Afghan Military commandos casualties rising drastically in Battlefield
Shares
KABUL - *Military analysts say weak leadership and improper use of Afghan commandos in operations have increased casualties to these special forces in the country. *
Commando forces, who represent a small fraction of the 300,000 Afghan military forces, have been carrying out the army’s most offensive operations across the country, underlining Afghanistan’s heavy reliance on them.
While regular forces, including police, are deployed largely to defend positions, special forces are taking the battle to militants from Kunduz, Helmand, Farah and many other restive provinces.
However, in recent times, casualties of the commandos have been increased particularly in volatile Farah province where around 30 commando forces have been killed in an overnight Taliban attack, last month.
“The casualties of commando forces is due to weak management and improper use of these forces in operations,” said head of senate’s defense committee Mohammad Hashim Alokozai.
“Commandos are special operations unit but their promotion to corps level and including them in various military operations weakening essence of these forces,” said a military expert, Javid Kohistani.
However, Afghan Army chief Lt. Gen. Mohammad Sharif Yaftali said that there are some certain issues and they are working to do not repeat the mistakes which have occurred in the past.
“We are making efforts to reduce the number of casualties to commando forces,” Yaftali said.
This comes as the government plans to double the number of current special forces as part of a long-term strategy to bolster units stretched and exhausted by persistent attacks from Taliban and other insurgent groups
