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Green on blue attacks raise questions about Afghan recruitment process

The growing number of coalition troops killed by their Afghan allies is raising questions about the recruitment procedures of Afghan security forces.

The growing number of coalition troops killed by their Afghan allies is raising questions about the recruitment procedures of Afghan security forces - and the trustworthiness of the tribal leaders who endorse each Afghan recruit.

Military commanders call these rogue attacks "green-on-blue" - green for Afghan forces and blue for the coalition. Such attacks have accounted for 114 deaths since 2007 - which includes 18 British soldiers.

However, the rate of attacks is increasing and this year has been by far the worst, with 51 coalition casualties - 9 of which were British. One in seven coalition casualties is now the result of a green-on-blue killing.

Despite claiming the attacks were isolated, NATO has recently scaled back joint patrols by coalition and Afghan forces. But as File on 4's Gerry Northam reports, it is not just coalition military personnel who has been affected by the attacks.

Listen to the full report on File on 4 on ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 on Tuesday, 24 September at 20:00 BST and Sunday, 30 September at 17:00 BST. You can also listen again via the Radio 4 website or File on 4 download.

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