Desertions from Afghanistan's army pose security risk ahead of Nato exit

Far from home, poorly paid and discriminated against, Mushtaq and Sefadullah are among thousands of Afghans deserting the army in a worrying trend two years before Nato troops leave.

It is not that the pair have joined the Taliban. Like many, they simply got fed up with life in the army, fighting a war. So they went back to the eastern city of Jalalabad, where they have both blossomed in new jobs.

Mushtaq, which is a fake name, says he served in the relatively peaceful western province of Herat but was discriminated against for being the same ethnic group as most of the Taliban.

A Pashtun from Tora Bora - where al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden hid after the 2001 invasion - Mushtaq said his officers treated him like a Taliban.

"Our commander was Tajik. All the Pashtuns were always blamed. So I left," said the 23-year-old, who works at an English-language information centre. "At that time, I had a good salary - 11,000 afghanis [HK$1,620]. Now I get only 4,000, but I'm happy. I'm free and I learn English."

General Olivier de Bavinchove, No3 commander in the US-led International Security Assistance Force, says around 50,000 soldiers - or about 26 per cent, of the 190,000-strong Afghan army - desert each year.

Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi says the desertion rate is significantly lower but is still around 10 to 15 per cent. In the US Army, the desertion rate is 0.3 per cent.