There has been a new and troubling movement in Afghanistan as an Afghan National Police commander and 13 junior officers joined the Taliban. The commander, known as Mirwais, had been with the police force for a year and was in command of two police stations in the Bala Boluk district of the Fara province bordering Iran. Mirwais defecting with two police vehicles and 20 machine guns was very worrying for American forces. They have been working very hard to train Afghan natives, so the U. S. and its NATO allies could leave Afghanistan and leave the nation’s security to the Afghan National Police.
Now violence is quickly increasing in the Farah province, where the Taliban has been active. There have also been several other incidents of Afghans turning on their military counterparts. This includes three Americans, mot likely trainers at the West Zone Police Training Center in the Herat province, who were killed, along with the shooter.
I have a personal connection to this story because my brother, Alex Williams, was a trainer to the police force just last year, in 2010-2011. He was stationed at the West Zone Police Training Center in the Herat province, the location of the aforementioned incident. He is back at his base now, but that definitely could have been him.
The American and NATO forces are facing these new challenges head on and using preventive measures to stop any further Afghan defection. The Afghan police force is important to the safety of the people of Afghanistan and to the rest of the world as well. With all of the turbulence in the Middle East, a strong government in each country may be a big part in making peace.
