NATO: Afghan vetting process better

The screening process for Afghan recruits is getting stronger as international forces adapt to a looming transition, the NATO secretary-general said. The International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan announced plans last week to put Afghan recruits through an eight-step vetting process. Attacks in coalition forces by Afghan troops have left 45 ISAF soldiers dead this year. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said during a news briefing that so-called green-on-blue attacks were "of great concern" for mission planners. He said, however, that forces on the ground were constantly adapting to changing security conditions. "The vetting and screening of recruits is getting stronger. We are seeing better counterintelligence efforts," he said. "ISAF and Afghan forces are getting more training to understand cultural differences." An analysis by U.S. think tank Rand Corp. finds that nearly 15 percent of attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan are green-on-blue. International forces are working to train their Afghan counterparts as the 2014 deadline for withdraw approaches. Rasmussen said NATO was committed to that mission. "Our strategy is set, our timeline is clear," he said. "And we will stay the course."