Coalition shares UN's concern over ethnic composition of new army

Following the United Nations' recent call for political and ethnic reform within the Afghan National Army (ANA), as well as the country's defence ministry, the US-led international coalition has joined that call, urging the government to address the issue. "There is a concern that has been expressed by international partners about the ethnic composition of the ANA and perhaps the Afghan Ministry of Defence," Col Rodney Davis, a coalition spokesman, told IRIN in the capital, Kabul, on Wednesday. According to Davis, many of the senior individuals in the ANA and the defence ministry were reportedly Tajiks as opposed to Pashtuns. "This is primarily a matter of concern for the Afghan central government which really must be addressed," he said, noting that the coalition had raised its concern with the government, suggesting that it encourage Pashtuns to apply for posts in the army, and for Tajiks to be receptive to their applications. Davis's comments follow Sunday's call by the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) urging the defence ministry to implement its commitment to complying with the presidential decree of 1 December 2002 on the ANA, and to institute a number of reforms towards creating a more ethnically balanced national army. UNAMA said the reforms involved making changes in the senior ranks of the defence ministry so as to bring about a political, regional and ethnic balance; to ensure that key senior ANA posts of the Central Corps were filled by professional officers with a national as opposed to factional outlook; and to establish a national troop-recruitment system open to all eligible Afghans. "This reform programme needs to be implemented urgently, as these measures will improve the credibility of the Ministry of Defence as an institution dedicated to protecting the security interests of the whole nation," Manoel de Almeida e Silva, a spokesman for UNAMA, told IRIN, noting, however, that inasmuch as the ministry had already committed itself to implementing the reforms, it was now time to see that commitment translated into action. However, according to Afghan military officials, there have already been great changes in balancing the ministry's ethnic and professional structure since the establishment of the interim administration early last year. "Based on the Bonn accords, we have taken considerable measures with regard to restructuring the ministry, and ensuring the ethnic and regional balance," Gen Abdul Nasir Zeya'i, the ministry's spokesman, told IRIN, noting that 50 per cent of the ministry's senior posts were held by Pashtuns while the remaining 50 percent were held by individuals belonging to other ethnic groups. The United States is the lead nation in the formation of the ANA, and since late last year, over 3,000 people have been trained as a component of the 70,000-strong army to be completed by 2010. "It is the coalition's desire in a perfect situation that the Afghan army reflects the Afghan people," Davis stated. But for Maj Mohammad Babai, a defence ministry officer, political and professional balance is more important than the ethnic equation. "I don't think it matters if there are more Tajiks or more Pashtuns, but political and professional aspects are very important to be considered," the 38-year-old officer with a Tajik background told IRIN, noting that the ministry had given priority to former jihadi commanders irrespective of whether they were Pashtuns or Tajiks, but professional people.