Turk soldiers ‘role models’ for Afghan recruits, NATO commander says
Lt. Gen. Caldwell, head of the NATO training mission in Afghanistan, says Turkish soldiers are making a tremendous difference in the country and providing a role model for Afghan recruits thanks to their cultural similarities. He also notes that Turkey will soon train 500 Afghan police in Central Anatolian province of Sivas
Lt. Gen. Caldwell, head of the NATO training mission in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of the US Embassy in Ankara
NATO’s top training mission commander in Afghanistan praised Turkish trainers Friday for their disciplined approach toward young Afghan recruits, noting that Turkish soldiers are making a tremendous difference compared to other coalition forces.
“I see the incredible difference Turkish trainers make. If you asked me to judge all my coalition trainers as to who probably has the greatest impact in the relationship with the young Afghan recruits, it is my Turkish soldiers,” Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell told a small group of journalists at a roundtable meeting in Ankara where he was visiting to update Turkish officials for the one-year anniversary of the NATO training mission in Afghanistan.
One of the United States’ top soldiers, Caldwell held talks at the foreign, interior and defense ministries Thursday over efforts to professionalize the Afghan army and police and establish viable logistics and medical systems in the country.
“We have made incredible progress over the last year. I want to sustain that momentum into the next year, we have to continue to grow,” he told reporters following his official meetings.
The Afghan National Army has grown by 42 percent over last year, the national police grew 27 percent and the training capacity grew 38 percent, according to NATO statistics.
The Turkish military, in particular, has been training Afghan noncommissioned officers at Camp Gazi since June as part of the NATO training mission in Afghanistan.
Caldwell said Turkish soldiers were holding Afghan recruits to a “very tough standard [of] discipline,” providing a source of motivation for the Afghans.
Twenty-seven Turkish trainers have been working with 400 recruits at a time; and the NATO training mission is building more capacity so that Turkish soldiers can train up to 900 Afghans.
“When you put an American soldier with an Afghan recruit, it is not the same as when a Turkish soldier is next to an Afghan recruit,” said Caldwell.
“That’s just a tremendous difference. The Turkish people have more cultural relationship with the Afghan people,” he said. “If you look back and study Afghan history, [Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk really reached out and built that initial relationship with the Afghans and they remember him.”
The commander said Afghans and Turks shared a similar culture, history and religion.
“It is a lot more challenging to break though the cultural differences,” he said. “We have 27 different nations in the coalition but when a Turkish soldier walks in there, it is very different how the Afghans react to a Turkish soldier than they do with perhaps a German, British or an American soldier.”
He hailed the Turkish soldiers as role models for Afghans.
“The Afghan recruits really want to be different, they want to improve, so they are looking for somebody that they can emulate,” Caldwell said. “A Turkish soldier has the same background and experience with them. Just think of the two words ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ Whether in Afghanistan or in Turkey the words are almost the same.”
NATO and the Turkish government are also in close consultation to train Afghanistan’s future police officers. “We suspect by this December, if not by January,” Turkey will train 500 police officers in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas for a six-month period, Caldwell said.
Decline in NATO combat troops next year
Next year will also see some reduction in the overall number of combat forces from NATO in Afghanistan based on conditions on the ground, said the general, but stressed 2011 would also see a slight increase in the number of trainers.
“We’ll continue with the training mission,” he said.
Questions, however, remain as to whether the Afghan army will be able to operate effectively in the rural areas where the Taliban is the strongest as Westerners have so far shouldered the heaviest burden of the war in its most dangerous areas. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he wanted Afghan soldiers to be heading all security operations inside Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
“That was a pretty clear statement to NATO,” said Caldwell but hinted that training will continue. “We will not have finished building their police and army until December 2011.”
Turk soldiers ‘role models’ for Afghan recruits, NATO commander says - Hurriyet Daily News
Ankara continues its provocations in the Aegean. On Wednesday 05/10 the violations of the Turkish Air Force were followed again by an engagement.
