustainably high. The Taliban have intensified attacks against Afghan forces following a drop in their attacks in major cities. The militants could mostly attack only small ANDSF outposts until a few years back, but today, even large army bases are not safe from Taliban offensives. In recent months, the Taliban have switched their utmost focus to large-scale raids against Afghan forces after a decline in complex and suicide attacks in the country’s major cities, inflicting heavy casualties on Afghan forces.
While interest among Afghan youth to join Afghan forces has drained away due to corruption in leadership of the security apparatuses, the level of casualties among Afghan forces has reached terribly high, which can deplete their ranks if continues as now. Although the steep rise in ANDSF toll is predictable with the escalation of war, the current rate is intolerable. The government has unfortunately failed to reduce the casualty level, because neither has it been able to overhaul the security leadership nor has taken any initiative for the peaceful settlement of the conflict that can subside violence.
In addition to escalation of fighting, the negligence of the security institutions is another major factor for the surge in ANDSF casualties. On Saturday night, the Taliban launched a full-scale attack on an army base in Uruzgan’s Chora district, martyring 44 Afghan soldiers, capturing as many as 40 and wounding scores others. The district police chief says they asked the provincial and central governments for reinforcements for three consecutive days, but their requests went unanswered. He even went on to claim that the government has not been able to recover bodies of the fallen soldiers from the area.
In spite of the fact that only political settlement of the conflict can put an end to the problem, reforms in the security institutions should take place first. If scrupulous and committed individuals are appointed to the leadership of the security institutions, it can largely help reduce ANDSF casualties and problems. Corruption and dereliction of duty, beyond a shadow of a doubt, have increased casualties among Afghan forces.