A linguist, left, shares a smartphone device with a Afghan Army command sergeant major during a security meeting at the Qara Bagh district's center in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, July 16, 2012. Smartphone devices are increasing in use on the battlefield in Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod
Afghanistan War: When 'Friends' Attack, Who Can You Trust? -- Tom Engelhardt, L.A. Times
In Afghanistan, our soldiers are being attacked by the men they're training to take over for them. That's a mission failure.
It has a name: green-on-blue violence. But the label doesn't begin to suggest the seriousness of the increasingly common phenomenon of Afghan soldiers, policemen and security guards attacking their NATO or U.S. mentors, the people who are funding, supporting and teaching them. Think of it as death-by-ally.
Such incidents have occurred at least 21 times so far this year, resulting in 30 American and European deaths. That's the same number of green-on-blue attacks reported in all of 2011. And, according to the Associated Press, the U.S. and NATO don't always release news of the assaults unless they result in deaths, so the number could be higher.
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My Comment: Trusting your fellow soldier is crucial in any war zone .... break that trust and the mission will fail. In Afghanistan .... green on blue incidents are poisoning this trust .... and yes .... it makes you question the mission and it's chances of success.