European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 8, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 2007 stars and stripes Mideast edition Page 3 afghan police now focus of training efforts by Kevin Dougherty stars and stripes Afghanistan coalition forces training of afghans is shifting with about 300 army trainers with a multinational task Force crossing Over to work with the country National about 500 police tutors now Are involved in the or about half of what is officials the european Union plans to contribute As Many As 200 to the but army Rob Ert who overseas All train is pushing for even More sup Durbin estimates the afghan National police has Only 35 per cent of necessary guns and communications in con the afghan National army is about 60 percent if the and members cannot defend Durbin we cant expect them to defend their while the is the Lead nation for task Force other countries Are pitching especially with the the task which consists of nearly peo ple from 16 oversees a nationwide initiative to Mentor afghan army and police there Are two military trainers from new about two dozen from Mongolia and a Host of other the for Are involved in officer while the United kingdom focuses on noncommissioned officer train ing and the officer candidate sometimes the training is Geo graphically for the Spanish and slovenians Are out sometimes the training is the mongolians teach the romanians Tutor afghans in armoured the germans instruct the mechanized its Nice to bring people in that have different ways of doing said Douglas head of task Force Phoe there Are a lot of different and ours Arent always the trainers work at More than 100 from Herat in Western Afghanistan to Remote outposts on the Pakistan they guide the development of afghan Security forces from Boot Camp to base Camp and its the afghan not the american said staff James a firing Range men Tor at the Kabul military training they do things different but that it is their while illiteracy in Afghanistan remains an impediment Esti mates from instructors vary great from 5 percent to 50 percent afghan soldiers seem to be Quick and willing task Force members sometimes what is taught is highly sometimes it is downright like when an afghan recruit recently had to be shown How to put socks see police on Page 5 on Page 4 building a cohesive Force from a nation of regional tribes afghan awol rate declining Northern base named after killed Pilot photos by Michael and stripes staff Larel of training assistance group uses a stick to show an afghan army recruit How to pull the trigger on his weapon during a training session at Kabul military training Center last Bonner is one of Many coalition including Many who Are mentoring at afghan Soldier who killed 2 americans was mentally ill for four military person Nel assigned to the american led training command in of it was supposed to be just another routine visit to the main prison near the afghan Capi but As their party started to drive away from the pole Char i a place layered with checkpoints and Security a Soldier with the afghan nation Al army raised his weapon and fired into their note to readers due to a technical the Story about the killing of the sunday afternoon ambush killed two service members and injured two Ana sol Diers who witnessed the attack re turned killing their who was described As the rogue Soldier by american they oversee operations at the army Shel Don spokesman for the combined Security transition said of the the military personnel were there on a Rou Tine Smith saw the two injured ser Vic members monday morning and said both appeared to be doing they were listed in Sta ble the identities of the two Ameri cans killed in the ambush were being withheld pending family no their bodies were flown out of Afghanistan shortly after Dawn monday aboard a Mili tary aircraft that took off from nearby Bagram air on a spokesman for Afghanistan defense ministry said the afghan Soldier in the Inci Dent was mentally the Zahir said the Soldier had been in the afghan army for a year and a half and had been hospitalized twice for mental All of the personnel in the attack were based out of Camp the Headquarters for the command coordinates All of the training activities involving the afghan army and and it has regu Lar dealings with afghan defense and Interior Smith described the fallen ser Vic members As Guys we see in the gym and Chow Hall every the killings have hit close to Home for All of the two soldiers wounded in the attack were is sued purple heart medals Mon the two deaths Mark the first time anyone directly assigned to the training command Headquarters has been Smith army Douglas who supervises the embed training program for task Force said monday six of his trainers have died in com Bat since he took charge in afghans who join the army or police Are vetted though some get longer looks than depending on the Pritt indicated that afghans As signed to prominent positions or sensitive such As Pris face closer an investigation into the shoot Ings already is under Way by and afghan if there were Pritt we need to Deal with Smith added that Early indications Are the gunman acted in an interview several Days Robert who Heads up talked about the vetting he said investigators Access watch lists and reach into a candidates past to ensure candidates Are trustworthy and not criminals or human rights especially offic ers and senior for both the army and As part of their they have to be vouched for by a tribal elder or Durbin a memorial service at Camp Eggers was planned for late Mon Kevin Dougherty