Kabul: General John Campbell, the outgoing commander of Resolute Support Mission and U.S forces in Afghanistan, has said that poor leadership within the ranks of the Afghan security forces is their biggest hurdle and called on the country’s leaders to bring reforms.
He said that almost 70 percent of the problems troops are facing are due to bad leadership.
He went on to say that despite government’s reshuffling of 92 officials, the issues still exist. He suggested more inclusive reforms to be introduced to overcome the challenges, referring to a number of recommendations he made to Afghan officials.
Campbell also talked on the Taliban insurgency, and dismissed the group’s capabilities of reaching its objectives through war saying the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will maintain its military presence for an undetermined time.
On Saturday, Campbell held his last press conference as commander of the U.S and RS forces in Afghanistan. He expressed hope over the war capabilities of the Afghan forces on the battlefields, but reiterated calls for implementing necessary reforms in the security sphere.
“My estimation is that they [the problems] can be fixed with good leadership and holding the people accountable. In the last two months, there has been 92 general officers changed in the MoD … and every one of those cases I think made a difference. For me leadership is what really drives everything.
Leadership is about discipline. Why in some places you have a unit that may not have a train, advise and assist, they have a very big threat there, but that unit continues to do very well, or you have another unit, maybe the same threat level, but they are not doing so well ” he said.
According to Campbell, the Afghan forces are set to face a tough time next summer, but said that the Taliban has not been able to seize cities or towns for a long period.
“The Taliban has no vision for the future of Afghanistan, they don’t believe in anything they do with education. They don’t believe in education, they don’t believe in women’s rights. They don’t believe in the Afghan Constitution. All they believe in is violence and killing women and children,” Campbell said.
Campbell’s comments come on the heels of a decision by foreign forces in Afghanistan in recent weeks to intensify their military campaign against Daesh.
He said that the Taliban was more dangerous than Daesh, but said that attacks against Daesh increased as the group poses direct threats against the U.S and the West.
He said their intent is to takeover Jalalabad and move on Kunar. “They want to attack Europe, they want to attack the United States, do they have the capability today, I don’t think so, but a lot of that is because of the pressure that is put on them by the Afghan security forces,” Campbell said.
Campbell took over as commander of the U.S and RS forces in Afghanistan eighteen months ago and has served in the U.S military for 36 years. http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/23765-poor-leadership-a-major-issue-for-afghan-troops-campbell
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