A soldier in the Afghan National Army returns fire during an enemy ambush in Kunar province. The troops patrol a transit point frequently used by Taliban fighters crossing in from Pakistan.
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The Bush Administration has asked Congress for $8.6 billion to build up the Afghan National Security Forces over the next two years, with the international community contributing an additional $1.7 billion a year thereafter. (Considering that its fiscal 2005 GDP was $7.1 billion, Afghanistan can hardly be expected to foot the bill.) "It's a bargain," says Major General Robert Durbin, former commander of the Combined Security Transition Command in Afghanistan. "We are spending $15 billion a year now for the presence of U.S. forces. So for a fraction of the cost, you have the Afghans pick up the fight. So we have the option, if we so choose, to reduce our forces, and that's a good return on investment." Staff Sergeant George Beck Jr., a U.S. soldier training new recruits at the KMTC, says, "It's all about crawl, walk, run. Right now the Afghan army is at a crawl. In a few more years it will walk, and in 10 it will run. Then we can all go home."