By J. J. Messner & Kendall Lawrence
24 June 2013
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, 12 years and billions of dollars later, continues to represent one of the most unstable countries in the world.
Although the United States and its NATO allies have begun their drawdown, the process was hampered in 2012 by high rates of ‘green on blue’ violence, with members of the Afghan military and police attacking their international partners. This led to an initial halt in joint patrols and then increased vetting for new recruits and re-vetting of current recruits in an attempt to enhance security. Overall, these incidents also cast a pall over operations as a continued lack of trust continued despite years of effort and resources.
The drawdown process was also hindered by the large-scale violent protests that took place across the country following reports of NATO troops burning copies of the Koran and other religious items at a base.
In March of 2012, an American soldier entered a village in Kandahar province and killed 16 sleeping Afghan civilians, including women and children, triggering further backlashes against the occupation.
Assassinations of local Afghan political figures and religious leaders by the Taliban and other groups continued to undermine efforts at an inclusive peace process, most notably with the assassination of Arsala Rahmani of the High Peace Council, a former Taliban Minister and key figure in negotiations with rebel factions.
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