Former military officers welcome "new" army

Former Afghan army officers now living as refugees in Pakistan have welcomed the passing-out of the first intake of some 600 Afghan recruits after they received six weeks of rigorous training by international peacekeepers. "This is a good omen and a nice beginning," former general, Shir Mohammad Karimi, told IRIN from the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Thursday. Karimi, 57, was the first Afghan graduate of the prestigious British Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst in 1968, and now works for a nongovernmental organisation in Peshawar. He served in the Afghan army until the Taliban hounded him out two years ago because of the training he had received in the West. "The reformation of the Afghan army depends on a sound economic base, technical advancement and the overall security situation inside the country and the region," he said. Earlier in the week, Karimi's concerns were echoed by the UN special envoy for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, who appealed at a donor meeting in Switzerland on the reform of Afghanistan's security forces for about US $235 million this year for the country's army. Afghan interim Foreign Minister Abdollah Abdollah has urged donors to provide some $422 million towards building a national army and police force. Brahimi envisioned establishing an army of 60,000, an air force of 8,000 and a force of border guards numbering about 12,000. Commenting on that, Karimi said: "Ideally Afghanistan should have a 200,000-strong army, but Brahimi's suggestion is understandable given the current scenario." Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Afghanistan's interim leader Hamid Karzai presided over the passing-out parade of the 600 soldiers - a balanced mix of all Afghan ethnic groups, coming from 30 provinces of the country - who will initially serve as his presidential guard. Karzai described the development as an end to the legacy of the warlords in the country. Powerful regional warlords commanding formidable forces remain a challenge, although they met in early March to discuss the formation of the new national army Mohammad Hanif, a 42-year-old watchman in one of Peshawar's fashionable residential quarters, was a captain in the Afghan army in the 1980s, but was forced to emigrate in 1992, following the demise of President Mohammad Najibullah's administration. "Many of my fellow army officers are now working as labourers around the city," he told IRIN. "I will go back to my country if the rulers in Kabul allow me to resume my duties. I want to serve my homeland." But rebuilding Afghanistan's army is a tall order, and his dreams might never be fulfilled. The UN estimates that 200,000 to 250,000 former combatants need help to reintegrate into society. Many of them have experienced little other than fighting. "Before embarking on the formation of a new army, the international peacekeepers should do a general disarmament," former Lt-Gen Amir Mohammad, also a refugee in Peshawar, told IRIN. Mohammad left the Afghan army in 1980 to join the Mujahidin resistance against the Soviet occupation of his country. "The new national should be thoroughly professional and should not engage in politics," Mohammad added. "If the international community wants to rebuild Afghanistan, then security must be a top priority."