ISAF continues to adjust ANSF vetting in wake of green-on-blue attacks

The NATO training mission in Afghanistan (NTMA) is continuing to adjust its vetting procedures for recruitment to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to minimise the risk of green-on-blue insider attacks against International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) personnel, according to NATO and Afghan officials.

The tighter vetting is causing a "small delay" in the fielding of the ANSF's full-planned strength of 352,000 soldiers and police in 2013.

"We've suffered a couple of delays in reaching that recruiting figure, but in the spring of next year – around March – we should reach the figure we want for the army and police," Major General Jim Ferron, NTMA deputy commander, said on 3 December.

"We took a small pause in recruiting to review our recruitment procedures, particularly regarding the police. This will push into the February-March timeline [of] reaching that figure," he said, referring to the NTMA's goal of training and fielding 195,000 soldiers and 157,000 police officers across the country.

Strict vetting of Afghan security force candidates has grown in urgency for ISAF to counter the waves of insider and insurgent attacks on ISAF and ANSF forces since mid-2012.